Chadwick H. Saxelid's Blog: Ghoulies, Ghosties, and Long-Leggedy Beasties, page 42

The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Trading Card #20

About the Cabin
"I've heard stories about her from people and neighbors and stuff like that, but also I saw a documentary on the Discovery Channel or somewhere, once about her, about ghost and legends of Maryland. The creepiest (child tries to stop mother from talking)... the creepiest story that I ever heard was that two men were camping near the cabin or something that she's supposed to haunt... and they disappeared of the face of the Earth." 

Friday the 13th Midnite Jinx Show - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - Friday, February 13, 1953
Fox West Coast Theaters held a bunch of Friday the 13th-themed Midnite Jinx Shows throughout the East Bay on Friday, February 13, 1953. What did they show?

Richmond's Fox theater, along with its Grand theater, showed a double-bill of The Cat Creeps (1946) and She-Wolf of London (1946).

Berkeley's California theater offered a questionable double-bill of Kansas Pacific (1953) and Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952).

East Oakland's Eastmont had The Black Cat (1941) and something called Phantom of Paris, which might be a retitled Mystery of Marie Roget (1942).

North Oakland's Senator theater had the best of the bunch, though. A triple-bill of Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), and The Monster Walks (1932).

Although both the Grand Lake and the Paramount are named in the ad, there were no listings for either theater. So it goes.

But there was a separate ad for the Friday the 13th Midnite "Jinx" Show at the Paramount Theatre:

Oakland Tribune - Friday, February 13, 1953

It appears the Paramount had a double-bill that included a major studio preview. Might this have been a sneak preview of The War of the Worlds (1953)? No idea.

The live show was hosted by one Russ Byrd. Not recognizing that name, I did a quick search of the Oakland Tribune's archives and learned Byrd was a well-regarded entertainer and show host. He passed away in 1995.

Another search revealed that "Tiny" James was an absolute legend of a pipe organ performer. He died in 1989.

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) - Soundtrack

This fifth and final entry in the first set of Planet of the Apes films is, for the most part, considered to be its weakest, cheapest, and most uninteresting installment. Which is true. Battle for the Planet of the Apes was the last gasp of an empty creative tank. But even those fumes had something to recommend for a diehard Planet of the Apes fan.

First were all the thematic and storyline "Easter Eggs" that tied the series continuity together into a self-contained unit. Second is Leonard Rosenman's score for the film. A score that Lukas Kendall's liner notes describe as being "driven by a four-note motif expressive of the concept of 'battle' itself." Okay.

Rosenman's score for Battle is all-new music, save for one artistic flourish. The track March to the Dead City contains "the same rising, oppressive brass and winds, along with harp doubled by piano, that characterized his Forbidden Zone music [for] Beneath the Planet of the Apes." Rosenman understood the assignment,

Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973) - Soundtrack Collection

This fifth and final entry in the first set of Planet of the Apes films is, for the most part, considered to be its weakest, cheapest, and most uninteresting installment. Which is true. Battle for the Planet of the Apes was the last gasp of an empty creative tank. But even those fumes had something to recommend for a diehard Planet of the Apes fan.

First were all the thematic and storyline "Easter Eggs" that tied the series continuity together into a self-contained unit. Second is Leonard Rosenman's score for the film. A score that Lukas Kendall's liner notes describe as being "driven by a four-note motif expressive of the concept of 'battle' itself." Okay.

Rosenman's score for Battle is all-new music, save for one artistic flourish. The track March to the Dead City contains "the same rising, oppressive brass and winds, along with harp doubled by piano, that characterized his Forbidden Zone music [for] Beneath the Planet of the Apes." Rosenman understood the assignment,

Alien (1979) - Trading Card #17

Shortly after rising from hyper-sleep, Captain Dallas disappears into the recesses of his spaceship to investigate a transmission from 'Mother' - the ship computer. 

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) - Newspaper Ad

Oakland Tribune - February 12, 1970
The Solano Drive-In still exists and is open for business. I saw Tenet (2020) there, back when drive-ins were getting a pandemic fueled boost in business.

Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) - Soundtrack

Long ago, during the Before Times, I was listening to a Torture Cinema episode of the Skiffy and Fanty Podcast wherein one of the hosts made a snarky comment about James Horner's score for the 1983 science-fiction/fantasy mash-up Krull. This person commented that significant portions of Horner's score for Krull were repurposed sections of his score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

"Wait just a damn minute," I thought so hard that I stopped the podcast and had to start conversing with myself, "Horner's score for Wrath of Khan repurposed sections from his scores for both Battle Beyond the Stars and Wolfen! He repurposed his compositions all the time!"
But great music is great music, repurposed or not, and Horner's robust score for Battle Beyond the Stars is an entertaining blast to listen to.

Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) - Soundtrack Collection

Long ago, during the Before Times, I was listening to a Torture Cinema episode of the Skiffy and Fanty Podcast wherein one of the hosts made a snarky comment about James Horner's score for the 1983 science-fiction/fantasy mash-up Krull. This person commented that significant portions of Horner's score for Krull were repurposed sections of his score for Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

"Wait just a damn minute," I thought so hard that I stopped the podcast and had to start conversing with myself, "Horner's score for Wrath of Khan repurposed sections from his scores for both Battle Beyond the Stars and Wolfen! He repurposed his compositions all the time!"
But great music is great music, repurposed or not, and Horner's robust score for Battle Beyond the Stars is an entertaining blast to listen to.

The Blair Witch Project (1999) - Trading Card #19

About Mr. Parr

Jaws by Peter Benchley - Newspaper Ad

San Francisco Examiner - February 10, 1974
Before the movie there was the novel. Producer David Brown once said that if he and Richard Zanuck had stopped to think through the budgetary logistics of actually making a movie adaptation of Jaws, they might never have done so.

I tried and tried to read the novel, having seen and loved the movie, but just kept bouncing off it. It would not be until late 1980, or maybe even early 1981, that I would manage to get through the entire book, from start to finish. 

The movie was better. Much, much better.