TWILIGHT OF HONOR

Claude Rains and Richard Chamberlain

TWILIGHT OF HONOR (1963). Director: Boris Sagal.  

David Mitchell (Richard Chamberlain) is stunned when Judge Tucker (Edgar Stehli) insists he defend an Army vet, Ben Brown (Nick Adams), accused of murdering the beloved citizen and cop, Cole Clinton (Pat Buttram). David hasn't been in a courtroom in years, and then he was a prosecutor! Forced to take on the case, he consults with his aged mentor, Art Harper (Claude Rains), who agrees to help him. A widower, David draws closer to Harper's smitten daughter, Susan (Joan Blackman), as he prepares his case. He is convinced that even if Brown killed Clinton, it might be a justifiable homicide under New Mexico law if Clinton was sleeping with Brown's wife, Laura (Joey Heatherton). But the question of adultery -- and prostitution -- might test the limits of the angry town's patience, not to mention Clinton's widow, Amy (Jeanette Nolan). But David might be surprised by what Amy tells him outside of court ... but will she repeat it under oath?

Heatherton, Buttram, Adams

Twilight of Honor is a very good and absorbing courtroom drama that benefits from a swift pace, sharp direction, interesting twists, a certain sixties-style frankness, and some excellent performances. Taking time off from his hit medical series, Dr. Kildare, Chamberlain certainly delivers as the impassioned and intelligent, no-nonsense defense attorney. Nick Adams fought hard and spent much money to get a supporting Oscar, and while he was nominated -- and is quite good as well -- his screen time may have simply been too limited, and he lost to Melvyn Douglas. Rains is as good as ever, but perhaps the most impressive performance is from James Gregory (of A Distant Trumpet) as the special prosecutor -- he has a superb turn as a rather slimy character who's out to win at all costs, and makes no bones about it. Joey Heatherton -- introduced in this, her first movie -- proves that she had more than sexiness going for her, and Jeanette Nolan also scores as the widow who knew her husband's peccadilloes all too well. 

Chamberlain with Jeanette Nolan

There are also smaller roles played well by Paul Langton, Pat Buttram (as the victim), Don Barry, Arch Johnson, Edgar Stehli (as the judge), Bert Freed as the sheriff, and George Mitchell as the D.A. Linda Evans, later famous for Big Valley and Dynasty, plays the victim's angry daughter -- her first film as well. The only player who really doesn't impress is Joan Blackman; most of her credits were on television although she also did a couple of films with Elvis and was Jerry Lewis' leading lady in Visit to a Small Planet. Boris Sagal did most of his work for television, but also helmed such features as The Omega Man. 

Verdict: Solid courtroom drama with generally excellent performances. ***1/4. 

BELLS OF ROSARITA

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans

BELLS OF ROSARITA (1945). Director: Frank McDonald. 

Sue Farnum (Dale Evans) appeals to her late father's good friend, Slim Phillips (Addison Richards), when she realizes that her father's slimy business partner, Ripley (Grant Withers) is trying to cheat her out of her circus. Slim and his daughter, Patty (Adele Mara) travel west to see what they can do. Almost immediately Slim is kidnapped! Filming nearby Sue's property, Roy Rogers, playing himself, gets involved and tries to find Slim with the help of Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) and Bob Nolan (also playing himself), head of the vocal group Sons of the Pioneers. 

Elliott, Livingstone, Sunset Carson, Allan Lane, Red Barry

Roy also comes through for Sue when he convinces her to put on a show in the nearby town and enlists the aid of the other Republic Studios western stars: Allan Lane [King of the Mounties], Sunset Carson, Wild Bill Elliot [Footsteps in the Night], Bob Livingstone and Don "Red" Barry. These fellows also help round up the ornery polecats who have kidnapped Slim. This must have been quite a thrill for Western movie fans back in the day. There's also a bunch of pleasant tunes, including Roy's "Build a Fence Around Texas" and the very talented Robert Mitchell Boy Choir. Gabby Hayes wears out his welcome rather quickly, however. 

Robert Mitchell Boy Choir

Bells of Rosarita is another "modern-day" Rogers western. The film-within-a-film that Roy is making is also entitled Bells of Rosarita and has something to do with a woman being forced to marry a man she does not love. Although there are some would-be exciting chases in the film, it can't quite escape being a little dull, although it is fun to see all of those handsome Western heroes in one movie. My mind wandered through the movie and I found myself wondering if the one black child in the choir was treated respectfully by the other white boys. It's good that he was included at all, of course. 

Verdict: A fairly typical Roy Rogers western musical with talented cast members. **1/4.    

THE BIG OPERATOR

Steve Cochran and Mamie Van Doren

THE BIG OPERATOR (1959). Director: Charles F. Haas.

Bill Gibson (Steve Cochran) comes afoul of a foul union boss named Little Joe Braun (Mickey Rooney). In his campaign to keep everyone in line and stay out of jail, Braun has Gibson's friend and neighbor -- and an angry union advocate -- Fred McAfee (Mel Torme) beaten, dumped and set on fire. Worse, Braun has Gibson's little boy, Tommy (Jay North), kidnapped, leading to a surprisingly dull and protracted scene when Gibson and his wife, Mary (Mamie Van Doren) drive around -- and around and around -- searching for the kid. The Big Operator is decidedly minor-league film noir of a type, but it is distinguished by some vivid performances. Rooney gets top honors for his sterling portrait of the loathsome mob boss, with Ray Danton also making his mark as Braun's "executioner." Cochran [The Chase], and even Van Doren [Born Reckless], are fine as the parents (in an early scene they express worry over the child and then leave him alone in the house!), and while not a "revelation" as such, Mel Torme [The Fearmakers] is quite good as McAfee. Others in the cast include everyone from Jim Backus and Vampira (Maila Nurmi) to Jackie Coogan and 'Red" Barry, with Ziva Rodann thrown in for good measure.

Verdict: Minor crime film with interesting cast. **.

SURFSIDE 6

Troy Donahue, Lee Patterson, Van Williams

SURFSIDE 6 (1961).

This hour-long action-mystery series lasted for two seasons. Dave Thorne (Lee Patterson of The Flying Scot) and Kenny Madison (Van Williams of The Green Hornet) lived on a houseboat in Miami Beach and formed the Thorne-Madison private detective agency. Their rich buddy, Sandy Winfield III (Troy Donahue of Parrish) lived at the yacht club and kibitzed with the other two until he seemed to be working for, or with, them full-time. Each episode would star one of these three actors, although there were times when the others would appear; sometimes all three guys would get involved in a particularly difficult case. Beside the assorted women who would appear in each episode, there were two female regulars: Diane McBain as Daphne Dutton, a pretty heiress who hangs around the boys and occasionally gets mired in one of their cases; and Margarita Sierra as "Cha Cha" O'Brien, a poor man's Carmen Miranda and night club entertainer. Sierra was never a good fit for the program, as sometimes the story would have to stop dead to include one of her numbers while the other actors wore frozen smiles in reaction shots. On rare occasions "Cha Cha" would have something to do with the main storyline. Sierra over-sang everything terribly. In the first season the boys' police liaison was the gruff, nearly barking Lt. Snedigar (Don "Red" Barry), while in the second season he was replaced by Lt. Plehn (Richard Crane), who was a bit more pleasant but just as professional. Both actors offered interesting and adept portrayals, and Crane was especially good.

The most memorable episodes of the series include: "The Old School Tie," with Gloria Talbott involved with murder at a reunion; "Midnight for Prince Charming," with a lonely man conned by a criminal couple; "Race Against Time," with Lee's associates desperately trying to save his life after he's been poisoned on an airliner; "Vengeance is Bitter," concerning a roman a clef about a murder case and the attempts to uncover the author; "Anniversary Special," a twisted domestic drama about a TV host and his unhappy wife, with both roles played superbly by William Windom and Jeanne Cooper; and "Overdose of Justice," in which a ferociously good Mara Corday [Tarantula] plays a vicious beauty involved with a love-sick insurance man played by Ed Platt [Get Smart]. The vast majority of episodes in the series were solid "B"s if not better with a few clunkers along the way. Although Donahue tended to be a bit stiff, he was okay in most episodes, with Williams and Patterson exhibiting a bit more flair and charm. Diane McBain was lovely and talented. I can't make up my mind if the theme music is catchy or really annoying.

Verdict: Entertaining mystery series with handsome studs and pretty gals awash in intrigue. ***.

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE

Barbara Stanwyck

WALK ON THE WILD SIDE (1962). Director: Edward Dmytryk.

"I know what it's like to love someone and not be able to do anything about it."

In the novel A Walk on the Wild Side by Nelson Algren, the protagonist, Dove Linkhorn, is a 16-year-old drifter who winds up in the sex business when he's paid to deflower [supposed] virgins for eager voyeurs. In the Hollywood adaptation, Dove is now thirty [played by British Laurence Harvey], a former caregiver for his dying father, and is shocked to discover that his lady love, Hallie (Capucine), has become a prostitute at a famous New Orleans brothel. The story is still set in New Orleans in the 1930's, but everything else is screenwriters John Fante and Edmund Morris' invention and has virtually nothing to do with Nelson Algren. Dove has gone to work for the Italian store owner Teresina (Anne Baxter) while hoping to re-connect with Hallie, a sculptress who is now hooked up with brothel owner Jo Courtney (Barbara Stanwyck), who seems to think Hallie is her personal property. Courtney's husband Dockery, (Don "Red" Barry) has lost his legs, and Jo deludes herself that her feelings for Hallie are not lustful [this latter business is more tacit than explicit]. When Dove does his damnedest to get Hallie back, all Hell breaks loose, resulting in tragedy. The "Doll House" is the least bawdy "bawdy house" that I've ever seen on film, and I've no doubt some viewers at the time had trouble figuring out whether Hallie was a prostitute or not. Jane Fonda has a supporting part as Kitty, another lost gal who winds up at the Doll House, and Richard Rust, who played the bellboy who marries the blond in Homicidal, is vivid as one of Jo's nastier associates. The performances are okay, with Fonda and Stanwyck, especially Stanwyck, taking top honors, although the material is far beneath the latter. It's pretty much beneath everyone, in fact.

Verdict: Vaguely entertaining and well-made but kind of schlocky in spite of it. **