Starring Peter Dyneley, Jane Hylton, Satoshi Nakamura, Teri Zimmern, Norman Van Hawley
Directed by George Breakston & Kenneth G. Crane
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A foreign correspondent on assignment in Japan is secretly injected with an enzyme by a scientist trying to create a new form of life, and begins to transform into a monster.
This American/Japanese co-production is certainly unique and has a lot going for it, from the charming Dyneley in the lead, and a good supporting cast, to some frightening creature makeups, and a memorable score by Hirooki Ozawa. Some may have some trouble taking Dyneley's ultimate transformation seriously, but I enjoyed the fact that the movie went out all and committed to putting a unique creature on the screen (although similar monsters would later pop up in 1970s fare). The movie's probably most famous for its one horrifying shot in which we see something has developed on Dyneley's neck, but while the rest of the picture might not live up to that, the whole movie is really a lot of fun, and can't help but wish Breakston, Crane and company had made more productions like this.
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Sunday, December 30, 2018
Saturday, December 29, 2018
The Carpet Of Horror (1962)
Starring Joachim Fuchsberger, Karin Dor, Eleonora Rossi Drago, Antonio Casas, Fernando Sancho
Directed by Harald Reinl
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A Secret Service agent searches for the head of a criminal gang who murders with small balls that emit poison gas, while pursuing a beauty involved in the case.
A very efficient German thriller superbly photographed and edited, the picture is also well directed by Reinl with plenty of engaging characters on hand. The "carpet of horror" refers to the deadly balls when rolled across a carpet, which is pretty misleading, as this is not a horror film at all, but still well worth your time. Gottfried Pachecho's photography is very crisp and always perfectly lit, and there are a number of exciting sequences well-staged and finely assembled by the editor. Fuchsberger and Dor's whirlwind courtship strains a bit of credulity, as does the love triangle with Drago added into the mix, but not too much more than spy films to come along later. In fact it almost seems a similar blueprint to the James Bond series.
Directed by Harald Reinl
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A Secret Service agent searches for the head of a criminal gang who murders with small balls that emit poison gas, while pursuing a beauty involved in the case.
A very efficient German thriller superbly photographed and edited, the picture is also well directed by Reinl with plenty of engaging characters on hand. The "carpet of horror" refers to the deadly balls when rolled across a carpet, which is pretty misleading, as this is not a horror film at all, but still well worth your time. Gottfried Pachecho's photography is very crisp and always perfectly lit, and there are a number of exciting sequences well-staged and finely assembled by the editor. Fuchsberger and Dor's whirlwind courtship strains a bit of credulity, as does the love triangle with Drago added into the mix, but not too much more than spy films to come along later. In fact it almost seems a similar blueprint to the James Bond series.
Friday, December 28, 2018
The Ghost Of Sierra De Cobre (1964)
Starring Martin Landau, Judith Anderson, Diane Baker, Tom Simcox, Nellie Burt
Directed by Joseph Stefano
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An architect with psychic gifts is hired to investigate phone calls a wealthy man is receiving from his dead mother, and finds there may be connections to one of his previous cases.
According to the Kino Blu-ray's liner notes, this film was originally a TV pilot conceived by the men behind The Outer Limits as a horror anthology that could have accompanied their science fiction series. A series launched from the pilot never materialized, so footage was added to the pilot, and it was released theatrically. I enjoyed the film very much, although some of the padding shows, but it has some truly eerie supernatural scenes, and a good cast, with Landau strong as the architect/investigator. As for his supporting cast, it shouldn't be a surprise that Anderson's character is playing a variation on her role in Rebecca, albeit with some unique twists, while Baker has a rare opportunity for some dramatics that I haven't seen in her other work. Nellie Burt is entertaining as Landau's housekeeper who doesn't share his belief in the supernatural, and is quick to point that out on more than one occasion. I would have relished a series of these tales, but am grateful that we at least have the film, as well as the original pilot on Kino's Blu-ray, along with a pair of commentary tracks from film historians David J. Schow and Eric Grayson.
Directed by Joseph Stefano
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An architect with psychic gifts is hired to investigate phone calls a wealthy man is receiving from his dead mother, and finds there may be connections to one of his previous cases.
According to the Kino Blu-ray's liner notes, this film was originally a TV pilot conceived by the men behind The Outer Limits as a horror anthology that could have accompanied their science fiction series. A series launched from the pilot never materialized, so footage was added to the pilot, and it was released theatrically. I enjoyed the film very much, although some of the padding shows, but it has some truly eerie supernatural scenes, and a good cast, with Landau strong as the architect/investigator. As for his supporting cast, it shouldn't be a surprise that Anderson's character is playing a variation on her role in Rebecca, albeit with some unique twists, while Baker has a rare opportunity for some dramatics that I haven't seen in her other work. Nellie Burt is entertaining as Landau's housekeeper who doesn't share his belief in the supernatural, and is quick to point that out on more than one occasion. I would have relished a series of these tales, but am grateful that we at least have the film, as well as the original pilot on Kino's Blu-ray, along with a pair of commentary tracks from film historians David J. Schow and Eric Grayson.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Necromancy (1972)
Starring Orson Welles, Pamela Franklin, Lee Purcell, Michael Ontkean, Harvey Jason
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young wife moves with her husband to the community of Lillith, but finds much to question about his new boss, who favors the occult and owns the town and controls the people's lives.
This is another movie that sounds better than it is, with the thought of Welles playing a satanic cult leader a strong draw, but the famed auteur plays an almost emotionless role with no memorable scenes and the filmmakers do little to punch up his menace. Some of his dialogue is even drowned out by an overpowering organ in the musical accompaniment. The story does offer a good showcase for Franklin, whose beauty and large expressive eyes definitely make an impact, although there's only so much she can do to carry the film. I found the movie to be very much in the same vein of other 1970s films focusing on the occult, with an overemphasis on the cult's rituals and exposing female flesh, and not enough placed on depicting the actual supernatural forces called by Welles and his followers. Although known for creating his own special effects, director Gordon isn't credited with them here, and while a late scene of a boy being resurrected by the cult is well done, you wish they had had come up with something more to better distinguish the film.
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young wife moves with her husband to the community of Lillith, but finds much to question about his new boss, who favors the occult and owns the town and controls the people's lives.
This is another movie that sounds better than it is, with the thought of Welles playing a satanic cult leader a strong draw, but the famed auteur plays an almost emotionless role with no memorable scenes and the filmmakers do little to punch up his menace. Some of his dialogue is even drowned out by an overpowering organ in the musical accompaniment. The story does offer a good showcase for Franklin, whose beauty and large expressive eyes definitely make an impact, although there's only so much she can do to carry the film. I found the movie to be very much in the same vein of other 1970s films focusing on the occult, with an overemphasis on the cult's rituals and exposing female flesh, and not enough placed on depicting the actual supernatural forces called by Welles and his followers. Although known for creating his own special effects, director Gordon isn't credited with them here, and while a late scene of a boy being resurrected by the cult is well done, you wish they had had come up with something more to better distinguish the film.
Sunday, December 23, 2018
The Hideous Sun Demon (1958)
Starring Robert Clarke, Patricia Manning, Nan Peterson, Patrick Whyte, Fred La Porta
Directed by Robert Clarke & Tom Boutross
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After a laboratory accident, an atomic scientist survives but finds the sun's rays transform him into a reptilian monster.
I've read in interviews with Robert Clarke, that he was inspired to make this independent film after seeing some of the films he'd been cast in as an actor, that quite frankly weren't very good. To his credit, and that of his cast and crew, he's made a solid entertaining picture. I've also read that Clarke fashioned his story after Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, with two romantic interests well embodied by his character's purer lab assistant (Manning) and Peterson's voluptuous torch singer (boy, is she ever). Although the low budget trappings are evident, the screenplay is at times too derivative, and a number of scenes would have benefitted from more accomplished actors or some studio polish, the creature makeup is quite good, and the stock music assembled brings excitement, particularly to the climax.
Directed by Robert Clarke & Tom Boutross
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After a laboratory accident, an atomic scientist survives but finds the sun's rays transform him into a reptilian monster.
I've read in interviews with Robert Clarke, that he was inspired to make this independent film after seeing some of the films he'd been cast in as an actor, that quite frankly weren't very good. To his credit, and that of his cast and crew, he's made a solid entertaining picture. I've also read that Clarke fashioned his story after Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, with two romantic interests well embodied by his character's purer lab assistant (Manning) and Peterson's voluptuous torch singer (boy, is she ever). Although the low budget trappings are evident, the screenplay is at times too derivative, and a number of scenes would have benefitted from more accomplished actors or some studio polish, the creature makeup is quite good, and the stock music assembled brings excitement, particularly to the climax.
Saturday, December 22, 2018
The Invisible Woman (1940)
Starring Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore, John Howard, Charlie Ruggles, Oskar Homolka
Directed by A. Edward Sutherland
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An eccentric scientist perfects a method of turning someone invisible, and gets a dress model to volunteer to be his first subject.
While Universal made a more serious sequel to The Invisible Man the same year, they also fashioned this much more lighthearted comedy, with Bruce starring as the lady who's made transparent by John Barrymore, of all people. For me, a lot of the comedy falls flat, but have to admit laughing at a number of lines and situations. When Donald MacBride, playing a gangster's henchman named Foghorn, loses his voice, I don't think it's as funny as it would have been with an actor with a more booming sound, and Shemp Howard is sadly wasted in a limited role, although Charlie Ruggles fares better as John Howard's butler, the chief comic presence in the film. While Bruce gives a fine starring performance, with a sharp tongue and wit, some of the gender commentary is badly dated and a couple lines are pretty offensive. However, I'm sure there were women in the audience cheering when Bruce gets revenge on her cruel boss, and John P. Fulton's special effects are again marvelous.
Directed by A. Edward Sutherland
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An eccentric scientist perfects a method of turning someone invisible, and gets a dress model to volunteer to be his first subject.
While Universal made a more serious sequel to The Invisible Man the same year, they also fashioned this much more lighthearted comedy, with Bruce starring as the lady who's made transparent by John Barrymore, of all people. For me, a lot of the comedy falls flat, but have to admit laughing at a number of lines and situations. When Donald MacBride, playing a gangster's henchman named Foghorn, loses his voice, I don't think it's as funny as it would have been with an actor with a more booming sound, and Shemp Howard is sadly wasted in a limited role, although Charlie Ruggles fares better as John Howard's butler, the chief comic presence in the film. While Bruce gives a fine starring performance, with a sharp tongue and wit, some of the gender commentary is badly dated and a couple lines are pretty offensive. However, I'm sure there were women in the audience cheering when Bruce gets revenge on her cruel boss, and John P. Fulton's special effects are again marvelous.
Friday, December 21, 2018
The Revenge Of Doctor X (1967)
Starring James Craig, Atsuko Rome, James Yagi, Al Ricketts, Tota Kondo
Directed by Norman Earl Thomson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After successfully launching a rocket into space, an irascible scientist takes a vacation in Japan, where he performs experiments with carnivorous plants.
A daffy plot and screenplay which IMDB credits to Ed Wood are at the heart of this effort produced by Japan's Toei studio which also goes by the titles Venus Flytrap and Body Of Prey. Star James Craig, who I always thought to be a polished leading man in the 1950s, overacts his way through the ludicrous plot, as his character tries to prove his theory that man evolved not from apes, but from plants. His attempts to patch together a living plant man including raising it to the roof to catch lightning, a la Frankenstein are truly bizarre. Rome is appealing and intelligent as the lovely assistant he takes on, distinguishing herself despite the low-grade production, and I have to admit I kind of enjoyed the music score, which is about as loopy as the story. The film is badly lit, and very slow-moving, and I wonder if a unnecessary sequence with topless female divers was included to keep the audience awake. If you like bad cinema, this one's for you.
Directed by Norman Earl Thomson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After successfully launching a rocket into space, an irascible scientist takes a vacation in Japan, where he performs experiments with carnivorous plants.
A daffy plot and screenplay which IMDB credits to Ed Wood are at the heart of this effort produced by Japan's Toei studio which also goes by the titles Venus Flytrap and Body Of Prey. Star James Craig, who I always thought to be a polished leading man in the 1950s, overacts his way through the ludicrous plot, as his character tries to prove his theory that man evolved not from apes, but from plants. His attempts to patch together a living plant man including raising it to the roof to catch lightning, a la Frankenstein are truly bizarre. Rome is appealing and intelligent as the lovely assistant he takes on, distinguishing herself despite the low-grade production, and I have to admit I kind of enjoyed the music score, which is about as loopy as the story. The film is badly lit, and very slow-moving, and I wonder if a unnecessary sequence with topless female divers was included to keep the audience awake. If you like bad cinema, this one's for you.
Wednesday, December 19, 2018
Journey To The Seventh Planet (1962)
Starring John Agar, Carl Ottosen, Ove Sprogoe, Louis Miehe-Renard, Peter Monch
Directed by Sidney Pink
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A spaceship is sent to Uranus to investigate radiation signals, but when they land, they find the hostile environment has been replaced by landscapes and people out of their own memories.
We have here another sci-fi effort from director Pink and screenwriter Ib Melchior, who previously collaborated on The Angry Red Planet and Reptilicus. Although Agar is the biggest name in the cast, Ottosen plays the commander of the ship, whom he and the rest of the crew defer to. There's definitely some good ideas in the screenplay (that I think at the least inspired some Star Trek episodes) as the crew find they're matching wits with an alien intelligence who tries to distract them from their mission by recreating a number of attractive female acquaintances of the men. I liked an encounter with a stop-motion monster, and the unique design of the colorful spacesuits. However, there seemed to be some holes in the narrative, and perhaps some dialogue lost in translation, as the film was lensed in Denmark and is clearly dubbed. Yet, it's still a very watchable movie with some memorable imagery and music.
Directed by Sidney Pink
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A spaceship is sent to Uranus to investigate radiation signals, but when they land, they find the hostile environment has been replaced by landscapes and people out of their own memories.
We have here another sci-fi effort from director Pink and screenwriter Ib Melchior, who previously collaborated on The Angry Red Planet and Reptilicus. Although Agar is the biggest name in the cast, Ottosen plays the commander of the ship, whom he and the rest of the crew defer to. There's definitely some good ideas in the screenplay (that I think at the least inspired some Star Trek episodes) as the crew find they're matching wits with an alien intelligence who tries to distract them from their mission by recreating a number of attractive female acquaintances of the men. I liked an encounter with a stop-motion monster, and the unique design of the colorful spacesuits. However, there seemed to be some holes in the narrative, and perhaps some dialogue lost in translation, as the film was lensed in Denmark and is clearly dubbed. Yet, it's still a very watchable movie with some memorable imagery and music.
Monday, December 17, 2018
Mutiny In Outer Space (1965)
Starring William Leslie, Dolores Faith, Pamela Curran, Richard Garland, Harold Lloyd Jr.
Directed by Hugo Grimaldi
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A fungus from the moon is accidentally brought aboard a space station, and as it spreads, the station's commander refuses to let the crew take the threat seriously.
An interesting, but very low budget film which recycles models and other equipment from Grimaldi's previous productions, it's well-assembled but lacks excitement and enough suspenseful scenes with the growing fungus. Garland's character's mental illness in the script gives the plot a unique angle, but it's not sufficiently explained whether he's having hallucinations or just doesn't want to risk losing his command. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the cast, and especially the music, which included some selections from The Phantom Planet and others that sounded like cues from the Universal horror library. Overall the film is okay, but may be most notable for being a possible influence on the more action-packed The Green Slime some years later.
Directed by Hugo Grimaldi
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A fungus from the moon is accidentally brought aboard a space station, and as it spreads, the station's commander refuses to let the crew take the threat seriously.
An interesting, but very low budget film which recycles models and other equipment from Grimaldi's previous productions, it's well-assembled but lacks excitement and enough suspenseful scenes with the growing fungus. Garland's character's mental illness in the script gives the plot a unique angle, but it's not sufficiently explained whether he's having hallucinations or just doesn't want to risk losing his command. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the cast, and especially the music, which included some selections from The Phantom Planet and others that sounded like cues from the Universal horror library. Overall the film is okay, but may be most notable for being a possible influence on the more action-packed The Green Slime some years later.
Sunday, December 16, 2018
Vigil In The Night (1940)
Starring Carole Lombard, Brian Aherne, Anne Shirley, Julien Mitchell, Robert Coote
Directed by George Stevens
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An exemplary nurse covers for her sister when a child dies on her watch, and leaves to work at a new hospital where she becomes enamored with a doctor warring with the hospital's wealthy chairman.
A fine vehicle for Lombard, with the actress particularly angelic in her role as Nurse Anne Lee, the picture is an efficient drama, albeit with some melodramatic scenes that are at times a bit too hard to believe. Nevertheless, it's well acted, and notable for featuring Peter Cushing, in just his fourth film, as Joe Shand, who begins the film in love with Lee, but switches to her sister after Anne's departure. I thought the story was very progressive for its time, not glamorizing but emphasizing the difficulties of a nurse's life, including contending with unwanted male advances, as well as the daily struggles of all employed at a hospital. More surprising was the fact that although a romantic angle is played up in the connection between Lombard and Aherne, it's not consummated, and made clear that their work takes precedence. This had to be unique at the time, which makes the film stand out all the more today.
Directed by George Stevens
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
An exemplary nurse covers for her sister when a child dies on her watch, and leaves to work at a new hospital where she becomes enamored with a doctor warring with the hospital's wealthy chairman.
A fine vehicle for Lombard, with the actress particularly angelic in her role as Nurse Anne Lee, the picture is an efficient drama, albeit with some melodramatic scenes that are at times a bit too hard to believe. Nevertheless, it's well acted, and notable for featuring Peter Cushing, in just his fourth film, as Joe Shand, who begins the film in love with Lee, but switches to her sister after Anne's departure. I thought the story was very progressive for its time, not glamorizing but emphasizing the difficulties of a nurse's life, including contending with unwanted male advances, as well as the daily struggles of all employed at a hospital. More surprising was the fact that although a romantic angle is played up in the connection between Lombard and Aherne, it's not consummated, and made clear that their work takes precedence. This had to be unique at the time, which makes the film stand out all the more today.
Friday, December 14, 2018
The Satanic Rites Of Dracula (1973)
Starring Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Michael Coles, William Franklyn, Freddie Jones
Directed by Alan Gibson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Lorrimer Van Helsing is brought in to assist the authorities in investigating a house where several British officials have been participating in satanic rites, and finds Count Dracula is involved.
Lee, Cushing, Coles, and director Gibson return for another modern day Dracula film after Dracula A.D. 1972, with the focus less on the "satanic rites" of the title, but a scheme by the Count to decimate the Earth. Lee is his usual foreboding self and even gets to do a Bela Lugosi impression, while Cushing has some memorable scenes showcasing the character's fiery determination. Van Helsing's granddaughter is recast with Joanna Lumley, who certainly looks beautiful, but lacks the personality Stephanie Beacham brought to the role in the previous film. I liked the mystery angle of Don Houghton's story, but thought Gibson's direction of it gave the film a more plodding pace than previous efforts, and found many of cinematographer Brian Probyn's camera setups lacking in building excitement or suspense. John Cacavas' score has a wonderfully evocative main title, but I was a little disappointed by the rest of it. The climax of the film which has Dracula largely subdued by a disappointing new idea for a vampiric weakness is also disappointing, but it's still Cushing and Lee, and there's some memorable images and scenes, and I wouldn't want to be trapped in that basement with all those vampire ladies.
Directed by Alan Gibson
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Lorrimer Van Helsing is brought in to assist the authorities in investigating a house where several British officials have been participating in satanic rites, and finds Count Dracula is involved.
Lee, Cushing, Coles, and director Gibson return for another modern day Dracula film after Dracula A.D. 1972, with the focus less on the "satanic rites" of the title, but a scheme by the Count to decimate the Earth. Lee is his usual foreboding self and even gets to do a Bela Lugosi impression, while Cushing has some memorable scenes showcasing the character's fiery determination. Van Helsing's granddaughter is recast with Joanna Lumley, who certainly looks beautiful, but lacks the personality Stephanie Beacham brought to the role in the previous film. I liked the mystery angle of Don Houghton's story, but thought Gibson's direction of it gave the film a more plodding pace than previous efforts, and found many of cinematographer Brian Probyn's camera setups lacking in building excitement or suspense. John Cacavas' score has a wonderfully evocative main title, but I was a little disappointed by the rest of it. The climax of the film which has Dracula largely subdued by a disappointing new idea for a vampiric weakness is also disappointing, but it's still Cushing and Lee, and there's some memorable images and scenes, and I wouldn't want to be trapped in that basement with all those vampire ladies.
Thursday, December 13, 2018
Valley Of The Dragons (1961)
Starring Cesare Danova, Sean McClory, Joan Staley, Danielle De Metz, Gregg Martel
Directed by Edward Bernds
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Two men during a duel to the death are swept off the Earth onto a comet, where they discover prehistoric creatures and join tribes of early cave people.
Very loosely based on a Jules Verne novel, this film, had it been made with a larger budget, might have made for a really unique adventure film, but there's so much stock footage utilized here, it's hard to make a convincing case for judging the movie on its own merits. Although other films had used footage from Hal Roach's One Million B.C. before, I don't think any had used the vast amount of footage they use here, clearly scripting and costuming the picture around the 1940 film's scenes. The special effects in One Million B.C. are still impressive, but passing lizards off as dinosaurs isn't any more acceptable in 1961 then it was twenty-one years earlier. The filmmakers also use footage from the much more recent Japanese kaiju film Rodan to stand in for a prehistoric pteranodon which audiences of the time had to notice. That being said, I still enjoy this film and it has a high fun factor. Danova and McClory are engaging leads, Staley is entertaining as a cavewoman who doesn't let anyone come between her and Danova, and Ruby Raksin's score is fun and atmospheric.
Directed by Edward Bernds
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
Two men during a duel to the death are swept off the Earth onto a comet, where they discover prehistoric creatures and join tribes of early cave people.
Very loosely based on a Jules Verne novel, this film, had it been made with a larger budget, might have made for a really unique adventure film, but there's so much stock footage utilized here, it's hard to make a convincing case for judging the movie on its own merits. Although other films had used footage from Hal Roach's One Million B.C. before, I don't think any had used the vast amount of footage they use here, clearly scripting and costuming the picture around the 1940 film's scenes. The special effects in One Million B.C. are still impressive, but passing lizards off as dinosaurs isn't any more acceptable in 1961 then it was twenty-one years earlier. The filmmakers also use footage from the much more recent Japanese kaiju film Rodan to stand in for a prehistoric pteranodon which audiences of the time had to notice. That being said, I still enjoy this film and it has a high fun factor. Danova and McClory are engaging leads, Staley is entertaining as a cavewoman who doesn't let anyone come between her and Danova, and Ruby Raksin's score is fun and atmospheric.
Monday, December 10, 2018
Carolina Blues (1944)
Starring Kay Kyser, Ann Miller, Victor Moore, Jeff Donnell, Howard Freeman
Directed by Leigh Jason
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After returning home from a tiring tour entertaining servicemen, Kyser is convinced to postpone the band's vacation to perform a benefit for his hometown, while a new singer tries to get him to hire her.
The last feature film to star Kyser and his band, the picture teams them with the Columbia studio's musical star, Ann Miller, who sings, dances, and ends up a love interest for Kyser. The film interestingly casts her as a replacement for featured singer Georgia Carroll, explaining Carroll's retiring to marry a serviceman, when in reality she would marry Kyser. This is probably the slightest of the screen stories for Kyser and the band, rushing them from performance to performance, and the screenplay rather mean-spiritedly has Kyser pretend to be dying to get the band to rush to his side for another benefit. Much is tried to make comedy out of Victor Moore's appearance in the film, even having him appear as a variety of his character's relatives in a multiple composite sequence, but while he's always been an affable screen presence, he doesn't have the ability to really make this funny. The deadpan Ish Kabibble fares better, and is given the charming Miss Jeff Donnell as a girlfriend to play off of. The best part of the picture, the musical numbers, are great, and none better than a sequence staged on a replica of a Harlem street, featuring a crowd of black performers, fronted by the super-talented dancer Harold Nicholas.
Directed by Leigh Jason
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
After returning home from a tiring tour entertaining servicemen, Kyser is convinced to postpone the band's vacation to perform a benefit for his hometown, while a new singer tries to get him to hire her.
The last feature film to star Kyser and his band, the picture teams them with the Columbia studio's musical star, Ann Miller, who sings, dances, and ends up a love interest for Kyser. The film interestingly casts her as a replacement for featured singer Georgia Carroll, explaining Carroll's retiring to marry a serviceman, when in reality she would marry Kyser. This is probably the slightest of the screen stories for Kyser and the band, rushing them from performance to performance, and the screenplay rather mean-spiritedly has Kyser pretend to be dying to get the band to rush to his side for another benefit. Much is tried to make comedy out of Victor Moore's appearance in the film, even having him appear as a variety of his character's relatives in a multiple composite sequence, but while he's always been an affable screen presence, he doesn't have the ability to really make this funny. The deadpan Ish Kabibble fares better, and is given the charming Miss Jeff Donnell as a girlfriend to play off of. The best part of the picture, the musical numbers, are great, and none better than a sequence staged on a replica of a Harlem street, featuring a crowd of black performers, fronted by the super-talented dancer Harold Nicholas.
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
The Strange Case Of Doctor Rx (1942)
Starring Patric Knowles, Lionel Atwill, Anne Gwynne, Samuel S. Hinds, Mona Barrie
Directed by William Nigh
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A successful detective is lured out of a planned retirement to tackle the case of a murderer who targets mob bosses who've been acquitted as his victims.
This mystery from Universal Pictures has a few horror elements and plenty of regulars at the studio in the cast, who are fun to spot and offer numerous red herrings for the audience to puzzle over. The film also has a double dose of comic relief with Mantan Moreland serving as Knowles' valet, and Shemp Howard assisting Edmund MacDonald's police captain. Howard in particular is hilarious, and Moreland has some rare dramatic scenes when he's taken captive by Doctor Rx. I've read somewhere that the screenplay went through a lot of revisions and some scenes may have been ad-libbed. Whatever the results it's definitely an unusual balance of comedy and drama, which led my friend Dan Day Jr. to call it one of Universal's weirdest films. I like it, but it's definitely a departure.
Directed by William Nigh
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A successful detective is lured out of a planned retirement to tackle the case of a murderer who targets mob bosses who've been acquitted as his victims.
This mystery from Universal Pictures has a few horror elements and plenty of regulars at the studio in the cast, who are fun to spot and offer numerous red herrings for the audience to puzzle over. The film also has a double dose of comic relief with Mantan Moreland serving as Knowles' valet, and Shemp Howard assisting Edmund MacDonald's police captain. Howard in particular is hilarious, and Moreland has some rare dramatic scenes when he's taken captive by Doctor Rx. I've read somewhere that the screenplay went through a lot of revisions and some scenes may have been ad-libbed. Whatever the results it's definitely an unusual balance of comedy and drama, which led my friend Dan Day Jr. to call it one of Universal's weirdest films. I like it, but it's definitely a departure.
Monday, December 3, 2018
The Egyptian Mummy (1914)
Starring Lee Beggs, Constance Talmadge, Billy Quirk, Joel Day, Nellie Anderson
Directed by Lee Beggs
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young man disguises a vagrant as an Egyptian mummy and sells him to a scientist so he can obtain enough money to marry the scientist's daughter.
We have here an early comedy short notable for the presence of Talmadge, one of a trio of sisters famed for their parts in silent films. It's also interesting as perhaps a hint of inspiration for future Mummy films, as the scientist (played by director Beggs), creates an "elixir of life" for returning consciousness to ancient mummies. As a comedy, it's fairly entertaining if not laugh out loud, although I did laugh when the scientist puts a notice in the want ads that he's willing to pay for an Egyptian mummy. I guess that's how you got anything you needed back then.
Directed by Lee Beggs
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A young man disguises a vagrant as an Egyptian mummy and sells him to a scientist so he can obtain enough money to marry the scientist's daughter.
We have here an early comedy short notable for the presence of Talmadge, one of a trio of sisters famed for their parts in silent films. It's also interesting as perhaps a hint of inspiration for future Mummy films, as the scientist (played by director Beggs), creates an "elixir of life" for returning consciousness to ancient mummies. As a comedy, it's fairly entertaining if not laugh out loud, although I did laugh when the scientist puts a notice in the want ads that he's willing to pay for an Egyptian mummy. I guess that's how you got anything you needed back then.
Saturday, December 1, 2018
Invasion Of The Bee Girls (1973)
Starring William Smith, Anitra Ford, Victoria Vetri, Cliff Osmond, Wright King
Directed by Denis Sanders
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A government agent investigates deaths of men by sexual exhaustion in a small community, and follows the evidence to a female scientist who has been experimenting with bees.
Written by Nicholas Meyer, better known today for writing and directing his Star Trek films, the movie's sci-fi angle would have been interesting if further developed, but the story is really just an excuse to show off the bodies of numerous naked women, including Anitra Ford, a former spokesmodel on The Price Is Right. We never really get an explanation of what motivated the murders, or why the recruiting of women to become "bee girls," although the dark black pupils they take on when aroused are certainly eerie. I think it would have been a more effective thriller emphasizing the idea that women were taking over for men's transgressions against them, but if that message exists anywhere in the film, it's buried under a misogynistic approach of exploiting its female cast members as sex objects. I'm not saying that there's not any enjoyable content in the film, or that the actresses aren't used effectively, but less skin and more dialogue for the ladies would have gone a long way.
Directed by Denis Sanders
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A government agent investigates deaths of men by sexual exhaustion in a small community, and follows the evidence to a female scientist who has been experimenting with bees.
Written by Nicholas Meyer, better known today for writing and directing his Star Trek films, the movie's sci-fi angle would have been interesting if further developed, but the story is really just an excuse to show off the bodies of numerous naked women, including Anitra Ford, a former spokesmodel on The Price Is Right. We never really get an explanation of what motivated the murders, or why the recruiting of women to become "bee girls," although the dark black pupils they take on when aroused are certainly eerie. I think it would have been a more effective thriller emphasizing the idea that women were taking over for men's transgressions against them, but if that message exists anywhere in the film, it's buried under a misogynistic approach of exploiting its female cast members as sex objects. I'm not saying that there's not any enjoyable content in the film, or that the actresses aren't used effectively, but less skin and more dialogue for the ladies would have gone a long way.