Monsterpalooza In Burbank

Monsterpalooza In Burbank

Text and photos by Armand Vaquer

Above, King Kong atop the Empire State Building greeted entering attendees (click on this and the other photos to view larger).

I just got back from Monsterpalooza (and my local sushi bar) that's being held this weekend at the Marriott Convention Center in Burbank, California and I was greatly impressed. There were plenty of things to do and see. There were many stars, past and present, of horror and science-fiction movies and television shows.



Monsterpalooza had scheduled events in the Theater and a Museum of horror figures. There were dealers galore such as Anime Jungle (below) and Monsters In Motion thoughout the venue. Throughout the show, there were monster make-up displays (above). I saw several people in the process of being made up as some ghastly being of one kind or another.



Some of the stars included Julie Adams from The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Margot Kidder (Lois Lane) from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, scream queen Brinke Stevens, Danielle Harris, Michael Berryman and many more.

Above, Julie Adams and Armand pose with a life-size Creature figure.

It was a pleasure to meet the late Forrest J. Ackerman's assistant, Joe Moe along with Phil Kim (below), the new head of Famous Monsters of Filmland.



I was also pleased to meet the Classic Horror Film Board's "Count Gamula" himself in his guise as mild-mannered artist Kerry Gammill.

The Museum had quite a number of displays. They included...

Boris Karloff in Jack Pierce's make-up chair having tea...



...Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula with Kharis, the Mummy...



...the Alien...



...and, of course, no visit to California would be complete without having Governor Schwarzenegger on hand...



... and Dracula putting on the whammy



Before heading out of Monstepalooza, one more shot of Kong:



Monsterpalooza runs through tomorrow, so if you get the chance to go, do yourself a favor and go. If not, start planning to attend next year's show!

UPDATE: Jim Nolt, who founded the Adventures Continue website, sent me this message:

Your mention of Brinke Stevens sent me looking for a photo taken in (judging from my hair style and waistline) about 1992-1993.

Jim

This is the photo of Brinke and Jim that was attached (he looks like a young Jonathan Frid here):

New Year's With Julie Adams

The above photo was posted at my high school's alumni Facebook page. It is of actress Julie Adams (The Creature From The Black Lagoon) ringing in the then new year of 1954. I hadn't seen the photo before.

I find it interesting since I was born a little over a month from the beginning of 1954. Plus, I met Julie Adams at one of the 2013 Monsterpalooza shows in Burbank (below).

Of course, I did get an autographed photo from her. 

Sadly, Julie Adams passed away last year at age 92.

Julie Adams, R.I.P.

Above, Julie Adams and yours truly at the 2009 Monsterpalooza.

Some sad news has been posted over on Facebook.

The first comes from Laura Wagner:

R.I.P., JULIE ADAMS, 92, a wonderful, underappreciated actress. I've always liked her so much, especially her TV work, and I was lucky to have been in contact with her. No date of death or details yet, but this news comes from her CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) co-star/friend Ricou Browning.

And, from Don Glut:

More bad news... I'm so glad I got to see Julie every few months for the past couple years, as we were both regular guests at the San Fernando Valley Comic Book Convention in Granada Hills. I always told her that I enjoyed her in a movie I'd just seen on TCM -- and she seemed delighted when it was something other that CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, like MAN FROM THE ALAMO.

Above, the autographed photo by Julie Adams I got from her in 2009.

I first met Julie Adams at Monsterpalooza in 2009 in Burbank. I received the autographed photo from her and a photo with her at that show. I had seen her at subsequent shows and we always greeted each other. She was definitely "tickled pink" in 2009 when I looked at the photo and then her and said, "You haven't changed!" She was a very sweet lady that fans will sorely miss seeing at future conventions. At least she had the blessing of having a long and active life.

Her last post in her Facebook page on January 1, 2019:

Happy New Year from Julie Adams! I wish blessings to my friends and family this year and through the years. Thank you for being so wonderful. I hope 2019 brings joy and happiness to you and yours! Much love -- Julie

Convention Favorite Julie Adams

Above,  Julie Adams with Armand at the 2009 Monsterpalooza.

The Los Angeles Times has a profile article on actress Julie Adams.  Here's a snippet:

Julie Adams nearly turned down the role that has made her a legend among sci-fi and horror films fans: Kay Lawrence in 1954's "Creature From the Black Lagoon." 

But who could blame her? As a contract player at Universal six decades ago, she had played opposite Arthur Kennedy in 1951's "Bright Victory," Jimmy Stewart in the 1952 western "Bend of the River" and heartthrob Tyrone Power in 1953's "Mississippi Gambler." And now the studio wanted her for a black-and-white 3-D horror film that was sort of a fishy version of "Beauty and the Beast." 

"I thought 'Creature From the Black Lagoon'! What?"' recalled the 85-year-old actress during a recent interview at her comfortable Los Feliz home. "I thought about turning it down and then I thought if I do that I'll go on suspension and I won't get paid. Then I thought it might be fun, and of course it was." 

It was more than just fun. Adams is much in demand at conventions and autograph shows because of her iconic role as the girlfriend of ichthyologist Dr. David Reed (Richard Carlson) who, while on a scientific expedition down the Amazon, becomes the object of affection of a tall, amphibious creature called the Gill-Man. 

I met Julie Adams at the 2009 Monsterpalooza and Adams will be at this year's Monsterpalooza (the full article mentions this) starting this coming Friday (the 13th).

To read the full article, go here.

Monsterpalooza: Day One

Above, Carla Laemmle, 101 (born October 20, 1909), the last surviving actress of the 1931 "Dracula" and the niece of Universal Pictures founder Carl Laemmle, enjoyed talking with fans.

Just got back from the first day at Monsterpalooza.

The convention itself was loaded to the Gill Man's gills with things to see and people to meet. I was able to meet Bela Lugosi, Jr. and we talked about how I came upon his Inglewood telephone book listing when I lived in nearby Hawthorne.

Above, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello meet Frankenstein again in Monsterpalooza's museum.

Miki discussed Japan with actress Julie Adams (Creature From The Black Lagoon). Adams said she was in Japan once for a USO show in the 1950s when the Korean War broke out.

Miki got Haruo Nakajima's autograph and posed for a photo with him. Earlier, she said that he is very famous in Japan. She is from Kyoto, Japan.

Above, the original Godzilla, Haruo Nakajima with Miki. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Later, I introduced Miki to kaiju suitmaker Shinichi Wakasa (below).



Monsterpalooza's museum again was loaded with some great wax figures that didn't disappoint attendees.

Above, Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man prowled Monsterpalooza's museum.

At 7:00, I headed over to catch Peter H. Brothers's talk (below) on Godzilla director Ishiro Honda and prepared the table for sales of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. At 8:00, my presentation on Japanese monster locations began. Pete and I shared the table out side of the ballroom for book sales.



Although both of our presentations were well-received, unfortunately, the room for the presentations was away from the convention center and in the main hotel. (This was to make room for more vendors.) This resulted in a sparse attendance for our presentations. We each had about 35-45 attendees. Additionally, the people of the next presentation, "Zombies From The Supermarket" (John Naulin) sabotaged our book sales by grabbing the table immediately following my presentation. We were promised a table before and after our presentations. What gave them the right to grab our table?

Above, Miki in the Monsterpalooza museum.

The Monsterpalooza staff tried to get people over for the presentations by making announcements over a p.a. system, but we were told that the noise in the convention center drowned out the announcements. At past Monsterpaloozas, the presentations took place in the convention center, which was easily accessed. Having the room for presentations away from the convention center is like being out in the boonies. The Monsterpalooza planners need to address this problem for future shows.

Above, my "Scene To Seen" presentation in progress. Photo by Richard Pusateri.

Following my presentation (and table fiasco), Miki and I left for dinner at Fuddrucker's in the media center area of Burbank. We were both starved. We both enjoyed our meals.

Above, following my "Scene To Seen" presentation. Photo by Richard Pusateri.

Despite the aforementioned glitches, Monsterpalooza was fun. I'll be heading back tomorrow to take more of it in.

CREATURE FEATURES NIGHT AT THE GIANTS GAME II

Above, "Creature From The Black Lagoon" star Julie Adams and Armand in 2009.

An interesting event caught my attention the other day. Bob Johnson, Executive Producer of Bay Area Film Events, is putting on a screening of Creature From The Black Lagoon at an unusual venue:

CREATURE FEATURES NIGHT AT THE GIANTS GAME II

When: September 18 · 6:00pm - 11:00pm

Location: AT&T Park, San Francisco

Join the San Francisco Giants as they partner with Bay Area Film Events for an evening of exciting baseball, scary monsters, and ghoulish fun as the Giants host the 2nd Annual Creature Feature Night at AT&T Park! Start off the night by cheering on the Giants to a victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in the special Creature Feature section of the ballpark. Directly following the game, join host John Stanley for on-field access to watch the classic 1954 horror movie, "Creature from the Black Lagoon," on one of the largest "movie screens" in Northern California with General Admission seating on the grass with your event ticket.

Don't wait until Halloween to get your fright on!

Free event shirt with ticket purchase, courtesy of Ripley's Believe it or Not at Fisherman's Wharf!

Keep an eye on www.bayareafilmevents.com for updates and details!

A horror movie screening following a major league baseball game? Interesting concept! Bob says they did a similar event last year with Night of the Living Dead:

We did it last year with NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and had Judith O'Dea as a guest. It worked out great and everyone had a blast!

Sounds like it would be. If I can get the time off and the financial picture looks favorable, I may just go to this.

For ticket information, go to: http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/ticketing/group_special_events.jsp#creature

2010 Monsterpalooza Announced!

Above, the Alien from the 2009 Monsterpalooza.

Last May, the first Monsterpalooza convention was held at the Burbank Marriot and Convention Center. It was a fun show and well worth your time to see.

Above, Julie Adams and Armand pose with a life-size Creature figure at the 2009 Monsterpalooza.

The organizers have announced the dates for the 2010 Monsterpalooza (click to view larger):



Mark your calendars now (provided you already have a 2010 calendar)!