We hope you’ll make it to your local drive-in just as often as possible this summer, but on the chance that you haven’t an ozoner near you, we wanted to tip you off to Turner Classic Movies‘ Drive-in Double Features, running every Thursday night in June.
Many of the featured titles fall just outside the usual purview of Cladrite Radio, but we’re suckers for these movies, and we hope you are, too.
“Double Features” isn’t really the most accurate handle to hang on these Thursday night festivals, as they last all night long. Think of them instead as the sort of “Dusk to Dawn” marathons many drive-ins used to run on occasion back in the day.
The first group of movies, airing tomorrow, June 2, is highlighted by a group of Japanese “giant monster” movies. All times eastern.
8:00 PM
GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS! (1956)
Nuclear tests awaken a prehistoric monster. Dir: Ishiro Honda Cast: Raymond Burr, Takashi Shimura, Momoko Kochi.9:45 PM
RODAN (1957)
Miners uncover the nest of a giant pterodactyl. Dir: Inoshiro Honda Cast: Kenji Sawara, Yumi Shirakawa, Akihiko Hirata.11:15 PM
GHIDORAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER (1964)
Mothra, Godzilla and Rodan join forces to take on a space invasion. Dir: Inoshiro Honda Cast: Yosuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi,1:00 AM
GODZILLA VS. MONSTER ZERO (1970)
Aliens try to use Godzilla, Mothra and Rodan to take over the planet. Dir: Inoshiro Honda Cast: Nick Adams, Akira Takarada, Kumi Mizuno.2:45 AM
DINOSAURUS! (1960)
Caribbean engineers accidentally revive a frozen caveman and two dinosaurs. Dir: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. Cast: Ward Ramsey, Paul Lukather, Kristina Hanson.4:15 AM
THE VALLEY OF GWANGI (1969)
Cowboys discover a lost world populated by dinosaurs. Dir: Jim O’Connolly Cast: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson.The second set of drive-in features, airing on June 9, also features a bevy of giant creatures, but these are all American features.
8:00 PM
THEM! (1954)
Federal agents fight to destroy a colony of mutated giant ants. Dir: Gordon Douglas Cast: James Whitmore, Edmund Gwenn, Joan Weldon.9:45 PM
THE COSMIC MONSTERS (1958)
A scientist’s experiments open the doorway to a strange and deadly world. Dir: Gilbert Gunn Cast: Forrest Tucker, Gaby Andre, Martin Benson.11:15 PM
TARANTULA (1955)
A scientist’s experiments to cure hunger create a giant tarantula. Dir: Jack Arnold Cast: John Agar, Mara Corday, Leo G. Carroll.12:45 AM
THE BLACK SCORPION (1957)
Giant prehistoric scorpions terrorize the Mexican countryside. Dir: Edward Ludwig Cast: Richard Denning, Mara Corday, Carlos Rivas.2:30 AM
THE GIANT CLAW (1957)
A giant anti-matter bird invades the Earth’s atmosphere. Dir: Fred F. Sears Cast: Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, Morris Ankrum.4:00 AM
THE WASP WOMAN (1959)
A cosmetics executive’s search for eternal beauty turn her into a monster. Dir: Roger Corman Cast: Susan Cabot, Fred Eisley, Barboura Morris.The third dusk-to-dawn marathon, airing on June 16, leans toward the kitschy side of sci-fi, and it boasts some true delights.
8:00 PM
ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN (1958)
A space visitor’s touch turns an unhappy heiress into a vengeful giant. Dir: Nathan Hertz Cast: Allison Hayes, William Hudson, Yvette Vickers.9:30 PM
VILLAGE OF THE GIANTS (1965)
Delinquent teens ingest a substance and grow to 30 feet tall, then proceed to take over a small town. Dir: Bert I. Gordon Cast: Tommy Kirk, Johnny Crawford, Beau Bridges.11:00 PM
QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE (1958)
A space mission to Venus discovers a society of Amazons. Dir: Edward Bernds Cast: Zsa Zsa Gabor, Eric Fleming, Lisa Davis.12:30 AM
MARS NEEDS WOMEN (1968)
Mars invades the Earth in a search for female companionship. Dir: Larry Buchanan Cast: Tommy Kirk, Byron Lord, Yvonne Craig.2:00 AM
CYCLOPS (1957)
A scientific expedition discovers a 25-foot tall mutant. Dir: Bert I. Gordon Cast: James Craig, Gloria Talbott, Lon Chaney Jr..3:30 AM
THE MANSTER (1962)
A mad scientist turns a reporter into a two-headed killer. Dir: George P. Breakston Cast: Peter Dyneley, Jane Hylton, Satoshi Nakamura.4:45 AM
THE KILLER SHREWS (1959)
A maniacal scientist creates a formula that turns your average shrew into a giant, man-killing beast. Dir: Ray Kellogg Cast: James Best, Ingrid Goude, Ken Curtis.The fourth set of ozoner classics, airing on June 23, boasts a crew of creatures that come from beneath the sea.
8:00 PM
IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA (1955)
A giant octopus attacks San Francisco. Dir: Robert Gordon Cast: Kenneth Tobey, Faith Domergue, Donald Curtis.9:30 PM
THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD (1957)
An earthquake unleashes a horde of giant prehistoric monsters. Dir: Arnold Laven Cast: Tim Holt, Audrey Dalton, Hans Conried.11:00 PM
THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS (1953)
Nuclear tests set a dormant prehistoric monster on a path of destruction. Dir: Eugene Lourié Cast: Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Cecil Kellaway.12:30 AM
THE GIANT BEHEMOTH (1959)
A radioactive dinosaur plots a deadly path to London. Dir: Eugene Lourie Cast: Gene Evans, Andre Morell, John Turner.2:00 AM
THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES (1955)
A mutated sea creature attacks people along the beach. Dir: Earl Harper Cast: Kent Taylor, Kathy Downs, Michael Whalen.3:30 AM
CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA (1961)
A killer blames a legendary sea monster for his deeds and is surprised when the real beast shows up. Dir: Roger Corman Cast: Antony Carbone, Betsy Jones-Moreland, Edward Wain.5:00 AM
HIDDEN VALUES: THE MOVIES OF THE ’50S (2001)
A look at some of the movies that defined the decade and what they said about Americans and American culture.
Cast: Peter Biskind, John Carpenter, Roger Corman.The final marathon, airing on June 30, focuses creatures from beyond the stars.
8:00 PM
THE BLOB (1958)
A misunderstood teen fights to save his town from a gelatinous monster from outer space. Dir: Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. Cast: Steven McQueen, Aneta Corseaut, Earl Rowe.9:30 PM
THE H-MAN (1958)
Nuclear tests create a radioactive man who can turn people into slime. Dir: Inoshiro Honda Cast: Yumi Shirakawa, Kenji Sahara, Akihiko Hirata.11:00 PM
THE MAGNETIC MONSTER (1953)
A new radio-active element could destroy the world by absorbing the planet’s energy. Dir: Curt Siodmak Cast: Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron.12:30 AM
X THE UNKNOWN (1956)
A radioactive ooze terrorizes a remote Scottish village. Dir: Leslie Norman Cast: Dean Jagger, Edward Chapman, Leo McKern.2:00 AM
THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951)
The crew of a remote Arctic base fights off a murderous monster from outer space. Dir: Christian Nyby Cast: Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, Robert Cornthwaite.3:30 AM
IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE (1958)
A blood-sucking monster stalks the crew of a U.S. spaceship. Dir: Edward L. Cahn Cast: Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, Kim Spalding.4:45 AM
WATCH THE SKIES! (2005)
This TCM original documentary explores the history of the science fiction genre beginning in the 1950s. Features interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Ridley Scott.
