Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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October 1982 delivered bad news to all who wanted to travel in time.
That's because it was the month in which John DeLorean was arrested for selling cocaine to undercover FBI agents. Now where were we going to get our chronology challenging cars from?
Fortunately for him - and Michael J Fox - he was subsequently found not guilty, on the grounds of entrapment.
Far away from all that, in Florida, Walt Disney World opened its second theme park, the EPCOT Center. To this day, I don't know what the EPCOT Center actually involves but it all sounds super-sciencey.
Elsewhere in the world of technology, Sony launched the first consumer CD player, so that, at last, all those people who'd rushed out to buy compact discs now had a way to actually play them.
As I've previously reported on the launch of compact discs, I can only assume there was a period of several months in which it was possible to buy the things but not to play them. To me, this seems like quite bad planning.
Speaking of launching things, October saw Halloween III: Season of the Witch launched upon an unsuspecting public. The public was especially unsuspecting, as the film had nothing at all to do with the first two Halloween movies, leaving some ticket-buyers feeling distinctly swindled.
It is, however, the only Halloween movie I like.
Also in the cinema, we could see The Wizard of Oz but not the Judy Garland version. This one was an animated Japanese adaptation of the original book, which sounds like an intriguing prospect.
The UK singles chart during that spell was dominated by just two tracks.
The first was Musical Youth's Pass the Dutchie which began the month at Number One, while the second was Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? by the band the world knew as Culture Club which ended the month at Number One.
Over on the album chart, it was also a tale of two acts. They were, however, very different from those bossing the singles chart.
The first was Dire Straits who kicked-off the month on top, with Love Over Gold but eventually had to make way for the Kids from Fame and their eponymous album of the same nomenclature.
But what of the Galaxy's greatest comic?
As always, we had Robo-Hunter, Judge Dredd, Ace Trucking, Rogue Trooper and Tharg's Future Shocks.
And it seems Robo-Hunter was going football crazy, though I don't know in what way. I can only assume this was a turn of events inspired by the Spanish World Cup, held a few months earlier.
But, with Prog 287, we got the start of an entirely new strip, called Harry Twenty on the High Rock. It would seem its titular star was sentenced to 20 years in an orbiting prison but decided to escape.
I must admit I've no recollection of this strip at all but it was drawn by Alan Davis. so I am, at least, certain it must have looked good.
I'm the first guy to register a comment! This is a first for me. I can steer the conversation into all sorts of demented directions.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I will try to keep my powder dry.
Steve, I liked Halloween 3 Season of the Witch too. You're the only person besides myself that I know of to express a liking for that movie.
Classic John Carpenter. Ominous computer score, loads of exposition, mounting dread and paranoia culminating into horrific ghastly violence. But I dug the supernatural element; A rich guy trying to replicate the supposed mass sacrifices of the festival of Samhain on a grand scale.
I'm not saying the Celts sacrificed anybody back then, I dunno, but it does make for a creepy premise for a horror movie.
Steve, do you dig any other Carpenter films? The Thing is a favorite of mine.
M.P.
Supposedly the idea with Halloween 3 was turn the series into an anthology, with different stories each time. Which does rather sound like a rationale for making it easier to attract an audience - and funding - for whatever horror film John Carpenter wanted to make.
ReplyDeleteBut if that meant we got interesting films written by Nigel Kneale rather than more about some nutter stalking a young woman (zzzzzz) then fine by me, and a pity it didn't seem to work out.
The Thing is great M.P. (yeah, I know you didn't ask me, but I thought I'd sound off anyway) and They Live has its moments, but generally I find I want to like John Carpenter films more than I actually do.
Harry Twenty On The High Rock was a fairly generic sci-fi thriller Steve, with not much of the style you'd want from a 2000AD series. Alan Davis work was ok I guess, but it did seem like he was putting more effort into Marvelman and Captain Brexit back then.
-sean
I always welcome your opinion, Sean. I enjoy the debate. What strikes be about The Thing is, every time I watch it I think everything is gonna be okay. These are a bunch of smart tough guys, scientists, doctors, helicopter pilots (like Charlie) most of 'em ex-military, so you figure they're gonna com up with a solution. They'll figure it out.
ReplyDeleteBut they never do.
Um, by the way, Charlie, were you ever in Antarctica? And if you were, would you please submit a blood sample promptly to the local authorities?
M.P. is a nervous cat. He does not wanna be absorbed by an alien, at least not at this point.
M.P.
dang typos.
ReplyDeleteM.P.
MP. I love The Thing. I also like Dark Star and Escape From New York.
ReplyDeleteOctober 1982 was also the month that the Mary Rose was raised from the Solent after 437 years on the sea bed.
ReplyDeleteMP - The furthest south Charlie ever was flying his helicopter in the USA was like Panama City, Florida.
ReplyDeleteThe furthest south in Europe was Balikesir, Turkey. Both locations were 3-4 standard deviations from the mean, for a normal population, Charlie assures you.
But, that said, Charlie does not suspect he ran into aliens... just more unusual things one does not typically experience in a cosmopolitan setting.
Though... Charlie probably absorbed radiation from occasionally eating his MRE lunch on top of various nuclear warheads he was schlepping around western Europe for some years, though. Charlie supposes the clear impression a couple of night lights are always glowing under the sheets at night is a good indication.
Like everyone else in Europe you probably got a hefty dose of radiation from Chernobyl anyway Charlie, so don't worry too much about the warheads.
ReplyDelete-sean
Sean! Good ole Chernobyl! Man that brings back memories!
ReplyDeleteIT's a wonder western europe comics / movies did not create an equivalent to Godzilla? Or have they?
Hate to wonder and wander astray but, Sean you being the "expert" of France for sure... Did France / Germany create horror / monster flicks like Mummy or Frankenstein or Godzilla?
If not, does it beg the question why not?
I mean the only German movies I can think of are: Heimat (pre-ww2/ww2), The Lives of Others (Stasi), Look Whose Back / He's back (Hitler), Das Boat (u-boat) that made it over here... all WW2 stuff... the past 30 years.
French movies are usually "life like" with a suicide or two.
Oh! Sean! Charlie does not speak about his warhead in public.
ReplyDeleteColin, I remember them bringing the Mary Rose up and the disappointment that about 90% of the thing was missing.
ReplyDeleteCharlie, the Germans made Nosferatu, the first cinematic adaptation of Dracula.
SDC - good call on Nosferatu!
ReplyDeleteThey also did "M" which really has that incredible scene with Peter Lorre at the end... good lord was that a piece of acting! "I will nicht!!! Ich kann nicht!!! Burned into my head...
I didn't know Nosferatu predated the Bela Lugosi Dracula. Huh. Makes sense though, it obviously looks less advanced technically.
ReplyDeleteHas anybody else noticed that Rudy Guliani, apart from having become quite clearly insane, now looks like a fat, somewhat drunk Nosferatu?
Weren't Fritz Lang's films sort of horror movies? I've never seen Metropolis, (I saw that Queen video) but I watched a couple of those Dr. Mabuse films late at night on Turnip Classic Movies. That might have been poor judgement on my part. I was disturbed for days. Brrr.
I understand Goebbels had a problem with them too, for different reasons and Lang decided it was time to get outta Dodge.
Not that I have anything in common with Goebbels.
M.P.
Lang said it was actually a meeting with Goebbels about the Testament Of Dr Mabuse that convinced him to emmigrate M.P.... which he did later the same day!
ReplyDeleteI think the film wasn't officially shown in Germany til 1961.
Most critics seem to regard The Cabinet of Dr Caligari - from 1920 - as the first modern horror flick (for anyone interested, Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill mash-up it up with Dr Mabuse, Metropolis, and Chaplin's Great Dictator in their League of Extraordinary Gentleman spin-off Roses Of Berlin).
Worth pointing out that Lang wasn't the only German film biz type that to leave the country during the Weimar era and go to Hollywood, and a lot of them got work through the more established German immigrant Carl Laemmle, who owned Universal.
-sean
Charlie - Did you get the Fast Show in America? Nosferatu was a recurring sketch:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCKT6ukArhw
Phillip
Sean - what was that video by the dude from Belgium that gives me nightmares? I think it was sung in french. The guy singing in the video is... I dont even have a word...
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what you were on about Charlie, until on a hunch I had a look online and discovered that Plastic Bertrand was in fact actually Belgian. Who knew? (You did, obviously)
ReplyDelete-sean
Sean! You da man! Yes, Plastic Bertrand! My kids are coming back from the Uni for Thanksgiving and I feel obliged to give them something to take back with them and "share" besides Covid, lol.
ReplyDeleteYep... I thought about the "belgian" reference being problematic too... I think the original conversation was about French stuff or Eurovision or France Gall Puppe de Son ... For sure in the context of Judge Dredd though!
ReplyDeleteSean, Colin, et al. I just discovered a version of "Ca Plane pour Moi" by Plastic Bertrand where he is singing on a trampoline!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ln31raI2ezY
Also just found a cool interview with him from a few years ago, too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ZU7CgDhBw
For someone who gets nightmares from Plastic Bertrand videos you seem quite keen on the links to more, Charlie.
ReplyDelete-sean
Sean - It's like picking a scab or pushing that tooth ready to fall out, as a kid. Hurts so good... as my fellow Hoosier by the name of John Cougar Mellenkamp used to sing, lol.
ReplyDeleteHey, oh my brothers, I've been a bit lapse in my responses to Steve's blog, but I threw out some this morning with some props to many of you on Steve's Thursday post, before this new one.
ReplyDeleteMy buzzsaw brain has been a bit befuddled having to deal with our world events both economic & healthwise, seeking new employment, and hunting/pricing classic car parts.
Speaking of classic cars, I almost bought an old DeLorean in the late 80's. My buddy talked me out of it, and I'm glad. It needed suspension/engine/ tranny work, and parts were expensive. If you could find them.
There was an incredible episode of VH-1's Behind The Scenes featuring Culture Club. At a huge music festival Sting, and I think Cindy Lauper, were hanging out behind the stage. Up comes Boy George trying to talk to them, staggering & giggling nonstop, with his face caked with cocaine. It's a howl!
Saw Halloween 3 at the theater with a date, and I liked it. When the reporter put on a mask and her head burst with insects my girlfriend freaked out. That was great. I had a tough time with clockwork killer androids, though.
They kind of did that in a Jack Hill Mexican film called Dance Of Death in the 70's. It was cheesier, but more believable. Part of a number of movies that Boris Karloff did with Hill before he died.
Technically Michael Myers is in Halloween 3, as the original Halloween is being broadcast before the " big giveaway".
I own everything Carpenter has ever done, except his recent Halloween. Haven't even seen it yet.
M.P., I'd consider Metropolis as sci-fi with heavy sociopolitical overtones. You have to see it at least once. It's available now, I believe, colorized. There's also a version with a pop music soundtrack. Still, most silent horror films should be seen in B&W, as well as the "talky" classics.
I remember there was a couple of serial killers operating on West coast highways years ago. They trapped Peter Lorre's daughter, but when they found out who she was they let her go. They were Peter Lorre fans. Lol.
In my DVD library I had to include supervillains in my superhero section. Along with Bats, Supes, FF, X-Men, MCU,and the gang I have Dr. Mabuse as well as Fu Manchu, Phantamas, etc. I've always been a fan of great, colorful villains.