OPERATION BIKINI

OPERATION BIKINI (1963). Director: Anthony Carras.

During the days of WW2 a submarine commanded by Captain Carey (Scott Brady) takes on a host of Marine underwater demolition experts, which in turn is led by Lt. Morgan Hayes (Tab Hunter). The sub is to take this gang to the Bikini atoll, where they are to destroy a submarine sunk by the Japanese. It seems this sub has special radar equipment on it that the allies don't want the Japs to get their hands on. Others on the demolition team include Joseph (Frankie Avalon), Floyd (Gary Crosby), Ed (Jim Backus), and William (Jody McCrea). Michael Dante plays Carey's second-in-command. On Bikini, Hayes and his band team up with certain friendly islanders, including Reiko (Eva Six), who has a brief dalliance with Hayes. 

Eva Six and Tab Hunter

American-International Pictures brought together some Beach Party players such as Avalon and McCrea, dropped in Tab Hunter, and "introduced" Hungarian actress Eva Six, who only made two more movies besides this one. Operation Bikini is pretty cheap and largely dull, although there are occasional spurts of action. Avalon, Hunter and the others turn in decent enough performances. Avalon even sings a song during a dream sequence, and proves not to be a bad singer at all. 

Tab Hunter

In the dream sequence Frankie is torn between his "girl back home," played by Nancy Dusina, and a sexy temptress, played by Judy Lewis. Lewis was the daughter of Loretta Young and Clark Gable. She had 28 credits, including Perry Mason, 77 Sunset Strip and The Secret Storm. The best thing about Operation Bikini is that unlike such films as Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea it features a realistic sub and gets across just what it's like to be in a cramped, uncomfortable submarine. 

Verdict: Ultimately, this is pretty much a waste of time. *1/2. 

THE BONNIE PARKER STORY

Jack Hogan and Dorothy Provine

THE BONNIE PARKER STORY (1958). Director: William Witney.

In 1930's Oklahoma Bonnie Parker (Dorothy Provine of Kiss the Girls and Make Them Die) has a dead end job as a waitress after her husband, Duke (Richard Bakalyan), is sent up the river for 175 years. But then Bonnie meets the cocky "Guy Darrow" (Jack Hogan of The Cat Burglar), whose first passes are easily blocked by the feisty and easily-angered Bonnie. Eventually Guy convinces his new girlfriend that they could make a lot of money knocking off gas stations and the like, but Bonnie -- who proves much more strong-willed than Guy -- is sick of getting comparative chicken feed. Her new plan is to to break her husband out of jail and start robbing banks ...

Dorothy Provine as Bonnie Parker

Made almost ten years earlier than the more famous Bonnie and Clyde, this is arguably the better of the two pictures. Provine and Hogan give more convincing performances as these rather vicious individuals, and William Witney -- who helmed numerous cliffhanger serials -- knows how to keep things moving at a brisk pace and also creates lots of suspense in key moments. There are other good performances in the film as well: Joe Turkel [The Glass Wall] as Guy's brother; Patricia Huston as his girlfriend; William Stevens as a budding architect who sees a more romantic and tender side of Bonnie; Richard Bakalyan as Duke; Douglas Kennedy as a cop who is pursuing the couple; and others.

Jack Hogan as "Guy Darrow"

The picture has several good scenes, including the hold-up of a armored truck which is nearly interrupted by a boy scout troop and the terrified scoutmaster (Sydney Lassick), and a tense if amusing business when a cute little boy (Stanley Livingstone) seemingly identifies Bonnie and the others as "bank robbers." The climactic shoot-out is also extremely well-handled. One could argue that the film may not have a lot of period atmosphere and it's strange that Clyde Barrow's name was changed, albeit not very much.

Verdict: Very snappy AIP crime drama with vivid players. ***. 

BLACULA

William Marshall

BLACULA (1972). Director: William Crain.

Mamuwalde. an African dignitary (William Marshall), and his wife, are on a mission in Europe to protest the slave trade when they wind up guests in the castle of Count Dracula (Charles Macaulay of The House of Seven Corpses). Dracula ignites the ire of Mamuwalde when he claims to have no problem with slavery and would even like to have the man's wife for himself, and the angry count responds by turning him into a vampire. In modern-times, two interior decorators, Bobby (Ted Harris) and Billy (Rick Metzler). get a consignment of items from Transylvania and make the mistake of opening up "Blacula's" coffin. Blacula sees a woman, Tina (Vonetta McGee of The Eiger Sanction), who he swears is his dead wife, and insinuates himself into her company. Meanwhile, some of Mamuwalde's victims are waking up in the morgue and attacking people. Tina's sister, Michelle (Denise Nicholas), has a boyfriend, Dr. Gordon Thomas (Thalmus Rasulala), who investigates the strange deaths  ... Given the popularity of the "blaxploitation" pictures of the period, Blacula was probably inevitable, and it's actually not a bad idea. The storyline is more than workable, but the character of Manuwalde has been reduced to a one-dimensional villain. A bigger problem is the film's leaden direction and pacing, which strips most of the fun out of it, although audiences may have gotten a kick out of the scene when the crazed lady cab driver bitten by Blacula jumps out of the morgue and rushes down the hall in slow motion to chomp on the halpess attendant, played by Elisha Cook! The two likable gay decorators are raging stereotypes and are referred to as "faggots" in several instances, but then blaxploitation pictures could be merciless toward gays. With his dramatic demeanor, handsome features, and magnificent baritone, one would imagine William Marshall [To Trap a Spy] would make a great Dracula, but he's less effective than others in the role. The other cast members are generally good, with Ted Harris being amusing. A trio sings a couple of snappy numbers in a nightclub, including "There He Goes Again," during which the lady vocalist exhibits some amazing terpsichorean gyrations. Followed by Scream, Blacula, Scream. From American-International Pictures.

Verdict: Not as much fun as it sounds. **.

FLYING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS: SAM ARKOFF

FLYING THROUGH HOLLYWOOD BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS. Sam Arkoff with Richard Trubo. Birch Lane Press; 1992.

Sam Arkoff of American International Pictures tells how the company was formed, relates behind-the-scenes details of some of its more famous movies [including I Was a Teenage Werewolf and the Roger Corman/Vincent Price Poe pictures], and looks at some of the famous actors and directors who got their start at AIP, such as Jack Nicholson and Francis Ford Coppola. AIP tapped into a huge audience that the majors were ignoring -- teenagers -- and [when that ran its course and even before] developed new genres, such as beach, hot rod and "blaxploitation" movies, that the major studios eventually copied. Like a wise old owl, Arkoff laments how the movie industry needlessly spends millions on [often terrible] movies and how stars' salaries have become hopelessly inflated, along with other cogent criticisms. Arkoff regrets AIP's merging with Filmways, and later quit that group to form Arkoff International Pictures. Author Trubo skillfully allows Arkoff's personality to come through, with the result that the book is not only informative and entertaining, but a darn good read as well.

Verdict: An insider's view of filmmaking, Hollywood and exploitation pictures. ***1/2.