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Mad Monster Party?

From EverybodyWiki Bios & Wiki

Mad Monster Party?
Theatrical release poster by Frank Frazetta
Directed byJules Bass
Produced byArthur Rankin Jr.
Screenplay by
Story byArthur Rankin Jr.
Starring
Music by
CinematographyTadahito Mochinaga
Production
company
Distributed byEmbassy Pictures
Edith Puzzle Pictures
Release date
  • March 8, 1967 (1967-03-08) (United States)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
Japan
LanguageEnglish

Search Mad Monster Party? on Amazon.

Mad Monster Party? is a 1967 stop-motion animated musical comedy film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions for Embassy Pictures. The film stars the live action of Lucy Tate (in her film debut), Geoffrey Monroe, Audra Lindley, Ray Milland, and Joyce Mathews. and the film stars also the voices of Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett, and Phyllis Diller. It tells the story of a mad scientist who achieves the secret of total destruction as he summons all the monsters to his island home to show it off while planning to retire as the head of the "Worldwide Organization of Monsters".

Lucy Tate is the only live actor in the main story. Lucy Tate acts most of the Isle of Evil scenes all alone on an empty set, with the puppets added later.

The movie marks on Lucy’s first solo film appearance during her age of 26, she began filming this movie on March 7, 1966, release on March 8, 1967 at her age of 27 in the premiere on United States and won the 28th Rose Award for Best Actress for her role in 1968 at her age of 28.

The film combines live-action with stop-motion animation and a sister film of the 1939’s The Wizard of Oz.

The movie is remade in StudioCanal’s 2002 as Penny, starring Megan Moorehead

The movie released by Summit Entertainment videos alongside Trollies All New Musical Adventure as a Halloween-Themed Double Feature on August 8, 2004.

The movie is since originally broadcast in October 1, 1977 on NBC and returned broadcast ever since in October 1, 1997. The movie also originally broadcast in October 1, 1987 on Nickelodeon until October 31, 1996.

Plot[edit]

Real world in October 9[edit]

Penny (Lucy Tate) is playing with rocks that skip in the water and sings Mad Monster Party. Her parents Paul and Petunia are proud of her. Her sister is excited about her as well.

Penny’s dream in October 9–12[edit]

Scientist Baron Boris von Frankenstein (voiced by Boris Karloff) achieves his ultimate ambition, the secret of total destruction. Having perfected and tested the formula, he sends out messenger bats carrying invitations to summon all monsters to the Isle of Evil in the Caribbean Sea. The Baron intends to inform them of his discovery and also to reveal his imminent retirement as head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters. Besides his Monster (sometimes referred to as "Fang") and the Monster's more intelligent mate (voiced by Phyllis Diller) who reside on the Isle of Evil with Boris as Fang’s Mate sings You're Different to Fang, the invitees include Count Dracula, the Mummy, Quasimodo (referred to as "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame"), the Werewolf, The Invisible Man, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon (referred to as simply "The Creature"). Frankenstein's beautiful and cutest assistant and adopted daughter Francesca (voiced by Gale Garnett) confirms that all invitations have been delivered and inquires about one of the addressees, a Felix Flanken (voiced by Allen Swift impersonating James Stewart. Frankenstein explains that Felix is his nephew and successor in the monster business. This displeases Francesca, who covets the role for herself. She asks why there was no invitation for "It". Boris replies that "It" was not invited since "It" can be a crushing bore, explaining that "It" even crushed the island's wild boars in his bare hands the last time "It" was invited. Felix Flanken is a drug store pharmacist somewhere in the United States. Incompetent and asthmatic but good-natured, he is a constant burden on the drug store's greedy order Mr. Kronkite. A mailman arrives with Felix's invitation and he joyously accepts.

Lucy Tate in 1967

Real world in October 13[edit]

In the meantime in October 1st, Penny gets ready for her appendix out on October 12, in the hospital’s hypnotherapy room she Professor Sylvester transforms Penny into a ghost in her dream.

Penny’s dream in October 13[edit]

The ship's crew are wary of the unusual passengers and the ghost girl Penny. Frankenstein has his zombie butler Yetch (Swift impersonating Peter Lorre, Chef Mafia Machiavelli, and the zombie bellhops and servants make preparations for the upcoming party while patrolling the Isle to ensure that "It" does not arrive uninvited. Penny and the monsters begin to arrive on the freighter that Felix an also traveling on. As Penny and the monsters arrive, Francesca have to do to calls Penny, Sweetie as Francesca smiling to except her apology about Penny got wet all over.

Penny’s dream in October 13[edit]

During dinner, Frankenstein shows them the formula which he will demonstrate the next day while naming his successor and introduces Penny sings The Mummy with her backing up singers Little Tibia and the Fibias. Francesca secretly meets with Dracula to inform him about Felix and Penny, promising to share Frankenstein's secrets when she becomes the successor if Dracula were to get rid of Felix and Penny as Dracula tap dances with Francesca sings jazzy Our Time to Shine in the song’s instrumental breaks as Dracula tap dances and Phantom Dancers perform with Francesca. When they catch the Monster's Mate ease-dropping, she and Francesca begin to cat-fight while the other monsters have an all out food fight make Penny laughing.

Penny’s dream in October 14[edit]

Felix arrives to the island and is greeted by his uncle and Francessca, who takes Felix on a tour of the island where the Mummy, Werewolf, and Dracula plan to attack expect Penny. While the human Felix and Penny the ghost proves to be unsuitably kindhearted, the monsters nonetheless plot to eliminate him and gain control of the secret formula, but Felix and Penny continually accidentally foils their attempts together. Later, Frankenstein tells Felix and Penny about his retirement, making his nephew leader of all the monsters in the world Frankenstein sings One Step Ahead to Felix and Penny. Felix naturally feels reluctant to take the job. Over time, Francesca develops feelings for Felix and Penny after he obliviously saves her on multiple occasions. As Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Monster's Mate descend upon Francesca, she sends out a letter (via messenger bat) to an unknown recipient. When the monsters corner Felix and Penny upon capturing Francesca, they are frightened at the arrival of "It" (revealed to be a giant gorilla and a take-off of King Kong ) who proceeds to rampage since he was not invited. "It" snatches up the monsters and Francesca (on whom "It" develops a crush). Felix and Penny rushes to tell his uncle what happened and is instructed to head to the boat. Frankenstein leads the zombies in rescuing Francesca from "It" using biplanes. Boris convinces "It" to let Francesca go and to take him instead. "It" complies. Felix and Francesca manage to escape the island in the boat as Frankenstein and the remainder of the monsters remain in "It"'s clutches to save Penny from drowning. Displeased that the monsters tried to steal the secret for themselves and attempted to kill Felix as well as having to put up with "It", Frankenstein sacrifices himself by dropping the vial of the formula, destroying the Isle of Evil and everything on it. The destruction is witnessed by Felix and Francesca offshore to save Penny as Francesca sings Never Was a Love Like Mine to Felix and Penny. Felix and Penny expresses a desire to begin a family with Francesca, who tearfully admits that she is not human, but in fact a robot creation of Frankenstein's. Felix and Penny responds that "none of us are perfect", indicating that he is his uncle's robot creation too. All Felix and Francesca have do to wake Penny up. Francesca says “Wakey Wakey, Sweetie” and Felix says “Wake Up, Penny”. After her dream transforms Penny into back from ghost in her dream into a human in real life.

Real world in October 14[edit]

Penny‘s mother wakes Penny up from Penny‘s dream and tells Penny about the news is appendix are all out and Penny’s dad gives Penny her new toys figurines of Felix, Francesca and all of the monsters.

Cast[edit]

Live Action[edit]

Voice[edit]

Phantom Dancers in It’s Our Time to Shine segment[edit]

Crew[edit]

Production[edit]

The film was created using Rankin/Bass's "Animagic" stop-motion animation process, supervised by Tadahito Mochinaga at MOM Productions in Tokyo, Japan. The process involved photographing figurines a frame at a time, then re-positioning them, exposing another frame, and so forth. Known as stop-motion animation, it was the same approach used in RKO's King Kong, Art Clokey's Gumby and Davey and Goliath, and many other films, commercials and TV specials.

Several actresses were reportedly considered for the part of Penny, including 11-year-old Alexis Beakon from Universal Pictures but Alexis was busy acting as Vanessa in the 1967’s Tap, at the time, the most prominent child star; 25-year-old Marilyn South, a relative newcomer of Paramount Pictures, with a recognized groovy 1960s voice but Marilyn was busy as Molly in the 1967’s Band of Souls; and Lucy Tate, the most experienced of the three. Officially, the decision to cast Tate was attributed to contractual issues.

Accolades[edit]

Award Category Nominee(s) Result
Rose Awards Best Actors Allen Swift and Boris Karloff Won
Best Actresses Lucy Tate and Gale Garnett Won
Best Art Direction – Color Jack Davis Won
Best Costume Design – Color Edith Head, Elois Jenssen, Elsa Schiaparelli and Helen Rose Won
Best Scoring of a Musical Picture Maury Laws Won
Best Song "It’s Our Time To Shine"

Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Maury Laws and Jules Bass

Won

Music[edit]

CD cover

Although the opening credits identify Ethel Ennis as singing the opening theme song and, in the same frame, a soundtrack being available on RCA Victor, a commercially released soundtrack was never produced in any format until 1981. In September 1998, Percepto released the mono RCA recording on CD. Waxworks Records released it on vinyl on October 12, 2016.

No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Mad Monster Party"Ethel Ennis 
2."You're Different"Phyllis Diller 
3."Our Time to Shine"Gale Garnett 
4."The Mummy"Dyke and the Blazers 
5."One Step Ahead"Boris Karloff & Chorus 
6."Never Was a Love Like Mine"Gale Garnett 

Television film adaptation[edit]

Little Jenny and the Mad Monster Party? is a direct-to-video film which first appeared on Boyz/Girlz Channel on October 31, 2004. It is a sequel to the 2003’s Little Jenny and the Tower of Terror.

Stage adaptation[edit]

Main article: Penny (Rankin/Bass musical)

As The Movie’s 30th Anniversary present, a stage adaptation of the musical, titled Penny premiered in Broadway in March 8, 1997 and has played in various venues in the United States.

Theme park adaptation[edit]

Main article: Mad Monster Theater

Video game adaptation[edit]

External links[edit]


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