Question: I remember a horror movie from the 1970s that had a couple of different stories in it. There might be more than one movie in these.
One of the stories was about someone trying to quit smoking whose fingers end up getting cut off by a company that guarantees results.
Another is about an evil supervisor of an old-folks' home who is captured and tormented by the patients he has abused. The patients build a tunnel/maze thing with razor blades, and the evil man has to go through it to escape from his own Dobermans, which are being starved so they will go after him.
And another is about a wife who kills her husband on Christmas Eve and gets trapped by a psycho dressed as Santa. Can you help⢠I would love for my 13-year-old son to see these with me as I was his age when I saw them.
Answer: Yes, if you can't traumatize your kids, who can you traumatize?
The first story about the smoking is from "Cat's Eye," a 1985 film with James Woods as the smoker. The other two stories are from the 1972 film "Tales From the Crypt," which inspired the subsequent HBO series. Both movies are on video and DVD.
Q: Can you tell me why we never see the pilot episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" in which Danny Thomas was a guest star⢠Also, what is the name of the song Tim and Jill dance to on the final episode of "Home Improvement"?
A: You don't see the pilot to "The Andy Griffith Show" very often because it was actually an episode of Danny Thomas' sitcom, wherein Danny is stopped for speeding in Mayberry. (Thomas was one of the co-owners of "The Andy Griffith Show.")
As for the song in the "Home Improvement" finale, it was "We've Got It All" by Kenny Rogers, written especially for the show.
Q: I am positive that I saw Alice Faye on a TV program years ago do a number from "Mame" with a male chorus. She was wonderful. My friends tell me Alice never performed on TV. Am I nuts?
A: You are the opposite of nuts.
Faye, an actress-singer most popular during the 1930s and early '40s, did quite a few variety shows in the 1960s, including "The Red Skelton Hour," "The Dean Martin Show" and "The Kraft Music Hall," often with husband Phil Harris.
As for "Mame," she performed that number on the ABC variety series "The Hollywood Palace" on Feb. 18, 1967.
Q: I remember an independent movie with a (real-life) husband and wife. She would lure men to their apartment whereupon he would put the ka-bonga on them with a frying pan and they would serve choice cuts to guests. What's the name of the movie and whatever happened to the couple?
A: That's the 1982 film "Eating Raoul," wherein Paul Bartel and Mary Woronov played the Blands. Bartel also directed and co-wrote the film.
Bartel also directed such films as "Death Race 2000," "Lust in the Dust" and "Scenes From the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills." He died in 2000 at age 61. Woronov has appeared in cult favorites such as "The Devil's Rejects" and "Prison-a-Go-Go!" She's 64.
Q: Who recorded the title track of the CBS series "Swingtown"?
A: It's "Give It Up for Love" by Liz Phair.
Q: My husband swears there is a very old movie titled "Motha." In it are two Japanese women who sing, and Motha is the big moth that takes care of them. Was he dreaming, or does it really exist?
A: Of course it exists! What's so weird about twin fairies protected by a giant moth?
That's the 1961 Japanese film "Mosura," which was released in this country as "Mothra" (note the spelling). In this movie, Mothra is a peaceful protector who tears apart a city only because he/she/it is trying to rescue the fairies who have been kidnapped and forced to perform for money.
There were a couple of other Mothra movies, where things got ugly. Finally, Mothra passed away after devouring a wool overcoat the size of Canada.
Q: I have been waiting for the show "Damages" with Glenn Close to appear on FX this summer. It is now August, and I would like to know if FX plans on adding this show to its lineup this year.
A: Right now the plan is for "Damages" to return in January.
