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Friday, April 19, 2019

After Seeing A Movie Like "Diane," A Viewer Needs A Fun Film, Like This!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


                                    Read this post carefully, darling, because everything morphs together.

                                    It all started in 1940 with the film, "The Devil Bat.  Bela Lugosi played Dr. Paul Carruthers, a vengeful chemist who seeks to get even with employers whom he feels have cheated him, by raising giant sized bats to attack people.  It is a hoot, and the bats are kind of cute.

                                   Six years later, George Zucco starred as Professor Andrew Forbes, in "The Flying Serpent," and brings back, from New Mexico, the title character,  which is actually a  Quetzalcoatl.  He uses it to wreak vengeance on his wrongdoers.

                                    If this sounds like a redo of "The Devil Bat," well....it is!!!!!!!!!!!!  Then, 37 years later, in 1982, director Larry Cohen sort of remade this as "Q," with an all-start cast like Candy Clark(!!!!!), Michael Moriarty, and Richard Roundtree.  Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                     Are you with me, so far, darlings???????????????????????????

                                    Now, in 1946, along came "Devil Bat's Daughter."  In this film, Rosemary La Planche (who was Miss America, 1941, darlings) played Nina MacCarron, who is actually the daughter of Dr. Paul Carruthers.  Hence, the title.  But it turns out that Michael Hale, as deranged psychiatrist Cliff Morris (Is that even a legitimate name for a shrink? Sounds like someone from a body builder competition!) is seeking to drive her mad, so he can have Carruthers' riches!!!!!!!!
Speaking of bodies, poor Rosemary La Planche.  She wins Miss America, all that scholarship money, and a chance to go to Hollywood, and she ends up in a Grade Z horror flick form Producers Releasing Corporation, who were on the same level as Republic and Monogram Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!

As far as years went, 1946 was a big year for recycles.  Universal released a thriller that year called "She Wolf Of London," wherein wholesome June Lockhart is menaced by Sara Haden as Aunt Martha and her daughter Carol (Jan Wiley) so they could go living in the big family manse, which was to have gone to June, as Phyllis Allenby, and does.

Now, eleven years later, in 1957, this plot was used again as "Daughter Of Dr. Jekyll."  Instead of wholesome June Lockhart, we get sexy-wholesome Gloria Talbott, in her bullet bra sweaters, with Barry Fitzgerald's brother, Arthur Shields, trying to drive her mad, to get the estate for himself.

All of these films offer their own special brand of fun, but "Devil Bat's Daughter" is a hoot, what with Rosemary La Planche's inexperienced acting, and that Rita Hayworth wannabe hair style!
Here is the 1940 film, "The Devil Bat," if you want a look!And here is "The Flying Serpent!" Here, darlings, is "She Wolf Of London!"

How I wish I could have given you "Daughter Of Dr. Jekyll" to look at.  If someone at the Film Forum was smart--now, an inconceivable thought--they would link these five films together to have a Quintet Of Camp Horror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, don't you feel better,  darlings???????????????

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