Dojo Classics - Clash Of The Titans!

Clash of the Titans is far from my favorite Ray Harryhausen movie. This last epic by Harryhausen features some neat set pieces, especially the sequence of Perseus battling the Gorgon. I have to give the taming of Pegasus a good grade too, but that's mostly because at the time seeing a flying horse was very cool. Nowadays that sequence creaks a bit, but that's unfair criticism on my part really. But otherwise the movie is a bit of a snooze.

It's not really the special effects that fail though even now, it's the other elements of the story that bore me mostly. Bubo is cute, but gets tired fast. Harry Hamlin is handsome enough but seems pretty empty in the role, especially when he's confronted with Burgess Meredith who acts rings around him. Judi Bowker is lovely but lacks the exotic touch I expect for such a princess, she's a bit too cornbread for the role.


All that said, I'm perfectly content to let Harryhausen's epic be my "Clash" for now. The remake is getting mixed reviews and I can certainly wait until it shows up on TV to catch it myself in a year or so. Like its predecessor it seems to be a nice enough movie, but based on the promos I've seen lacks the spark to make yearn to see it. Too bad really.


Harryhausen's final movie did generate some pretty good posters though. The Hildebrant brothers did a pretty nice one (though there is for sure a hint of Star Wars in it) and the other is very dynamic, the Kraken is way more interesting and vital on the poster.

UPDATE: Watched this flick again a few days ago and my analysis pretty much sticks. Clash of the Titans is the least of the Harryhausen movies for a simple reason, it's sort of boring. Despite lots of nifty monsters (Medusa and Kraken) the story just sort of tumbles along and the characters never ever seem all that desperate. It's mediocre acting for certain, a lackluster directing job perhaps, but one thing which annoyed me mightily on this viewing was the absolute irritating music. The score is very lush but never elevates above elevator music level. There's at once too much music and not enough to add to the proceedings. Sound and music is often something in a movie you don't miss until you do and that's sure the case with this one. By the way I've seen the remakes of this story and love them, they're better than the original, at least in terms of acting and such pedestrian aspects even if they don't have the Harryhausen magic.

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War Eagles And Patriot Games!

(L.B. Cole)

America gathers around the beer and nachos once again tonight to toast the "American Pastime", the blood sport we in America call football. American Football is still dominant and will be for quite some time to come, but this year we saw the edges begin to fray as the hard science of lasting brain injury and the whims of political caprice both inflicted damage on the sport which so many love to worship. Now that fewer and fewer new athletes will be playing football in the next many years, opting for safer sports like basketball and soccer and perhaps even baseball, the game will eventually over time lose its allure. Now that a President has seen fit to make the game part of the psycho-babble which passes for political parlance these day, the Olympian idealism with which the game has been handled by media for many years has been tarnished. The Super Bowl has become what the World Series once was, the iconic event in the American sports world. But the lights are dimming, if only slightly and the long view is not promising for a sport which demands too much of its players for the mere diversion of the masses. We are not amused, at least not as much as we used to be.

(Ramona Patenaude)

And any guess who I'm rooting for, even though I will not be watching? If you guessed any team who doesn't have a guy named Brady for a quarterback, you guessed correctly. As a Bengals follower, I remember decades ago when the Patriots sucked just like us! Ah, the days of yore!

UPDATE: I awoke this morning to the joyous news that the Eagles won in a romp of a game. And the better news is that the loathsome Patriots lost at last.

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Samson And Goliath!

Samson and Goliath (also known as Young Samson, but I prefer the original title) was as stripped down as it's possible for a superhero yarn to get.

Samson and his dog Goliath roam the Earth on their sleek upscale motor scooter and end up becoming heroes to fight monsters or criminals or both together. Samson clinks together two wristbands and he becomes a larger version of himself also called Samson who then clinks the bands together again to make his dog Goliath become...wait for it...an enormous lion named Goliath. Why the dog became a giant cat was always the thing about this show which befuddled me, but nonetheless I really enjoyed it then and still do.

Hanna-Barbera was rushing out all sorts of superheroes after the success of Space Ghost such as Birdman, Herculoids, and this show. And this show had elements of the other three. Already mentioned are the wrist bands which have a similarity to those of Space Ghost and even in some few episodes can send out power beams. 

Goliath is not unlike Birdman's partner Avenger but more so. He's rather like the Herculoids who assist Zandor, an enormous beast (Tundro) with powerful eye beams (Zok) and a deadly iron-like rock-hard paw (Igoo).

What these two are doing at any given time is speculative. They roam around, apparently independent of any need to make money meeting people they are interested in. But mostly they are just always in the right place at the right time to help solve some crime or help stop some giant monster.

As far as we can tell Samson and Goliath just are, no origin is ever offered up. Where the powers come from is never explained, but I assume it must be mystical given the classic names and the fact that yes, the dog does become a lion. Why not a wolf? It's always bothered me.

Apparently when this show was first made there were twenty-six episodes, but later when it was cribbed together for other formats, six episodes went missing for all time. What a shame that such carelessness could lose so much fun material. But it speaks to the nature of such pop culture.

Samson and Goliath appeared in two comic book stories in the Gold Key series which featured the Hanna-Barbera heroes. That adds a bit to what we know about them, but it's still tenuous.

There seems to be very little ephemera for the series, though I did stumble across the handsome coloring book above.

The series is now available in tandem with The Space Kiddettes The shows, nothing alike in nearly any respect, were cobbled together and that's the form in which they survive. Better to have them in that shape than none at all, but what a loss those missing episodes are.

In the final analysis Samson and Goliath are just two heroic characters who seem to want to help mankind with the great powers they have and are more than willing to put their lives on the line. It's stripped down heroism at its most basic and fun to watch.

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TV's Mightiest Old Cartoon Series!

The Mighty Hercules is a wonderful cartoon blast from the past. Several years ago I got a dvd with twenty of the one hundred sixty cartoon adventures. These are a hoot and I wish I had more of them.  They are short but brisk yarns which feature Hercules, with the help of a magic ring which allows him to keep his great strength on Earth, jumps down from Olympus into the kingdom of Caladon to help out the prince or some other citizen who has come under attack by monsters or more likely the arch fiend Daedelus, an evil wizard or the Sea Witch who also goes by the name Wilhemine.

Herc is assisted by a centuar named Newton (who repeats everything he says twice) and his lovely girlfriend Helena. Other characters pop in and out of the little misadventures, but given the length of these five minute cartoons there's precious little time to develop and it's amazing how much story is delivered in so short a time. The animation is strictly limited but the designs are so handsome that with some clever direction and smart re-use of standard shots these stand up pretty well. The cartoon ran in the early 60's and there was apparently quite a bit of marketing tied to it. Below I've gathered from the bowels of the internets some of the games, books, and other paraphernalia including two comic books from Gold Key. Enjoy!

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Let The Quest Fest Begin!

Callooh! Callay! It is the most beautiful day! For a teacher there is nothing more exquisitely splendid than an unexpected snow day. Whatever comes later, there's that delightful elation, completely unanticipated, of a day off work. Sure the students are happy, but the teachers are delirious with joy. I fully planned to go to work on this Groundhog Day, got up and took an shower and lo and behold a quick band of snow seems to have targeted my workplace almost exactly. The result is that I now have at hand several free hours to fill with whatever I deem fit. And what I deem fit is Doug Wildey's animated masterpiece -- Jonny Quest. I recently ordered the 80's episodes and 90's films of this esteemed series and they should show up later today. I planned to start my Quest quest tomorrow, but thanks to the whims of climate change (deny all you want) I have a head start. So it's globetrotting today alongside the classic 60's  Quest team as we battle madmen, mummies, yetis, gargoyles, lizard men, lizard creatures, loup garous, foreign spies, robotic spiders, and even an invisible monster.

Sim sim salabim -- the Quest Fest begins.

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Dojo Classics - The Mighty Hercules!

I watched two classic flicks back to back yesterday -- Hercules and Hercules Unchained, the original two Steve Reeves movies starring the muscleman as the mythic hero.

One thing I noted about both films is that they are a bit too long. There is some great action (for the time) but there are spots where the story languishes for no clear reason. I'm not someone who demands furious activity all the time in my movies, but I do want all the minutes in a movie to contribute to the story significantly. These movies seem to pad a bit here and there.

But that's a quibble. Steve Reeves is amazingly handsome in these movies and he towers over the other actors adding to the suggestion of his superhuman status. I'd never noticed how many costume changes there are in both flicks, something of a fetish almost. Every half hour or so Herc is sporting some new tunic. My favorite was the fur one in the original movie. Also in that one Hercules swings both a giant club and chains to very good effect. This movie gets a bit somber in spots, but the action sequences are stupendous.

The sequel is pretty good and offers a neat mystery at the beginning. Hercules though takes a very long time falling into the clutches of the villainess, though things propel okay once he's there. The battle before the gates of Thebes is pretty well done and reasonable spectacle for the day and the budget.

These aren't great movies, but they are fun. Only in movies like this can you accept the ludicrous dragon that Jason battles for the Golden Fleece. It seems to be full-scale but we never get a decent look at it before that single spear kills it. That was an odd moment.

UPDATE: I recently dug these two epics out again and gave them yet another look and I find my patience with them has increased. Also I was struck by the sheer beauty of Sylva Koschina in both movies, especially the first one in which she is quite the hottie. Steve Reeves is still the center of attention though which I assume is appropriate for a movie like this. What is remarkable is the extent that Hercules is a moral center for the characters in this story, even when he forgets his identity for a time with the temptress Omphale in Hercules Unchained, the switch in his nature is notable. His very demeanor tells all his friends he's not right, so ingrained is his behavior. The army of mystical clones in the sequel reminded me of the clone army from Star Wars, a mighty force of identical warriors is a tyrant's dream.

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Down Wit' The Old!

This charming poster by George Wildman would look dandy on my wall. Alas I don't have it. Sigh. It marks a significant change in the lore of comics, when Charlton Comics, longtime second-tier comic book producer and training ground for some of the field's best talents underwent a face lift of sorts. The bright red Charlton "C" had been successful for several years giving the company a stronger identity toward the end of the Silver Age. With the Bronze Age of comics in full swing and George Wildman stepping in as new editor of the line, sprucing up was in order. And that gave us the famous Charlton Bullseye, which gave its name to a few comics and a fanzine.

In the comic which Wildman drew, the change came when Popeye #122 was the last of that series to sport the old logo.

And Popeye #123 was the first of the series to sport the new look. It's almost lost in the busy cover design, but there it is nonetheless. Up with the new indeed!

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