Stars Robert Horton and Luciana Paluzzi to Attend Screening at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention Official Site: Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Japanese/US/Italian co-production THE GREEN SLIME with a special screening and appearance by two stars of the sci-fi cult classic at the Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention. The convention will show a rare film print of THE GREEN SLIME at 12:00pm on Sunday, November 8th. Actors Robert Horton and Luciana Paluzzi will attend from 11:00am-4:00pm to sign autographs and take part in post-screening interview about the making of the movie. THE GREEN SLIME has a rather interesting pedigree. In the mid-1960s, American producers Walter Manley (Shintoho`s "Starman" series) and Ivan Reiner made a handful of low budget sci-fi films overseas, including the Japanese co-production TERROR BENEATH SEA (Kaitei Daisenso, 1966) and the Italian movie series "Gamma I". In collaboration with Ram Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Toei, Manley and Reiner began work on a concept by Reiner called "Battle Beyond the Stars", in which alien monsters overrun an Earth space station called Gamma III. Reiner`s idea was developed into a screenplay by writers Charles Sinclair (the 1966 BATMAN movie), Tom Rowe, Takeo Kaneko, and Bill Finger, long uncredited but now acknowledged as the co-creator of Batman. The film was directed by Kinji Fukasaku, an internationally renowned cult filmmaker whose credits include BLACK LIZARD (Kurotokage, 1968), the Japanese segments of TORA! TORA! TORA! (1971), the "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" series (1973-74), MESSAGE FROM SPACE (Uchu Kara no Messeji, 1978), VIRUS (Fukkatsu no Hi, 1980), and BATTLE ROYALE (2000). The special effects were directed by Yukio Manoda and Akira Watanabe. Manoda was an optical photographer on many of Toho`s science fiction and monster movies in the 1960s and `70s, while Watanabe had been a special effects art director at Toho going back to the 1950s before moving on to direct the FX on movies like Nikkatsu`s GAPPA: THE TRIPHIBIAN MONSTER (Dai Kyoju Gappa, 1967).

Headlining the cast was Robert Horton as Commander Jack Rankin, Richard Jaeckel as Commander Richard Elliot, and Luciana Paluzzi as Dr. Lisa Benson. Horton had starred as Flint McCullogh in the popular western television series WAGON TRAIN (1957-62), and frequently appeared in TV shows such as ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS. Jaeckel was a popular supporting actor who appeared in THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA (1949), THE DIRTY DOZEN (1967), LATITUDE ZERO (Ido Zero Daisakusen, 1969), and earned an Oscar nomination for SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION (1970). Italian beauty Paluzzi is best known as the villainous Fiona Volpe opposite Sean Connery in the James Bond movie THUNDERBALL (1965). Toei released the film in Japan on December 19, 1968, as GAMMA III: OPERATION OUTER SPACE (Gamma Sango Uchu Daisakusen), part of a collection of kids` films and short features known as the Toei Children`s Festivals (Toei Chibiko Matsuri). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer opened the movie in America as THE GREEN SLIME on May 21, 1969. THE GREEN SLIME received strong promotional campaign in the US that included a cover story in Famous Monsters of Filmland and a 45 rpm record of the psychedelic theme song "The Green Slime" by Charles Fox, a soundtrack composer for BARBERELLA (1968), PUFNSTUF (1970), LIDSVILLE (1971), LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE (1972), and WONDER WOMAN (1975). While not a hit with critics, THE GREEN SLIME was popular with kids and has gone on to become somewhat of a cult classic.

This weekend`s Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention screening will be included as part of the general admission for the convention. Robert Horton and Luciana Paluzzi are charging for autographs, but each signature comes with a choice of photo. Los Angeles Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention Sunday, November 8 Shrine Auditorium Expo Center 700 West 32nd St. Los Angeles, CA 90007 Admission: $8.00 Show Hours: 10:00am- 5:00pm THE GREEN SLIME screening: 12:00pm