Felix Silla Movies

After suffering a bump on the head, Al (Ed O'Neill) sees six little green space aliens stealing his socks. Or at least that's what he thinks he sees--and try getting anyone else to believe him. The punch line of the episode is provided via a "Star Wars"-type scroll, which not proves that Al is telling the truth, but also that he's let another golden opportunity to advance himself slip right through his grubby fingers. And remember: the secret word is "Mizzoozoo." This episode received a 1991 Emny nomination for outstanding achievement in costuming. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this sci-fi comedy from executive producer George Lucas, Howard the Duck is an extra-terrestrial fowl who is accidentally beamed to earth by physicist Dr. Jenning (Jeffrey Jones) and his assistant Phil (Tim Robbins). The two go looking for Howard and find him in the home of Beverly Switzer (Lea Thompson), who was rescued by the interstellar duck from some mean-looking thugs. Beverly and Phil are friends, and when the government finds out about Howard, she helps Phil and Dr. Jenning hide him from the authorities until they can zap him back home. In the meantime, several wild chases and spectacular special effects keep the picture rolling along. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

The Dukes don't believe in UFOs, but they change their minds in a hurry when they find what seems to be a space alien (played by dwarf actor Felix Silla, formerly The Addams Family's Cousin Itt) hiding in the General Lee. Though the Duke boys make a game effort to pass off the unearthly visitor as their "li'l cousin", Boss Hogg is bent upon capturing the alien and selling him to the highest bidder. Meanwhile, Sheriff Roscoe (James Best) and a pair of out-of-town crooks named Mickey (Dennis Burkley) and Buck (Britt Leach) hatch separate schemes to use "Li'l Cousin" as a cover for their latest scams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The second of the George Lucas/Steven Spielberg Indiana Jones epics is set a year or so before the events in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1984). After a brief brouhaha involving a precious vial and a wild ride down a raging Himalyan river, Indy (Harrison Ford) gets down to the problem at hand: retrieving a precious gem and several kidnapped young boys on behalf of a remote East Indian village. His companions this time around include a dimbulbed, easily frightened nightclub chanteuse (Kate Capshaw), and a feisty 12-year-old kid named Short Round (Quan Ke Huy). Throughout, the plot takes second place to the thrills, which include a harrowing rollercoaster ride in an abandoned mineshaft and Indy's rescue of the heroine from a ritual sacrifice. There are also a couple of cute references to Raiders of the Lost Ark, notably a funny variation of Indy's shooting of the Sherpa warrior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With Poltergeist, directed by Tobe Hopper, Steven Spielberg had his first great success as a producer. Released around the same time as Spielberg's E.T., the film presents the dark side of Spielberg's California suburban track homes. The film centers on the Freeling family, a typical middle class family living in the peaceful Cuesta Verde Estates. The father, Steve (Craig T. Nelson), has fallen asleep in front of the television, and the dog saunters around the house revealing the other family members -- Steve's wife Diane (JoBeth Williams), sixteen-year-old daughter Dana (Dominique Dunne), eight-year-old son Robbie (Oliver Robins), and five-year-old Carol Ann (Heather O'Rourke). Soon strange things begin to happen around the house; the pet canary dies, mysterious storms occur, and Carol Ann is summoned to the TV set, where a strange shaft of green light hits her and causes the room to shake ("They're he-e-ere!"). As curious events continue, Carol Ann is repeatedly drawn to the television, where she begins to talk to "the TV people." Soon Carol Ann is sucked into a closet, disappearing from this reality plane. Unable to find his daughter, Steve consults Dr. Lesh (Beatrice Straight), a para-psychologist from a nearby college. Lesh finds that paranormal phenomena is so strong in the Freelong household she is unable to deal with it and sends for clairvoyant and professional exorcist Tangina (Zelda Rubinstein) to examine the house in hopes of finding Carol Ann. Tangina makes a horrifying discovery: Carol Ann is alive and in the house, but is being held on another spectral plane. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

Canadian director David Cronenberg followed his graphic vampire variation Rabid with this multi-layered, speculative horror film which addresses the way the repressed demons of the psyche can force their way to the surface. Psychologist Dr. Raglan (Oliver Reed), director of the controversial Psychoplasmic Institute and author of the book "The Shape of Rage," encourages his patients to outwardly manifest their anger and fear (aided by some experimental drugs), which then takes physical shape as actual sores, cancers, or strange new organs. One of Raglan's more successful patients (from his point-of-view, anyway) is Nola Carveth (Samantha Eggar), who is undergoing therapy following a painful divorce from her husband, Frank (Art Hindle). When Frank discovers evidence that Nola may have injured their daughter, Candice (Cindy Hinds), he begins to suspect Raglan's techniques but is unprepared for the most horrifying by-product of her rage: a progeny of sexless, dwarflike mutants who are born for the sole purpose of acting out her violent fantasies of revenge. Containing only enough energy to carry out their murderous tasks, the brood is dispatched to kill Nola's parents, then a woman she believes is having an affair with Frank. By the time Frank discovers the origins of the tiny offspring, they have already abducted Candice and taken her to the institute, where Frank must confront Nola in person. Although it contains one of the most visceral and nauseating scenes in movie history (during the film's climax), this nevertheless remains the most subtle of Cronenberg's early horror projects, with a strong subtext about the devastating effects of divorce. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

Cult director Al Adamson's entertainingly cheesy blaxploitation effort stars Jim Kelly as a wealthy agent for the government organization D.R.A.G.O.N. Kelly does the "international spy" bit -- familiar from the James Bond films -- to save his kidnapped girlfriend from a group of Haitian voodoo slavers. The familiar genre cast, including Marilyn Joi, D'Urville Martin (Dolemite), and the diminutive Felix Silla of TV's The Addams Family, should please buffs, while Adamson directs the silly proceedings with uncharacteristic flair despite a typically low budget. Kelly returned with Adamson in Black Eliminator (a.k.a. Death Dimension). ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a lesser-known novel from SF/Horror author Dean R. Koontz, this claustrophobic thriller presents a computerized nemesis incorporating the murderous elements of 2001's HAL with the world-domination goal of the title villain in Colossus: The Forbin Project. Brilliant cybernetics expert Dr. Alex Harris (Fritz Weaver) develops a revolutionary new supercomputer dubbed Proteus IV (voice of Robert Vaughn, uncredited) which is capable of almost human self-awareness and capacity for intellectual growth. Unfortunately for Alex and his wife Susan (Julie Christie), Proteus is also imbued with a very human desire to grow beyond the limitations of his own knowledge -- as well as to escape the isolation of the laboratory -- and taps into the home terminals of the Harris' high-tech dream house, in which he makes Susan a virtual prisoner. As she is put through a tortuous series of physical and mental tests, the Proteus mainframe takes severe steps to prevent any interference -- even resorting to the murder of Harris' assistant (Gerrit Graham). Susan's confusion eventually turns to dread when she begins to realize Proteus' true intentions... to evolve beyond mere circuitry and assume a human form by impregnating her with his "seed." Despite the lurid premise, this is probably the most conventional effort from controversial director Donald Cammell (Performance, Wild Side), and the film's theme of the computer's ominously pervasive role in human affairs -- in this case forcing its way into our bodies as well as our lives -- seems oddly prescient today. Christie's convincing performance makes the most of a role which has her shouting at the walls and ceiling for two-thirds of the movie. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

The "little cigars" are five midget criminals, masterminded by Billy Curtis. They team up with full-sized Angel Tompkins, a gangster's girlfriend who's on the lam from her homicidal "protector." Tompkins and the five little people form a travelling carnival as a front for their crooked activities. Two of the midgets kill off the mobsters who've been sent to rub out Tompkins; in gratitude, she begins an affair with Curtis. At first planning to desert the other midgets and abscond with their hard-earned stealings, Tompkins and Curtis have a change of heart, return the money to their chums, and ride off together for a most unusual romantic rendezvous. Though Little Cigars has been unfairly maligned by such "authoritive" books as The Golden Turkey Awards, the film is actually quite entertaining, and not nearly as exploitive of Little People as might be expected. Among the other well-known Hollywood midgets and dwarves in the cast are Angelo Rossitto, Felix Silla, and Jerry Maren. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this spooky horror movie, a crazed doctor is able to transform a man into a giant cobra. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Lidsville, the third of Sid and Marty Krofft's Saturday-morning childrens' series, was arguably the wierdest and wildest, bursting to the seams with psychedelic zaniness -- and, it might be whispered, even more covert references to "controlled substances" than were found in the immortal H.R. Pufnstuf. Butch Patrick of "Eddie Munster" fame starred as the series' "human" hero Mark, who while attending a magic show at Six Flags Over Texas became consumed with curiosity over the conjuring act presented by Merlino the Magnificent. Sneaking backstage, Mark stared in amazement as Merlino's magic hat grew to a humongous size. Even more amazing was what happened after Mark fell into the hat, tumbling out of the "real" world and into the land of Lidsville, a garishly colored metropolis populated almost entirely by talking hats (played, of course, by small-sized actors wearing full-body Krofft costumes). Immediately befriending the "Good Hats" of Lidsville -- among them Colonel Poom, Admiral Scuttlebutt, Big Chief Sitting Duck, Rah-Rah the Football Helmet, Scorchy the Fireman's Hat, and Twirly the Beanie -- Mark vowed to protect them from the sinister machinations of green-skinned, red-goateed evil magician Horatio W. Hoo Doo (Charles Nelson Reilly) and his menagerie of "Bad Hats" and anthropomorphic magic props (among them the appropriately named Raunchy Rabbit). For his part, Hoo Doo devoted his every waking hour to capturing Mark so that he could retrieve his magic ring, and thus gain control of the marvelous Weenie the Genie (played in drag by Billie Hayes, the unforgettable "Witchiepoo" from H.R. Pufnstuf).

Throughout the series' 17 half-hour episodes, Mark enlisted the aid of his new hat friends in his efforts to escape Lidsville and return to his own world, forever keeping one step ahead of the indefatigable Hoo Doo, who could generally be found astride his flying "Hatamarand." Utilizing state-of-the-art special effects (for 1971 at least!) and boasting, broad, con brio performances from everyone in the cast, Lidsville was nothing if not exhilarating and eye-catching. The series originally aired on ABC from September 11, 1971, through September 1, 1973, then was rebroadcast by NBC from September 8, 1973 through August 31, 1974. ~ All Movie Guide

In the first volume of a series culled from the early 1970s Sid and Marty Kroftt children's program, Pufnstuf and his human pal Jimmy (Jack Wild) take on the malevolent Witchie-Poo (Billie Hayes). ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide