B-Movie Central Cheese Blog

LOS ANGELES —  Beverly Garland, the B-movie actress who starred in 1950s cult hits like “Swamp Women” and “Not of This Earth” and who went on to play Fred MacMurray’s TV wife on “My Three Sons,” died. She was 82.

Garland died Friday at her Hollywood Hills home after a lengthy illness, her son-in-law Packy Smith told the Los Angeles Times.

Garland made her film debut in the 1950 noir classic “D.O.A.,” launching a 50-year career that included 40 movies and dozens of television shows.

She gained cult status for playing gutsy women in low-budget exploitation films such as “The Alligator People” and a number of Roger Corman movies including “Gunslinger,” “It Conquered the World” and “Naked Paradise.”

“I never considered myself very much of a passive kind of actress,” she said in a 1985 interview with Fangoria magazine. “I was never very comfortable in love scenes, never comfortable playing a sweet, lovable lady.”

Garland showed her comedic chops as Bing Crosby’s wife in the short-lived sitcom “The Bing Crosby Show” in the mid-’60s.

She went on to be cast in “My Three Sons” as the second wife of MacMurray’s widower Steve Douglas during the last three seasons of the popular series that aired from 1960 to 1972.

Her television credits also include “Remington Steele,” “Scarecrow and Mrs. King,” “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,” “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman” and “7th Heaven.”

Garland was born Beverly Fessenden in Santa Cruz, Calif., in 1926, and grew up in Glendale. She became Beverly Garland when she married actor Richard Garland. They were divorced in 1953 after less than four years of marriage.

In 1960, she married real estate developer Fillmore Crank, and the couple built a mission-style hotel in North Hollywood, now called Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn. Garland, whose husband died in 1999, remained involved in running the North Hollywood hotel.

She was the honorary mayor of North Hollywood and served on the boards of the California Tourism Corp. and the Greater Los Angeles Visitors and Convention Bureau.

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R.I.P. Beverly. You will be sorely missed.

LOS ANGELES —  Bettie Page, whose magazine photographs in bikinis and see-through lingerie helped her become one of the most notable models of the 20th century, was hospitalized in intensive care after suffering a heart attack, her agent said Friday.

“She’s critically ill,” Mark Roesler of the Curtis Management Group told The Associated Press.

He said she had the heart attack on Tuesday and was hospitalized Friday in the Los Angeles area.

A family friend, Todd Mueller, said Page was in a coma. When asked to confirm, Roesler said, “I would not deny that,” but he would not comment further on her condition.

Page, a secretary turned model, is credited with helping set the stage for the sexual revolution of the rebellious 1960s. She attracted national attention with magazine photographs of her sensuous figure that were tacked up on walls across the country.

Her photos included a centerfold in the January 1955 issue of then-fledgling Playboy magazine, as well as controversial sadomasochistic poses.

Page later spent decades away from the public eye, and during that time battled mental illness and became a born-again Christian.

After resurfacing in the 1990s, she occasionally granted interviews but refused to allow her picture to be taken.

Mueller credits his business dealings with Page for bringing her out of seclusion. He said he first met her in 1989 when he offered her “a bunch of money” to show up at autograph signings.

“I probably sold 3,000 of her autographs, usually for $200 to $300,” he said. “Eleanor Roosevelt, we got $40-$50. … Bettie Page outsells them all.”

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This really sucks.  She was THE pin-up model that set the standard for those who came after.  A lot of famous people die all the time and it just doesn’t matter, but she was an icon.  I really hope she pulls through and comes out ok.  There aren’t many icons left in the world from those golden days.

Hey folks,

Well I finally got the new issue posted after some personal issues kept me from getting it done on time. Sorry about that. Anyway, we got lots of great stuff for you this month, so without further adieu, here we go…

Interviews:

Rick Popko and Dan West
Nicola Fiore
Sebrina Siegel
Jim Wynorski
Jeff Markey
Lee Rudnicki

This Month’s Sleepover Girl:

Tucky Williams makes a return appearance as this month’s Sleepover Girl!

Articles:

Check out Danny Runion’s latest movie mashups article and see what he threw in the blender this month!

Movie Reviews:

Bikini Bloodbath Carwash
Boys of Summerville
Cottonmouth
Diary of a Bad Lad
Douglas Fairbanks - A Modern Musketeer
Hole in the Ground
Isle of the Damned
It Came from Over Yonder
Little Rascals The Complete Collection
Loss of Hope
Reunion
Stimulus
Sunday
The Sisters Four
Two Front Teeth
Unholy Reunion (Duane’s Review)
Unholy Reunion (Nic’s Review)
Visits
Welcome to Pipe Mountain

Book Reviews:

The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry
Thinking About Movies

So head on over to Rogue Cinema (http://www.roguecinema.com) and check out all the goodness in this month’s issue.

Hope you all enjoy it!

Been a long time since I posted something, so here’s a bit of a grab bag.

Well, the countdown to Marxism has begun.  They say people get the government they deserve.  Well, you people and the media who shoved this down our throats…you deserve it.  And to the republican party, you guys are a bunch of douche bag morons for running a guy who couldn’t even win a primary over Bush.  Way to go idiots.  Maybe if you jerk offs weren’t so intent on forcing your religious beliefs into people’s private lives and decisions, this wouldn’t have happened.  Maybe you should think about that four years from now after you’ve seen what’s happened to our country.

Now something near and dear to my heart.  I’m beyond pissed off at all these people I keep seeing on craig’s list that are getting rid of their dogs just because they have a baby on the way.  You know what?  If you’re so quick to throw away something you supposedly loved, then what kind of parents are you idiots going to be?  You don’t get rid of a loving pet just because you have a baby on the way.  There is ZERO reason to dump your pet just because you’re having a baby.  You people should be ashamed of yourself.  If you can’t handle having a dog, then don’t get one and let it bond with you and then dump it when suddenly it seems a little inconvenient.  Anyone who does that should be taken out and beaten just on general principle.  Dogs do nothing but love you and trust you, and when you violate that…you become less than worthless in my book.

Let’s see, what else…

Oh, something else that irritates me about people with kids.  They use the kids as an excuse to cancel themselves as human beings.  They focus so much on their kids that they become little more than parental units.  Kids should have caring and involved parents, and that’s awesome, but when you focus so much on your kids that suddenly your own dreams and ambitions disappear and you let your friendships drift away, then you’ve traveled down a road that no one should allow themselves to go down.  Believe it or not, it is possible to be an individual with your own life and a parent at the same time.  This also goes for people who become obsessed with someone or something to the exclusion of everything else in their lives.  So basically, for those of you who are able to take a rational look at themselves and find that they’ve taken this path in their lives, you should start thinking about how it affects not only yourself, but your friends and the other people in your life and try to find some balance.  Believe me, your kids will be just fine if you’re not involved with them 24/7.  By balancing your life, you’ll not only be a better person for yourself, but for your kids as well.

And…

I just watched an episode of Celebrity Rehab.  For anyone who wants to legalize drugs, you take a look at Jeff Conway, Gary Busey or anyone else who’s been on that show and then you try to have the balls to tell me you still wanna legalize drugs.

Plus…

We’ve had a mouse infestation again.  The cold has driven them in I think.  We’ve trapped six so far and we’re trying to catch a 7th now.  I really hate killing anything.  It breaks my heart to have to do it because it’s not their fault.  They’re just trying to survive.  The problem is, they cause disease and damage and everything else.  Sharon always freaks out whenever she sees one, alive or dead, and I’m the one who has to dispose of them. :P  How much suck is that?  Hopefully we’ll finish getting them all soon, cause I really hate dealing with this stuff.

And furthermore…

To all you douche bag network executives who have ruined the Sci-Fi channel and TV Land, I got a size 13 boot with your asses names on it.  What the hell were you idiots thinking?  First you cancel Stargate SG-1 and put ECW wrestling on.  Wait what?  In what universe was it a good idea to cancel a show with a heavy cult following to put on a show that has nothing to do with sci-fi?  Now they’re cancelling Stargate Atlantis, and they’ve added Lost and some really lame game show type shows.  On TV Land, they’ve infested it with more network shows that have no business on there.  That channel was supposed to be for classic tv shows, not crap like The Cosby Show and 3rd Rock from the Sun and whatever other network rejects they’re trying to push DVD seasons of.  STOP RUINING THE CHANNELS WE ENJOY YOU IDIOTS!!!  If you wanna show crap like that make a new channel called CrapTV and show it on there and leave our favorite channels alone.

And lastly…

I went and visited my parents the other day.  My father looked better than I’ve seen him look in the last two years.  He’s doing SO much better.  So for anyone who’s ever expressed their best wishes for his recovery, I just want to let you all know that he’s doing well and all seems to be good with him, for the moment.  He still has pain in his lower back, but he’d need spine surgery to fix that.  Other than that, he’s doing so much better I can’t even tell you.  It was wonderful to see that.  I wish I could get out there more often, but they live a long way off and it’s hard to get out there as often as I’d like.

Anyway, that’s it for now.  I haven’t posted in ages, so I figured I’d sit and write something.  Now I gotta go to WalMart, which I know is gonna suck and be crammed with stupid people gettin’ in the way and not looking where they’re going.  Man…that’s a whole bucket of suck.

Hey folks,

After a bit of a delay due to my being sick as hell with whatever’s been going around lately, the November issue of Rogue Cinema has been posted. Here’s what we have for you this month.

Interviews:

Scott Goldberg, Paul Kratka and Chris Margaritas
Bo Barret
Susan Adriensen
J.A. Steel
Will Moore
Vincent ”Vinnie” Bilancio

This Month’s Sleepover Girl:

Gorgeous southern gal Sarah Brock is this month’s Sleepover Girl.

Articles:

Josh Samford thinks that planning ahead is a good thing. In fact, he likes it so much, he’s decided to write up an article all about what movies you should add to your list of must see films for Halloween 2009! Check it out and see what Josh thinks you all should be watching next year.

You think your Thanksgiving dinner is going to be a pain. Just wait until you see what Danny Runion thinks Thanksgiving dinner will be like in the cult film character group home!

Movie Reviews:

A Christmas Carol / Old Scrooge
Booth Girls
Charlie Thistle
Coldspot
Crewing Up
Dead Space: Downfall
Hey Diddle Diddle
New York Lately (Rogue Cinema Cinematic Excellence Award winner!)
Retardead
The Devil Lives in Hot Springs
The Wintress
Three Stooges Collection Volume 4
Tossers
W The Movie
Without Warning

Book Reviews:

Campus Life in the Movies

So head on over to Rogue Cinema (http://www.roguecinema.com) and check out all the goodness in this month’s issue.

Hope you all enjoy it!

Hey folks,

October is here. What sucks is, we have to wait until the last freakin’ day of the month for the best holiday of the year! Anyway, the new issue of Rogue Cinema is up and running. Here’s what we have for you this month.

Interviews:

Michelle Tomlinson
Scarlet Salem
Wolfman Mac

This Month’s Sleepover Girl:

Beautiful and talented Lisa Pechmiller is this month’s Sleepover Girl.

Articles:

Josh Samford has his panties in a bunch this month. About what you may ask? Well, this month it’s all about chick flicks and how utterly annoying they are to the men of the world. Read on to find out if Josh will ever be able to walk right again, or if his panties will remain bunched up forever.

Josh Samford also provided us with An Open Letter to New Horror Fans. What’s it about? Well, read it and find out. See that? I didn’t actually tell you what it’s about. Now your curiosity is going to get the best of you and you’re going to have to go see for yourself. Isn’t that cool how that works?

What if horror icons ran the country? With the political season in full swing, Danny Runion found himself wondering just that. So check out which of the iconic horror folks he thinks should be running the country, and what positions they should hold. I gotta admit, his reasoning on a lot of these is just spot on!

Movie Reviews:

Across the Line
Breathing Room
Bryan Loves You
Chances
Cowboy Killer
Cowboy Smoke
Edges of Darkness
Five Across the Eyes
Good Chemistry
Grave Mistakes
Green
Into the Black
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
Monster from Bikini Beach
One-Day Seminar
Rockabilly Baby
Stratagem
The Artifact
The Cellar Door
The Vanguard
The Watchman
Three Stooges Volume 3 (1940-1942)

Book Reviews:

The Final Film of Laurel and Hardy

Television Reviews:

Starz Inside - Fantastic Flesh: The Art of Make-Up EFX

So head on over to Rogue Cinema (http://www.roguecinema.com) and check out all the goodness in this month’s issue.

Hope you all enjoy it!

My wife found this posted in a comment in response to a news story about a cat that got it’s leg stuck in a toilet.  They had to call 911 and some firemen had to bust up the toilet to get the cat out without breaking its leg.  Anyway, I thought it was funny, so I wanted to share it with you all.

——————

How to wash a cat

1) Thoroughly clean the toilet.

2) Add the required amount of shampoo to the toilet water, and have both lids lifted.

3) Obtain the cat and soothe him while you carry him towards the bathroom.

4) In one smooth movement, put the cat in the toilet and close both lids (you may need to stand on the lid so that he cannot escape).  CAUTION: Do not get any part of your body too close to the edge, as his paws will be reaching out for any thing they can find.

5) Flush the toilet three or four times. This provides a “power wash and rinse” which I have found to be quite effective.

6) Have someone open the door to the outside and ensure that there are no people between the toilet and the outside door.

7) Stand behind the toilet as far as you can, and quickly lift both lids.

9) The now-clean cat will rocket out of the toilet, and run outside where he will dry himself.

After a long wait while it was on backorder (unfortunately the case is STILL on backorder), I finally got my new Schecter Stiletto Custom 4 bass on Monday.

Now, I love the quality of this bass.  The construction, paint job, knobs, bridge, and everything else about it just screams quality.  Schecter really makes phenomenal instruments.  The electronics compartment was shielded as well, and the electronics themselves were just amazingly well done with perfect solder joints, wiring, and placement in the cavity.

However… (There always has to be something doesn’t there?)

When I played it, it sounded too bright and way too thin.  It had no body or fullness to the sound.  This can be good for like say…slap bass applications, but it’s not great for regular playing.  In addition to that, the strings turned my fingers black, and after two days of playing I had major callouses on my index and pinky fingers because of the drag and roughness of the strings.  Now what caused all this?  Well, it seems that Schecter saw fit to use Di’Addario coated nickel strings as their stock strings on their basses.  Nickel strings sound really bright, but they also sound really thin.  They also have a lot of drag when you’re playing on them, which caused the callouses.

Today, after looking up the stock string gague on Schecter’s website, I had Sharon run by Guitar Center and get me a pack of my favorite DR Hi-Beams strings.  They’re stainless steel strings and sound full bodied and don’t tear your fingers up like nickel strings do.  I can’t say enough good things about DR strings.  They’re the only strings I use on my instruments when I have the need to change them.  I still have a guitar and two basses with stock strings, but my Schecter C-1, my Fender bass and now this bass all have DR strings.  When the others need changing, they’ll get DR’s too.

Anyway, after changing the strings, it was like playing a whole different bass.  The sound was right and full without being overly bright.  The patch I set up for the bass is really punchy and it all just sounds awesome.

The neck on this bass is something special too.  It’s a bit narrower and thinner than the necks on my other basses, and is just an absolute joy to play on.  Someday, when I can ever afford it, I’ll probably get myself a Schecter 5-string bass too.  I already have an Ibanez Sound Gear 5-string which I absolutely love, but having adding a Schecter to the mix for a bit different sound would be really cool.

Anyway, I hadn’t checked in here in a while, so I thought I’d pop in and tell you all about my new bass. :)  I’ve been playing quite a bit with my friend Darwin lately and it’s been a blast.  It’s so awesome to actually have someone to play music with.

Anyway, it’s late and I think I’m going to go play it a bit more through the headphones before I go to bed.  Don’t want to wake Sharon up after all.

Hey folks,

September is here, and that’s all I really have to say about that. So without firther adieu, here’s what we have for you in the new issue of Rogue Cinema…

Interviews:

Patrick Keith
CJ Johnson
Steve Hudgins
Lennox Miller
JimmyO Burril
Victoria De Mare

This Month’s Sleepover Girl:

The absolutely gorgeous Lennox Miller is this month’s Sleepover Girl. Be sure to check out her great interview as well!

Articles:

Josh Samford brings us his fourth “Oh Snap!” article. Check it out to find out what utterly shocking movie moments made him say, “Oh Snap!”

Danny Runion talks about the evils of movie critics. I’m not sure if I should be offended by this article or not!

Movie Reviews:

Bar Barons
Harry Langdon: Three’s a Crowd and The Chaser
Barstool Cowboy
Immokalee U.S.A.
Roid Rage
Single
Conjurer
Under the Raven’s Wing
Fog Warning
The Extra Girl / The Gusher
The Ghouligans Super Show
Cyxork 7
Death Race
Desert Wedding
Surprise
The 48th Hour
Cordoba Nights
Ed Wood’s “Devil Girls”
Tales of the Dead
The Assemblage of the Crystal Sphere
Bonnie & Clyde vs. Dracula

Book Reviews:

Harry Langdon: His Life and Films (Book Review)

So head on over to Rogue Cinema (http://www.roguecinema.com) and check out all the goodness in this month’s issue.

Hope you all enjoy it!

I was just laying in bed in a half-assed, post-dinner semi-coma, when a thought suddenly came to my mind. It hit me like a sledge hammer and I can’t think of anyone else ever asking this question, so I’m going to ask it…

When people see apparitions of ghosts, and in ghost photographs, why are the ghosts always wearing clothes? We’re not born with clothes on. You’d think the phychic / soul energy sticking around as an apparition would be naked, as we are in life. The clothes are an artificial construct and have no psychic energy of their own, therefore they shouldn’t be appearing on apparitions.

Just something to think about…

Here’s something else to think about for those who investigate hauntings and other ghostly phenomenon. We know that when spirits are around, batteries can be drained in various devices as the spirits apparently drain that energy in order to manifest themselves in some way. They also tend to appear quite frequently around electrical, high-tension wires. Heat energy is also something they use, but the focus of this suggestion is on the electrical side of things.

So here’s my suggestion. When investigating a haunting where apparitions have been spotted or objects have been moved, take in a Van de Graff generator and turn it on. In fact, take in several and place them around the general area. This could give the spirit enough energy to either fully appear or to create some other effect to let the investigators know they’re there. I’ve never seen it done in any investigation and I’d love to see that tried. I’d try it myself, but I don’t own the proper investigative equipment to attempt it on my own.

Anyway, I’ve had a pretty crappy day, and I still have two more reviews to write, so I better get back to it. Hope you all have a great holiday weekend.