EASY LIVING (1937)

EASY LIVING (1937). Director: Mitchell Leisen.

Shop girl Mary Smith (Jean Arthur) is on her way to work and minding her own business when a sable coat drops out of the sky and lands on her head. Before long everyone is convinced that she is the mistress of J. B. Ball (Edward Arnold), the married millionaire who threw the coat off the roof because his wife's spending was out of control. Hotelier Louis Louis (Luis Alberni) invites her to stay in his magnificent Imperial Suite (with five reception rooms and an incredible shower-bath) for $7 a week (all she can afford) but when she finds nothing in the refrigerator she heads for the automat. There she meets Ball's son John (Ray Milland), who's trying to earn his own way in the world, but instead causes a riot when he tries to get Mary a free meat pie. While this isn't necessarily a laugh-a-minute comedy, it has some very amusing sequences (such as the automat riot), interesting characters, and a cute situation. Good performances, especially from Alberni and the incomparable Franklin Pangborn as a shop owner. Esther Dale is also great as Arnold's no-nonsense secretary, who doesn't take any guff from him.

Verdict: Minor-league but fun. **1/2.

SUPERMAN III

SUPERMAN 3. (1983). Director: Richard Lester.

In this entertaining if very silly movie the Superman series has basically been refashioned into a comedy showcase for the undeniable talents of comedian Richard Pryor. In this he plays August Gorman, who after a term of unemployment finds his niche working with computers for a company owned by Webster (Robert Vaughn) and his sister Vera (Annie Ross). (Webster also has a "psychic nutritionist" named Lorelei who acts like a bimbo but turns out to be more intelligent – relatively – than anyone supposes.) After Gorman manages to cleverly steal a large amount of money from Webster’s company, Webster has him use his "talents" to control the weather and then to try and destroy Superman himself. ("I ask you to kill Superman and you can’t do that One Simple Thing!" rants Webster.) Lois Lane has little to do in the film – appearing only at the beginning and end – with Lana Lang (Annette O’Toole) taking center stage in scenes taking place in Smallville. An imperfect recreation of Kryptonite turns Superman "evil" and sexier (he even sleeps with Lorelei, it is suggested) until he has a big battle with himself in an auto junk yard. At one point Superman uses his breath to freeze an entire lake and melt it on top of a nuclear plant that’s on fire. (It’s a question why he doesn’t use his freeze breath to lower the temperature in the reactor room.) The climax has Superman tackling a huge super-computer built to Pryor’s specifications. Christopher Reeve and O’Toole are fine in the film with Pryor getting most of the running time and running with it in fine fashion.. Vaughn is quite hilarious as Webster, and Ross nearly steals the picture as Vera. The effects are first-rate and while there are dumb moments, this is basically good-natured, likable nonsense, if little for the intellect.

Verdict: Fun if you're game. ***.

FORTY GUNS

FORTY GUNS (1957). Director/writer/producer: Samuel Fuller.

Joseph F. Biroc's sweeping, beautiful, CinemaScope photography is one of the major assets of this highly unusual and generally unpredictable western starring Barry Sullivan as a U.S. Marshal named Griff Bonnell. Griff comes to town with his two brothers Wes (Gene Barry) and Chico (Robert Dix), and comes into contact -- and conflict -- with powerful rancher Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck). John Ericson is Jessica's swaggering, nasty, out of control brother Brockie, who takes a terrible vengeance on the Bonnell boys. There are very good performances in this from all the named principals, but Dean Jagger is especially noteworthy as the sheriff who has an unrequited yen for Jessica. Eve Brent has a nice turn as the gal-- handy with a gun herself -- that Wes falls in love with. There's a terrific scene with a tornado that nearly sweeps Griff and Jessica into the next world, as well as some suspenseful gun battles. Forty Guns just misses being a really great picture; one senses some important scenes were shortened or left on the cutting room floor. Still, it's a pleasant surprise. Barney's (Jidge Carroll) song numbers are okay but a little disconcerting; this was his only film.

Verdict: Flavorful tale of the old west. ***.

DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL

DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL (1957). Director: Edgar G. Ulmer.

On her 21st birthday Janet Smith (Gloria Talbott) brings her fiance George (John Agar) to meet her guardian Dr. Lomas (Arthur Shields) on the latter's spooky estate. There Lomas tells the woman that she is not only a wealthy heiress, but that her father was the notorious Dr. Jekyll (the film takes place in the early part of the 20th century). The film, via Dr. Lomas, posits the theory that Mr. Hyde was actually a werewolf. Does the tendency for lycanthropy exist in Jekyll's daughter? Soon she's having dreams of attacking young women in the woods, waking up bloodied and dirty only to discover that the maid or somebody else got slaughtered. Daughter of Dr. Jekyll seems to have borrowed its basic premise from She-Wolf of London, but on its own terms it's creepy and atmospheric, bolstered by very good performances from Talbott and Shields, who strikes just the right note as the doctor. Even stalwart John Agar isn't bad and Martha Wentworth is memorable as the housekeeper, Mrs. Merchant. One of the murder scenes, of a sexy blond in her home, is inventively staged.

Verdict: Good, absorbing fun. ***.

TERROR BY NIGHT

TERROR BY NIGHT (1946). Director: Roy William Neill.

Sherlock Holmes is hired to prevent the theft of the incredible Star of Rhodesia jewel owned by the haughty Lady Carstairs (Mary Forbes). This film isn't even an hour long, so it would be criminal to give away any of the surprises, but it involves skullduggery on board a train going from London to Edinburgh. On board are Lady Carstairs, her son Roland (Geoffrey Steele), Inspector Lestrade (Dennis Hoey), the femme fatale Vivan Vedder (Renee Godfrey), and of course Sherlock Homes (Basil Rathbone) and Watson (Nigel Bruce). Other passengers include Watson's friend Major Duncan-Bleek (Alan Mowbray). Homes wonders if his antagonist could be none other than Sebastian Moran, an associate of the late Professor Moriarty. Very fast-paced and engaging with generally good performances from all.

Verdict: Entertaining mystery-thriller is clever if on the slight side. **1/2.

BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE

BLUEBEARD'S EIGHTH WIFE (1938). Director: Ernst Lubitsch.

Nicolle (Claudette Colbert) falls in love with the extremely wealthy Michael Brandon (Gary Cooper) but right before the wedding she discovers that he's already been married to -- and divorced -- seven other women! Distraught not only by the fact of his previous marriages, but his cavalier -- and financial --attitude toward matrimony in general, Nicolle marries Michael but becomes the Wife from Hell, hoping he'll divorce her and she'll get a lifetime annuity. This meant-to-be-frothy comedy, although written by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett, is comparatively dull and mostly unfunny and illogical, and is no "screwball" classic. Cooper tries hard and has his moments, but he's no Cary Grant, and Colbert is at her most artificial and "actressy." Scenes between the two have absolutely no spontaneity but seem carved in cement. The supporting players, including Edward Everett Horton, Franklin Pangborn, Elizabeth Patterson, and David Niven, are more on the mark.

Verdict: One or two laughs, maybe, and you can miss them. *1/2

NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (1944)

NOTHING BUT TROUBLE (1944). Director: Sam Taylor.

As the film starts in 1932, Laurel and Hardy have so much trouble finding work as chef and butler (they come from a long line of same) that they go to Europe. Returning in 1944, the find that their skills are now much in demand. An anxious Mary Boland hires them for her household and to prepare a special dinner party for visiting royalty. (Frankly, much more could have been made of their escaping with Boland from the other anxious wannabee employers at the employment office.) Going shopping, the boys encounter the young King Chris (David Leland), who would rather play football than rule his country. This leads to a protracted football sequence that is completely devoid of laughs. However things pick up with the disastrous dinner party itself -- featuring a rubber steak that resists all efforts to cut it -- as well as a genuinely suspenseful and hilarious ending with the boys and the king forced out on a ledge by a usurper. Stan and Ollie are great, young Leland gives an appealing performance, and Mary Boland is delightful as Mrs. Elvira Hawkley. Good supporting performances as well. Although Leland looks around 14 years of age, he was actually 23 at the time!

Verdict: Despite flaws, a charming and entertaining movie. ***.

MEXICAN HAYRIDE

MEXICAN HAYRIDE (1948). Director: Charles Barton.

Bud and Lou are up to mischief down in Mexico, where Joe (Costello) has followed Harry (Abbott), who bilked him out of money and is now hoping to sell shares to a mine. At the arena, Bud realizes that the lady bullfighter Montana (Virginia Grey), is actually an old gal pal, Mary. Harry's sexy associate Dagmar (Luba Malina) tries to find out where Joe has hidden his money. And the law, as well as sinister old associates, are closing in. Fritz Feld is a scream as an elocution master who tries to help Costello with his speech, and a lot of humor is generated by the fact that Lou can't resist dancing every time he hears the Samba -- including in the bullring, where a very dramatic bull is after his hide. Costello also has a funny routine with the fast-talking Sidney Fields, and an amusing song and dance number with the zesty Malina. Lou's brother Pat Costello probably has a larger, speaking role in this than in any other A&C feature as a tough guy who's looking for Joe.

Verdict: Good-natured fun. ***

SHE-WOLF OF LONDON

SHE-WOLF OF LONDON (1946). Director: Jean Yarbrough.

In turn of the century London, Phyllis Allenby (June Lockhart), is excitedly planning her wedding with fiance Barry Lanfield (Don Porter). But her hopeful plans for the future take a backseat to fear and terror when she believes she's become a victim of the Allenby lycanthropic curse, as she wakes up covered in dirt and blood only to learn that there's been another terrible murder in the park outside the estate. Her Aunt Martha (Sara Haden) tries to calm her fears to no avail, and Phyllis tries to break off her engagement with Lanfield. Meanwhile Scotland Yard goes on the hunt for the wild animal or psychotic human who's been savaging children and adults in the park. Taking place some time earlier, this appears to have no connection to Werewolf of London. While the picture is well-acted and well-produced, and keeps you guessing as to who exactly the "she-wolf" might be -- Phyllis, her cousin Carol (Jan Wiley), Aunt Martha, housekeeper Hannah (Eily Malyon)? -- the ending is a notorious cheat. Still, this is fast-moving and entertaining. Martin Kosleck has a small role -- a romantic part for a change -- as Carol's mystery lover, Dwight Severn. June Lockhart makes a very appealing heroine, and Sara Haden is quite effective (if a little obvious) in a role very different from Mickey Rooney's Aunt Milly in the Andy Hardy films.

Verdict: Fun, if you get past the disappointing ending.**1/2.

LILY TURNER

LILY TURNER (1933). Director: William A. Wellman.

Lily (Ruth Chatterton) has lousy luck with men. Her first husband, Rex (Gordon Westcott) deserts her after she gets pregnant and turns out to be a bigamist. Her second husband, Dave (Frank McHugh), marries her to make her respectable again, but prefers drinking to anything else and the marriage is never consummated. Finally Lily meets handsome, virile Bob (George Brent), while both are working for a shifty shiller of magical elixirs and the like, Doc McGill (Guy Kibbee). Frustrated horniness seems to be the sub-theme of this movie, with everyone -- including the demented strongman Fritz (Robert Barrat) -- either lusting for Lily or for Bob, who "sends" Mrs. McGill (Marjorie Gateson). This is an odd -- and oddly likable picture -- with good performances from the cast, and a somewhat poignant, if inconclusive, conclusion. This could have used an extra fifteen minutes or so to strengthen the story and characters, but it isn't half bad.

Verdict: Holds the attention. ***.

DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD

DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD (1954). Director: Richard Quine.

Mickey Rooney plays an auto mechanic with racing ambitions who falls under the spell of a woman (Dianne Foster) whose hood boyfriend (Kevin McCarthy) ordered her to get the guy to help them in a bank robbery. Unfortunately, Rooney thinks the gal is really in love with him. Although this holds the attention and is generally well-acted, it just doesn't amount to much. The robbery itself is none too thrilling, and the getaway just features some fast driving down winding roads (with absolutely no one in pursuit -- what's the hurry?) Jack Kelly is totally miscast as a supposedly nasty member of McCarthy's gang. Rooney gives a pretty good performance, however.

Verdict: Not much to this caper. **.

RIO RITA

RIO RITA (1942). Director: S. Sylvan Simon.

Bud and Lou think they're traveling by automobile trunk to New York but wind up in the Southwest, where they dally with a famous crooner, Ricardo Montera (John Carroll), his old girlfriend (Kathryn Grayson), an undercover agent, Lucette Brunswick(Patricia Dane), and a nest of Nazi spies headed by Tom Conway. Barry Nelson also has a small part. There are a few nice song numbers, a couple of laughs, and amiable performances by all. Some of the humor is a bit risque, especially when Costello -- under the tablecloth -- traverses a table full of old biddies and makes them all go "whooee," as well as a line Lou delivers to Bud about a cow girl: "She didn't get her calves together."

Verdict: Fun of a minor kind, with appealing players. ***.

AIR RAID WARDENS

AIR RAID WARDENS (1943). Director: Edward Segdwick.

On December 7th, 1941, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy want to enlist in the Army but are turned down by every branch of the services. Therefore they decide to help out on the home front and become air raid wardens. A series of misadventures lead to them being thrown out of the corps, but they come across a nest of Nazi spies and somehow manage to save the day. This charming, amusing film, while not a masterpiece, features the boys at the top of their form, likable schnooks who are seen as hideous misfits by the less tolerant of the small town's citizens. There are some hilarious moments in the film, as well as a good supporting cast, including Donald Meek as Eustace Middling, who is a German spy. Horace (Stephen) McNally is the newspaper publisher and Howard Freeman, Nella Walker, and Edgar Kennedy are some of their foils.

Verdict: Lots of laughs. ***.

THE WOLF MAN

THE WOLF MAN (1941). Director: George Waggner.

After the accidental death of his brother, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) comes home to the ancestral manor in Europe and falls for Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), the pretty daughter of an antique dealer. Unfortunately, at a carnival with Gwen, Talbot is also bitten by a werewolf, Bela (Bela Lugosi), whom he kills. Bela's mother, the gypsy woman Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), knows that Talbot is now under the same curse as her late son and tries to help him. The Wolf Man is not a great picture -- Curt Siodmak's screenplay doesn't hold up to much scrutiny -- but it is fast-moving and entertaining and has an extremely interesting cast. Claude Rains really classes up the movie as Talbot's father, Sir John (who figures in the moving conclusion). Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, and Patric Knowles play, respectively, the family doctor, a policeman, and Gwen's fiance. The wolf man makeup by Jack Pierce is very good, but no explanation is given for why Bela turned into an actual wolf and Talbot into a wolf man. While the "August moon" figures in a poem on lycanthropy recited (seemingly within five minutes) by three different people -- which is unintentionally comical -- the full moon aspect of the legend really doesn't play a part in the story. Unfortunately Maleva also recites the same elegy -- "the way you walked was thorny" -- three times as well. Still, this is well-acted, atmospheric, and quite watchable. Lon Chaney (he had dropped the "jr." by this time) only gives an acceptable performance, however. NOTE: For a sneak peek at the new Wolf Man, click here.

Verdict: Not a bad classic horror flick; the cast certainly helps! ***.

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS

A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966) Director: Fred Zinnemann.

King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw) wants the Pope to allow him to divorce wife Catharine so that he can marry Anne Boleyn (Vanessa Redgrave). If you disagree with the King you're considered a traitor, but one man -- the Chancellor, Sir Thomas More (Paul Scofield) -- thinks that the Pope's, God's law, overrules the King's, and refuses to take an oath of loyalty on the matter. This study of a man of principle, who adheres to private conscience over public duty, is absorbing, well-acted, literately scripted (by Richard Bolt from his play), and expertly photographed by Ted Moore, with a nice musical background by Georges Delerue. Orson Welles offers one of the best performances as Cardinal Wolsey, but Leo McKern as Cromwell, Shaw as King Henry, Nigel Davenport as Norfolk, and John Hurt as Richard Rich are all quite excellent as well. Vanessa Redgrave's brother, Corin Redgrave, also makes an impression as More's son-in-law William Roper, as does Susannah York as his daughter. Wendy Hiller seems to play her role as More's wife, Lady Alice, in only one note throughout, and Scofield, although he won the Best Actor Oscar, is overly cool and theatrical, as if he had toned down his stage performance a bit too much. At times he seems perfunctory instead of impassioned, busy speaking lines instead of feeling the emotions. And the question remains: was More a principled man of courage or a self-destructive religious fool (or fanatic) who cared more for the Church than for his wife and family? The film also won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Costumes, and Best Screenplay.

Verdict: Even if you grow impatient with the the central character, the film is well-made and compelling.***.

THE CONSPIRATORS

THE CONSPIRATORS (1944). Jean Negulesco.

Paul Henreid stars as Vincent Van Der Lyn, aka "the Flying Dutchman," a spy who is up to his neck in intrigue in Lisbon. There he encounters a beautiful woman, Irene (Hedy Lamarr), with a much older husband, as well as a group of anti-German spies headed by Ricardo Quintanilla (the very un-Spanish Sydney Greenstreet, pictured). When Vincent is framed for the murder of an agent in his hotel room, he manages to escape from prison and sets out to find out who set him up. There is some suspense during the jail break, as well as during the climax in a casino, but The Conspirators is a distinctly third-rate, often illogical and ludicrous spy trifle that seems to take four hours to get nowhere. A host of fine character actors -- Kurt Katch, Victor Francen, among others -- add to the film's limited enjoyment level, but Greenstreet hasn't enough to do and Peter Lorre has even less.

Verdict: Skip it! *1/2.

THIN ICE

THIN ICE (1937). Director: Sidney Lanfield.

An entire Swiss village is excited to learn -- erroneously -- that Lili Heiser (Sonja Henie) is dating the handsome Prince Rudolph (Tyrone Power). Ironically, not much later Lili does meet the prince, who's incognito, but doesn't realize the man she eventually falls in love with (and vice versa) is the famous Prince. Therefore she's quite upset to learn that everyone thinks she's dallying with Prince Rudolph. That's the thin premise of this disappointing comedy that has few if any laughs, even with the presence of Joan Davis as an orchestra leader. Tyrone Power displays his usual charm and ability, but while Henie is cute and appealing in some ways, she's not much of an actress and certainly no gifted comedienne. Arthur Treacher plays Power's manservant. Pretty boring to be honest.

Verdict: Unless you're crazy for ice skating, you can miss it. *1/2.

CALLING DR. DEATH

CALLING DR DEATH (1943). Director: Reginald LeBorg.

Universal studios' first "Inner Sanctum" mystery should have put paid to the series. Although it runs a little over an hour, it seems to be three hours long. Lon Chaney (Jr.) is a doctor whose wife (Ramsay Ames) is murdered. Chaney thinks he must have done it, but there are other suspects, including one of the wife's boyfriends, as well as his disabled wife. The solution is almost obvious from the start. J. Carroll Naish is fine as a policeman, and Patricia Morison does a nice turn as Chaney's nurse. Chaney is only adequate, however, and his whispered thoughts heard on the soundtrack can bring on somnambulance. Ramsay Ames' terrible performance as Stella, Chaney's worse half, pretty much explains why little more was heard of her, although she was in such films as The Mummy's Ghost and others in later years.

Verdict: Could help if you're having trouble getting to sleep. *

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1933)

THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1933). 12 chapter Mascot serial. Directed by Armand Schaefer and Colbert Clark.

Described as an “updated” version of the story by Alexander Dumas, this is an entertaining cliffhanger with John Wayne taking center stage and the “musketeers” pushed into a subordinate position. In a battle between members of the Foreign Legion and gunrunners, all but three members of the legion forces are wiped out. The last three are saved by the timely intervention of Lt. Tom Wayne [John Wayne] in his plane. This first scene is a little weird, as the “heroes” have absolutely no reaction to the sudden deaths of their colleagues [one who "steals" a cigarette from a fallen comrade is shot and killed himself a moment later] and indeed remain jaunty and insouciant as they stand there afterward with the bodies of fellow legionnaires presumably lying all around them. Smiling in the face of death and remaining cool and philosophical about warfare is all well and good, but these musketeers come off as callous idiots. In contrast, John Wayne shows genuine emotion and concern when his buddy Stubbs (Noah Beery Jr.) is shot in front of him. Lon Chaney Jr., billed as Creighton Chaney, appears briefly as a friend of Wayne's who is murdered, with Wayne becoming the chief suspect. The real culprit is the villain El Shaitan [The Devil], who is plotting an Arab rebellion against the Legion. Wayne's girlfriend, Chaney's sister Elaine (Ruth Hall), has a letter which will clear Wayne of murder charges, and naturally there's a lot of running after this letter as well as many shots of men fairly leaping onto horses. The Musketeers are played by Francis X. Bushman, Raymond Hatton, and Jack [The Clutching Hand] Mulhall.

Verdict: Fairly entertaining, with a generally fast pace and some exciting moments. **1/2.

DR. NO [revisited]

DR. NO (1962). Director: Terence Young.

Asked what he thought of the film adaptation of his novel "Dr. No," Ian Fleming replied thusly: “Those who've read the book are likely to be disappointed, but those who haven't will find it a wonderful movie. Audiences laugh in all the right places.” Well ... score one for Fleming, who was right on target: the book was better. Still, Dr No is an entertaining, essentially well-made thriller which introduced James Bond 007 to the world (notwithstanding the Casino Royale television production) and started the practice of him giving out with black comedy quips which were not in Fleming's novels. Dr. No also began the practice of featuring a cinematic Bond who was much less dimensional than he was in the books. Bond is assigned to investigate the disappearance of two agents in Jamaica, and comes afoul of the sinister Dr. No (Joseph Wiseman), who is taking over the guidance systems of the super-powers' missiles. The best and most suspenseful sequences have to do with Bond trying to keep from being captured by the doctor's men on his island of Crab Key. [Although the fictional James Bond has a scar on his cheek, this detail has always been omitted from the films.]

Although the movie is relatively faithful to Ian Fleming's novel, there were quite a few changes made. Felix Leiter does not appear in the book, but he shows up briefly in the film in the form of Jack Lord. Bond winds up with a tarantula in his bed instead of the much more dangerous giant centipede that appears in the novel [the deadliness of the tarantula has always been greatly exaggerated]. There are no birds or bird dung on Crab Key, and we learn what the doctor is up to almost from the very start. Honey (Ursula Andress) does not have a broken nose, but she does relate the story, as in the novel, of dropping a black widow spider into the bed of a man who raped her. [Although no reference book states this outright, Andress appears to be dubbed; for one thing the Swiss actress has a British schoolgirl accent, and her voice sounds different from subsequent film appearances.] Dr. No is working for SPECTRE instead of for the Russians, and at the end Bond enters a tunnel simply as an escape attempt – it is not “doctored” with Dr. No's traps as a test of endurance as in the novel. Finally, there is no giant squid at the end of the tunnel. Perhaps the filmmakers felt the audience just wouldn't buy this [to date there is no live giant squid in captivity.]

Handsome and well-produced, Dr. No is not a great movie, but it is a good one, and a not-bad introduction to the World of 007. There is one rather dumb moment, when Bond kills Professor Dent, who is in the employ of Dr. No. While one can't blame Bond for wanting to snuff Dent, who has tried to kill him more than once, what about keeping him alive for questioning? The cast members give adequate to excellent performances with Wiseman the best as the sinister and strangely elegant Dr. No.

Verdict: Definitely has its moments. ***.

CASINO ROYALE (1967)

CASINO ROYALE (1967). Directors: John Huston; Ken Hughes; Robert Parrish; Joe McGrath; Val Guest.

Bizarre parody of James Bond movies features David Niven as the original 007 who's brought out of retirement after M and his corresponding officials in other countries are blown to bits (along with Niven's estate). He takes over M's position and is furious how “secret agent has become synonymous with sex maniac” since that new fellow took over. He enlists all the top agents to battle the threat of Dr. Noah, head of Smersh. These include: Agent Cooper (Terence Cooper), who is trained to resist the advances of gorgeous women; Mata Bond (Joanna Pettet), the daughter of Niven-Bond and Mata Hari; Evelyn Tremble (a subdued Peter Sellers), a baccarat master who must pose as Bond to outwit Le Chiffre (Orson Welles) in the only scene reminiscent of the novel; and Niven's nebbish nephew Jimmy Bond (Woody Allen). [Mata Bond is sexy and audacious in early scenes, but later on seems innocent and virginal, a victim of jangled continuity?] Gorgeous Ursula Andress -- at this time she was one of the most beautiful women in the movies [and is still pretty hot today] -- from Dr. No is cast as Miss Lynn Vesper, who helps train Sellers and has a body disposal unit in her bedroom. Dahlia Lavi is good as another saucy agent, and Jackie Bisset appears briefly as enemy spy Miss Goodthighs.

SPOILER ALERT: Woody Allen – who is very funny – turns out to be the nefarious Dr. Noah. He plans to replace all the world's rulers with doubles under his control, and has a bacillus that will make all women beautiful and kill all men over four foot six! He has also invented – and is tricked by Lavi into swallowing – capsules with “tiny time pills” that will turn a person into a walking bomb. After a wild fight at the casino where the cavalry literally appears (as well as Jean-Paul Belmondo and George Raft in cameos) Woody blows up himself and the rest of the cast. Everyone goes to Heaven – except Woody.

Although this picture is very silly and plays like a bad Batman episode at times, it does have great sets and scenic design, terrific music by Burt Bacharach [the rousing theme played by Herb Alpert; "The Look of Love"], and many inspired and amusing sequences. Five directors gives it an episodic feel as well as some muddled continuity. The Art Deco spy school with Frau Hoffner (well played by an amusing Anna Quale) is quite striking; there's some great, sweeping cinematography and good FX work; and the memorable guest stars include Deborah Kerr, who is quite good in a comedic turn as a spy posing as M's wife who tries to tempt Niven into immorality. Other guest-stars include co-director John Huston, William Holden and Charles Boyer. Barbara Bouchet makes a delectable Miss Moneypenny. There's an amusing (if highly stereotypical) gay tailor who outfits Sellers with new spy clothes and creates a few questionable gags. The funniest moment: Woody Allen climbs up a wall to escape a firing squad, only to drop down on the other side – where there's another firing squad! NOTE: To read a review of Ian Fleming's original novel, click here. To read a review of the remake click here.

Verdict: Although Casino Royale is certainly not on the level of the “serious” Bond films, it isn't that awful – but it's nothing spectacular either. **1/2.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE

ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (1969). Director: Peter Hunt.

After meeting a beautiful, troubled woman named Tracy (Diana Rigg) and her handsome criminal father Draco (Gabriele Ferzetti), Bond uses info he acquires from Draco to track down Ernest Stavros Blofeld (Telly Savalas), who is using beautiful women with allergies in another massive extortion plot. Since Blofeld hopes the College of Arms will declare him a count, Bond goes in disguise as someone from the college to Blofeld’s Swiss HQ and tries to figure out what he’s up to. Richard Maibaum’s script is relatively faithful to Ian Fleming’s novel, although there are a few changes. It makes no sense that Draco’s men should seemingly try to kill either Tracy or Bond in the prologue and other sequences. In the novel, the men are simply trying to escort the two of them to Draco and Bond misunderstands.

Although double entendres had been part of the Bond movies (if not the novels) for years, Maibaum’s script seems unnecessarily smarmy at times. A stupid aspect is the way Bond allegedly pretends to be gay when he impersonates Sir Hilary Bray (from the College of Arms), although this comes out more in some dialogue than in Lazenby’s performance – he seems foppish, stuffy, a bit of a "sissy," perhaps, but not stereotypically "gay." (The real Sir Hilary is a bit foppish but not epicene -- and not a gay character. And most gay men are not foppish or effeminate in any case.) In Fleming’s novel Bond simply observes that there’s no reason why a nobleman, whom he’s impersonating, can’t be down-to-earth, and decides to pretty much act like himself. When 007, disguised as Sir Hilary, interacts with the ladies he meets at Blofeld’s in the film he is perfectly charming with them and even flirts with one of them, Ruby. (Ruby writes her room number on his thigh in lipstick and he returns from her room after an assignation with a lipstick kiss on his cheek.) Yet one gal observes "I know what he’s allergic to," and even Ruby – pre-assignation – says "You’re funny – pretending you don’t like girls." Huh? This just doesn’t come off. Americans may think that men with upper class British accents sound effeminate, but why would British girls think the same? When he pretends to be Bray, 007 doesn't sound any more affected than Prince Charles! (Lazenby is dubbed by the actor portraying Bray during these scenes.)

Maibaum adds some good scenes as well as bad ones: Bond kisses Miss Moneypenny on the lips, (if not with great passion) and she’s seen crying at his wedding. When Bond goes to pay another call on Ruby, he finds the formidable Irma Bunt, Blofeld’s assistant, in her bed! In the novel, Bond and Blofeld had never come face to face before, but everyone connected with the film forgot that the two men met in the previous Bond movie You Only Live Twice -- yet Blofeld doesn’t recognize Bond (he figures it out because of a mistake Bond makes – as well as 007's sheer horniness.) While it may be "tame" by today’s standards, the scene when an agent pursuing Bond and Tracy gets chewed up by a snow blower (in the novel he ran into a train) turned a few stomachs in 1969 and (even if it was a bad guy) was considered in bad taste for an escapist film.

George Lazenby may not be a great actor, but he isn’t at all bad as Bond. He may in general lack the wry, raised-eyebrow insouciance of Sean Connery, but he can be gruff and athletic when he needs to be, as well as light and charming when required. Considering he practically had to carry the whole film on his shoulders with relatively little experience, he acquits himself quite nicely. Diana Rigg is as lovely and professional as ever as Tracy. Although her part was beefed up a bit from the novel, it is still very much a supporting role at best. Telly Savalas makes a wonderful, smooth, urbane and virile Blofeld, although he doesn’t exude too much personal menace – he won’t kill you with his bare hands but will certainly watch with glee as somebody else does it for him. Gabriele Ferzetti is perfect as Draco.

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is ultimately a mediocre Bond outing, unfortunately. Michael Reed's cinematography is second-rate, and director Peter Hunt covers the action without much cinematic elan. The film is better edited (by John Glen, who would himself direct some Bond features and was second unit director for this picture) than directed, as witnessed by the film’s greatest sequence: the battle between Bond and Blofeld as they careen down the icy, slithering bobsled run. This superb, breathlessly paced, and brilliantly executed sequence remains one of the best action scenes in any Bond movie. If only the overlong picture had more scenes like it.
There is no opening theme song for the movie, although later in the film Louis Armstrong croaks out a rendition of the pleasant "All the Time in the World" by John Barry (who did the score, as usual) and Hal David. NOTE: To read a review of Ian Fleming's novel, click here.

Verdict: Great bobsled sequence! **1/2.

LIVE AND LET DIE

LIVE AND LET DIE (1973). Director: Guy Hamilton.

Always one of the lesser Bond flicks, this pic has improved with age, although it will never be top-drawer Bond. The first half is quite good, both suspenseful and intriguing, but then it briefly turns into a Smoky and the Bandit clone with way too much screen time given over to a fat, supposedly comical Southern sheriff trying to get a handle on a boat chase between Bond and his Black pursuers. The movie never quite recovers from this, winding up with a so-so climax in an underground grotto. Jane Seymour as Solitaire and Yaphet Kotto as Dr. Kananga (he merely masquerades as the novel's Mr. Big in this) are comparatively colorless and make little impression; Gloria Hendry does better as Big's double agent. Kananga is in the heroine trade instead of smuggling Bloody Morgan's treasure as in the novel. Never as thrilling as it could have been, but not awful; the only stand-out sequence, however, is when Bond is cornered by a bunch of hungry gators. Quarrel's son, Quarrel Jr., shows up to lend a hand (in the book it was Quarrel himself, but he was killed off in the first Bond movie, Dr. No). In his first outing as James Bond, Roger Moore is excellent. The photography is first-rate as well. The theme song by Paul McCartney is fairly wretched. The novel's best sequences wound up in later Bond movies. NOTE: To read a review of the novel by Ian Fleming, click here.

Verdict: Mediocre Bond. **.

LICENCE TO KILL

LICENCE TO KILL (1989) Director: John Glen. Written by Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum.

This is perhaps the grittiest and, for lack of a better word, most “realistic” of the Bond films. Bond (Timothy Dalton) is in Florida for the wedding of his old friend Felix Leiter (David Hedison), who nearly misses his wedding to go after his number one target, drug lord Sanchez (Robert Davi, pictured). Sanchez, unfortunately, escapes -- with the aid of a traitorous colleague of Leiter's -- and takes revenge on Leiter by murdering his bride and feeding Leiter to a Great White. [This scene is actually taken from Ian Fleming's novel Live and Let Die. As in the book, Leiter does not die but loses a couple of limbs, and is delivered back home with a note that reads He disagreed with something that ate him.] Bond makes up his mind to take down Sanchez, but both American drug agents and M himself order him to back off. Enraged, Bond resigns and goes AWOL, teaming up with drug agent Pam Bouvier (Cary Lowell), who also has an interest in Sanchez. In Isthmus City in Panama, Bond and Pam are up to their necks in Sanchez' associates, Japanese drug merchants, counter-agents who are out to get Sanchez, and even Q (Desmond Llewelyn), who comes to Isthmus City with gadgets for Bond and plays a larger role than he does in most Bond movies. Although Llewelyn plays Q, M and Miss Moneypenny are essayed by different actors than those in the earlier films.

Licence to Kill is romantic, darkly amusing, and quite exciting for the most part. Dalton plays Bond like a heroic human being and not a Superman. Lowell's character is feisty, independent and liberated; only her jealousy of Bond's “relationship” with Sanchez' girlfriend. Lupe, is stereotypical and silly. Lowell is perfect as Pam, but Talisa Soto betrays very little acting skill as Lupe. Robert Davi is a major Bond villain with equal parts charm and menace, and Benicio Del Toro is slithering, sociopathic, almost sexy prime evil as Sanchez' lead assassin. Anthony Starke scores as Sanchez' fresh-scrubbed Wall Street-type associate, Truman-Lodge, and Wayne Newton is amusing and inspired casting as an evangelist who helps Sanchez distribute his drugs. Don Stroud, Anthony Zerbe, David Hedison, Priscilla Barnes and others also turn in solid performances. The film has superior production design and good photography from Alec Mills. The title song is a snappy one, although not particularly well sung by Gladys Knight. Michael Kamen's score is functional, but doesn't compare with John Barry's romantic music, which may have been considered unsuitable for this grittier approach to 007. Licence to Kill was filmed on location in Mexico and Florida.

Although this is a very good Bond adventure, there are – surprisingly – no particular scenes that one can point to and pronounce a “knock-out.” The film works on a cumulative level. This is not to say that there aren't memorable sequences, such as when Bond takes over the small plane being piloted by drug runners or the ironic death of the traitor at the teeth of the Great White. But some of the scenes are not edited as tightly as they should have been. The climax is marred because they keep cutting away from the main action too often, and the fight to the death between Bond and Sanchez, while clever, is much too brief. Dalton really had a handle on the character – too bad he wasn't allowed to play Bond for a few more films.

Verdict: While flawed, this is a highly satisfying and entertaining 007 outing. ***.

GOLDENEYE

GOLDENEYE (1995). Director: Martin Campbell. [NOTE: On occasion Great Old Movies will review films less than 25 years old if they would be of interest to our readers.]

Pierce Brosnan took over the role of James Bond with this movie. There's a new “M”, a woman (Judi Dench), who tells off Bond in one sequence, as well as a new Miss Moneypenny, who does the same, but Q remains Desmond Llewelyn in a sequence that borders on something out of Get Smart. There's an exciting prologue involving skydiving sans parachute; the rest of the story deals with a double-agent (Sean Bean) who steals a powerful weapon called GoldenEye from the Russians, and plans to use it to devastating effect if he isn't stopped. The Bond girls include ex-Soviet fighter pilot and hit woman Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen, pictured), and the much nicer Natalya (Izabella Scorupco), the only survivor of the attack on the facility that housed GoldenEye.

This is a good-looking movie photographically, and has some exciting moments, but no really outstanding sequences [certainly not as compared to what has come before in the 007 canon]. The scene with Bond chasing after a Russian ally of Bean's in a tank is rather long and comparatively dull, and in the scene after the prologue Bond acts like an overgrown adolescent. The climax on the giant satellite dish isn't bad, however. Sean Bean nearly steals the picture with Janssen close behind him. Tina Turner “sings” a forgettable title song, and the rest of the score by Eric Sarra is mediocre to say the least. John Barry is sorely missed.

NOTE: “Goldeneye” was the name of Ian Fleming's estate.

Verdict: Pierce Brosnan makes a not-bad Bond, and this is a not-bad Bond adventure, although certainly not top-rank. **1/2.

CASINO ROYALE (2006)

CASINO ROYALE (2006). Directed by Martin Campbell. NOTE: On occasion Great Old Movies will review a more recent film of interest to our readers.

This excellent OO7 adventure takes Ian Fleming’s original story and updates it to contemporary times, although it is still presented as Bond’s first major case (as it was in the books; it was the first Bond novel) and as such can be considered a "prequel." Bond is already considered a maverick by M (played, incongruously, by the wonderful Judi Dench, as if the male "M" never existed), when he’s assigned to beat a man known as Le Chiffre at cards at the Casino Royale in Montenegro. Le Chiffre has already lost a lot of money owed to terrorist employers and desperately needs to win it back. Vesper Lynd, who is not a field agent, accompanies Bond to Montenegro to keep track of how he spends his funds allocated for gambling. There’s a splendid action scene at an airport when Bond tries to prevent a terrorist from blowing up a new-fangled kind of plane, a suspenseful torture scene between Bond and Le Chiffre involving a chair with the bottom cut out as well as Bond’s bare bottom, and an exciting climax that takes place in Venice inside a collapsing Palazzo and features the moving, dramatic death of a major character.

As for Daniel Craig, he’s terrific. He takes some getting used to, admittedly. At first he seems a bit too thug-like, devoid of the elegance and class that has always been part of the 007 mystique. He’s not really an especially handsome bloke, his face a bit blunt and battered (as if he’s been on a lot more than one mission, frankly), but one can see how he could appeal to certain ladies. He looks more like Fleming’s original concept for Bond than Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, Timothy Dalton, and especially, Roger Moore. And more like 007 even than George Lazenby. Craig is probably a better actor than most of those guys to boot, handling the more sensitive scenes as well as the obligatory fisticuffs and gunplay. Eva Green is also excellent as Vesper Lynd, unconventionally beautiful, glamorous yet real, undeniably tragic. Mads Mikkelsen scores as Le Chiffre and there are other fine supporting performances as well. Felix Leiter, not for the first time, is portrayed by an African-American actor (Jeffrey Wright) although in the novels his character was Caucasian. As Leiter, regrettably, has never been that dimensional a character in this or any other Bond movie, it scarcely makes a difference.

This is possibly the only Bond film that approaches the more literate level of Fleming’s novels and -- even more than the Timothy Dalton features -- dares to present Bond a bit more as a realistic human being instead of a cartoon super-hero (not that we don’t have the usual improbable but enjoyable feats of derring do). One of the best scenes is a quiet moment when Bond comforts Vesper in the shower (both are dressed) after her first exposure to extreme violence leaves her depressed and rattled., The beautiful settings and exquisite cinematography by Phil Meheux give the picture a glossy, romantic sheen and the stunt work is as gutsy as ever. Not to quibble, but the film ends a little too abruptly for my taste. Still, Casino Royale is the best James Bond movie in years. One debit: The opening theme music is pretty awful., but you can't have everything. Screenplay by Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, and Paul Haggis. NOTE: To read a review of the first film version of Casino Royale, click here.

Verdict: Excellent Bond adventure. ***1/2.

EXPERIMENT PERILOUS

EXPERIMENT PERILOUS (1944). Director: Jacques Tourneur.

In 1903 Hunt Bailey (George Brent), a psychiatrist, gets involved with the Bederaux family, who are keeping secrets. Nick Bederaux (Paul Lukas) wants Bailey to examine his wife, Allida (Hedy Lamarr), whose behavior, he believes, is having a negative effect on their cute little boy (a charming, uncredited child actor). Bailey suspects that it's Nick who's having a negative effect on his beautiful wife, but then Bailey is falling in love with her. Surprisingly, Tourneur does very little with this material, but the script might have even taxed Hitchcock. Slow, unconvincing and dull, there's no suspense and no peril in the movie until the very last few minutes. Albert Dekker is a friend of Bailey's and Margaret Wycherly is his maid, Maggie. The material gives the actors little to work with, but Lukas comes off best.

Verdict: An experiment in tedium. *1/2.

STAN AND OLLIE

STAN AND OLLIE: The Roots of Comedy -- The Double Life of Laurel and Hardy. Simon Louvish. Thomas Dunne/St. Martin's Press. 2002.

Excellent dual biography of the great comedy team of Laurel and Hardy explains their importance and influence in the world of comedy, analyses their working methods, acting approaches, and various films, and delves into their often tumultuous private lives as well, all in literate prose that keeps you happily turning the pages. Louvish investigates the boys' backgrounds and family histories and separates facts from rumors and legend. Both Stan and Ollie had more than one unhappy marriage, and their trials and tribulations with their assorted wives, divorces, infidelities, alimonies, lawyers, and jealous females often read like a script for one of their zanier movies, and indeed these real-life episodes often informed their comic on-screen antics. Along the way Louvish also educates the reader with facts and anecdotes about the early days of filmmaking, movie comedy, and the famous players who intersected Stan and Ollie's inexorable but not always smooth journey towards fame. Many wonderful black and white photographs are included in the thick, scrupulously-researched volume, which is informative, entertaining, and a great read. You'll want to get your hands on every L & H movie you can find, even the lesser ones!

Verdict: Excellent! ****.

THE PERILS OF PAULINE (1934)

THE PERILS OF PAULINE (1934). 12 chapter Universal serial. Director: Ray Taylor.

This is a sound remake of the silent serial starring Pearl White. In this version the plucky and charming Evalyn Knapp plays Pauline Hargraves, whose father, the Professor, is determined to find the missing half of a piece of a sacred disc found in a temple. The disc contains the formula for a gas that once destroyed some ancient civilizations, but can now perhaps be used for more positive results. Unfortunately, the evil Dr. Bashan (a highly striking and effective John Davidson) and his associate Mr. Fang, want the formula for their own evil ends, and will stop at nothing to get the second half of the disc before the professor, Pauline, and handsome adventurer Bob Ward (Robert Allen) can do so. Pauline and her group have to deal with explosions, storms at sea, a hurling leopard, and a knife-wielding human tigress in twelve episodes, but the liveliest cliffhanger of all comes at the end of chapter seven. In this a hotel our heroine stays at just happens to have a shark pool [!] fed by an underground passage below her balcony. [Even the characters remark upon the illogic of this even as they try to rationalize it.] Of course Pauline and Bob wind up falling into the pool and are nearly eaten by the fish. There's a tomb full of ghostly moans and a well-executed plunge through a trap door into the water far below in chapter eight. For comedy relief there's the professor's milquetoast secretary Willie Dodge (Sonny Ray). A running joke has Dodge always saying “I'm afraid I'll have to resign my position as your secretary” after some especially harrowing mishap. The action bounces around from Shanghai to India to New York and elsewhere.

Verdict: This is a good and very entertaining chapterplay that is full of good action and lively fisticuffs. ***.

WEREWOLF OF LONDON

WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935). Director: Stuart Walker.

In Tibet to find a rare flower, botanist Dr. Wilfred Glendon (Henry Hull) is bitten by a werewolf, who also seeks the flower because it can be used as an antidote for lycanthropy when the moon is full. This werewolf, Dr. Yogami (Warner Oland) follows Glendon back to London, but fails to convince him that he, too, is now a werewolf and it is crucial that they get the mysterious flower to bloom. Soon, people are being attacked by a wild animal and Glendon is tortured by what he might be doing at night. This precursor to The Wolf Man -- in that Glendon doesn't transform fully into a wolf but into a half-man/half-wolf -- is at least as good as the later film, and has some interesting elements to it. (Much more is made of the significance of the full moon than in The Wolf Man.) The acting is good, especially from Hull and Oland, but there's too much comedy relief in the film, much of it centering on Glendon's wife's vivacious aunt (Spring Byington) and two bickering landladies, even if they are delightfully played by Ethel Griffies and Zeffie Tilbury. Still some of the flavorful characters are an asset, and the film is well-paced and entertaining. Valerie Hobson is fine as Hull's pretty spouse. Nice music by Karl Hajos.

Verdict: A howling success! ***.

WHITE CARGO

WHITE CARGO (1942). Director: Richard Thorpe.

"I am -- Tondelayo."

1942 audiences must have gotten awfully impatient waiting for the lusty new Hedy Lamarr to show up as the sexy Tondelayo because she doesn't make her entrance for a full thirty minutes (over a third of the running time.) But after that she certainly causes a lot of mischief. Tondelayo is an Arabian-Egyptian beauty (she was Black in the original story) who does her best to ensorcel the men supervising the tending of rubber plants on a lonely outpost in Africa. Her latest target is Langford (Richard Carlson), who's continuously hoping to get "acclimatized" to the environment. Tondelayo also has a hankering for Larry Witzel (Walter Pidgeon), Carlson's belligerent co-worker. Frank Morgan is the tippling doctor who seems more interested in getting stewed than in fraternizing with Tondelayo. Lamarr isn't bad as the temptress, and the others offer vivid performances as well, with Morgan the cast stand-out. Amusing, entertaining picture takes a while to get started but once it does it's fun.

Verdict: Let Tondelayo make you "tiffin." **1/2.

SCANNERS

SCANNERS (1981). Director: David Cronenberg.

A drug given to pregnant woman has created a group of "scanners," people who have bizarre telepathic and telekinetic abilities. Some of these are good, some bad, and some have been nearly driven crazy by the voices in their heads. Cameron Vale (Stephen Lack) is one of the latter, and he's taken under the wing of Dr. Paul Ruth (Patrick McGoohan), and teams up with lady scanner Kim Obrist (Jennifer O'Neill). Meanwhile, the bad scanners, led by Darryl Revok (Michael Ironside), as well as others, are running around killing off the good guys. Revok hopes that he and his team of scanners can ultimately rule the planet. At the climax Vale and Revok have a dramatic -- and gruesome -- battle of wills and powers. Okay comic book movie has some decent effects and Dick Smith make up, but twenty-seven years after its release it's been overshadowed by superior movies and more dazzling FX work. But the main problem is that the characters are under-developed and the story doesn't sustain interest. The "big" scene in the movie has Revok blowing up the head of a man in a lecture hall. Lack isn't a very dynamic leading man, but Ironside certainly has a lot of pizazz and charisma.

Verdict: Nothing worth staying home for. **.

A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO

A-HAUNTING WE WILL GO (1942). Director: Albert L. Werker.

Stan and Ollie are hired to accompany a corpse on a train, but the coffin gets mixed up with another one employed by magician Dante in his act; the boys are soon dodging hoods who wanted to use the "body" in a scam even as they appear as assistants in Dante's stage act. The title was probably chosen because it would remind audiences of Abbott and Costello's Hold That Ghost, which was a big hit the previous year. While A-Haunting We Will Go is not a classic like the A&C film, it is still a fun, fast-moving romp with the boys doing some great bits and getting solid laughs. Elisha Cook, Jr. plays one of the hoods and even dresses up as an old granny at one point. Mantan Moreland has a brief funny bit as a waiter who serves the boys food in the dining car (the film's end-title cast-list credits Willie Best with this bit but it is clearly Moreland).

Verdict: No masterpiece, but fun. **1/2.

LAUGHING WITH LUCY

LAUGHING WITH LUCY. Madelyn Pugh Davis with Bob Carroll Jr..

This is a very pleasant memoir written by one of the members of the writing team for the classic sitcom I Love Lucy. There are some interesting backstage stories but nothing of a scandalous nature, which is not at all what the author has in mind. Rather this celebrates a great TV show and the people who worked on it, and relates some of the behind-the-scenes details of writing for a hit show and the pressure it engendered; there is a bit about the author's personal life and family as well. The author ends the book with a comment that many people often come up to her and tell her that when they're blue an episode of I Love Lucy always snaps them out of their funk and cheers them up – the highest compliment you can give the funny series. NOTE: For more on classic episodes of I Love Lucy, click here.

Verdict: Highly recommended for Lucy fans. ***.

THE LOST CITY

THE LOST CITY (1935). 12 chapters. Super Serial Productions. Director: Harry Revier.

While this is hardly one of the better serials it does have its entertaining moments. Kane Richmond stars as Bruce Gordon, an electrical engineer who determines the source of energy that is causing havoc around the world. He traces the signals to Africa and takes off with a party to discover what and who is behind the problem. In a hidden city lost in the jungle, the madman Zolok (William Boyd) is determined to take over the world. He forces an elderly scientist, Manyou (Joseph Swickard) to turn native slaves into giants with his equipment. [These “giants” are simply very tall black men who wouldn't look out of place on a basketball court although everyone in the cast seems abnormally startled by their appearance. The fright wigs they wear make them seem as comical as they are moderately scary.] Sam Baker is the head giant, Hugo.

The wide cast of characters include Zolok's somewhat hulking servant Appolyn (Jerry Frank), Manyou's daughter Natcha (Claudia Dell) – despite the “native"- like name she is actually a blond – assorted bad guys (who cause more problems for our heroes whether or not they're allied with Zolok), an Arab ruler looking for giant slaves, and the campy and vampish Queen Rama (Margot Duse), who blinds Richmond when he refuses her advances and has Natcha hurled into a lion pit in one of the serial's more suspenseful scenes. [There is also a juicy bit involving some descending spikes.] There is also a dog-sized jiggling spider prop that drops a web onto our heroes, and assorted clips of wild animals on the loose.

Richmond is stoic and able, if a bit wooden, as the hero. William Boyd is pretty awful as Zolok, chewing the scenery and spitting out his lines with a fury that may have been meant to suggest madness but only comes off as dreadful overacting. [He makes one appreciate the comparatively understated Charles Middleton as Ming the Merciless even more.] Older and more intelligent-looking than many serial actresses, Claudia Dell somewhat resembles Jeannette Mcdonald; you keep expecting Natcha to break into song at any moment. She is not a bad actress, and has a nice moment when she reaches out to tenderly stroke Richmond's hair as he's tending to her. Dell not only played Spanky's mother, she was Octavia in the 1939 Cleopatra and according to imdb.com was the original model for the Columbia logo.

There is quite a bit of bad acting in The Lost City, but a bigger problem is the absence of music. It also doesn't have the color, action or pace of the Flash Gordon serials, being similar only in its absurdities. Still, it's fun enough in its own minor way, and there have, unfortunately, been much worse chapter plays inflicted on the public.

Verdict: Watch at your own risk.**.

L'ECLISSE aka ECLIPSE

L'ECLISSE (1962/Eclipse). Director: Michelangelo Antonioni.

L'eclisse is a perfect example of a movie that's interesting and boring at one and the same time. Basically the film details a couple of days in the life of Vittoria (Monica Vitti), who breaks up with her fiance, Riccardo (Francisco Rabal), spends time with a racist girlfriend who spent time in Kenya, watches her mother (Lilla Brignone) lose at the stock market, and dallies with a handsome, callow young stockbroker named Piero (French actor Alain Delon, who appears to be dubbed). The film is cinematic, well-directed by Antonioni (who also co-scripted), and boasts crisp black and white cinematography by Gianni Di Venanzo, but despite the introduction of some ideas (which aren't well-developed) and several characters (also not especially well developed), it lacks a strong story and hasn't real depth. The best sequence has to do with a crowd gathering as Piero's stolen car is dredged up from the river -- along with the corpse of the drunk driver who took it. The crowd, including children, mill about as if it's a carnival, and Piero complains about the dents in the car. "Your thinking about the dents ... " says Vittoria. The film is full of striking images of the city, and there is an arresting ride in a small plane as well. Still, despite its good points, one wishes the film was more dramatic and entertaining.

Verdict: Strictly for Antonioni admirers. **.

MERTON OF THE MOVIES

MERTON OF THE MOVIES (1947). Director: Robert Alton.

Red Skelton stars as a movie usher, Merton Gill, with big dreams who winds up going to Hollywood and supposedly becoming protege of big star Lawrence Rupert (Leon Ames), who has no use for him. Befriended by a stunt woman, Phyllis (Virgina O'Brien), who also has ambitions, he winds up starring in parodies of Rupert's films -- only he thinks they're supposed to be serious. Not much of a "laugh out loud" movie but the picture is well-acted, good-natured and pleasant, with a happy wind-up for all. After Skelton, Gloria Grahame is the cast stand-out as sexy movie star Beulah Baxter, who at one point tries to "vamp" Merton. O'Brien is a perfectly pleasing leading lady with a certain elusive quality, yet ... somehow she lacks a certain oomph, although she's more than competent. She does show more emotion in this than she did as a singer (her funny shtick was to have an immobile face as she sang).

Verdict: pleasant time waster with nice performances and sentiment. **1/2.

THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS

THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS (1944). Director: Jean Negulesco.

A mystery writer named Leyden (Peter Lorre) is fascinated by the tales of a master criminal, Dimitrios Makropolous (Zachary Scott), who was found dead on a beach, and travels to interview people who knew -- and hated -- him. On his journeys he encounters Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet), who wants to know what Leyden is up to without giving away any of his own secrets. Flashbacks illustrate the increasingly violent and cunning career of Dimitrios -- one of the best vignettes details how he helps maneuver a harmless little clerk (Steven Geray) into betraying his country via greed and gambling. But Dimitrios may even have one last trick up his sleeve. Although quite talky, the picture moves fast and features excellent performances from the entire cast; Lorre and especially Greenstreet are a marvel to watch as they emote with great skill and conviction. Kurt Katch as Colonel Haki, Victor Francen as Grudek, Marjorie Hoshelle as the clerk Bulic's wife, are all stand-outs, with Florence Bates and Edward (Eduardo) Ciannelli also offering noteworthy bits. Faye Emerson isn't bad as a discarded woman in Dimitrios' life. Negulesco may not be a Hitchcock (it would be interesting to ponder how the great Hitch would have handled this material) but his direction is quite good nonetheless. Based on A Coffin for Dimitrios by Eric Ambler.

Verdict: Fascinating! ***1/2.

SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943)

SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943). Director: Alfred Hitchcock.

Young "Charlie" Newton (Teresa Wright) is thrilled that her Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) has come to the small town of Santa Rosa for a visit, but when she learns he's a suspect in the "Merry Widow" strangulation murders of three wealthy widows, the friendly visit becomes a battle of wills between two determined individuals. Shadow of a Doubt, bolstered by a script co-written by Thornton Wilder which features interesting, three-dimensional characters (perhaps young Ann is a bit too "cute" and precocious), is also quite talky and drags in spots, making it hard to sustain the tension. However, it holds the attention and spins a fascinating web around the two Charlies as they dance their sinister dance. Joseph Cotten never had a better role or gave a better performance, and he is matched by Teresa Wright. Patricia Collinge ("Birdie" from The Little Foxes) is strong and touching as the mother and sister who loves both Charlies, and there are a lot of good character performances. Hume Cronyn, who plays a friend of Charlie's father and is comedy relief, becomes a little tiresome after awhile. There are some nice Hitchcock touches in the picture -- Uncle Charlie's family walking ahead of him and out of camera range as he remains isolated (after they pick him up at the station); the tracking shot to the ring on young Charlie's finger -- but it is obvious that the beginning and ending of certain sequences (which open or end too abruptly) were left on the cutting room floor. Although well-photographed, the film still has the look of a B feature. One could also quibble about certain plot points.

Verdict: Despite imperfections, an effective and occasionally chilling picture with great lead performances. ***1/2.

TOM CRUISE

TOM CRUISE An Unauthorized Biography. Andrew Morton. St. Martin's Press; 2008.

You won't find much about his films or acting technique in this bio of the movie star, but Morton does delve into the actor's psychology. The book has a rather dull, inauspicious opening, as it details Cruise's early life, and spends far too many pages refuting any claims that the homophobic Cruise might be gay, but Morton is a clever fellow and he knows that the only thing that infuriates Cruise more is any "attack" on his beloved Scientology. An increasingly horrifying read, the book makes clear that Cruise is a dangerous nut job wholly devoted to a "religion" that honestly wants to take over the world. The descriptions of his relationships with wives, girlfriends, family members, and those he wants to indoctrinate into his "faith," are chilling. Morton also delves into Cruise's bizarre relationship with Scientology head David Miscavige, the actor's odd behavior on the Oprah Winfrey show, and his attack on Brooke Shields simply because she took medication to help her deal with post-partum depression. Morton goes behind the scenes of the Scientology cult to expose its fanaticism, grotesque beliefs, and fascistic tendencies to attack and destroy anyone who disagrees with its tenets. [Cruise and his brethren actually compare negative attitudes toward Scientology with the Nazi persecution of Jews, Gays and others!] This is a fascinating, frightening read that reveals the power of, and damage done, by the obsession with celebrity.

Verdict: Excellent! ***1/2.

THE PATSY

THE PATSY ( 1964). Director: Jerry Lewis.

It's probably not the best idea to begin a comedy with the crash of an airliner (although most of it occurs off-screen). However, this inauspicious opening scene sets up the premise of the movie, in which a schnook bellboy named Stanley Belt (Jerry Lewis) is chosen as the new successor of a famous comedian who died on the plane. The late man's entire staff decide they can not only stay together as friends and co-workers but also change somebody's life for the better by creating a new star. Unfortunately, they have their hands full with Belt, who has no discernible talent and is stupid -- if sweet -- as well. This is a winning comedy from Lewis (who also co-wrote with Bill Richmond) with a fine cast of great character actors and several memorable sequences, including a bit with Jerry getting singing lessons from Hans Conreid in a parlor full of valuable antiques -- uh oh! The Chaplin influence is obvious in a bittersweet flashback to an embarrassing prom night, and in a funny sequence when Lewis dines out with Ellen Betz (played with warm graciousness by a lovely Ina Balin). Another highlight is when Belt really bombs during his opening night monologue at the Copa. Numerous guest stars include Hedda Hopper, who wears a hat that doubles as a huge table umbrella, and Ed Sullivan, good-naturedly spoofing his many famous mannerisms as he intros Belt on his show. The supporting cast includes Everett Sloane, Phil Harris, John Carradine, Keenan Wynn, Nancy Kulp, and more. Last film role for Peter Lorre.

Verdict: One of Jerry's best. ***.

THE MAD MAGICIAN

THE MAD MAGICIAN (1954). Director: John Brahm.

Don Gallico (Vincent Price), who seeks fame as a world-class magician in the Victorian era, is stymied at every turn by his nasty employer Ross Ormond (Donald Randolph). So he makes the man a victim of his buzz saw device in a zestfully ghoulish sequence. This leads into other murders as he takes on Ormond's identity and has to deal with another magician, Rinaldi (John Emery), who covets his latest device, a working crematorium. With a very clever script by Crane Wilbur, The Mad Magician is very entertaining and features a winningly devilish performance by Price as a man pushed to the end of his rope. His knocking off evil people provides a certain catharsis as only a film can do. Mary Murphy is Gallico's assistant, and Patrick O'Neal plays her boyfriend, a visiting New York City police lieutenant. Eva Gabor is Claire, Ormond's wife, who used to be married to Price. Lenita Lane is Mary Prentiss, a mystery novelist who helps O'Neal get at the truth; five years later she would again appear with Price as Lizzie in The Bat. The versatile Jay Novello plays her husband, Frank, as British in this as he was South American in The Lost World (1960); he also played Mr. Merriweather in the classic "Seance" episode of I Love Lucy. The wildest scene has Price trying to get back a valise accidentally picked up by Karen which, unbeknownst to her, contains the head of Ormond! Originally presented in 3-D.

Verdict: Lots of fun! ***.

HOUSEWIFE

HOUSEWIFE (1934). Director: Alfred E. Green.

Nan Reynolds (Ann Dvorak) helps to push her husband Bill (George Brent) to success, then has to deal with it when he falls in love with a man-hungry co-worker, Patricia Berkeley (Bette Davis, pictured) and says he wants to marry her. You can argue that the film is fairly predictable and formulaic, but it's also well-acted by the principals and surprisingly entertaining. Dvorak is very lovely and capable, Brent proves again that he could give many a winning performance, and Davis is saucy and likable despite her "bad girl" role. John Halliday and Ruth Donnelly also score as, respectively, one of Bill's clients (in his advertising business), who falls for Nan, and Nan's amused and amusing sister-in-law, Dora.

Verdict: Nothing special, but easy to take. ***.

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (1953). Director: Charles Lamont.

Bud and Lou are cast as American visitors to 19th century London who become bobbies so they can compare police methods (although it's hard to imagine any American Police department wanting them on the force). Meanwhile, a mad killer with a twisted face is on the loose. Craig Stevens is detective Bruce Adams, who has a hankering for pretty women's rights advocate Vicky Edwards (Helen Westcott). Vicky is the ward of kindly Dr. Jekyll (Boris Karloff) who, unbeknownst to her, has a hankering for her, and decides to use his evil Mr. Hyde persona to kill off handsome rival Bruce. Bud and Lou are, of course, in the middle of all this. There are amusing chase scenes and a very funny sequence when Lou is accidentally turned into a kind of giant mouse! The Women's rights advocates sing "Equal Rights for Women" while kicking up their legs! Karloff is excellent, almost giving a serious performance in the film.

Verdict: Lots of fun for A & C aficionados. ***.

TALLULAH!

TALLULAH! The Life and Times of a Leading Lady. Joel Lobenthal. ReganBooks; 2004.

A very readable and thorough look at the life of Tallulah Bankhead, from her childhood, to her years on the London stage, her brief forays into Hollywood, and her triumphs and flops on Broadway – and her mostly upfront life as a "bisexual" adventuress. The book successfully debunks many of the myths about Bankhead, including her alleged lack of talent [many saw her merely as a personality], her supposed bad relations with Hitchcock during the making of Lifeboat [they actually got along quite well], etc. A problematic section of the book deals with her relationship with and pandering to gay fans of a certain stripe According to Lobenthal, Bankhead would try to give serious performances in plays but the gay fans – at least some gay fans -- would hoot at any halfway suggestive line and after awhile she catered some of her performances to this contingent, to the detriment of her art. [Lobenthal doesn't quite make it clear that these obsessive fans hardly constituted the entire gay community and that not every gay fan came only for Bankhead's camp value]. There are many solid interviews and good documentation of Bankhead's final years and performances. And plenty of humor, such as when Bankhead lies in wait in Gary Cooper's dressing room and he comes “bounding out with lipstick printed from forehead to chin.” The book is peppered with amusing anecdotes of Bankhead's sexual and alcoholic escapades but is always written with compassion and understanding.

Verdict: Good read. ***.

DON WINSLOW OF THE NAVY

DON WINSLOW OF THE NAVY (1942). 13 chapter Filmcraft Inc. serial. Directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor.

Despite some okay action set pieces this is not one of the better or more entertaining serials. Dick Foran-type Don Terry is okay as Commander Winslow of US Naval Intelligence, who takes on the forces of saboteur The Scorpion, whose chief aide is played by John Litel. Somehow this Filmcraft production lacks that certain energy and no-how of the Republic and Columbia serials despite the talents at the helm. The Scorpion, who rarely appears, is a completely colorless and unmasked foe [he's still on the loose at the end] and the musical score is terrible, languid and generally inappropriate. A couple of memorable scenes: a hungry shark sets off in pursuit of Don, and Don falling unconscious as a plane he is in dives toward the ocean. But this is not very good all told.

Verdict: Skip it. *1/2.,

PLUNDER OF THE SUN

PLUNDER OF THE SUN (1953). Director: John Farrow.

Insurance adjuster Al Colby (Glenn Ford) winds up involved with two mysterious women, thugs, and murderers while hunting treasure almost by default in Mexico. Seems everyone wants to get their hands on a certain Spanish manuscript. Julie Barnes (Diana Lynn) is a boozy, man-hungry self-described "tramp," while Anna Luz (Patricia Medina) is a more patrician and enigmatic beauty. Francis L. Sullivan and Sean McClory are also involved in the skulduggery. This is a mediocre, standard thriller with a low thrill level, most of the excitement coming from Antonio Diaz Conde's richly-orchestrated musical score, which pulls you in from the opening credits. The acting is perfectly okay, but the movie never really comes to a boil. Filmed on and around the Zapotecan ruins in Mexico.

Verdict: The title is very pretentious. **.

LOU'S ON FIRST

LOU'S ON FIRST. A Biography by Chris Costello with Raymond Strait. St. Martin's Press. 1981. [NOTE: A more recent edition was published by Cooper Square Press in 2000.]

This is a very entertaining biography of Lou Costello of Abbott and Costello fame by his youngest daughter Chris. The book looks at his early life, the beginnings of his career, meeting Bud Abbott, the swift rise of Abbott and Costello, their many different films (although there is little if any film analysis) for different studios, with quotes from relatives and other people who knew and worked with him. Chris writes affectingly of the terrible tragedy -- the drowning death of Lou's little boy Butch a couple of days before his first birthday (the photo of the little fellow getting his first haircut is a heart breaker) -- that terribly impacted on him, his wife, and his life from that day forward. Lou's on First is not a whitewash, but neither is it a "Daddy Dearest;" Costello writes with real affection of her father, but doesn't cover up the gambling addiction that led to serious IRS troubles, and the loss of the heady lifestyle that the author grew up with. Costello also examines with compassion her mother's alcoholism, as well as the illness that laid her father out flat for almost a year and troubled him increasingly in later years; as well, she looks into the strained relationship that existed between Lou and Bud. In all, it's an affectionate portrait of a talented, exasperating, troubled and all-too-human human being.

Verdict: Excellent. ***1/2.

STRANDED

STRANDED (1935). Director: Frank Borzage.

Lynn Palmer (Kay Francis) has dedicated her life to helping people via the Traveler's Aid Society. Back into her life comes an old school chum, Mack Hale (George Brent, pictured), who's building a bridge and dealing with hoods who want him to pay protection money. Mack is a practical, somewhat cold-blooded guy who thinks Lynn is a fool to care for losers who can't care for themselves (even though he hires a young man who came to her for help). As their relationship hits a personal crisis -- Lynn tells him that she won't give up her job after they've married -- things at Mac's job get worse. The hoods manage to get some of the workers drunk, which leads to a disturbing, indeed horrifying, scene, when one of the drunk men falls dozens of stories to his death. (In fact, that's about all you can think about until the end of the movie.) Things are resolved a bit too quickly -- that's Hollywood -- but Stranded is an engrossing picture featuring two excellent lead performances. Lynn Palmer is a fascinating, likable, independent female characterization and is is very well portrayed by Francis in one of her most notable performances. Donald Woods, Frankie Darro, Barton MacLane, Ann Shoemaker, and other fine character actors also give fine support.

Verdict: Very interesting drama. ***.

DARK EYES OF LONDON

DARK EYES OF LONDON [aka HUMAN MONSTER/1939-British). Director: Walter Summers.

Bela Lugosi not only runs an insurance company that drowns its clients for profit, but also disguises himself (with white fright wig and dubbed voice) as the kindly head of a Society for the Blind. Lugosi’s latest victim turns out to have a living heir, but the man is dispatched by Lugosi’s hulking, disfigured servant anyway, as Lugosi is still the beneficiary. But the man’s daughter turns up in London and meets a police man who is investigating a series of murders (all tied to the insurance scam). Dark Eyes is not a schlocky programmer by any means, but is well-produced and features an excellent performance by Lugosi, who gives his portrayal of the evil man 100% and then some. Watch him throwing one poor victim out of a second story doorway and into the river, or intoning "they were in my way" as he speaks of other victims. Lugosi’s character wanted to be a doctor but was turned down and pronounced "brilliant but unbalanced." Let’s face it – no one is better at being bitter than Bela Lugosi! A bit slow, and there’s way too much of the cops, but otherwise this is a nice, entertaining surprise with several nifty sequences.

Verdict: Definitely worth a look. ***.

CROSSROADS

CROSSROADS (1942). Director: Jack Conway.

Parisian government official David Talbot (William Powell) winds up in the center of a mystery when a man who tried to blackmail him claims that he is actually petty thief Jean Pelletier, who appropriated Talbot's identity after a train crash. As Talbot has amnesia, even he can't be certain that he isn't Pelletier. This situation is complicated by Henri Sarrou (Basil Rathbone) who claims that he and Pelletier committed a robbery that resulted in a man's murder, and Michelle Allaine (Claire Trevor), who says that she and Pelletier -- Talbot -- were once lovers. This last is especially distressing to Talbot's wife Lucienne (Hedy Lamarr). The suspenseful film doesn't reveal the truth about Talbot until nearly the end, and the acting is great. Powell and Lamarr play very well together, Powell a bit more intense than usual and Lamarr giving one of her loveliest interpretations. Rathbone is perfection as the oily Sarrou, and Trevor is tough and saucy as Michelle. Margaret Wycherly nearly steals the picture from everyone as Pelletier's old mother, however.

Verdict: Very engaging mystery. ***.

LA LUNA aka LUNA

LA LUNA (1979) . Director: Bernardo Bertolucci. Released as Luna in the U.S.

Jill Clayburgh stars as opera singer Catherina Silveri, whose husband (a briefly seen Fred Gwynne) drops dead, leaving her alone with her fourteen-year-old son Joe (Matthew Barry, who was actually 17 at the time). Before long, they are living in Italy, where Silveri sings in Verdi's operas. (When Clayburgh sings by herself in her home early in the film, one can't imagine she would ever be able to sing in an opera house. During the opera scenes, of course, her singing voice is dubbed.) Joe makes his way by himself through Rome as his mother essentially neglects him, until halfway through the movie the two begin a sexual relationship that starts with them making out in her car, then hitting the sheets -- yuck! This (unfortunately) non-judgmental incest drama could have gone in far more interesting directions but instead becomes a ponderous, pretentious mess about the mother of all bad mothers -- incest and pedophilia, no less -- and is far too repellent to sustain serious interest. A sub-plot with Joe meeting his real father doesn't help matters much. One of Bertolucci's all-time worst movies. The acting isn't bad, but common sense should have told Clayburgh -- and young Barry's parents -- to stay away from this movie! This also goes for Alida Valli, who appears in a small role.

Verdict: Yuck! *.

THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD

THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD (1975). Director: Vincent McEveety.

Even a host of veteran comics and character actors can't save this Disney comedy that takes a workable premise -- a super-strength formula increases a rivalry between two cereal companies -- and beats it into the ground. Student Dexter Riley (Kurt Russell) is the first one to inadvertently ingest the formula, but the Dean (Joe Flynn) demonstrates its efficacy to a cereal board presided over by no less than Eve Arden. Phil Silvers plays the head of the rival cereal company. It all leads to a weight-lifting competition which will supposedly prove which cereal is the best. Fritz Feld is a board member, Kathleen Freeman plays a cop, Mary Treen is the dean's secretary, and Cesar Romero is a hired crook -- all of them (and Silvers) deserved a better script. Flatly directed by McEveety. A few amusing bits but not enough to sustain a feature. Michael McGreevey is the kid who supposedly invented the formula.

Verdict: A waste of a great cast.

LAUREL AND HARDY SHORTS # 1

This DVD from Hallmark Home Entertainment contains the feature Sons of the Desert, as well as four comedy shorts, including the classic The Music Box, wherein the boys attempt to get a piano up a huge flight of outdoor stairs. Another Fine Mess has the boys, homeless and running from cops, hiding out in a deserted mansion and pretending to be the master of the house, and in Stan's case, both the butler and the maid (there's a priceless bit with "Agnes" joking on a couch with a prospective tenant's pretty wife). The acting in this is a bit broad, as if the "silent" approach hadn't yet been shrugged off, but it's very funny in spots. Country Hospital is a hilarious little gem in which Stan goes to the hospital to visit Oliver, who has a broken leg. Somehow Stan gets caught between Oliver, who winds up hanging from the ceiling, and the doctor, who's desperately dangling out of the window! A wild car ride in busy traffic ends the film. Busy Bodies, which is full of inventive stuff, has the boys causing havoc at the factory where they work. Busy Bodies contains one of the all-time greatest gags involving a vise and a paintbrush that's adhered to Ollie's chin! Good show!

Verdict: A very nice collection for Laurel and Hardy enthusiasts. ***.

MASTERS OF MENACE: GREENSTREET AND LORRE

MASTERS OF MENACE: GREENSTREET AND LORRE. Ted Sennett. E. P. Dutton. 1979.

Ted Sennett supplies an excellent overview of the careers of fine character actors Peter Lorre and Sydney Greenstreet, who were on occasion paired together, and whose screen images were often as smiling, sinister heavies, although both also played more benign roles in comedies. Masters of Menace is not a biography. There are some basic notes about the lives of these two actors, but nothing in depth. Instead Sennett analyzes -- and analyzes very well -- the various films they made, together and apart, and cites what the film did or did not do for each actor's career, and if the role suited them to the best advantage or not. Lots of great black and white photos and filmographies. Worth hunting down if you're a fan of both gentlemen -- and who isn't?

Verdict: Very good, fast, and informative read. ***.

SPY TRAIN

SPY TRAIN (1943). Director: Harold Young.


In an attempt to blow up a case containing papers that can expose them, a German spy gang winds up inadvertently planting a time bomb on a train. This sounds exciting, and it might have been with some decent direction and a lively script, but this dull programmer has virtually nothing going for it, aside from a few seconds of minor suspense practically at the very end. Richard Travis, who had starred with Bette Davis in The Man Who Came to Dinner two years previously, demonstrates some charm in this, and Chick Chandler is his usual bouncy self as his buddy. Catherine Craig is the unexceptional heroine of the piece. Travis also starred in Missile to the Moon, which is a lot more fun, and Chick Chandler was in The Lost Continent (1951); ditto.


Verdict: Pretty much the waste of an hour. *.

THE SHOW-OFF (1946)

THE SHOW-OFF (1946): Director: Harry Beaumont.

One of several versions of a play about an overbearing know-it-all and braggart who drives his in-laws to distraction but is loved by his wife, who recognizes his essential good heart and that he means well. Skelton is very well-cast in the part of Aubrey Piper, and as his gal, Marilyn Maxwell is more subdued and pleasing than usual. But the picture is nearly stolen by Marjorie Main as Skelton's exasperated mother-in-law. Marshall Thompson is Skelton's young brother-in-law, and Leon Ames is married to Maxwell's sister, Clara (Jacqueline White). Virginia O'Brien is Maxwell's girlfriend, who arranges a double-date wth Skelton. Eddie "Rochester" Anderson also appears briefly. Good supporting cast and a typically winning performance by Skelton makes this a pleasant, amusing, if somewhat minor comedy-drama.

Verdict: Fast-moving and entertaining. **1/2.

THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN

THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN (1956). Directors: Edward Nassour; Ismael Rodriguez.

Jimmy Ryan (Guy Madison) runs a cattle ranch in Mexico with his friend Felipe (Carlos Rivas), but a creepy fellow named Enrique (Eduardo Noriega) wants to drive him out of town. Things between the two men worsen when it appears that Enrique's fiancee Sarita (Patricia Medina) is attracted to Jimmy. Meanwhile, some of Jimmy's cattle are disappearing ... Based on an idea of cowboys encountering dinosaurs by King Kong special effects man Willis O'Brien (who, reportedly, was supposed to do the effects for this film), Beast of Hollow Mountain was essentially remade as the vastly superior Valley of Gwangi (with effects by Ray Harryhausen) in 1969. The monster in this almost seems like an after-thought at times. It's 45 minutes until it makes its first (off-screen) appearance, and an hour until it bursts on the scene in full glory. However, the next twenty minutes until the film's end is full of lively Tyrannosaur Rex action. (No explanation is given for why it survived or why it's living inside a hollow mountain in Mexico.) The crude (but not necessarily dreadful) stop motion effects were done by Louis DeWitt, Jack Rabin and others, employing an inferior "replacement" animation [christened "regiscope" for this film] that uses several models instead of one fully articulated one. The monster looks better running in long-shot than in close-up. It's interesting to imagine how Harryhausen would have handled the final sequences, with the beast sliding down a sandy slope, reaching its claws into a crevice, galloping across the desert, and finally, falling into the swamp as Jerry swings temptingly before it on a rope. Some nice CinemaScope photography, although you rarely if ever see a close-up of any of the actors. Carlos Rivas, who has little to do, also appeared in The Black Scorpion (1957), as did Pascal Garcia Pena (as the "coffee break" scientist) and little Mario Navarro ( as Juanito), who in Beast respectively play Pancho and his son Panchito, who have a touching relationship that ends in tragedy.

Verdict: No world beater, but monster completists will want to see the final twenty minutes. **1/2.

OUTRAGE (1950)

OUTRAGE (1950). Director: Ida Lupino.

Ann Walton (Mala Powers) is a happy young women who has just been proposed to by Jim Owens (Robert Clarke), the man she's in love with. She's looking forward to a happy future when her future is compromised by a run-in with a rapist who assaults her. The first half of Outrage realistically details the effects of rape on a young woman, as Ann withdraws from her friends and family, shuns her fiance, and feels guilt and shame over an incident that was certainly not her fault. She eventually suffers a breakdown and runs off, coming under the protection of a kindly, attractive priest (Tod Andrews). But then the movie descends into melodrama, and Powers, frankly, isn't up to the challenges of the role. What could have been a powerful film is simply deadly dull. Lupino's direction isn't bad, but it doesn't do much to make the script, weak as it is, come alive. Robert Clarke, who appeared in several genre items in the fifties such as The Hideous Sun Demon, makes a nice impression as the boyfriend (Clarke did a lot of work on nighttime soaps during the 70's.) Powers appeared in Unknown Terror and Andrews was in From Hell it Came.

Verdict: Not memorable but deserves an A for effort, and for tackling a controversial theme. *1/2.

FLAMINGO ROAD

FLAMINGO ROAD (1949). Michael Curtiz.

It's Joan Crawford vs. Sydney Greenstreet in this entertaining melodrama which combines the stars of Mildred Pierce (Crawford, Zachary Scott) with that film's director, Michael Curtiz. (As well, Scott appeared with Greenstreet in the former's film debut The Mask of Dimitrios.) Crawford also plays a waitress (part of the time) as she did in Mildred. This time, as Lane Bellamy, she's stranded in a small town when the carnival runs off, and is befriended by Deputy Sheriff Field Carlisle (Scott), who, unfortunately, already has a girlfriend, Annabelle (Virgina Huston). Greenstreet is Sheriff Titus Semple, who wants his protege Field to go places in politics and wants Lane run out of town, even going so far as to have her arrested on trumped-up prostitution charges. When Lane whacks him in the face (not once but twice) for his role in this, it begins a formidable battle between two forces of nature, involving not only Field but also political boss Dan Reynolds (David Brian). Giving Titus a steely look across a restaurant table, Lane tells him how an elephant had to be shot down at the circus when it attacked its trainer. "You have no idea how hard it is to dispose of a dead elephant," says she. Flamingo Road could be called anti-corpulent were it not for the fact that Greenstreet/Semple's excessive avoirdupois is neatly tied into the plot.

All of the performances are good in Flamingo Road -- including Gladys George as the owner of a risque roadhouse and Gertrude Michael as a saucy waitress-friend of Lane's -- but Greenstreet pretty much walks off with the picture. Although he never manages a convincing Southern accent, his performance is still powerful, and Titus Semple is, in fact, one of the best roles the portly actor was ever given on the screen. Letting out with a rough giggle after George makes a comment about his weight as he climbs the stairs of her establishment, or confronting a whole roomful of men as he cheerfully blackmails them, Greenstreet is never less than mesmerizing. Curtiz' direction is brisk, Max Steiner's score evocative, and the dialogue positively crackles with gems ("My boyfriend cut himself on a knife I was holding," says Iris Adrian, one of the other women incarcerated with Lane). Oddly, the [uncredited] white maid, Sarah, speaks exactly as if she were doing an imitation of Butterfly McQueen (who was Crawford's maid in Mildred Pierce.) As an added bonus, Crawford does a sexy, smoky rendition of "If I Could Be with You One Hour Tonight." A rags to riches story that also serves as a highly entertaining study of social hypocrisy. Not as good as Mildred Pierce, but not bad.

Verdict: Lots of fun! ***.

THE HOUSE ON SKULL MOUNTAIN

THE HOUSE ON SKULL MOUNTAIN (1974). Director: Ron Honthaner.

After the elderly matriarch of an African-American family dies, her relatives are called together in the mansion for the reading of the will, but deaths and accidents occur because someone who wants them dead is using voodoo curses against them. Playing slick Phlippe, Mike Evans seems to be channeling Stepin Fetchit, but the other actors (Jean Durand, Janee Michelle, among others) are more dignified. Victor French plays Dr. Cunningham, the deceased matriarch's mostly Caucasian grandson. The film has virtually no atmosphere, a poor story, and not enough chills, action, or even gore to recommend it. The only notable aspect is the attractive matte painting depicting the house on top of its Skull Mountain, which reminds one of the similarly named mountain of King Kong.

Verdict: Sorely to be missed. *.

AFRICA SCREAMS

AFRICA SCREAMS (1949). Director: Charles Barton.

Bud Abbott and Lou Costello wind up in a studio-bound "Africa" along with the real Clyde Beatty, Frank Buck, two of the famous three stooges, and the curvaceous Hillary Brooke, who is hoping that Lou can lead her to a treasure in diamonds. Unfortunately, the map that Lou has supposedly memorized from a book is actually a map that shows how to get from his house to the department store where he works. Silly comedy has some really ancient gags in it, but it's also fast-moving and fun, with some genuinely amusing sequences. One of the best has Lou locked in a cage with a lion that he thinks is Abbott in a costume. A King Kong-sized gorilla shows up at the end in another funny sequence. The boys are in good form in this one. Joe Besser. who plays the petulant Harry, was "Stinky" on their TV show and briefly joined The Three Stooges. Shemp Howard (Gunner) was also a member of the stooges.

Verdict: Fun if you're in a silly mood. **1/2.

DODSWORTH

DODSWORTH (1936). Director: William Wyler.

"Love has to stop somewhere short of suicide."

Sam Dodsworth (Walter Huston) has retired and his younger wife Fran (Ruth Chatterton) wants to spend her remaining days with him on the continent, where she wants to forget she has grown children and live a gay social whirl. Dodsworth is a simpler, less exciting soul and only wants to return to Zenith, the small town they come from. "You're rushing at old age," Fran tells him "and I'm not ready for that yet!" Before long Fran is being courted by and falling for younger men while Sam meets a sympathetic woman named Edith (Mary Astor). The interesting thing about the movie is that you find yourself switching allegiances mid-stream, at first rooting for the lively, fun-loving (if pretentious and snooty) Fran to shake the starch out of Sam, but then recognizing that Fran's life-loving vivacity has its dark and selfish side. Huston and Astor are fine, but Chatterton nearly steals the picture as Fran, and there are also excellent performances from Maria Ouspenskaya (as the mother of one of Fran's suitors), David Niven, Paul Lukas, and Gregory Gaye. "Have you considered how little happiness there can be for the old wife of a young husband?" Ouspenskaya asks a horrified Chatterton. John Payne also has a small role. Screenplay by Sidney Howard from the novel by Sinclair Lewis.

Verdict: A bit contrived at times but otherwise excellent. ***1/2.

THEATRE OF DEATH

THEATRE OF DEATH (1967/British). Director: Samuel Gallu.

Interesting, unpredictable tale about the owner and director of a Grand Guignol "Theatre of Death" in Paris named Philippe Darvas (Christopher Lee), who takes a young actress named Nicole (Jenny Till) under his wing to the consternation of her concerned friend and co-actor Dani (Lelia Goldoni). Meanwhile, there are a series of gruesome murders in which the victims are drained of blood. Dani's boyfriend, a former police surgeon named Charles Marquis (Julian Glover), gets involved with both the murders and the odd goings-on at the Theatre of Death. The plot is interesting but Gallu's direction is mediocre. Christopher Lee offers one of his haughtiest portrayals as the eminently artistic and remarkably overbearing Darvas, who really betrays his cruel streak during a riveting argument with the appalled Dani. The ending is way too drawn-out but the solution is certainly unusual and satisfying.

Verdict: Has its moments. **1/2.

GREAT OLD OPERA -- ROMEO AND JULIET Gounod

NOTE: From time to time, Great Old Movies will run reviews of works in the other performing arts, especially if at some time they've been adapted into films. Romeo and Juliet was made into a movie several times. This is French composer Charles Gounod's operatic version and was shown as part of Great Performances (a live peformance, not a film).

ROMEO AND JULIET. Charles Gounod. Metropolitan Opera. 2008. Shown on PBS April 2008.

This first-rate production of Gounod’s masterpiece at the Metropolitan Opera in New York was shown on PBS as part of Great Performances – which it is. Although for years I was never carried away by tenor Roberto Alagna (pictured), I have to say that with Romeo he has found the role that has finally revealed him as an Artist of the First Rank: his singing and acting are superb. Soprano Anna Netrebko is one of the most attractive Juliet’s to ever grace the opera hall, and sings the role quite well, although there seems to be an occasional tendency to go flat. While not to everyone’s taste, she is undeniably talented. Placido Domingo conducts the Met Orchestra with vigor and sensitivity. Nathan Gunn, (Mercutio), Marc Heller (Tybalt), Luis Otey (Paris) and others also make fine contributions. The production design is romantic in the best sense of the word, although some might feel the floating bed (suspended from wires) upon which Romeo and Juliet sing their rhapsodic duet is a bit much, although it makes an attractive image with its background of stars. Probably Gounod’s most beautiful score. Directed by Gary Halvorson.

Verdict: Beautiful! ***1/2.

HERE'S THE NEW WOLF MAN

BOO!

Benicio Del Toro plays Lawrence Talbot -- the role originally essayed by Lon Chaney (Jr.) in the original The Wolf Man (1941) -- and Anthony Hopkins plays Sir John Talbot in this remake due out in 2009 and directed by Joe Johnston. Special Makeup Effects are by Rick Baker.

Looks like a pretty scary fellow, eh?

DARLING

DARLING (1965). Director: John Schlesinger.

Diana (Julie Christie) is a pretty young model/actress/wannabee who leaves her husband for another man (Dirk Bogarde), dallies with yet another man who can help her career (Laurence Harvey), and then marries an Italian prince and becomes even more famous -- but empty. Back when Darling was released it was meant to explore "modern" mores and amorality and was seen as hip and trendy. Over forty years later it's only dated and boring. Churned out by Hollywood, this might have amounted to a slick soap opera with some timeless "entertainment" value -- say, like A Rage to Live. Cobbled together by Schlesinger -- who's done much, much better films -- it just plods along detailing the uninteresting lives of under-developed characters that are just as vapid as the movie itself. Despite some minor similarities, the movie does not really seem to be based on the life of Grace Kelly, as some have theorized. Even in the sixties, Diana's behavior was hardly atypical of people in show business or elsewhere. The sexually ambiguous characters and incidents are handled rather awkwardly in Frederic Raphael's rather poor screenplay (incredibly, he won an Oscar, as did Christie. The performances are perfectly okay, but everyone has done much better in other films.) Very tiresome stuff. Even in 1965 studies of ambitious, amoral people who had affairs and so on was hardly new, and there were much better ones than Darling.

Verdict: Could help with insomnia. *1/2.

THE CAR

THE CAR (1977). Director: Elliot Silverstein.

An ominous black sedan with an unnerving horn shows up in a sleepy desert community and begins tearing after and running down assorted citizens. Once you swallow the rather absurd supernatural premise and bizarre developments, The Car turns out to be a very nicely done, suspenseful chiller with a genuinely creepy atmosphere and some thrilling sequences. In addition, the screenplay by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack presents three-dimensional characters who have back stories and who you come to care about. The performances are all quite good, with Ronny Cox and John Marley especially effective as two police officers, and R. G. Armstrong scoring as a belligerent wife-beater. James Brolin is fine as the sheriff, Wade Parent, as is Kathleen Lloyd as his girlfriend, Lauren (who features in perhaps the movie's most bravura sequence). Silverstein's direction makes the most of the material and Leonard Rosenman's eerie score embellishes every scene. Gerald Hirschfeld's wide screen photography is also top-notch. The movie was not welcomed by the critics but it's actually a neat little intelligent chiller if admittedly on the far-fetched side.

Verdict: Definitely worth a look. ***.

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME (1932). Directors: Ernest B. Schoedsack and Irving Pichel.

Bob Rainsford (Joel McCrea) is the only survivor of a shipwreck near a small island owned by the sinister Count Zaroff (Leslie Banks). Safe on land in the count's gothic castle, he learns that Eve Trowbridge (Fay Wray) and her brother Martin (Robert Armstrong) are also ship-wrecked "guests" waiting patiently for the count's launch to be repaired -- only Eve tells Bob that she's heard the launch going out at night. It turns out that the sociopathic Zaroff deliberately causes shipwrecks and then hunts down "the most dangerous game" -- human beings -- from the survivors. The first half of the film is suspenseful enough, but the second half is non-stop excitement as Bob and Eve try desperately to outwit the count, his men, and his killer dogs and survive until dawn. Thrilling right up until the very last shot. Made concurrently with King Kong (as the FX of that film were being completed) this utilizes some of the same, very recognizable sets. Robert Armstrong gives a more flavorful, less wooden performance than usual and is very good as the ill-fated brother. The shipwreck sequence is very well-done, the effects work is excellent, and the castle settings are atmospheric and intriguing. Although he has been criticized as being "campy," Leslie Banks actually offers a very effective and comparatively low-key portrait of the psychopathic count and never gnoshes on the scenery. His versatility is shown with his much more benign character in The Tunnel. The Most Dangerous Game is highly entertaining although it could probably have used a few more minutes of character development. Suitably rousing score by Max Steiner.

Verdict: A classic! ***1/2.

HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL

HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (1958). Director: Jack Arnold.

Russ Tamblyn plays a new student at the local high school who gets involved with the gang known as the Wheelers and Dealers, a girl named Joanie (Diane Jergens), a teacher named Arlene (Jan Sterling), all the while fending off the advances of his trampy Aunt Gwen (Mamie Van Doren). Is Tamblyn bad news for everyone, or does he have a secret having to do with the drug trade and the evil weed that's destroying so many young lives? At first the film is fun -- especially sexy Van Doren -- but it isn't long before tedium sets in. John Drew Barrymore, son of John and father of Drew, co-stars as "J.I.," the leader of the Wheelers and Dealers. As usual, most of the high school students look as if they've been out of college for a couple of years. A far cry from director Jack Arnold's sci fi classic The Incredible Shrinking Man and others. Jerry Lee Lewis guest stars and sings the title tune. You can miss it.

Verdict: Not as much fun as you might imagine. *1/2.

THE BIG BOOK OF B MOVIES Or How Low Was My Budget

THE BIG BOOK OF B MOVIES Or How Low Was My Budget. Alex Cross. St. Martin’s Press; 1981.

A very entertaining, lavishly illustrated look at the low-budget second features of Hollywood’s golden age. Cross traces the B film from its origins up to seventies "B" style movies to the television programs they engendered with a breezy, informative style. Chapters deal with thrillers, series and serials, westerns, horror films, musicals, epics and so on. Only on occasion does Cross examine any film with much depth; mostly this is an overview of the subject, but it is full of some good background details as well as notes about the stars of these films, both the up and comers and bigger stars on their way down. Cross also looks at the history of such studios as Republic, Monogram, PRC and others who churned out low-budget B’s alongside some of the majors. There are dozens and dozens of great, crisp black and white photos often with highly amusing captions. [Photo: Beverly Garland screams at one of The Alligator People; from the book's inside cover.

Verdict: Good show! ***.

THE LONELY LIVE FOREVER April 1st

THE LONELY LIVE FOREVER (1937). Director: Dudley Foxwith.

In this lost Bette Davis film, unreleased for over seventy years due to legal problems, Davis plays a lonely woman who falls unrequitedly in love with her younger sister's boyfriend. She has to bravely suffer in silence as the two get married and go off to begin a life together. Davis wishes them happiness but can only wish that things had turned out differently. Then she suffers unbearable guilt when her sister (Mona Morgana) is killed in an automobile accident during her honeymoon. Davis tries her best to console her brother-in-law, trying to do the right thing while continually and hopelessly loving him, and has to watch helplessly as he romances a series of increasingly worthless women. Years go by, there are other marriages, including Davis' to an abusive husband, then she decides that once and for all she will tell the man she has loved for many years how she really feels about him. But just as she's on the verge of finding ultimate happiness fate takes a bitter turn ...

A tear jerker par excellence the movie features an especially intense and poignant performance from Davis as a woman who is tortured by feelings she'd rather not have yet manages to eke out a life for herself, disappointing as it is, in spite of it. The strong characterizations and poetic dialogue by Guillermo Schoen, much of it taken from his play, lift The Lonely Live Forever above the soap opera level. Co-star Ron Davide is excellent as Paul, the object of affection (The gifted young Davide tragically died of kidney failure only weeks after completing the film). This is a very touching and memorable film that is sure to inspire much debate among Davis' legion of admirers.

Verdict: Heartbreaking. ***1/2.

SHE-GIANT VERSUS THE ELEPHANT WOMAN April 1st

SHE-GIANT VERSUS THE ELEPHANT WOMAN (1968). Director: Ricardo Mendez.

Galvanized by the success of American films The Amazing Colossal Man and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Mexican producer Gilberto Roland Young came up with the idea of an ill woman who takes a formula derived from elephant glands and turns into a giant monstrosity with a hideous face and tusks and thirty foot body. The film, the low-budget but zestfully made and acted Attack of the Elephant Woman (1959), was a big hit and engendered no less than thirteen sequels of descending quality. By the mid-sixties, Young had switched from black and white to productions in technicolor and CinemaScope -- but ran out of ideas and enthusiasm. In the 13th entry, She-Giant versus The Elephant Woman -- not to be confused with Rampage of the Colossal She-Giants (1962), the fifth in the series -- zoologist Doug Moore (Clark Young) comes to Africa to study elephants and encounters yet another mad scientist, Lillian Blake (Esther Ramirez), this time a woman, who is fascinated by Angela Waters, The infamous Elephant Woman (who was killed and resuscitated over and over again). Blake is a distant cousin of Waters and has somehow managed to get ahold of her frozen body, which she brings back to life via thawing, electrical charge and -- natch -- more extract of elephant. The "she-giant" that Angela fights is not another giant woman (been there, done that) but simply a very large female elephant who wants her hormones back -- or something like that. The film is surprisingly well-acted, has beautiful settings and wide screen photography, but the Elephant Woman takes too long to appear, her battles with the real elephant are too brief and unconvincing, the FX are poor, and the romance between Moore and Blake is not for a moment believable. Followed by the final entry, Colossal War of the Rampaging She-Beast (1970).

Verdict: Skip this and look for Attack of the Elephant Woman instead. **.

A LIFE BETTER LIVED April 1st

A LIFE BETTER LIVED (1940). Director: Morgan Birtcastle.

Years before Brokeback Mountain there was this never-released film version of Winston Braddock's 1927 novel about two married men who recognize that their feelings for one another are romantic and sexual. In the film version, which stars Humphrey Bogart and Cary Grant as the husbands and life-long best friends, the subject matter was muted so that the two men simply realize that they love each other, platonically, more than they do their wives, and in fact their relationship is the primary relationship in each man's life. The script also was more of a comedy-drama than a drama. However, when studio heads saw the film, it was clear that the real theme of the picture was still fairly obvious to the more sophisticated members of the audience so the film was shelved and hidden away in the vaults for decades.

The comedy aspects of A Life Better Lived are pretty lame - the boys making dinner and making a mess of it and that sort of thing -- but the more dramatic sections have some bite to them. Grant's arguments with Helen Jordan as his wife have the ring of truth and go right up to the "Jim McGreevey"edge. When Bogart and Grant talk about how they're "like brothers" they almost seem to protest too much. While it's clear why the film made so many people nervous, in its "sanitized" form it seems to make the hardly revelatory or controversial point that the friendships (straight) men have with other men often matter more to them than their relationships with their wives. The studio was being overly skittish in shelving a film that was much less racy than some, and probably would have gone over the heads of most of the audience. A Life Better Lived ends with Bogart and Grant leaving their wives and going off to live together in the mountains, but it's sort of played for laughs!

Verdict: Surprisingly effective at times but a bowdlerization of the book. **1/2