Visit To A Small Planet (1960)

Starring Jerry Lewis, Joan Blackman, Earl Holliman, Fred Clark, John Williams
Directed by Norman Taurog

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A space alien trying to learn more about the earth descends to the planet and stays with the family of a gruff TV commentator who doesn't believe in extraterrestrial life.

Lewis stars as the alien in another of his "fish out of water" pictures.  This was based on a play by Gore Vidal, but according to my friend Dwight Kemper, there's little similarity, with the plot rewritten by Paramount's screenwriters.  When the alien discovers the Civil War is over, instead of trying to start a new war, as in the play, he uses his powers to impress a young couple, including levitating cars and people, and showing off magical drum work at a hipster club.  This leads to a romantic entanglement with the commentator's daughter and conflict with her fiancee.   Most of the humor is lowbrow but the special effects are pretty good, from the great John P. Fulton.

The Night The World Exploded (1957)

Starring Kathryn Grant, William Leslie, Tris Coffin, Raymond Greenleaf, Charles Evans
Directed by Fred F. Sears

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A seismologist and his assistant try to track down the source of a series of unrelenting earthquakes, and discover a previously unknown element is responsible.

A low-budget programmer from Columbia Pictures, there's not much in the way of special effects, except the flaming and growing element 111, which is nevertheless believably showcased.  Leslie stars as Dr. David Conway, and Grant (of The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad and her marriage to Bing Crosby) is probably the biggest star in the film, hence her top billing.  Their characters are saddled with a subplot of trying to admit their love for each other, while attempting to save the world.  It's not a bad picture, and is fairly well plotted and scripted, although some sexist dialogue exists.  Still, it doesn't quite make the impact it needs to for a seeming "end of the world" picture, despite amiable characters worth caring about.

The Bamboo Saucer (1968)

Starring Dan Duryea, John Ericson, Lois Nettleton, Bob Hastings, Vincent Beck
Directed by Frank Telford

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A team of U.S. agents head into Red China to retrieve a flying saucer and meet up with a Russian group after the same objective.

Cold-war dramatics and science fiction meet in an interesting picture co-written by familiar special-effects artist John P. Fulton, who provided startling visuals for many a Universal picture in the 1930s and 1940s.  Fulton also teams with Glen Robinson to provide the effects for this picture in the form of a luminescent spaceship that menaces the airways.  Duryea, a familiar leading man from a number of noir pictures in the 40s, stars as the gruff leader of the U.S. expedition, but the focus is more on test pilot Ericsson, and the beautiful Russian translator he falls for from the other group.  Although there are some dated attitudes in the film, the story is rather clever, as the Americans and the Russians work together to determine how the ship flies, while tensions between them jeopardize their mission.

The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1961)

Starring Janet Munro, Leo McKern, Edward Judd, Michael Goodliffe, Bernard Braden
Directed by Val Guest

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After nations set off two atomic tests simultaneously, weather patterns change and London is beset by extreme temperatures, leading the reporters of the Daily Express to discover a new global threat.

We have here a landmark science fiction drama which has the feel of realism due to a large amount of documentary-like footage, and its emphasis on the newspaper reporters searching for the truth at the center of it all.  Judd plays a hard-drinking writer at the Express who has lax work habits and is more interested in pursuing Munro, a secretary at the Medical Center that employs scientists that give him the runaround.  Leo McKern is excellent as the veteran reporter working alongside Judd, with scientific expertise of his own that keeps their investigations on target.   Another strong asset to the film is its script, giving the reporters snappy dialogue and retorts which really make the picture move, written by director Guest and Wolf Mankowitz.  Although the documentary footage is the primary device used to show the danger London is in, a special effects sequence in which the city is covered by a giant misting fog, is well done at further illustrating the threat.

The Disembodied (1957)

Starring Paul Burke, Allison Hayes, John Wengraf, Eugenia Paul, Joel Marston
Directed by Walter Grauman

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The manipulative young wife of a doctor of psychology living in the jungle uses voodoo and her feminine wiles to get a visiting white man to do her bidding.

A nice showcase for Hayes, the picture has some well-done voodoo sequences with Hayes dancing as the "voodoo queen" and making the needed sacrifices.  Wengraf and his distinguished accent are strong in support as her jealous but reclusive husband, while Burke is serviceable as the white man who falls under Hayes' spell.  Marlin Skiles delivers a fine jungle and voodoo influenced score, and the film smartly avoids using too much stock footage, although most of the principal actors playing black natives, are white, notably Dean Fredericks, star of The Phantom Planet.  For the most part, the picture is a straightforward jungle drama, with a few supernatural touches, so don't expect more than that, but Hayes is always worth watching.

Buck Rogers (1938)

Starring Buster Crabbe, Constance Moore, Jackie Moran, Jack Mulhall, Anthony Warde
Directed by Ford Beebe & Saul A. Goodkind

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Colonel Buck Rogers and his young friend Buddy Wade wake up after 500 years in suspended animation to discover the Earth has been subjugated by the cruel Killer Kane.

Crabbe follows up his starring role in the Flash Gordon serial by portraying another comic strip hero, and there are some similarities with Gordon, from the spaceship effects to the friends and villains Buck takes on through the course of the storyline.  However, there's less of an emphasis on fantastic sights and locales, other than the new technology Buck encounters, including teleportation chambers, a rocket train, and flying belts.  The serial focuses on the clash between Killer Kane, who blockades the Earth with his rocketships and uses mind control on the prisoners he enslaves, and the people of the "Hidden City" who rebel against him, including familiar Rogers associates Dr. Huer and Wilma Deering.  Crabbe is excellent, getting to utter some dramatic speeches along with his derring-do, but Warde is pretty much a one-note villain, never leaving his council chambers, and leaving it up to his guards to handle Rogers.  Moore as Deering is a dependable partner for Buck, and Moran as the young Buddy is earnest and likable enough but wears a bit with his whining whenever he's left behind.  The presence of Universal's classic music cues enhances the action and other goings on, and overall this is a good serial, if not quite in the same league as Flash Gordon.

The Curse Of The Crying Woman (1961)

Starring Rosita Arenas, Abel Salazar, Rita Macedo, Carlos Lopez Moctezuma, Enrique Lucero

Directed by Rafael Baledon

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A witch descended from the legendary Crying Woman plots to use her niece to resurrect her ancient ancestor.

Based on a Mexican legend, this film amps up its horror elements as the evil witch Selma murders to fulfill a prophecy that will gain her absolute power if she can get her niece to fulfill her end.  Played by Rita Macedo, her evil doings are given heightened menace by the actress wearing black contact lenses giving her a very creepy spider-like visage.  Niece Amelia and her husband get drawn into her web, and also must contend with Selma’s insane husband and Juan, her scarred clubfooted partner in crime.  Baledon and his crew pack lots of dark imagery into the tale and creepy sights like rats and decaying corpses.  I’m not sure all the elements come together to make a unified whole and I thought the Crying Woman’s backstory was given too short shrift within the tale, but it’s still a worthwhile picture.

The Blancheville Monster (1963)

Starring Gerard Tichy, Leo Anchoriz, Ombretta Colli, Helga Line, Iran Eory
Directed by Alberto De Martino

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young woman returns to her ancestral castle for her 21st birthday, only to be stalked by her disfigured father, ready to fulfill a prophecy that requires her death.

This moody psychological thriller starts out with a bang as the camera pans through a leafless forest during an electrical storm before moving to the dark foreboding castle in the background illuminated by lightning.  With a very atmospheric music score, and dark shadowy photography, there's much for the horror fan to enjoy, as we're introduced to the characters, with Colli's innocent damsel discovering her brother, his doctor, and their housekeeper all possessing dark secrets that will eventually be disclosed.  Although the film introduces its "monster" early on, I did find the story a bit slow-moving with numerous scenes where not much happens.  Nonetheless, this is still a work of quality, which looks great and is worth additional viewings.

The Curse Of The Living Corpse (1964)

Starring Roy Scheider, Helen Waren, Robert Milli, Margot Hartman, Hugh Franklin
Directed by Del Tenney

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In 19th century New England, a cruel landowner dies, but warns his heirs that his spirit will hunt them down and murder them if they don't abide by the conditions of his will.

Del Tenney, probably best known for his horror-musical The Horror Of Party Beach, also made this horror film which is quite different, a stark period piece with victims being stalked on the grounds of a New England estate.  Scheider, later to star in Jaws, is the standout among a cast I was largely unfamiliar with, playing a smarmy drunkard who gets quite the showcase.  The horror scenes are generally well done, with a variety of attacks built around the characters' worst fears, and are broken up by the comic relief of a rotund constable who bumbles his way through trying to protect the family.  Although suitably unique from other fare of the time, the film is somewhat slow moving and not very involving with most of the main characters being unsympathetic.  Nevertheless, it's a good try by Tenney and has some worthwhile dark atmosphere.

I Married A Monster From Outer Space (1958)

Starring Tom Tryon, Gloria Talbott, Peter Baldwin, Robert Ivers, Chuck Wassil
Directed by Gene Fowler Jr.

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

On the eve of his wedding, an insurance salesman is secretly replaced by an alien being using his body, but before long his new bride begins to suspect he's an imposter. 

A distinctive and memorable science fiction drama, the picture has a well-written screenplay that slowly builds suspense as Talbott sees more and more evidence Tryon isn't the man she fell in love with.  It also has wonderful special effects for the era, courtesy of Universal veteran John P. Fulton, with luminous aliens, clouds of billowing smoke that envelop their victims, and atomizing ray gun blasts.  Talbott makes a lovely heroine, Tryon gives a stiff performance befitting a stranger in a strange body ignorant of human emotions, and there's good support from John Eldredge as the town's police chief and Ken Lynch as it's doctor.  The music and cinematography also contribute to the film's dark tone, creating a frightening tale of paranoia.  

The Haunted Strangler (1958)

Starring Boris Karloff, Jean Kent, Elizabeth Allan, Anthony Dawson, Vera Day
Directed by Robert Day

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A novelist tries to prove the man convicted and executed for the strangling murders of women was not the guilty party, not realizing he may have his own personal connection to the crimes. 

We have here a nice vehicle for Karloff, one of a couple of films he made for producer Richard Gordon in England.  He is quite believable as a dogged investigator of the crimes of the "Haymarket Strangler," trying to prove his point that the man executed was not only innocent, but would have never been convicted if he had the money for a good lawyer.  The film has fine production values illustrating its period setting well, and Karloff is well supported by a good cast around him.  Eventually, the identity of the true strangler is revealed, prompting a return to his terrible killings in a clever and gruesome makeup in scenes well-staged by Day and his crew.  It's a well-done horror film, well-suited to the film's legendary star.

Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe (1940)

Starring Buster Crabbe, Carol Hughes, Charles Middleton, Anne Gwynne, Frank Shannon
Directed by Ford Beebe & Ray Taylor

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An attempt by Emperor Ming to spread a deadly plague across the Earth leads Flash Gordon and his friends to return to planet Mongo to thwart Ming's schemes once and for all. 

The third and final Flash Gordon serial returns Crabbe, Middleton, and Shannon as Gordon, Ming, and Dr. Zarkov, but fans will be disappointed the other regulars are recast, notably Carol Hughes replacing Jean Rogers as leading lady Dale Arden.  Still, the fun factor of the serial remains high, with adventures in the woodland kingdom of Arborea, the frozen wasteland of Frigeia, and the desolate cliffs of the Land of the Dead, underscored by classic music cues from Universal's library, particularly the Frankenstein films.  Future Universal horror staple Anne Gwynne has a meaty villainous role as a spy employed by Ming.  There's not as much of an emphasis on fantastic sights as the earlier serials, with the exception of some stock footage used from the first one, but there's spaceship battles, mid-air rescues, and fire and electrical traps that Flash must brave.  Fans of the past entries should find enough to enjoy, although it doesn't measure up to the gold standard of the first serial.  

Conquest Of Space (1955)

Starring Walter Brooke, Eric Fleming, Mickey Shaughnessy, Phil Foster, William Redfield
Directed by Byron Haskin

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

On a mission to Mars, the general leading the spaceflight begins to have doubts about man invading the heavens and seeks a way to sabotage the mission. 

Producer George Pal delivers another science fiction drama, this time about man's journey into space on a mission to Mars, and it's an often eye-popping adventure, with beautiful stellar backgrounds from Chesley Bonestell and striking special effects.  At the time, there was a school of thought that interstellar space craft would have to be launched from a way station in space to avoid Earth's gravitational pull, and that is depicted here with a circular "wheel" space station housing the crew working on the project.  Drama is mined from the select individuals aboard who are selected for the spaceflight and have been trained and tested and switched to a diet of pills, as well as from the father-son relationship between commanding officer Brooke and Fleming, who wants to return to Earth to reunite with his wife, but is being blocked by Brooke.  When the actual spaceflight begins, a new set of dramatic conditions commences as Brooke worries man's conquest of space is contrary to the Bible's teachings, and engages in actions that threaten his own crew.  The actors are generally fine, although Foster is quite a bit over the top as an outspoken Italian-American, but as far as standouts, I found Benson Fong came off best as a sensitive Japanese native who wants to elevate his nation.  Van Cleave delivers an appropriately majestic score and the art direction and set design are well done and complement the excellent exterior visuals.  

The Witch's Mirror (1960)

Starring Rosita Arenas, Armando Calvo, Isabela Corona, Dina de Marco, Carlos Nieto
Directed by Chano Urueta

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

When she learns her goddaughter has been targeted for murder by her husband, a witch calls upon demons to try and protect her, and when that fails, plots revenge on him and his new bride. 

An engaging horror film from Mexico features a great deal of atmosphere, from the billowing smoke conjuring visions in the witch's mirror, to the shadowy photography, and the quality musical score, anchored by a piano piece played by the doomed de Marco before her death.  Although an original tale, the film nods to other horror pictures as it progresses, particularly The Hands Of Orlac in its final act.  The performances serve the story well, with Arenas as Calvo's new wife acceptable of his home and the memories left behind by de Marco, until her spirit begins haunting the place, which slowly drives Arenas and Calvo into a reasonable hysteria.  Corona, playing the witch who also is Calvo's housekeeper, makes for a unique character, not overtly evil, nor fitting the typical imagery of a witch, but dedicated to helping de Marco by performing arcane rituals.  All this makes for a fine horror film with some familiar subject matter but also some atypical touches. 

Ghost Ship (1952)

Starring Hazel Court, Dermot Walsh, Hugh Burden, John Robinson, Hugh Latimer
Directed by Vernon Sewell

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young couple invest in a yacht they want to make their home on, and ignore the warnings that it's a haunted ship, but when they experience proof there are ghosts on the ship, they turn to psychics for help. 

Don't expect any special effects or attempts to scare the audience with spectral manifestations, but that doesn't mean this isn't a worthwhile film.  The main characters had my interest and sympathy, particularly Court, who is ever charming as the young bride eager to help her husband turn the yacht into a happy home.  The film itself is more of a mystery than a thriller, as Court and Walsh slowly learn all the secrets of the yacht's former owners in flashback scenes which are well staged and directed.  This is by no means a great picture, but it is a fun diversion.  

Untamed Women (1952)

Starring Mikel Conrad, Doris Merrick, Richard Monahan, Mark Lowell, Morgan Jones
Directed by W. Merle Connell

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Four men aboard a bomber plane crash land near an island, where they find themselves the prisoners of an ancient race of Druid women, and later encounter giant prehistoric creatures. 

Conrad stars as the leader of the ragtag crew, who has three very different men under his command, including a man who enlisted to get away from his mother, a simple farm boy, and a far too verbose Brooklynite always preaching the joys available in his home town.  There's some sexist dialogue among the men, although the women have the upper hand for most of the film, thanks to a chief played by Merrick who's eager to do away with the men.  Once the men get away and encounter the prehistoric animals, it's a disappointment because the footage is obviously cribbed from One Million B.C. with armadillos, lizards, and other creatures standing in.  Nevertheless, there were parts of the film I enjoyed, and it's a pretty hard to find sci-fi film from the era of the 1950s, which makes it merit a look.       

The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936)

Starring Boris Karloff, John Loder, Anna Lee, Frank Cellier, Donald Calthrop
Directed by Robert Stevenson

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist mocked for his theories, takes in a young female assistant, who helps him prove that he can switch the brain of one creature to another, but she fears he's too eager to experiment on man. 

This is one of Karloff's first "mad doctor" films, predating the series he made in America for Columbia, and it may well be the best of them, with good performances and fine photography by Jack Cox.  Karloff made this for Gaumont-British and Gainsborough, and their production values are excellent, with cleverly designed machines for Karloff to operate.  Calthrop was a favorite performer for me, a wheelchairbound patient who delivers many witty and denigrating asides, and also Cellier whose performance as a stuffed shirt gives way to another different role to play.  Karloff himself gives a worthy portrayal, riveting to watch, as his frustration gives way to surrendering to evil in tightly-framed closeups.  We have here a very good horror film, among the top entries of the era.      

When Worlds Collide (1951)

Starring Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen, John Hoyt, Larry Keating
Directed by Rudolph Mate

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An astronomer warns the world's governments that the Earth is due for destruction by an approaching star and planet, but when they scoff at his claims, he sets out to build a rocketship to save some of humanity at least. 

Another science fiction epic from producer George Pal, it's special effects are impressive for the era, and has a quality cast, with character actor Larry Keating a strong anchor for the impetus to race against time.  There's a love triangle with Derr, Rush, and Hansen as a backdrop, and John Hoyt is memorable as a stodgy old millionaire who funds his wealth into the construction of the rocket but wants a seat aboard it and the power to select who else goes.  Naturally, there's characters to root for as the passengers are chosen for the rocket flight, and other difficulties along the way to contend with.  W. Howard Greene & John F. Seitz's color photography is very vibrant, particularly during scenes of destruction, and Leith Stevens' score is well-suited to the dramatics.  

Strait-Jacket (1964)

Starring Joan Crawford, Diane Baker, Leif Erickson, Howard St. John, John Anthony Hayes
Directed by William Castle

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After enduring 20 years in an asylum for murdering her husband and his lover with an axe, Lucy Harbin is released and moves in with her daughter, but has difficulty adjusting. 

After the success of Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?, Crawford was cast by Castle in this horrific drama, focusing on a former axe murderess who is continually reminded of her past.  Although it's essentially a horror film, there are plenty of melodramatic scenes and opportunities for Joan to emote in Robert Bloch's screenplay, making the film a surprisingly good fit for the actress, who gives a good performance.  Baker is cute and offers good support in her role as the daughter who faces reuniting with a woman she hasn't seen in 20 years, and George Kennedy is memorable as the creepy hired hand on their farm, who also knows his way around an axe.  Although this is very grim subject matter, the sense of fun associated with Castle's films is still there, and gore for the most part is kept off the screen.  However, there's a few shocking moments well rendered by the special effects department.  Per IMDB, future television star Lee Majors has an uncredited role as Crawford's doomed husband in the film's prologue.

The Scotland Yard Mystery (1934)

Starring Gerald du Maurier, George Curzon, Grete Natzler, Belle Chrystall, Leslie Perrins
Directed by Thomas Bentley

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A Scotland Yard superintendent finds himself in a battle of wits with a doctor also working for the Yard who has masterminded a scheme to fake men's deaths and collect their insurance money.

With an alternate title of The Living Dead, it's easy to at first assume this might be a horror film, but the men who "die" are actually given a serum to simulate death, and revived by an antitoxin.  Nonetheless, this is an entertaining British mystery more focused on the cat and mouse game between superintendent Du Maurier, and villainous doctor Curzon.  Curzon in particular is given clever dialogue to defend himself, even when Du Maurier witnesses him poison one of his confederates to keep him from talking.  I enjoyed seeing how Scotland Yard conducts their investigations in the film's setting and era, with plainclothesmen tailing suspects, and interrogations limited by the rule of the time banning use of the third degree.  Although I wouldn't say any of the cast especially stood out, this is a competently made and cleverly written film.

The Man And The Monster (1958)

Starring Enrique Rambal, Abel Salazar, Martha Roth, Ofelia Guilmain, Ana Laura Baledon
Directed by Rafael Baledon

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A music journalist visits the home of a famed pianist, in advance of a concert featuring his beautiful protege, and slowly learns that man is haunted and obsessed by a terrible secret.

This Mexican horror film offers a very unique story, and a memorable creature makeup, scripted and produced by co-star Abel Salazar.  His screenplay is well ordered and sustains an element of mystery before the horrific elements are eventually revealed.  Rambal gives a good performance as the tortured musician, and the cinematography by Raul Martinez Solares is well done, with varied camera setups and dark imagery.  Baledon's direction creates worthwhile suspense and keeps things moving admirably, leading me to highly recommend the film.

Flight To Mars (1951)

Starring Marguerite Chapman, Cameron Mitchell, Arthur Franz, Virginia Huston, John Litel
Directed by Lesley Selander

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A reporter accompanies a team of scientists on a rocketship to Mars, and tries to woo the disgruntled female engineer, while the rest encounter Mars' advanced underground civilization.

This sci-fi effort was one of the later films of Poverty Row studio Monogram, but has an advanced pedigree compared to their usual output.  It was produced by future Oscar-winner Walter Mirisch, and the matte paintings and special effects are more serviceable to the story than you would expect.  Mitchell, Huston, and Franz figure in a love triangle when Mitchell sees how Franz is ignoring Huston, which becomes a square when Franz throws Huston over for attractive martian Marguerite Chapman.  The men are costumed from neck to toe, while the women have peekaboo blouses and short skirts, in what would become something of a standard for 1950s sci-fi, as my friends Dan Day Jr. and Mark Holmes have both observed.  Although I thought there were too many standard camera setups in the film, there are some fine visuals, the score by Marlin Skiles is very good, and this must have been a big step up towards respectability for Monogram.

The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari (1920)

Starring Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski
Directed by Robert Wiene

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young man tells the story of his encounters with the mysterious Dr. Caligari and the somnambulist he exhibited at a local fair, and how a series of murders took place after their debut.

A landmark film in German cinema, Wiene's production is best known for its painted backgrounds and unorthodox sets, featuring weird angles and curves and skewed shapes, creating a strange world for the characters to inhabit.  The true meaning of all of this becomes clear at the film's ending, but Wiene and crew establish a unique mood through their art direction and Willy Hameister's photography on the way there.  Krauss, as Caligari, and Veidt, as the somnambulist Cesare, are the standout performers, with visual personas that have become iconic- Krauss with his ridged glasses and stovepipe top hat, and Veidt, clad all in black, with heavy-lidded eyes.  It's a credit to all involved that the actors become believable inhabitants, visually and narratively, fitting in naturally with the sets and backgrounds.  This is one of silent cinema's treasures, worth revisiting often.

The Sphinx (1933)

Starring Lionel Atwill, Sheila Terry, Theodore Newton, Paul Hurst, Luis Alberni
Directed by Phil Rosen

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A reporter tries to find a way to prove a philanthropist's guilt in a series of murders, but the man is proven to be a deaf mute, contradicting the fact that he spoke to a witness after the killing.

A rather clever plot distinguishes this effort from poverty row studio Monogram, aided by a fine performance by Lionel Atwill as the suspected murderer.  Most of the film focuses on Newton and Terry, playing newspaper reporters, with Newton, while attempting to woo Terry, pushing to prove Atwill guilty, while Terry, refusing Newton's advances, wants to stand up for Atwill and interview him for a series of articles.  Also in the mix are a gruff police inspector and his boastful assistant, as well as the janitor witness in Atwill's trial, played as a somewhat over-the-top Italian by Luis Alberni, who has some funny lines.  Rosen does a fine job directing, sustaining the mystery for most of the picture, and it's a memorable showcase for Atwill.

The Year Of The Sex Olympics (1968)

Starring Leonard Rossiter, Suzanne Neve, Tony Vogel, Brian Cox, Vickery Turner
Directed by Michael Elliott

(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

In a future where a controlled society has led to sex becoming a sport covered by television, a program director becomes obsessed with discovering the thoughts and feelings that existed in the past.

Acclaimed screenwriter Nigel Kneale, known for the Quatermass productions and other British teleplays, wrote this television movie with parallels to Brave New World, concerning a future society where imagination and personal achievement has been curtailed, and a television network airing sex programming is what remains to entertain the masses.  Drinking a beverage called "lightener" to keep their moods under control, the men and women behind the programming have forgotten or never learned many of the thoughts and words integral to the society's past existence.  That changes when program director Nat Pender (Vogel) meets the boyfriend of his ex-partner, who has been creating horrific pictures, a media that no longer exists, and spurs Pender's desire to learn about the past.  Vogel gives a distinctive performance as our protagonist, using a wide-eyed stare whenever his obsession overtakes him, and his supporting cast are fine as well.  Eventually Pender and his old flame Deanie (Neve) commit to a new kind of TV program, and as my friend Troy Howarth mentioned to me, it's rather prescient on Kneale's part in anticipating our current reality TV cycle, although the stakes are much greater and ultimately more tragic. In truth, the sexual content of the story serves as a hook to pull the audience in, but it's not what the tale is about at its heart.  That makes the production all the more worthwhile.

Captain Video: Master Of The Stratosphere (1951)

Starring Judd Holdren, Larry Stewart, George Eldredge, Gene Roth, Don Harvey
Directed by Spencer Bennet & Wallace A. Grissell
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Captain Video and his partner the Video Ranger use their wide array of scientific inventions to battle the schemes of Vultura, alien dictator, and his agent on Earth, the scientist Dr. Tobor.

Based on a popular television series aimed at children, this movie serial is fun and entertaining, with car chases, fist fights, spaceships, and explosions a plenty.  Put out by Columbia Pictures, the special effects are consistent with their other serials of that era, produced by Sam Katzman, meaning most of the spacecraft are animated, and some of that footage is lifted from past productions.  Holdren doesn't project much of a personality as the ultra-serious Captain Video, but Gene Roth is appropriately villainous as Vultura, and George Eldredge gives a good performance as the criminal scientist Dr. Tobor, trying to hide behind a respectable reputation.  Although it seems there is no danger or death trap that Captain Video can't escape with the aid of a device he happens to have, or that assistant Gallagher at his control center can produce, there's some clever cliffhangers in the serial.  It's not one of the great serials, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. 

The Beast With Five Fingers (1946)

Starring Robert Alda, Andrea King, Peter Lorre, Victor Francen, J. Carrol Naish
Directed by Robert Florey
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a great pianist dies in an accident, his hand disappears from his coffin, and its trail leads to a murdered man, causing a small Italian village to suspect it's returned to life for revenge.

This dark tale was scripted by Universal horror veteran Curt Siodmak and directed by Robert Florey, who helmed Bela Lugosi's Murders In The Rue Morgue, the two bringing an impressive horror pedigree to the picture.  The special effects rendering the hand as it moves on its own are excellent, and there's fine performances from the entire cast.  Peter Lorre is especially captured well by the cinematography of Wesley Anderson, with many eerie closeups of his eyes and face as the actor speaks to us through his expressions as well as his voice.  An integral part of the film is the musical piece Francen's pianist and later his hand on its own performs, Chaconne in D minor BMW 1004 (per IMDB), which composer Max Steiner builds an excellent musical score around, incorporating its themes for dramatic effect throughout the story.  Overall it's an excellent and entertaining film in my view, and despite the period and provincial setting, it holds up well as a horror film today.

Lost Continent (1951)

Starring Cesar Romero, Hillary Brooke, Chick Chandler, John Hoyt, Acquanetta, Sid Melton
Directed by Samuel Newfield
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A search for a runaway rocket brings a team of military and scientists to a volcanic island where they discover a prehistoric world atop a tall mountain.

I'm very fond of this film, with a fine cast playing different character types including Romero as the no-nonsense major leading the party, Chandler as his cynical cohort, Hoyt as a cold-seeming Russian scientist, Sid Melton as the comic relief sergeant who talks to his plane and his parachute, and Hugh Beaumont and Whit Bissell as the other scientists.  The picture involves a long scale of the mountain and trek through the jungle in which their personalities and backstories are brought to light in an unobtrusive fashion, a credit to the script and the actors.  The film also showcases some stop-motion sequences in its second half which are well-done and look impressive.  Directed by Sam Newfield, who was working for Lippert, after many prolific years at the poverty row studio PRC, I believe this was his only science fiction film.

Night Tide (1961)

Starring Dennis Hopper, Linda Lawson, Gavin Muir, Luana Anders, Marjorie Eaton
Directed by Curtis Harrington
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A sailor visiting a coastal town falls for a beautiful mermaid performer on the amusement pier, and they begin a relationship, but he's soon warned that she may be a danger to his life.

A terrific film written and directed by Curtis Harrington, the picture has an atmosphere and style all its own, well-photographed by Vilis Lapenieks, and featuring an eclectic almost experimental musical score from David Raksin.  There's a trio of good performances at the movie's center, with Hopper as the friendly and decent sailor, Lawson as the beautiful and enigmatic Mora, and Muir as her friendly but mysterious guardian with secrets to tell.  There's also some fine character turns from Anders and Eaton, supporting the absorbing story Harrington has built up.  I really enjoyed the environment of the amusement pier, which Harrington and Lapenieks take us through and make a fully realized setting instead of just a backdrop for the actors.  All this makes for a very well-assembled picture and a certainly entertaining one.

Castle Sinister (1948)

Starring Mara Russell-Tavernan, Robert Essex, Karl Meir, James Liggat, John Gauntley
Directed by Oscar Burn
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A War Office agent is sent to investigate strange disappearances at a Scottish castle where a cloaked villain has been sighted.

A passable wartime programmer, the picture doesn't take full advantage of showcasing its creepy skull-faced phantom, but benefits from an atmosphere music score, and sustaining the mystery of its villain's identity for most of the film.  A bit too much time is spent at the start of the picture with an interview with a local tavern owner, establishing the plot and the characters in flashback sequences, but things pick up speed and the intrigue develops a bit better once we move on from that.  I wasn't familiar with any actors in the cast, but thought they gave capable performances, working from a script adapted from a play by Vance Youden.  The photography by Jeff Davies features a few too darkly lit nighttime scenes, but otherwise is utilized well enough to remove any staginess from the play.  So all in all, I think this was acceptably done for what it was, but could have used more quality touches.    

Black Zoo (1963)

Starring Michael Gough, Jeanne Cooper, Rod Lauren, Virginia Grey, Jerome Cowan
Directed by Robert Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The owner of a private zoo uses his big animals for murder and revenge against those who threaten the control he's established over the zoo and his personal life.

The third of Michael Gough's horror films for producer Herman Cohen (after Horrors Of The Black Museum and Konga), moved production to the United States, and figures many familiar American faces in the cast.  In my opinion, it's the least of the three, but Gough's characterization again carries the film, masking a character filled with depravity and sadism under a genteel facade.  The animals Gough's Michael Conrad uses for his dirty work, including lions, tigers, cheetahs, and the like, are very well-trained and memorably share the screen with the actor in scenes where he plays the organ like Jules Verne's Captain Nemo.  Further fleshing out Conrad's villainy are Cooper (as Conrad's wife), and Lauren (as his mute teen assistant), who provide the film's human characters for Gough to dominate and subjugate to his will.  The performances are good, the film's color photography is lush, and the animals look great, but for me the film doesn't do enough to distinguish itself from its predecessors.  Still, fans looking for another Gough/Cohen collaboration should find something of interest here.

The New Invisible Man (1958)

Starring Arturo de Cordova, Ana Luisa Peluffo, Raul Meraz, Augusto Benedico, Nestor de Barbosa
Directed by Alfredo B. Crevenna
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

When an innocent man is framed for a murder he didn't commit, his brother gives him an invisibility formula he's developed to escape prison and try to find the real killer.

This film from Mexico has a plot line that closely follows Universal's 1940 production The Invisible Man Returns, and also has several scenes reminiscent of 1933's The Invisible Man, although lacking the high quality of their production values and special effects.  It's still a game effort though, with the invisibility effects well-rendered, despite the fact they're nothing we haven't seen before.  Although set in a modern timeline, the core story elements are the same as in H.G. Wells' classic novel and the original film, as the Invisible Man's mind begins to become deranged, only calmed by the love for his fiancee, while his brother searches for a way to reverse the condition.  I can't really recommend the picture as it's definitely inferior to its American cousins, but it's interesting to see how the Mexican cast and crew approach the material, and I enjoyed Antonio Diaz Conde's score, featuring an eerie title theme.

Masters Of Venus (1962)

Starring Norman Wooland, Mandy Harper, Robin Stewart, Robin Hunter, Patrick Kavanagh
Directed by Ernest Morris
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

When enemy agents attack a British rocket planned for a trip to Venus, the son and daughter of the project leader foil their attempt, but end up launched aboard the rocket themselves.

A fun short (8-chapter) British movie serial, made by that nation's Children Foundation, takes us into outer space, and to the planet Venus, whose residents are planning to foil a visit from the Earth.  Because this was made for kids, it's largely up to a couple of the younger set (Harper & Stewart) to save the day and foil the villains among the Venusian government, played by familiar character actors George Pastell and Ferdy Mayne.  There's ray guns, robots, poison gas, and secret tunnels, and I found it all very enjoyable, with a dynamic action theme from composer Eric Rogers, and crisp photography by Reginald Wyer.

The Patient In Room 18 (1938)

Starring Patric Knowles, Ann Sheridan, Eric Stanley, John Ridgely, Rosella Towne
Directed by Bobby Connolly & Crane Wilbur
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Private detective Lance O'Leary, after a nervous breakdown, ends up in a hospital, where he's soon pressed into service after a man is murdered for a fortune in radium.

Knowles headlines this murder mystery from Warner Brothers, paired with Sheridan as the sarcastic nurse determined to give him a hard time, although she loves him as well.  There's a good supporting cast, with Stanley as Knowles' manservant, Charles Trowbridge as one of the chief doctors, and Ralph Sanford as the typical ornery cigar-chomping police detective.  The script has a solid plot behind it, setting up plenty of suspects, but there's lots of comic relief as well, with Knowles constantly poking fun at Sanford, and Sheridan giving Knowles the business just as much.  I enjoyed the film, and was glad to see the studio did follow through with a sequel with Sheridan, Mystery House, although Knowles was replaced in the lead.

Destination Moon (1950)

Starring John Archer, Warner Anderson, Tom Powers, Dick Wesson, Erin O'Brien-Moore
Directed by Irving Pichel
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Unable to launch a successful space rocket through a military program, a determined general gets private industry to fund a manned rocket to the moon, although the project becomes beset by a number of problems.

Producer George Pal's first science fiction film is notable for its prescient script and art direction which foresees pretty accurately what a voyage to the moon and the lunar conditions would be like.  Noted sci-fi author Robert A. Heinlein contributed to the script, and veteran art director Ernst Fegte created the rocky lunar surface, enhanced by matte paintings by Chesley Bonestell.  Leith Steven's majestic score is just about perfect for the film, and the cast is all fine, with Wesson standing out as the first of many cinematic Brooklynites who make it into space.  The film also showcases a Woody Woodpecker animated sequence, presented to investors to explain the science behind the rocket, which may have influenced a similar sequence in 1993's Jurassic Park.  The friendship between Pal and Woody's creator Walter Lantz would lead to future cameos by the cartoon character in a number of Pal's films.

The Mouse On The Moon (1963)

Starring Margaret Rutherford, Ron Moody, Bernard Cribbins, David Kossoff, Terry-Thomas
Directed by Richard Lester
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The prime minister of the tiny nation of Grand Fenwick requests a loan from the United States for space research, intending to use the money instead on indoor plumbing, but his son and the nation's chief scientist have other ideas.

A sequel to the British comedy, The Mouse That Roared, this film is based on a different Leonard Wibberly satirical novel, but unlike the original film, it's missing Peter Sellers, who played three different roles in the original. There's still numerous attempts at comedy, this time with the Fenwickians trying to launch the rocket, relying on the rather explosive tendencies of their wine supply.  However, Sellers would have been an added enhancement who absence is felt.  Nonetheless Cribbins and Kossoff make a nice pair through who play off well, Moody is fine as the duplicitous prime minister, and Terry-Thomas has some enjoyable shtick as a visiting British spy.  I also enjoyed Ron Grainer's light-hearted score, and the special effects of launching for the moon and reaching it at last are well done for the period.

The Shadow Of The Cat (1961)

Starring Andre Morell, Barbara Shelley, William Lucas, Freda Jackson, Conrad Phillips
Directed by John Gilling
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An elderly woman's heirs scheme to murder her for her fortune, but once they've killed her off, they become paranoid that the lady's favored cat is after them for revenge.

One of the harder to find Hammer films, and it's credits don't mention the famed British studio, but from cast, to director, to the other men and women behind the camera, the involvement of Hammer veterans is unmistakable.  Arthur Grant is the cinematographer, the production design is by Bernard Robinson, Roy Ashton provides the makeup, Don Weeks is the production manager, and there are several other familiar names among the crew list.  Although IMDB credits The Rank Organization as the distributor, it also identifies the production having been filmed at Hammer's home and hearth, Bray Studios.  The cast is excellent, with Shelley particularly fetching, at her most beautiful in my opinion as lensed by the black-and-white photography.  Gilling builds some noteworthy suspense with a number of sequences where the heirs try to kill the cat in close quarters, and others where they chase after him, only to be quickly outmatched.  A technique is used, to create a "cat's eye view", where it looks like they have closed in or created a tighter view  of a shot from the daily rushes, but I really didn't care for this, and found it less than effective.  Nonetheless, this is worthwhile find from Hammer's archives, and an enjoyable one to watch, with a worthy score from Mikis Theodorakis and the actors certainly sell their fear of the cat well.

Unknown Island (1948)

Starring Virginia Grey, Phillip Reed, Richard Denning, Barton MacLane, Dick Wessel
Directed by Jack Bernhard
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A scientist, who once sighted a giant dinosaur on an island, and his fiancee hire an unscrupulous captain to take them there, but only their guide, who knows the island's dangers, seems to care for the lady's safety.

Although the special effects are pretty primitive, this is the first film I can think of to feature dinosaurs played by men in rubber suits or others controlling puppets, instead of using footage of lizards projected to giant size, and deserves some credit for that reason, and some forgiveness of its failings.  And when the tyrannosauri begin to stalk the human visitors to the island, although they don't have much mobility, their portrayers shake their heads and show off their sharp teeth in memorable closeups.  Another strong asset is Richard Denning, the perfect hero for this type of picture, who talks plain sense and stands up to those willing to waste human lives in their expedition.  The prime offender is MacLane as the immoral Captain Tarnowski, familiar for a long career playing tough guys on both sides of the law, who's eager to seize Grey for his vile purposes, and has a greed that will keep everyone on the island longer than they want to be.  The independent film is lensed in CineColor, which I've found never looked all that great compared to more expensive processes, but it's nice to see Grey's long red hair shine, and a savage gorilla (per IMDB, played by suit actor Ray Corrigan) later in the film, with its own crimson sheen, definitely makes a colorful impact of its own.

The Smiling Ghost (1941)

Starring Wayne Morris, Brenda Marshall, Alexis Smith, Alan Hale, Lee Patrick
Directed by Lewis Seiler
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A struggling chemical engineer is targeted by a wealthy family to become the latest fiancee of a beautiful debutante whose previous lovers have all been assaulted, supposedly by a ghostly figure.

I think there's a lot to enjoy in this mystery-comedy from Warner Brothers, which has a terrific opening title sequence, introducing us to the face of the "Smiling Ghost," complete with a spooky underscore.  However, your tolerance for the film will likely depend on how much you can take of Willie Best again playing a stereotyped servant who is far too easily frightened.  Wayne Morris, who impressed me in The Return Of Doctor X, plays another likable protagonist, who soon becomes the object of interest not only by Smith's wealthy heiress, but also Marshall's reporter, trying to get the scoop on all the murders.  The ghost's creature makeup is more than effective, with a truly menacing grin, but don't be expecting too much in the way of horror, as the ghost is clearly never intended to be anything supernatural.  I liked Alan Hale as a sort of hip for the times butler, who's soon packing heat to try and protect Morris, and The Mad Ghoul's David Bruce also appears as a previous victim of the Smiling Ghost, confined to an iron lung.  I can't say all the comedy scenes work, but there's a few witty lines, and the cast is a nice ensemble with good chemistry together.

Two Lost Worlds (1950)

Starring Laura Elliott, James Arness, William Kennedy, Gloria Petroff, Pierre Watkin
Directed by Norman Dawn
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The first mate of an American clipper ship is dropped off in Queensland to recover from an injury, where he falls in love with the magistrate's daughter, and tries to help the people prepare for a pirate attack.

An early pre-Gunsmoke starring role for James Arness comes in in a pretty well done historical drama, with plenty of action scenes and some nice chemistry between Arness and Elliott (later to be billed as Kasey Rogers in her career).  There's a love triangle, some western-flavor scenes on horses, and battles with pirates.  However, the film's best known for its climactic scenes, in which a party of survivors are stranded on a volcanic island with giant lizards, courtesy of footage from One Million B.C.  It's odd the filmmakers chose to go that way after staying within the realm of a period piece for the majority of the picture, but I love it that they chose the sci-fi angle, and probably wouldn't have paid much attention to the film without it.  The actors are well-integrated into the footage and it adds some excitement that otherwise probably would have been lacking in a more pedestrian finale.

The Night Has Eyes (1942)

Starring James Mason, Wilfrid Lawson, Mary Clare, Joyce Howard, Tucker McGuire
Directed by Leslie Arliss
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Two young teachers find themselves stranded at the home of a cruel composer on the Scottish moors, near where a friend of theirs had disappeared a year before.

I found this to be a very accomplished and gripping film, adapted by director Arliss from a novel by Alan Kennington.  Mason, playing the uncouth and disturbed Stephen Deremid, is magnetic in his role, showing signs of a sinister persona, while also hiding something more noble within.  Howard plays the quiet and mousy teacher who falls in love with him, while McGuire, her otherwise man-hungry and outspoken companion, keeps her distance.  The film is very well photographed by Gunther Krampf, illustrating the dangers of the storm and perilous bogs they're surrounded by, and capturing Mason and Howard in memorable closeups as she tries to peer into his soul.  There's some very suspenseful scenes offset by a number of comic relief sequences, but Arliss and his cast never lost my attention.

The Vanishing Shadow (1934)

Starring Onslow Stevens, Ada Ince, Walter Miller, James Durkin, Richard Cramer
Directed by Lew Landers
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An electrical engineer recruits a noted scientist to help him develop a vanishing ray, while the longtime nemesis of his father tries to steal his stock in a local newspaper.

A Universal movie serial, and a very good one, with exceptional special effects, and some unique story and character ideas, I became very enamored of this production, as it's quite different from a lot of serial fare.  Lew Landers, a year before the release of The Raven, is like on that film, credited as Louis Friedlander, and really does a fine job as director.  Stevens and Ince are capable leads, Cramer is memorable as industrial Walter Miller's chief henchman, and Durkin, the scientist who assists Stevens, although noble for the most part, has the character flaw of wanting to kill all of Stevens' enemies with the dangerous devices he's invented.  The devices are efficiently rendered by Universal's special effects department, who aren't credited, but IMDB identifies that Elmer A. Johnson and Raymond Lindsay worked on the effects, along with electrical gadgets provided by Kenneth Strickfaden.  The "vanishing ray" device is especially memorable, surrounding the wearer in a dark shadow before fading them away into nothingness.  Walter Miller, the film's villain, who also is secretly the father of Ince's character, who tries to get him to reform, isn't one of the great serial foes, and the serial would have been better enhanced by the presence of a music score, but for me this was a worthwhile find, on par with the better serials of the era.

Beginning Of The End (1957)

Starring Peter Graves, Peggie Castle, Morris Ankrum, Than Wyenn, Thomas B. Henry
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A reporter stumbles across the destruction of a town, and recruits a scientist from the Department of Agriculture to help her investigate, and they discover that locusts have grown into a deadly menace.

Bert I. Gordon follows the successful template set up by Them! to make his own giant 1950s bug film, using his familiar technique of enlarged rear projection to magnify grasshoppers in size, and integrate them with footage of his live actors.  Where the film fails is his dependence on actual live grasshoppers to play the villains, as a full-size mockup or professional puppet, as in Them! or The Deadly Mantis could have greatly enhanced his insects' impact.  Without that in place, the live creatures have no ability to react to the artillery the story throws at them, and the creatures scaling of a Chicago skyscraper is unfortunately rendered by filming the grasshoppers at normal size scaling a picture postcard of the building.  However, kids of the era most likely didn't notice those details, and enjoyed the fun nature of the film, which despite the grim tone, is very enjoyable with a good amount of 1950s sci-fi atmosphere.  Graves is very good as the stalwart scientist, with Castle also convincing as the photojournalist who's seen her share of horrors already.  As always in these types of pictures, the casting of Ankrum and Henry as determined military men helps dismiss some of the disbelief that comes with cities in peril at the hands of giant grasshoppers, and Albert Glasser's boldly dramatic score aids in that department as well.

The Black Pit Of Dr. M (1959)

Starring Gaston Santos, Rafael Bertrand, Mapita Cortes, Carlos Ancira, Carolina Barret
Directed by Fernando Mendez
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A doctor at a sanitarium obtains a promise from a dying friend to show him the way to enter the land of the dead and return, but he has no idea how this will occur.

Another fine Mexican horror film from Mendez, this effort has some fine photography and a memorable music score, and a rather unique premise and story.  The setting of the spooky sanitarium also allows for some menacing developments, with a homicidal patient who flies into rages when not comforted by the soothing melody of a musical box.  Cortes, introduced in the story as the estranged daughter of the dying man who promised Bertrand the secrets of the afterlife, is very beautiful and provides the center of a love triangle when Bertrand becomes obsessed with her, and Santos also pursues her, both having mutually dreamed of the other.  Also, key to the film is Ancira's orderly at the sanitarium, whose actions also weave into the themes of doomed fates in the narrative.  This is a first-class production all the way, with Mendez committed to delivering a grim tale of the supernatural, with no hint of comic relief.

True Confession (1937)

Starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, John Barrymore, Una Merkel, Porter Hall
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A struggling novelist tries to get a regular job, but in so doing, ends up accused of murder, and her propensity for telling white lies puts her on trial with her lawyer husband defending her.

My friend Dan Day Jr. calls this a really strange movie, with the entire cast trying a bit too hard to be funny.  I'm forced to agree, as they're handcuffed by a script that isn't really amusing, especially when it delves into dark material.  There's some talented actors and comedians in the cast, but MacMurray who when paired with Lombard before has had real chemistry and fine comic timing, is hardly allowed to crack a smile in the movie.  Barrymore fares no better, playing an inebriated criminologist with a loose collection to the plot, who doesn't seem to fit into the story very well, and isn't given any particularly witty lines or comic bits, other than making silly noises with balloons.  That's also the problem for Merkel, who despite a good part as Lombard's gal pal, doesn't get any good material she can work with.  Lombard and MacMurray are still appealing leads, Edgar Kennedy gets to do a little of his slow burn act, and Porter Hall has some amusing moments as the over the top prosecuting attorney.  However, some lighter subject matter and a funnier script would have better served the film's stars.

The Lodger (1944)

Starring Merle Oberon, George Sanders, Laird Cregar, Cedric Hardwicke, Sara Allgood
Directed by John Brahm
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

While the police search for the notorious Jack The Ripper, a middle-aged couple take in a mysterious new boarder, whom they soon begin to suspect might be the fiend himself.

Based on a novel by Marie Belloc Lowndes, the second adaptation after a silent film by Alfred Hitchcock, this version has many merits, being wonderful to look at, and a terrific showcase for Cregar, with many fine character turns in the supporting cast.  Lucien Ballard's cinematography is first-rate, using the convincing period sets as well as a generous serving of fog, and capturing the haunting wide-eyed stare of Cregar, never better than in the film's climax.  Despite early contentions that Cregar's Mr. Slade is The Ripper, the script allows doubt to settle in in the mind of the audience, and Cregar is able to engender sympathy for his character with a soft-spoken and halting delivery of his dialogue, as well as exuding a convincing loneliness.  Oberon, as Hardwick and Allgood's niece, is finely cast as well, with her beauty and vivacity a perfect contrast to Cregar's performance.  Under Brahm's directorial hand, the film really succeeds, is well-paced and suspenseful, and climaxes in a memorable final sequence.  

Terror In The Haunted House (1958)

Starring Gerald Mohr, Cathy O'Donnell, William Ching, John Qualen, Barry Bernard
Directed by Harold Daniels
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A man takes his new bride, who's suffered from horrific nightmares of an old house, to a house that exactly resembles it, and she feels she will die if she tries to enter the attic.

This film is best known for its marketing gimmick of Psycho-Rama, a practice by which messages and images were inserted in between frames of the film, supposedly having the subliminal effect of causing the audience to scream.  In reality they go by so fast, that it's doubtful they would even be detectable, even by the subconscious mind, but the element of fun is still there, and with today's DVD technology you can freeze frame them to see what they actually say.  The movie however, a low budget small-scale psychological thriller, for me stands on its own without the gimmick.  I really enjoy it, despite its cheap trappings, and feel it's cleverly written, by prolific television writer Robert C. Dennis.  O'Donnell was a good choice for the haunted young bride, and I've always enjoyed Mohr's performances.

Napoleon (1927)

Starring Albert Dieudonne, Vladimir Roudenko, Edmond van Daele, Alexandre Koubitzky, Gina Manes
Directed by Abel Gance
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The story of the life and formative experiences of Napoleon I, the future emperor of France, is told, including his time at military school, his first battles as an artillery captain, and his romance of Josephine.

A very well-regarded silent epic from acclaimed filmmaker Gance, the film though it takes certain cinematic liberties with history, as all biopics do, is a testament to Gance's talent and an entertaining picture.  Dieudonne cuts a classic figure as Napoleon, with a stoic expression and regal bearing that fits and enhances our image of the man.  Gance, who scripted and edited the film as well, along with playing the part of Louis Saint-Just, places an emphasis not just on showing Napoleon's life, but also his place and time in history, chronicling the scope of the French Revolution and Reign of Terror.  Van Daele is marvelous as the cunning but malevolent Robespierre, his face an expressionless mask under his powdered wig, as he comments on the political state of the nation and signs the orders that will send thousands to the guillotine.  When the time comes for Napoleon's romantic pursuit of Josephine, and indeed she is portrayed as pursuing him as well, Manes is made up as a striking target, beautifully coiffed and costumed, and waving a fan at herself seductively as she stares into the eyes of the young general.  The film's one extended battle sequence takes place in Napoleon's siege of Toulon during a powerful storm, in an attempt to turn back the British and other foreign interests from their control of that port.  As he does throughout the film, Gance uses split screens and recomposed shots to show ghostly images of Dieudonne pervading the screen, to illustrate the breadth of his control of the battle.  However the film's showpiece comes in its final act, as Gance composites three shots end to end in an early widescreen process to bring grandeur to Napoleon leading his troops on an Italian campaign.  Sometimes the composite shots combine to form a single uninterrupted image, and sometimes Gance uses closeups in the center frame to capitalize on the intensity of Napoleon's drive, and his motivation of a starving army given an indomitable will by the General.  As a complete piece of work, the film cuts short Napoleon's biography, not focusing on his rise to power as French emperor, nor his downfall at Waterloo and eventual exile.  However, what Gance has captured is a tribute to the nationalistic spirit the man helped engender in the French, and a worthy tribute to one of the world's greatest strategists.

The Princess Comes Across (1936)

Starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, Douglass Dumbrille, Alison Skipworth, George Barbier
Directed by William K. Howard
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

While a bandleader tries to get closer to a glamorous Swedish princess aboard a cruise ship, a notorious escaped convict has also snuck aboard, and tries to evade police officials aboard the boat.

Another winning teaming of Lombard and MacMurray highlights this shipboard tale, but the murder mystery plot is what kept me engaged, well-scripted and convincingly presented by cast and crew.  Lombard has fun playing the exotic princess, with an accent and manner reminiscent of Garbo, and my friend Dan Day Jr. also pointed out she may have been poking a bit of fun at  Marlene Dietrich's portrayals.  MacMurray starts out as an irreverent cocky sort, and his early antics make us think this will be a comedy of errors, but the film and the actor quickly move into serious territory once the story's murder occurs.  Also joining the duo are Skipworth as Lombard's lady-in-waiting and Fred Mertz as MacMurray's sidekick, plus a quartet of police officials determined to solve the crime but who will need MacMurray's help to bait the trap for the murderer.  It's sort of an unusual format for the romantic couple, but I enjoyed the departures from the norm.

King Dinosaur (1955)

Starring William Bryant, Wanda Curtis, Douglas Henderson, Patti Gallagher
Directed by Bert I. Gordon
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After a new planet drifts into our solar system, a rocket with four scientists aboard is sent to investigate the world, where they discover giant prehistoric creatures.

Bert I. Gordon's first directorial credit, which he also co-wrote and co-produced, starts with what should be a solid premise, a human investigation of a mysterious new planet, but is completely undone by the special effects.  There is no "King Dinosaur" in the film, just footage of giant projected lizards, much of which looks to have been cribbed from One Million B.C.  I think the film would have been able to stand up better on its own if there'd been some attempt to create more realistic looking dinosaurs, and would have saved any improper handling of the animals.  It doesn't help matters that the movie essentially begins with a 20-minute assemblage of stock footage.  There's also quite a bit of sexism in the script and particularly in the behavior of actor Douglas Henderson, whom as others have observed before, seems to intentionally manhandle his female co-stars during the latter half of the picture.  I like some of the ideas in the script, and to a certain extent the performances overall, but the movie really begins to drag once they begin the parade of lizard footage.

Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956)

Starring Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba
Directed by Fred F. Sears
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A rocket scientist and his new wife are contacted by aliens in a flying saucer, who are ready to conquer the Earth with their fleet of ships.

This is a bit of a rarity in Ray Harryhausen films in that no actual living creatures are animated by the special effects titan, but the flying saucers and their targets of destruction alone.  Nevertheless, it's quite a piece of work for Harryhausen, as the film contains some truly iconic scenes of the saucers destroying Washington D.C.'s national monuments, something that had never been done on screen before.  The cast is fine too- Marlowe is believable as focused scientist Russell Marvin, and veteran actor Ankrum brings intelligence and gravitas to his role as General John Hanley, who is cruelly used by the aliens.  Although uncredited, voice actor extraordinaire Paul Frees provides the clear but somewhat distorted voice of the aliens which is crucial to the unfolding of the story.  It's a shame with the creative gifts of Harryhausen that so much military stock footage had to be used in the picture although it's understandable.  It still remains a Harryhausen classic, and well worth revisiting often.

Invasion (1965)

Starring Edward Judd, Yoko Tani, Valerie Gearon, Lyndon Brook, Ric Young
Directed by Alan Bridges
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

During a late shift at a British hospital, a man struck by a car is brought in whom the doctors soon discover is not human, and learn that there are two other alien beings on the loose.

I really enjoyed this British science fiction picture, which has an intelligent script, builds suspense slowly and admirably, and is well-staged and directed by Bridges.  The filmmakers made the decision to cast Asians as the aliens, which is notable in that the same approach was used the next year in the American film, Women Of The Prehistoric Planet.  Asian actress Tsai Chin, who played Christopher Lee's daughter in Britain's Fu Manchu films, is a human nurse in the film, who points out the aliens aren't Chinese or Japanese.  Judd and Gearon and Brook are fine as the doctors, who aren't perfect and have their flaws, but soon are on a race to save the patients in their hospital from danger that the aliens bring to them.  The film scrimps on special effects for the most part, using clever ideas to keep the budget down and still convey the otherworldliness of the visitors, but closes with a very well designed chase sequence.

Love Before Breakfast (1936)

Starring Carole Lombard, Preston Foster, Cesar Romero, Janet Beecher, Betty Lawford
Directed by Walter Lang
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A wealthy magnate sends a woman's fiancee off to a job in Japan, so he can woo her himself, but she angrily rebuffs his advances, although secretly she begins to fall for him.

I'm sure there was a good deal of effort put into trying to make this film another winning picture for Lombard, but there's several strikes against it.  They blacken the beautiful actress's eye in a filmed fight, and even incorporate it into the movie poster, a mistake in my mind.  Screenwriter Herbert Fields tries to spin comedy scenes out of Foster's failed but persistent attempts to win her heart, but most of these just didn't work for me, and the only real times I laughed were at clever lines in the script given to the supporting characters.  Most of all though I think, they make Lombard's Kay Colby as belligerent as possible whenever Foster's Scott Miller shows up, right up to the final fade-out, and these scenes could have used some softening.  Lombard has scenes where she cries at the thought of missing out on Miller, but never has a chance to lower her guard down when she's with him.  The character's rage is understandable, but I don't think it's what the audience wanted to see.

Adventure Island (1947)

Starring Rory Calhoun, Rhonda Fleming, Paul Kelly, John Abbott, Alan Napier
Directed by Sam Newfield
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

Three men whose bad choices have left them stranded and hungry in an exotic port land a second chance aboard a cargo ship, but greed and alcohol send them down another road to ruin.

For the most part this is a routine melodrama aboard a sailing ship, with Kelly as a failed captain whose surrender to his temptations squander his second chance for a decent life.  He's joined by Abbott, affecting a cockney accent, whose perpetual drunkeness doesn't help, and Calhoun, who's the straight arrow of the bunch, but won't challenge Kelly due to owing him his life.  Fleming is the beauty and part-owner aboard ship who tries to stand up to the men but fails.  However, the film improves considerably when they go ashore on an uncharted island where the fine British character actor Alan Napier provides excellent villainy.  Using the superstitions of the natives, he has amassed a position of power as their "god" and punishes any crime by sentencing the accused to a deadly snake pit.  Unfortunately, most of the island night scenes are badly lit, robbing the more horrific moments of their effectiveness.  It's not a bad film, but would have benefitted from spending more of its running time on the island and giving Napier a bigger role.

El Vampiro (1957)

Starring Abel Salazar, Ariadna Welter, Carmen Montejo, Jose Luis Jimenez, German Robles
Directed by Fernando Mendez
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After being stranded at a train station together, a doctor accompanies a young woman on her journey back to her ancestral home, while a vampire plots to return his ancestor to eternal life.

This vampire tale is Mexican horror at its best, well-directed by Mendez, with good performances from the whole cast, and eerie atmosphere throughout the production.  Well-done sets and fog and wind effects really make the setting of a nearly abandoned estate spooky and unnerving, and a haunting music score from Gustavo Cesar Carrion helps escalate the terror.  Welter is the perfect virginal victim, and Robles brings nobility but menace to his tuxedoed Count Lavud, wearing one of the first sets of cinematic vampire fangs.  Salazar, as the doctor who has to come to Marta's rescue, is not a serious vampire hunter at first but has to engage in fisticuffs and vampire combat later.  Montejo is also very good as Welter's aunt and Lavud's vampiress assistant, slinking through the castle in a jet black gown with a long dragging train.  Although the special effects are elementary, with the vampires popping into frame and changing into bats through simple film edits, it works for the film and doesn't detract at all from all of Mendez' atmospheric touches.

The Undying Monster (1942)

Starring James Ellison, Heather Angel, John Howard, Bramwell Fletcher, Heather Thatcher
Directed by John Brahm
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After two people are attacked on the grounds of a Scottish manor tied to legends of a supernatural monster, Scotland Yard sends two forensic experts to investigate.

The 20th Century Fox studio was still in its infancy as far as releasing horror films when this offering came along, and so the picture does appear heavily influenced by the horror output of rival Universal Pictures.  A period setting, dark and shadowy atmosphere, and the presence of actors from Universal's past classics, including Bramwell Fletcher and Halliwell Hobbes, all contribute to a Universal-like film.  The creature makeup even resembles one of Universal's own classic monster designs.  However, it is a different film with its own flavor, and seems content to take on the form of a mystery whodunit, downplaying the possibility of a monster's presence until the climax.  Ellison is fine as the chief investigator Robert Curtis, and is given an unusual sidekick in Heather Thatcher's brash Christy,  who invites herself to a meal before it's been served, and provides much of the film's comic relief.  The supporting performances, the film's photography, music score, and art direction are all very good, creating a believable haunted manor, and a compelling mystery.

Hands Across The Table (1935)

Starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, Ralph Bellamy, Astrid Allwyn, Ruth Donnelly
Directed by Mitchell Leisen
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A manicurist just managing to scrape by pursues one of her wealthy male customers, only to discover he's as penniless as she is.

In my journey through Carole Lombard's films, this one is I think perhaps the best showcase I've yet seen her in, with equal opportunities for the actress to show her comedic and dramatic skills, and she looks beautiful throughout.  She's also paired quite well with MacMurray, which makes it easy to see why they would co-star again in other productions.  Playing the faux rich man whom her character finds she has to take in, while both pursue richer beaus, MacMurray has several splendid comedic scenes, and his interplay with Lombard is wonderful.  A scene in which he and she call his rich fiancee, with Lombard pretending to be an obnoxious operator is comedy gold.  It's a smart and well-directed picture, with the two leads at the top of their game.

The Crime Of Doctor Crespi (1935)

Starring Erich von Stroheim, Harriet Russell, Dwight Frye, Paul Guilfoyle, John Bohn
Directed by John H. Auer
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

When the man who stole the woman he loved away suffers a car accident, the chief surgeon for a hospital is urged to save his life in an operation, and he does, but has a plan for vengeance.

A powerhouse performance by von Stroheim really elevates this film into something special.  The actor delivers his dialogue in a quiet subdued tone for the most part, but when his character, the esteemed surgeon Dr. Andre Crespi, is angered, he explodes in a temperament well-showcased in tight closeups with almost blank backgrounds, shifting our attention to his expressions.  Dwight Frye, known for his roles as sinister assistants in Dracula and Frankenstein, plays Crespi's subordinate, and receives most of the doctor's wrath, putting him in a unique position to challenge Crespi when he suspects his nefarious activities.  It's not as showy a role for Frye as others he's had, but he's very good in his own way.  I'll have to say though, without giving too much away, that the best scene in the picture is von Stroheim's confrontation with the body of his victim, which firmly establishes the film in horror territory and gives the actor a meaty scene to work with.  It's just too bad the filmmakers opted to not utilize a music score to augment the rest of the picture.

Timeslip (1955)

Starring Gene Nelson, Faith Domergue, Peter Arne, Joseph Tomelty, Donald Gray
Directed by Ken Hughes
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A magazine reporter and his photographer girlfriend try to solve the mystery of an assault victim's identity, and discover he exactly resembles a nuclear physicist, who is however not missing.

I really enjoyed this science fiction picture from Britain, also known as The Atomic Man, adapted by Charles Eric Maine from his own novel, and starring American leads Nelson and Domergue.  They play collaborators and lovers at a science magazine and have some nice interplay together.  Nelson plays the familiar type of a journalist scuffling with the police for a big story while his irascible boss wants him to cover a more mundane assignment, but is nevertheless likable.  The science fiction content is part of a mystery Nelson has to solve, and is well designed to culminate in a twist you probably won't see coming.  Hughes keeps things moving at a swift pace, and the film is well-photographed with a good music score as well.

Corridor Of Mirrors (1948)

Starring Eric Portman, Edana Romney, Barbara Mullen, Hugh Sinclair, Bruce Belfrage
Directed by Terence Young
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A young woman becomes infatuated with a mysterious man who lives like a lord from centuries ago in a majestic house, but learns that he has definite plans for her.

I concur with a review I read online, that mentioned that although set in the present day, the film uses the past-obsessed character of Paul Mangin and his elaborate mansion to re-create a gothic romance along the lines of past efforts of the type in fiction and film.  With splendid art direction and costuming as well as fine photography, it succeeds in this venture.  The film's title refers to a corridor within Mangin's house with doors behind each mirror, where a different outfit of the past lies waiting for Romney's Mifanwy, tailored exactly to her measurements, transporting her in a sense back to the time Mangin cherishes.  Romney also co-wrote the screenplay, and her performance is the equal of Portman's, as a modern woman who enjoys the experience of a relationship with him, before she discovers the truth behind his obsessions.  It's an intriguing film with a haunting tone, although it might not quite have the depth of the classic romances it emulates.  The film is also notable for the direction of Young, who would become a director of James Bond films, and for featuring the film debut of horror icon Christopher Lee, who only has one line of dialogue in a brief appearance at the beginning of the picture.

The Living Idol (1957)

Starring Steve Forrest, Liliane Montevecchi, James Robertson Justice, Sara Garcia, Eduardo Noriega
Directed by Albert Lewin
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

After an archaeologist in Mexico discovers an idol representing an evil jaguar god, a young native girl becomes terrified by it and is later stricken with a strange illness.

I was pretty disappointed with this film, as it has a number of winning elements, but isn't able to pull them together into a satisfying production.  Written and directed by Lewin, who previously helmed the well-received The Picture Of Dorian Gray and Pandora And The Flying Dutchman, the film boasts a good performance from Justice, and wonderful color cinematography by Jack Hildyard, exquisitely capturing the beauty of the Mexican scenery.  However, I found Montevecchi inadequate as the central character of Juanita, who is supposed to be somehow possessed by the jaguar god, or dominated by it, but can't seem to reflect that in her performance other than by a general malaise.    What's worse is the times in the film when she's supposed to exude happiness, she doesn't even smile or project any kind of emotion.  Leading man Steve Forrest doesn't fare much better, unconvincing at being acceptable as her paramour.  Whether this is the actors' fault or the director's, I can't say, but it's a crucial failure.  The film also seems content to downplay any fantasy or horror themes, other than one effective sequence where Montevecchi is bound and surrounded by circling flaming torches.  There are suspenseful moments at the film's climax, where a real living jaguar enters the girl's home, but even these are not executed as well as in other films.  I would have preferred to see this production filmed in black and white, with shadow enveloping the characters and the jungle cat for maximum effect, but that was not to be.

We're Not Dressing (1934)

Starring Bing Crosby, Carole Lombard, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Ethel Merman
Directed by Norman Taurog
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A wealthy heiress is attracted to a singing sailor aboard a ship she owns, but when the ship sinks and they're stranded on an island, he tells her and her entourage they'll have to work along with him.

Famous crooner Bing Crosby headlines this musical from Paramount, and boy is it a musical, with at least 13 songs I counted, and there were at least three performed before I got a semblance of the film's plot.  Crosby sings most of them, with Ethel Merman and Leon Errol joining in on a few, while Bing's paired with the lovely but non-singing Carole Lombard.  The duo have the typically matched against type romance, with misunderstandings causing cross words between them before we reach the happy ending.  The songs are mostly forgettable, but Wikipedia indicates that a few hit the top of the pop charts after the film's release.  Merman, who looks great to match her fine singing voice, and Errol also provide most of the comedy in the film, along with radio stars George Burns & Gracie Allen.  A lot of the jokes fell flat for me, but there were a few I laughed out loud at, and a routine with Lombard's pet bear racing across the ship deck on roller skates was pretty amusing.  Crosby and Lombard have good chemistry together and she plays off him very well during the brief dramatic sequences between musical numbers.  Also in the cast is a very young Ray Milland as one of two princes aboard pursing Lombard's hand.  I enjoyed the film overall, but thought it could have been tighter and more effective with some better writing and more spaced out tunes.

Dogora (1964)

Starring Yosuke Natsuki, Yoko Fujiyama, Hiroshi Koizumi, Nobuo Nakamura, Robert Dunham
Directed by Ishiro Honda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

While a police detective hunts a gang of diamond thieves, a space creature draws up diamonds and coal from the Earth in large quantities.

Ishiro Honda brings his talents to another kaiju film, but this one is very different, as although the sci-fi content is at the heart of the story, much of the film's focus is on the diamond thieves, the police, and mysterious agent Mark Jackson, and their character interactions.  Dogora, whose form changes during the film, and also reproduces itself into many new creatures, is not on screen for very long, and we primarily see the effects of its powers, lifting coal and vehicles and human beings into the air in well-done special effects by Eiji Tsubaraya and his team.  However, the most impressive special effect comes when we get to see the fully realized creature with a luminous body and animated tendrils it controls, which is an absolute visual triumph.  I enjoyed Yosuke Natsuki's performance as the well-trained detective who still has some failings, and Akiko Wakabayashi, whom my friend Mark Holmes mentioned to me, as the attractive female member of the gang, certainly stands out and is very good in her role.  For me, I think this film could have used more of Dogora on screen and suffers a bit for it in comparison to Honda's other monster epics, but the story and characters engaged me nonetheless.