The Comedy of Terrors (1963) - Episode 75 - Decades of Horror: The Classic Era

“I don't like to see anybody buried naked. ... I don't ... I just don't.”  Did that really need to be said? Join this episode’s Grue Crew - Whitney Collazo, Chad Hunt, Joseph Perry, and Jeff Mohr - as they take in The Comedy of Terrors (1963), an AIP production filled with horror icons.

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era
Episode 75 – The Comedy of Terrors (1963)

Dishonest undertaker Waldo Trumbull and his sidekick Felix Gillie are creating their own customers when they cannot find willing ones

IMDb

 

• Director: Jacques Tourneur
• Writer: Richard Matheson (screenplay)
• Music by: Les Baxter
• Cast
  • Vincent Price as Waldo Trumbull
  • Peter Lorre as Felix Gillie
  • Boris Karloff as Amos Hinchley
  • Basil Rathbone as John F. Black, Esq.
  • Joyce Jameson as Amaryllis Trumbull
  • Joe E. Brown as the Cemetery Keeper
  • Beverly Powers (credited as Beverly Hills) as Mrs. Phipps
  • Alan DeWitt as Riggs
  • Buddy Mason as Mr. Phipps
  • Douglas Williams as the Doctor
  • Linda Rogers as Phipps' Maid
  • Luree Holmes as Black's Servant
  • Rhubarb the cat as Cleopatra

Wow! A film directed by Jacques Tourneur, written by Richard Matheson, and starring Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Joyce Jameson, Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, and Joe E. Brown! What could possibly go wrong? About that …

Jeff absolutely loves The Comedy of Terrors revealing it’s like an old friend from his childhood. Whitney, Chad, and Joseph, however, are not so enamored of the film. They still recommend The Comedy of Terrors, explaining that it’s not a bad film; it just doesn’t live up to the expectations they had considering its star-studded cast and crew.

Whitney says you should see the film because it’s one of the few times she has seen Peter Lorre end up with the girl. Joseph keeps trying to understand how the film went wrong but plans a rewatch when he learns the score is composed by Les Baxter. While he did get a few chuckles, Chad finds the humor dated. Jeff doesn’t argue with any of them but his affection for the film is unwavering.

The Grue-Crew also read listener feedback regarding Episode 73 - Curse of the Undead (1959) from Jerry Chandler and Alistair Hughes. Jerry helps clarify Romanian vampire legends and provides a link to one of his blogposts, Know Your Monsters - The Romanian Vampire.

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era is part of the Decades of Horror 3-week rotation with the 1970s and 1980s. In three weeks, the next episode in their very flexible schedule will be White Zombie (1932), starring Bela Lugosi.

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