Dr. Franklin Ruehl, Ph.D.

Why was the ending of TV's The Quatermass Xperiment changed for the silver screen? What would be the ultimate destiny of The Incredible Shrinking Man?
Was screen credit denied to the stars of several cinematic and TV productions?

The fascinating answers to these questions are revealed...

-Eek! Mouse terrorism! The owner of Nina's Bella Pizza (Upper Darby, Penn.) planted a bag of live mice in in the bathroom of the rival Verona Pizza! And, he apparently also planted squeakers in a trash can at Uncle Nick's Pizza across the street! Now, we ask, if this is...

Vengeful! Ruthless! Cruel! Romantic! Compassionate! Regretful!

These are among the adjectives that describe the vast spectrum of emotions that actor Jonathan Frid most capably incorporated into his rendition of vampire Baranbas Collins on the Gothic soap opera, Dark Shadows. For me, every episode of that series was a special...

Is it possible, just possible, that a German submarine, rather than an iceberg, sank the mighty Titanic?

When the sunken Titanic was discovered in 1985, its starboard (right) side was embedded in sand. This was the side that had struck the iceberg off of Newfoundland 100 years...

Alien! Scientist! Gunslinger! Detective! Lancer! Criminal!

These are among the numerous roles veteran character actor Warren Stevens handled most ably during his long and extensive movie and TV career. Sadly, Stevens passed away last week at the age of 92. He had been quite active until recently,...

The 70th anniversary tribute to Casablanca is today, Wednesday, March 21, where it will be shown in 450 theaters across America, with at least one presentation at 7 p.m. local time, with some venues adding an extra airing. Included will be an introduction by TCM movie host Robert Osborne.
...

Flubs are endemic to movies and television programs of all ilks! Some are continuity errors caused by multiple shooting days. Some are so-called "revealing" errors where background props, crew members' hands, and the like are visible. Others are simple mistakes made by actors scrambling their lines. And, yet others are...

Dr. Ruehl, can an ant survive being zapped in a microwave oven?

Most assuredly! Because most microwave ovens are characterized by so-called "hot spots," which are bombarded by microwaves, and "cold spots," which are free of them, an ant (or any other small insect) has a decent chance...

Were Ingrid Bergman and Edward G.Robinson offered choice roles in "The Planet of The
Apes?" Did noted film noir producer Val Lewton make a grave error in 1943's "The Seventh Victim?" Was stongman Steve Reeves ever cast as Tarzan?

These are 3 engrossing film factoids from the sci-fi/horror/mystery...

With a potentially hot new film, Man On A Ledge, on the verge of being released, it is appropriate to review four intriguing similarly themed entries from the 1950s, one from the cinema and three from TV, as follows:

Fourteen Hours(1951): A man, Robert Cosick (ably portrayed...

-- The fear of Friday is skeviphobia, the fear of the number 13 is triskaidekaphobia, and the fear of Friday the 13th is paraskevidekatriaphobia (aka friggatriskaidekaphobia).

-- While both Friday(because Judas was thought to have been the 13th guest at the Last Supper) and 13(because it is...

Was actress Gloria Dickson fated to die tragically by a scene in her penultimate film? Did monstrous actor Rondo Hatton actually suffer from acromegaly, which gave him a grotesque head? Was raven-haired Vampira in reality a Scandinavian blonde?

These are just a few of the...

This Week's "Realm of Bizarre News" Top 7

- Ouch! Angry gal down in Collier County, Georgia got into a heated dispute with her roommate over who paid for which food. Finally, she hurled a stick of butter at him, striking him in the ankle! Surprisingly, she...

A strong candidate for this title would be a stone cross dubbed the "Wolfstone" on a grave in the Fichtel Mountains of Germany. In the 18th century, a local shepherd hired a hunter to kill a strange, huge wolf which had been devouring lambs in his flock.

But, when...

THIS WEEK"S "AMAZING REALM OF BIZARRE NEWS" Top 7


-Widow in Fayetteville, TN, has been eating her dead husband's cremated ashes! When Casie Johnson's husband suddenly died of an asthma attack, the 26-year-old wife had him cremated and began carrying around the ashes in...

Less crime! Fewer accidents! More energy! These are the benefits of Double Daylight Savings Time (DDST) which I propose we institute immediately!

I am absolutely opposed to the return to Standard Time (ST)!

Daylight Savings Time (DST), when clocks are advanced...

- Halloween's origins can be traced to the ancient Celtic festival known as "Samhain," which included a feast of the dead in both Pagan and Christian times, and marked the end of harvest and the commencement of winter!

- Jack-o-lanterns were once carved out of turnips,...