*** FEATURING A MAJOR MILESTONE IN THE SHOW’S HISTORY ***
In the middle 1980s The Texas 27 Film Vault was the show to watch on Saturday nights to see “Film Vault Technicians First Class” Randy Clower and Richard Malmos show and mock bad and campy movies preceded by episodes of old serials. Machine-gun toting Randy and Richard would also have comedic sci-fi adventures before and after commercial breaks.
For the program’s FORTIETH ANNIVERSARY YEAR Balladeer’s Blog continues its examination of this neglected cult series via my research into really old newspapers, my 2011 interview with Randy Clower and recollections from my fellow fans of this show. Here’s another review of the movie shown by Randy and Richard when a date can be verified.
EPISODE ORIGINALLY BROADCAST: Saturday August 9th, 1986 from 10:30pm to 1am. Broadcast throughout Texas and Oklahoma. * Special thanks to my fellow T27FV fan Spearman for the date.
SERIAL: Before the movie an episode of the 1950 Columbia serial Atom Man vs Superman was shown. Kirk Alyn starred as Superman with Lyle Talbot as his archenemy Lex Luthor. Lex has his own secret identity in this serial – each episode he dons a lead mask and oversees the villainy as “Atom Man”.
This was one of the liveliest and most campily watchable serials of the 50s. Especially laughable are the bits when Superman “flies” – an effect achieved by switching from live footage of Kirk Alyn to INSERTED CARTOON FOOTAGE of Superman flying. Think of the ‘Toons in Roger Rabbit interacting with the live backgrounds and you have the idea.
Richard (left) and Randy interviewing Vincent Price
FILM VAULT LORE: Our boys of the Film Vault Corps (“the few … the proud … the sarcastic”) interviewed Vincent Price, one of the stars of this week’s movie. Like the showing of Return of the Fly it was used to promote Randy and Richard’s upcoming public appearance at the Dallas debut of David Cronenberg’s remake of The Fly. (More on that public appearance after the movie review.)
THE MOVIE: Return of the Fly is a black and white sequel to the technicolor original film. Brett Halsey, who played driven and tormented teens in a few films back then plays the driven and tormented Philippe DeLambre, the son of Andre DeLambre from the original film The Fly. It’s supposed to be 15 years later, but Vincent Price, reprising his role as Francois Delambre, Andre’s brother, hasn’t aged a bit! Continue reading
FIRST QUARTERFINAL – The 3 seeds – the OHIO CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY TRAILBLAZERS – played the 6th seeded HOUGHTON UNIVERSITY HIGHLANDERS. Come Halftime the Trailblazers were on top 35-32, but after the break the Highlanders forced Overtime with a 68-68 tie. In the extra session OCU triumphed 84-76 led by Caleb Schmelzer’s 24 points.
SECOND QUARTERFINAL – Up next the 2nd seeded NELSON UNIVERSITY (AZ) WARRIORS got almost more than they could handle from the 7 seeds – the COLLEGE OF THE OZARKS BOBCATS. An intense opening Half ended with the Bobcats holding a mere 40-39 edge. From there the Warriors tied things up 80-80 and won in OT 93-92. Zavelon Bineyard and Rob Jenkins led NU-Arizona with 24 points each. 
TALES TO ASTONISH Vol 1 #49 (Nov 1963)
Meanwhile, an interdimensional villain called the Eraser has been abducting Earth’s greatest scientists via his hand-weapons that teleport them to his home dimension. Because the process looks like he’s erasing them bit by bit the media dubs him “the Eraser.” 
BLACK RAIN, also released as THE LAST WAVE (1977) – This was Aussie director Peter Weir’s eerie follow-up to Picnic at Hanging Rock from 1975. If you found the excellent 1975 movie perplexing, Black Rain will redefine that word for you. 
BEACON HILL (1975) – An attempt at an American version of Great Britain’s Upstairs, Downstairs, this short-lived series was set in Boston following World War One. As opposed to the British program’s “rich pigs upstairs” and “servants downstairs” dichotomy, Beacon Hill presented the wealthy Irish-American family the Lassiters and their servants, who live in a cheaper neighborhood. 
George Rose co-starred as Arthur Hacker, head butler and quasi-patriarch of the servants. Beatrice Straight played his wife Emmeline, the head housekeeper. Arthur’s nephew Brian Mallory (Paul Ryan Rudd) was the Lassiter chauffer who was having an affair with one of the Lassiter women, and his niece Maureen Mahaffey (Susan Blanchard) worked as one of the maids. 
ANTI-DONALD TRUMP LOONS ARE REPEATING ALL THEIR ACTIONS FROM HIS FIRST TERM – Do the people who hate President Trump 24/7 have any kind of long-term memory? Last time around assorted showboating judges tried halting his perfectly constitutional actions but over the following months and years most of what Trump wanted to accomplish was upheld. 
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME – The 4th seeded NEWPORT NEWS APPRENTICE SCHOOL BUILDERS (Shipbuilders) took the court against the 3 seeds – the VILLA MARIA COLLEGE VIKINGS. The Builders embarrassed Villa Maria College on both sides of the ball, leading them 33 to EIGHT (!) at Halftime. From there, the Apprentice School coasted to their 2nd National Championship in a row with a 64-43 victory. Chris Hinmon’s 16 points led the Builders, and teammate Donovon Means had a Double Double of 10 points & 10 rebounds. 
A PROPHETIC ROMANCE; MARS TO EARTH (1896) – Written by Boston’s John Mccoy in the form of reports sent from future Earth to Mars. 
Balladeer’s Blog continues celebrating the FORTIETH anniversary year of this neglected cult show which debuted Saturday night February 9th, 1985. As I often mention, before MST3K came The Texas 27 Film Vault. Before Joel and Mike came Randy and Richard. Before Devil Dogs, Pearl and Deep 13 came Cellumites, Laurie Savino and Level 31. 
MOVIE: The Food of the Gods (1976). 
SERIAL: IF the February or March of 1985 date is correct – and that’s still up in the air – then the serial episode would definitely have been from The Lost City (1935). That serial dealt with a mad scientist and his futuristic city hidden in the African jungle.
THE FOOD OF THE GODS – This was one of the many, MANY “size change” movies of Bert I Gordon, “Mister B.I.G.” himself. (Amazing Colossal Man, Attack of the Puppet People, Earth vs the Spider, Beginning of the End, War of the Colossal Beast, The Cyclops, Village of the Giants, Empire of the Ants, etc.) 
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