|
Post by Swampirella on Jun 14, 2021 20:19:30 GMT
Not that much, especially being in Quebec. I've watched Coronation Street since the 80s; the US channel P(ublic)B(roadcasting)S(ervice) still shows some bad 70s programs on Saturday nights that I used to suffer through many years ago, but also Masterpiece/Mystery on Sunday nights which has some very good UK series. The Professionals were sometimes on at 11pm while I was growing up, but never listed in the guide so it was just by chance I sometimes got to see it. Schlocky but fun. Escape to the Country is on at least once daily (except Sat.?) on one channel or another. I think that's it; East Enders was on for a few years decades ago but didn't last.
My love of British things started as a child, I was fascinated by Henry VIII and his 6 wives; UK history in general, etc.
Coronation Street was very good in the 70s and into the 80s. The writing was sharp with many strong female characters: Annie Walker, Hilda Ogden, Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples, Rita Fairclough and so forth. For me, it lost its way in the 90s and I have not watched it in 25 years. That's what a lot of people seem to say, online. I still enjoy it am sticking with it. There's always some dastardly villain to keep things juicy.
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Jun 14, 2021 20:30:40 GMT
Mentioning Sugar Hill reminded me of a US TV series from 1975 called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It starred Darren McGavin as an investigative reporter turning up bizarre cases of the supernatural, and Simon Oakland as his editor Tony Vincenzo, with whom he was always in conflict. One episode had a plot that was quite similar to that of Sugar Hill. Kolchak first appeared in a couple of made-for-TV movies: The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973). Both are very good, particularly the first one, and get my recommendation. The series was a little hit and miss, with the earlier episodes being the best imo, but all are worth watching for Darren McGavin...he's just outstanding as Kolchak. Both movies are on Youtube.
|
|
|
Post by helrunar on Jun 14, 2021 20:41:42 GMT
I watched Scream, Blacula, Scream a couple of years ago on y.t. and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. William Marshall was a wonderful presence as was Pam Grier as a spiritual Priestess who catches the Count's eye. The US TV series Night Gallery had some good stories. All the episodes, I have been told, are available to watch here for free, but I do not know if this site is accessible from the UK or Commonwealth countries: www.nbc.com/night-galleryIt aired from 1970-72. Some of my favorite episodes include "Certain Shadows on the Wall," "The Devil is not mocked," "Return of the Sorcerer," "Green Fingers," "Since Aunt Ada came to stay," "The Phantom Farmhouse" (which deserves special mention because it is based on the first story Seabury Quinn ever published in Weird Tales--so is something that relates to favorite Vault topics), "The Big Surprise" (a wonderful short skit with John Carradine), etc. H.
|
|
|
Post by Swampirella on Jun 14, 2021 20:45:40 GMT
Mentioning Sugar Hill reminded me of a US TV series from 1975 called Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It starred Darren McGavin as an investigative reporter turning up bizarre cases of the supernatural, and Simon Oakland as his editor Tony Vincenzo, with whom he was always in conflict. One episode had a plot that was quite similar to that of Sugar Hill. Kolchak first appeared in a couple of made-for-TV movies: The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973). Both are very good, particularly the first one, and get my recommendation. The series was a little hit and miss, with the earlier episodes being the best imo, but all are worth watching for Darren McGavin...he's just outstanding as Kolchak. Both movies are on Youtube. I loved Kolchak from the first time I saw it as a child. It was great to be able to watch the movies & the series on y.t. I still enjoy the theme song as well.
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Jun 14, 2021 21:02:49 GMT
I watched Scream, Blacula, Scream a couple of years ago on y.t. and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. William Marshall was a wonderful presence as was Pam Grier as a spiritual Priestess who catches the Count's eye. The US TV series Night Gallery had some good stories. All the episodes, I have been told, are available to watch here for free, but I do not know if this site is accessible from the UK or Commonwealth countries: www.nbc.com/night-galleryIt aired from 1970-72. Some of my favorite episodes include "Certain Shadows on the Wall," "The Devil is not mocked," "Return of the Sorcerer," "Green Fingers," "Since Aunt Ada came to stay," "The Phantom Farmhouse" (which deserves special mention because it is based on the first story Seabury Quinn ever published in Weird Tales--so is something that relates to favorite Vault topics), "The Big Surprise" (a wonderful short skit with John Carradine), etc. H. Agreed, Night Gallery is very good. Apparently, Serling didn't like those comedic skits that were included in later series, and I am with him on that, but he had a great screen presence just standing by those pictures and introducing the stories. I am particularly fond of the movie pilot that preceded the series. Can't seem to get anything to work on that link, perhaps not accessible from here. Perhaps someone else might have better luck., but thanks for the link. Do you remember a rival series from 1972 called Ghost Story? It was an anthology series with Sebastian Cabot introducing each week's story. Not up to Night Gallery standard, but I used to enjoy it when it was shown here late at night. Episodes are on Youtube. It morphed into Circle of Fear after about a dozen episodes and dropped Cabot's introductions.
|
|
|
Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Jun 14, 2021 21:20:35 GMT
I watched Scream, Blacula, Scream a couple of years ago on y.t. and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. William Marshall was a wonderful presence as was Pam Grier as a spiritual Priestess who catches the Count's eye. H. Watching trailers and excerpts. I'm surprised; The male lead, William Marshall, gives the part a nobility. He has a marvellous voice. He seemed to really have something extra. I'm sure he was a fine Shakespearean actor.
|
|
|
Post by Swampirella on Jun 14, 2021 21:30:00 GMT
I watched Scream, Blacula, Scream a couple of years ago on y.t. and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. William Marshall was a wonderful presence as was Pam Grier as a spiritual Priestess who catches the Count's eye. The US TV series Night Gallery had some good stories. All the episodes, I have been told, are available to watch here for free, but I do not know if this site is accessible from the UK or Commonwealth countries: www.nbc.com/night-galleryIt aired from 1970-72. Some of my favorite episodes include "Certain Shadows on the Wall," "The Devil is not mocked," "Return of the Sorcerer," "Green Fingers," "Since Aunt Ada came to stay," "The Phantom Farmhouse" (which deserves special mention because it is based on the first story Seabury Quinn ever published in Weird Tales--so is something that relates to favorite Vault topics), "The Big Surprise" (a wonderful short skit with John Carradine), etc. H. Agreed, Night Gallery is very good. Apparently, Serling didn't like those comedic skits that were included in later series, and I am with him on that, but he had a great screen presence just standing by those pictures and introducing the stories. I am particularly fond of the movie pilot that preceded the series. Can't seem to get anything to work on that link, perhaps not accessible from here. Perhaps someone else might have better luck., but thanks for the link. Do you remember a rival series from 1972 called Ghost Story? It was an anthology series with Sebastian Cabot introducing each week's story. Not up to Night Gallery standard, but I used to enjoy it when it was shown here late at night. Episodes are on Youtube. It morphed into Circle of Fear after about a dozen episodes and dropped Cabot's introductions. I remember enjoying Night Gallery; I had no idea they'd added comedic skits, which sounds ridiculous. I've never heard of "Ghost Story", it sounds interesting & I might try to watch it. I liked Sebastian Cabot in "Family Affair"...
|
|
|
Post by helrunar on Jun 14, 2021 21:31:28 GMT
William Marshall completely re-wrote the script (without receiving any credit for it--most likely due to union regulations, I would think) for the original Blacula film. I still have not caught up with the latter, but it's on my list. I would think Marshall also rewrote most of Scream Blacula--certainly his own dialogue. He was a truly magnificent human being.
Ripper, a friend of mine is obsessed with Ghost Story/Circle of Fear and I've seen quite a few episodes. They were a mixed bag. I'm really sad when Sebastian stops introducing the stories.
Another good one (which is also a pet obsession of my buddy) is The Evil Touch which was produced and shot in Australia with American guest stars (rather like the excellent Thriller series helmed in the UK by Brian Clemens) and introductions by Anthony Quayle, who always provides a world-weary touch of elegant ennui to all of it. These are all early 70s. I personally think horror started to go downhill as a genre sometime around 1975 though some good stuff continued to be produced, of course.
H.
|
|
|
Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Jun 14, 2021 21:47:40 GMT
William Marshall completely re-wrote the script (without receiving any credit for it--most likely due to union regulations, I would think) for the original Blacula film. I still have not caught up with the latter, but it's on my list. I would think Marshall also rewrote most of Scream Blacula--certainly his own dialogue. He was a truly magnificent human being. Ripper, a friend of mine is obsessed with Ghost Story/Circle of Fear and I've seen quite a few episodes. They were a mixed bag. I'm really sad when Sebastian stops introducing the stories. Another good one (which is also a pet obsession of my buddy) is The Evil Touch which was produced and shot in Australia with American guest stars (rather like the excellent Thriller series helmed in the UK by Brian Clemens) and introductions by Anthony Quayle, who always provides a world-weary touch of elegant ennui to all of it. These are all early 70s. I personally think horror started to go downhill as a genre sometime around 1975 though some good stuff continued to be produced, of course. H. I might be wrong, but from what I've watched the scripts have an added depth that you wouldn't expect from low budget Blaxploitation films. In one scene he beats up two pimps and says: you made a slave of your sister, and you're still slaves, imitating your slave masters! I'll have to watch now to see. Blackenstein still looks terrible though.
|
|
|
Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Jun 14, 2021 22:04:09 GMT
|
|
|
Post by helrunar on Jun 14, 2021 22:05:21 GMT
Yes, William Marshall added a tremendous amount to the Blacula films. They are worth viewing for his performance. He was a very distinguished actor and had a fascinating mind. I watched several video interviews after seeing the movie.
Forgot to add that I also enjoy the Kolchak TV series. My favorite of the films is The Night Strangler, which has a wonderful supporting cast including John Carradine, Wally Cox and Margaret Hamilton. My favorite episode of the TV show is "The Trevi Collection."
H. PS The Thing with Two Heads was hugely embarrassing for all involved, or should have been--but I think it was popular at drive-ins for a time.
|
|
|
Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Jun 14, 2021 22:09:12 GMT
Goodnight everybody.
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Jun 15, 2021 9:07:37 GMT
Agreed, Night Gallery is very good. Apparently, Serling didn't like those comedic skits that were included in later series, and I am with him on that, but he had a great screen presence just standing by those pictures and introducing the stories. I am particularly fond of the movie pilot that preceded the series. Can't seem to get anything to work on that link, perhaps not accessible from here. Perhaps someone else might have better luck., but thanks for the link. Do you remember a rival series from 1972 called Ghost Story? It was an anthology series with Sebastian Cabot introducing each week's story. Not up to Night Gallery standard, but I used to enjoy it when it was shown here late at night. Episodes are on Youtube. It morphed into Circle of Fear after about a dozen episodes and dropped Cabot's introductions. I remember enjoying Night Gallery; I had no idea they'd added comedic skits, which sounds ridiculous. I've never heard of "Ghost Story", it sounds interesting & I might try to watch it. I liked Sebastian Cabot in "Family Affair"... Yes, I prefer Ghost Story to Circle of Fear. That creepy title music used to give me shivers and really set the mood for what was to come. Not sure why they changed the show so much. Family Affair was also where I first saw Cabot.
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Jun 15, 2021 9:13:50 GMT
William Marshall completely re-wrote the script (without receiving any credit for it--most likely due to union regulations, I would think) for the original Blacula film. I still have not caught up with the latter, but it's on my list. I would think Marshall also rewrote most of Scream Blacula--certainly his own dialogue. He was a truly magnificent human being. Ripper, a friend of mine is obsessed with Ghost Story/Circle of Fear and I've seen quite a few episodes. They were a mixed bag. I'm really sad when Sebastian stops introducing the stories. Another good one (which is also a pet obsession of my buddy) is The Evil Touch which was produced and shot in Australia with American guest stars (rather like the excellent Thriller series helmed in the UK by Brian Clemens) and introductions by Anthony Quayle, who always provides a world-weary touch of elegant ennui to all of it. These are all early 70s. I personally think horror started to go downhill as a genre sometime around 1975 though some good stuff continued to be produced, of course. H. I've heard of Evil Touch, but as far as I am aware it didn't get screened over here. Growing up in the 70s I only remember a few Aussie series, Skippy and Boney being two that spring to mind. There was also one called The Lost Islands about a group of kids shipwrecked on an island with centuries old pirates still surviving, but that may have been from New Zealand.
|
|
|
Post by ripper on Jun 15, 2021 9:38:06 GMT
William Marshall completely re-wrote the script (without receiving any credit for it--most likely due to union regulations, I would think) for the original Blacula film. I still have not caught up with the latter, but it's on my list. I would think Marshall also rewrote most of Scream Blacula--certainly his own dialogue. He was a truly magnificent human being. Ripper, a friend of mine is obsessed with Ghost Story/Circle of Fear and I've seen quite a few episodes. They were a mixed bag. I'm really sad when Sebastian stops introducing the stories. Another good one (which is also a pet obsession of my buddy) is The Evil Touch which was produced and shot in Australia with American guest stars (rather like the excellent Thriller series helmed in the UK by Brian Clemens) and introductions by Anthony Quayle, who always provides a world-weary touch of elegant ennui to all of it. These are all early 70s. I personally think horror started to go downhill as a genre sometime around 1975 though some good stuff continued to be produced, of course. H. I might be wrong, but from what I've watched the scripts have an added depth that you wouldn't expect from low budget Blaxploitation films. In one scene he beats up two pimps and says: you made a slave of your sister, and you're still slaves, imitating your slave masters! I'll have to watch now to see. Blackenstein still looks terrible though. Marshall adds distinction to both Blacula movies. He has just a wonderful screen presence and that voice! Scream, Blacula, Scream has the bonus of featuring Pam Grier, queen of 70s blaxploitation--see her kick butt and wield a mean shotgun in Coffy and Foxy Brown. Ray Milland had a distinguished career--The Lost Weekend, Dial 'M' for Murder--so I don't know why he agreed to appear in Thing with Two Heads. It's entertaining, but very odd to see him in it. By the way, Don Marshall was best known for playing the co-pilot in 2 series of Land of the Giants. So far as I know, he is not related to William Marshall. Blackenstein is, indeed, bottom of the barrel stuff, but fodder for bad movie fans like yours truly.
|
|