Monster Movie Matinee

[Scott]

Back in the 70's I use to watch Monster Movie Matinee on Saturday afternoons around 1pm in upstate New York. Anyone familiar with this program? Found some images and made this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4gOJEzTHHE

[hotspur]

I remember watching Monster Movie Matinee many a dreary (in CNY that means Nov thru April) weekend afternoon.  I remember being a little spooked by it, but you see the clips now and, well, they're laughable.  I'd love to see - though I doubt I could sit through a whole 90 minutes - some of the movies they used to show.  I remember 1 where there were aliens with heads shaped like light bulbs who abducted people by injecting them with alcohol that came from needles in their fingers.  Then next week it was basically the exact same idea except different looking aliens.  I also remember a giant iguana that was supposed terrorizing a town, creature from the black lagoon, a giant spider "attacking a desert town" and I thinkt here was one with a huge dianosaur that they were doing to kill with an "a-bomb" but had to stop at the last moment because if they blew it to pieces each pieces would grow back a full sized creature. 

Funny to think about all the people churning out what were, basically, pretty lame movies.

[Javakoala]

Funny to think about all the people churning out what were, basically, pretty lame movies.

And that is why we are all gathered here.  All praise crappy movies.  Amen.

[schmendrik]

Back in the 70's I use to watch Monster Movie Matinee on Saturday afternoons around 1pm in upstate New York. Anyone familiar with this program? Found some images and made this video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4gOJEzTHHE

A fellow Syracusan!

Oh yeah. One of my first posts on this forum was about a housecat-gone-bad movie I saw on MMM. I watched this show every Saturday afternoon I could.

The guy on the left, Epal, was Willard Lape, Jr who was a weatherman on the evening news on the same channel.  I think he may have hosted a kids show also. I went to high school with his son, Willard III. I didn't realize "Epal" was "Lape" spelled backwards until the son told me.

I can't remember the name of the character on the right, who was your basic Transylvanian Count. I don't recall ever seeing his face on screen. All you ever saw on MMM was his hand.

[schmendrik]

I loved the "Monster Chiller Horror Theater" skits on SCTV, and Monster Movie Matinee was a big part of why I enjoyed them so much. SCTV captured the hokieness perfectly. Did every city in the US have their own version of this?

[hotspur]

I never remember seeing the count's face either, only his long pointed finger nails.  There was alaways a claim that someone had seen an episode where they flashed to his face and it was covered in blood.  Likely a 1970s CNY urban myth.  Funny to imagine talking seriously about such a program.  Oh, yeah why are we here. lol

[DavesWorld56]

I grew up in Elmira, NY watching this show as well.  Here's a website with some audio and video from the show:

http://artofjosephcapuana.homestead.com/MonsterMovieMatineeAudio.html

I too never once recall them showing the count in a coffin like that.  I do remember how creepy the show's opening music was though.

[RCMerchant]

I remember watching Monster Movie Matinee many a dreary (in CNY that means Nov thru April) weekend afternoon.  I remember being a little spooked by it, but you see the clips now and, well, they're laughable.  I'd love to see - though I doubt I could sit through a whole 90 minutes - some of the movies they used to show.  I remember 1 where there were aliens with heads shaped like light bulbs who abducted people by injecting them with alcohol that came from needles in their fingers.  Then next week it was basically the exact same idea except different looking aliens.  I also remember a giant iguana that was supposed terrorizing a town, creature from the black lagoon, a giant spider "attacking a desert town" and I thinkt here was one with a huge dianosaur that they were doing to kill with an "a-bomb" but had to stop at the last moment because if they blew it to pieces each pieces would grow back a full sized creature. 

Funny to think about all the people churning out what were, basically, pretty lame movies.

The movies you mentioned are...
.INVASION of the SAUCERMEN
.the GIANT GILA MONSTER
.One of the CREATURE films
.the giant spider was either TARANTULA or EARTH vs.the SPIDER.
.Not sure of the last one,though it sounds familiar.

I lived in upper NY as well for a while...but that was in the 60's. I remember CHILLER THEATER,though...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXi4NFgG_Vs

[Saucerman]

I remember watching Monster Movie Matinee many a dreary (in CNY that means Nov thru April) weekend afternoon.  I remember being a little spooked by it, but you see the clips now and, well, they're laughable.  I'd love to see - though I doubt I could sit through a whole 90 minutes - some of the movies they used to show.  I remember 1 where there were aliens with heads shaped like light bulbs who abducted people by injecting them with alcohol that came from needles in their fingers.  Then next week it was basically the exact same idea except different looking aliens.  I also remember a giant iguana that was supposed terrorizing a town, creature from the black lagoon, a giant spider "attacking a desert town" and I thinkt here was one with a huge dianosaur that they were doing to kill with an "a-bomb" but had to stop at the last moment because if they blew it to pieces each pieces would grow back a full sized creature. 

Funny to think about all the people churning out what were, basically, pretty lame movies.

The movies you mentioned are...
.INVASION of the SAUCERMEN
.the GIANT GILA MONSTER
.One of the CREATURE films
.the giant spider was either TARANTULA or EARTH vs.the SPIDER.
.Not sure of the last one,though it sounds familiar.

Last one sounds like REPTILICUS. 

[Dave Alexander]

That's Willard Lipe on the left -- Salty Sam of local TV fame.  (Salty Sam's Super Saturday) The Character name was Epal  (Lipe backwards.)  I think Mike Price might have been the other guy (hand.)Lipe was one of the really great radio/tv performers in Syracuse.  Nice guy too.

[RCMerchant]

I remember watching Monster Movie Matinee many a dreary (in CNY that means Nov thru April) weekend afternoon.  I remember being a little spooked by it, but you see the clips now and, well, they're laughable.  I'd love to see - though I doubt I could sit through a whole 90 minutes - some of the movies they used to show.  I remember 1 where there were aliens with heads shaped like light bulbs who abducted people by injecting them with alcohol that came from needles in their fingers.  Then next week it was basically the exact same idea except different looking aliens.  I also remember a giant iguana that was supposed terrorizing a town, creature from the black lagoon, a giant spider "attacking a desert town" and I thinkt here was one with a huge dianosaur that they were doing to kill with an "a-bomb" but had to stop at the last moment because if they blew it to pieces each pieces would grow back a full sized creature. 

Funny to think about all the people churning out what were, basically, pretty lame movies.

The movies you mentioned are...
.INVASION of the SAUCERMEN
.the GIANT GILA MONSTER
.One of the CREATURE films
.the giant spider was either TARANTULA or EARTH vs.the SPIDER.
.Not sure of the last one,though it sounds familiar.

Last one sounds like REPTILICUS. 

By Yiminiy rickets,I think you have it!!!
I think the second movie involving aliens is likely Larry Buchanan's the EYE CREATURES,which was a made -for -TV remake of INVASION of the SAUCERMEN. As you may know,he remade a number of old AIP films in the mid to late sixties for TV which were absolutly horrendous!!!

[cheryl ames]

OMG, i stumbled across this website just now and man, did the flashbacks start rolling in, i grew up in watertown in the sixties and seventies and my friends and i would get together every stinking saturday and get scared to death.  a few years back i tried to watch the creature from the black lagoon, which was the movie that scared me the most, and almost died from boredom....ah, the good old days, i sure do miss them

[DavesWorld56]

That's Willard Lipe on the left -- Salty Sam of local TV fame.  (Salty Sam's Super Saturday) The Character name was Epal  (Lipe backwards.)  I think Mike Price might have been the other guy (hand.)Lipe was one of the really great radio/tv performers in Syracuse.  Nice guy too.

Dr. E. Nick Witty's name is Alan F. Milair.  He's still alive that last I knew.

[lester1/2jr]

cheryl ames-  when she was a girl my mother was so scared  during Frankenstein meets the Wolfman that she threw up .  I rented it a few years back and it was not scary  at all 

[DavesWorld1956]

I think the video where you can see the host's face was named Baron Daemon.  I don't recall that version of the show either.