Mood:  chatty

Hello. Yes, things have been rather quiet on the western front, so salutations to those of you who are tuning into our blog.

Facebook Update

Well, it wasn't anything really big, but our Facebook page has succumbed to the required transformation into the 'timeline' setting. Because of the cover image format, I decided to have some fun, and put all 8 of our giant teenagers into a collage. Here is a smaller image of what will await you on our Facebook page:

 Holy Smolderin' Crawdads!

On April 24-25, the Hollywood Autograph Show arrived in Rosemont, IL, and the breastest wrangler of them all was there! I got to greet Johnny Crawford, and even picked up a CD of him with his orchestra.

I also introduced myself to him as the Webmaster of this very page, and maybe sometime in the future, we may get to hear what Johnny has to say regarding his time on the set of Village of the Giants.

 No Longer on Netflix

While flipping through my instant queue on Netflix, I was saddened to see that Village of the Giants has been pulled out of the choices to stream. After a full year with them in wide-screen, one wonders if this may mean a release could be in the works for home video viewing, or if we'll just have to go through our withdrawal with our heads held high.

 Updates/Changes to the Site

In the wake of Netflix dropping Village of the Giants from their schedule, I've removed almost all the links to them that have been up within the last year.

As well, with my current experimenting with Flash Animation, I may finally remake the page for Flash users (before I learn just what HTML5 is). I've got a couple ideas in mind, but they are just ideas at the moment.

Mood:  sad

This week, we were sad to hear of the passing of Writer/Producer/Director Bert I Gordon's daughter, Susan. In 2007, our correspondence with Susan allowed us to meet Mr Gordon at the 2007 Burbank Autograph Show.

Susan Gordon was a very gracious woman who we remembered from Bert I Gordon's film Tormented, as well as the episode from The Twilight Zone titled, "The Fugitive."

Our thoughts and prayers go Susan's family. For more information about Susan, please visit her website: http://susangordon.info/home.html

Mood:  energetic

Hi all! It's been awhile since we've had any news regarding Village of the Giants, but even in the dark times, something comes along. Which brings us to today's blog posting.

Netflix gets big in so many ways

Netflix is planning for their streaming media system to help them in their bid for world conquest, and what they've done recently has definitely made me a huge fan of this medium (no pun intended!).

I was informed by one of our site's fans named Jeremy Allison, that as of this time (3/16/11), Netflix's streaming system has Village of the Giants. What makes this news so earth-shattering is that for the first time (probably since its release!), the streaming version of the film is presented in widescreen!

I've gone over it several times, and this isn't a bad cropping job. The widescreen presentation is pretty much perfect, mirroring some of the frames of the film I saw in the theatrical trailer. To the right, I've included a comparison of a frame from the 2001 MGM DVD release, and from Netflix streaming. It's amazing what widening the scope of this picture does. Then again, I've always been partial to widescreen imagery.

If there's a downside, it's that depending on your player, the streaming quality won't be perfectly crisp (then again, the film isn't up for any big Blu-Ray releases). I just wish this version of the film could be released on DVD or even Blu-Ray.  I've been waiting for a good portion of my life for the film in widescreen. On a final note, please be advised that Netflix often rotates the stock in their streaming list, so as for how long you'll be able to view Village of the Giants in widescreen, we don't know...but catch it now before it's too late! (Once again, we'd like to thank Jeremy Allison for bringing this information to our attention)

Minor Site Updates

-Over the holidays, we procured a couple more keybook stills and have added them to the stills gallery.

-The site layout was further cleaned up, and a couple images were updated. A link on our homepage leads directly to Netflix's site (this will stay up until VOTG is removed from the streaming format). We've also updated the widescreen image in the Home Video section with the widescreen image from Netflix, and have also made an update to the title on the screen.

Mood:  lazy

As of a few hours ago, this site that has been online for 6 years has made its presence known to the soicial media network know as Facebook! I'm hoping our presence there will be able to bring out more fans of the film, as well as bring forth new ones and rounds of discussion regarding Bert I Gordon's 1965 film.

Some items from our page I will be porting over, as well as discussions about the film and some little quotes and images from it as well.

I have also included a Facebook 'Like' button near the bottom of our homepage. If you like this page as much as we do, please click on it (it's free, of course!).

Mood:  cool

Lunch wth a great ol' gal, and a VOTG side-mission through New York

In late May, I went to visit a friend in New Jersey, and also made plans to visit New York City. Of interest my first time in the Big Apple, was having lunch with two people I had talked to by email, but never met in person: author Tom Lisanti, and Village of the Giants co-star, Gail Gerber.

I met both of them at the New York Public Library (sadly, completely covered up in front while a restoration was being made), and we then walked around the building to the Bryant Park cafe. It was quite a time, reminiscing with Gail and talking to Tom over my strange obsession for this 1965 B-movie. Gail also came prepared with her silver medal (Tom also has one, but not on him at the time) that she won for her memoirs.

We also took pictures, and both Tom and Gail signed my book. Tom also told me that the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts had some stills from the film. So, I then headed north to the center, where (surprisingly), there were a number of the movie stills I had been looking for. I found 7-8 that I had never seen before (including one that appeared in an issue of Box-Office Magazine, showing a film tour before the movie opened up). Sadly, the library would not allow me to scan and post the images. I could only photocopy them and use them for reference. A couple of them even provided me with identification numbers, which I added to some photos in the Photos gallery.

However, I did visit a movie-items store called Jerry Ohrlinger's (not far from Penn Station), a place where most of my stills had been won from eBay. Jerry's store was like warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Ark, only with movie items. An assistant brought me a folder with VOTG in it, and I purchased 5-6 stills, of which I was able to add to the Photos gallery.

Other updates made to the website

 Along with the addition and update of some photos in our gallery, the following changes have been made:

- Added HTML tables to organize the text into something more presentable.

- In Nancy's house, I finally was able to identify an issue of Better Homes and Gardens that is seen in some scenes. This information was added to the Name Brands area of the Information section.

-In 1974, the magazine Famous Monsters of Filmland ran a 2-page pictorial on Village of the Giants. I came across this information, got a copy of the pictorial, and posted it in the Publicity section of our Information page.

Mood:  lazy

We would like to congratulate former actress Gail Gerber(or Elsa, as she's know in Village of the Giants), and 60's Beach Movie maniac/author Tom Lisanti for their win at the Independent Publisher Book Awards for Best Autobiography/Memoir of 2009.

Tom and Gail collaborated to tell of Gail's life growing up, and then where it went when she met famous author Terry Southern. The book is a very entertaining read, and for those not that familiar with Mr Southern, it opened my eyes a bit to what he was like. Gail and Tom's words often make so many events and places come alive.

Mood:  quizzical

The main cast of teenagers in Village of the Giants stayed pretty close to their respective groups. However, there are some background characters that worked their way into some scenes, and left me wondering who they were.

Here are a couple that have had me wondering for years (with a 'what if' regarding one of them):

1) The Motorcycle girl- She only appeared for a minute or so, but she was the first step in the plan to take down Fred before Mike and the hot rods showed up. There's nothing in the credits as to who she was, and when I even asked Bert I Gordon about her, he couldn't recall. My guess is that maybe she was a stuntwoman that was hired for the brief motorcycle scene.

2) The Basement girl- This girl had a bit more of a role, in that she traded dialogue with the main characters as Mike discussed a new plan to try and get the guns back, and save Nancy.

Actor Hank Jones was in this scene, and even provided us with a call sheet for the day this scene was filmed (this sheet can be found in our Information section on our homepage). However, this girl is the only one unaccounted for on the list for this scene. Hank's call sheet for the day of this scene doesn't give any other names, and even this scene in the original script just refers to this character as "Girl One."

Watching the scene recently, as well as an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000, I think I may have come close to identifying this mysterious blonde. I believe she may be actress June Kenney, who appeared in two other Bert I Gordon films: Attack of the Puppet People, and Earth Vs The Spider (an image of June from Earth Vs The Spider can be seen in the image on the right. The mystery girl in Village of the Giants is the color image on the left).

I was listening to both girls speak in each film, and they sounded so similar, that I'm almost positive that June had an uncredited part in VOTG. Unfortunately, we don't know just what became of June, as her last documented appearance was in an episode of the television show, The Tall Man.

Just remember: if you have any information that could help us solve these mysteries, just drop us a line.

Mood:  not sure

B Movie Cast website talks about the Giants

When it comes to Village of the Giants, I've only ever been on the ball a handful of times. Many times in my youth I missed a showing on TV, and one year in Chicago, I missed a chance to see Bert I Gordon while he was in town.

Well, I missed another VOTG event by a good 2 weeks. The site B Movie Cast conducted a podcast on January second, with a majority of the podcast dedicated to discussing our favorite B-movie. A big smile crossed my face when the guys on the podcast mentioned a particular site online.

Well guys, glad to know my little information page could help you out. Though if you guys ever want to talk more about VOTG, drop me a line.

You can hear B Movie Cast's podcast at the following link: http://bmoviecast.com/tag/village-of-the-giants/

Correction regarding Bert's Autobiography

Recently, I received an email from Bert I Gordon. It's always nice to hear from Bert...and when he finds something amiss, well, I'm apt to jump to attention.

The cover to Bert's upcoming Autobiography was actually designed by Ron Adams (not Stan Adams), the creator and producer of the Monster Bash festival.

This year's festival is taking place on June 25-27 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Don't forget that a special edition copy of Bert's book will be available, and Bert wil also be on hand for autographs.

 I just may attend myself (if you see a bright yellow t-shirt in the sea of people, it'll probably be me).

Mood:  lazy

The biggest update ever to our Fanpage has finally arrived!

Well, it took alot of time, and alot of hard work, but we finally got posted one of the biggest additions to our site: a PDF file containing a copy of the Final Draft for Village of the Giants. 

Like our last post, this could not have been achieved without Village of the Giants  co-star Hank Jones, who loaned us his script to copy. While some would have been happy enough to put this script on a photocopier, I wanted to go one better: transcribe it word-for-word, and make it as close to the original copy as possible.

I went so far as to find a typewriter font, and attempted to space and indent just like that script. The final draft I typed out is about 98% close to Hank's copy, with the only major differences regarding some typos, and the line and page indents and spacing. You'll find a link to the script on our Information page. Please be advised that you'll need Adobe Reader in order to read the PDF file.

I've probably thanked Hank 10+ times for all his help, both with his interview and contributions to our page, but let's just say it again: Thanks Hank!

Hank speaks as well!

Along with providing us with his shooting script, we've also posted our interview with Hank. Hank tells of the times he had on set, as well as the friendships he formed on the film. 

Bert provides more information regarding his upcoming autobiography!

We recently received the following image to the right, and more information from Mr. Bert I Gordon, regarding the upcoming release for his autobiography.

The cover for his book was designed by Stan Adams, the administrator of the Monster Bash convention that takes place yearly in Pittsburgh, PA (Bert and his daughter Susan have attended previously). The painting in the background was painted by Lorraine Bush, and depicts Glen Manning (played by Duncan Perkin) in the film War of the Colossal Beast.

According to Bert, the paperback version of this book will be released this fall, with a special edition hardcover version to be released at next year's Monster Bash convention in June. We'll keep you posted when more information becomes available. Thanks for keeping us in the loop regarding your recent projects, Bert! Always a pleasure.

Where do rumors get started?

Throughout film history, there are all sorts of stories that come about, from strange flubs to deleted scenes. Some may recall the rumor of an actor playing a Munchkin in The Wizard of Oz who was said to have hung himself in the background of a film scene.

While that rumor was debunked with film analysis, a rumor circulated up and down the small fan channels for Village of the Giants for many years. This rumor concerns the disappearance of the Sheriff's deputy, when he doesn't appear after the first confrontation of the giants in the park.

The rumor says that the deputy was to be stepped on by the giants, giving way to his disappearance. However, after perusing the final draft of the script, I found no indication of this scene. My guess is this rumor may have been confused by someone who read how Rick in the final draft, smashed the Sheriff's car. Some may have assumed the deputy was inside, and that's how his life was ended. And of course, some may have assumed that all the giants talk of stomping on people finally came to pass.

I would like to know where this rumor first started, and find out where it came from. At this point, I'd say the final draft of the script can put the rumor to rest, but I feel there will be giant/giantess and foot fetishists who will still insist that this 'rumored death' was intended to take place.

Recent site updates

Along with the addition of the script, there have been some minor additions:

- Information regarding H.G.Wells' story The Food of the Gods has been updated in the Comparisons area, with a more thorough summary, and a newer title.

- In the Production Materials area, I've set up an analysis of the scenes that were on the production call sheet that Hank Jones provided.

Mood:  incredulous

Actor Hank Jones chats with us!

Searching online last week, I was amazed to come across Mr. Hank Jones. Hank played the role of Chuck, one of Tommy Kirk's friends in the film. His scenes included the 'scramble to get the goo' after the teens steal it, to discussing with Mike the plan to rescue Nancy and the Sheriff's daughter.

Hank provided us with some wonderful insight into his career, which also included a stint recording music for RCA Records,  and his career choice in the field of genealogy. Hank was also very kind in providing us with some articles regarding his work on Village of the Giants, including the first item we've seen regarding the production: a copy of part of the production call sheet when he went to work the day of May 11, 1965! 

Look for Hank's information to be added to our Interviews section in the next day or so. We're also updating several other areas, and will include Hank's website in our Links page. But that's not all. Hank is also providing us with something that has eluded me and several others for many years. When we have more information, we'll share it here.

RIP Jim Begg.

While looking around online, I was surprised to see some information that had eluded my eyes for over a year: Jim Begg, who played Fatso in Village of the Giants, passed away on February 15, 2008. Hank did tell us more about his passing, and some can be found in his interview.  I never did have the chance to speak with Jim Begg, but along with his role in VOTG, I always remembered him in another beach film of the era, Catalina Caper, which also starred another VOTG actor: Tommy Kirk. Rest in peace, Jim.

More updates made to the site

Along with last week's updates, this week's also brought even more items to our Information section. These include:

-articles from the magazine Variety. These include information regarding Bert I Gordon's deal with Embassy Pictures, along with the talk of a possible sequel at that time.  We also found the article that was published, referring to the theft of some footage that Bert cut due to the MPAA's objections. And on a bigger note, a copy of the review of the film done by Variety was also found and posted.

-articles and information were also found from some newspapers from Chicago, Illinois. There's even an image of an advertisement for Bert and several of the actors to appear at an autograph signing at the United Artists Theater in downtown Chicago.