SCREAM OF THE WOLF

 I'm on a bit of a Dan Curtis/ Clint Walker kick at the moment. Seeing Snowbeast the other night sparked it off.

I'm currently deep into the mulderous files of Kolchak's exploits, having just watched the two films and now embarking on the TV series.

By way of an umleitung I plan to watch Scream of the Wolf too. Like Snowbeast a few years later, its was a made for TV Movie from 1974 starring Clint Walker and Peter Graves. It originally played in the States on January 16th, 1974 at 8.30pm on ABC. 

Do you remember it on ABC? Where you still up then?

Not sure if this was on in the UK. I don't remember seeing it. Do you?

THAT SNOW BEAST

I'm currently watching a creature feature called Snow Beast from 1977.

Snow Beasts have a long and dignified history in popular culture. From the classic Abominable Snowman black and white original with Peter Cushing, the Yeti has been a staple of popular culture.

In my bookshelf is a well-thumbed copy of Snow Man by Norman Bogner, one of those iconic New English Library paperbacks made for a summer holiday read. My copy is from 1979 like the one pictured but I think it was first published in 1977, a good year for Yeti's.

[pic: nastynels]

Snowbeast is also from 1977 and is a horror flick, which for a time in the 1980's courted the video nasties when Vipco released it on VHS. Its not a nasty at all and with the likes of Clint Walker and Bo Svenson and some decent sets is very watchable. I'm watching it on You Tube and with its large number of extras in the film's ski resort it reminded me of other holiday disaster films like Piranha and Jaws.

A much less able affair is a more modern Snow Beast movie I've seen on telly. From 2011, it has a cast of about five, three of whom are on the DVD cover [the beast ate the other and it makes five] who appear to sit around drinking coffee or driving SUV's most of the time. Avoidable.

Grab a coffee and watch the 1977 movie or read the NEL paperback.

Have you any Yeti's in the closet readers?

*

ABOMINABLE TOYS

Brian's recommendation of this cool looking modern Yeti Playset by Animal Planet has prompted me to list a few Yeti toys.

Maybe the mother of all vintage Yeti toys, here's the Marx original from 1963

and video footage by Big Al of it on the Tube. Be warned, the mechanical Wampa shrieking is really unpleasant! 

Then of course there is that rarity amongst Sasquatches, the Mego Six Million Dollar Man Big Foot as covered on the US TV show Toy Hunter. 

There's also this 7m video on the Tube explaining the ins and outs of it as a collectable:

Although I don't own one, my own personal favourite, is this, the Snow Man from the legendary Tomland line of Monsters. He has to be the most handsome of all Yetis!

There are lots more Abominable Snowmen toys: Matchbox, GI Joe and so on. Anyone got any?

GRIZZLY: THE BEAR ESSENTIALS

I watched Grizzly last night on You Tube - on the TV! Not Grizzly Adams, although I did enjoy that series and regret not getting any of the toy figures, but Grizzly the wilderness 'horror' film of the 1970's.

As you can imagine its about a Grizzly bear running amok in an American National Park and eating the campers. There are some tense moments amongst the ranger chatter, especially as the beast approaches its prey and virtually no-one goes home without a bear hug.

It was panned at the time of its release as a brazen JAWS clone and to be fair there are many elements that the director has nicked from Speilberg: the der-der music during stalking, the flying severed arm and most starkly, the ending, which I've leave at that in case you watch it!

But I enjoyed GRIZZLY. I always wanted to be a National Park ranger in the UK. I studied nature conservation for 3 years including national park management but alas in the 80's all the jobs were in Cities and I ended up part of the urban conservation 'industry' and got based in a Leeds environmental charity, where I stayed for 20 years! I am a creature of habit if nothing else! I certainly never came across any Grizzly bears. 

I also like GRIZZLY because it captures something I imagine has gone in the US, the atmospheric olde-worlde mountain restaurant where the walls are made of redwood logs and the big wood fire is always burning, casting a soft light onto healthy-looking hikers sipping brandy from huge bowled glasses. Aah.

It also reminds me of two other films I enjoyed; Prophecy about a mutated bear monster and the very similar Snowbeast repleat with chisel-jawed mountain men too. Grizzly was very successful financially and I bet it beat these two into a cocked hat.

GRIZZLY had one 'official' bit of merchandise as far as I can tell and its quite sought after by the looks of it: the GRIZZLY rubber bear by Imperial Toys [yes, they who brought us Apollo Moon Exploring!]. 

The Imperial bear seems to have been an example of the 'hey, quick, slap a header card on that old toy and get it in the shops and we'll make a few bucks!" school of marketing!

They already had a growling polar bear in stock and when GRIZZLY came out they painted it and shipped it out. I imagine the header card was the first thing to go and few will have survived unlike the tough rubber bear. 

Having said that I found this pic online of three Imperial Grizzlies all with their 'official' card labels present and correct! Looking at it again I see that the word Grizzly, in its correct film font, is TM'd on the card. Could Imperial have actually got a licence for this toy?

Did you or do you have a Grizzly?

      Image: Mego Talk

MY LIFE-SIZE PALITOY ARCTIC PATROL OUTFIT

The Beast from the East is slowly receding from West Yorkshire.

Its still freezing and I've just been out to look at some birds in the fields.

Taking off my parka, peaked cap and black binoculars and seeing them together I suddenly thought ......

Where Eagles Dare!

Yes, its more or less the same as Clint and Richard had on in the 1968 WWII romp.

Come to think of it its more or less the top half of Palitoy's Action Man Mountain and Arctic Outfit too! This one's on Ebay.

I think the binoculars were white in this set though, which would make sense if you are trying to blend in.

That box art has a distinct look of Clint to me!

I've such a vivid memory of sliding my own arctic outfit Action Man down our snow-covered drive in the Sixties. It was sloped so perfect for short runs on his skis! His black and white rifle is imprinted on my brain.

I'd like to think I sent my orange-jacketed Polar Explorer down the slop too but there's no memory there. I can still feel the shiny plastic Husky dog in my hands though.

Did you have an arctic or polar Action Man readers or any other snowy action figures?

he peered through the snow with eagle eyes

There is a strong threat of snow in the late afternoon air here in West Yorkshire. Blue boy is hankering for a run on the frozen hill.

Its freezing enough for snow. It is the first of December tomorrow after all.

I don't specifically recall many toys that were made for snow when I was a kid.

The exception were those ski-based uniforms that Action Man and his chums wore when the weather turned frosty.

I can vividly remember sending my Arctic Patrol Action Man, all dressed in white, skiing down the slope of our snow-covered tarmac drive. He managed a decently long snow plough before veering off into the verge for some apres-ski.

It was a great sight seeing him fly down the powdery incline with his white rifle strapped to his back and the glint of the just-come-on sulpher street light in his green goggles. 

Those skis worked really well and the Arctic Patrol kept the wolves from the door over many winters in the Sixties.

Did you have an Arctic Patrol Action Man or indeed any other snow toys?

for brian in the new jersey storm: snowbeast 1977

The 1977 creature feature SNOWBEAST courtesy of You Tube.

Grab a pot of hot coffee, batten down the hatches and enjoy Brian!

oh and anyone else!

A SNOW BEAST ATE MY VIDEO

I'm currently watching a film called Snow Beast on the Horror Channel.

Snow Beasts have a long and dignified history in popular culture. From the classic Abominable Snowman black and white original with Peter Cushing, the Yeti has been a staple of popular culture.

In my bookshelf is a well-thumbed copy of Snow Man by Norman Bogner, one of those iconic New English Library paperbacks made for a summer holiday read. My copy is from 1979 like the one pictured but I think it was first published in 1977, a good year for Yeti's.

[pic: nastynels]

Snowbeast is also from 1977 and is a horror flick, which for a time in the 1980's courted the video nasties when Vipco released it on VHS. Its not a nasty at all and with the likes of Clint Walker and Bo Svenson and some decent sets is very watchable. I last saw it on You Tube and with its large number of extras in the film's ski resort it reminded me of other holiday disaster films like Piranha and Jaws.

A much less able affair is the Snow Beast movie I'm currently viewing on telly. From 2011, it has a cast of about five, three of whom are on the DVD cover [the beast ate the other and it makes five] who appear to sit around drinking coffee or driving SUV's most of the time. Avoidable.

Grab a coffee and watch the 1977 movie or read the NEL paperback.

Have you any Yeti's in the closet readers?

*

ABOMINABLE TOYS

Brian's recommendation of this cool looking modern Yeti Playset by Animal Planet has prompted me to list a few Yeti toys.

Maybe the mother of all vintage Yeti toys, here's the Marx original from 1963

and video footage by Big Al of it on the Tube. Be warned, the mechanical Wampa shrieking is really unpleasant! 

Then of course there is that rarity amongst Sasquatches, the Mego Six Million Dollar Man Big Foot as covered on the US TV show Toy Hunter. 

There's also this 7m video on the Tube explaining the ins and outs of it as a collectable:

Although I don't own one, my own personal favourite, is this, the Snow Man from the legendary Tomland line of Monsters. He has to be the most handsome of all Yetis!

There are lots more Abominable Snowmen toys: Matchbox, GI Joe and so on. Anyone got any?