YouTube and Its Hidden Gems

^{“Invasion of the Saucer Men” poster}

Most people associate YouTube with the latest, viral short videos that include (but not limited to) bizarre music acts and “how-to” videos on anything to do with home repair. Knowing this, I suspect there are many who aren’t aware of one particular category that is somewhat of a hidden gem when it comes to YouTube… old movies.

Just like home repair videos, there are a ton of old movies on YouTube—especially old movies you’ve never heard of with actors, directors, and producers of the same status. After I watched my first old movie one night, the next night I returned to YouTube—almost the same time—another new old movie suggestion was waiting for me at the top of my list. Now, after two weeks of this kind of viewing, one of these movie types is always ready to be queued up no matter how long I’ve been away from YouTube or what device I might be watching from.

In the last month, I’ve turned to some of these offerings as a way of putting myself to sleep—in much the same way as the gazillion YouTube offerings of ASMR videos. These films typically lead to the same end except I fall to sleep because the movie is boring rather than soothing. Additionally, I put the sleep timer on the TV to one hour so I don’t have to wake up in the middle of the night just to turn the television off as most of these movies are barely over an hour.

So, what kind of movies might I be talking about here? Ideally (for me) they are sci-fi movies produced between 1955 to 1970. Some movie critics refer to these as “schlock sci-fi.” They come in a variety of sub-genres when it comes to sci-fi: first trips to another planet, encounters with aliens from other planets, or something to do with saving the planet. Further, there’s always plenty of government b-roll and miniature model sets getting blown up.

The promo posters for these movies are always done much better than the actual films. I suppose that was simply to pull the audience in. But, when the poster is a beautifully-painted and colorful futuristic image and the movie (i.e., reality) is a shoddy, blurry (thanks to being duplicated multiple times over the-years) black and white… well, it’s understandable how one can lose interest in less than an hour.

^{The main cast of unknowns in “12 to the Moon.”}

Typically these movies were made employing actors who were never household names like Audrey Hepburn, Jimmy Stewart, Elizabeth Taylor, or Kirk Douglas. Rather, the actors that starred in this era/genre of moviemaking were mostly unknown. I mean, after all, who’s ever heard of Tony Dexter and Michi Kobi (12 to the Moon), Brian Donlevy (Quartermass Xperiment), or Paul Hubschmid and Madeleine Fischer (The Day the Sky Exploded)?

^{A “saucer man” from “Invasion of the Saucer Men.” This was about as good of a look of the aliens as you’ll get in the movie. The promo poster is by far more intriguing.}

Almost everyone of these movies qualifies as a “sleeper”—even for the most severe insomniacs—yet, there are those occasions where the movie is so bad, or the plot is so twisted that I end up staying awake and watching the entire film—the same film that was suppose to put me to sleep. I’m unsure how that makes me feel, but I should at least be a little bit grateful.

So, thank you YouTube for all of these crappy movies that keep on showing up in my queue.

Want to go to sleep fast via schlock sci-fi movies from over 50 years ago? Check out some of these on YouTube:

The Quartermass Experiment (1953)
The Day the Sky Exploded (1958)
Destination Moon (1950)
First Spaceship on Venus (1960)
Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957)
Trapped by Television (1936)
12 to the Moon (1960)

Rest Stop Diversity

A typical British Columbia rest stop.

For the most part, we can probably agree that road trips are all about the scenery that comes with any given cross-country excursion. Driving to Alaska that includes passing through Western Canada will not disappoint when it comes to scenic wonders, but that’s not what I’m going to discuss here.

If one is driving from the “Lower 48” to Alaska, I think it would be difficult to overlook the contrast in rest stops along the way. In particular the difference between rest stops in the “Lower 48” versus those in Canada (and Alaska).

Those who live and drive around in the Lower 48 probably don’t give much thought to rest stops other than if they seem really clean (or dirty), how crowded they might be, and their specific locations or the various add-ons of any given rest stop (i.e., dog exercise area, playground, vending machines, etc.). And, in Montana for example, some of the newer rest stops have individual rooms that include a urinal, toilet, sink, and dryer where privacy is totally guaranteed. One of these newer versions can be found just shy of the 49th Parallel at the Sweet Grass, Montana, rest stop just before you cross into Alberta, Canada.

However, once you cross over into Canada, rest stops are reduced to a minimum. Don’t expect to find any welcoming buildings that are air conditioned with maps, wireless internet access, or an exercise area for your dog. If you’re lucky, a full-blown rest stop will include two outhouses (i.e., “pit toilets”) and some bear-proof trash receptacles. In short, American rest stops are luxurious compared to those found in Canada.

I suppose this Canadian rest-stop-minimalism is fairly practical given they have fewer people, and more miles to cover than the U.S.—certainly in their Western provinces vs. our Western states.

Rest stop signage in British Columbia.

All of this taken into consideration, it’s worth noting that the quality (or definition) of these rest stops seems to vary from one province to the other as well. For example, in the Yukon Territory, there’s probably a rest stop about every 15–30 miles. However, when you cross into British Columbia, the frequency of rest stops is about the same, but don’t expect to find any form of toilet. A rest stop in British Columbia only includes ample parking space for your vehicle and bear-proof trash cans.

I’m not sure why this is—does the Yukon Territory have more money than British Columbia? I think of the 30 or so British Columbia rest stops that I drove past, only one offered toilets—pit toilets of course.

Once in Alaska, the 49th state echos the Yukon Territory for the most part when it comes to rest stops with an occasional “trash only” rest stop here and there in between the other outhouse-equipped rest stops.

My father was a plumber and I’m pretty sure he held the belief that thanks to modern plumbing, outhouses should be a thing of the past. It’s safe to say that he would not have enjoyed driving into Canada and Alaska.

New Discoveries in Old Music

Michael Stanley and The Michael Stanley Band were a strong part of my music vernacular in my teenage years. Although this was not a typical American teenage influence, it was typical if you grew up in Northeast Ohio where The Michael Stanley Band broke most attendance records at the major venues that brought in the biggest national and international acts.

Although I can probably recite the lyrics to most of his songs between his beginnings in the early 1970s on up through the mid-80s, I’m not all that familiar with the volumes that came from him after. And if not for his untimely death in 2021, I would probably still be ignorant of it.

So, as a result of his passing, I’m catching up with his later works—post-Michael Stanley Band days. If one could describe Stanley in one word, my pick would be “prolific,” as he was throughout his career, right up to the end.

On a recent day trip to Riverton, Wyoming and back, I decided to listen to one of those albums that I was unfamiliar with, his 2005 release, The American Road (which seemed appropriate to what I was doing at the time).

I suppose there are no surprises in The American Road as it is typical Michael Stanley with his thoughtful ballads, catchy guitar riffs, and angelic backing vocals to contrast Stanley’s rugged-sounding singing style. However, one song did catch me off guard—reflective of its title, “Just When You Thought It Was Safe.”

Perhaps it’s because I’m a graphic design person, but this song sounds as if it came from a Dark Knight/Batman graphic novel.

Daggers at midnight, pistols at dawn
There’s a wild man on the corner
What the hell’s that boy on
And he’s ranting and raving 
Like a cable show host
Who’s praying his soundbites 
Get ’em hard on the coast…
And here comes the madness 
From the left and the right
Watch their agendas
Kinda steal through the night
Then some dude’s all up on you
And he’s demanding respect
Ah, you couldn’t buy a kind word 
If you had a blank check…

(chorus)

Sometimes you see it coming
Sometimes it’s far too late
(it) Always seems to get real crazy
Just when you thought it was safe
(yeah, it) Always seems to get real crazy
Just when you thought it was safe…

Crazy Melinda she’s got a lot on her mind
She’s long on looks but running short on time
And that clock you hear ticking
Is it hers, is it yours
Or does it really matter 
Behind those closed doors
Where she’s working her magic
Working the room
The naked truth or just too much too soon
And the sweat from her body’s
Made a lot of men bleed
She’s what you want, boy 
But she ain’t what you need….

Listen here: Just When You Thought It Was Safe