IN THE NAVY

Bud Abbott, Dick Foran, Lou Costello

IN THE NAVY (1941). Director: Arthur Lubin. Colorized version. 

Russ Raymond (Dick Powell), singing star, wants to get away from his adoring fans and become anonymous in the Navy. Reporter Dorothy Roberts (Claire Dodd of Babbitt) is determined to get a photo of him for her magazine, somehow thinking this will be a big story. (Even Elvis getting a haircut for the Army wasn't that big a story!) Russ in his new identity encounters the film's true stars, Abbott and Costello, as sailors Smoky and Pomeroy. Chubby Pomeroy thinks of Patti of the Andrews Sisters as his girlfriend, but she may not be so inclined. Everyone sings! 

The Andrews Sisters

In the Navy is an amiable if minor A&C comedy with some amusing moments and pleasant tunes that are not that memorable all told. Bud and Lou do their usual schtick and do it well. Dick Foran is fine as their slightly grouchy superior officer and Powell does his best as straight man for the boys. Claire Dodd is professional but comparatively bland as the persistent reporter. Patti Andrews displays personality to spare, and she and her two sisters sing up a harmonizing storm. The highlight of the movie is actually some splendid tap-dancing from the Condos Brothers duo. Foran and the Andrews trio also appeared together in Private Buckeroo, where Foran gets to do a lot more singing. The Andrews Sisters did a pilot for a TV sitcom in 1951 but no network picked it up. 

Verdict: The boys have done better but this has its moments. **1/2. 

PRIVATE BUCKEROO

Maxene, Patti and LaVerne Andrews

PRIVATE BUCKEROO (1942). Director: Edward F. Cline.

When band leader Harry James, playing himself, is drafted, his singer Lon Prentice (Dick Foran), decides to enlist. His sergeant is "Muggsy" Shavel (Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges), who is engaged to Bonnie (Mary Wickes), who finds herself drawn to another singer and comic, Biff (Joe E. Lewis). Lon finds himself on the outs with his fellow soldiers because he requests and (inexplicably) receives special privileges, which doesn't help when he tries to romance Joyce (Jennifer Holt). Meanwhile the top-billed Andrews Sisters perform both in James' nightclub and on the base, wouldn't you know? Private Buckeroo, which is the name of a song warbled by Foran, is modestly entertaining, without much of a plot, but it has its charms, chief among them the Andrews Sisters performing "Tell It to the Marines" and "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree." There is also a nifty dance number done by a bunch of talented teenagers, and Dick Foran delivers a fine rendition of "Nobody Knows the Troubles I've Seen." Shemp Howard and Mary Wickes make a winning combo; Dick Foran [Violent Road], who started out as a band singer and eventually became an excellent dramatic actor, has a very nice baritone; and Susan Levine makes an adorable "Tagalong," Joyce's little sister. Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan, and Huntz Hall have smaller roles. Harry James plays a mean trumpet, but he proves not to be much of an actor. This is a rare opportunity to see the real singer-comedian Joe E. Lewis, who was played by Frank Sinatra (who looked nothing like Lewis) in The Joker is Wild. Lewis is rather amusing in this as he squares off with rival Shemp Howard.

Verdict: More than passable patriotic Universal musical. **1/2.

THE GOLDEN ARROW

Bette Davis and George Brent

THE GOLDEN ARROW (1936). Director: Alfred E. Green.

When reporter Johnny Jones (George Brent) shows up on a yacht belonging to wealthy heiress Daisy Appleby (Bette Davis) hoping for a story, she mistakes him for a member of Society and begins to fall for him. But it turns out that Johnny isn't the only one who's playing a role. Daisy wants to keep unwanted suitors and fortune hunters away from her, so she importunes Johnny to wed her for a marriage of sheerest convenience. But when he learns that truth about Daisy, will everything blow up in her face? The Golden Arrow begins with possibilities but never recovers from its contrivances or the fact that it is never very funny. Davis and Brent give very good performances, as expected, and there is wonderful support from Catherine Doucet [These Three] as Miss Pommesby, who looks after Daisy, and Eugene Pallette [First Love] as Mr. Meyers. Dick Foran and Carol Hughes are also in the cast and are fine.

Verdict: One of those lousy movies Davis was always railing against early in her career. **.

VIOLENT ROAD

Dick Foran and Ann Doran

VIOLENT ROAD (1958). Director: Howard W. Koch.

A runaway missile explodes in a small town, causing many deaths, necessitating the move of the local company that fired the missile to another location. Rocket fuel, which is comprised of many dangerous and acidic chemicals which can "burn a man alive," has to be transported over difficult terrain, and six men are chosen to be the drivers. These include George (Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.) whose family was lost in the blast; Frank (Dick Foran), who has a tragically bitter quarrel with his wife (Ann Doran) before leaving; Manuelo (Perry Lopez of The Steel Jungle), who needs the money from the trip to become an engineer; the world-weary Ben (Arthur Batanides); and Mitch (Brian Keith), a foot-loose adventurer without much of a past.  Ken Farley (Sean Garrison), the sixth driver, replaces his sad, drunken brother (John Dennis) when he's too hungover to drive. Along the way there are harrowing incidents, such as a runaway bus, brake failures, tumbling rocks, and acid spills, as well as flashbacks that tell us more about these individuals. Violent Road is clearly an unacknowledged rip-off of the far superior French film The Wages of Fear -- which was also remade as Sorcerer -- but it has its moments if taken on its own terms. One stand-out sequence is a tender and tragic moment between Frank and his wife, with an outstanding performance from Ann Doran [Meet John Doe]. Dick Foran is also excellent, and Keith also makes his mark, as does John Dennis in the early scenes. Sean Garrison also makes an impression as the handsome and cocky Kenny. If there's any problem with the movie it's that it seems to lack a real climax and ends much too abruptly. Peter Brown has a small but effective role as a marine, and Merry Anders is fine as a woman who picks Mitch up on the road.

Verdict: Not that explosive, and highly unoriginal, but tense and absorbing nonetheless. *** out of 4.

DANGEROUS

DANGEROUS (1935). Director: Alfred E. Green.

Don Bellows (Franchot Tone) is a successful architect engaged to Gail Armitage (Margaret Lindsay). One day Don spots the dissipated actress, Joyce Heath (Bette Davis), who has gone on a long bender after her once-promising career disintegrated. Joyce, and anyone who could hire her, are convinced she is a jinx. Admiring her talent and feeling that she once inspired him, Don takes it upon himself to bring Joyce back into the light -- and the limelight. But can Joyce overcome her own fears and insecurities, or will she sink back into the morass of doubt and depression? Dangerous is a good and entertaining picture, but one senses there's an even better movie lost in there somewhere. The sudden introduction of Joyce's husband, Gordon (John Eldredge), adds an almost weird plot turn to the movie, as well as an ending that may be strange to many (although I thought it worked). Davis [Dark Victory] won a Best Actress Oscar for Dangerous, although she's certainly given better performances elsewhere. Both she and Lindsay [Baby Face] ruin some dramatic scenes by rushing through their lines as if there's an explosive fire on the sound stage just out of camera range, and there's an unintentionally comical moment when a producer says of Joyce: "even in rehearsal it's the greatest performance I've ever seen." Unfortunately, Davis' on-stage emoting in this scene is laughably mediocre. There's some very good dialogue in the movie, but a little too much of "Mildred" from Davis' Of Human Bondage. Both Joyce and Gail are convinced  they will wind up with Don when neither lady has a good reason for thinking so. Franchot Tone [I Love Trouble] gives a fine performance; Eldredge is also good in a very under-written role; and Alison Skipworth is terrific as Bellows' housekeeper, Mrs. Williams. Dick Foran and Mary Treen have smaller roles and are swell.

Verdict: Snappy if suspect melodrama with some good lines and acting. ***.

GUEST WIFE

GUEST WIFE (1945). Director: Sam Wood.

Chris Price (Dick Foran) and his wife Mary (Claudette Colbert) are about to depart for Manhattan for a second honeymoon when in blows Chris' best friend, reporter Joe Parker (Don Ameche). Parker has told his boss, the unctuous and moralistic Arthur Truesdale Worth (Charles Dingle) that he has a wife, even going so far as to send him Mary's photo. Mary is importuned to pose as Mrs. Parker in New York, which leads to embarrassing complications, and so enrages Mary that she pretends she's fallen for Joe just to get even with both men, one of whom is a creep (Joe) and the other a thoughtless fool (Chris). Colbert's spirited performance is the only reason to watch this fairly leaden "comedy" with unlikable and unsympathetic male characters. There is a mildly funny bit with a nosy shoe salesman in a nightclub, as well as a sequence wherein a bartender assumes the three principals are having a menage a trois, but otherwise this is pretty much a waste of an hour and a half. Sam Wood may have directed A Night at the Opera, but he couldn't do much with this script. Ameche is okay and Foran is as amiable as ever.  

Verdict: Don't be a "guest" in this movie. **.

HORROR ISLAND

HORROR ISLAND (1941). Director: George Waggner.

When Bill (Dick Foran) and partner Stuff (Fuzzy Knight) discover that the former has inherited an island with a castle on it, they decide to bring tourists there for a treasure hunt. Tobias (Leo Carrillo) insists that the island hides pirate Henry Morgan's treasure, but half of his map showing where it is supposedly located has been stolen by a phantom with a mask and cloak. This same phantom shows up on the island, of course, where he sneaks among such guests as Wendy (Peggy Moran), George (John Eldredge) and Arleen (Iris Adrian). Although there are a couple of murders, if you're expecting anything really horrific on or in the badly named "Horror Island," try another movie. This is an okay time-passer with reasonably pleasant performances and a very slight dab of atmosphere.

Verdict: At least it's not very long. **1/2.

PLEASE MURDER ME

PLEASE MURDER ME (1956). Director: Peter Godfrey.

Attorney Craig Carlson (Raymond Burr) and Myra Leeds (Angela Lansbury), the wife of his best friend Joe (Dick Foran), who saved his life during the war, have fallen in love. When Joe finds out about it Myra claims that he attacked her in a rage and she had to shoot him in self-defense. In a highly unlikely if not ludicrous [albeit intriguing] scenario, her lover Carlson defends her against a murder charge in court, leading to a number of interesting complications. Despite its improbable aspects, Please Murder Me is absorbing and features two terrific lead performances from Burr and Lansbury. Foran is solid as ever as the husband, and Lamont Johnson is appealing as a likable struggling painter. [As an actor, Johnson appeared mostly in TV shows; he later became a successful director.] John Dehner does his usual fine job as the D.A. prosecuting the case. Please Murder Me could he seen as Burr's feature-length audition for Perry Mason as he was cast in his most famous role the following year.

Verdict: Minor perhaps but with some sterling performances and vivid moments. ***.

MY LITTLE CHICKADEE

MY LITTLE CHICKADEE (1940). Director: Edward F. Cline.

"I feel as though a midget with muddy feet has been walking over my tongue all night." -- Cuthbert J. Twillie.

When Flower Belle Lee (Mae West) is run out of town because of her midnight dalliances with a mysterious masked bandit, she runs into Cuthbert J. Twillie (W. C. Fields) on a train and "marries" him when she sees his valise full of cash. All this leads into various highly amusing complications as Flower Belle is torn between two other men [one good/Dick Foran; one bad/Joseph Calleia], and Cuthbert winds up as the sheriff in a town where sheriffs need to be frequently replaced due to violent death. Fields is as marvelous as ever; the ever-liberated West doesn't so much as act in the movie as she inhabits it, but she's a lot of fun; Calleia and Margaret Hamilton [ as a disapproving but kind of lovable old maid] give give their usual flavorful performances; and the under-rated Dick Foran is pleasant and solid. Donald Meek is also great as a gambler who pretends to be a pastor so the two stars can get married on the train. West sings "Willie of the Valley" with great aplomb if without a voice. Lots of great dialogue in this.

Verdict: An unbeatable combo. ***1/2.

THE FEARMAKERS

THE FEARMAKERS (1958). Director: Jacques Tourneur.

Alan Eaton (Dana Andrews) comes back from a POW camp in Korea to find out that the partner in his polling firm has been killed and that he apparently sold out to a man, Jim McGinnis (Dick Foran), who uses shady methods and who seems to have a communist agenda. Although it's not the main point of the film, The Fearmakers examines how polls can be influenced by loaded questions, poor research, etc. to say whatever the pollster wants them to say -- an "unamerican" practice that has, sadly, been going on in America for decades now. Eaton agrees to join the firm only to investigate it for a concerned Senator friend, and winds up threatened and victimized by McGinnis and his cronies just as he was by the Koreans. The film has interesting casting, especially singer Mel Torme who plays an employee of the firm -- the "velvet fog" is quite good as the man who turns against his bosses out of love for a pretty secretary (Marileee Earle) whose life is endangered. Veda Ann Borg and Kelly Thordson are vivid as a battling married couple with whom Eaton boards for a hectic night. Senator Walder is played by Roy Gordon, who was the doctor in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. When Eaton sees the Senator's picture on the cover of Time, you almost expect Eaton to open the magazine to find pictures of a giant Allison Hayes in her underwear with Gordon pontificating on her in a sidebar. Dennis Moore, who plays an Army doctor, also appeared in serials The Mysterious Mr. M and The Purple Monster Strikes, not to mention The Mummy's Curse. The main problem with this movie is that it has few thrills.

Verdict: Not fearful enough. **.

THE MUMMY'S HAND

THE MUMMY'S HAND (1940). Director: Christy Cabanne.

Archaeologist Steve Banning (Dick Foran) and his foolish pal Babe Jenson (Wallace Ford), along with magician The Great Solvani (Cecil Kellaway) and his spirited daughter, Marta (Peggy Moran), travel from Cairo to try to find a tomb and the treasure that goes with it. They come afoul of High Priest Andoheb (George Zucco), who has awakened Kharis, the mummy, by the use of a fluid made from tanna leaves. This film began the tradition of the mummy, still in its bandages, slowly stalking people in the night. There's perhaps a little too much comedy relief, but the performances are good -- especially Zucco and Eduardo Ciannelli as his father -- and there's plenty of atmosphere. Kharis has a similar origin to Im-ho-tep of The Mummy with some differences -- Kharis tried to revive his dead beloved and was buried alive, but his tongue was cut out as well. Frankly, this is much more entertaining and creepier than The Mummy. Marta is not the reincarnation of a princess, thank goodness. Tom Tyler, who was the title hero in The Adventures of Captain Marvel, plays the mummy and plays him well. Followed by The Mummy's Tomb.

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

THE MUMMY'S TOMB

THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1942). Director: Harold Young.

A generation after the events of The Mummy's Hand, Steve Banning (Dick Foran) is a widower and senior citizen telling his sister (Mary Gordon), son John (John Hubbard), and John's girl, Isobel (Elyse Knox) about his adventures in Egypt as recounted in the previous film. Little does he know that both the mummy, Kharis and his High Priest Andohep (George Zucco) are somehow still alive and up to mischief. Andohep sends Mehmet (Turhan Bey) and Kharis to the small town of Mapleton, Massachusetts where Banning lives in order to wipe out all members of the family of the man who dared to desecrate Kharis' tomb. Shuffling, creepy Kharis manages to cause a lot of mischief in this one. An older and more serious "Babe" (Wallace Ford) also shows up (with a new last name). Lon Chaney Jr. plays the mummy and is completely unrecognizable. He shuffles around as well as anyone. Followed by The Mummy's Ghost.

Verdict: Somewhat creepy and lots of fun. ***.

THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE

THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE (1959). Director Spencer G. Bennet. 

Something in the Arctic circle is destroying ships and submarines, so the atomic sub Tiger Shark is sent to investigate. Dick Foran is the captain of the ship, upon which we also find Commander "Reef" Holloway (Arthur Franz) and Dr. Carl Neilson (Brett Halsey), who operates a new "depth explorer" that figures in the action. Reef can't stand Carl, whom he sees as a peacenik whose attitudes caused strain for his father, Reef's friend. The film makes the point that one doesn't have to be militaristic or a war-mongerer to be brave. However, the real point of the film is the underwater flying saucer they dub "cyclops" -- it turns out the spaceship is a living being, in fact -- that contains a huge, one-eyed monstrous alien with telepathic powers and several wriggling tentacles. The sets are sparse, economical, and clever, and the music (possibly Alexander Laszlo) suitably weird and eerie. Joi Lansing plays Reef's sexy date and Tom Conway is a scientist. Jack Mulhall, who plays the Secretary of Defense, was in serials The Clutching Hand and The Three Musketeers. 

Verdict: Cheap and irresistible. **1/2.

WINNERS OF THE WEST

WINNERS OF THE WEST (1940). 13 Chapter Universal Serial. Directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor.

If this is one of the best chapter-plays put out by Universal, it is probably because Mssrs. Beebe and Taylor were at the helm. The actors are extremely well-cast as well. Dick Foran is perfect as Jeff Ramsey, who's been hired to build a railroad through Hellgate Pass in the Southwest Territory. King Carter (Harry Woods) doesn't want the railroad (for reasons that are never clearly delineated) and tricks the Indians into aiding his cause. Ramsey's boss Hartford has a daughter named Claire who, as enacted by Anne Nagel, is saucy, attractive and intelligent and as brave as any of the fellows. James Craig is Ramsey's handsome pal Jim Jackson, Tom Fadden is their older buddy Tex, and Charles Stevens is “injun” turncoat Snake Eye. The photography, action, and direction are all first-rate, as is the score, although at times it's a bit too sprightly. If there is any problem with the serial, it is that while it remains busy, it eventually becomes quite monotonous and even a bit boring. There simply isn't enough to the plot, the suspense is minimal, and there isn't any mystery whatsoever. Although we are introduced to a “bad girl” in the saloon owned by King Carter, she makes infrequent appearances, and never even meets Claire, let alone has a “cat fight” with her spunky counterpart, which might have been an eye-opener. Still, there are several memorable scenes in the serial, such as when a train rolls over an overturned wagon, and a great cliffhanger in which a boulder thrown from above demolishes a rope bridge. Western fans will probably rank this higher than other serial enthusiasts.

Verdict: Certainly worth a look for the cliffhanger fan. **1/2.

THE SISTERS

THE SISTERS (1938). Director: Anatole Litvak. NOTE: This review contains some important plot points.

Now this is pure soap opera. The movie follows three sisters – Bette Davis, Anita Louise, Jane Bryan -- and their romantic up and downs over the years, and even features (somewhat unnecessarily) the San Francisco earthquake. Louise marries an older man but falls for a much younger one. Bryan finds happiness with her sister's cast-off boyfriend, Dick Foran. Davis falls for failed writer Errol Flynn, who goes off to sea in desperation and leaves her in the lurch. Both Davis and Flynn felt the film should end with Davis rejecting Flynn when he shows up years later and marrying her devoted boss Ian Hunter, but the studio and audiences of the time preferred the “happier” ending of Davis being reunited with Flynn. The picture is well-acted (even Flynn is uplifted by Davis' obvious on and off-screen love for him) and well-produced, but it remains a minor soaper with an unrealistic and unsatisfying conclusion. Flynn's character is not developed that well, and the two other sisters are given short shrift. Another half hour added to the running time might have helped.

Verdict: For Davis fanatics primarily. **1/2.