Celebrate madness, not science at Museum's First Friday in February
January 26, 2006
For calendar, entertainment and film writers/editors. Images available.
RALEIGH -- Alive ... without a body ... fed by
an unspeakable horror from hell! What could it be? Head on down
to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh
and open your mind to "The Brain that Wouldn't Die" (1962), this
month's Natural Horror Picture Show -- 7 p.m. on Friday, February
3, 2006.
"Brain" tells the story of the ultimate mad scientist, Dr. Bill Cortner, who
has reached a mental block in his experimentation with limb transplants. A big
breakthrough is just around the corner when his fiancée, Jan Compton,
loses her head over a little fender bender. The good doctor keeps Jan's head
alive in his lab while he scours the local strip clubs searching for a suitable
body donor. But what's that terrible noise coming from the closet in the laboratory?
Former model Virginia Leath plays the full-bodied-turned-disembodied Jan Compton,
who is also listed in the credits as "Jan in the Pan." Unfortunately for Leath,
this turns out to be the role that defined her career. Her last notable appearance
-- in one piece, no less -- was in a 1977 episode of "Starsky and Hutch" titled "Death
in a Different Place."
The young and ambitious Dr. Cortner is played by Jason Evers. While Evers garnered
few roles in feature films, he made more than 100 appearances in hit (and miss)
television shows ranging from "Bonanza" and "Perry Mason" in the '60s to "Dukes
of Hazard" and the "A-Team" in the '80s. Nobody knows for sure if his "Brain" character's
name is a play on "cortex" -- the outer layer of the brain.
The Museum stays open from 5 till 9 p.m. and the feature film begins at 7 p.m.
Come early for live jazz from The Guns of El Barracho and quirky film shorts
from the AV Geeks. You can also enjoy light fare and beverages from the Acro
Café. Additionally, the Museum Store offers after-hours shopping and an
opening reception for two new artists in the Nature Art Gallery.
You can also make a list of the movie's scientific inaccuracies as you check
out the Museum's newest traveling exhibit -- "BRAIN: The World Inside Your Head" --
which stays open till 9 p.m. (last tickets sold at 8 p.m.). BRAIN gives you a
peek inside the quintessential organic computer that is responsible for every
thought, every motion and every response your body makes. Exhibit tickets are
discounted for First Friday attendees: $3 for all; free for Friends of the Museum.
More information at http://www.naturalsciences.org
The Museum of Natural Sciences is located in downtown Raleigh at 11 West Jones
Street. Parking is available on the street and in surface lots along Wilmington
and Edenton streets. For more information, contact Steve Popson at 919-733-7450,
ext. 379.
The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, in downtown Raleigh, documents and interprets the natural history of the state of North Carolina through exhibits, research, collections, publications, and educational programming. Hours: Mon.-Sat., 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sun., noon to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Visit the Museum on the web at www.naturalsciences.org. The Museum is an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr., Secretary.
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