Daffy Duck in "Birth of a Notion"

Here we have Daffy Duck tangling with a Peter Lorre look-and-sound-alike who wants his wishbone for an experiment. As typical in a 40s Daffy short (or any Bob McKimson short really), a lot of screwy things happen.

"Birth of a Notion" was originally released theatrically on April 12, 1947 by Warner Bros.

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Mickey Mouse in "Runaway Brain"

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of the mouse. Despite being the ears of Disney, he's arguably one of the weaker characters in their pantheon. In many of the shorts he "stars" in, it's Pluto who actually gets the most screen time. It's sort of confusing because Mickey really revolutionized in a lot of really entertaining cartoons, but for the last seventy years or so, he has had many more misses than hits.

In 1995, Chris Bailey was given the opportunity to create a new Mickey Mouse theatrical short to try and recapture some of the magic that had been lost over the previous sixty years or so. The result is "Runaway Brain," a tale of Mickey responding to an ad to make some quick money so he and Minnie can go to Hawaii for their anniversary. What he didn't realize was that the ad was placed by Dr. Frankenolie, a mad scientist who wants a brain for his monster (Pegleg Pete, er, "Julius"). It combines horror and violence in a way that will shock many viewers. For instance, Frankenolie (Kelsey Grammer) meets a particularly disturbing fate. Indeed, when "Runaway Brain" aired before Disney's A Kid in King Arthur's Court, many kids were very frightened and didn't stick around for the feature.

There seems to be a clear misstep here. I personally enjoyed the hell out of this cartoon, but I didn't see it until a couple of years later, and I was in my teens when I saw it for the first time. What I think people have forgotten is that theatrical shorts have been traditionally aimed at adults (and I'd argue this one upholds that tradition). Yet Disney felt it was a good idea to put this short before kiddie fare like the aforementioned movie, as well as A Goofy Movie and their George of the Jungle feature. It boggles the mind.

"Runaway Brain," first released to theaters by Disney on August 11, 1995. It can also be found with a slew of latter day Mickeys on Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two.

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Porky Pig and Sylvester in "Claws for Alarm"

Here's one of my favorite Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies set-ups: Porky and Sylvester on the road, trying to find a place for a good night's sleep. Inevitably with this set-up, some murderous mice will threaten Porky's life and he won't even realize it. Of course, it's up to his faithful feline to save him, though he'll get nothing but grief for doing it. Director Chuck Jones did three of these shorts, and this second one, "Claws for Alarm," is definitely the creepiest of the series, making it perfect Halloween viewing.

"Claws for Alarm" was released to theaters on May 22, 1954 by Warner Bros.

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ALF: "Some Enchanted Evening"

Yes, it's the one night of the year where a furry alien from Melmac doesn't seem so out of place. On Halloween, the Tanners throw a costume party. ALF shows up, of course, and becomes the life of the party. But if he isn't careful, he might hurt Willie's chance at a job promotion.

"Some Enchanted Evening" originally aired on October 26, 1987 on NBC.

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Darkwing Duck: "Hot Spells"

Hey gang!

Today we have a special BANNED episode of Darkwing Duck. In "Hot Spells," Goslyn is coerced by SATAN to use FORBIDDEN SPELLS, which just may cost Daddy Darkwing his ETERNAL SOUL. It's up to Goslyn and Morgana and Morgana's Pops to save DW. The climax of the episode occurs in HELL. It's pretty dark territory for any Saturday morning cartoon, let alone one made by Disney.

This episode originally aired on October 31, 1992 on ABC. It never aired again.

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The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter is one of my all-time favorite movies. Robert Mitchum stars as a psychotic preacher. He's trying to get with the widow (Shelley Winters) of a man who was hanged for his involvement in a robbery where two people were killed. Before the man was caught, though, he hid the stolen loot, and his two young children are the only ones who know where. The widow doesn't catch on to Mitchum's ruse, but the kids are smart enough to realize there is something fishy about the guy from the start. This is a fantastic film. It's beautifully filmed, full of suspense, and one of the greats. Roger Ebert maybe said it best: "It is one of the most frightening of movies, with one of the most unforgettable of villains, and on both of those scores it holds up ... well after four decades."

A box office flop, this the only film actor Charles Laughton ever directed. It was released to theaters by United Artists on September 29, 1955.

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TCM's Halloween Schedule

Sure, Turner Classic Movies doesn't brand their late October schedule as Monsterfest or Fearfest or whatever, but they do show some great classic horror flicks. And, unlike their sell-out counterparts AMC, TCM shows them uncut and commercial free. So I've gathered the schedule for the rest of the month and highlighted their horror/sci-fi movies. All times are eastern.

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Saturday, October 25
6:00 AM The Picture of Dorian Gray
8:00 PM Psycho(1960)
10:00 PM Peeping Tom

Sunday, October 26
12:00 AM Strait-Jacket
1:45 AM The Honeymoon Killers
3:45 AM Homicidal
2:00 PM The Birds

Monday, October 27
1:30 AM The Unknown
2:30 AM Vampyr: Der Traum des Allan Grey
3:45 AM The Black Room
5:00 AM Before I Hang

Tuesday, October 28
No Scary Programming

Wednesday, October 29
6:00 AM The Spiral Staircase

Thursday, October 30
4:45 AM The Thing From Another World
6:15 AM Mad Love
7:30 AM The Beast With Five Fingers
9:00 AM I Walked With A Zombie
10:15 AM Curse of the Demon
12:00 PM The Gorgon
1:30 PM Mr. Sardonicus
3:15 PM The Tomb of Ligeia
5:00 PM The Tingler
6:30 PM House of Usher
8:00 PM Dead of Night
10:00 PM Torture Garden
11:45 PM Twice-Told Tales

Friday, October 31
2:00 AM Kwaidan
4:45 AM Spirits of the Dead
7:30 AM Cat People
9:00 AM Freaks
10:15 AM The Devil Doll
11:45 AM Mark of the Vampire
1:00 PM The Devil Bat
2:15 PM White Zombie
3:30 PM The Body Snatcher
5:00 PM Bedlam
6:30 PM The Ghoul
8:00 PM The Haunted Palace
9:30 PM Die, Monster, Die!
11:00 PM The Shuttered Room

Saturday, November 1
12:45 AM The Dunwich Horror
2:30 AM Blood Feast
3:45 AM 2,000 Maniacs

Atom Ant in "Crankenshaft's Monster"

Hey gang! Today we've got a classic Hanna-Barbera short featuring everyone's favorite insect superhero Atom Ant! This one features the pint-sized hero fighting the creation of a German-accented mad scientist, a compact yet ever-growing and indestructible GLOB! Dig that ridiculous narrator interacting with Doc Crankenshaft!

Doc Crank and Glob rob a bank, and it's up to Atom Ant to take care of them. The Halloween connection may not be perfectly clear, but you can't really go wrong with mad scientists and Blob knockoffs, can you?

"Crankenshaft's Monster" originally aired as part of the second episode of The Atom Ant/Secret Squirrel Show on NBC on October 9, 1965.

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