MASSACRE RIVER

Guy Madison

MASSACRE RIVER (1949). Director: John Rawlins. Colorized. 

On a fort in disputed territories in the old west, Phil (Rory Calhoun) is rejected when he proposes to Kitty (Cathy Downs of Missile to the Moon), the colonel's (Art Baker) daughter. Phil takes it surprisingly well when she gets engaged to his best buddy, Larry (Guy Madison of Hilda Crane), not much later. Complications arise in the nearby town of Jackson when Larry falls for the co-owner of the Blue Star saloon, Laura (Carole Mathews of Betrayed Women), after she ministers to the colonel's son, Randy (Johnny Sands), when he is shot by Indians. Before long Larry is caught in a triangle situation: will he marry the colonel's daughter and make advancements in the army, or decide that his future is with a woman who is more like him? His friendship with Phil will certainly be put to the test by further dark developments. 

Rory Calhoun

One could easily say that Massacre River takes advantage of well-worn tropes and cliches in its story, but somehow that doesn't matter. There are beautiful widescreen vistas of western landscapes, courtesy of Jack MacKenzie, a stirring score by John Leipold and Lucien Moraweck, and a fast-paced, engrossing ambiance throughout. Though one wouldn't necessarily argue that the two handsome male leads are acting geniuses, they acquit themselves nicely, as do the ladies. Johnny Sands is appealing as Randy, but had only a few credits. An especially lovely scene has Laura waving at Larry from a window, disappointed that he doesn't wave back from the street below, but then happy again when he finally does wave as he rides off on his horse. As usual, the Indians in this -- on again/off again antagonists -- are mere backdrop for the white players and not even the chief gets much of a back story. John Rawlins directed a wide variety of movies, including Arabian Nights with Maria Montez.  

Verdict: Very entertaining western melodrama-romance. ***. 

HILDA CRANE

HILDA CRANE (1956). Director: Philip Dunne. 

After two disastrous marriages and what she considers "failure" in New York City, Hilda Crane (Jean Simmons) returns to her home town and her mother and ponders her future. Her unaffectionate mother, Stella (Judith Evelyn), thinks she should forget all about romantic notions of "love" and settle for appearances, a marriage that is settled and stabled (and, perhaps, without passion). Should Hilda marry small-town guy Russell Burns? (The fact that Burns is not only rich and nice, but is played by handsome Guy Madison, must have made Hilda's indecision over the matter seem a little comical to some ladies in the audience.) Or should she settle for a more passionate relationship with her former teacher Jacques (Jean-Pierre Aumont) whom she apparently finds more exciting? Evelyn Varden almost steals the picture as Russell's termagant of a mother, who thinks Hilda is nothing but a tramp and isn't afraid to say so. Peggy Knudsen adds some bite as Hilda's blunt friend, Nell, and Jeannette MacDonald's sister Blossom Rock (AKA Marie Blake) is cast as Mrs. Crane's housekeeper. (Years later she played Grandmama on The Addams Family TV show.) The usually reliable Judith Evelyn doesn't quite seem to get a handle on how she should play her character. Hilda Crane is watchable and generally well-acted, but despite the occasional crisp or intelligent line, it's just comes off as a forgettable soap opera. 

Verdict: Peyton Place Lite. **.

HONEYMOON

Franchot Tone and Shirley Temple

HONEYMOON (1947). Director: William Keighley.

David Flanner (Franchot Tone). the American consulate in Mexico City, is besieged by a young lady named Barbara (Shirley Temple) who has lost her fiance, Phil (Guy Madison of Hilda Crane). David eventually reunites the two lovers but every time he turns around there's a new obstacle to their nuptials. Barbara eventually imagines that she's really in love with David, which doesn't sit well with his girlfriend, Raquel (Lina Romay). Raquel's wise, beautiful mother (Corinna Mura) tells her she was worried that things between her and David were going a little too smoothly. Will Barbara get over her crush on David and will she and Phil ever get married? It could be argued that Honeymoon is more frenetic than funny, but it does have some very amusing sequences, and if the movie works at all it's because of the very good performances of the entire cast, with Tone proving an adept comedian. Not to be confused with Lost Honeymoon, in which Tone also starred. Since Barbara and Phil hardly seem to know one another, you get the impression their desperate desire to get married has more to do with their need to get laid than any genuine romantic feelings. Keighley also directed the far superior The Man Who Came to Dinner.

Verdict: Some laughs. **1/2.

5 AGAINST THE HOUSE

5 AGAINST THE HOUSE (1955). Director: Phil Karlson.

Ex-G.I.s in college get the idea to rob a casino in Reno but actually plan on returning the money. Wealthy Ronnie (Kerwin Mathews) wants to accomplish something big -- he plans the whole caper -- and thinks this is it. But as the big day approaches Al (Guy Madison, pictured) who's planning to start married life with girlfriend Kay (Kim Novak), urges them to call off the robbery, but Brick (Brian Keith), who's a bit disturbed, pulls out a gun and insists they go through with it -- or else. And he intends to keep the money. Keith is excellent, the rest of the cast is good, but the movie takes a long time to get going and never really gets anywhere. Even the climactic robbery is slack. Alvy Moore is one of the "gang" and William Conrad is the casino employee they hold up.

Verdict: There are better capers than this. **.

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.