Arts & Entertainment
AFT Corporation
The Dig Mandrakes
Boys Dig Mandrakes tonight,
drop toys for fresh sound
By Geoff McMurtry
Staff Reporter
The Boys are back in town. Sort of.
This Friday and Saturday, the Dig
Mandrakes will be back at Omaha’s
Howard Street Tavern, 1112 Howard
St.Iowa City’s most famous native
sons, now based in music mecca
Minneapolis, have been touring al
most constantly since their formation
last January from the remains of the
popular regional band Boys with
Toys.
Concert Preview
The Mandrakes play an energetic,
guitar-laden mix of roots rockabilly
com bined with clear pop harmonies in
an all-original format. Lead singer/
guitarist Brad Jones once described
their sound as “Bo Diddley and Glen
Campbell getting stoned together and
appearing on Hawaii 5-0.”
Besides former Boys with Toys
members Jones and drummer Tommy
Meyer, the Dig Mandrakes’ lineup
includes bassist Kip Powell and gui
tarist/vocalist A1 Schares. With the
popularity of Boys with Toys behind
'The Mandrakes
play an energetic,
guitar-laden mix of
roots rockability.'
them, the Mandrakes had no trouble
lining up performances. They’ve
played at most of the top rock clubs in
the East, M idwest and South, and have
opened for Walk the West, the Th
ompson Twins, Joe Ely, the Primi
tons, Joe King Carrasco and Marshall
Crenshaw.
Both Howard Street shows this
weekend will be with opening band
the Wild IQ’s and will start at about
10:30 p.m. The cover is $5. L
Haunted forests, shopping malls
both signal Halloween spirit
By Mick Dyer
Staff Reporter
While the stock market is crash
ing every other day, leading market
indicators announce that pumpkin
sales are up.
Halloween is in the air.
Leaves are turning orange and
red, and crunch under your feet on
the sidewalk. The nights are cooler
and shorter.
People are already designing
costumes and preparing for trick
or-treaters.
And any night now, the Great
Pumpkin is going to rise out of the
pumpkin patch and...
Forget it
No college-aged student cares
about that stuff anymore. They just
want to know where the parties are.
But since good taste and legal
problems prohibit us from listing
every private Halloween party,
we’ve compiled a list of local
haunted houses instead.
Several local organizations are
sponsoring events to help promote
Halloween spirit. Proceeds from
these charitable events will benefit
groups ranging from local youth
projects to the Folsom Children’s
Zoo.
The Lincoln Sertoma Club is
sponsoring the seventh annual
“Ride of Terror” through the
“Haunted Forest” located at the
site of the former Acreage, 26th
Street and Saltillo Road.
The “Haunted Forest” will be
open tonight and Saturday, and
Oct. 30 through Nov. 1. Hay racks
take visitors into a haunted forest,
full of ghosts, goblins and other
assorted mysterious characters.
The 20- to 30-minutc rides will
start each night at dusk and will run
until 10:15 p.m. (or later if neces
sary). Tickets may be purchased at
the door or by calling 476-3369.
Cost is $2.50. Private wagons that
will accommodate 20 to 25 people
are available for $50. Proceeds will
benefit local youth projects spon
sored by the Lincoln Sertoma
Club.
The Lincoln Action Program
Community Development Agen
cy, Inc. is sponsoring the first
“Centrum Haunted House” at the
former LaFonda Restaurant at 12th
and O streets. The project is a
cooperative effort of the Centrum
Merchants Association, Alpha Tau
Omega fraternity, Kappa Kappa
Gamma sorority, KFRX and
Thingsville.
The “Centrum Haunted House”
will be open Sunday through Oct.
31 from 7 to 11 p.m. There will be
a special presentation for children
on Oct. 31 from 4 to 7 p.m. Admis
sion to the haunted house is $3.
Patty Kuehl, project coordina
tor, has never worked with frater
nity and sorority volunteers before.
“I’ve really been impressed
with them,” she said. “They’re
providing quite a bit of the labor
that goes into producing the
haunted house.”
Kuehl said the haunted house
features characters from contem
porary horror films, such as Jason
from ‘Triday the 13th” and Freddy
from “Nightmare on Elm Street.”
She said there will also be a magi
cian on hand.
There will be a trick-or-treat
event in the Centrum on Oct. 31 in
the afternoon before the special
children’s presentation, Kuehl
said.
Proceeds will be used by the
Lincoln Action Program Commu
nity Development Agency, Inc. to
benefit low-incomc individuals in
the community, and Job Outfitters,
which provides assistance to low
income women seeking employ
ment.
The Lincoln Jaycees is sponsor
ing the Chamber of Terror, located
at 1618 O St. The Chamber of
Terror will be open to the public
from through Oct. 31, except on
Sunday and Monday. Tuesday
through Thursday thechamber will
be open from 7:30 to 11 p.m. Friday
and Saturday the chamber will be
open from 7:30 p.m. to midnight
General admission is $3.
Brian Erdman, member of the
Lincoln Jaycees board of direc tors,
said the chamber has many fea
tures, including a maze and Dr.
Frankenstein bringing a monster to
life.
Erdman said proceeds from the
chamber will benefit youth leader
ship programs sponsored by the
Lincoln Jaycees.
The Folsom Children’s Zoo and
Botanical Gardens is sponsoring
the 11th annual “Halloween Hulla
baloo” Monday through Oct. 30
from 6 to 8:30 p.m.
John Chapo, zoo director, said
the Halloween Hullabaloo offers
an opportunity for young children
to dress up and trick-or-treat in a
safe Halloween environment.
Lights and music will add to the
Halloween atmosphere.
“We’re not out to scare the kids
as much as to amaze them,” Chapo
said.
There will be 12 trick-or-treat
stations throughout the zoo, where
all of the costumed visitors will
receive a special Halloween treat.
Treats range from edible goodies to
free food coupons and other fun
items.
Proceeds will help cover zoo
operational expenses.
And remember, if alcohol is
going to be a part of your Hallow
een festivities, don’t drink and
drive.'
‘Where’s Curucu? Have you seen Curucu?’
The Glassy Eye
By Dave Meile
Friday, noon, ch. 4:
"Shackout on 101” (1955), SO
minutes; Silver Eagle Records ads, 40
minutes. Lee Marvin, Keenan Wynn.
Many’s the time I’ve contemplated
my platter o’ viltles at the local greasy
spoon and thought: “I wonder if the
scumbuckcl who Hipped these hash
browns is a commie?” Someone in
this here shack out on 101 is a dirty
little godless communist trying to
steal atomic plans so that them Rus
skiescan threaten or kill people better
than us ‘Mcricans.
Terry Moore (said she married
Howard Hughes,couldn ’ t prove it, got
naked in Playboy to prove something)
is the waitress. Keenan Wynn is the
proprietor. Lee Marvin is Slob (sub
tlety No. 1) the lascivious cook. The
great Whit Bissell (“I Was A Teenage
Werewolf’ and ”1 Was a Teenage
Frankenstein”) is a depressed guy.
Keenan and Slob lift weights to
strengthen them pectoral muscles.
“Call 'em pecs,” says Keenan. This
movie is fast, funny and grungy.
Sometime, some station needs to have
a “Commie Paranoia Film Festival
with “The Red Menace,” “My Son,
John,”"Big Jim McLain,”“The Whip
Hand,” “I Was a Communist for the
FBI” and “I Married a Communist,”
the Jack Webb army training films and
“Shackout,” a marginal pick, surely,
but it falls under the “Commie in a
Restaurant” category. Director Ed
Dcin did a vampire western (“Curse of
the Undcad”) and the wildly over
praised "Leech Woman,” wherein
Colccn Gray slays eternally beautiful
by offing guys and stealing their
hormones. Hailed by some as a femi
nist film. II that’s feminism, I’m the
pope.
Friday, 4:55 a.m., eh. 6:
"Secret of the Blue Room" (1933).
No ads.
A spooky haunted-house thriller
where three men agree to stay the
night in an ceric European castle.
Lionel Atwill is always a treat. Di
rected by Kurt Neumann, director of
the evcr-popular crowd plcascr “The
Fly” (1958).
Saturday, 3:25 a.m. WOWT, eh.
6:
"Curucu, Beast of the Amazon”
(1956), 76 minutes; Omaha fly-by
night teen talk and pseudo phone sex
ads, 32 minutes. John Bromfield and
Beverly Garland.
I try lobe patient. Lord knows I’ve
sat through a lot of junk. Gee whiz.
Big Sing concert tonight
An evening of songs, ranging
from Renaissance to pop tunes, can
be heard during the University of
Ncbraska-Lincoln Big Sing con
cert tonight in the Lincoln High
School Auditorium, J Street and
Capitol Parkway.
Selections range from Renais
sance composer Praelorius to
Mendelssohn.
Tickets cost $3 for adults and $2
for students. Tickets can be bought
at the Kimball Box Office (472
3375) II a.m. to 5 p.m. or at the door
tonight.
I’ve even recommended it. But this
flick just about makes me violent.
John Bromfield, the famous boring
guy from “Revenge of the Creature”
(“He was a nice fella but he couldn’t
act” — Beverly Garland) and the
indomitable Garland (“It Conquered
the World,” “The Alligator People”)
trek to the Amazon jungle. They
machete their way through weeds.
Beverly gets attacked by a snake.
Bromfield implies that Bev ain’ta real
woman and she slaps the tar out of
him. Gee, there isn’t a Curucu, Beast
of the Amazon. Duped again.
Director Curt Siodmak, an ener
getic and entertaining old fellow,
wrote many of the great Universal
horror flicks. Remember “even a man
who is pure at heart and says his
prayers by night, may become a were
wolf, when the wolfbane blooms, and
the moon is full and bright?”
To this day Siodmak laughs be
cause he made up this verse consid
ered by many to be real gypsy folk
lore. Siodmak, unfortunately, was not
the director of “Curucu”—his brother
Robert was (check out “Phantom
Lady from 1944), and his output,
mostly horror flicks, was pretty dull.
Siodmak liked “Curucu,” but then he
liked “Bride of the Gorilla,” too. Lin
guists lake note: pronounced “Koo
ruh-soo.” Aren’t you glad I cleared
that up? Almost tempted to tell you
not to watch it. . . . But, but, ah, go
ahead. But just this once.
Saturday, 4:55 a.m., eh. 6:
"The Walking Dead" (1936) 66
minutes. No ads! No ads!
What more could you want. Great
old horror movies run complete (OK,
sometimes there’s a few cuts) without
any ads. No Army looking for a few
good men. No Time magazine crying
Courtesy of "The Films of Boris Karloff "
Boris Karloff in “The Walking Dead.”
and letting you care. Nothin’!
A sincere scientist finds a way to
prolong life, but before he gels a
chance he’s charged with murder and
sentenced to death.
After the execution some sniveling
little underling brings the doc back to
life, and he takes revenge on all the
scum who did him wrong.
“B” movie studios milked this plot
for all it was worth in the ’40s, and
Karloff did about 50 variations on it
(“Before I Hang,” “Man with Nine
Lives,” “Man they Could Not Hang”),
but “The Walking Dead," the first of
his films to use this theme, is the best
of the lot. Boris is a sympathetic ex
con framed for a gangster killing. He
dies in the electric chair but is brought
back to life (with a cool streak of white
hair) by kindly Edmund Gwenn.
Boris is simultaneously creepy
(dig Boris on the piano) and sympa
thetic. Greatly enhanced by the influ
ence of “A” movie director Michael
Curtiz. Interesting spiritual/religious
themes as Boris finally expires in a
cemetery while Gwcnn asks Karloff
what his “temporary death” was like.
A classic. Go out and buy a VCR
tomorrow. Set the timer.
Other stuff:
"The Petrified Forest” (1936) Fri
day, 1:30 a.m., ch. 6.
Best title of the week: "Hero Tat
too with 9 Dragons” (19H0) Thursday,
1:30 a.m., ch. 17.
"Sherlock Holmes in Dressed to
Kill” (1946) Saturday, 9:30 a.m., ch.
2.
"Psycho” (I960)Saturday, 9p.m.,
ch. 12.