"The Thing" Snowcone Maker- the least appropriate toy since the "Midnight Cowboy" Colorforms set! (Photo: www.kindertrauma.com)

Mattel's "Thing" figure was a hybrid of leftover pieces of other toys! (Photo: www.kindertrauma.com)

Count me among those who think John Carpenter's 1982 remake of Howard Hawks' The Thing is far superior to the original. Yes, Hawks' film was great for the 1950s, but you can't compare the genuine chills of Carpenter's version to James Arness running about in a shabby costume. Yet, Carpenter's film was a box-office disappointment. Released within weeks of Steven Spielberg's cuddly alien classic, E.T., poor old Thing couldn't get arrested. Even worse, attempts to market toys for the R-rated film seemed doomed from the start and resulted in a hybrid action figure cobbled together by pieces of left over Mattel toys, followed by the infamous Thing Snowcone Maker! We're not making this up folks, as it's all meticulously cataloged on the superb Kindertrauma website, which is dedicated to all the things that terrified you as a child. (Yes, there are plenty of images of clowns on the site).  The one question not answered continues to haunt us: was The Thing played by the same Thing who played himself in every episode of The Addams Family? - Lee Pfeiffer

To read every thing about The Thing click here

Here's another golden oldie from the days when movie posters were works of art instead of boring, Photoshop creations put together by somebody using a scanner during their lunch hour. In this case, it's for 633 Squadron, the rousing 1964 WWII film starring Cliff Robertson. (Photo courtesy of www.movieposterstudio.com)

Here's a doozy to debate: did Alfred Hitchcock appear in drag for an extended cameo in North By Northwest? Movie fans are arguing the issue based on this frame grab showing a stout woman with Hitchcockian features who appears on a train in the film. While there is some resemblance, I find the notion ridiculous... though I wouldn't put it past The Master to have cast a female look-alike precisely to initiate this kind of "Paul is dead" debate. - Lee Pfeiffer For more click here

Subscriber Bob Collins is working on a documentary about drive-in movie theaters. During the course of his research, he unearthed some movie ads from 1965 for theaters in the Winston-Salem area. Read them and weep, as it recalls a time when virtually every theater had a film worth getting excited about. We also loved those old triple features shown at drive-ins. Check out this bill: The Three Stooges in Around the World in a Daze, Jack Lemmon in Under the Yum Yum Tree and Richard Boone in Rio Conchos - and how about reserved seats for The Sound of Music for two bucks! We're going back into the lab to continue working on our time machine! (Bob Collins would like to hear from anyone who may have been associated with drive-in theaters or who might be a collector of memorabilia relating to drive-ins. You can reach him at: bobc007@hotmail.com)

Here's a rare video of John Wayne guesting on The Dean Martin Show in the mid-1960s. The duo appear on horseback and Duke mentions his new western with Kirk Douglas (The War Wagon). Can you name the two westerns that Dean Martin and John Wayne co-starred in? (Answer below) Click here to watch video

(Answer: Rio Bravo and The Sons of Katie Elder)