The Valley Of Gwangi (1969)

Starring James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith, Freda Jackson

Directed by Jim O'Connolly
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The cast of a touring Wild West show discover a hidden valley where living prehistoric creatures still exist, and try to capture one for them to exhibit.

Aided by the always high quality effects work of master stop-motion animator Ray Harryhausen, this is an entertaining romp mixing the seemingly impossible combination of cowboys and dinosaurs.  I've heard this was a project first developed by Harryhausen's mentor and King Kong animator Willis O'Brien, and in tribute, the film is staged as something of a King Kong remake, with the captive dinosaur escaping and endangering the movie's female lead, culminating in a climax where the beast eventually meets its fate.  The film is of course not on the same level as the classic King Kong, and is not as well-written or exciting as some of Harryhausen's other films, but still remains a diverting adventure.

Berserk (1967)

Starring Joan Crawford, Ty Hardin, Diana Dors, Michael Gough, Judy Geeson

Directed by Jim O'Connolly
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

A series of murders at a traveling circus cast suspicion on the ruthless circus owner, who's been trying to find a way to revive the outfit's sagging box office.

One of a number of horror films fashioned as star vehicles for Crawford in the 1960s, this one wisely balances the sinister goings-on with genuinely entertaining circus performances, including an elephant act, acrobats, and even an assortment of trained poodles, making the climactic high wire act seem even more realistic and suspenseful.  However, Crawford's a bit too old to be presented as she is as a convincing object of desire for the male leads, and when the killer is finally revealed, there's a great deal of gaping plot holes that are never filled in.  Nonetheless, it's still an enjoyable picture.