Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Monsters (1965)

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

Runtime:

78 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Morgan-Steckler Productions

Movie Connections:

References Rat Pfink a Boo Boo (1966)

Strange and goofy

This odd little trio of films by Ray Dennis Steckler (sometimes AKA Cash Flagg) is his tribute to the films of the Bowery Boys, transplanted to So. Cal. in the 60's with rock'n'roll and hula hoops and skateboards and such. I guess the intent was to make family-type films but these come off as The Bowery Boys on acid, really. Steckler himself does a passable Huntz Hall, and does a lot of over-exaggerated pratfalls and such. Anyway, the first two segments come off the best, The Lemon Grove Kids & The Lemon Grove Kids Meet the Green Grasshopper & The Vampire Lady from Outer Space, and those two seem to have been filmed around the same time, but the third segment, The Lemon Grove Kids go Hollywood, falls pretty flat and is the snoozer of the trio. Overall this is fairly fun, in a stoopid (not stupid) kind of way. The colors are vibrant and the southern California locations and "fads" of the day make for interesting watching. Steckler's real life wife, Carolyn Brandt, and his daughter, are in most of the segments. It's interesting that on this DVD (and on Incredibly Strange Creatres...) that there are interviews with Mr. Steckler & I thought I'd get some insight as to what makes him tick, but he seems disgustingly normal compared to his films and screen persona. Anyway, if you're a Steckler fan, you'll probably like this, if not, this is probably not a good place to start, but I enjoyed it.