GREAT OLD MOVIES

THE DARK MIRROR

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Two Olivia De Havillands for the price of one

THE DARK MIRROR (1946). Director: Robert Siodmak.

Lt. Stevenson (Thomas Mitchell) is called in when a man is murdered and a woman named Terry Collins (Olivia de Havilland) has been identified by more than one witness as being at the victim's apartment that night. But she has an unshakable alibi -- and also an identical twin sister named Ruth. Stevenson realizes that the ladies have him over a barrel -- one probably committed murder and the other is an accessory, but which one do you put on trial for homicide? The cop enlists the aid of Dr. Scott Elliott (Lew Ayres) to find out what's up with the twins, but things get even more complicated when Elliott begins to fall for one of the women --- but which sister is it? This is an interesting cat and mouse game with good performances that is undermined a bit by some absurd dime-store psychology and Siodmak's rather routine direction. De Havilland is a bit Hollywoodish, but she has some very good moments as well. Ayres seems a trifle defeated by his role and the mumbo jumbo he has to utter. The special effects work is excellent and generally seamless. Siodmak also directed Son of Dracula and many others. Nice theme by Dimitri Tiomkin. Richard Long has a small role as Rusty. Bette Davis played twins the same year in A Stolen Life.

Verdict: Entertaining minor mystery. **1/2.

TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:25:00 +0000

A bizarre image from "Good Life"

TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE (1983). Multiple directors. Narrated by Burgess Meredith.

This big-screen adaptation of the famous TV show does not begin auspiciously with a dragged-out, unfunny framing sequence with Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks as ambulance men who sing theme songs from old television shows to pass the time; this builds up to a gag that is neither scary nor amusing.

The first segment of the movie is a new story entitled "Time Out," in which an embittered man (an excellent Vic Morrow) takes out his dissatisfaction with life on minorities such as Jews and Blacks, but then winds up back in Nazi Germany [as a Jew] and in the South [as a black], and so on. The tragic deaths that occurred during filming this segment and the repercussions were chronicled in the superb book Outrageous Conduct. "Time Out" is well-directed and edited, but it basically marked the end of director John Landis' big-screen career.

The original "Kick the Can" on The Twilight Zone [season 3], set in the Sunnyvale nursing home in which some of the inhabitants magically turn into children, has a good idea but is poorly developed, although it has a touching opening scene when one resident packs to go home with his son only to be told he has to stay in Sunnyvale. [The old people in the episode all seem too lively and lucid to be in a nursing home, which is also true in the movie.] The movie's adaptation is an improvement -- instead of just letting the "children" run off to go who knows where, it deals with the possible consequences of their transformation -- where would the kids go and do they really want to live life all over again? Murray Matheson and Scatman Crothers give good performances along with the rest of the cast. Directed by Steven Spielberg.

The adaptation of "It's a Good Life" is discussed in the post on Jerome Bixby's short story and the different film and TV versions of it.

"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" [season 5] starred a notable William Shatner as a man who'd already had one nervous breakdown on a plane, and has the misfortune of being on another plane when a gremlin or alien creature decides to poke about on the wing outside his window. This was a good episode, even if the monster looked like a hairy Harpo Marx. The creature's appearance is improved in the movie. and the sequence -- while played like a black comedy as is "It's a Good Life" -- is often intense and exciting. John Lithgow is okay as a more nervous and hysterical passenger than Shatner played. Directed by George Miller.

Verdict: Overall, this is really just so-so. **1/2.

ORIGINAL STORY BY ARTHUR LAURENTS

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:20:00 +0000

ORIGINAL STORY BY: A Memoir of Broadway and Hollywood. Arthur Laurents. Knopf; 2000.

Arthur Laurents may never have become a household name a la Tennessee Williams or Eugene O'Neill, but he did have quite a successful career with such plays as "The Time of the Cuckoo" to his credit, as well as writing and/or directing such famous musicals as West Side Story, Gypsy, La Cage aux Folles and Do I Hear a Waltz?, which was taken from "Cuckoo." He also wrote a number of screenplays for such films as The Snake Pit, Caught and Hitchcock's Rope. Laurents writes bluntly and intelligently of his experiences, good and bad, working on all of these productions, detailing the often infuriating compromises one must make in Hollywood and the inevitable clash of egos that happens on Broadway. His book is also a look at early gay life before modern Gay Liberation, where he dealt with his own self-hatred, while enjoying numerous affairs and a relationship with actor Farley Granger, and he also discusses the days of the blacklist as well. He doesn't pull any punches about such people as Jerome Robbins and others. One problem with the book, with is rich in detail and in anecdote, is that Laurents often bounces around time wise, which sometimes makes sense but also makes the book a confusing read at other times; just when you think you're done with one period or individual, you're suddenly back with them again for a few pages. There's also too much on his relationship or whatever you want to call it with dancer Nora Kaye. Laurents could be called a name-dropper were it not for the fact that he did legitimately work with and otherwise interact with many famous people, not all of whom are portrayed in a flattering light. Laurents ends the book by writing of his long-time partner, Tom Hatcher, "as long as he lives, I will." Sadly, Hatcher died six years later, and Laurents survived him by five years.

Verdict: Entertaining and absorbing for most of its length and a fine evocation of its period. ***1/2.

ESCORT GIRL

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:15:00 +0000

ESCORT GIRL (1941). Director:Edward E. Kaye.

"He's going to try to find out if the escort business is, well, flexible."

Ruth Ashley (Betty Compson) is co-owner with Gregory Stone (Wheeler Oakman) of a clip joint named the Club Martinique and a highly successful "escort" business. Ruth is horrified at the thought that her daughter, June (Margaret Marquis), coming home from school with a fiance, might find out where her mother's considerable assets are coming from. To make matters worse, June's fiance, Drake Hamilton (Robert Kellard of King of the Royal Mounted), works for the district attorney's office. His latest assignment -- wouldn't you know? -- is to find out who the true head is of the same escort service that his future mother-in-law owns. Obviously, things don't go well for this family, with Drake eventually coming to believe that June herself is an "escort." This is a fairly frank 1940's exploitation item in which the word "prostitution" is never used. but little secret is made of what's going on with these sexy escort girls. In one scene a woman practically attacks her client on a bed, and in another eyebrow-raising moment a woman who is nude except for stars over her nipples does a provocative dance number. Drake Hamilton acts like no assistant district attorney would ever act, going out and doing his own investigation and roughing up people he talks to. The acting in this is not bad; Rick Vallin [Nearly Eighteen] plays a gigolo who also works for the escort service. One thing the movie does not go into is men hiring men. This was Kaye's only directorial credit.

Verdict: Effective exploitation but nothing to miss I Love Lucy for. **1/2.

JUNGLE QUEEN

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:10:00 +0000

JUNGLE QUEEN (13 chapter Universal serial/1945). Directors: Lewis D. Collins; Ray Taylor.

"They're walking into their graves and don't know it."

In 1939 on the eve of WW II, the Nazis have sent agents to the "dark continent" believing it is a necessary strategy to take over Africa, and are using "Tambosa" as their base of operations. One of the German agents is Dr. Elise Bork (Tala Birell) who runs an experimental farm, and works with another Nazi named Lang (Douglass Dumbrille). On the side of the angels are Bob Eliot (Edward Norris) and his buddy Chuck (Eddie Quillan), who go on a mission to Africa and share a plane with Pamela Courtney (Lois Collier), whom they suspect of being an imposter until they all wind up lost in the jungle after the plane crashes. The Nazis are trying to force control upon the natives, but they are less successful with a weird white queen named Lothel (Ruth Roman), who shows up unannounced to make pronouncements, give advice to the natives, and rescue the boys and Pamela; Lothel is also impervious to bullets [where the hell she came from is never explained]. Then there's the "Sword of Tangu," which has a supposed secret, and is coveted by some of the characters. This is a fairly ridiculous serial but it's often entertaining, the leads are all competent, and it has everyone from Cyril Delevanti to Cy Kendall [the untalented Charles Laughton] in the supporting cast. Pamela is nearly eaten by hungry gators and mauled by a lion, there's a volcanic eruption that sends buildings and statues toppling, and Bob is pursued by dozens of salivating crocs in a river, nearly falls into a pit of lions, and is subjected with the others to a deadly gas attack. Birell had a notable role in The Monster Maker and Collier was in Flying Disc Man from Mars and many other movies.

Verdict: For all of its flaws, it's one of the better Universal chapterplays. ***.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Season 3

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:05:00 +0000

Barbara Bain and Torin Thatcher

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE Season Three. 1968.

The Impossible Missions Force is back with the usual suspects for a third season of highly illegal action, intrigue and phoney accents [one size fits all]. This was a solid season with more than its share of above average and a few excellent episodes. Among the most memorable: "The Cardinal," in which the team has to switch a real cardinal for a communist impersonator; "The Elixir," in which a despotic woman (Ruth Roman) is undone by her own vanity; "The Diplomat," with Lee Grant and Fernando Lamas in a suspenseful tale of stolen missile plans and deadly poison; the very clever "The Cage," in which a political prisoner must be freed from a top security prison; "The System," with a casino dealer manipulated into squealing on his boss with violent results; and "Doomsday," in which the team must stop the sale of a hydrogen bomb to the bad guys. The cast is good, with Martin Landau taking top honors. Barbara Bain remains glacial, but Cinnamon does show some emotion in another excellent episode, "The Exchange," in which she's actually caught during a mission and winds up in an iron curtain prison. There seem to be less episodes in which the bad guys instantly fall in love or lust with Cinnamon [surely some of them would prefer a less classy, overtly sexy 19-year-old?], and Bain continues to do fair-to-middling "character" impersonations, such as her "Anastasia" turn in "The Heir Apparent" with guest-star Torin Thatcher. Bain does an amusing imitation of Marlene Dietrich, bad singing and all, in "The Illusion." Robert Conrad of The Wild, Wild West shows up briefly in "The Contender."

Verdict: When this show cooks, it cooks. ***.

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:02:00 +0000

Haworth, Walter and Parker camp it up

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (1972 telefilm). Director: John Llewellyn Moxey.

Okay, get this. An old man lives alone in a mansion with his second wife, who was once accused of poisoning her first husband. Now the old man is convinced his wife is trying to poison him, and he's asked his four daughters to come home for Christmas to help him. However, he has been estranged from his daughters for years because most of them think he is responsible for their mother's suicide due to his affair with wife # 2. Then the murders begin ... Now add to that great premise the fact that the old man is Walter Brennan, his second wife is Julie Harris, and the daughters are played by Eleanor Parker (old faithful), Sally Field (li'l adorable), Jill Haworth (sharp-tongued sophisticate) and Jessica Walter (pill-popping dipsomaniac) -- and that the script is by Joseph Stefano, who wrote the screenplay for Hitchcock's Psycho -- and you've got an ABC "Movie of the Week" to reckon with! Frankly, with all that talent one would have hoped that Home for the Holidays would have been a lot more memorable, but it is an engaging and well-acted [by all] bit of grotesquerie that holds the attention and has a certain degree of atmosphere [of the "it was a dark and stormy night" variety]. George Tipton contributed an interesting score. One of the actors, however talented, sort of gives the game away with an overly, shall we say, dynamic performance, but the ending will still be a surprise to some. John Fink plays the cute doctor who lives in town and knows all the women.

Verdict: And you think your family holidays are bad ...! **1/2.

KEEPER OF THE FLAME

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Tracy confronts Hepburn

KEEPER OF THE FLAME (1942). Director: George Cukor.

A wooden bridge collapses in a rain storm and famous philanthropist, beloved war hero, and would-be politician Robert Forrest is killed when his car crashes into the ravine. Journalist Stephen O'Malley (Spencer Tracy) wants to write an admiring biography of the man, but he senses that people in Forrest's inner circle are strangely alarmed by his interest and doing their best to keep secrets from him. He finally gets to meet Forrest's widow, Christine (Katharine Hepburn, who doesn't appear until 25 minutes into the running time), and she at first wants no part of him or of his project. But she relents. But the more O'Malley digs, the more he suspects something strange is going on, and the more he is drawn to the attractive young widow ... Keeper of the Flame is one of the most compelling films to feature the duo of Tracy and Hepburn, and, as usual, they play very well together. Tracy is excellent throughout, and while Hepburn is a touch stagey at times, she also gives a very good, underplayed performance. Also notable are Margaret Wycherly as Forrest's senile and desperate mother; Richard Whorf [later a director] as Kerndon, Forrest's associate; Audrey Christie as Jane, a fellow reporter who's carrying a torch for O'Malley; and Forrest Tucker as Christine's over-protective cousin, Geoffrey. Donald Meek, Frank Craven and Stephen McNally are also first-rate in smaller roles, as is Darryl Hickman as a young boy greatly affected by Forrest's death and befriended by O'Malley. Keeper of the Flame not only works as a first-rate and unusual suspense item but illustrates the dangers of blind hero-worship, and is still interesting enough to have transcended whatever its original political motivations may have been. William Daniels' cinematography is an added bonus. This was Christie's first credit. She was also in Carousel but mostly did work in television.

Verdict: A top triumvirate of Tracy, Hepburn and Cukor. ***.

OLD ACQUAINTANCE

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:25:00 +0000

Millie (Hopkins) and Kit (Davis) have a disagreement

OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943). Director: Vincent Sherman.

"There's a certain ecstasy in wanting things you know you can't get." -- Kit

"It's late -- and I'm very tired of youth and love and self-sacrifice." -- Kit

"I'm sure if she was a man she wouldn't have shaved!" -- Millie

Katherine "Kit" Marlowe (Bette Davis), who has a written a well-received if slack-selling literary novel, comes to visit her very dear old friend Millie Drake (Miriam Hopkins), who not only tells her that she and her husband Preston (John Loder) are expecting a baby, but that she, too, has written a novel, a romantic potboiler that she is sure will become a bestseller. She's right, and several years and many books later. the Drakes are visiting New York even as Kit is awaiting the opening night of her first play. Millie does little to deal with the fact that her husband is in her shadow, and she doesn't even notice that he's fallen in love with Kit -- and vice versa. But Kit decides that sometimes a sacrifice has to be made in the name of friendship, but will Millie ever appreciate what she has done? Old Acquaintance is well-acted, entertaining, and often very funny in its tale of the self-absorbed if likable Millie and her more sensitive and understanding best friend, and it has some fine dialogue. John Loder could often be dismissed as a cinematic lightweight, but he's perfectly cast in this and has some very decent moments. Gig Young makes an impression in one of his earliest roles as one of Kit's beaus, and Delores Moran is quite pretty and competent as Millie's grown up daughter, Deirdre. Anne Revere and Esther Dale are notable in interesting supporting parts as, respectively, a reporter who speaks too freely, and a maid who knows her own mind and isn't afraid to speak it. A very amusing scene has the two friends having a confrontation, with Kit finally giving in and shaking the life out of her irritating buddy. Old Acquaintance is by no means perfect -- it's probably more soap opera than [comedy-]drama -- but for most of its length, it works. The two lead actresses are both excellent, although the ever-affected Davis sometimes comes off like a drag queen doing a Davis impersonation! This was remade years later as Rich and Famous, which, if I recall correctly, was pretty terrible.

Verdict: This is no Old Maid -- which also starred Davis and Hopkins-- but it is fun and fast-paced. ***

THE GIRL RUSH

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:20:00 +0000

The forgettable "Hillbilly Heart"

THE GIRL RUSH (1955). Director: Robert Pirosh.

Kim Halliday (Rosalind Russell) works at the Providence Historical Society wherein she learns that she co-owns a Las Vegas hotel with an old friend of her father's, Ferguson (James Gleason). Unfortunately, she mistakes the glamorous Flamingo casino, owned by Victor Monte (Fernando Lamas), for the dilapidated, closed place next door that she actually owns. Then she learns that Ferguson gambled the place away to Monte, who will claim it unless they come up with the money Ferguson owes him. A possible savior comes along in the form of hotel man Elliott Atterbury (Eddie Albert), whose father is looking for a property in Vegas. Kim balances both men romantically while her Aunt Clara (Marion Lorne) tries to jitterbug or something with Ferguson. Well ... The Girl Rush is one of those silly old musicals with mostly lousy music and a lead actress whose singing voice sounds like an out-of-tune foghorn; her dancing is slightly better but she can't compare to the chorus boys, who include Don Crichton. Albert and Lamas can sing in tune, however, and both are in fine fettle, especially the latter, whose amiable personality helps the movie no end. When she's not butchering a song, Russell is swell, but hardly anyone could save this third-rate material, which goes for the songs by Martin and Blane, although "Out of Doors" and "Alone" at least have respectable melodies. The film's nadir is the terrible production number "Hillbilly Heart," which even the chorus boys can't save. Gloria DeHaven and Robert Fortier are perky and talented as a dancing brother and sister act. Marion Lorne's "Aunt Clara" is exactly like the Aunt Clara she played years later on Bewitched [without the magic] so one might imagine that her performance in this movie won her that role. Pirosh also directed Valley of the Kings.

Verdict: Makes So This is Paris seem like West Side Story. **.

DEADLY EYES aka THE RATS

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:15:00 +0000

The "rats" go on the rampage

DEADLY EYES (aka The Rats/1982). Director: Robert Clouse.

This entertaining horror flick is very loosely based on British writer James Herbert's novel "The Rats," with the action being transplanted to Toronto from England. Deep in the sewers and subway lines rats the size of dogs [and played by dogs as well as puppet heads for close-ups] are breeding after ingesting some chemical or other, and getting hungrier by the minute. The main characters are teacher Paul Harris (Sam Groom), and his latest lady friend, a health inspector named Kelly Leonard (Sara Botsford). One of Kelly's employees (Scatman Crothers) tells her he's seen a really big rat, and later becomes one of their victims, along with teens, elderly people, and one unfortunate baby who's dragged out of her highchair. A stupid sub-plot has to do with a female student who develops a crush on Harris; she and her friends are boring, but most of the movie has to do with the busy rats, who stage attacks in bowling alleys, a movie theater, and finally on a train load of politicos and others accompanying the obnoxious mayor on the first ride on a new subway expansion line. While the movie is low-budget and even schlocky at times, it does work up some suspense, the actors are good, the "dogs" are effective stand-ins for big rats, and the sounds the beasties make are a little unnerving. Clouse also directed "The Pack," about killer dogs, five years earlier, and Botsford also appeared in Murder By Phone. Fans of the Herbert novel will undoubtedly be disappointed, but this is hardly as terrible as some have suggested.

Verdict: Actually pretty creepy if you're in the right mood. ***.

CHECKMATE Season 2

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:10:00 +0000

Sebastian Cabot with Bismark, the true star of the show

CHECKMATE Season Two. 1961.

The second season of the show about an agency whose aim is to prevent crimes before they happen is not as good as the first, but it does have some memorable episodes. Jed Sills (Doug McClure) is as amiable as ever, while Don Corey (Anthony George) sometimes comes off like a pious schmuck, and Dr. Hyatt (Sebastian Cabot) is so huge that he seems to be having a positive love affair with high-calorie food. His adorable little dachshund, Bismark, appears in only one episode. A new character named Chris Devlin (Jack Betts) helps out the boys and appears in a few episodes. The show still boasted some high-powered guest stars such as Eleanor Parker, Claire Bloom, Patricia Neal, Jack Benny, and Mary Astor, among others. Among the more memorable stories: "Juan Moreno's Body" has Jed investigating a murder supposedly committed by a migrant worker and features a knock-out performance by Diana Lynn. In "Death Beyond Recall" Walter Pidgeon plays a lawyer facing disbarment who arranges to have himself murdered. "The Sound of Nervous Laughter" is about an aging actor, his loving wife, and a series of death threats, and boasts outstanding performances from George Sanders, John Emery, and Margaret Phillips. Dana Andrews gives one of his best performances as a judge who is being targeted by one of the students in his legal course in "Trial By Midnight;" Carolyn Craig of House on Haunted Hill is also notable. Don Taylor is very impressive in "The Someday Man," about a former athlete with deadly gambling debts and other problems; Julie Adams is fine as his wife. If there was any problem with this second and final season of Checkmate, it was that some excellent episodes were interspersed with some pretty awful stories, the worst of which was "An Assassin Arrives, Andante," an intriguing idea ruined by muddle-headed writing and a weak lead performance from Richard Conte.

Verdict: Some great writing and acting but perhaps too many pretentious and tedious clunkers in the bunch. **1/2.

SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:05:00 +0000

Watch out for a pissed-off Man of Steel!

SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE (2012 direct-to-video). Director: Michael Chang.

Superman stops the Atomic Skull after he's already incinerated several people, then has to battle some genetically engineered monster insects. In the latter battle he gets help from some super-powered beings who come to call themselves "The Elite." At first Superman is happy that there are new heroes, but disturbed that their take-no-prisoners attitude and violent methods, as opposed to his more responsible within-the-law approach, have people cheering. The situation gets worse when the Skull escapes and kills more people and the Elite want to finish him off once and for all. [For which we can hardly blame them.] But the big boy scout insists on law and order, even for the Skull, and the battle is on, especially when the members of the Elite murder all the heads of state of two countries to prevent a war. It seems that an outraged Superman is going to give in to his dark side and handle the Elite the same way they would handle him -- bloodily -- but the Man of Steel just may have a trick or two up his sleeve. Joe Kelly's screenplay is not only full of thrills and action but is also thought-provoking, with good characterizations. [Although why was it necessary to make the villainess a big "tramp,"as if equating sexuality with evil?] The character voices are very well done by George Newbern (Superman/Clark), Pauley Perrette (Lois Lane), and Robin Atkin Downes (Manchester Black, the leader of the Elite), among others. Michael Chang's direction is fast-paced and continuously exciting, and the animation is fluid and striking. Want to bet that this will probably be better than the upcoming big-screen Man of Steel? We'll see.

Verdict: Excellent animated super-hero movie. ***1/2.

SHE CRIED MURDER

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 13:02:00 +0000

Lynda Day George hides from Telly Savalas

SHE CRIED MURDER (1973 telefilm). Director: Herschel Daugherty.

Sarah Cornell (Lynda Day George) is riding the subway one night when she sees a man pushing a woman in front of the train. When she calls the police, one of the inspectors who shows up, Brody (Telly Savalas of Horror Express), turns out to be the very man she saw in the subway. She keeps her mouth shut, but a paranoid Brody kidnaps Sarah's young son, and tells her if she just says nothing to anybody the boy will be okay ... The excellent premise of this ABC "Movie of the Week" is Hitchcockian, but the movie quickly degenerates into a mere woman-in-jeopardy chase film when it could have been so much more. Day is fine, Savalas is reasonably compelling in a bad guy role, and Kate Reid and Mike Farrell are okay in supporting parts, but this needs much more development and tension. Some of the heroine's actions are incredibly stupid as well.

Verdict: Time-filler that wastes a great idea. **.

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961)

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:25:00 +0000

The shipwrecked soldiers vs bad-tempered giant crab

MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (1961). Director: Cy Endfield.

Jules Verne's Mysterious Island, which was inspired by Robinson Crusoe, was first filmed as a silent in 1929, turned into one of the worst movie serials ever in 1951, and finally became a worthwhile motion picture vehicle ten years later. During the siege of Richmond in 1865, several union soldiers, a war correspondent, a freed slave, Neb, (along with one rebel soldier) escape from prison in a balloon and wind up on an isolated island miles from anywhere. The film makes two major additions to Verne's story: two shipwrecked women appear on the island; and there are also giant monsters for FX stop-motion master Ray Harryhausen to play around with. [Harryhausen claimed the story would not be entertaining without them, but this is nonsense -- actually without the monsters Harryhausen would have had little to do.] Originally the monsters were supposed to be prehistoric creatures, but it was decided to make them products of growth experiments conducted by Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom), who has taken refuge in his submarine Nautilus in an underground grotto. British actor Michael Craig may seem an odd choice to play Union soldier Captain Harding, but he does a convincing American accent and is quite good and authoritative, although he seems completely different from the star of Doctor in Love, which he did the previous year. Gary Merrill gives one of his best performances as the reporter Spilitt, and Michael Callan is also notable in his turn as the boyish and frightened but ultimately courageous young Herbert. Joan Greenwood gives her usual affected performance as Lady Fairchild [she thickly stretches out her words to a comical degree], and Beth Rogan is at least decorative as her niece. Percy Herbert and Dan Jackson as the reb and Neb round out the cast and are fine.

But the two greatest contributions are made by composer Bernard Herrmann and Ray Harryhausen. Herrmann's score is excellent, beginning with the rousing opening theme and including the quirkier music for the attack by the giant. funny-looking bird. You might quibble with the quality of some of the process shots, but Harryhausen's animation is excellent. In addition to the big bird, we've got that wonderful giant crab, huge, buzzing bees, and -- perhaps best of all -- that baleful squid who attacks the men in the climax after fixing them with its giant, evil eye. Wilkie Cooper's cinematography employs highly attractive lighting schemes. Director Endfield [Sands of the Kalahari] keeps things moving at a good pace. The underwater sequences are very well-done and we're even treated to shots of the sunken city of Atlantis.

I've always wondered why this film isn't as well-known or well-received [although it was quite successful] as Disney's adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. For my money Mysterious Island is a much better picture, and the squid in the former can't compare to Harryhausen's impressive, slithering creation.

Verdict: Exciting and colorful with wonderful effects. ***1/2.

ANNA MAY WONG: IN HER OWN WORDS

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:22:00 +0000

Anna May Wong

ANNA MAY WONG: IN HER OWN WORDS (2013). Writer/director/producer: Yunah Hong.

"I never kissed my leading man in Hollywood -- ever."

Anna May Wong [1905 - 1961] managed to become a minor movie star during a period when racism was at its peak and there were few roles for Chinese-Americans in films [the situation probably has not changed all that much today]. Her career began in silent films with small roles in movies like Mr. Wu, although she did eventually get starring parts such as in The Toll of the Sea, a Chinese version of Madama Butterfly, and went to Europe to get more lead roles in movies. Her talent and good looks were obvious from the first, but her refusal to play stereotypical parts led to her losing roles, and when she did play exotic Eurasian villainesses as in Daughter of the Dragon [a Fu Manchu picture] she was excoriated by mainland Chinese. She held her own with Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express, and a smitten songwriter wrote "These Foolish Things [remind me of you]" for her. She had a good role in Daughter of Shanghai, but by the late forties and fifties she was reduced to very small roles in such films as Impact and on The Barbara Stanwyck Show. While one could say that this brief documentary on the actress is a bit on the superficial side, like TCM's Frosted Yellow Willows which also covered Wong, the emphasis is on the positive aspects of her life and career. Another difference is that a pretty and talented young actress named Doan Ly portrays Wong at different points during the documentary, speaking Wong's "own words" from letters and interviews. There are also quotes from actor BD Wong [Law and Order: Special Victims Unit] and film scholar Pete Feng, among others.

Verdict: Interesting look at the life of a very interesting actress. ***.

HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:20:00 +0000

Laura Betti and Stephen Forsyth

HATCHET FOR THE HONEYMOON (aka Il rosso segno della follia/1970). Director: Mario Bava.

"Another bride dead. How sad. But fortunately she paid for her wedding dress." -- John Harrington

John Harrington (Stephen Forsyth) heads a bridal fashion house and is trapped in a loveless marriage to Mildred (Laura Betti), who refuses to give him a divorce. Harrington is haunted by a woman's voice calling his name, and in his twisted mind feels the only way he can uncover who she is and why she's calling him is to murder brides with a gleaming cleaver. As he puts it, "a woman should live only to her wedding night, love once, then die." Inspector Russell (Jesus Puente) seems pretty sure Harrington is the guy he's after, but can't prove it, even though he must have left loads of evidence all through his house. Halfway through the movie Hatchet turns into a ghost story [sort of like an EC comic story or something out of the later Night Gallery] as he is haunted by one of his victims, who can be seen by everyone but him except when she wishes him to see her. Bava returns to the fashion house for a horror movie after helming Blood and Black Lace six years earlier, but this time the results are less felicitous. Photographed by Bava, the film often looks good, with his usual adept color schemes, but at times it plays like a travesty. There are some good moments, however, such as when the police arrive right after a murder and Harrington is unnerved to realize a corpse on the stairs is dripping blood, which might be spotted at any second. Laura Betti later appeared in Bava's Bay of Blood/Twitch of the Death Nerve, which is much gorier than this relatively bloodless horror film. Stephen Forsyth was a Canadian actor who appeared in several Italian movies, but left the business after starring in Hatchet. Pretty Dagmar Lassander plays a model named Helen who may or may not be the sister of one of Harrington's victims. The movie is an Italian film that was filmed partly in Spain and appears to take place in France, with the Eiffel Tower clearly seen in one sequence.

Verdict: Not Bava's worst but far from his best. **/2.

SISSI: THE YOUNG EMPRESS

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:15:00 +0000

A ball at the palace

SISSI: THE YOUNG EMPRESS (aka Sissi - Die junge Kaiserin/1956). Director: Ernst Marischka.

This is the second film in the trilogy that began with Sissi. Sissi (Romy Schneider) and Franz Josef (Karl Boehm) are married and living in the beautiful Schonbrunn palace. As Empress of Austria, Sissi is instrumental in creating new understanding between the Austrians and Hungarians when she importunes Franz to offer amnesty to former enemies. Naturally, her termagant mother-in-law, Sophie (Vilma Degischer), a conservative with old, rigid ways, disagrees with Sissi, then goes too far when she decides to simply take over the raising of Sissi's baby daughter without even talking it over with the mother. This causes a brief separation between the emperor and his wife. This is an entertaining movie, even if it gets to be a little cloying at times, and there seem to be more kids [in the scenes when Sissi goes home to her family] than in The Sound of Music, adorable as they may be. Although this has the same cinematographer as Sissi, Bruno Mondi, the film and its glamorous, magnificent settings are photographed and displayed with much more care than in the first film, making this a treat to look at. Anton Profes has contributed a beautiful opening theme as well. The silly bodyguard, Major Bockl (Joseph Meinrad) is back and now in love with Sissi. Schneider, Boehm, Degischer and the other actors all give fine performances.

Verdict: Not exactly heavy drama, but lovely in many ways, and well-acted. ***.

THE LADY CONFESSES

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:10:00 +0000

Hugh Beaumont

THE LADY CONFESSES (1945). Director: Sam Newfield.

"I don't know what there is about the guy but he just sends me."

Vicki McGuire (Mary Beth Hughes) is looking forward to her wedding to Larry Craig (Hugh Beaumont), when who should show up but Larry's wife, Norma (Barbara Slater), who's been missing for seven years. While this causes a complication, it gets even worse for the couple when Norma is murdered and they become the chief suspects. But there's also nightclub owner Lucky Brandon (Edmund MacDonald), who may have been involved with Norma, and singer Lucille (Claudia Drake), who's carrying a torch for Lucky and may have been jealous of the dead woman. And what about Marge (Carol Andrews), the lady who photographs the customers, or Steve (Dewy Robinson), the bartender? Vicki decides to go undercover at the club to discover who may be keeping secrets, while Captain Brown (Emmett Vogan) conducts an official investigation. Beaumont was best-known for playing the mild-mannered father on Leave It to Beaver, but he could play different kinds of roles when required, such as detective Mike Shayne in several movies also directed by Newfield. In this he first appears doing a convincing drunk act, and has a very different personality from Ward Cleaver. This is a not bad "B" mystery with a good cast and an ending that you may not see coming. Newfield also directed The Lost Continent among many other "B's." Hughes, who also appeared in The Cowboy and the Blonde, was not a bad actress.

Verdict: Ward Cleaver on a bender. **1/2.

KILLER JOE

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:05:00 +0000

Matthew McConaughey

KILLER JOE (2011). Director: William Friedkin.

"Who would like to say grace?" -- Joe

This latter-day film from the director of The Exorcist is based on a play by Tracy Letts, who also did the screenplay. Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) owes thousands of dollars to bookies who are threatening him with death and disfigurement, so he hatches a plan -- with the full approval of his father, Ansel (Thomas Haden Church), virginal sister, Dottie (Juno Temple), and stepmother Sharla (Gina Gershon) -- to hire a hit man to murder his hated mother. The hired gun they choose is a West Dallas detective known as "Killer Joe" (Matthew McConaughey), who insists on being paid $25,000 up front. When Chris tells him that they can only pay him after they get his mother's insurance money, Joe demands a retainer -- Dottie. No one gives him any argument. Of course, things don't quite work out the way everyone thinks they will. Killer Joe is a well-made and well-acted black -- very black -- comedy that leads up to some disquieting, but hardly unexpected, violence. Ever since the relative success of Pulp Fiction, we've gotten all sorts of movies in which the characters are all complete low lives, and this is just another one, although it holds the attention for the most part and has some riveting sequences. Gershon is excellent, and Smith and Temple do the best they can considering the material. McConaughey seems miscast at first, but he quietly etches a disturbing portrait of simmering and slithering evil. Church seems like just a variation on the idiot "Lowell" that he played on the sitcom Wings; in fact, the whole movie resembles a particularly dark sitcom with violence. An unpleasant aspect of the movie is that at times it seems like little more than an excuse to brutalize women. A fellatio scene involving a piece of chicken seems dragged in for no good reason. This probably worked better on the stage, but Eugene O'Neill it's not. You forget it as soon as it's over. Friedkin and Letts also collaborated on another adaptation of a Letts' play, Bug, but based on this I'm not in such a rush to see that.

Verdict: Has its moments, but not every play needs to be immortalized on film. **1/2.

A TASTE OF EVIL

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:02:00 +0000

Barbara Parkins and Barbara Stanwyck

A TASTE OF EVIL (1971 telefilm). Director: John Llewellyn Moxey.

After starring in the mediocre The House that Would Not Die, Barbara Stanwyck appeared in a second ABC "Movie of the Week" for producer Aaron Spelling, and this time the results are more felicitous. Susan (Barbara Parkins) was raped as a child by an unknown assailant on the grounds of her family estate. After years of therapy in Europe she returns home to her mother, Miriam (Barbara Stanwyck), the strange handyman John (Arthur O'Connell), her uncle and now stepfather Howard (William Windom) and sympathetic Dr. Lomas (Roddy McDowall). It isn't long before her shadowy memories of the assault begin to plague her, and she also keeps seeing the corpse of Uncle Howard, whom she suspects of the rape, in various places -- the trouble is that Howard is alive. A Taste of Evil has a tricky screenplay by Jimmy Sangster (The Nanny, Hysteria, Scream of Fear etc.) that contains some surprises, and good performances from the entire cast. Without giving too much away, it is safe to say that Stanwyck offers a chilling portrait of one of the worst mothers who ever existed on celluloid. She doesn't gnash the scenery as lesser actresses would do, but wisely underplays and is that much more memorable and formidable, making this one of her better latter-day assignments. Some people see this as a remake of the Sangster-written Scream of Fear, but despite similarities the movies are quite different.

Verdict: Interesting enough on its own terms but Stanwyck really makes it worth watching. ***.

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Barbara Stanwyck

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962). Director: Edward Dmytryk.

"I know what it's like to love someone and not be able to do anything about it."

In the novel A Walk on the Wild Side by Nelson Algren, the protagonist, Dove Linkhorn, is a 16-year-old drifter who winds up in the sex business when he's paid to deflower [supposed] virgins for eager voyeurs. In the Hollywood adaptation, Dove is now thirty [played by British Laurence Harvey], a former caregiver for his dying father, and is shocked to discover that his lady love, Hallie (Capucine), has become a prostitute at a famous New Orleans brothel. The story is still set in New Orleans in the 1930's, but everything else is screenwriters John Fante and Edmund Morris' invention and has virtually nothing to do with Nelson Algren. Dove has gone to work for the Italian store owner Teresina (Anne Baxter) while hoping to re-connect with Hallie, a sculptress who is now hooked up with brothel owner Jo Courtney (Barbara Stanwyck), who seems to think Hallie is her personal property. Courtney's husband Dockery, (Don "Red" Barry) has lost his legs, and Jo deludes herself that her feelings for Hallie are not lustful [this latter business is more tacit than explicit]. When Dove does his damnedest to get Hallie back, all Hell breaks loose, resulting in tragedy. The "Doll House" is the least bawdy "bawdy house" that I've ever seen on film, and I've no doubt some viewers at the time had trouble figuring out whether Hallie was a prostitute or not. Jane Fonda has a supporting part as Kitty, another lost gal who winds up at the Doll House, and Richard Rust, who played the bellboy who marries the blond in Homicidal, is vivid as one of Jo's nastier associates. The performances are okay, with Fonda and Stanwyck, especially Stanwyck, taking top honors, although the material is far beneath the latter. It's pretty much beneath everyone, in fact.

Verdict: Vaguely entertaining and well-made but kind of schlocky in spite of it. **

RAY HARRYHAUSEN 1920 - 2013

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:25:00 +0000

Ray Harryhausen with one of his models

RAY HARRYHAUSEN 1920 - 2013.

Even with the advent of CGI computer effects, I was still impressed by and often prefer the stop-motion animation work of master FX man Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen did not invent the technique, but he mastered and perfected it. He worked with Willis 0'Brien [King Kong] on Mighty Joe Young, then branched off on his own with such films as The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, It Came from Beneath the Sea, 20 Million Miles to Earth, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers and The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in the fifties, his masterpiece Jason and the Argonauts and the wonderful Valley of Gwangi and Mysterious Island in the sixties, and such films as Clash of the Titans in later years. His work was always excellent, but he resisted making the films he worked on a little more "adult," and the "dynamation" he employed to bring monsters and creatures to life became increasingly expensive [and was always painstakingly slow]. Often his effects were the only reasons to watch the movie; One Million Years B.C. for instance is a bore except when the beautifully animated monsters appear, and some of his latter day Sinbad films were a bit disappointing. Still most of the movies he worked on remain tremendously entertaining today, with Jason and the Argonauts arguably his finest achievement and one of the best fantasy films ever made. Other Harryhausen films include First Men in the Moon, and The Three Worlds of Gulliver.

He was one of the greats, he will be missed, but his work is, thankfully, on view on DVD and will be for generations to come. The amount of joy that I and millions of others have gotten from his films is inestimable.

LADY ON A TRAIN

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:20:00 +0000

David Bruce and Deanna Durbin

LADY ON A TRAIN (1945). Director: Charles David.

Nikki Collins (Deanna Durbin) is on a train a few minutes from Grand Central Station when she sees a man being murdered from the window. [Agatha Christie used a similar premise -- on an English train, of course -- 12 years later, and did a lot more with it.] Unable to explain the situation with any intelligence to the police due to her "cute" ditsyness, she decides to take her problem to a well-known mystery writer, Wayne Morgan (David Bruce), but his girlfriend (Patricia Morison) objects to her presence. Learning the identity of the murdered man, she attends the reading of his will, and is mistaken for his paramour as in Something in the Wind. [And this takes place at Christmas time as in Durbin's Christmas Holiday.] The actual paramour is Margo Martin (Maria Palmer), a singer at the Circus nightclub, where some of the action takes place. And so on. This is a fairly dull comedy-mystery, but at least the identity of the murderer may come as a slight surprise. Edward Everett Horton nearly walks off with the picture as an apoplectic employee of Nikki's father; Elizabeth Patterson gives Durbin a good whack in the face at one point when she thinks she's gotten all of the dead man's money; and William Frawley [Fred Mertz] is funny as a desk sergeant who thinks Nikki is nuts. Otherwise, there are only a couple of chuckles in this. Dan Duryea, Ralph Bellamy and Allan Jenkins are also in the cast, and dour George Coulouris seems to be in another movie entirely. Durbin warbles "Silent Night," "Give Me a Little Kiss" [in the nightclub], and "Night and Day" and does a fine job with all of them. Her acting is only so-so, however. Durbin later married the director.

Verdict: Some nice things but it isn't very good all told. **.

THE FREIDKIN CONNECTION A Memoir by William Friedkin

noreply@blogger.com (William) — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:00 +0000

THE FRIEDKIN CONNECTION A Memoir. William Friedkin. HarperCollins; 2013.

Back in the seventies William Friedkin was the well-known bankable director of such highly successful films as The Exorcist and The French Connection. Friedkin admits that he let it all go to his head, made many wrong choices, and often treated people terribly. “When you are immune to the feelings of others,” he asks right at the start, “ can you be a good father, a good husband, a good friend?” Well, why would anyone want to spend a couple of hours reading the memoirs of an admitted self-absorbed jerk who isn't exactly one of the Giants of Cinema despite a couple of well-known movies? Well, there are several reasons. This is a must read for aspiring directors who need to know just how Hollywood works and the business of filmmaking and how it often interferes with the art of cinema. Friedkin lived through it all, and has plenty of info and anecdotes to deliver to those seeking a career in this wonderful and crazy profession. Other readers will appreciate the inside look at Hollywood and the behind-the scenes struggles of making a couple of famous movies, whether or not they are among their personal favorites. You are taken inside the mind of a typical director, understanding his struggles and attitudes, how he agonizes over casting choices, picking just the right cinematographer, and a dozen other things that can severely affect how a movie will work out and how it will be received by critics and public. Friedkin never thought Gene Hackman was really delivering for him while filming The French Connection and relates how the actor just didn't like and couldn't relate to his character. You'll learn how a bit actor in The Exorcist became a murderer whose horrible exploits inspired, in part, Freidkin's excoriated film with Pacino [with whom he did not relate at all], Cruising. [He also directed The Boys in the Band.] Later on Friedkin became a director of operas, despite the fact he had never been to the opera! Friedkin mostly stays away from his personal life, which probably wouldn't interest most readers anyway, but is honest about his reduced standing in the industry and the affect in status of simply growing older. This is well-written and very entertaining.

Verdict: A good bet for film enthusiasts and a must-read for aspiring directors. ***1/2.