Every year (I think) during the late 60's, the famed GRAND Theater in downtown Wausau, Wisconsin showed a batch of about 4 or 5 cheesy horror movies on Halloween. This event was primarily for teens and others who were now (then) too old to go door-to-door trick or' treating, and wanted a place to hang-out. This was pretty neat when one's parents let you go out on a school-night and not get back home till close to mid-night. I went on both Halloween 1968 and Halloween 1969. I went both years with one of my best Junior High pals, Dave S.
Above is a picture of the famed GRAND THEATER in Wausau. I don't know its full history, but at the time I lived in Wausau (1967 through 1971 ) it was only one of two motion picture houses in the community (or in all of Marathon County probably). The other theater was the "WAUSAU THEATER" and although it did show first run movies, it was also noted for showing the most R rated and more sleezier exploitation pics. The WAUSAU Theater did have a neat blue-neon glow-in-the-dark clock... unfortunately, the clock was right up front, off to the left of the movie screen; kind of disconcerting. 
But the GRAND (again, above, inside shot) was, well, grand. It had tons of leg-room, a rich, heavy, beautiful, velour looking red curtains, box seats on the wings (non-functioning in the late 6o's however), and a balcony. The WAUSAU Theater did not have a balcony, and just felt cheaper.On Halloween 1968, Dave S. and I saw some good scary (or, sort of scary) flicks. I remember that it was then that I saw for the first time FRANKENSTEIN CONQUERS THE WORLD (aka Frankenstein versus Baragon). I also saw the weird and off-beat Peter Cushing movie ISLAND OF TERROR (1966 - - the one with the silicate bloboid monsters with the fluke-like heads). The 68' outing was a blast.
Not so the following year. Halloween 1969 would be a horribly embarrassing time for a young clutzy, Napoleon Dynamite-ish, pimply, awkward kid.
Dave and I sat down on the floor level, off to the left of center, and settled in for a great night of monstuh mayhem.
But there were these girls. One of them was sort of cute
No, not Marcia Brady cute, but still very pretty. But mean and cruel as a gorgon on her period.
The other girl was more normal (not ugly, just normal) but even meaner than the first girl.
Yeah, kind of like this girl (above). They knew what they were doing. They were going to embarrass a couple of insecure guys.
They were sitting behind us... for a brief while. They were probably not much older than Dave and myself, maybe a year? But they seemed as sophisticated and worldly as Kansas City whores (in retrospect). They separated and each came at us from the aisles. The cute one sat right next to Dave and put her arm around his back. The other one came and sat down to me and leaned up on my right shoulder.
They didn't steal our money or call us names, but they "played" with us and were clearly having a good time with a couple of nerds (well, me, anyway, Dave was always pretty cool). This wasn't flirting, this was sexual harrassment back before the PC thing even existed. Slut-zilla cooed into my ear that she liked me. No she didn't... she liked seeing me turn red and sweat from the arm-pits. She put her hand on my right knee. If the girls had been nice and genuinely friendly, had the acquaintance grown a tad slower and more organically, heck, I might have enjoyed it. But though we were inexperienced, we KNEW they were mocking us. These two teen harpies simply came on to have some cheap laughs at our expense.
I finally asked her point blank (and with some exasperation in my voice) "Why are you doing this?" She balked at answering me, but it wasn't long after that that the two of them left us alone. I don't remember watching the movies after that. I felt like a chump and a loser; which is what the chicks wanted to accomplish, I guess.
So, why do I like Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers????
Just kidding. I don't like slasher movies :)
I still lilke Peter Cushing though. And I like girls... I married a nice one :)
I had the misfortune of viewing Frankenstein Conquers the World. The most unfortunate part about it was that I paid to own my own copy. The description on the back of the DVD case made me think it was the deal of the century, but somehow they made Nazis, Frankenstein, Baragon, and a giant octopus all into an excruciatingly boring film. If those two girls managed to distract you from that mind-numbing cluster of crud then they were actually doing you a favor.
ReplyDeleteYour comment on FCtW is very interesting ec... when I saw it as a kid (the year before the events of my post; 1968 not '69) I didn't know what to think; it was one of my first non Gojira rubber suited kaiju movies. It was only decades later (as an adult) that I learned to love it for the bubbling stew of (fill in blank) that it is. I love his bad haircut and teeth :)
ReplyDeleteThe American edit of FCtW is pretty clumsy, but the original Japanese one is a little more coherent. I find that bad dubbing isn't usually the big obstacle most people assume it is (although it is distracting). More often it's when the movies that were shot for theater screens get chopped up to fit TV screens that the panoramic fight scenes are almost impossible to follow. And they euphemistically call them "full screen" edits when you're not getting the full movie. Many of the Toho films on DVD now give restored prints of both US and Japanese versions, but edits that were made for American TV are considered different movies in some territories and are marketed 'under the radar'; they turn up as supermarket and department store loss leaders or in sale bins of chain video or electronics stores. By the time the owners of the original format find out, pursuing it legally would cost more than they would get in a settlement. And even then, usually all they get is the right to issue the inferior print as well as the one they already have, IF they win, which isn't guaranteed. So check carefully when you order online.
ReplyDeleteI have found that everything pblfsda says (above) to be true for most Japanese movies I've purchased.
ReplyDeleteThanks pbl.. a good caution and bit o' advice to all of us.
Cheer!
r/e
I love Island of Terror when I first say it and it continues to be one of my favorite Creature Features. the turtle like creatures are something I would want for a pet - I can think of several persons I would like to introduce Terrie the Turtle to - like your Kansas City Whores. I can't recall such a thing happening to me "back in the day" - people always thought I was strange, and not in a good way (insert crazy laugh) AND KEPT OUT OF MY WAY!
ReplyDeleteyeah.......it certainly did not help my self esteem and comfort level around the opposite sex. But gad-zooks...the GRAND THEATER was such a mondo cool place to watch movies... wish you could have been there.
ReplyDelete