Yes, Faithful Readers, it's summertime again, and time for another spending spree consisting of Cheap-Ass discs.  Time again for a little thing we at the SpeakEasy like to call:
The savings never end!
The FUTURE!!!!
First up this time around is a nice little disc that is not only the epitome of CHEAP-ASS, but contains quite a nice surprise....

Produced by a manufacturer known as Movie Classics, and available at several chain liquidation stores (Dollar Tree and/or Dollar Zone stores seem to be anyone who's interested best bet) for the very thrifty SRP of 
one dollar American (!) is Tales of Tomorrow (pictured at left), a small collection of 3 episodes of the classic 1950s sci-fi anthology series, those being an adaptation of H.G. Wells "The Crystal Egg" (2-29-52), "Appointment On Mars" (6-22-52, with a very young Leslie Neilsen and Bryan Keith) and the real stand-out, the show's infamous adaptation of "Frankenstein" from 1-18-52, starring Lon Chaney Jr., in which he spent the entire episode drunk outta his gourd thinking that they were in rehearsal....not realizing that they were broadcasting on live television!!
During last year's Cheap-Assathon, I couldn't stop myself from endorsing Alpha Home Video and their catalog of affordable discs.......
Now yo're playing with Power!
...but, this year, I've discovered a new competitor for the title of Cheap-Ass king, CATCOM Home Video.  Offering several double feature discs at SRPs half that of Alpha (I've found CATCOM discs as cheap as 2.99!) of a ton of cult titles (such as the incredibly bad, yet incredibly entertaining John Saxon/ Rosey Grier vigilante revenge "epic", The Glove paired with the 1981 heist movie bomb High Risk (pictured at right) ), they are quickly becoming a favorite of mine.  My only problem is that I've encountered some slight problems with some CATCOM discs (they seem to like to skip chapter stops when accessing them from the main menu, and have a tendency to freeze up and stop completely whenever one tries to access the disc menu while watching a flick), all in all...the old adage: "You get what you pay for" seems to apply.  Now....if I can only track down their "Invasion of the Bee Girls" release...   ( A SpeakEasy tip o' the hat for helpful info on "The Glove" provided by members of the B-Movie Message Board)
More Chop-Socky than you can beat off with a stick!
Next up is an entry by former cult and public domain wunderkind Goodtimes Home Video: their DVD release of Bruce Lee and Kung Fu Mania, an amazing complilation of old school chop-socky trailers, spiced up with footage of Lee in some of his childhood film roles.  Packed to the brim with coming attractions for grindhouse and drive-in favorites such as:
Bruce Lee Fights Back From the Grave- a personal favorite of mine, the trailer is three times more entertaining than the actual film.
The Black Dragon- with Ron Van Cleef.  "His Specialtity is Big Muthas!"
Deep Thrust!- I've always wondered with a re-title like that, what kind of theatres the American distributers were targetting it for....heh.
The Stranger and the Gunfighter- western kung-fu with Lee Van Cleef and Lo Lieh from "Five Fingers of Death".
The Tatto Connection- (also known as "Black Belt Jones 2", with Jim Kelly) "He's James Bond and Bruce Lee rolled up in one cool package!"
Whenever you feel the need to recapture the nostalgia of old-school kung-fu action, this disc comes highly recommended.
Calling Cheap-Ass DVDs!
Another of Dollar Tree's "One Dollar Wonders", this disc containing three episodes of the long-thought lost 1951 Dick Tracy television series is somewhat a surprising find, because I believe it's the first time that the series has been available anywhere outside of bootlegs.  Produced by an outfit known only as "Treasure Box" (though I have a sneaking suspicion that TB has something to do with Madacy/Front Row Home Video), the disc presents this Ralph Byrd vechile in all it's violent glory. By that, I mean "violent" for what was considered a children's show of the era (think of the first black and white season of the classic "Adventures of Superman" with George Reeves for an example of the type of violent I'm talking about).  One episode, "Dick Tracy versus Heels Beels" features former Bowery Boy ("Whitey") Billy Benedict portrays the title villain....for a buck, ya can hardly go wrong with this one.
COMING SOON:
PART TWO
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