Monday, July 30, 2012

TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000 / La Jolla Productions - 1958

It's Monster Monday with Tabonga, here at The Dungeon!.. Eegah!! and I saw this one back in 1960 at the theater, distribution was a lot different than today, it actually took that long for it to make it to our town! It was originally released as a double bill with THE SCREAMING SKULL. This flick remains one of my favorites, it was written by the director, Robert J. Gurney Jr. from a story by sci-fi pulp and paperback writer, Henry Slesar, from a story called "Bottle Baby." Henry went on to be a very successful writer for television including writing for ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, TWILIGHT ZONE, THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. and BATMAN! Great lobby card, sadly, I used to have a mint 3-sheet of this title.

Eegah!! sent over a very nice soundclip for us to play, sooooo, as to not be rude, you can go ahead and push that big red 'GO' button right there in front of your claw, NOW, Ralphie The Tarantula! Here comes some cool rockin' sounds and more, get ready for... TERROR FROM THE YEAR 5000!

Ward Costello plays Dr. Robert Hedges. He's just received this statue in the mail from his old friend, Professor Erling, which turns out to be from the future! Funny, it looks like a 1930's Brancusi knockoff to me. Ward was also in RETURN FROM WITCH MOUNTAIN and the 1987 version of PROJECT X.

After he finds out the statue is radioactive, he heads to Florida to pay the professor a little visit. Here he is renting a car at Hertz! They give him an Edsel to drive!

Joyce Holden plays Claire, the professor's lovely daughter. We also remember Joyce from THE WEREWOLF and she was in an episode of G. E. TRUE THEATRE called "Atomic Love!"

John Stratton plays wise guy, Victor, the professor's helper and Claire's boyfriend, this was his only film credit. Victor likes to secretly experiment with their equipment when the professor's not around.

Fred Herrick plays groundskeeper, Angelo. He's a perv, he's watching Miss Claire undressing! Fred also has a 1987 soundtrack credit for lyrics for two songs in KANDYLAND, "Let's Fly Away From Here" and "Ask Me to Dance."

Here's Victor secretly running the equipment again, this time though, something will come out and attack him and then run back inside the chamber!

In the meantime, Claire and Dr. Hedges have a meeting of the tongues!

Angelo is caught peeping at Miss Claire again and has to go to his shack for a timeout! They spray painted over all the good parts on the girlie pin-ups.

The doc mimes the Frankenstein monster, showing off for Claire and the professor. Then, at the bar, when the TV set is turned on it shows a weird signal, signifying that the professor's equipment was being operated at a very high level!

Lucky Angelo meets up with the thing from the future after it escaped the night before, he gets all hypnotised and ends up the first victim. Oh well, BFD, dude was a perv!

Hedges finds what Victor was hiding, a radioactive 4-eyed cat from the future! Then, Claire, in her 2-piece, discovers Angelo laying face down in the water!

The shapely Salome Jens plays both Future Woman and the nurse. She hypnotizes Victor into believing in her cause and going back to the future with her.

But, in the end, the doc shoots her in the gut and Victor electrocutes them both when he prevents the door from closing!

Durrr... I like milk!

Here's a hot shot of Salome in her 1961 title role as ANGEL BABY!

Monster Music

Monster Music
AAARRGGHHH!!!! Ya'll Come On Back Now, Y'Hear??