Signs of the Season :: From Over the Rainbow and the Fantasy World, Santa, Stinky and Merlin Save Christmas (November, 1964)

 

 

 

 
After the box-office success of his completely demented Mexican matinee-only import, Santa Claus — where Rene Cardona apparently read a book about Salvador Dali, ate some bad Figgy Pudding, and then downed about  nine pints of Mad Dog before hammering out a script and rolling the camera — kiddie matinee king K. Gordon Murray quickly commissioned three more holiday features and imported several other Cardona-lensed Fairy Tales. Santa Claus and His Helpers was only a one reel short, where Santa has to abandon his orbiting space station to arbitrate a dispute between his bickering elves to make sure all the toys are ready for Christmas.
 

Video courtesy of MrRootRot.

The second feature, The Queen’s Swordsman, follows the further adventures of Stinky Skunk and the Big Bad Wolf, culled from Cardona’s lavish Little Red Riding Hood series in an attempt at some form of continuity with the first feature.

Santa Claus and His Helpers (1964) K. Gordon Murray Productions / P: K. Gordon Murray / D: Manuel San Fernando / C: Gene Gropper / E: Jack Remy

Signs of the Season :: Here’s a Movie Treat Wrapped Up in All the Colors of a Rainbow! Dedicated to all Kids from 2 to 92! (November, 1963)

 

 

 

 

 

 
The King of the Kiddie Matinee or The Wizard of Coral Gables, call him whatever you like, either way, K. Gordon Murray definitely left his mark in the world of film entrepreneurs / exploitationeers. His career began with several home-grown and imported Sleaze-Noirs, most notably Shanty Tramp, and his first big hit, Wasted Lives, which featured the live birth of twins and sex-manuals on how to make them that were sold at the concessions stands. Back in 1959, however, Murray struck gold when he went south of the border into Mexico, where he secured the rights to about dozen horror and fantasy films based on several fairy tales for which terms like surreal and bizarre won’t even come close to doing justice to them — including this little acid-trip / holiday classic, where jolly old St. Nick butts head with the Cloven One, who’s trying to make the children of the world more naughty than nice. And with this abrupt change in the demographics of his target audience, Murray then pioneered the idea of an exclusive weekend matinee to mucho box-office success.

And with that, my fellow Morgue attendants,  I bid you all Best Wishes or Bah! Humbug, where applicable, in whatever festivity you choose and we’ll see you all next year.

Santa Claus (1959) Cinematográfica Calderón S.A.-K. :: K. Gordon Murray Productions / P: Guillermo Calderón / D: René Cardona / W: Adolfo Torres Portillo, René Cardona / C: Raúl Martínez Solares / E: Jorge Bustos / M: Antonio Díaz Conde / S: José Elías Moreno, Cesáreo Quezadas, Lupita Quezadas, Antonio Díaz Conde, José Luis Aguirre

Alive and In Person, Direct from Hollywood, a Special Treat for the Small Fry (and Parents Too)! (April, 1959)

 

 

So Many Thrills You’ll Be Ozified! (April, 1970)

 

 
The Wonderful Land of Oz (1969) Childhood Productions :: Cinetron Classic :: Cinecom Corp / P: Barry Mahon / D: Barry Mahon / W: Barry Mahon, L. Frank Baum (novel) / C: Barry Mahon / E: Steve Cuiffo / M: George Linsenmann / S: Chan Mahon, Al Joseph, George Wadsworth, Michael R. Thomas, Hilary Lee Gaess