Quicksand In Popular Recreation Area

Above, Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and Dr. Niemann (Boris
Karloff) in quicksand in House of Frankenstein (1944). Universal Pictures.

When I was a kid, it seemed like a lot of movies of that era had a fixation on quicksand. One in particular was not really quicksand, but rather a way to trap humans into an alien spaceship. That movie was Invaders From Mars (1953). It was creepy.

The National Park Service has issued a warning about quicksand at a popular recreational area.

RV Travel posted the following:

The National Park Service is warning travelers heading to public lands in the Southwest about a potential hazard they may not expect: quicksand. Officials at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, which spans the Utah–Arizona border, say quicksand has recently been found near shorelines and in drainage areas throughout the park. Be careful!

Almost Like Quicksand

Something unexpected happened today while mowing Barking Spider Acre.

I was proceeding along and got to about halfway done with mowing when the mower got stuck in mud. The ground where the mud was looked like the rest of the field, so with that and the fact that I was wearing goggles that distorted my view, the mower was stuck.

Above, the car and mower were stuck in the dark area at the
center of the photo above the gravel road. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Then I got the "brainy" idea to use the car to push the mower out of the mud. Bad idea. The car got stuck, too.

Thankfully, Bo was home across the street and came over with "Edith", his tractor. He, along with my next-door neighbor, James, were able to get the car and mower out of the mud.

Above, the mower after getting it out of the mud. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

James said that the area got a lot of heavy rains this past week and it collected in the area of the acre. It must have been about 6 to 8 inches deep (maybe more). There's a lot of topsoil there. It came up to the bottom of the car's body. The car seemed to sink as if it were in quicksand. That made me think of the ending of House of Frankenstein.

Well, this is one ex-city slicker who learned a valuable lesson. 

I'll have to wait a few days (hopefully the area will dry sufficiently) before attempting to finish mowing.

Nothing like country living!

35th Anniversary of Glenn Strange's Passing

Thanks to Bryan Kendrick at the Universal Horror Films Facebook page, today is the 35th anniversary of the passing of actor Glenn Strange (August 16, 1899 – September 20, 1973).

He played the Frankenstein Monster in three films and was in many westerns. He was Sam the bartender on television's Gunsmoke.

I remember his passing as it was around the time I was down in San Diego at the Town & Country Hotel for the California Republican Party State Convention.

Some Glenn Strange photo mementos at the Valley Relics Museum:

T + L: How To Survive Quicksand

Above, Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange) and Dr. Niemann (Boris
Karloff) could have used a few tips from the Travel + Leisure article.

There's been a lot of movies over the years that featured quicksand. In those movies, unless someone pulls out the victim, he/she is a goner.

But that's really a myth as an article by Travel + Leisure points out. The article also tells out to get out of quicksand.

They begin with:

Quicksand seems like a rare hazard found only in the jungle based off the movies, but it’s more common than one might think. The liquefied soil can also be spotted on riverbanks, coastlines and marshes. And while you really will start to sink if you’re entrapped in the substance, don’t worry — you can, and probably will, survive.

Interesting article! Dr. Gustav Niemann and Frankenstein's Monster could have used the tips provided in the article as they ended up in quicksand at the end of House of Frankenstein.

To read more, go here. 

House of Frankenstein

Above, Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange) with an injured Dr. Niemann (Boris Karloff).

With the blistering heat in the triple-digits in Los Angeles today (I heard it reached 113 degrees in downtown L.A.) and being secure in my air-conditioned apartment, I was in the mood to watch the sixth Frankenstein movie in Universal Pictures' franchise, House of Frankenstein (1944). So, I got out my Frankenstein Legacy Collection DVD set and watched.

House of Frankenstein was directed by Erle C. Kenton and it starred Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., J. Carrol Naish, Glenn Strange, and John Carradine.

This was the follow-up movie to Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man. In this one, Karloff plays an evil scientist, Gustav Niemann, seeking revenge on those who sent him to prison for 15 years with a hunchbacked assistant (Naish) named Daniel.

After killing the owner of a traveling horror show (George Zucco) to use the show as a way to "hide out in the open," Niemann uses Count Dracula (Carradine) to kill a burgomaster who was involved in sending him to prison. Following this, Lawrence Talbot (the Wolf Man) (Chaney), and Frankenstein's Monster (Strange) are freed from a glacial ice cavern. Karloff convinces Chaney to locate the Frankenstein records as a means to free him of his werewolf curse.

Naturally, Niemann is more interested in revenge (he kidnapped two more men who were instrumental for his imprisonment) and wants to use the brains of Talbot and the Monster as part of his scheme (involving brain transplants). Unfortunately, his scheming causes Niemann to breach faith with Daniel and Talbot. The Wolf Man ends up killing a gypsy girl (Elena Verdugo) who Daniel fell in love with. During her struggle with the Wolf Man, the gypsy girl fires a silver bullet into the Wolf Man, seemingly killing him.

In grief over the gypsy's death, Daniel begins to strangle Niemann. This arouses rage in the Monster, who was whipped earlier by Daniel while weak and helpless. The Monster frees himself from the restraining straps (at full strength after being re-charged by Niemann) on the operating table and proceeds to pick up Daniel like a doll and throw him through a window to his death.

While all this was going on, the villagers (out hunting for the werewolf) come to the laboratory and drive the Monster (who is carrying the injured Niemann) into a quicksand bog where they sink and disappear.

While not one of the best of the Universal Frankensteins, House of Frankenstein was still an entertaining entry.