A Sad End To An Incredible Life

Rob Reiner
1947 - 2025
Writer, actor, and director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Singer were found dead yesterday as a result of stab wounds in their Los Angeles home.  His career spans seven decades which include his iconic role as Meathead in All In The Family, and a directorial resume that includes This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Misery, A Few Good Men, and most recently Spinal Tap II which was just premiered three months ago.

World's Best Spaghetti

Carmen's Family Restaurant sign
Broad Street - Hazleton, PA
On the way to my dad's house yesterday, I noticed that the old sign painted on the side of the Lehigh Tire building is in the process of being covered up by aluminum siding.

Carmen's Family Restaurant opened in 1962 and remained a fixture of the Hazleton area for over forty years.  It was an excellent restaurant with delicious Italian food and a seafood buffet that was second to none.  My dad worked here in the late 70's when he was in college, and I worked here in the mid 90's when I was in high school.  It's also the place where my parents first met.

Carmen's Bakery & Deli remains in business across the street from where the restaurant once was.  They have incredible pitza that crushes both Senape's and Longo's.  They also make excellent breakfast sandwiches, pastries, and other baked goods.

Although the restaurant closed twenty years ago, this sign has remained visible ever since it was first painted, presumably in the early to mid 60's.  However, it appears that this too will be only a memory as soon as the siding is finished.

The Last Song And Dance Man

Dick Van Dyke
Born: December 13, 1925
Happy 100th birthday to the incredibly talented star of my favorite sitcom of all time.

A Token Gift

Birthday Gift Coupon
Aladdin's Castle
Oli Oliver of the Aladdin's Castle Arcade group discovered this card while working on a Spy Hunter pinball machine.

I Come From A Planet A Long Way From Here

I found this little guy at the bottom of a tote when I was packing up Christmas decorations last year.  It's a keychain that my grandmother gave me when I was a teenager.  Grandma could be a handful, but she was a generous woman with a good heart.  She knew that I liked aliens, so when she found something with an alien head, she's get it and put it away for me to give to me for Christmas, or my birthday, or just because she thought that I'd like it.

This also reminded me of one of my favorite Christmas songs.  It's not one that I hear on the radio too often, but it's has an ethereal and soothing sound that stops me in my tracks every time I hear it.  It was released by Chris de Burgh in 1975.  The singer/songwriter is probably best known for The Lady In Red and Don't Pay The Ferryman, but I think this is the song of his that I like the best.

A Spaceman Came Traveling

Chris de Burgh (1975)

A spaceman came traveling on his ship from afar

Twas light years of time since his mission did start

And over a village he halted his craft

And it hung in the sky like a star, just like a star

He followed a light and came down to a shed

Where a mother and child were lying there on a bed

A bright light of silver shone round his head

And he had the face of an angel, and they were afraid

Then the stranger spoke, he said "Do not fear

I come from a planet a long way from here

And I bring a message for mankind to hear,"

And suddenly the sweetest music filled the air

And it went

La la la la la la la la la la la

Peace and goodwill to all men, and love for the child

This lovely music went trembling through the ground

And many were wakened on hearing that sound

And travelers on the road, the village they found

By the light of that ship in the sky, which shone all round

And just before dawn at the paling of the sky

The stranger returned and said "Now I must fly

When two thousand years of your time has gone by

This song will begin once again, to a baby's cry"

And it was

La la la la la la la la la la la

Peace and goodwill to all men, and love for the child

Oh, the whole world is waiting

Waiting to hear the song again

There are thousands standing on the edge of the world

And a star is moving somewhere

Yuletide In The Shire

Yuletide In The Shire
Everstar (2003)
This is my favorite Christmas album.  I picked it up during Musikfest 2008 at a Celtic shop called Donegal Square, along with a few other similar CDs, and my wife and I have listened to it every holiday season ever since.

There's not a lot of information online about the recording artists.  The only thing I can find for sure is that they released one other album called Enchanted Journey in the same year.  The website for the label, Sequoia Records, is still online, but it's just a placeholder page with a message that the site is closed for maintenance, along with a few links to listen to the music that they have produced on various streaming services.

Yuletide In The Shire is available to stream on YouTube, Spotify, Amazon, Pandora, and many other sources.  It's a very mellow and peaceful holiday listening experience that I hope you enjoy as much as I do.

Sun-Loving Snowman

Snowman Suncatcher
Zayre

God Bless Us, Every Kernel

Mickey's Christmas Carol Coloring Book
Orville Redenbacher (1983)
During the holiday season of 1983, shoppers could pick up a free Mickey's Christmas Carol coloring book with the purchase of two jars of Orville Redenbacher popcorn.

These days, you can usually find these coloring books on eBay for ten dollars or less, but you'll have to supply your own popcorn.

I'm Bananas For This Coffee

Bananas Foster
Bones Coffee Company (2025)
This is the best flavored coffee I've ever had and they're getting rid of it soon.  Guess I'm going to have to clear out a few shelves in the cupboard.

Cooking Missouri

The Times Leader Cookbook
Times Leader (1985)
This cookbook was two dollars at the Slatington Marketplace.  I did a little research and found that I got it for three dollars less than it cost back in 1985.

Most of the recipes that I saw in here look pretty good, but one of them caught my interest.  My grandmother used to make a hearty ground beef and potato stew that she called Missouri that I especially enjoyed on cold days.  She'd make it in a pot that was big enough to feed the army, so we usually had it for at least two or three days any time that she made it.

I had never heard of any soup or stew called Missouri other than from her, so I always assumed that it was a concoction that she came up with at some point, but there it was in this recipe book.

My grandmother's Missouri had large chunks of potatoes, and I'm pretty sure she either used tomatoes or tomato paste in it too, but I could be wrong about that.  I'm going to have to give this a shot over the winter.

A Wearable Menu

Big League Hat Menu
Howard Johnson's (1963)
I found this children's menu at the Slatington Marketplace over the weekend.  It has a series of cuts that fold the menu out into a hat that could be worn.  My dad still raves about their fried clams to this day.  Everything else on the menu looks pretty good too, but shouldn't the Miss Muffet lunch be curds and whey?

Click here to enlarge the front and back.

More From The Toy Store In The Mall

Black Friday Circular
KayBee Toys (1990)
This advertisement for a sale that began on the day after Thanksgiving 35 years ago was shared on Twitter by Dinosaur Dracula.  Check out the early draft of box art from Super Mario Bros 3.

Santa Shops At The Mall Toy Store

Kay-Bee Dear Santa Sale
KayBee Toys (1989)
This advertisement for a sale that ended on this day in 1989 was shared on Instagram by Dinosaur Dracula.  I was nine years old when this flier was publishes so I was into pretty much all of this stuff except Cabbage Patch Kids.

The Only Important Thing These Days Is Rhythm And Melody

Prisencolinensinainciusol
Adriano Celentano (1972)
On this day in 1972, a song that was written by composer Adriano Celentano and performed by he and his wife, Claudia Mori, was released in Italy.  It would go on to chart in their native country, as well as Belgium, West Germany, and The Netherlands.

If you're having a difficult time understanding the lyrics, there's a pretty good reason for that.  He's not singing in English or in Italian.  The entire song is gibberish sung with an American accent.

ps: if you caught the Big Audio Dynamite reference in the title, you're my kind of people.

Spooky Season At Zayre

October Sales Circular
Zayre (1987)
This page from a Zayre sales circular was shared by Dinosaur Dracula last month.

The highlight for me is the ad at the bottom left corner for Friday The 13th, Deadly Friend, Fright Night, The Believer, A Nightmare On Elm Street 3, and Halloween on VHS for $16.99.

This is the candy that we all wanted to find in our bag after we were finished trick or treating... except maybe for the Smarties, which had about the same flavor as the packets of sugar on the table at the Blue Comet.  Also, I still say that Reese's Peanut Butter Cups tasted better when they came in a paper wrapper.

The Count Dracula Chocolate Flavored Candy at the top left of this part of the ad is the kind of thing that savvy kids would trade to their friends for their old boring Hershey and Snickers bars.  The package may be awesome, but they didn't usually taste very good.

Once in a while, there would be a seasonal goodie that you didn't want to give up, like these Alma Skull Crushers which oozed strawberry blood when you bit into them.  I don't think these are still sold in stores in the United States, but I was able to find them for sale on UK eBay and other online retailers under the name Hannah's Skull Crushers.

I was more of a rubber mask kid when it came to Halloween, but makeup was always a solid option.

These cardboard wall hangings sold for a buck and a half back in the 80's,  My grandmother used to wait and buy things like this when they went on sale after the holiday to put away for next year.  These old decorations are considerably more expensive when you can find them on eBay, especially if they're in good condition.

The last thing that caught my eye were these Halloween pinatas.  I can't say I ever remember seeing pinatas out for a Halloween party when I was a kid.  The witch in the center is giving off Viola Swamp vibes.

Frightful Fun

Halloween Body Stickers
Mello Smello (90's)
These were scanned and shared by Dinosaur Dracula earlier this year.

Twenty Four Hours Of Horror

Exhumed Films 24 Hour Horror-Thon XVIII

Show poster designed by Justin Miller
Colonial Theatre - Phoenixville, PA
My friend and fellow drive-in mutant Johnny invited me to join him for the 24 Hour Horror-Thon at the Colonial Theater this weekend.  It's my first one, but he's been going to Exhumed Films events since the 90's and has been to all 18 of these.

Show banners designed by Andrew Kern

For as much as I enjoyed it, it was kind of a bittersweet experience because it meant missing out on two of my favorite movies of all time at the Mahoning.  If I knew that they'd be screening E.T. on 35mm on the same night as the Horrorthon, I might have passed on the marathon.  Don't get me wrong, I had a good time and I don't regret my decision, but man... why did it have to be E.T.?

Horror-Thon XVIII was held at the Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, PA.  I've been here a couple of times over the years.  The first time was three years ago when Joe Bob Briggs presented his How Rednecks Saved Hollywood show, and the most recent was eight months ago when director Mick Garris was in attendance for a Q&A along with a screening of his 1994 miniseries of The Stand.  It's a very cool theater that is best known as one of the filming locations for the 1958 horror classic The Blob, and the theater is in a very cool town with lots of shops and restaurants that are worth visiting.

The Exhumed Films Horrorthon began at 12:00 noon on Saturday, October 18th when the first of fifteen films begins.  Other than a very short break between each film (roughly five or ten minutes), the movies are projected from 35mm nonstop for 24 hours.  None of the titles are announced, so you don't know what movie you're going to see until it hits the screen... unless you manage to figure it out from the clues on the contest entry worksheet that they handed out to us while we were waiting in line.  Whoever correctly guesses the most movies based on the clues wins a pretty impressive package of prizes that I'd estimate is worth well over a grand.

Despite the amount of movies I go to see, I am not at all a film expert.  I'm just a guy who likes movies.  I had no chance in hell of winning this contest.  I was pretty happy with myself that I managed to correctly guess one out of fifteen.  However, even if you are an expert on the history of horror films, it's not as easy contest to win.

Here's a larger image of the contest entry blank.  Try guessing what they movies were shown based on these clues, then scroll down to see how many of them you've guessed correctly.

I got a seat in the front row on the far right, which is pretty close to where I sat earlier this year for The Stand.  It's a good spot for an event like this because there's plenty of room to stretch out your legs, but I'll get into that later.  For now, onto the movies:

Movie #1: Black Sabbath (1963): This is the Mario Bava anthology classic that inspired the name of the band when bassist Geezer Butler saw it on the marquee of the cinema that was across the street from where they rehearsed.  I've heard of it for many years, but this was my first time seeing it and I loved it.  It's definitely in my top five favorite films of this event.

Movie #2: Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (1988): Next up was the 80's horror comedy starring the iconic horror hostess, Elvira.  I'm very familiar with this one as I've seen it many times and enjoy it very much.  I think I might have put this a little deeper in the Horrorthon lineup to break up the blood and guts a little bit, but it was a welcome sight on the big screen.

Movie #3: Sleepwalkers (1992): The third film was the first move to be written by Stephen King that wasn't based on one of his books or short stories.  It was directed by Mick Garris, who I met at this very theater eight months ago.  I've seen it once or twice before, but it's been a long time so I was very glad to see it on the big screen.  It's a very creative and original twist on the vampire genre, and it's the only film that I was able to correctly guess in the Guess The Movie contest.

Movie #4: Blood And Roses (1960): The fourth movie was a French vampiric horror drama flick that I had never heard of prior to this event.  It's not the type of horror movie that I typically gravitate toward, but it was very well done and I enjoyed it.  The whole movie is available to watch on YouTube if you're interested.

Movie #5: The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane (1976): The fifth movie was the the creepy drama that stars a 14 year old Jodie Foster and a features Martin Sheen in an absolutely slimy performance as her unrequited stalker.  I've seen this movie a few times over the years and I'm pretty familiar with it.  If you played a drinking game where you took a shot every time Jodie Foster says "my father", you might die of alcohol poisoning before the end credits.

Movie #6: Innocent Blood (1992): I never heard of the next film, but it ended up being my favorite movie of Horrorthon XVIII.  It answers the age old question; what if The Sopranos had a beautiful French vigilante vampire.  Anne Parillaud, who is best known as the title character in La Femme Nikita, plays the vampire, and Anthony LaPaglia, who I know best as the manager of Empire Records, plays an undercover detective who is investigating organized crime.  It also features Sopranos alumni Tony Sirico (Paulie Walnuts), David Proval (Richie Aprile), and Tony Lip (Carmine Lupertazzi) as mobsters years before their run in the iconic HBO series, and comedian Don Rickles as a mafia lawyer.  This movie was before its time.  It's the perfect balance of action, horror, and comedy, and it's a shame that it wasn't successful during its theatrical run in the early 90's.

 

Movie #7: Jack Be Nimble (1993): The seventh film was a New Zealand horror flick about a brother and sister (Jack and Dora) who were separated when they were adopted by different families as children, but who have a psychic connection to each other.  Jack takes vengeance on his abusive adopted parents and hits the road to find his sister.  This film was alright... not something I'd think to recommend to anyone, but not bad either.

Movie #8: Messiah Of Evil (1974): Next up was a supernatural horror film that was written, directed, and produced by the husband and wife team of Gloria Katz and Willard Huyck, who are best known for their work as co-writers of American Graffiti, Howard The Duck, and Indiana Jones & The Temple Of Doom and who helped George Lucas with the script for Star Wars.  It reminded me quite a bit of the 1962 film Carnival Of Souls.

Movie #9: Killer Party (1986): The ninth film was a slasher that holds the distinction of being the last film from the original MGM library before their sloppy merger with TBS.  My brain was getting pretty hazy by this point in the marathon, so I can't really give much of an opinion other than to say that I didn't dislike it.

Movie #10: Bliss (2019): This began with an epilepsy warning that the film contained a lot of flashing lights, and the first two minutes proved that they weren't lying.  It seemed like it would be an interesting movie and I'll be glad to watch it someday, but I had been awake for 23 hours by the time this movie began at around 4:00 am on Sunday morning and I think bright flashing lights might have short circuited my brain.  I went out to the lobby and found a corner to lay down and close my eyes for a little while.

Movie #11: The Night Of The Seagulls (1975): I wasn't able to get any sleep, but I rested enough during Bliss to be in good enough shape to return to my seat before the start of the eleventh film.  This is a Spanish horror film about a doctor who moves to a small coastal town that has a secret.  This one fell in the same category as Jack Be Nimble for me; it wasn't bad, but it's not something that I'd think to recommend.

Movie #12: Tourist Trap (1979): The twelfth movie was the moment that it became clear to me that I had either done this whole thing wrong, or that a 24 hour movie marathon isn't for me.  I love Tourist Trap.  It was the first movie that was screened for The Last Drive-In marathon in July 2018 that reintroduced the world to Joe Bob Briggs.  Under any other circumstances, I would have been very excited to see it on 35mm in a theater, and I was excited at first.  However, by about 15 minutes into the film, I found myself repeatedly checking the time to see how much longer it was before I could check into my hotel at noon.  By this point, I had been awake for over 26 hours and I just wanted to get some sleep.

Movie #13: Witchboard (1986): The next film was the horror chapter in music video icon Tawny Kitaen's career.  I didn't recognize the title at first, but I realized a few minutes in that I had seen this movie before.  The fact that I had seen the movie, but wasn't as familiar with it as I was with Tourist Trap, helped me to stay reasonably alert and attentive throughout its runtime.  Watching this movie felt like being a character in Dawn Of The Dead who has been bitten by a zombie and is in their last moments of life before turning into a zombie.  I had just enough left in me to get to the credits.

Movie #14: Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992): The second to last movie of Horrorthon was Francis Ford Coppola's blockbuster adaptation of the Dracula story.  I've never actually seen this before and I do want to see it, but I was in no condition to sit through a dramatic 128 minute epic.  The only thing keeping me awake at this point was hunger, and it was finally after 10:00 am when the local restaurants opened, so I stepped out after the first fifteen minutes of this film and got pizza.

Movie #15: Slither (2006): I popped back into the theater just long enough to see what the final movie would be, but I had no intention of staying regardless of what it was.  It was after 12:00 noon on Sunday and I was free to check into my hotel room, so that's exactly what I did.  Sleep never felt so good!

Before I get into my final thoughts on this event, I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge a very nice perk offered to folks who manage to survive the Horrorthon to sunrise.  At around 7:00 am on Sunday morning, we were treated to a free bowl of breakfast cereal between films.  This was a very welcome treat for several reasons.  First and foremost, the concession stand at the theater had a very limited selection of food and had been closed for several hours prior to this, so I was very hungry.  Second, I've been on a pretty strict diet for the past five months.  It's been going very well.  I'm down to under 210 pounds for the first time since college, and I was over 290 pounds in January.  This bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch was one of maybe three or four times that I've eaten anything with more than a gram or two of added sugar since the middle of May, so it was especially tasty!  It was just enough fuel to keep me going until the restaurants on Bridge Street started to open.

 

So, here's what I have learned from my first experience at Horrorthon:

• Every movie is more fun to see on the big screen with an audience that is fully invested in the experience.  I don't care how good your home theater setup is, it cannot compare to this kind of theatrical experience.  It's a magnitude of difference on the level of listening to a song on the radio compared to seeing the band in concert.
• Having acknowledged that, there is a limit to the number of movies that I can enjoy in a marathon without sleeping.  That limit seems to be seven films.  After that, it became an endurance trial with frustration that grows with each hour past that point.  This became crystal clear to me during the 12th movie of the marathon.  Tourist Trap is one of my favorite slashers and I had never seen it on 35mm before, but I found myself wishing the movie would go faster and cursing the fact that there were still three movies to go after that, with several hours before I could check into my hotel.
• Speaking of the hotel, my planning for this event could have been better.  I booked a room at the Mainstay Inn, which is just down the street from the Colonial Theater, for Sunday October 19th with early check-in at noon.  I thought this was a good idea because I'd be able to check in just after the end of the Horrorthon and get a good afternoon's sleep before driving home.  I didn't anticipate how frustratingly tired I would be before the end of the marathon.  If I had to do it again, I would have just booked the room for two nights to give myself a place to lay down for a few hours when I started getting tired.
• A neck pillow and a butt pillow also would have been helpful.
• Sitting front row all the way against the wall on the right hand side was a good decision.  Not only does it allow for a ton of legroom, but it's pretty easy to get up and run to the restroom.  You don't have to slide across anyone sitting next to you, and there's a walkway along the side of the theater to the lobby.  It's also a pleasant place to sit because everyone else in the front row can do the same, so no one else who wants to get up will be in a position to slide across you.
• The Colonial Theater's rules state that you cannot bring outside food into the theater.  This is a rule that you should unapologetically break.  I might not say that if there were actual food in their snack bar like burgers or hot dogs or something like that, or even if an enterprising food truck parked outside of the venue to get something to eat between films.  Unfortunately, there was no food truck and the restaurants in the area close fairly early.  Also, there are no hot dogs or hamburgers or real food of any kind at the theater snack bar.  All they have is popcorn, candy, and pretzels, and even those aren't available after midnight.  Bring a backpack and sneak in a hoagie from Wawa and a bag of beef jerky. Hell, sneak in a full Thanksgiving spread if you've got the skill to keep it concealed.  Just make sure to tidy up after yourself and leave your seat as clean as you found it.

I had a lot of fun at this event, but I'd be lying if I didn't say that the first half was a lot more fun than the second half.  I'm not sure if I'd want to do it again.  If I had to make a decision right now on buying the tickets for next year's Horrorthon, I think I'd pass, but I might feel differently if you asked me a few months from now.  I expect that I'll be better prepared if I do this again next year, and that should make for a more pleasant overall experience, but there's a pretty good chance that I'm going to want to spend that weekend at the Mahoning and sleep in my own bed... though it must be said that the Mainstay Inn is pretty nice.

24 Hour Horrorthon Part XVII Program

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