BLACK WIDOW (1954)

BLACK WIDOW (1954). Writer/director: Nunnally Johnson.

Broadway producer Peter Denver (Van Heflin), who is married to actress Iris Denver (Gene Tierney), befriends a struggling young writer named Nanny (Peggy Ann Garner) and eventually wishes he hadn't. Ginger Rogers (Dreamboat) plays his star Carlotta Marin and Reginald Gardiner is her husband, Brian. Possibly attempting to approximate the success of All About Eve, Nunnally Johnson took a story by mystery writer Patrick Quentin (actually Hugh Wheeler) with a Broadway background and concocted another story of an aging affected actress and opportunistic young'n. There the resemblance to All About Eve ends as, to be fair, Black Widow goes in its own direction, but while the first quarter is unpredictable the rest is sadly familiar. Also, Black Widow is vastly inferior to All About Eve and Ginger Rogers is pretty inadequate doing a lower-case Bette Davis. Heflin is as good as ever, but the material is far beneath him, and Gardiner, usually at his best in comedies, is comically miscast in this. Gene Tierney is also good, but she, too, is pretty much wasted. Virginia Leith, Otto Kruger and an unrecognizable Cathleen Nesbitt are excellent in supporting parts. George Raft is simply an embarrassment as a police detective, but Peggy Ann Garner scores as Nanny. The main trouble with Johnson's script is that he hasn't created characters, only trotted out an assortment of types.

Verdict: Watch out for movies in which Reginald Gardiner plays a romantic figure. **.

DRAGON COUNTRY

William Redfield and Kim Stanley

DRAGON COUNTRY (1970 telefilm). Produced and directed by Glenn Jordan. Written by Tennessee Williams.

This taped presentation presents two plays written by Tennessee Williams and which were part of his "Dragon Country" collection. "Talk to Me Like the Rain and Let Me Listen" is an early minor piece, a character study of a hustler (Alan Mixon of The Edge of Night) and his girlfriend (Lois Smith), both of whom are clearly living on the edge. He has been abused while being drunk, having cashed his unemployment check, and she has fantasies of a life -- living in a hotel by herself until she becomes an old woman -- that pointedly do not include him. The acting is good, but while the two characters are intriguing enough, Williams doesn't tell us enough about them.

Lois Smith and Alan Mixon

The second, better play is "I Can't Imagine Tomorrow." Kim Stanley (of The Goddess) lives alone in a large house but she is clearly quite ill, possibly dying, unable to climb the stairs to her bedroom. She is the only friend of William Redfield (of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), a neurotic, shy and lonely schoolteacher who just stopped going to work one day and lives in a small room in a "mausoleum" of a hotel. Stanley seems to have as much contempt for Redfield as love, and she complains that if she didn't speak there would be silence. She also fears he will be utterly alone if he doesn't meet new people somewhere. Redfield is a sad figure, and Stanley taunts him about how much he would love to move in with her, a notion that she initially seems to reject. But ... Stanley and Redfield offer outstanding performances, making the most of another relatively minor play, but one that is nevertheless compelling and even touching at times, although, again, one wishes we knew even more about the principals. Both plays examine how people are so self-absorbed by their own painful realities that they have difficulty reaching out to another suffering soul. Glenn Jordan also directed One of My Wives is Missing, which is quite different from this.

Verdict: Some excellent performances make this a worthwhile watch. ***. 

PASSPORT TO PIMLICO

The wonderful Margaret Rutherford

PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (1949). Director: Henry Cornelius.

After discovering a cache of treasure hidden under the streets, the residents of the district of Pimlico in Post-WW2 London discover documents that (in a convoluted way) actually make them residents of Burgundy. Then a handsome Duke of Burgundy (Paul Dupuis) shows up and begins romancing one of the local women. At first the residents playfully refuse to follow certain British rules -- such as shutting the pubs down at a certain hour -- because, after all, they aren't Londoners but Burgundians.  Unfortunately, this excites and dismays the British parliament and before long the residents of Pimlico find themselves mired in red tape and having to cross customs just to leave or enter their own district. In true British fashion, they decide to fight back and display their English tenaciousness. Okay. This is a cute idea and it does have some amusing sequences, but it gets bogged down way before its over, and its attempt to create characters you actually care about don't quite hit the mark. Most of the cast is unknown on American shores with the exception of Hermione Baddeley, Stanley Holloway, and the wonderful Margaret Rutherford, who plays a historian with her customary panache and enlivens every scene she's in. If only there were more of them!

Verdict: One of those quaint British movies that you can either take or leave. **1/2.

DER TEPPICH DES GRAUENS

Joachim Fuchsberger and Karin Dor

DER TEPPICH DES GRAUENS (aka The Carpet of Horror/1962). Director: Harald Reinl.

John Millner (Roberto Rey) is the latest victim of a secret criminal group that use small balls full of poison gas to off their enemies. His niece, Ann Learner (Karin Dor of Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz), is appalled to learn that he was involved in shady activities and was planning to flee the country without even telling her. She is pursued romantically by handsome Harry Raffold (Joachin Fuchsberger), who is keeping secrets of his own. Other major characters include Dr. Shipley (Antonio Casas), who may have come up with an antidote to the poison; Mabel Hughes (Eleanora Rossi Drago), who owns the hotel where Harry is staying and makes a play for him; portly Vane (Jose Maria Carrafel), who wants to marry her; Crayton (Werner Peters), a member of the gang who discovers the identity of the mysterious boss and hopes to take over; and the imposing and formidable Colonel Gregory (Carl Lange) whose motives are unknown. Harry also has an assistant, a black man named Bob (Pierre Besari), who is on occasion referred to as, and treated like, a servant even though he is apparently an actual operative of some kind. Then there are Inspector Burns (Julio Infiesta) and his younger associate Inspector Webster (Marco Guglielmi), who at one point wants to arrest both Harry and Ann. 

Fuchsberger and Eleonora Rossi Drago

The English title of this West German film (co-produced with Spain), The Carpet of Horror, refers to the fact that the golf ball-size weapons that contain the poison gas are rolled onto carpeted floors in the victims' homes -- the carpet doesn't actually kill anyone. In any case, the movie -- based on a novel by Louise Weinert-Wilton (not Edgar Wallace) -- is exciting and suspenseful and a lot of fun, even if you may figure out the identity of the mastermind (who brought the sinister group over from India) behind the whole racket. The boss sends messages to the group via white letters on a screen, and their HQ is located inside a garage, with a trapdoor to a lower level inside a truck. Beneath the garage is a huge tunnel filled with debris, a striking locale indeed. There's a "catfight" in the underground at one point, which means that this very entertaining flick misses nothing! The cast is an interesting mix of both German and Spanish actors. Mercifully the film hasn't got too much comedy relief -- and no Eddi Arent -- although there is some humor attached to the Bob character. 

Verdict: For once a West German krimi that isn't based on a Edgar Wallace novel even if it seems to be! ***. 

GOOD NEW MOVIE: CONCLAVE

Lithgow, Rossellini, Fiennes, Tucci

CONCLAVE (2024). Director: Edward Berger. 

After the Pope passes away, the cardinals gather in Rome and are sequestered so as to begin voting for the new Pope -- the first man to attain the prescribed number of votes, 72, will be the new Pontiff. Front runners include Bellini (Stanley Tucci), who is a liberal who wants to affect serious change to the Church; the conservative Tedesco (Sergio Castellitto); the African Adeyemi (Lucian Msamati), whom Bellini fears is even more reactionary than Tedesco; the newcomer Benitez (Carlos Diehz), whom no one was expecting; and Tremblay (John Lithgow of Obsession), who badly wants the job but is suspected of various malfeasances. On this matter Sister Agnes (Isabella Rossellini) may have something to say. Overseeing all of this is Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes of Wrath of the Titans), the Dean of the College of Cardinals, who has no desire to be Pope due to a crisis of faith. But as one scandal after another is unveiled, Lawrence may have no choice. Or does he ...? Meanwhile there are an increasingly serious series of Muslim terrorist attacks. 

Lithgow and Fiennes

Conclave is not without flaws, but it happens to be an altogether admirable picture, with a superb cast, top of the line photography, and tense direction that practically turns the movie into a suspense thriller. That there is all sorts of intrigue going on during the conclave to elect a new pope is certainly not surprising. In fact, those who are expecting a boring picture may be delighted by all the drama and deception. As well, there isn't a performance that doesn't ring true. However, one has to wonder if one simple speech could have so profoundly affected the other cardinals that a certain person is too-easily elected, and making one character intersexual may seem just a trifle precious (but interesting nevertheless). Still, the picture is pretty much a winner all the way.

Verdict: A mostly pleasant surprise. ***1/4. 

OPERATION MAD BALL

Mickey Rooney and Jack Lemmon

OPERATION MAD BALL (1957). Director: Richard Quine.

In France at a U.S. Army hospital just after the end of WW2, Private Hogan (Jack Lemmon) wants to do something to give his pal Corporal Berryman (Roger Smith of 77 Sunset Strip) a chance to spend time with his nurse girlfriend, even though she outranks him and shouldn't be fraternizing. Somehow this segues into a "mad ball" held off the base in a restaurant where nurses and men can get together for some dancing, drinking and fun. But there are complications, such as Colonel Rousch's (Arthur O'Connell) brother heading for the base and being the guest of honor at Rousch's own party -- now the nurses won't be allowed any passes (literally and figuratively). However, the fertile mind of Private Hogan will figure a way around this.

Kathryn Grant and Arthur O'Connell

Judging from its title, Operation Mad Ball should be a riotous service comedy, but the only time it really comes to life is in the last few minutes (the party) and when Mickey Rooney shows up and shows "em how it's done. He's a breath of fresh air in a "comedy" that is surprisingly dull for most of its length. Lemmon is okay, but other players make more of an impression, including the wonderful Rooney, Dick York as Corporal Bohun, Kathryn Grant as Lt. Bixby, who ignites Hogan's romantic interest, Jeanne Manet [Slightly French] as Madame LaFour who owns the aforementioned restaurant, and especially Arthur O'Connell as the head officer of the hospital. Ernie Kovacs, one of the three leads, is also okay, but not especially funny. Other soldiers are played by James Darren, William Leslie, and L. Q. Jones. Darren and Grant appeared together in The Brothers Rico.

Verdict: Generally good-natured but distinctly minor. **1/4.

THE EXECUTIONER

George Peppard soon won't have much to smile about

THE EXECUTIONER (1970). Director: Sam Wanamaker.  

Born in the U.S., John Shay (George Peppard of The Carpetbaggers) is a British Intelligence agent. He has become convinced that a colleague of his, Adam Booth (Keith Michell), is a double-agent secretly working for the Russians. This is all complicated by the fact that Booth is married to Sarah (Joan Collins), with whom John once had a relationship and might well still be in love with. Another agent named Philip Crawford (George Baker) is also in love with Sarah. John's superiors, including Vaughn Jones (Charles Gray) and Colonel Scott (Nigel Patrick), tell John to back off on his dogged investigation of Booth, and temporarily suspend him. But this doesn't prevent him from flying as Booth to Athens, where he encounters Professor Parker (Alexander Scourby of The Big Heat) and hopes to finally learn the truth. Unfortunately it may be too late for Booth ... 

Peppard with Judy Geeson

A "serious" spy film as opposed to a James Bond movie or spoof, The Executioner adds a human and personal level to the spy stuff and is only somewhat successful at it. Shay has to face the reality that his pursuit of Booth may have more to do with his feelings for his wife than anything else. Judy Geeson is cast as Shay's girlfriend, Polly, who also works for the government, but she comes off whiny and irritating and isn't well photographed. A welcome presence is Oscar Homolka [Mr. Sardonicus] as a tired and somewhat grumpy Russian defector. One interesting sequence has Shay taking a flight with and sitting next to a woman whose husband he has just killed, and who isn't aware that she's a widow. The sequence, however. is not as poignant nor as powerful as it could have been. 

Charles Gray with Peppard

Peppard is a competent but generally second-rate actor and isn't quite able to draw forth the values and nuances that another actor might have managed. Still, the material is generally above-average, although others have noted that a lot of the spy stuff comes off like mere gobbledygook. The Executioner at least gets points for not being mindless and trying to present a few multi-dimensional characters. Collins is good in this, and Charles Gray makes his usual solid impression. Homolka, Scourby, and a briefly-seen Peter Bull are also memorable.

Verdict: Good spy flick just misses being great. ***. 

BACK STREET (1941)

Charles Boyer and Margaret Sullavan

BACK STREET (1941). Director: Robert Stevenson.

"There's one half of Walter Saxel's life -- and here comes the other half." 

In old Cincinnati Ray Smith (Margaret Sullavan) meets a visitor named Walter Saxel (Charles Boyer), and the two fall madly in love. Unfortunately it turns out Walter already has a fiancee. In spite of this he determines to marry Ray, only fate conspires to keep them apart at the fateful moment. Years later the two meet in New York, and begin a life-long affair ... The best screen version of Fannie Hurst's famous novel transcends soap opera via its superior script, direction, and acting from the leads and indeed the entire cast. Ray Smith's tragedy is that she is clearly an independent-minded woman of strength and character who is undone by her love for a man who needs to keep up appearances and is somewhat selfish in his all-consuming need for her. Boyer doesn't always play up the vulnerability in his character -- Ray fell in love with more than a businessman, after all -- but he is still quite good, and Sullavan is, as ever, simply marvelous for the most part. Richard Carlson [White Cargo, Creature from the Black Lagoon], Frank McHugh, Esther Dale, and young Tim Holt all score in supporting roles. There is an excellent score by Frank Skinner. The book was filmed earlier in 1932, and much later in 1961.

Fannie Hurst's novel has a different, much grimmer ending than any of its film versions. In the 1932 and 1941 versions Ray simply expires a few days after the death of her lover. (The 1961 version has Susan Hayward bravely moving forward in relative splendor.) In both of these versions, as in the novel, Walter's oldest son Richard offers to take care of Ray with monthly stipends. In the novel, Richard is killed, and the stipends cut off. An aging Ray descends into poverty, and takes to gambling (and occasional prostitution) to survive. At the end of the novel she ironically and accidentally has a five hundred franc note thrown into her grasping hands by Walter's surviving younger son. She sees this, in a sense, as Walter still looking after her. When she's found dead of starvation in her room, she's still -- to the amazement of the landlord -- clutching the note ... 

Verdict: A romantic gem if ever there were one. ****.

COPACABANA

COPACABANA  (1947). Director: Alfred E. Green.

Lionel Deveraux (Groucho Marx) is a manager with one client, Carmen Navarro (Carmen Miranda), to whom he's been engaged for ten years. When he tries to get her work at a nightclub owned by Steve Hunt (Steve Cochran), Hunt tells him that he prefers a French singer. Enter the always veiled Mlle. Fifi,  who is Carmen in disguise. Hunt hires the French doll, then decides he wants Miss Navarro as well. So Carmen does her best to keep up a hectic performance schedule without anybody knowing that both performers are actually the same woman. The interplay between Marx and Miranda, who make a great team, is priceless, and the other performers are game. Gloria Jean is charming as Hunt's secretary, Anne, who pines for him even as he pursues Fifi. Singer Andy Russell, who plays himself, has a very nice voice and is easy to take. Miranda may not be a brilliant performer, but it's hard not to like her, and Groucho is as wonderful as ever. Some nice songs include "Strange Things Have Happened." The film is full of chorus cuties who trade wisecracks with Marx, and there are guest appearances by columnists Abel Green, Louis Sobol, and Earl Wilson.

Verdict: This may not be a Night at the Opera, but it's very amusing and charming. ***.

CRASHIN' BROADWAY

Rex Bell

CRASHIN' BROADWAY (1933). Director: John P. McCarthy.

In 1902 Tad Wallace (Rex Bell of The Tonto Kid) is a cowboy who has come east to try his hand at a Broadway career even though he can neither sing nor dance. He hooks up with Sally Sunshine (Doris Hill), but even as a couple they get booted off the stage. They decide to join with the other actors and hoofers at the boarding house run by the formidable Mrs. MacTavish (Anne Howard) and head west where they somehow have an engagement near Kansas City as the Bon Ton Players. The money for their fare is given to Sally by a man named Jeffries (Charles King of Jungle Raiders).  Unfortunately when they arrive the theater's owner, Griswold, has some bad news for them, and the cause of his problems seems to be their benefactor, Jeffries. Shakespearean actor J. Talbot Thorndyke may have to use all of his thespian skills to bring the bad guys to heel. 

Gabby Hayes and Vane Calvert

It is no surprise that in Crashin' Broadway handsome star Rex Bell has charm to spare and gives quite a good performance. What is a surprise is that both Griswold and Thorndyke -- who impersonates Griswold at one point -- are both played by Gabby Hayes [Romance on the Range]! Playing Roy Rogers' rather irritating sidekick for so many years hid the fact that Hayes was actually a very gifted and very versatile actor who was apparently not given nearly enough opportunities to show what he could really do. Other notable cast members, besides those already mentioned, include Vane Calvert as a kindly rancher lady, and Lewis Sargent as Griswold's son, Billy. In the amusing ending the participants in a double-wedding ceremony look anything but happy! The movie is an amiable look at old-time theater troupes, but one wishes it had been better directed. 

Verdict: Bell's charming appeal, and Hayes' versatility, lift up this minor but likable old movie. **3/4. 

RHAPSODY

Ericson, Taylor and Gassman

RHAPSODY (1954). Director: Charles Vidor.

"You have an almost neurotic need to be needed. And that man needs no one."

Hollywood always liked to hedge its bets when it came to movies with a classical music milieu, so they made sure in such pictures to include beautiful women, handsome men, and a dollop of sex -- or at least lots of romance. In Rhapsody the beautiful woman is Elizabeth Taylor, who never looked more luscious except perhaps in Elephant Walk, and she has two handsome co-stars, Vittorio Gassman and John Ericson. If that weren't enough, the movie is drenched in the music of Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and others. Louise Durant (Taylor) is in love with an up and coming violinist, Paul Bronte (Gassman) and she follows him to Zurich where he needs to finish his studies. Louise is sensitive but a bit too superficial to be able to develop an interest in classical music, so she has no real joy in her lover's eventual success. 

Meanwhile, James Guest (Ericson) an upstairs neighbor studying piano at the same conservatory, is falling for Louise and is there for her when things temporarily fall apart between her and Paul. A love triangle develops, with Louise torn between the man she thinks she loves and the other man who desperately needs her ... La Liz gives one of her best performances in Rhapsody, a spoiled but loving minx who needs the affection withheld by her father (an excellent Louis Calhern) and will do just about anything to get it from the man she loves. Gassman is wonderful as an artistic devil-may-care, for whom Louise will always take second place, and Ericson, who later appeared on TV's Honey West, has probably the best role of his career and runs with it. Other notable cast members include Michael Chekhov as Professor Cahill, Celia Lovsky as a landlady, and Stuart Whitman as another student, among others.

Verdict: Feed your inner romantic! ***.

RECKLESS

RECKLESS (1935). Director: Victor Fleming.

By the time agent Ned Riley (William Powell) realizes he's really in love with his client, singer-dancer Mona Leslie (Jean Harlow), Mona is being swept off her feet by the wealthy Bob Harrison Jr. (Franchot Tone). Harrison even goes so far as to buy out every seat for a performance of the show Mona is in. Mona's wise old grandmother (May Robson) scolds and gives sage advice in equal measure. Rosalind Russell turns up as Harrison's kind of forgotten fiancee, Henry Stephenson is his concerned father, and little Mickey Rooney is his usual charming self as an enterprising youngster befriended by Ned (perhaps the film's most touching sequence has Rooney trying to help out Ned when he thinks he's down and out). If that cast weren't enough, we've also got Allan Jones singing a romantic ballad in his inimitable way, Leon Ames turning up both with and without his mustache, Charles "Ming the Merciless" Middleton playing a district attorney, and Margaret Dumont showing up for one line as a heckler in the theater! Powell, Harlow, and Tone are all just marvelous, and Robson almost manages to steal every scene she's in. The story veers in unfortunately melodramatic directions, but the film still manages to be quite entertaining. And that cast! 

Verdict: Crazy script but a feast of fine actors! ***.

THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY

THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY (1954). Director: William A. Wellman.

"The youth of man will never die unless he murders it."

NOTE: Some plot details are revealed in this review.This was a [near] disaster film made before the era of disaster films, based on a novel by the once-popular Ernest K. Gann. On a flight from Honolulu to San Francisco, various passengers share their stories, as some unspecified troubles begin, culminating in the loss of an engine and the possibility that they might not have enough fuel to make it to land --  which means they might wind up in the drink. No one can say with any certainty if the plane will float until help arrives, or break up and sink. On board we have a honeymoon couple, middle-aged couples, a woman who's in love with her boss, an aging gal, Sally (Jan Sterling), meeting her future, younger husband for the first time, and so on. One thing the plane doesn't have is any chivalrous men. When Sally explains how nervous she is about meeting her guy considering she's a bit older than the only picture he has of her, neither the pilot Sullivan (Robert Stack) or another male passenger ever tell her that she's still considerably attractive -- gee, what nice guys! When another woman, May (Claire Trevor), betrays her terror of aging -- "no one's whistled at me in years" -- her male companion offers no compliments, either, despite her own good looks. The younger women, including the pretty and efficient stewardess (Julie Bishop) and the darling Miss Chen (Joy Kim) fare a bit better. 

Sidney Blackmer of Rosemary's Baby is aboard for a little melodrama involving his wife and her alleged lover, David Brian, and there's also Paul Kelly as a disaffected scientist. Loraine Day is a wealthy woman disgusted with her husband's financial decisions, Phil Harris and Ann Doran are disappointed middle-aged tourists; all are fine. William Campbell [Dementia 13] has one of his best roles as an obnoxious younger pilot. The performances and the characterizations are actually pretty good, but The High and the Mighty is only sporadically entertaining and suspenseful, and at nearly two and half hours in length is much too long and in fact fairly tedious for long stretches. But the main problem is that the movie has no pay-off and no real climax. John Wayne -- did I forget to mention him? -- saves the day and that's that. You're happy for the characters but disappointed that there's so little life or death action. Wayne plays an older pilot who is haunted by the death of his wife and boy in a crash that he survived. When he thinks back on this event in a flashback, he furrows his brow to show that he's allegedly "haunted." He's better in scenes when he has to firmly and kindly reassure the passengers; in fact, for the most part he's not bad at all. Dimitri Tiomkin's Oscar-winning music score does most of the work in this movie, however.

Verdict: This is by no means a classic. **1/2.

THE DOOR WITH 7 LOCKS

Schurenberg, Drache, Arent

THE DOOR WITH 7 LOCKS (aka The Door with Seven Locks aka Die Tur mit den 7 Schlossern/1962). Director: Alfred Vohrer. 

A librarian named Sybil (Sabine Sesselmann) discovers that her life is in danger because she's the next in line to inherit a vast fortune. Inspector Martin (Heinz Drache) tries to protect her while investigating a series of mysterious deaths. Mixed up in all this are a sinister couple named Cody (Werner Peters and Gisela Uhlen); a lawyer named Haveloc (Hans Nielsen); an ex-con -- and Mrs. Cody's nephew -- named Tommy (Jan Hendriks); a hulking horror named Giacco (Ady Berber of Dead Eyes of London); and the very strange Dr. Staletti (Pinkas Braun). As usual, we've also got Siegfried Schurenberg as Sir John of Scotland Yard, and Martin's mincing assistant, Holms (Eddi Arent). There is a lot of talk about a secret door which takes seven keys to unlock, and which various characters possess. 

Ady Berber, West Germany's answer to Tor Johnson

Yes, this is another West German Edgar Wallace adaptation, and while it has a few exciting moments, it's generally mediocre. As usual, the plot comes together at the end. The movie was previously filmed in the UK in 1940 -- it is also known as Chamber of Horrors -- and if anything is far worse than this version, which at least moves at a generally swift pace. Although the identity of the true mastermind isn't revealed until the very end, it is made pretty clear early on that there's something very wrong with Dr. Stiletti, whose experiments with pituitary glands have created the mongoloid Giacco. Stiletti wants to create a race of supermen, but his first idea is to transplant a human head on a monkey's body (the movie might have been more interesting if this actually took place). In a very odd sequence, Martin and Sybil ride down several stories in a elevator with no doors, but then go up in the same elevator for no good reason. Klaus Kinski plays an early victim. Be advised that an alleged torture chamber has very little to do with the 1940 film and there is absolutely no torture chamber in this version, just a weird hidden room where experiments take place. 

Verdict: Some entertaining elements but really nothing special. **1/2. 

LUST FOR GOLD

Jacob (Glenn Ford) stakes his claim

LUST FOR GOLD (1949). Director: S. Sylvan Simon.

Inspired by the true legends of the Lost Dutchman mine in the Superstitious Mountains of Arizona, the major portion of this film takes place in the last century with modern-day framing sequences that carry their own interest. Jacob "Dutch" Walz (Glenn Ford) commits murder to preserve the secret of the mine's location, then goes to town to stake his claim. There he encounters duplicitous Julia Thomas (Ida Lupino), who owns a bakery but dreams of a better life which she knows her husband (Gig Young) will never provide. So she begins a romance with an unsuspecting Walz. Lupino and Young are fine, and Ford is especially good as one of the more unpleasant characters he's played. If the main story's climactic gun battle near the mine weren't enough, the absorbing film also boasts a terrific cliffside fight as the modern-day story's thrilling finale. William Prince, Edgar Buchanan, Paul Ford and even Percy Helton [as a barber] are members of the supporting cast, and all are swell.

Verdict: Snappy and extremely entertaining. ***1/2.

WITHOUT HONOR

Laraine Day and Franchot Tone

WITHOUT HONOR (1949). Director: Irving Pichel.

Jane Bandle (Laraine Day of Foreign Correspondent) is a bored and neglected housewife whose husband, Fred (Bruce Bennett of Smart Girls Don't Talk), frequently leaves her alone and who insists he wants no children. She enters into an affair with Dennis Williams (Franchot Tone), who claims to love her to such an extent that he wants to leave his wife, Katherine (Agnes Moorehead) and daughters. But when Dennis gets wind that Fred might be having him followed, he gets cold feet and wants to end his relationship with Jane. Things spiral out of control and who should show up but nasty Bill (Dane Clark of Whiplash), Fred's jealous brother, who has reasons for despising Jane. He's also invited Mr. and Mrs. Williams to come over for a chat, but none of the players, including a clueless Fred and despairing Jane, realize that Dennis may be permanently out of the picture. 

Day with Dane Clark

One could quibble with certain aspects of Without Honor, but on its own terms it's a credible and absorbing -- and certainly unpredictable -- melodrama with a good script by James Poe. The performances are quite good across the board, and while Pichel is no Hitchcock he keeps things moving and manages to build up a degree of suspense. Another "player," as usual, is composer Max Steiner, who provides good back-up for the goings-on, with some of the catchy music acting as counterpoint to the generally grim proceedings. Without Honor has certainly gotten mixed reactions from viewers, with some hating almost every aspect of it and others finding it a bit unique and different. Count me in the latter camp.

When Ladies Meet: Agnes Moorehead with Day

Bill hates Jane because years before he made a pass at her while she was dating his brother and she made a fuss about it, perhaps somewhat altering the relationship between the two men. Some viewers feel that Bill has incestuous sexual feelings for his own brother -- the notion that Bill is in love with Fred might make more sense if Bill was Fred's best friend and not his brother -- but while Bill does come off like a rejected lover (of Fred's) due to the intensity of Clark's performance, I don't think that was the film's intention (although Poe did deal with homosexual characters in his adaptations of plays by Tennessee Williams).

Verdict: Unusual and arresting film that never quite goes where you expect it to. ***1/4. 

WOLF

All smirks: Jack Nicholson

WOLF (1994). Director: Mike Nichols. 

Embattled editor Will Randall (Jack Nicholson) is bitten by a wolf in Vermont, and finds that the canine influence is changing him into a new man. Instead of meekly accepting his being (essentially) fired by new boss Raymond Alden (Christopher Plummer of Dracula 2000), Will comes up with a plan to get his job back and fire his former protege and now rival, Stewart Swinton (James Spader of Jack's Back). Stewart is stabbing Will in the back in other ways as well. After Will separates from his wife, Charlotte (Kate Nelligan), he begins a weird relationship with Alden's daughter, Laura (Michelle Pfeiffer of Cheri), but he confides in her that strange things have been happening to him. His vision and hearing have become incredibly acute, and he is afraid he is going out at night and committing violent acts. Then he learns that someone close to him has had her throat torn out ...

Michelle Pfeiffer

Director Nichols and star Nicholson collaborated on several movies, but one wishes they had skipped this one, as the two main problems with Wolf are its director and its star. By now Nicholson had almost become a glib caricature of himself, and his smirking performance in this really isn't very good -- other actors could have done so much more with this often very emotional material. (Oddly, Nicholson wanted to do this movie and signed on first, bringing in Nichols later -- why didn't he take it more seriously?) Pfeiffer is also miscast, as she doesn't get across whatever there is in her nature that would attract her to Will (aside from that canine energy raging inside him), and their romance -- if that's what you can call it -- is never for a moment believable. James Spader and Christopher Plummer give the best performances of the lead cast members.

James Spader

It's almost as if Nichols was afraid to make a "mere" horror movie, so he doesn't pull out all the stops and the film suffers because of it. He is generally not very adept at crafting action sequences. The term "werewolf" is never used, and you keep expecting someone to bring up The Wolfman, but no one ever does, even though everyone in the audience is thinking it. The sub-text, what there is of it, isn't strong enough to turn this into something that "transcends the genre," as they say. Rick Baker contributes some decent make ups, but there are no great transformation sequences as this is not -- heaven help us -- an "honest to goodness werewolf movie." If only it were. That being said, Wolf is still quite entertaining if instantly forgettable.

Verdict: Cry wolf! **3/4.                                                                                                         

SONNY BOY Al Pacino

SONNY BOY: A Memoir. Al Pacino. Penguin; 2024.

In this very well-written (by whom it is not known) memoir, there is a constant shifting from the self-absorbed movie star to the ordinary guy who just wants to remember his roots and be loved. Pacino spends quite a few pages on his childhood in the Bronx, his divorced parents, grandparents, and both begins and ends with portraits of his young buddies, most of whom came to bad ends because of drugs. Pacino doesn't gloss over his own problems with alcohol and drugs nor does he deny occasionally foolish behavior. He is selective about the films he chooses to write about, as well as the colleagues, and no doubt some will be insulted that he doesn't mention certain individuals at all. He is generally kind when it comes to his various girlfriends, but all we learn about actress Beverly D'Angelo (of Hair), with whom he had twins, is her name (Pacino doesn't mention the bitter custody battle they engaged in either). Pacino gives credit to the people who helped him down through the years, including acting coach Charlie (not the famous Charles) Laughton and agent-producer Martin Bregman. Surprisingly Pacino reveals that he went "broke" due to the manipulations of a now-imprisoned accountant, and this is why he took roles in movies that he pretty much knew would be awful. (Righteous Kill anyone?) Along the way Pacino notes some of the films and performances, such as Ray Milland's in The Lost Weekend, that he admires. Whatever his flaws as both actor and man, Pacino is an immensely talented Artist, who kept going back to the theater, took chances on doing Shakespeare (with mixed results), and directed both documentaries and dramas (oddly, he barely mentions Chinese Coffee, in which he directed himself and Jerry Orbach). Pacino's oldest child, Julie, is now in her thirties, but Pacino doesn't tell us much about her. I guess a movie star is a movie star is a movie star -- this is about me, baby! -- regardless of their background. NOTE: For a look at Pacino's life and career, investigate Al Pacino: In Films and On Stage by yours truly. 

Verdict: Excellent, absorbing and very worthwhile autobiography. ***1/2. 

PHFFFT

Judy Holliday and Luella Gear

PHFFT (1954). Director: Mark Robson.

Their eight-year marriage having grown stale, Nina and Robert Tracey (Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon) decide to call it quits. Nina gets advice from her mother, Edith (Luella Gear of Carefree), while Robert moves in with and is sort of adopted by his best buddy, playboy Charlie Nelson (Jack Carson of The Groom Wore Spurs). Charlie importunes Robert to date the beautiful but intellectually-challenged Janis (Kim Novak). Although they both seem happy to be divorced and on their own, the truth is that Nina and Robert are having trouble moving on -- maybe they're still in love with each other? 

Jack Lemmon and Jack Carson

That same year Holliday and Lemmon, in his first picture, teamed up for the truly dreadful It Should Happen to You. Fortunately Lemmon survived that debacle and teamed again with Holliday and this time the results were more felicitous. Based on an early play by George Axelrod, Phffft hardly has the most original premise or situations -- the problems of divorced couples having trouble moving on because they're still in love were a staple of movies of the golden age -- but there is enough humor in the film to make it palatable, and the performances by the entire cast really put it over. Highlights include a scene when Nina and Robert, both with their own dates, wind up dancing the mambo together on the dance floor, and especially the hilarious climax, when Nina and Charlie Nelson have a disastrous date. These are three fine actors working at the top of their form, with good support from Novak and an excellent Luella Gear helping add to the fun. 

Verdict: A great cast makes this work. ***.

THE CASE OF THE FRIGHTENED LADY (1940)

Dudley-Ward, Haye, Goring, Barr

THE CASE OF THE FRIGHTENED LADY (aka The Frightened Lady/1940). Director: George King. Colorized. 

In this British version of an Edgar Wallace story, Inspector Tanner (George Merritt) investigates when the chauffeur, Studd (John Warwick), of the redoubtable Lady Lebanon (Helen Haye) is found strangled on the grounds. Suspects include the shady Dr. Amersham (Felix Aylmer of The Chalk Garden), who knew Studd in India; Architect Ferraby (Patrick Barr), who has taken a shine to Lady Lebanon's secretary, Isla (Penelope Dudley-Ward); the grounds man Tilling (an unrecognizable Torin Thatcher); and Lady Lebanon's son Willie (Marius Goring of The Barefoot Contessa), whom she wants Isla to marry. Then there's another murder ... 

Haye and Dudley-Ward

The Case of the Frightened Lady was filmed many times both theatrically and for television. West Germany came out with a version called The Indian Scarf in the sixties, which made quite a few changes to the story. The performances in this version, especially from Haye and Goring, are quite good, and there's a degree of suspense as well. The screenplay has a subtext of keeping up appearances -- and bloodlines -- at all costs, no matter how reprehensible this may be. George Blake also directed Sexton Blake and the Hooded Terror.

Verdict: Edgar Wallace strikes again. ***. 

TIME OFF

 GREAT OLD MOVIES will be back with new reviews shortly. Taking some time off to finish a book. 

THE TONTO KID

Rex Bell as the Tonto Kid

THE TONTO KID (1934). Director: Harry L. Fraser. 

Old Rance Cartwright (Joseph W. Girard of The Spider Returns), who owns a ranch, feels that his time is nearly up, and wants his lawyer, Creech (Theodore Lorch) to find his granddaughter, Edna May. and make her an heiress. Cartwright originally hoped to send his former employee, Skeets Slawson, aka the Tonto Kid (Rex Bell) -- whom he fired for insubordination --  to find the granddaughter, but Skeets has other plans. Creech discovers that the long-lost granddaughter may be dead, so with millions at stake he enlists a friend of hers, Nancy (Ruth Mix), to pose as her. Creech's plans take an even darker turn when he kidnaps the real Edna May (Barbara Roberts) with the help of confused Wesley (Buzz Barton). After saving Creech and Nancy from highway robbers, Skeets and Nancy form a bond, which may come in handy when Creech frames the Tonto Kid for murder. 

Rex Bell with Theodore Lorch

Rex Bell, the handsome husband of "It" girl Clara Bow, was a likable and charismatic western cowboy star. The Tonto Kid, although a mediocre flick, illustrates his considerable, rakish appeal. Skeets is no Roy Rogers -- he's a bit of a rapscallion and most people seem to think he's an actual criminal -- although he's ultimately on the side of the angels. Ruth Mix is the child of Tom Mix, and while no beauty, she isn't a bad actress. The Tonto Kid initially has an interesting premise, but then it goes in too many directions. There are a couple of exciting moments, however.  The ending, in which Skeets is sort of roped into a very sudden marriage without even a proposal, is funny and a little scary! Harry L. Fraser also directed The White Gorilla.

Verdict: Rex Bell is the only reason to watch this. **. 

ULYSSES (1954)

ULYSSES (aka Ulisse/1954). Director: Mario Camerini. 

"There's part of me that's always homesick for the unknown." 

Penelope (Silvana Mangano) rebuffs a horde of boorish suitors while she waits for Ulysses (Kirk Douglas) to come home to her, unaware that he has his hands full with bewitching sirens, the cyclops Polyphemus, and Circe, a temptress who has made herself look just like Penelope (also played by Mangano). Anthony Quinn is cast as the most bold and virile of Penelope's suitors. This is a fair-to-middling version of Homer's great epic, including many of the incidents of the story without being completely faithful to its source material. The special effects are definitely low-tech, but Douglas -- who looks great in his beard -- gives a fine performance, and Mangano and Quinn are also creditable. Ulysses manages to put the cyclops to sleep by giving him -- grape juice? (It takes some time for crushed grapes to turn into wine.)

Verdict: Not especially memorable as adventure or fantasy, but not devoid of interest. **1/2.

W.C. FIELDS: A BIOGRAPHY

W. C. FIELDS A biography. James Curtis. 2003; Alfred A. Knopf.

This is an excellent biography of the great comedian W. C. Fields, from his childhood to his early success as a juggler in vaudeville, to his early film performances, and on to his various successes (and failures) in motion pictures. Curtis describes how certain of Fields' life and career experiences later informed his film portrayals. The book also examines Fields' difficult relationships with his one wife and several mistresses, as well as with his two sons, one legitimate and one not. Curtis goes behind the scenes of such memorable films as The Bank Dick and The Old-Fashioned Way and relates the touchy working relationship between Fields and Mae West on My Little Chickadee. Curtis does a great job of getting across Fields' essentially lovable but often mercurial nature, which was exacerbated by his extreme alcoholism in later years. Sympathetic, incisive and well-researched, this is one superb biography.

Verdict: You'll want to rush out and see every one of Fields' movies! ****.

SLEEPING BEAUTY

SLEEPING BEAUTY (1959). Director: Clyde Geronimi. Walt Disney Studios.

In the 14th century the evil witch Maleficent (expertly voiced by Eleanor Audley) puts a spell on the baby princess Aurora that will have her prick her finger and die before her 16th birthday. Luckily some good fairies are able to alter the spell so that she will only go into a deep sleep, to be awakened by the kiss of a prince. Sleeping Beauty is not without its pleasures, but it isn't in the league of such Disney masterpieces as One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Princess and the Frog. While the film's animation is fluid, the drawings are disappointing, although the movie comes alive in an exciting, well-directed climax where Prince Phillip hacks his way through a forest of thorns created by Maleficent, and then battles the woman herself after she transforms herself into a fire-breathing dragon. The lilting theme song is taken from the "Sleeping Beauty" ballet by Tchaikovsky. This movie may be made for children, but the all-important kissing scene seems to be over in two seconds flat!

Verdict: The definitive version of this fairy tale is yet to be made. **1/2.

THE MURDERERS' CLUB OF BROOKLYN

George Nader as Jerry Cotton

THE MURDERERS' CLUB OF BROOKLYN (aka Der Morderclub von Brooklyn/1967). Director: Werner Jacobs.

FBI agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) and his partner Phil Decker (Heinz Weiss) take on a sinister group operating out of Brooklyn that extorts money from wealthy businessmen by threatening to murder their children. Some of these victims are indeed kidnapped and found dead. The businessmen -- Dyers (Karel Stepanek), Johnson (Helmuth Rudolph) and Cormick (Rudi Schmitt), as well as their sons Bryan Dyers (Helmut Fornbacher) and Burnie Johnson (Helmut Kircher) -- come under suspicion as well. The trail seems to lead to a Salvation Army outpost run by one Nash (Horst Michael Neutze). But the true mastermind behind it all might surprise even Jerry. 

Heinz Weiss with Nader

Murderers' Club is one of the most entertaining and well-made Jerry Cotton thrillers. At one point Phil is kidnapped and left to die in the back of a refrigerated truck, and at another point Jerry fakes his own death in an elevator to draw out the criminals. There's a splendid fight scene atop a speeding freight train. Peter Thomas' score is very effective and employs the annoying Jerry Cotton theme sparingly. Phil is given more to do in this installment than in others. Franziska Bronnen makes an impression as Jerry's efficient secretary, Susan, who even gets involved in the action during a car chase. 

Murderers' Club is the fifth in a series of eight West German films starring Nader as Cotton. The movies were based on a whole slew of German-language thrillers by various authors starring the NYC-based FBI agent. A more recent German movie entitled Jerry Cotton came out in 2010.

Verdict: Exciting and fast-paced West German thriller. ***. 

ROPE OF SAND

Burt Lancaster and Peter Lorre

ROPE OF SAND (1949). Director: William Dieterle. Colorized. 

Mike Davis (Burt Lancaster) is an African guide whose charge, Ingram (Hayden Rourke), goes off into forbidden diamond territory while he's sleeping. When Davis finds him, Ingram is near-death, clutching a load of diamonds. Davis leaves the diamonds and tries to get Ingram out of the desert. When police guards, led by Commandant Paul Vogel (Paul Henreid), come upon the pair, Ingram is dead and Davis is tortured, but refuses to tell where the diamonds are located. Two years later Davis is back in the territory, where diamond mogul Martingale (Claude Rains), who pretends to like Vogel but secretly despises him, decides to use a beautiful refuge, Suzanne (Corinne Calvet of Flight to Tangier), to get the location of the diamonds from Davis. A battle of wills ensues between Davis and Vogel as they fight it out for both diamonds and lady, with Martingale manipulating everyone behind the scenes and Toady (Peter Lorre) hoping to score as well. Meanwhile, Davis has decided to go for the gems come hell or highwater ... 

Claude Rains and Corinne Calvet

Rope of Sand is a seriously flawed film, but it is entertaining and well-acted enough to prove a good watch. There seems to be so much missing of the characters' back stories that while you're watching it you think it must be based on a long novel, not all of which made it onto the screen, but this is not the case. This was supposed to be a follow-up to Casablanca with Bogart and Bergman in the Lancaster and Calvet roles, but producer Hal Wallis had to be satisfied with three of the supporting cast of that film. John Bromfield (of The Big Bluff) has a smaller role as one of Henreid's officers. Dieterle's direction is assured, the performances -- especially Rains' -- are uniformly good, there is outstanding cinematography from Charles Lang [Wild is the Wind]  and an exciting score by Franz Waxman, but you may find it hard to tell if there's more -- or less -- here than meets the eye. Lancaster and Henreid have a nifty fist fight at one point. 

Verdict: Certainly it's not boring. ***.