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

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

Ranking with Dan Curtis' Trilogy of Terror as one of the spookiest made-for-TV horror films of the 1970's, this atmospheric monster chiller stars Kim Darby and Jim Hutton as a comfortable, reasonably happy young couple who inherit the archetypal "Old Dark House" from the wife Sally's deceased aunt. While renovating the creepy mansion, they enter a previously-sealed room, which features a securely bricked-up fireplace. Despite the insistence of a local contractor (My Three Sons' William Demarest) that they leave the room undisturbed, Sally's husband manages to open the flue, releasing a horde of shriveled mini-monsters imprisoned there for decades. The little demons immediately fixate their malevolent attention on Sally in an effort to claim her soul, a mission which can only be averted by the love of her husband -- which, in light of his self-centered careerism, means poor Sally's pretty much on her own. Director John Newland manages to pull off this one-note premise with some effective, frightening scenes -- especially when he chooses to show as little of the goofy-looking monsters as possible -- but it's hard to sustain this level of suspense for a full 90 minutes. ~ Cavett Binion, 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

Once again, little Tabitha tries out her own rudimentary magical powers, with strange results. This time, Tabitha makes the characters in her Halloween picture book come to life -- and alas, snoopy Gladys Kravitz sees all. This episode is showcase for famed Hollywood "little people" Jerry Maren (as a gremlin), Felix Silla (as a goblin), and Billy Curtis (as a jack-o'-lantern). Written by James Henerson, "A Safe Sane Halloween" appropriately aired on October 26, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This entertaining sexploitation update of Freaks from producer David Friedman and director B. Ron Elliott (using the pseudonym "Byron Mabe") has its moments for sympathetic viewers. Jade (Claire Brennen) is a diner waitress who wants success at any price, so she joins a traveling carnival despite her old boss's warning that "You're going all the way down!" Before long, Jade is married to the carnival owner (Bill McKinney of Deliverance) and having an affair with a ferris-wheel operator named Blackie (exploitation director Lee Raymond). Jade likes the money but hates the carnival freaks, so when a midget named Shortie (Felix Silla) informs McKinney of her affair with Blackie, she vows revenge. Predictably, McKinney confronts Blackie and gets stabbed to death, so Jade inherits the carnival. She fires Shortie and starts treating her former friends badly, leading the freaks to attack her one night and surgically transform her into a hideous monster. The film ends with Jade's old boss from the diner laughing at her as she is exhibited as a sideshow freak. An amusing diversion, though it is obsessed with phallic snake symbolism and isn't even a fraction as good as its 1932 model. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

George O'Hanlon, best known to baby boomers as the voice of cartoon character George Jetson, is both guest star and screenwriter for tonight's episode. O'Hanlon casts himself as enterprising circus boss Harry Harmon, who hopes to swindle Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) into putting up his circus troupe for free at the Shady Rest. But Uncle Joe, burned by too many previous boarders who've skipped without paying, isn't about to be conned again--or is he? Featured in the supporting cast are perennial hard-boiled blonde Iris Adrian and dwarf actor Felix Silla, whose other roles include Cousin Itt on The Addams Family and the robot Twiki on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. This is the last episode of Petticoat Junction's second season, and the last one filmed in black and white. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this classic-and hilarious-Bonanza episode, Hoss Cartwright returns to the Ponderosa with a strongbox of gold, which he claims to have received from a band of "Little People"-Leprechauns, in fact. Though Hoss' family and friends don't quite swallow his story of his tiny benefactors, they cannot deny that the treasure exists, and thus a mini-gold rush ensues. Meanwhile, the "Leprechauns"-actually a group of carnival midgets and dwarves-rebel against their boss, crooked impresario Professor McCarthy (Sean McClory). Featured in the cast are such well-known professional Little People as Frank Delfino, Harry Monty and Nels Nelson, the latter two veterans both of the 1939 theatrical feature The Wizard of Oz. Scripted with tongue firmly imbedded in cheek by Robert Barron, "Hoss and the Leprechauns" was originally shown on December 22 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, 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

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

A space bum helps rescue a princess from an evil overlord with the help of a benevolent elder in this Star Wars send-up written and directed by Mel Brooks. Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man, half-dog co-pilot, Barf the Mawg (John Candy), are content to scour the galaxy living the easy life. But they reluctantly come to the rescue when Druish Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) is threatened by the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), who wants to steal all of the air from her planet, Druidia. Trapped on a harsh desert world with Vespa and her robot chaperone, Dot Matrix (voice of Joan Rivers), Lone Starr and Barf are helpless to prevent Helmet from kidnapping the girl. But assistance arrives in the form of Yogurt (Brooks), a wizard who turns Lone Starr on to a mysterious power known as The Schwartz. Catching up with Helmet just as he's transforming his spaceship into a giant vacuum cleaner in orbit around Druidia, the reluctant heroes stage a dramatic showdown. Although it borrows most of its plot from the Star Wars series, Spaceballs also pokes fun at Star Trek, Snow White, and Planet of the Apes -- as well as the entire videocassette and movie marketing industries. The large supporting cast includes Dick Van Patten, Jim J. Bullock, and the voice of Dom DeLuise. John Hurt makes a cameo in a parody of the exploding chest scene he played in Alien. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide