Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters (1965)

User Rating:

3.7/10   

Directors:

Peter Balakoff
Ray Dennis Steckler

Writers:

Jim Harmon (segment)
Ron Haydock (segment)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The adventures of the Lemon Grove Kids in this Bowery Boys inspired kiddie film. |

Plot Keywords:

Surrealism | Independent Film

Cast

Ray Dennis Steckler	...	Gopher (as Cash Flagg)
Mike Kannon	...	Slug (segments "The Lemon Grove Kids" and "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Carolyn Brandt	...	Cee Bee Beaumont (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Go Hollywood!")
Don Snyder	...	Don (Gopher's friend) (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Go Hollywood!")
Ron Haydock	...	Rat Pfink
Coleman Francis	...	Big Ed (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids") / Mr. Miller (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rox Anne	...	Roxy (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Joseph Bardo	...	Brick (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Bob Burns	...	Kogar / The Mad Mummy (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Bart Carsell	...	Duke (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Beverly Carter	...	Dum-Dum (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Estelle Cooperman	...	Witch #1 (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Tony Flynn	...	Pee Wee (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids", "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space", "The Lemon Grove Kids Go Hollywood!")
Felicia Guy	...	Flower (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
E.M. Kevke	...	Green Grasshopper (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space") (as David Miles)
Kirk Kirksey	...	Kirk (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Ed McWatters	...	The Saboteur (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Mary Morgan	...	Ma (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Larry Pearson	...	Larry (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Jim Plunkett	...	Stretch (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids")
Herb Robins	...	Chooper #1 (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space") / Killer Krump (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids" and "The Lemon Grove Kids Go Hollywood!")
D.J. Scord	...	Witch #3 (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Jeff Scott	...	Jeff (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Cindy Shea
Laura Steckler	...	Tickles
Doug Weise	...	Chooper #2 (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Patricia Wells	...	Witch #2 (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Keith A. Wester	...	Marvin-Marvin (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space" and "The Lemon Grove Kids Go Hollywood!")
John Williams	...	Skinny (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space") (as J. Jay Hartford)
Kedric Wolfe	...	Jocko (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")
Lisa Yesko	...	Lisa (segment "The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady From Outer Space")

Also Known As:

Lemon Grove Kids Go Hollywood (USA)
Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper and the Vampire Lady from Outer Space (USA)
The Lemon Grove Kids (USA)

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Morgan-Steckler Productions

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Rat Pfink a Boo Boo (1966)

equal parts Sesame Street and Scooby-Doo

Most of Ray Dennis Steckler's films are so energetic that even if they aren't very good (which is usually the case), they manage to entertain on that same odd level Edward D. Wood, Jr. established a few years before. That being said, "The Lemon Grove Kids" is a surprisingly entertaining anthology (three episodes) aimed at a young audience, but I must say I found a lot of it amusing myself (and I'm 22); Steckler has a real repoire with his actors, as they bumble about in traditional Scooby-Doo fashion, as they encounter space aliens, mummies, and kidnappers (they don't show any signs of humiliation at the sheer wackiness of the material). The first episode has the Lemon Grove Kids cleaning up an eccentric old man's ("Red Zone Cuba" auter Coleman Francis!) house, only to find it's been invaded by a grasshopper alien and a Vampira look-alike (played by Carolyn Brandt!); the second episode has the Kids cleaning the mansion (also used in "The Thrill Killers") of a washed-up Hollywood starlet (Brandt again), who is accosted by a dim-witted duo looking to score a ransom; and the third (and weakest) episode has two rival gangs competing in a cross-country (but more like cross-town) marathon. In general, this is moderately entertaining stuff for kids of any age (sure beats "Barney"), and makes me wonder why Mr. Steckler didn't do more of this type of thing.

5.5/10