CONGRATULATION! A Winner Is Me!

Well, look at what we got here!

You see this? Well, get a good look at it because this is the first DVD I've ever won in a contest!

I had to take a minute and rest here from doing the Snoopy Happy Dance all day to first explain: a while back I entered a contest over at Erick's Wonderful Wonderblog, a blog I've not only visited more than once but one that always fascinates me with its wealth of entertaining posts, subject matter, and the fact that I think he may very well be an even bigger movie fan than yours truly.

And that, kids, is saying something.

The reason for my jubilation, my winning the DVD you see to the left, is two-fold. One: because I'm not usually the kind of individual who goes around winning every contest he enters, which makes this prize all the more outstanding.

And two: it's a Val Lewton!

Don't you dare say "who?" at that name....

Oh, you already did. Heathen.

For those who know no better: Val Lewton was a legendary producer who began as a publicist for MGM Studios, worked his way up as a writer, literary property scout for and censor board liaison for David O Selznick. But his greatest work came when he was hired in the 1940s as a producer for RKO Pictures, where he was given three conditions on the films he would produce: they had to be cheap ($150,000 or less), they had to be short (75 minutes or less) and his bosses got to choose the titles for each.

Yet it was from these conditions that movie-lovers and fans of deep, psychologically complex drama and horror everywhere got such gifts as Cat People, Youth Runs Wild, The Leopard Man, Bedlam, The Ghost Ship, and others.

The DVD I received has two of Lewton's classic endeavors - I Walked With A Zombie and The Body Snatcher. These are two of the most important and most wonderful movies I remember seeing as a young lad and cowering behind my pillow on the couch in a dark living room while watching late on a Saturday night. And now I can relive those moments time and again....

My thanks go out to Erick again, for the chance to win, the chance to watch my favorite movies again and for the opportunity to give a shout-out to a fellow blogger-in-arms when it comes to cinematic tastes. Go visit the Wonderful Wonderblog right now and see what I mean about this guy. Now. Do it. Go.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go wait by my mailbox....

Dope out.

- TGWD