We have a new producer of World of Giants (WOG) with the fifth episode, ‘Gambling Story,’ William Alland. The name should be familiar. He produced many of our favorites from the 1950s: It Came from Outer Space (1953), all three Creature from the Black Lagoon films, This Island Earth (1955), Tarantula (1955), The Mole People…

When a car runs our heroes off the road and their car flips on its side, the briefcase containing Mel (Marshall Thompson) is thrown from the moving vehicle and Bill (Arthur Franz) lies unconscious. As Mel follows protocol in “cases like this,” he attempts to get clear of the accident and find a place of…

Patterns seem to be forming in episode three of World of Giants (WOG.) Two episodes in a row have opened with a scene in ‘the bureau’s’ office with, not a recap of how Mel Hunter (Marshall Thompson) was shrunk to six inches tall, but how he’s doing in the aftermath. For the second week, we…

After introducing the concept in episode one,World of Giants (W.O.G.) starts having fun with it in episode two, “Time Bomb.” The adventure is more exciting and the stakes higher. While Bill (Arthur Franz) is out in the garage of his apartment building repairing Mel’s tiny chair in his briefcase, Mel (Marshall Thompson) races against time…

In the premiere episode of World of Giants (W.O.G.), “Special Agent,” we learn that while on a secret mission in the U.S.S.R., a rocket explosion during an experiment caused agent Mel Hunter (Marshall Thomson) to shrink to about six inches in height. It was essential to keep his condition classified, of course, because a man…

Had you asked me last night after I finished watching The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre (1964), I would have said I was disappointed and that the movie was extremely slow-moving. Today, I can’t stop thinking about it and am about to march into the living room and watch it again! It has really gotten…

Over four years ago, I launched this 1970s TV-Movie series for the  TV Terror Guide with a film called Ritual of Evil (1970.) Today, I end the series with the film to which Ritual was a sequel: Fear No Evil (1969.) We’ve climbed up the decade (and beyond), then back down, adding some movies that…

Good anthologies save the best of their short stories for last. Of course, opinions differ, but for me, Night Gallery (1969) has the order wrong. That’s not to say the overall package is bad in any way. It’s just that Rod Serling gives us the scariest, most effective segment at the beginning. I’m going to…

While Daughter of the Mind aired on television in 1969, there’s no doubt it should be included in discussions about TV-movies of the 70s. First, we’re nitpicking if we exclude anything due to a few months’ difference in release dates. More importantly, it follows a template that many more will use into the next decade……

The great Edward G. Robinson was 77 years old when he made The Old Man Who Cried Wolf (1970), playing a man who was just turning 70. Age plays a big part in the movie, adding a layer of emotion to what’s already a gripping thriller. So compelling is Robinson’s performance that it’s one of…