Horror History: Nathan Juran

January 14, 2020 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged 20 Million Miles to Earth, Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, Brain from Planet Arous, Nathan Juron, The Black Castle, The Deadly Mantis | Leave a comment

nathanjuran Nathan Juran
Born Sept. 1st, 1907 – Died Oct. 23rd, 2002

Juran’s first career was that of an architect before he got into the film business as an art director. This career choice won him an Oscar for How Green Was My Valley (1941) and another nomination for The Razor’s Edge (1946), working on several other films before he made his move into the director’s chair. His directorial debut was for The Black Castle (1952), staring Lon Chaney Jr. and Boris Karloff. He would go on to direct some great films in the sci-fi horror genre in the ’50s, such as The Deadly Mantis (1957), 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957), and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958). Of course, there were some films that didn’t get the praise that one would hope, like The Brain from Planet Arous (1957) and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958). At least from the critics back then. If they weren’t entertaining, fans wouldn’t still be watching them and talking about them and keeping them alive.

After working in film, he moved to television and worked on several series, like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Lost in Space, Land of the Giants, and a few more.

While Juran thought of filmmaking in the sense of a business as oppose to having a passion for it, when looking at some of the great films that he help create, it didn’t matter what the reasoning behind why he was making them. We will just be forever grateful for the work that he did give us.

Horror History: Yvette Vickers

May 8, 2018 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Yvette Vickers | 1 Comment

Yvette Vickers1 Yvette Vickers
Born Aug. 26th, 1928 – Died 2010

As movie fans, especially when you are fans of the older black and white classics, we know that time catches up with the stars of these titles a lot sooner than we expect. A lot of the talent from those films in the ’50s and ’60s have long gone the way of becoming ghosts of Hollywood. But we know fans like us keep them alive in spirt, as well as in film. But there are some deaths that are so tragic, that it is just terrible. Yvette Vickers is one of them.

She started her career in the famous 1950’s film Sunset Boulevard, as “giggling girl on phone at party”. She would in little bit parts here and there, such as Reform School Girls (1957) and Short Cut to Hell (1957), which was James Cagney’s only film as a director. But her career never took off big, even after appearing in Playboy as a Playmate in 1959. Director Russ Meyer was actually the photographer for that layout. Her real claim to movie fame is for appearing in two horror classics, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958) Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959).

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Horror History: Allison Hayes

February 25, 2017 by Jon Kitley in Horror History and tagged Allison Hayes, Attack of the 50-Foot Woman, The Hypnotic Eye, The Undead | Leave a comment

allisonhayes2 Allison Hayes
Born March 6th, 1930 – Died Feb. 27th, 1977

Allison Hayes appeared on quite a few television shows and movies, mainly B-movies, in her short career, but never seemed be able to break into the big time. But because of the films that she did make, cult horror fans have always remembered here. With films like Roger Corman’s The Undead (1957) or The Hypnotic Eye (1960), or probably her most famous, Attack of the 50-Foot Woman (1958), she has made a definitely impact on the horror genre. One that will never be forgotten.

Unfortunately, her life was much more dramatic than the movies she appeared in. The last decade of her life, she was battling severe health issues, even having to walk with a cane. The pain was so bad, there were times that she had even thought of taking her own life. It didn’t help that the doctors didn’t seem to take her symptoms seriously. But after some of her own research, she discovered that the calcium supplements that she had been taken for some time, contained high levels of lead, which was causing her to suffer from lead poisoning. She was later diagnosed with leukemia. But before passing away, she had mounted a campaign to have the FDA ban the import and sale of this supplement that she had been taking, and eventually won in 1976. There are many reasons to remember Allison Hayes. So please do.