ATLRetro

By Philip Nutman
Contributing Writer

Silver Scream Spookshow Presents MAD MONSTER PARTY (1967); Dir: Jules Bass; Screenplay by Harvey Kurtzman, Arthur Rankin Jr., Len Korobkin and Forrest J. Ackerman (uncredited); Starring Boris Karloff, Phyllis Diller, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett, Ethel Ennis; Sat. Dec. 31;  kids matinee at 1 PM (kids under 12 free & adults $7) and adult show at 10 PM(all tickets $12); Plaza Theatre; Trailer here.

As much as I love all the Rankin/Bass Xmas specials, for my money, the best “Animagic” (stop-motion) show they ever made was the crazy, wonderful MAD MONSTER PARTY.

C’mon! Boris Karloff voicing Boris Von Frankenstein?  Phyllis Diller as the Monster’s Bride (she is smarter); a script by MAD magazine’s founder Harvey Kurtzman and creature designs by legendary fellow MAD cartoonist/illustrator, Jack Davis ­ what’s not to love?

There are classic monsters gla[gore] (bad pun intended) ­ The Creature from The Black Lagoon, Count Dracula…IT (actually KING KONG, but R/B couldn’t use the name “Kong” for legal reasons). Name ‘em ­ they’re here!

The Baron gathers his gruesome guests for a diabolical dinner in MAD MONSTER PARTY (1967). Courtesy of Lions Gate Pictures.

Songs to learn and love and sing! (The delightful soundtrack is available from Percepto Records; music by R/B stalwart Maury Laws/lyrics by Jules Bass.)

The film is available on DVD from Lions Gate (go to Amazon; there’s a special edition! And Blu-Ray!). BUT…don’t be a couch potato if you live anywhere near Atlanta ­ there’s nothing like seeing a superb print on the *Big Screen* at the Legendary Plaza Theatre!!! (And it’s a SILVER SCREAM SPOOKSHOW presentation brought to you by Professor Morte and his pal Shane Morton!)

YAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!! (ATLRetro is happy to end 2011 on such a mad monster note of sheer fun and grimly fiendish frolics!)

Burt and the Bandits, 8 p.m. Sat. July 30; $12 advance; $15 at the door; Earl Smith Strand Theatre, 117 North Park Square, Marietta.

When ATLRetro launched in January, we knew the first Kool Kat of the Month had to be Jon Waterhouse. In a city fortunate to have several strong contenders for its most Retro Renaissance Man (Or Woman), Waterhouse is an undisputed 20th Century Pop Culture King. And that’s not just because he hosts a radio show called THE POP CULTURE KING SHOW on AM 1690, though that show, along with a regular freelance gig with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, allows him to interview many 20th century icons.

No, what’s so cool about Jon is the quantity and diversity of Retro culture that he’s tapped into. He’s done promo work for Van Halen and fronted Van Heineken, a Van Halen tribute band. He hosts all of Blast-Off Burlesque’s shows, transforming seemingly effortlessly into a succession of creative characters from a sci-fi nerd to Rip Taylor. For four years and over 100 Silver Scream Spookshows at the Plaza Theatre, he played Retch, Professor Morte’s lovable sidekick. He’s collaborating on a book related to the 1939 classic movie THE WIZARD OF OZ.

And just when you wonder what he could possibly do next, Jon’s latest adventure is Burt and the Bandits, which pays homage to the 1977 Burt Reynolds hit SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT. They’re playing the awesome art-deco Earl Smith Strand Theatre in Marietta on Sat. July 30, and after getting the lowdown from Jon, we can’t think of a better reason to dust off the old Trans Am, get loaded up and truckin’, never mind them brakes, put that hammer down and give it hell all the way to OTP…

Burt & The Bandits. From left to right: Jon Waterhouse, Barb Hays, Benny Boynton, Tim Price and Doug Williams.

ATLRETRO: How did you get the idea of a SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT tribute band?
JON WATERHOUSE: Well, as a child of the ’70s, I remember the days when Burt Reynolds was the biggest movie star going. There really hasn’t been another film celebrity like him since. He kind of cornered the market with a perfect mix of machismo and silliness. I have a special spot in my heart for his films, especially his earlier exploitation flicks like WHITE LIGHTNING and its sequel GATOR. Of course the original SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT is at the top of the heap. Anyway, many of his films featured great, fun music. You’ve got the Jerry Reed tunes from SMOKEY, and even the Ray Stevens title track from CANNONBALL RUN.

So about six or seven years ago I had the idea of a band that would play songs from Burt Reynolds movies dressed as the SMOKEY characters. And the set would be supplemented with what I call “classic country comfort food” from the same era, back when country was at its coolest. Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton. It would be a tongue-in-cheek, comedic presentation, while still showing respect for the music. Heck, they did it with HEE HAW. Even Jerry Reed, who was a Chet Atkins disciple and one of the greatest finger pickers of his day, laced his music with humor. So that was the basic idea.

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