Happy Friday! Today’s drink is a tribute Universal’s classic monster movie Creature from the Black Lagoon.
Ingredients:
2.5-3 oz. Bailey’s Vanilla Mint Shake 2-3 oz. vodka .5 oz. creme de menthe liqueur 2 oz. chilled coffee
Garnish: Garnish with an umbrella or fresh fruit.
Mix ingredients well. Serve chilled.
This is one of those cocktails that can be personalized to preferences without losing taste. If you want a stronger vanilla flavor, add more Bailey’s. If you want more alcohol, add more vodka.
It’s an election year… remember to go vote and check out one of my favorite fantasy comedies this month, I Married a Witch starring Veronica Lake and Fredric March.
Just before being burned at the stake, 17th century witch Jennifer casts a curse on the family of her accuser, Jonathan Wooley, dooming all the men in the lineage to be unlucky in love and marry the wrong woman.
250 years later, Jennifer and her warlock father Daniel are accidentally freed from their eternal prison, but in incorporeal form. When Daniel starts a fire in order to casts a spell to give Jennifer a human body, they come upon the latest Wooley descendant, Wallace Wooley, who just so happens to be running for governor and engaged to the spoiled daughter of his biggest campaign supporter and financier, J.B. Masterson.
Hijinks ensue after Jennifer accidentally drinks a love potion she intended for Wallace. Jennifer and Daniel, now also in human form, crash the wedding. Estelle to call the whole thing off when she catches her groom to be in an embrace, leading JB to denounce Wooley to the papers. After eloping, Jennifer casts a spell rigging the election, so the while city votes for Wallace, including his opponent! This finally convinces Wolley that he’s indeed married to a witch.
Veronica Lake and Fredric March have great chemistry here and the entire cast is perfect. This movie is a lot of fun and great for Halloween viewing.
(Promo shot for I Married a Witch)
Veronica Lake was somewhat of a troubled star. She was a heavy drinker and had a bad reputation for being difficult on set. Many of her directors and co-stars didn’t like her, including March, who said some pretty nasty things about her. Her career supposedly stalled out in late forties. Many critics and fans have since then revisited her life’s story and realized her alcoholism was result of untreated schizophrenia and some horrible tragedies that befell upon her. We may never know how much Hollywood directly contributed to her downfall.
My first encounter with vintage Halloween artist Austin Pardun was seeing his drawings at Midsummer Scream a few years ago. I missed seeing him this past summer, but I’m sure he’ll be back.
Artist: Austin Pardun Company/Studio: Austin Pardun Art
Why we love it: Ausin Pardun is another artist whose beautiful drawings mimic that classic Halloween style so well, it’s like they walked off the pages of a 1940s Halloween Beistle catalog.
Kicking off Trick or Treat Tuesdays in October with a candy corn guessing game.
Guess how many candy corn are in this jar.
Rules: First person to post the correct number or closest to the exact number of candy corn in this pictured small 16oz. candy jar, either here on WordPress or Instagram, wins the prize of a limited edition Oogie Boogie Bash pin from 2022 Halloween season.
Spooky Sundays are all about reading, relaxing, and recharging our brooms. Sorry posting so late, lost internet connection. Here’s a visual recap of the past week.
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Disney animated classic Adventures of Icabod and Mr. Toad, a package film of The Wind and the Willows and Legend of Sleepy Hollow, released in theaters on Oct 5, 1949.
Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a spooky whimisical take on Washington Irving’s classic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, featuring narration and songs by the legendary Bing Crosby, the first and only time the singer worked with The Walt Disney Company.
In 1999, Tim Burton would direct his own version of the tale into a dark gothic horror fantasy, Sleepy Hollow staring Johnny Depp and Christine Ricci, which grossed $207 million at the box office.
Both films are two of my faves, but I just can’t decide which is better. Help me out!
Happy Friday! Hello from June Lake, where I’m loving these autumn trees and fresh air. Friday Fright Nightcaps is back with a new drink Sweet Bite, a tribute Universal’s classic monster Dracula.
Ingredients: 3 oz. Absolute Vanilla Vodka 4 oz. Cranberry Juice
Title: Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Director: Charles T. Barton (animated sections by Walter Lantz) Screenwriter(s): Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo, John Grant Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, Lenore Aubert Distributed by: Universal Pictures Year: 1948 Run Time: 1 hr 23minutes
Abbott and Costello play bumbling freight porters Wilbur Grey and Chick Young, who are supposed deliver the remains of Dracula and Frankenstein’s monster to a new House of Horrors. Dracula escapes with the monster, where they meet a mad scientist who plans to swap out brains of the monster with Wilbur, with the help of Dr. Sandra Mornay, under Dracula’s trance of course. Larry Talbot aka the Wolfman arrives from London to thwart the plan, but then the full moon rises and all the fun begins.
By 1948, war was over, America wanted to laugh again, and the slapstick antics of these two charmers were the answer. The Universal monsters craze was dying down but film stars Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. were down for one last ride.
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a perfect blend of monster movie and the zany hijnks typical of Abbott and Costello, who were at the height of their fame. Reprising their famous roles, Bela Lugosi stars as Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr. as the Wolfman lend a certain credence to the scary thrills, along with newcomer Glenn Strange, stepping in as the Monster for Boris Karloff.
You can catch this madcap horror comedy on Amazon Prime this month.
I’m kicking off the 2024 Halloween season and my theme of Halloween Vintage Classic by sharing the wildly vivid and spooky art of one of my faves, Drew Rausch.
Art by Drew Rausch
Artist: Drew Rausch Company/Studio: The Art of Drew Rausch
Why we love it: Drew’s vintage Halloween characters feel like tributes to Halloween’s golden era. It’s like he’s transporting us straight into the past and we’re looking at some ad in Dennison’s Bogie Book.
Halloween Horror Haiku 
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