Jack H. Harris Presents Schlock!

Schlock is not really a good movie except in places here and there. It's a wannabe comedy send up of monster flicks (especially the movie Trog) but it's done on a micro-budget over a long stretch of time. The director is John Landis who would eventually find fame with Animal House and American Werewolf in London among other films, but this is his first. The costume of the "Schlockthropus" is the main reason this little lowest-budget flick has a standing. It was designed and constructed by Rick Baker in his Mom's kitchen and is quite threadbare by the movie's final shot. Baker of course would go on to work on many a feature film including the 70's remake of King Kong. 

(That's Landis in the suit.)

I want to say nice things about this movie, and I've been curious about it for years. But seeing it, I was charmed by the gumption it took to make some of the scenes happen, but the cast is almost all amateur and the pacing of the gags is just plain too slow almost all of the time. Some of that is that while made in 1971 the movie was not released until a few years later when Jack C. Harris saw Landis on The Tonight Show with a few clips and saw a chance to make a few bucks on what seemed to be a nifty critter or something like that. A few new scenes were added for length and that's the core problem. There's not enough here, as this is essentially a ten-minute gag routine expanded into a feature.

(That's Forry Ackerman next to Schlock.)

It's worth your time for sure, especially anyone who is a fan of this genre, but adjust your settings down. Some would argue that Trog could not be parodied, but I'm a fan of Trog for all its silliness and this movie is treading a bit on holy ground for me. 

We go into space next time, aboard Dark Star. 

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Popeye's Tales From Beyond The Grave!

Now there's a mug only a mother could love! This startling image of "Popeye the Sailor Man" was created by monster-maker Rick Baker using a 3-D modeling computer program, and he tells how while playing with the software on an image of his father he by chance created this stunning image of E.C. Segar's famous comic strip powerhouse. There's a story inside this issue of Bela Lugosi's Tales from the Grave, a pretty decent one by the way, which explains this cover, but it's the image which makes you stop and ponder. (By the way Kerry Gammill is the one responsible for the background on the cover above.)


It's been a pretty big week at my house for Popeye by the way. Last week I picked up the new IDW comic featuring the Sailor Man, which features a cover which reminds me of something I've seen before.



This playful call to attention for Popeye's status as the "original" superhero is nifty, and it makes for a fun cover image for sure.

Also this week, the sixth and final volume of the Fantagraphics reprint of E.C. Segar's original run on Thimble Theater arrived at my door. These oversized volumes are outstanding and are filled to the top with great comics, both black and white and color and with fantastic information on the characters, the strip, and the creator himself. Great stuff!


Yet one more thing this summer for me to sink my teeth into. All the volumes are at the ready.






And not to forget, there are the great cartoon collections from Warner Brothers. It's been a Popeye cornucopia lately, and we all benefit.




Elzie Crisler Segar might've died all too young so many decades ago, but his mighty creation lives on and on.

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