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Post by dem bones on Feb 18, 2011 8:33:46 GMT
What the stars read! A complete history of literature in film & TV
Midsomer Murders The mighty Midsomer Murders is usually good for some steamy hardcover action. Here Tom Barnaby settles down with Aloysius 'The Magus' Wilmington's chilling autobiography, Mumbo Jumbo And Me, in Magician's Nephew .... ... While Sgt. Troy snaps up the controversial movie tie-in edition of Ellis Bell's The House Of Satan from the Upper Warden bookshop ( A Tale Of Two Hamlets). Early episode Blue Herrings features a scene-stealing cameo by a Dennis Wheatley paperback (forget which) in an old people's home! The House That Dripped Blood Now If there's one well stocked library I would love to be let loose on it's that which comes in as a job lot with The House That Dripped Blood. Throughout the movie we're given tantalising glimpses of it's many treasures: a nice black Dracula, The Completes Stories & Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, M. G. Lewis's The Monk and Lotte H. Eisner's The Haunted Screen: Expressionism in the German Cinema. Arguably the pick of the haul, a dust-laden copy of The House Of Death by somebody, which best-selling horror hack, Charles Hillyer, ill-advisedly consults to bone up on the colourful history of his property in opening story, Method for Murder. Bored of tormenting cast and crew, arrogant male lead Paul Henderson knocked up this pioneering vampire fangzine during a three minute break in rehearsals for his latest smash horror movie. Hammer House Of Horror Conniving estate agent A. J. Powers' "factual" account of the gruesome murder at 42 Colman Road in The House That Bled To Death. Poor Sophie Peters has been swizzled out of her pocket money if you ask me. Tales From The Crypt "Have you seen this, darling? Those frightful Hells Angels are up to no good again." Richard Clayton takes time out from the Tales From The Crypt set to catch up on events in the local rag. Rosie Dixon - Night Nurse Nurse Rosie Dixon studies a much cherished, pre-name change issue of The Paperback Fanatic (still borrowed from the Share Virus community) Some more: Milton Subotsky paid glowing tribute to R. Chetwynd-Hayes by devoting an entire window display to the works of 'Britain's Prince of Chills' during the opening credits of The Monster Club. Sadly have not been able to find footage of the appropriate moment but KC has pointed out that in killer (or are they?) schoolkids shocker Unman, Wittering and Zigo, the art teacher is caught reading a copy of The Pan Book Of Horror Stories. Mind you, as these are genuine titles, they don't quite fit in with this collection. Actually The House Of Death looks suspiciously authentic so am not sure if that does either? I suspect that exhausts the subject and this listing is already beyond comprehensive, but if you can think of any more major books-on-screen moments, i'd be most obliged if you were to share 'em.
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Post by andydecker on Feb 18, 2011 10:40:16 GMT
Great stuff, dem. Hard to follow up, though. I always maintained the Midsomer is very literate I remember A Tale of two Hamlets. It was so far out that its plot bordered on incoherence, still one of the better eps with some sharp satire (I am sure) included. Realized that I never watched Rosie Dixon I know, it´s not that big a loss, and I am sure they show movies like that at law seminars for sexual harrassment today, still it sure has a chuckle or two. (And at least our nurse was reading a book ;D )
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Post by marksamuels on Feb 18, 2011 12:01:08 GMT
Tales from the Darkside: the movie Luscious Debbie Harry locks up a screaming brat in a cage and decides to cook him for a dinner party. He tries to delay proceedings by telling her three rather rubbish horror tales. Alas, it all ends badly when the kid escapes and pushes her gorgeousness into the oven. Bah! Mark S.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 18, 2011 12:27:44 GMT
"ends badly"? man, that has to be the most unforgivable outcome in the history of horror! I always maintained the Midsomer is very literate Too right. Am sure fans of Emily Bronte were delighted to learn that, far from retiring from the field after Wuthering Heights as is popularly believed, 'Ellis Bell' went on to pen a forgotten horror masterpiece! On the Midsomer Murders front, much to my dismay, DI Tom Barnaby, wife Joyce and the divine Cully took their collective leave from the series in the recently aired Fit For Murder. In this one, Joyce treated Tom to a weekend at the Swavely Manor Health Spa to get him in shape for his impending medical. However, barely have they checked in than Ronni Ancona (i.e., Countess Kronsteen from Dr. Terrible's Lesbian Vampires Of Lust) is drowned in the floatation pool, giving Tom a welcome excuse to leg it to the village pub for clues. And if you ever wondered if Barnaby would loosen up some if he only tried some marijuana ... Blondes Like Big Ones was obviously ghosted by Laurence James, but it will bother me for ever if nobody can tell me whether or not The House Of Death is genuine. I adore Curse Of The Bloodsuckers! Do you realise that, in close on forty years of trying, no vampire 'zine has yet come close to emulating those cutting edge production values?
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Post by Craig Herbertson on Feb 18, 2011 13:41:45 GMT
Loved this film. Ms Harry was a delight
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Post by Dr Terror on Feb 18, 2011 13:54:11 GMT
In Tales From the Crypt isn't there a whole shelf of paperbacks in the Maitland story? Another book is John Verney's in To the Devil a Daughter.
There's an episode where he eats some hash cakes.
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Post by andydecker on Feb 19, 2011 11:16:28 GMT
Loved this film. Ms Harry was a delight You are 100% right. I have never seen a movie or a tv show where she disappointed. I would really like to see the Wiseguy arc again with the music industry where she played one of the roles. It had an unbelievable cast. Sadly chances are slim that this will see a dvd release as there are problems with the music rights. Tales of the Darkside -The Movie was a good one. This was the high time of the horror anthology on tv. Tales from the Darkside, Monsters, The Hitchhiker, later Tales from the Crypt and The Hunger. Sure, there was a lot of boring episodes, still I miss those. Today you get the Vampire Diaries. Not even close.
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Post by dem bones on Feb 25, 2011 19:00:56 GMT
There's an episode where he eats some hash cakes. yeah, that's the one I had in mind though it's possible I got my episodes in a twist and that doesn't happen in Fit For Murder after all? There's a lovely moment when an exasperated Joyce, on discovering she's been sharing the floatation tank with Ronni's corpse, gives Tom an accusing "Something terrible has happened. Again." Like it's his fault there have been over 220 murders in so tiny and respectable community since he took over as Detective Superintendent! Anyway, more proof that living in and around Midsomer is better than living in the Bodleian Library. The House In The Woods: Barnaby and Jones are in Midsomer Newton investigating the garroting of Peter Cave (!) and his wife Caroline outside Winyard, the local haunted house. Fancying a laugh, they snap up this useful booklet by eccentric local heritage experts and ghost-hunters, Lesley and Barbara Flux. Blue Herrings: Ok, so they're being bumped off one by one. but the old codgers at the Lawnside Nursery home - including Dr. Starr/ Catweazle legend Geoffrey Blaydon - are spoiled rotten for vintage pulp gold. Here Barnaby's Aunt Alice decides between an original hardcover of Dennis Wheatley's Fake Passports, a Sherlock Holmes omnibus and Hank Janson's Situation Grave "I think the series has succeeded because it is the quintessentially English whodunit with a pedigree stretching back through Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers as far as Conan Doyle. It celebrates the world's preconceptions about English society and particularly English village society which suggests that every vicar has a dubious sexual provenance, every spinster is a homicidal maniac and every child a potential killer, particularly if he has been near a public school." - John Nettles. Murder On St. Malley's Day. Following the fatal stabbing of an unpopular pupil who allegedly spoke to village oiks, Barnaby and Jones investigate the top secret 'Pudding Club' at Devington Public School. Luckily, renegade Devington Old Boy Dudley Carew has made it his business to expose the School's sinister traditions and all manner of global cover ups in top magazine, Conspiracies Gazette.
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Post by Dr Terror on Feb 25, 2011 19:36:09 GMT
I saw Dot Cotton reading a Darran Shan book last night.
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Post by dem bones on Mar 11, 2011 9:28:07 GMT
And yet another adorable Amicus moments. Franklin Marsh having a crafty ogle at the skin mag he's concealed behind his upside-down newspaper in Dr. Terror's House Of Horrors.
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Post by dem bones on Jun 30, 2011 19:26:39 GMT
Outwitted by the mad killer in the Mr Punch mask, John Luther and the team turn to a Peter Haining classic for divine inspiration. ( Luther season 2 episode 2, summer 2011) The Hands of Orlac: Franklin Marsh is now masquerading as stage magician 'Nero', but otherwise it's very much a case of unseemly business as usual... Celebrated go go dance troupe Pans People do their bit for literary awareness on Top Of The Pops. But can you guess which Beatles song is the subject of their risqué routine (clue: title contains the word 'writer'')?
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Post by franklinmarsh on Jul 1, 2011 8:49:48 GMT
The Hands of Orlac: Franklin Marsh is now masquerading as stage magician 'Nero', but otherwise it's very much a case of unseemly business as usual... If there's anyone out there who hasn't seen The Hands Of Orlac, I have to point out that Sir Christopher Lee is the best magician in the world - ever. You know the bit in Vampire Circus where Count Mitterhouse just appears? One minute nothing, the next he's there? Well, Sir Chris does this on stage - one minute he's there, the next gone. Fantastic! And, he makes his assistant's outfit disappear! All of a sudden, she's there in her undies! Brilliant! Shame she has to sing that blummin' awful, monocle-popping song. And can anyone confirm that Mel Ferrer utters the line 'My hands are innocent!'
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Post by severance on Jul 1, 2011 15:30:32 GMT
John Travolta's reading matter while sat on the bog in Pulp Fiction was Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise. Here it is - a first American hardback edition from Doubleday dated 1965, no less - lying on the bathroom floor below Travolta's bullet-ridden, blood-spattered corpse.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 8, 2011 6:49:22 GMT
Nadine (Ingrid Pitt) bores herself rigid with Jason King's latest best-selling Mark Caine thriller. But what reading matter occupies Jason's very limited free time? Ask a stupid question.
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Post by dem bones on Aug 21, 2011 13:01:36 GMT
Proof reader Ernie Broughton (kenneth Connor) puts the willies up himself in old dark house horror What A Carve Up. Fisk (Michael Gough) the creepy butler prefers something a little raunchier. Shirley Eaton prepares to settle down for the night with a copy of Crabs: The Human Sacrifice (out of picture)
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