Bobby Pickett Movies
Bobby "Boris" Pickett was, of course, the man doing the Boris Karloff impression on the Halloween hit "Monster Mash" (basso voice: "Tell them Boris sent you..."), hence the middle nickname. Born Robert George Pickett in Somerville, MA, on September 11, 1938 -- the son of a movie theater manager -- Pickett spent an inordinate amount of time watching horror movies as a youngster. He moved to L.A. in 1961 following his discharge from the army, hoping to become an actor. Many pop-music aficionados may not realize that this dream did actualize; as a kind of crazy quirk, the overnight fame as a novelty act happened first and shaped Pickett's occasional acting turns.Before he reached the silver screen, Pickett first honed a nightclub act that featured a prominent Karloff impersonation, then joined a singing group called the Cordials, and after perfecting his Karloff voice, used it on the deep-voiced spoken part of the seminal single "Little Darlin'" by the Diamonds. The success of that effort inspired Pickett to co-write "Monster Mash" with Cordials member Leonard Capizzi to take advantage of the Mashed Potato dance craze. (Leon Russell, Johnny McCrae, Rickie Page, and producer Gary Paxton comprised his backup band, the Crypt-Kickers). The novelty tune, of course, became a towering hit, reaching number one on October 20, 1962, and also charting on two subsequent occasions: August 1970 and May 1973.
Doubtless thanks to the success of this single, it laid the foundation for Pickett's occasional acting work in Z-grade exploitation and occasional horror fare. After a couple of turns on the rural sitcom Petticoat Junction and the Western series Gunsmoke, Pickett appeared in studio by-product such as It's a Bikini World (1967), The Deathmaster (1972), Return of the Living Dead Part II (1988), and Lobster Man from Mars (1989). In the mid-'90s, the single "Monster Mash," spawned a fairly horrendous, family-friendly Halloween musical, Monster Mash: The Movie (1995), starring Pickett (and Full House's Candace Cameron), as well as a cartoon based on the song four years after that. In 2004, Pickett provided a voice for the children's animated feature Spookley: The Square Pumpkin. "Monster Mash," of course, is ever-present on movie soundtracks.
Pickett died of leukemia on April 25, 2007. He was 69 years old. ~ All Movie Guide
Spookley the Square Pumpkin, based on a story by Joe Toriano, concerns a pumpkin named Spookley who suffers serious abuse at the hands of other pumpkins because of his unusual shape. Although he finds a few friends to help him out, all of the pumpkins learn how good a pumpkin Spookley is after bad weather makes all the round pumpkins unable to keep themselves upright. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1999
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When the scariest monsters on the block become the laughing stock of the ghoulish underworld, they must prove their worth by giving a "typical" human family the fright of their lives. Frank's batteries are about to die, Wolf's going bald, and Drac has resorted to wearing dentures, so how are these monstrous misfits supposed to maintain their reputations as icons of fright when they can't muster so much as a squeak from a mouse? Eventually reduced to making mall appearances, the trio leaps at the opportunity to get a bit of national exposure on television. Unfortunately the television show they've been recruited to appear on is called "Foolish Monster Tricks," and on the heels of that televised fiasco three contemporary monsters are calling for Frank, Wolf, and Drac to be booted out of the Ghoul Guild. Subsequently summoned before the Ghoul Guild and given one last chance to prove they still have the power to petrify, the three classic creepers prepare to give the Tinklemeister family a fright that will cement their status as true monsters once and for all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- PG
A young couple finds tons of musical fun when they are forced to seek shelter in a spooky mansion on Halloween night. Once there, they find it filled with some of Hollywood's favorite ghouls, all of whom love to sing and dance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Candace Cameron, Ian Bohen, (more)
This farcical send-up of the movie business borrows a plot from the classic 1968 Mel Brooks film The Producers. It stars Tony Curtis as J.P. Sheldrake, a movie producer sorely in need of a flop for tax purposes. Imagine his delight when a very young would-be filmmaker shows up on his doorstep with what could be the worst B-movie ever made, Lobster Man From Mars. In the story-within-a-story, a Martian lobster-man who has come to earth to steal some badly needed air for his home planet grows increasingly addicted to munching on humans. He is pursued by an addlepated professor (Patrick Macnee) a couple of all-American teens, and a trigger-happy military man. The movie looks guaranteed to be a flop, but of course it foils Sheldrake's plan by becoming a huge success. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Deborah Foreman, (more)
- 1988
- R
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A virtual remake of its predecessor, Return of the Living Dead (1985), which itself was a tongue-in-cheek rip-off of director George Romero's Night of the Living Dead (1968), this follow-up adheres strictly to a gore and gags formula. Jesse Wilson (Michael Kenworthy), is a young boy being bullied by thugs from the neighborhood when all of them discover a sealed drum containing a zombie corpse. The release of a gas from the container reanimates the dead in a nearby graveyard, thus releasing an army of the undead, which mindlessly crave living human brains. As Jesse tries to contact the military to put a lid on the situation, the zombies are dispatched through a variety of gruesome methods. Two stars of the first film, James Karen and Thom Mathews, return in essentially the same parts, but with different names, as their characters were previously slaughtered. Followed by a third entry in the seires, Return of the Living Dead 3 (1993). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Karen, Thom Matthews, (more)
In this thriller, sisters Charlotte (Judith Ivey) and Lucy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) Bonnard reside in the Louisiana home left to them by their parents. As Charlotte cares for her troubled younger sister, the two make a living by renting out rooms in the huge, gloomy mansion. However, when Matt Rutledge (Eric Stoltz) comes to stay, he stumbles across a number of the Bonnards' dark secrets that were best left hidden. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Jennifer Jason Leigh, (more)
- 1986
- PG13
An ex-convict turned sheriff's deputy must face his guilty conscience, which is obsessed with his identity change following a million-dollar heist. With a notoriously troubled production history, this Canadian picture was shot in 1979 and sat on the shelf for half a decade, until Orson Welles had died. In the credits, the name of the director -- Selig Usher -- is a pseudonym for both George McCowan and Zale Magder. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Orson Welles, Michael Murphy, (more)
In this subtly humorous, alien-invasion film by Michael Laughlin, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Condon, the aliens infiltrate a small Midwestern town in 1958 and beam the "spirits" of several of the townspeople up to their spacecraft in little blue bubbles, while they settle into the bodies of their new farm personae. But Margaret (Diana Scarwid), one of their number, leaves for life and marriage in New York and has a daughter Elizabeth by her earthling husband Charles Bigelow (Paul LeMat), a professor. After two decades or so go by, the aliens opt for returning to their home planet, but they have to first go to the city dressed as farmers and round up Margaret and her daughter. Soon Charles figures out what is going on with the help of the tough, optimistic Betty Walker (Nancy Allen), a reporter for a tabloid paper, and the two head to the town where it all started.The light contrast between the bucolic '50s and the street-wise '80s gives way to a few shocking scenes of repugnant aliens in transformation with formidable special effects. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Le Mat, Nancy Allen, (more)
- 1972
- PG
A charismatic long-haired vampire finds himself becoming a guru for a gang of Southern California flower children in this hippie-dippy horror movie. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1969
During a murder trial, Ben Cartwright is trapped in the basement of the courthouse by a mine cave-in. Also entombed with Ben are the accused murderer, the main prosecution witness, the witness' fiancee, and the court clerk. As Joe, Hoss, and Candy race against time to rescue the prisoners before the complete collapse of the courthouse, Ben unearths several startling facts about the people around him. The guest cast includes Tiffany Bolling, Scott Thomas, Don Knight, Ted Gehring and Eddie Firestone. Written by Ken Trevey, "Five Candles" has seldom aired since its network TV debut on March 2, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1967
In this beach romp, a surfin' lothario falls in love with a bikini-clad beauty, but she doesn't dig him until he dons glasses and poses as his bookish brother, Herbert. Music is provided by the Gentrys, the Toys, the Animals, and the Castaways. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Singer Bobby Pickett of "Monster Mash" fame makes his second Petticoat Junction appearance, this time in the role of shy high school student Walter Thorp. As the only male in Hooterville High's home economics class, poor Walter is subjected to a lot of teasing by his fellow students. Things get so bad that Walter is in danger of flunking the class. Fortunately, Bobbie Jo (Gunilla Hutton) takes pity on Walter, and enlists the help of her mom Kate (Bea Benaderet) to secure the boy a passing grade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Bobbie Jo (Lori Saunders) hopes to be accepted into Hooterville High's most prestigious sorority (which also happens to be Hooterville High's only sorority). Unfortunately, in order to be initiated, she must perform a well-night-impossible task--namely, wangle a date with the school's star athlete, Stonewall Jackson. Fans of 1960s novelty songs will appreciate the casting of singer Bobby Pickett, of "Monster Mash" fame, as the seemingly unattainable Stonewall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
