Happy 100th, Vincent Price

Born this day in 1911, Vincent Leonard Price, Jr. was a man of many talents, chef, art connoisseur, writer, and of course, actor.
I'll leave it to other sci-fi, fantasy and horror bloggers to cover his accomplishments in those genres, and mention a category he's rarely associated with, but had an incredible knack for...
Comedy.

His very first film appearance was in a little-remembered 1938 screwball comedy called Service de Luxe, playing the male ingenue opposite Constance Bennett.


After this, he went on to a singularly successful career in films and radio, playing heroes and villains with great aplomb, but not appearing again in a comedy until 1950 (a voice-only cameo as The Invisible Man in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein isn't really an 'appearance')
As insane ad exec Burnbridge Waters, Vincent steals the movie from Ronald Coleman in a performance that can only be classified as "mad", man...

Here's an audio interview from 1990 with both Vincent and Art Linkletter, who played the game show host/toady in the film. They discuss the scene shown in the lobby card above.

And here's the entire film at one shot! (but with commercials)


While most of his roles had humorous aspects to them, these were the only two outright comedies he did until the mid-1960s, when people finally started utilizing his funny side, unfortunately in only mildly-funny films like the Dr Goldfoot flicks.
(Here's the tv special Wild, Weird World of Dr Goldfoot, which was funnier than either of the films!)



Thanks for the memories, Vincent.
When you didn't have us screaming, you had us laughing!

Reading Room: RACE FOR THE MOON "Lunar Trap"

The 1950s, when we thought we'd be fighting with the Soviet Union over the Moon...

 

Pencils by Jack Kirby, inks by Al Williamson (who, along with fellow EC alumnus Reed Crandall, was doing a lot of work for Harvey at the time)!
Not sure who wrote it, but speculation is that Kirby himself scripted it.
Either way, a decent story with solid storytelling and magnificent rendering!

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The Future WAS Fantastic!

Comics Collectibles Store!

YouTube Wednesday: the FIRST Cowboys and Aliens...

Long before Cowboys and Aliens (but after Space Western Comics), aliens invaded the Old West on Irwin Allen's The Time Tunnel.
The series started off with almost all the episodes taking place in the past and the heroes ending up in situations like the sinking of the Titanic or the siege of the Alamo, trying to warn people about what would happen and being treated like lunatics until the disaster happened, at which point they'd be transported to another era.

All that changed with this mid-season episode, "Visitors from Beyond the Stars".

Our heroes, Tony (young, impetuous, green turtleneck) and Doug (older, cautious, suit n' tie) are transported to Arizona in the year 1885.
Or rather, they're transported over Arizona, to an alien spacecraft, facing silver aliens (a standard Irwin Allen look for extraterrestrials)!
The aliens have come seeking protein for their starving world, and they've found it...the fauna (including humans) of Earth!
With Earth of 1885 technologically-unprepared to fight off an alien invasion, the two scientists from the future must somehow stop the invaders from the stars from decimating the home of Mankind!
To complicate matters, more of the aliens have appeared in the Time Tunnel itself, preventing the present-day support team from sending help to the timelost scientists!

Enjoy!

After this episode, anything could (and did) appear on the show, from ghosts, to Merlin the Magician, to lots more aliens!
Despite the infusion of additional fantasy elements, the series was canceled at the end of the year.

We're offering a new line of Space Western collectibles, perfect for summer wear at the beach, or the movie theatre when you go see Cowboys & Aliens. (C'mon, you know you're going!)

Check out the

Comics Collectibles Store

and have a look below at some Cowboys and Aliens movie tie-ins from Amazon!

Reading Room: SPURS JACKSON "Sun Masters"

Once more we return to the really weird pages of Space Western Comics, where both stagecoaches and spacecraft are accepted forms of transportation!

We don't know who the writer was, but Stan Campbell did both pencils and inks on the art.

We're offering a new line of Space Western collectibles, perfect for summer wear at the beach, or the movie theatre when you go see Cowboys & Aliens. (C'mon, you know you're going!)

Check out the

Comics Collectibles Store

and have a look below at some Cowboys and Aliens movie tie-ins from Amazon!

Comix Class featuring MOVIEMAKING ILLUSTRATED

Starting today, Secret Sanctum of Captain Video™ will present a complete chapter each Monday from this long out-of-print handbook which utilizes Marvel Comics artwork to demonstrate cinematography in storyboard fashion.
In fact, noted comic and animation artist Scott Shaw! used it in his storyboarding class...

I used to teach a class in storyboarding for the animation union here in Los Angeles. At the time, there was a tremendous influx of comic book talent from the Philippines come to work in animation. Many of these artists had no previous experience working in this field, plus there was a certain learning gap due to language and culture. Although this book really isn't particularly well-done (comics and film AREN'T as similar as some folks think), I frequently used pages from it when trying to help my Filipino students. Once they figured things out, many of 'em went on to do LOTS of professional storyboard work in the animation biz.

Considering how many current artists have problems grasping the essentials of storytelling (not illustrating, storytelling), perhaps an updated version of this should be standard reading.
Until then, this will have to do.
Class convenes today.
Don't be late and bring an Apple (iTouch or iPad will do) for the teacher. ;-)