Thanksgiving For the Horror / Sci-fi fan of yesteryear

 

Thanksgiving For the Horror / Sci-fi fan of yesteryear

Thanksgiving for me as a youngster always had a special feel and memories.

It wasn’t a holiday for children and us young ones always found it boring. Moms had their Hostess of the Home fanfare and Dads had their sports. It was the Holiday for adults.

Being the child I was, I managed to carve out a niche that got me through the day.

The day started with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Aside from the big balloons it was usually a snoozer. But immediately following on WPIX in NY, March of the Wooden Soldiers (aka: Babes in Toyland) was aired.

 

 

From their I would turn to W-OR, which for many years would air a few Kong films for the day. It would start with the classic, King Kong (1933) at 1:00. About 3 o’clock they would air Son of Kong (1933). And they would finish at 4:30 with Mighty Joe Young (1949). For breif reviews of these films, check out my post: The Legacy of Kong 

It turned my Thanksgiving day into a fun day of Fantasy Adventure!

Ray Harryhausen, dies, May 7th 2013

Ray Harryhausen, dies, May 7^th 2013

As of the passing of special-fx wizard, Ray Harryhausen, I’d just like to show my tribute by listing all of the wonderful movies he has worked on in his many years. Although he hadn’t worked in the field in his later years, he was a creative inspiration to modern animators such as Tim Burton, Jim Danforth, Sam Raimi and Nick Park (Wallace and Gromit)

Thankfully, Ray was finally recognized for his creative body of works with an Honorary Academy Award in 1992. He passed away Tuesday in London at age 92. Thank You, Ray, for your wonderful gift to the history of motion pictures.

Monster and Sci-fi films

Mighty Joe Young (1949) (Under the supervision of Willis O’Brien)

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953)

20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

It Came from Beneath the Sea (1955)

The Valley of Gwangi (1963)

One Million Years B.C. (1966)

The First Men in the Moon (1964)

Earth vs. The flying Saucers (1956)

The Animal World (documentary) (1956) (all dinosaur sequences)

 

Mythology and Fantasy

The Three Worlds of Gulliver (1960)

Mysterious Island (1961)

The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)

The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974)

Sinbad and The Eye of the Tiger (1977)

Jason and The Argonauts (1963)

Clash of the Titans (1981)

If you were to purchase any of these films on Blu-ray or dvd, they are loaded with excellent documentaries, interviews, and behind the scenes features.

The full dinosaur sequence of The Animal World is one of the special features on The Black Scorpion dvd.

Other posts featuring Ray Harryhausen films:
Creature Features – Dinosaurs Invade 
Creature Features – There be Giants
The Legacy of Kong