TIME TABLE

Felicia Farr and Mark Stevens

TIME TABLE (1956). Director: Mark Stevens.

A man gets sick on a train and the conductor calls for a doctor (Wesley Addy), but it's all a robbery plot, which is revealed in the first few minutes of Time Table. Insurance investigator Charlie Norman (Mark Stevens of The Dark Corner) is assigned to the case, which means he has to cancel a trip to Mexico with his wife, Ruth (Marianne Stewart). Also mixed up in the plot are Frankie (Jack Klugman of I Could Go On Singing), Bobit (John Marley), and a femme fatale of sorts, Linda (Felicia Farr). Stevens doubles as both star and director and turns in  workmanlike if uninspired performances, although Walter Scharf's [The Saxon Charm] music and Charles Van Enger's photography are effective. Stewart gives an especially memorable performance as Charlie's wife, and King Calder is likewise notable as an investigator for the railroad.The movie cries out for a longer running time and better character development but there's a fairly flavorful climax.

Verdict: Interesting if minor film noir. **1/2.

THE DEAD ARE ALIVE

 Alex Cord and Enzo Tarascio

THE DEAD ARE ALIVE (aka L'etrusco uccide ancora/1972). Director: Armando Crispino.

Professor Jason Porter (Alex Cord) is an archaeologist exploring Etruscan tombs in Italy. His ex-girlfriend, Myra (Samantha Eggar), is now married to temperamental maestro Nikos Samarakis (John Marley), who hates Jason and vice versa. Jason tries to rekindle things with Myra, and accuses her of having a thing for her stepson, Igor (Carlo De Mejo). Igor's mother, Leni (Nadja Tiller), claims she and Nikos were never divorced. However, the big problem is that some maniac, who plays loud chorale music on a small tape player, is running around bashing and killing people, especially romantic couples, in the ruins; the weapon is a metal tubular probe used in underground photography. Suspects include all of the aforementioned, as well as a blackmailing guard named Otello (Vladan Holec), Nikos' mousy secretary, Irene (Daniela Surina), and Stephen (Horst Frank), the choreographer for the latest production that Nikos is conducting [why some of these people are wandering around the ruins in the first place is a question]. Jason realizes at one point that the murders seem to mirror scenes in ancient Etruscan paintings, but wonders how anyone could have entered the tomb to see them before the official opening. Inspector Giuranna (Enzo Tarascio) tries to discover the truth, but the real truth is that The Dead Are Alive can't make up its mind if it's a mystery, a horror film, or a twisted family melodrama, and doesn't quite work on any level. The movie is much too long and convoluted and I defy anyone to figure out the motives of the killer when he or she is finally unmasked. The mixed-bag international actors are okay, but unable to do much with the material.

Verdict: Initially intriguing but it goes on and on and on ... **.

THE CAR

THE CAR (1977). Director: Elliot Silverstein.

An ominous black sedan with an unnerving horn shows up in a sleepy desert community and begins tearing after and running down assorted citizens. Once you swallow the rather absurd supernatural premise and bizarre developments, The Car turns out to be a very nicely done, suspenseful chiller with a genuinely creepy atmosphere and some thrilling sequences. In addition, the screenplay by Michael Butler and Dennis Shryack presents three-dimensional characters who have back stories and who you come to care about. The performances are all quite good, with Ronny Cox and John Marley especially effective as two police officers, and R. G. Armstrong scoring as a belligerent wife-beater. James Brolin is fine as the sheriff, Wade Parent, as is Kathleen Lloyd as his girlfriend, Lauren (who features in perhaps the movie's most bravura sequence). Silverstein's direction makes the most of the material and Leonard Rosenman's eerie score embellishes every scene. Gerald Hirschfeld's wide screen photography is also top-notch. The movie was not welcomed by the critics but it's actually a neat little intelligent chiller if admittedly on the far-fetched side.

Verdict: Definitely worth a look. ***.