NIGHT MUST FALL

After full knackering days at a covid-stalked school and when all the household chores are done at night and the Missus and me collapse on our settees, the Missus has sought solace on Tv with Bake-Off and Who do You Think You Are and I've surfed You Tube for films for an hour's chill before falling in the pit.

Trouble is I'm struggling to watch entire films at the mo. Being able to fast forward on You Tube means I can cheekily skip huge chunks, which is no real way to watch movies but there you go. I'm doing it.

I've surfed films, where available online, that I've wanted to see for a while including The Dark Secret of Harvest Home, The Godsend, Embryo, The Lost Weekend and Night Must Fall, which Ill talk a bit about.

Night Must Fall is an unusual film. I remember seeing it in the early Seventies, when I was about 11. I must have seen it on one of the three TV channels we enjoyed back then and it must have been on late at night. 

Night Must Fall was made in 1964 and is about an axe murderer.

I knew that the axeman was played by Albert Finney but I'd completely forgotten his fake welsh accent, which he hams up a bit too much really, although the overacting adds to the impression that the character is steadily going insane. The movie is a study of growing insanity and Finney's character Danny ultimately goes completely mad.

The film's setting is a large rambling mansion in 'Wales', where axe-happy Danny ingratiates himself with the old lady of the house, whilst secretly bedding her daughter and her maid. He plays funny mischievous games with the old lady, pushing her wheelchair round the dark corridors and hiding behind corners. This fun inevitably turns sour when Danny goes nuts, staring too long at the heads he's collected in his hat box and finding a bill-hook in the shed. The grim noir atmosphere comes literally to 'a head' as Danny takes one final swing.

Night Must Fall isn't a horror film as such but it is a sort of one. Its demented air reminds me of Hitchcock's Psycho and Finney's crazed ranting is really unsettling to watch. IMdb and Wiki have little to say about this flick, which is unjust I would say as it deserves a bit more credit. I don't recall seeing it on TV since the Seventies either.

A few years back I was chuffed to find a paperback film-tie in for the movie and added it to my large 'horror' novel collection, which one day I'll enjoy cataloguing in my dotage.

Have you seen Night Must Fall and do you collect film tie-ins readers?

R A N D O M N E S S

Hi Woodsy. I was walking through an office building recently and passed an open utility closet. Something on a shelf caught my eye so I swooped in to investigate. 

It turned out to be a solid rubber moon buggy figurine. It had no mark of manufacture or year it was made.I ts about the size of a matchbox car but has no moving parts. Keep your eyes open, space toys are everywhere!

BrianF

NJ USA

Robbie Comes Home (Again)

Originally posted in 2013 - I thought this might be of interest to Billy Blastoff fans!

I used to collect robots voraciously. Just prior to the Transformers era, japanese imported toys began to appear in discount stores all over and model shops began to stock the first few Amerang imports of Imai and Bandai kits with wild and wonderful Macross and Mospeada designs, which were like manna from heaven for me. Anything remotely robotic got snapped up, even the early transforming knock offs. It wasn't until Hasbro let loose with the first real transformer range, that I realised I couldn't cope and let go. Since then, I still appreciate a good robot, but very rarely buy one. I love Zeroids for example, but the prohibitive price tags mean I wont be adding them to the Wotan Archive anytime soon.

But now and again, I come across a toy which I can't resist. Such a toy appeared recently on ebay, in such a forlorn state, it got my full attention.

The little Eldon Robbie Robot was an addition to the Billy Blastoff line and came with a Radiation Truck. He was missing the rear of the battery case, both arms and a motivator from his leg, meaning that although his lights and motor worked, he couldn't walk.

 I had a Billy figure a few years ago, which I bought for two of the vehicles, but found the fat kid in a spacesuit unappealing and sold him on. I wish i'd kept it now, as I could have used the back pack! As it was, the biggest issue with Robbie were his arms. Repro parts weren't an option, so I went for the next best thing and raided my stock of robot kits!

 So very soon, he had new arms and a temporary backpack and a new motivator in his leg. But it seems that at some point a small flange of plastic has sheared off the back of the body, holding the faulty leg in place. So he's not walking yet, but at least he can wave!

 The white rocket is a Billy Blastoff one and part of the set I picked up on ebay. At the base of Robbies backpack is a connector to the rear gear allowing him (or Billy) to drive the vehicle directly.

 The Radiation Truck is a bit lacklustre, having a tipper on the back, but little else, but the Rocket is nice and has a look of TB1 about it.

ROB C'S NEW PARAMOUNT HOBBIES WEBSITE

Hi Woodsy,

I've decided to make a website devoted to my favorite model importer, Paramount Hobbies!

As you can see, it's a bare-bones affair, but all I wanted to do with this project is collect all the Box art and photos I've saved over the years and put them in some kind of order, for others to see as well.

I have a lot more work to do on the site. I want to get more info on the elusive Canadian releases, and also add Japan manufacturers where known. But you get the idea.

Let me know how the pages look on your side, if the links work for you, any suggestions, etc. The link is at the bottom.

And if you think Moonbase Central readers would like it, by all means mention it on your blog!

https://paramounthobbies.wordpress.com/

Rob C,
USA

New Billy Blastoff Website!

Hi Woodsy,

First off this is not SPAM. I know they all say that but really, it's 

not. Even if it still sounds like it after this statement!

I am writing to you regarding a new website I've just posted which is 

meant to become a full cataloging of Billy Blastoff. Hoping you'll have 

a look and consider posting it on Moonbase Central. I'd really like to 

spread the word around and share what I have so far and solicit input 

from others. 

 I do also have some repair tips and parts I make and 

sell, I do a little home machining and am happy to help others that may 

not have a lathe or a mill available. Basically, I love seeing these 

old toys preserved and couldn't believe all that the Billy Blastoff line 

included so this is the result. All 124 pages and 537 images of it!

Thanks a lot for your consideration and thanks for all the work you do 

on the blog. Just been peeking at it so far but it looks like a good 

bunch of folks and some really neat old toys. I did get some cues from 

your site - the Billy patent stuff for one - that are integrated into 

mine and I've tried to give credit there.

Cheers,

Maurice M.

http://billyblastoff.net

L . A . N . C . E

I was thinking about Lance Henriksen the other day. He was once the go-to weird guy a bit like Steve Buscemi was the natural maniac.

I remember Lance in Aliens playing Bishop the android. I'm reminded of his famous knife trick on the terrified Hudson aka the late Bill Paxton every day when I see skoolkids attempting the same with biros! I don't think his role was as iconic as Ian Holm's Ash in the first film but I enjoyed the Android element in both films tremendously.

Lance also had roles in old horror films like the video nasty Massacre Mansion [along with Richard Basehart of VTTBOTS], which I used to see at Blockbusters in its early days and also the neo-vampire classic Near Dark directed by a young Kathryn Bigelow of The Hurt Locker fame, where Lance plays the patriarch of a modern family of undead ruffians living in a van. Near Dark also starred Bill Paxton!

For many sci-fi fans its Millennium that Henriksen will be remembered for in his role as Frank Black. This old TV series was a sort of X-Files spin-off, written by Chris Carter. Black was able to see into the minds of killers and as I recall it was a rather gloomy affair all round. I wish I'd have seen more but nothing could compare really with the first season of the X-Files, which for me was groundbreaking and gave me all the X-appeal I needed.

For myself its another horror film that will always remind me of Lance, the eighties schlocker Pumpkinhead. Henriksen plays a grief-stricken father hell-bent on avenging the killing of his young son by a bunch of city types. His wrath takes the form of a demon summoned from the pit, the Pumpkinhead of the title. For those like me who like big monsters then this flick didn't disappoint. The demon is fabulous.

What do you like about Lance Henriksen readers?

Aged 80, he's still alive and kicking!

Sanitarium Miner

Hi Woodsy,

As promised, here are a couple of photos of my Sanitarium Miner figure from 1962. This is from the same series of breakfast cereal toys as the three brown figures in your recent post What A Figure. This was one of a set. The site you listed

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieYgsgPGhogcU_iiB9X2mxivbd0ya4VX4HJoynoJkd8C56VSptzs5ypQm4nZgAUQ3eDQQMuaoYOyO1MDDzRTshVvfGoQG0PI8DLp_l1ZZRV0Mobdy50UwTOsosmwxEz50mf_NeMjNMOv4/s1600/1+Sanitarium+Maori+%2526+Colonial+Settlers+New+Zealand+Cereal+Premiums+DSCN9140.JPG

shows eight figures, four European settlers and soldiers, and four Maoris, all from the 19th Century. My figure is apparently a Miner from the Otago Goldrush. Each figure was available in several colours, the ones in the photo are blue, green, pink, orange, red, and brown. 

My Miner is orange, and is holding a hammer. He is wearing a waistcoat, and his sleeves are rolled up.He has a pointed 'lemon squeezer' type hat, and a full beard. Height is 65 mm. The figure is very shallow - the base is only 10 mm deep, and the figure itself about 7 mm. He is also showing some signs of wear, but not too bad for his age.

Yours Sincerely,

Paul Adams from New Zealand 

TAKE YOUR MEDICINE DEAR