THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH

George Ardisson and Barbara Steele

THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH (1964). Director: Anthony Dawson (Antonio Margheriti).

Near the end of the fifteenth century, Adele Karnstein is burned as a witch. She was accused of a murder actually committed by the Baron Kurt Humboldt (George Ardisson), who also murdered her older daughter when she confronted him. Some years later Kurt forces the "witch's" other daughter, Lisabeth (Halina Zalewska), to marry him, moving her into his castle. Then along comes a mysterious woman named Mary (Barbara Steele), who bears a striking resemblance to the dead sister, and with whom Kurt becomes obsessed. Becoming her lover, Kurt then importunes Mary to help him get rid of Lisabeth so they can be together forever. But Kurt may not be aware that there may be other deadly plots going on as well ... The Long Hair of Death is an interesting if imperfect film that comes off like a stretched-out episode of, say, Thriller, but it does make good use of medieval settings, tombs, secret passages, and the like, and there are certainly some effective sequences. Although this version has the actors speaking Italian (with sub-titles), most of the international cast are dubbed, meaning we don't get to hear Barbara Steele's great voice. The lead actors give more than adequate performances, and the rest of the cast includes such Italian horror staples as Laura Nucci [The Bloodstained Shadow] as the housekeeper Grumalda, Umberto Raho as Father Yon Klage, and Giuliano Raffaelli as Kurt's father, Count Humboldt. Steele and Raho were also in The Ghost.

Verdict: Low key but fairly absorbing Italian horror film. **1/2. 

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE

Glib disdain: Gardner McKay

ADVENTURES IN PARADISE (1959 television series).

Adventures in Paradise, a series which lasted three seasons, cataloged the adventures of one Adam Troy (Gardner McKay), a Korean war veteran who hoped to raise money for a ranch in Texas. Somehow he wound up in Tahiti, where he is captain of the Tiki, a ship which takes on both passengers and cargo. Troy's assistants include Clay Baker (James Holden), who always calls the captain "Pappy," (and later becomes a bar owner); and Chris Parker (Guy Stockwell), who was in about a third of the episodes; among others.

Gardner McKay [The Pleasure Seekers] was perfect for the role of Adam Troy, not only for his incredible good looks, but that almost mesmerizing stare of what can only be called "glib disdain." McKay wasn't necessarily an actor of great range or emotion, but his strong and commanding presence worked in his favor. Holden compliments McKay; he had only a few credits aside from this series and did nothing else after the show was over. Stockwell [Blindfold], who was almost as handsome as McKay, amassed over 90 credits. McKay only had ten other credits besides this series, but he reinvented himself as a playwright whose work was often produced.

Bolstered by the beautiful and romantic theme music composed, I believe, by Lionel Newman, the series -- while not essential viewing -- had a certain sweep and style to it, and featured some good stories (everything from adventure to comedy to mysteries) and fine performances by a variety of well-known guest-stars. No doubt there were many viewers who dreamed of setting sail with Adam (who seemed to have a woman in every port) through the warm waters of Tahiti (although I imagine even that could get tiresome after awhile). Occasionally the soundtrack featured music cues from the scores of Bernard Herrmann, such as Journey to the Center of the Earth. I've managed to see about 67 of the 91 episodes, and of these the most memorable are:

"Safari at Sea" with Diana Lynn and John Ericson in a tale of a bickering couple who want to capture a dangerous eel. The wife is a castrating monster who wants a macho man like Adam.

"The Raft," a harrowing lifeboat drama -- after a boat hits a mine -- with an especially notable performance from Ed Anders.

"Walk Through the Night" stars Mara Corday in a memorable performance of a woman who hunts for the man she loves amidst danger and cannibals with the help of Adam Troy.

"The Black Pearl." Skulduggery over the title gem with appearances by Lon Chaney Jr and Patricia Medina.

"Man-Eater." Did a shark devour an amorous, wealthy married lady? With notable turns from Bethel Leslie and John Fielder.

"Please Believe Me." A woman (an excellent Jacqueline Scott) is accused of murdering her new but rather larcenous husband.

"Violent Journey." An especially flavorful episode with Jeff Richards and Jerome Cowan in a tale of a runaway heiress and sharks.

"Feather Clock." Pippa Scott and George Macready are fine in a story of some cleverly stolen artwork.

"Judith." Gloria Vanderbilt, of all people, proves herself a gifted actress indeed in this tale of a hurricane that also unveils terrific human passions.

"Flamin' Lady" stars Catherine Nesbitt, Harvey Korman, and Patricia Cutts in a suspense story.

"Command at Sea." Raymond Massey gives an outstanding performance in a tale of a captain who blames a younger officer for his own deadly mistake. Michael David is also memorable.

"Daughter of Illusion" offers Alan Napier and Barbara Steele in notable turns as a magician and his daughter in a scheme to use a dress to pilfer diamonds.

"Build My Gallows Low" has Adam accused of murder and on the run, but aided by the victim's daughter, Peggy Ann Garner, giving a fine performance.

Of the episodes I've seen, the two best are easily "The Good Killing," a moving story in which a young man commits murder for what he thinks is a good reason; and "Amazon," about a yacht race with a man's life at stake, with very good performances from Lizabeth Scott and Tom Drake.

Verdict: Too many mediocre episodes, but not a half-bad series. **1/2.

DARK SHADOWS (1990)

Ben Cross and Barbara Steele

DARK SHADOWS (1991).

In this "revival" of the sixties TV show, Barnabas Collins (Ben Cross), turned into a vampire two hundred years before, is freed from his coffin and becomes a "new" member of the Collins family. In the original series, waitress Maggie Collins (Ely Pouget) was the spitting image of his old love, Josette, but in this version it is Victoria Winters (Joanna Going) who excites Barnabas' romantic interest. Dr. Julia Hoffman (Barbara Steele) tries to cure Barnabas of his vampirism, but is angered when she realizes his affection is reserved not for her but for Victoria. Victoria winds up going back to 1790 during a seance, and from then on the show follows both the modern and 18th century storylines, as Victoria is denounced as a witch despite the fact that the real perpetrator is Josette's handmaiden, Angelique (an effective Lysette Anthony). Most of the cast play dual roles. For instance, Roy Thinnes is fine as Roger Collins, who is having an affair with psychic Maggie, but he is really splendid as the grotesque Reverend Trask, who torments Victoria mercilessly.

Jean Simmons was cast as Elizabeth Collins, taking over from Joan Bennett, but while she's good, she isn't given that much to do. Joanna Going makes an impression as the beautiful Victoria. Two cast stand-outs are Joseph Gordon-Levitt as little David Collins, a really superb child actor who graduated into adult roles, and Jim Fyfe as Willie Loomis, who at times seems to be channeling Dwight Frye from Dracula. Over the top on occasion, he still gives a mesmerizing performance. Michael T. Weiss is also notable as Joe Haskell and Peter Bradford. Barbara Blackburn is okay as a somewhat sexier version of Carolyn Stoddard. Most of these actors amassed many credits after Dark Shadows went off the air.

And then there's the glue that holds the whole thing together: Ben Cross [Star Trek]. Aside from the rare perfunctory moment, Cross is superb as Barnabas, expertly delineating both the character's kind and vicious aspects, and managing to be genuinely frightening at times, something Jonathan Frid never quite accomplished. Cross is a fine actor and he makes the most of this opportunity. At the time he told an interviewer that this was his last chance to break out into major stardom, but while that may not have happened, he's still had a busy career ever since.

It was probably seen as another casting coup to hire Barbara Steele [Black Sunday] to play Julia Hoffman, but frankly, taken out of her Italian movie context she's just not a lot of fun, and her performance (as both Julia and a French character in 1790) is only adequate.

The town of Collinsport seems to learn much more about the existence of vampires than in the original series, but I admit it's been a while since I've seen those episodes. Some scenes were shot day for night, but they don't quite work, making it look as if Barnabas is walking about in broad daylight. Despite its higher production values, this version sometimes doesn't seem to escape its somewhat schlocky origins, but it starts to gather speed with the third episode, and hits high gear with the eleventh. Unfortunately, there was only one more episode left, making this more of a mini-series than a series. It does manage to tell the whole story of Barnabas' introduction and his and Victoria's 1790 adventures in twelve hour-long episodes, and generally does it well. A highlight is when a supposedly dead Angelique walks into the courtroom where Victoria has just branded her the true witch.

Dan Curtis directed many of the episodes, which were also helmed by Armand Mastroianni, Paul Lynch, and Rob Bowman.

Verdict: Gets an "A" for effort and is often entertaining. ***.

THE GHOST (1963)

Barbara Steele and Peter Baldwin

THE GHOST (aka Lo spettro/1963). Director: Robert Hampton (Riccardo Freda).

In 1910 Scotland Margaret Hichcock (Barbara Steele) is married to an ailing and wealthy older man, John (Elio Jotta), who has an interest in the occult. Margaret is also having an affair with his very handsome doctor, Charles Livingstone (Peter Baldwin). When John dies, the lovers see signs that the man may still be living, or that his specter is haunting the manor house. Worse, the couple are having problems finding out where John hid his valuable treasures. As suspicions against each other mount, and John seems to appear to them in horrible visions, the two's nerves are stretched to the breaking point. But there's worse to come ... The Ghost is one of the best of the Italian horror films of the period, albeit the plot and its twists aren't exactly original. While a dubbed Steele seems to be sleep-walking through early sections of the movie, she certainly delivers in her dramatic sequences in the latter half. Both Jotta and Baldwin are adept as husband and paramour respectively. Harriet Medin [The Whip and the Body] is also effective as the creepy maid, Catherine, as is Umberto Raho as Canon Owens. Franco Mannino's score helps give the film an almost operatic intensity at times, and Raffaele Masciocchi's cinematography is suitably atmospheric. There's a decent and bloody slashing scene as well. This is only a nominal sequel to The Horrible Dr. Hichcock, which also starred Steele and was directed by Freda. Freda also helmed Caltiki, the Immortal Monster.

Verdict: Lusty and enthusiastic Italian fright flick. ***.

THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK

THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK (aka L'orribile segreto del Dr. Hichcock/1962). Sub-titled Italian version. Director: Riccardo Freda (Robert Hampton).

London, 1885: Cynthia (Barbara Steele) is the new wife of Dr. Bernard Hichcock (Robert Flemying), who has created a new anesthetic. Cynthia doesn't know that Bernard's first wife Margherita (Maria Teresa Vianello) was an accidental  victim of this new drug, and even he doesn't know that Margherita is still alive, insane, being attended to by the housekeeper, Martha (Harriet Medin of The Whip and the Body). Nothing good can come of this situation, and of course it doesn't. This is a Gothic tale with some overtones of Jane Eyre. Steele is dubbed, so we lose the impact of her great voice, but the film has an interesting score by Roman Vlad, as well as some style and atmosphere. This was double-billed with The Awful Dr. Orloff in U.S. markets. Freda also directed Caltiki, the Immortal Monster.

Verdict: Fairly standard Italian horror flick has its moments. **1/2.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 

Welcome to Great Old Movies' annual round-up of horror movies. This year it's a mixed bag of old and new, with everything from Vincent Price and Barbara Steele to those lovable maniacs Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees and other mad slashers, as well as "horrible" books, and blood-curdling TV shows.

Curl up with a nice slice of pumpkin pie (with real whipped cream) and have some Halloween horror!

NIGHTMARE CASTLE

NIGHTMARE CASTLE (aka Amanti d'oltremtomba/1965). Director: Mario Calano.

When Dr. Stephen Arrowsmith (Paul Muller) discovers that his wife, Muriel (Barbara Steele), is having an affair with hired man David (Rik Battaglia), he imprisons, tortures and murders both of them. Somehow Muriel is declared dead even without a body, and her twin, Jenny, winds up married to the doctor, after inheriting everything, and living back in creepy Hampton Castle. Arrowsmith is a certified nut job, but Jenny herself seems to be going crazy -- or is dead Muriel trying to take over her twin's mind? Dr. Derek Joyce (Marino Mase) tries to help her, but will their attraction to one another lead to another disaster...? There are ghosts, murder plots, horrified servants, fiery conflagrations, and more, not to mention lots of atmosphere. Unfortunately, despite all that the movie is still just mediocre. Steel's great voice has been dubbed, minimizing her impact, but the acting from all seems more than adequate.

Verdict: Zesty if disappointing Italian horror flick. **1/2.

HONEYMOON WITH A STRANGER

Eric Braeden and Rossano Brazzi

HONEYMOON WITH A STRANGER (1969 telefilm). Director: John Peyser.

Sandra (Janet Leigh of Night of the Lepus) has just traveled to Spain with her new husband, Ernesto (Joseph Lenzi), where they move into a huge castle that he owns. Unfortunately, the next morning Sandra discovers that her husband has disappeared. Worse, when he finally shows up again, it's a completely different man (Cesare Danova), who insists he was the man that Sandra married, confounding both her and a sympathetic police captain (Rossano Brazzi of Summertime). Ah, but Ernesto has a lawyer, Frederico (Eric Braeden of The Young and the Restless) and a sister, Carla (Barbara Steele of Black Sunday), and when they arrive they'll settle the matter once and for all -- or will they only make matters more confusing? Honeymoon with a Stranger is an intriguing suspense film with a couple of good twists and good acting from all, with Leigh, Braeden, and especially a striking Steele especially notable. As she adds class to this production as she did to many others, one can only muse on the criminal under-utilization of Steele in cinema. The direction of this just covers the action, but the script and performers keep you entertained.

Verdict: A not bad Honeymoon. ***.

BLACK SUNDAY

Barbara Steele in satanic mode

BLACK SUNDAY (aka The Mask of Satan/La maschera del demonio/1960.) Director: Mario Bava.

This is the first film for which Bava was credited as director. The witch Asa (Barbara Steele) has a spiked mask hammered into her face and is entombed, but many years later some blood drips onto the mask and the witch is revived to get revenge on the descendants of those who destroyed her. Asa would also love to possess the mind and body of her lookalike, Katia (Steele, of course). Katia's brother Constantine (Enrico Olivieri) and doctor (John Richardson) do their best to foil the plans of the hateful and vampiric Asa. Although Black Sunday is a famous and influential movie it's still pretty mediocre, but is bolstered by the appearance of Steele with her distinctive, expressive and sensual face [but, who, sadly, is dubbed throughout] and by Bava's excellent cinematography. Like most of Bava's movies, Black Sunday is rich in atmosphere and has excellent settings, especially the castle where most of the action takes place, but it lacks tension and impact. Bava also directed The Whip and the Body/What three years later, but his best film is arguably Blood and Black Lace. 

Verdict: Everything Barbara Steele is in is interesting. **1/2.

NIGHT GALLERY Season 2 [POST # 2000!]

Laurence Harvey has a painful problem with an earwig

NIGHT GALLERY Season 2 (1971). Hosted by Rod Serling.

"I have read thousands -- tens of thousands -- of books, and never have I read about a spider the size of a dog -- not even in Kafka."

This second full season of Night Gallery continued the format of presenting at least two or more segments per episode, with Rod Serling introducing most segments using paintings mounted in a "night" gallery. Out of nearly fifty segments [in twenty-two episodes] only seven are memorable, with many not only on a "C" level but even descending to "D" or "F." In other words, most of the stories are pretty bad. Earlier episodes include quick gags or black humor black-outs, most of which are mercilessly unfunny. Among the more notable stories are: "The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes," in which a small child is exploited for his psychic ability; "The Devil is Not Mocked" in which Count Dracula (an excellent Francis Lederer) takes on the Nazis; an adaptation of H. P. Lovecraft's "Cool Air," in which the addition of a romantic element doesn't hurt at all [Lovecraft's "Pickman"s Model," which also adds romantic-love aspects, doesn't work as well]; and the genuinely original "Sins of the Fathers" with Richard Thomas as a starving young man who must "eat" the sins [represented by food surrounding a corpse] of Barbara Steele's late husband. Arguably the two best episodes are "The Dark Boy" [from August Derleth], a poignant mood piece in which the ghost of a dead boy unites his lonely father with an equally lonely school teacher (Elizabeth Hartman) and "The Caterpillar," in which Laurence Harvey gets a fatal surprise when he tries to kill off a rival by employing an insect, the earwig, that enters through the ear and eats its way through the brain; probably the only really classic episode of the season, and the one most people remember [with excellent performances as well]. Some of the less memorable episodes have their entertaining moments, such as slatternly Zsa Zsa Gabor running from a dinosaur that wants to eat her in the amusing "Painted Mirror." Unfortunately, far too many episodes are flat, poorly conceived and developed, and have little real entertainment value. Among the more memorable guest stars are Vincent Price, Gale Sondergaard, Joanna Pettet, Virginia Mayo, and Louise Sorel. Producer Jack Laird also wrote and directed several episodes, but the generally mediocre quality of the show can't be laid only at his feet, as Serling himself contributed many execrable episodes.

Verdict: At least the earwig sticks in your mind [literally]. **1/2.

SPECIAL NOTE: This is the 2000th post of Great Old Movies, still going strong!