Here's Lucy - Lucy Cuts Vincent's Price

Today's post came about from a random reel that I saw on Facebook featuring a clip from this show. I don't think I even know the show existed. It ended it's six year run when I was only four years old. If anyone did see it, they would no doubt remember it for it's stop motion opening.

 

 In the show, Ball plays a widow raising her two children (her real-life kids Luci Arnaz and Desi Arnaz, Jr) and working for an entertainment agency owned by her brother-in-law played by her long time comedy partner Gale Gordon. The show featured a number of guest stars over its run and that's what brings us here today!

 

  

Season 3, episode 9 is titled "Lucy Cuts Vincent's Price" and starts out with Lucy and her kids at an art auction because it's educational, they have nice refreshments, and it's free. The kids fight over who gets a cookie and Lucy yells out they can split it 50/50 which the auctioneer takes as bid on a painting.

 

 

Back at the office, Lucy frets that she doesn't have enough money in her checking to cover the cost of the painting. Her co-worker says it may be worth more than it appears and suggests getting it appraised. Lucy remembers her agency provided entertainment for the Prices and sets up a meeting over the phone with Vincent's wife to have him take a look. Her kids are hesitant to let her go alone, thinking Price will be like the villains he's portrayed.

 

  

Meanwhile, Price is meeting with his producer at his home where they've converted his library into a laboratory to shoot torture scenes for his new movie: Who's Afraid of Virginia's Wolfman! Price is expecting his female co-star to show up to rehearse their scenes and well...you can probably guess where it goes from there!

 

 The episode isn't particularly Halloween-y but I wasn't letting October go by without posting something about Vincent Price! I really enjoyed him in this episode because you get to see him do something he doesn't usually do: comedy! There's a fun physical bit where Lucy is trying to escape and has to unlock a bunch of locks on a door and he's behind her re-locking them as she undoes them.

 

This episode (along with the whole series) is streaming for free on Tubi, which is also a great place to find your next horror watch for the month!

 

What's the cat looking at? The full list of Countdown to Halloween blogs!

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Super 7 Sesame Street Blind Box Series 3

 Recently, Super 7 had a big clearance blowout and had this series of blind boxes for 50% off! Unless it's a character I really, really like, I have a hard time spending $20 (or I guess they're now $25?!) for a carded, 3.75" 5 POA figure. But for $7.50 a pop on blind boxes? I'll take my chances.

 

 Especially with a can't miss wave like this: Bert, Ernie, Guy Smiley, and Oscar. Three of the main stars plus Guy, who's also a favorite. Everyone has their favorites, but to be honest, I couldn't be upset at getting any of the Sesame Street cast.

 

 First pull was Bert who comes with a pigeon, naturally! Everyone knows Bert, from the iconic pointed head to the striped shirt, but have you ever really looked at his outfit? Take it all in. Is he wearing a long sleeved turtle neck under the stripes? I have to give him props for sticking with those shoes throughout the decades.

 

 Here's a closer look at the pigeon, which fits right in his hand. It's a good place to keep it. It tends to fall over a lot when standing on its own.

 

 Next up was Oscar and a teeny, tiny Slimey who comes in a plastic bag because he's very easy to lose! I love the design on this one. There's a vertical slider on the back so Oscar can go into the can (closing the lid) or be popped up. The lid does go straight up which I didn't notice until after I took the photo.

 

It wasn't hard to tell this was Oscar when I felt the black plastic bag so I was a little bummed at first when I opened the last one and felt another Oscar, until I opened it...

 

 and found that it was the glitter chase version of Oscar! Even Slimey has a metallic finish. It's hard to capture but Oscar is also glittery. I bet he would HATE that!

 

 There's enough difference in their coloration that they could be different characters. Maybe the glitter one is a cousin that lives in rich people's trash of Beverly Hills?

Tron in 3-2-1 Contact Magazine (1982)

Did you sing the show theme when you read the post title? Then you remember the PBS science show 3-2-1 Contact. It's kind of funny how you can trace my growth as a human through the PBS shows I watched growing up. Contact was an instant favorite as they explored science principles in fun ways and also introduced The Bloodhound Gang, a group of teen detectives that solved crimes using science.

 

 

I could probably go on about the show but, as the title says, I'm talking about the accompanying magazine. I recently discovered there's about 90 issues uploaded to the Internet Archive. Being a fan of the show, I did get the occasional magazine and it's crazy how many covers I recognize. Me being me, I keyed in on the cover of the October 1982 issue which mashes up two of my favorite things: computers and Halloween. I was thrilled to see this "Special Computer Issue" has a story about Tron. 

 

  

 

Tron had just come out in July, which was probably bad news for any kid just finding out about the movie in October! The article spends time with Larry Elin, one of the computer graphic artists that worked on the movie. He worked at MAGI (Mathematical Applications Group, Inc) one of the first 3D computer animation companies.

 

Not only was he an animator, but also the VP in charge of hiring some of the other folks that worked on the movie. He worked on the iconic vehicle sequences in the movie including the Lightcycles, Tanks, and Recognizers. 

 

MAGI was located in NY and this page mentions how Disney execs in CA wanted to see how the effects scenes were progressing every day. They had a "computer link" to share the scenes coast to coast. I'm curious what that involved in the early 80s!

 

 The last page of the article shows someone programming a Grid Tank into the computer. Another article in this issue features a young girl named Cori Grimm that makes computer graphics for some educational games. If you want to browse the full magazine, you can find it here.

 

I'll leave you off with the theme here but there's also plenty of full episodes up on YouTube if you want to dive down a nostalgia rabbit hole.

 

 

Monthly Media Recap - February 2026

 The country (world?) may be going to hell in a hand basket but I'm still here to bring the Monthly Media Recap! As usual, linked titles will take you to a trailer.

 

 

Gatchaman Progress

Only squeezed in 3 this month. Currently up to 72.

  

Streaming

 

His & Hers (2026, Netflix)

Two estranged spouses — one a detective, the other a news reporter — vie to solve a murder in which each believes the other is a prime suspect. Excellent murder mystery! And you can't go wrong with Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson as the leads, great performances.

 

The Muppet Show (2026, Disney+)

If this doesn't get a series order, people should be rioting! Not only did the reproduce the original Muppet theater but they also captured the essence of the original show. I think more than ever, the world needs the Muppet Show!

 

Movies

 

Uncanny Annie (2019, Hulu)

Part of Hulu's holiday horror series Into the Dark. This one has a bunch of teens playing a haunted board game on Halloween night. There's some drama among the friend group but I didn't really care. I didn't like any of them and was pretty much waiting for the body count to rise. The kills aren't anything memorable but they're okay. 

 

Rating: 5/10

 

 

The Jester 2 (2025, Shudder)

I'm torn on this series so far. On one hand, they have some creative kills inspired by magic tricks. On the other, they keep doing something to make me not like it as much as I want. In this one, they redesigned the Jester's look (probably to get away from Art the Clown) and it just looks like a mask on a mask. At least the plot in this one is more straightforward and it falls an oddly specific sub-genre that I enjoy: kids getting roped into working with the evil.

 

Rating: 5/10

 

 

10/31, Part IV (2024, Tubi or watch it on YouTube)

Another entry in the Halloween horror anthology series. I went back to see what I thought of the rest and found I've only seen the first! Of the four stories, the first, Ejectdead, is my favorite. Imagine The Ring but instead of Samara, you get a Jason like slasher. There's one other tale that's memorable even if the way they carried it out didn't make a lot of sense. Overall, not bad for an indie anthology.

 

Rating: 4/10

 

The Wrecking Crew (2026, Prime)

This feels like it could be in the Fast & Furious-verse: it's loud, dumb, about family, has lots of action and for some reason I really enjoyed it. Bautista and Momoa play off each other really well, milking the "at odds buddy cop" trope for all it's worth. My two biggest issues were some sequences with painfully obvious blue screen and the unbelievable civilian collateral casualties they cause with no mention.

 

Rating: 7/10

 

Predator: Badlands (2025, Disney+/Hulu)

Some people won't like this because a Predator is the main character and it removes some of the mystery around them. Me? I've been waiting for this movie since the original AvP comics came out. Having a young Predator protagonist allows you to see there's more to them as a species. Elle Fanning is great and has a lot of lifting to do as she's the only "human" in most of the movie. Between this, Prey, and Killer of Killers, we've been blessed with some of the best Predator content since the original.

 

Rating: 8/10

 

 

Mrs Dex found the Six Million Dollar Man on Peacock and we're doing a series watch. I can't really call it a rewatch because there's no way I caught a lot of these when they aired. Being Gen X kids, we both have nostalgia for the show so it's interesting to go back and watch it now, especially with the gratuitous use of stock footage. Prior to the show proper, there were three made for TV movies to get Col. Austin off the ground.

  

The Six Million Dollar Man (1973)

I've read this is a good adaptation of the original novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin. I haven't read the book but I'm not sure how anyone saw this and said "Yes, we need more!" Steve has mental trauma from his accident and replacement parts which is understandable and is a great theme for a book. But here he's very dour and the show just isn't that much fun. The fan-made season one trailer above gives a little peek at how serious the pilot can be.

 

Rating: 3/10 

 

Wine, Women, and War (1973) &The Solid Gold Kidnapping (1973)

I'm lumping these together as there's not a lot to differentiate them. They basically turned Austin into James Bond with bionics. He's got a sense of humor and even drops a couple double entendre! They're dated, as anything from the 70s will be, but they're a lot more fun to watch than the pilot. They haven't got around to using the iconic sound effects yet so it's a little weird seeing him in action without them.

 

Rating: 4/10 & 5/10

 

This Month

New: 8   Rewatch: 0

Year to Date

New: 14   Rewatch: 0

Rhode Island Comic Con 2025 - Cosplay

Day 2 of my RICC adventures is all about costumes. If you missed the first post about RICC, check it out here.

 

 What would a Comic Con be without people dressing up as their favorite pop culture characters? Pretty boring, I'd say! I'm just going to highlight a few of my favorites here but you can check out all my RICC pics over on Flickr.

 

 Hands down, one of my top favorites from the whole weekend. Granny from Looney Tunes is not a cosplay I've ever seen done before and she nailed it. Speaking of classic cartoons...

 

The Great Gazoo! I'm always amazed at the stuff people can make.

 

 And of course, you could find plenty of K-Pop Demon Hunter cosplayers.

  

I'm guessing no one had Venomized Pikachu on their cosplay bingo card! If you look inside it's mouth, you can see the person's head with a Venom mask on.

 

 We ran into this Art the Clown furry in the parking garage.

 

Over the weekend, they had scheduled cosplayer meetups for different properties. It was a lot of fun to see them all gathered but the real reason for the meetup was so the con photographers could get pics for their socials. It was kind of annoying for those of us that also wanted pictures because they were in front (in the way) and constantly telling us to step back.

 

 This Carnage was pretty impressive but I don't know how they managed to walk around.

  

Two of my favorite Spider-Verse characters: Spider-Ham and Spider Punk. The Were-verine was pretty awesome in person. They had a speaker rigged up so they could make snarling sounds.

 

 Here's an Avengers only group shot. The Thor on the left had electronics in the hammer that made it look like there was lightning inside it and check out the tiny Black Widow in the bottom right.

 

 Closing out the con on Sunday was a cosplay contest. There was one just for kids and then there was a competition in novice, intermediate, and expert levels.

 

 This is the winner of the kid's competition. The suit has lights in the arc reactor, hands and all the jets. It's impressive but I feel like it's kind of cheating for him to be in the kid's part even if he is just a kid because of how well done the suit is.

 

 Here's another pic to give you an idea how big the suit is.

 

 This Doomslayer (Doom: The Dark Ages video game) took Best in Show in the main competition. I wish I'd gotten better pics of him because it's amazing head to toe. He's also carrying a rifle behind the shield.

 

 Finally, this Assassin's Creed costume took first in the expert category and there's a lot of intricate detail you can't see here. Prior to the contest, the judges meet with each contestant to get an up close look at their work. They're looking at details as well as craftsmanship. Contestants have to submit a build sheet or book that outlines basically how they made the costume and any props.

 

That's a wrap on day 2, tune in on Friday for the final post!

If you want a sneak peek at what's coming up, you can check out my photo gallery on Flickr.  

Rhode Island ComicCon 2025 - Celeb Sightings

Welcome to Rhode Island Comic Con week!

 

  

Last weekend, Mrs Dex and I went to RICC. Usually, when these things come around, we go just on Saturday and end up waiting in lines most of the day for autographs and photo ops. This time, we went for the whole 3 day weekend and it was a much better experience. If you've never gone to a con on a Friday, I highly recommend it! It's easier to get around without huge crowds to battle and there's a lot less waiting in lines. 

 

Shortly after we got checked in, I ran into John Kotrides (aka GenxJono) who I didn't know was going to be there. John is a...I'm not sure what the word would be. I hate to use "influencer" because I tend to think of that as a negative, maybe content creator? Anyway, his posts are Gen X-centric! It was a little odd at first seeing someone in real life that you only know from a screen. If you're of a certain age, you should definitely check him out on Threads and TikTok.

 

 I hadn't even planned on getting Brian O'Halloran's autograph but he was generous with his time and fun to talk to. We got in early and there was no one at his booth. We love The Floor and ended up talking to him about his appearance on the show last season for a good 20-25 minutes. 

 

  

He was more than happy to chat with us and get into some behind the scenes info on how the show is put together. Did you know they film in Ireland? Once you're eliminated, you're on your way to the airport to go home!

 

  

The biggest reason behind us going to the con was to meet some of the stars on the show Psych. Unfortunately, due to the current state of air travel, Maggie Lawson cancelled last minute. When we got Tim Omundson's autograph, he had a little fun at her expense (above). We also met Kurt Fuller and Corbin Bernsen. 

 

 

We got to attend a live recording of the Psychologists are In (A Psych Rewatch) podcast, with Corbin subbing in for Maggie.

 

I also got to meetup with some friends from my childhood: Will and Holly from Land of the Lost! They had a panel where they talked about their experiences on the show and they led the audience in a sing-along of the show's theme song. So now I can say that I've sung the Land of the Lost theme with them. They were so much fun to listen and talk to. On the far right is Sid Krofft.

 

  

We chatted with him briefly as well while getting his autograph to tell him how much we still love these shows that were part of our childhood. He was really appreciative to hear it! He said it's been quite the thing for him to be on the road and hear the nice things people say after all this time.

 

 Here's some other panels we saw.

 

 The Mallrats 30th anniversary panel. There is a script for Mallrats 2 but after Shannen Doherty passed away, Kevin Smith put it on hold. Jason Lee was late to the panel because he had a long line of autographs to finish up.

 

 Pretty in Pink with Andrew McCarthy, Jon Cryer, and Molly Ringwald. 

 

 

RICC is Jon's first con appearance and he was loving it. He donated his signing proceeds to The Trevor Project for LGBTQ+ youth and raised $86k over the weekend!

 

Lastly, a Supernatural panel with Kathryn Newton, Richard Speight Jr, Rob Benedict, and Misha Collins. Kathryn was really funny. I think she qualifies as a modern day scream queen and I really should have gotten an autograph.

 

There were a more celebs there than I can remember but some I do recall are Charlie Cox, Michael Rooker, Katee Sackhoff, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jason Mewes (Kevin Smith cancelled) and a whole lot more. There's a pretty complete list posted here.

 

That's all for today but stay tuned for more this week!

If you want a sneak peek at what's coming up, you can check out my photo gallery on Flickr. 

Halloween Videos

  

Sometimes you just need a filler post as it gets near the end of the month.

 

 

The Ill Advised Records Retro Halloween Video Special clocks in at almost 4.5 hours. It's quite the compilation of animation, local and national commercials, and television clips. I haven't watched the whole thing but what I have skimmed through, it's a blast!

 

Ultra Halloween VHS is more compilation gold featuring Halloween themed episodes of Simpsons Treehouse of Horror, Raggedy Ann & Andy, Bobby's World, and more. It also includes the live action The Halloween That Almost Wasn't starring Judd Hirsch as Dracula. Between each show are vintage Halloween commercials.

 

 

 

 And just in case you've made it to this point in your life without seeing the Paul Lynde Halloween Special, here you go! If you weren't around in the 70s, I can't overstate who prevalent the variety show/special was on TV.

 

 

Lastly, here's the Bugs Bunny Howl-o-ween Special from 1978. If you grew up with Loony Tunes, this will no doubt bring back some good memories.

 

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The Addams Family Games (1964)

 In 1964, Ideal (who else remembers them?) gave us the first Addams Family board game. Unlike most mass market games of its time, it's not your average roll and move.

 

Disclaimer: None of the photos in this post are mine. I'm not lucky enough to own a copy of the game! They were sourced from around the internet including BoardgameGeek.com and Dan Rosenberg from the BGG Facebook group.

 

 The box art is wonderful. You've got the whole family against a nice rendition of the house, bats flying, and for some reason a skeleton watching TV. Seeing this made me start thinking how fun it might be to have had a live action series with animated elements, a la Roger Rabbit, to allow them to do some crazier things.

 

 The board itself it something that could be framed and hung on a wall. 

 

From the inside box lid:

The moon, half hidden behind dark gray clouds, casts weird shadows around the Addams Family Mansion. It is a perfect night for the Addams Family to go on their annual midnight picnic at the nearby cemetery. The only trouble is that the family is scattered all over the house. You must have them meet in front of the house so that they can all leave together. 

 

 

There should be four tiles for each family member. It's not easy finding a good photo of the complete components for a 61 year old game!

 

Each player takes a set of colored chips (referred to as a "man" in the rules) and a tile of each family member. They place one man on the multi-color start space of each family member. Before a player spins, each person selects three of their seven family member tiles in an attempt to predict who will come up on the spinner.

 

If the spinner lands on a family member that you selected, you get to move them the number of indicated spaces. If you were the one that spun, you can either move your man double the amount on the spinner or move an opponent's man backward that number of spaces. If you land on a space with Thing on it, you draw a Thing card and follow the instructions which include things like go back to start or take another turn.

 

Turns continue until one person gets four family members to the house and wins.

 

Also in 1964, another favorite toy manufacturer, Milton Bradley, released The Addams Family Card Game.

  

 

The game is similar to War. The deck is dealt out to all players and each turn they flip a card and compare them to see who wins. 

 

 It differs from War in that these are the only types of cards in the deck. The cards essentially play Rock-Paper-Scissors with each card having one that it wins against, except for Fester/Lurch who are wild and can take all cards. If there's a tie, they continue flipping cards until only one person flips a card matching their original card.

 

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