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Sunset for The Hideous Sun Demon, Robert Clarke...
Hey folks, Harry here in Minneapolis at Convergence. It is ironic that I'm at one of the wonderful science fiction - fantasy conventions when I find that one of the great B-movie monsters is dead. The HIDEOUS SUN DEMON, Robert Clarke passed away about a week and a half ago - I'm just now hearing about it. I had the good fortune to meet Mr Clarke a couple of times, my fave was at a screening of HIDEOUS SUN DEMON that he hosted here in Austin back in the mid-nineties. Though he was in his seventies - his giddyness with which he spoke of writing, directing and starring as THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON was classic. He was found throughout the b-horror film genre - from playing a wimp in ZOMBIES ON BROADWAY with Bela Lugosi and a small part in Robert Wise's THE BODY SNATCHER with Lugosi & Karloff! He played with Boris again in DICK TRACY MEETS GRUESOME, that time as a police analyst assisting Byrd's Tracy in trying to capture the evil mr Karloff. In 1950 he played the television D'Artagnan in the TV version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS. But really it wasn't till 1951 when he had a little part in THE MAN FROM PLANET X, one of the great under-seen sci-fi films of the period that is far more intelligent than you would think. That film - for hardcore 50's Sci Fi enthusiast is where Clarke really first became noticed. We next saw him in THE INCREDIBLE PETRIFIED WORLD - but even better as Dick Cutler in THE ASTOUNDING SHE-MONSTER. He also got a turn as narrator in FROM THE EARTH TO THE MOON... not a great genre effort - but one with a great cast and of course fantastic source material. Then he decided to write, direct, produce and star as THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON. Personally I love Richard Cassarino's make-up for that creature - it really is one of the great 50's monsters. And then one of my faves - BEYOND THE TIME BARRIER - where as a test pilot he lept into the future - where the war on 1995 has left the world pretty fucked up, but beautiful sci-fi cityscapes (well, for the time) and the whole Adam & Eve thing is hokey as hell - but I love it. And not just because I own the 1-sheet - which I do for all the titles I've mentioned here. You see - Robert Clarke also had a wicked habit of being in movies with kickass posters. Robert made the convention circuit and meeted and greeted fans around the world. He was a very very cool guy. It's sad to see him go.
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but he seemed to appreciate his fans. Rest in peace.
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There's no introduction so I dunno if Harry, Moriarty, Quint or whoever wrote this!
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It seems we have lost a lot of fine classic movie talent in the past few days. A couple of weeks ago it was Lane Smith, then Tigger and Piglet back to back and now Robert Clarke. Sad news...
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Great book, great movie!! What a loss. A sad day indeed...
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Jun 30, 2005 7:07:06 AM CDT
Walter Brennan in the barn on the farm armed with just a pitchfo
by regis travolta
What the?! Take that ya hideous mutant sun demon ya!! And that!! And that!! I'll kill ya with my trusty pitchfork if it's the last damn thing I ever damn do!!
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in my "Famous Monsters of Filmland" magazines when I was a kid. A classic "B" flick from the fifties, if there ever was one. I'm saddened to hear of Mr. Clarke's passing; he sounds like he was a great guy.
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Tigger got one, why not Piglet? I guess Harry doesn't have a full-body Piglet suit.
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Shot in six days on the Joan Of Arc sets leftover at RKO studios by Edgar Ulmer. As long as there are sci-fi fans, there will always be a Planet X. So long, Mr. Clarke.
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http://www.turnerclassicmovies.com/ThisMonth/Article/0,,95546,00.html
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..that's actually Arthur C. Clarke who wrote 2001.
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Yeah.... I know.
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Jul 02, 2005 11:11:00 PM CDT
My father helped finance the production of THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON
by certifiedthx
...and even had a bit role in the film. (He was the cop who got run down by the sun demon. They had to do a number of takes because he was always afraid to get too close to the car.) And his home at the time was used in various scenes. He always says making the film was one of the best things he's ever done. One of his best experiences. Has nothing but positive memories of the production. He's kept in touch with Bob and other members of the crew through the years. Tom Weaver of FANGORIA magazine interviewed my father, Bob, and film editor Tom Boutross for a feature on THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON in 1997. (Tom passed away the following year.) Weaver co-wrote Bob's autobiography, TO "B" OR NOT TO "B," and wrote Bob's mini biography for The Internet Movie Database and his obituary for FANGORIA. He called Dad shortly after Bob's passing to let him know. To quote from the obituary, Dad told him: "...perhaps some might question my wisdom in investing in the film. After all, this was Hollywood. Can you trust 'Hollywood people'? Regarding THIS Hollywood person [Clarke], I will emphatically state, 'YES!' Until the end of his life, Bob never stopped expressing to me his appreciation for my financial help on the film. And I'll say this: No investment has ever yielded me anywhere near the satisfaction, and just downright good feelings, as that investment in Bob's movie. No experience in my life has been more exciting than working with Bob on THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON. I mean that sincerely." Rest in peace, Mr. Clarke. You can read his full obituary at http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=4219.
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When I said, "Tom passed away the following year," I meant Tom Boutross, the editor of THE HIDEOUS SUN DEMON. I was talking about two people named Tom at that moment, and upon reading it after posting, I realized it might be confusing.
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by Basil Gogos in his astounding "Sun Demon" makeup on an early vintage FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND is my favorite of all those astonishing 4E Ackerman era FMOF painted covers. RIP Bob that snarling face of yours will be with me forever.
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