THE LINEUP

Partners in Crime: Robert Kieth; Eli Wallach

THE LINEUP (1958). Director: Don Siegel. Colorized. 

San Francisco cops Lt. Ben Guthrie (Warner Anderson) and his partner Al Quine (Emile Meyer of Shield for Murder) investigate a dope-smuggling racket when a solid citizen, Philip Dressler (Raymond Bailey), has his luggage nearly stolen by thugs pretending to be a bellboy and a cab driver. The cops discover $100,000 worth of heroin inside a statue that was sold to Dressler when he was in the Orient. As Guthrie and Quine track down the members of the gang, two men named Julian (Robert Keith) and Dancer (Eli Wallach of Plot of Fear) -- plus their new driver, Sandy (Richard Jaeckel of Come Back, Little Sheba) -- who report to someone known only as "the man," are driving around the city catching up with unsuspecting tourists who have no idea what their luggage contains. Things start to go haywire when Julian and Dancer try to find the drugs inside a doll owned by a little girl (Cheryl Callaway of Cry Vengeance) with an anxious and frightened mother (Mary LaRoche). 

Emile Meyer and Warner Anderson

The Lineup began life as a radio show and then was turned into a popular, long-running TV series in 1954. (Yes, even back in the day they made theatrical films from TV shows.) Warner Anderson played the same role in this movie as he did on TV, as did Marshall Reed as Inspector Asher. The actors playing cops are professional and solid but the movie is stolen by Keith and especially Wallach as the psychopathic Dancer. Then there 

Vaughn Taylor

is a notable confrontation between Dancer and "The Man" (Vaughn Taylor) at an ice rink that ends in a bravura moment of violence. The Lineup, well-photographed by Hal Mohr, is briskly edited and sharply directed by Don Siegel. Stirling Silliphant's excellent screenplay presents many characters who are fleshed out a bit more than in the typical thriller. The protracted chase sequence that occurs at the climax will have you on the edge of your seat. 

Verdict: Exciting and suspenseful crime thriller. The ice rink scene is amazing! ***1/2. 

ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP

Linda Stirling and George J. Lewis

ZORRO'S BLACK WHIP (12 chapter Republic serial/1944). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Wallace Grissell.

Newspaper editor and publisher Randy Meredith (Jay Kirby of Rockin' in the Rockies) not only rails against the lawlessness of 1889 Idaho in his paper, but dresses up as the Black Whip to fight the bad guys. When he is murdered, his sister Barbara (Linda Stirling) takes over the role, and she proves to be mighty handy with a whip. The evil banker Hammond (Francis McDonald) is secretly leading a group of criminals who desperately want to prevent Idaho from becoming a state, which would interfere with their plans to enrich their own coffers. Barbara is helped by a secret government agent, Vic Gordon (George J. Lewis), who disguises himself as the Black Whip at one point to fool the crumb bums when they have almost figured out Barbara's secret identity. The one thing that's missing in this exciting serial is the character of Zorro, whose name is used for marquee value but who does not appear, although one could argue that the Black Whip is a variation on that character (along with many others, of course). Cliffhanger highlights include a wagon rolling over the edge of a cliff; Barbara being locked in a bank vault with a bomb that's about to go off; the bad guys ordering Barbara to "take off that mask!" or else they'll shoot Gordon; and especially the sequence when a whole mountain seems to come down on the cabin they're in, as well as a terrific bit when Barbara and Gordon are trapped in a mine with burning oil flooding towards them. Stirling was never a great actress, but she's more than competent for this type of material; Lewis has a certain degree of charm and ability; McDonald [Burn 'Em Up Barnes] makes an effective and oily two-faced villain, and Hal Taliaferro (who looks a bit and sounds a lot like Ben Johnson) is also good as his bad right hand, Baxter. Lucien Littlefield [Reducing] makes his mark as "Ten Point," the nervous little guy who works in the newspaper office. John Hamilton is one of the townspeople dedicated to ridding the town of the criminal element; Marshall Reed and Ken Terrell also have smaller roles. Zorro's Black Whip has a great climax with the gang attacking the town in an attempt to alter the election results, and loathsome Hammond is given a satisfying death scene. Zorro's Black Whip may not be a top-notch Republic serial -- and is quite short as serials go -- but it is exciting and entertaining. George J. Lewis played a villain in Federal Operator 99, and Taliaferro was his henchman. Stirling appeared in The Purple Monster Strikes and many other serials.

Verdict: This gal wields a mean whip! ***. 

BLACKHAWK

Kirk Alyn and Carol Forman

BLACKHAWK (aka Blackhawk, Fearless Champion of Freedom/15 chapter Columbia serial/1952). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Fred F. Sears.

Having already played Superman twice, Kirk Alyn  was the perfect choice to play another DC Comics hero (albeit without actual super-powers), Blackhawk, who headed a team of international freedom fighters. The Blackhawk comic, beautifully drawn by Reed Crandell (who gets credit in the serial), and created by Will Eisner (who does not), had been published since the early 1940's. There were some changes made from the comic: the Chinese cook Chop Chop (Weaver Levy) was less caricatured, and Andre (Larry Stewart) was no longer French. Stanislaus, portrayed as a gruff, gray-haired middle-aged man in the comics, has an evil twin in the serial, and is played by Rick Vallin, The villainess is hard-as-nails Laska (Carol Forman), who is given an unflattering hairstyle and is in no way as glamorous as she was in other serials, such as her headliner The Black Widow. She reports to an unseen (but hardly unknown) "Leader," who keeps asking her to give more, more -- including her life -- to the "party." Laska's main henchman is Aller, played by serial regular Marshall Reed [Gunfighters of the Northwest]. When handsome Aller tires to get familiar with Laska -- "nice drivin', baby," he tells her -- she snaps, "The name is Laska!" Blackhawk is full of exciting cliffhangers, even if none of them are resolved in a clever manner -- Blackhawk simply rolls out of the way of several oil drums, or jumps out of a hay wagon that has caught on fire. In other sequences Stan is tied to a pole with a plane's propeller rushing towards him; Blackhawk's car is pushed onto the tracks just as a train arrives; fiery derricks topple like tenpins; a cartoon "flying saucer" hits our hero's plane; and Blackhawk's parachute fails to open so he has to ride piggyback on the shoulders of one of his comrades. Laska and her gang have several headquarters, all of which look exactly the same. Noting this, Blackhawk wonders about it and says, "they must have a reason for that." although it's never determined what it is (the budget was the reason, of course). Michael Fox plays one of Laska's confederates, and William Fawcett [Batman and Robin] is a scientist who has created a destructive ray machine. A lot of the action has to do with the theft and retrieval of "element X." Plenty of exciting fisticuffs in this.

Verdict: Blackhawk is a lot of fun. ***.

GHOST OF ZORRO

Zorro's grandson goes into action!

GHOST OF ZORRO (12 chapter Republic serial/1949). Director: Fred C. Brannon.

An engineer and "eastern dude" named Ken Mason (Clayton Moore) comes to a small western town to help put in a telegraph line, but certain parties, such as George Crane (Gene Roth) and Hank Kilgore (Roy Barcroft), are opposed to the idea -- it might bring the law to the nest of fugitives who pay Crane protection money. Ken is assisted by Rita White (Pamela Blake) and Moccasin (George J. Lewis of Federal Operator 99). It develops that Ken is the grandson of the original Zorro, and he dresses up and goes into action when Crane's tactics against him and his friends become quite lethal. Rita, for instance, is caught in both a runaway wagon and runaway stagecoach in separate chapters. Ghost of Zorro no doubt employs a lot of stock footage, but it's fast and reasonably entertaining, and the frequent fistfights are certainly well-staged. Tom Steele and Marshall Reed are also in the cast. Pamela Blake was also in The Sea Hound and Hitchcock's Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

Verdict: Minor-league but acceptable Republic serial. **1/2. 

HAUNTED HARBOR

Boo!

HAUNTED HARBOR (aka Pirate's Harbor/15 chapter Republic serial/1944). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Wallace Grissell.

Captain Jim Marsden's (Kane Richmond) ship, the Dolphin, is lost at sea with a million dollars of gold bullion in its hold. If that weren't bad enough, Marsden is framed for the murder of a man he owes money to, but he escapes from jail with the help of his buddy, Tommy (Great Old Movies' favorite Marshall Reed). Sailing to another island the two men rescue Patricia Harding (Kay Aldridge) and her father, and they all become embroiled in efforts of bad guy Kane (Roy Barcroft), the real murderer, to take care of them so he can have the gold, which he's found, all to himself. Some of the action takes place in the mysterious "Haunted Harbor," which boasts a Chinese dragon-type stylized sea monster [see photo], which despite its obvious [intended] lack of life has an attractive design and is fun to watch. Memorable cliffhangers include Pat nearly punctured by an air drill; Jim tied to a huge bonfire; and others. The fisticuffs come frequently and are lively in the Republic tradition. Excellent theme music by Joseph Dubin. The actors all give at least serviceable performances. Tom Steele, Fred Cordova, Jay Silverheels (as a native) and Ken Terrell are also in the cast. Re-released as Pirate's Harbor but fun by any name.  Based on a novel by "Dayle Douglas."

Verdict:  Solid, very entertaining Republic serial. ***.

THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN KIDD

David Bruce, Richard Crane and John Crawford as Kidd

THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN KIDD (15 chapter Columbia serial/1953). Directors: Derwin Abbe [Abrahams]; Charles S. Gould.

"Kidd was sacrificed on the altar of greed and politics."

The amazing thing about this cliffhanger serial is that it manages to get the basic facts straight about Captain William Kidd, supposedly a notorious pirate. In the 17th century Kidd was assigned to track down pirates but legend has it that he became a pirate himself; he was hung for piracy and for murder [he did kill a member of his crew, but this may have been involuntary manslaughter or perhaps even self-defense]. Biographers have suggested that Kidd was railroaded, important evidence suppressed, and this serial supports that view [but perhaps tries too hard to make him out some kind of saint].

In 1697 when the U.S. was still under English rule, Captain Richard Dale (Richard Crane) is assigned to investigate the allegations of piracy regarding William Kidd (John Crawford), and he does so with the aid of his colleague, Alan Duncan (David Bruce). Along the way they are shanghaied, become fugitives, wind up on more than one pirate ship, and finally become part of Kidd's crew, although they are confused by the fact that he doesn't act at all like a pirate. If Dale didn't have enough problems, his superior, Robert Langdon (Nelson Leigh), is willing to betray him at the drop of a hat for his own ends, and in general a great conspiracy regarding Kidd seems to be in place. There are a few exciting cliffhangers, angry Mohawks, storms at sea, and more than one mutiny to keep things humming. Our heroes are thrown in a hay cart which is then thrown over a cliff, tossed into a fiery store room, and tied up directly in front of cannons that are just about to be lighted. In perhaps the most startling cliffhanger, Duncan throws a knife in his friend Dale's back.

Crane [The Mysterious Island serial; The Alligator People] gives one of his best performances in this, and both Bruce and Crawford are fine as Duncan and Captain Kidd. [Dale isn't the brightest fellow. Told to keep his assignment secret, he discusses it with Duncan in the middle of a crowded tavern!] Others in the cast include Marshall Reed [Pirates of the High Seas], effective as the pirate Robert Culliford, George Wallace [Radar Men from the Moon], who is quite vivid as the conspiratorial Buller, Gene Roth as a prisoner, Lyle Talbot, who shows up briefly as a Boston jailer, Michael Fox as a scurvy fellow, and even Eduardo Cansino, Jr,. the brother of Rita Hayworth, as a native; he had only a few credits. One assumes that choreographer Willetta Smith must have been a friend of the producers, as she doesn't make a particularly fetching princess in a couple of chapters. Crawford was in a number of serials, as well as Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl  [not as Kidd, However]. Bruce was Deanna Durbin's leading man in Lady on a Train and was also in Singapore Woman.

The Great Adventures of Captain Kidd has more of a story than most movie serials, fairly good production values and performances, and is entertaining on top of it.

Verdict: If you like lots of sword fights ... ***.

GUNFIGHTERS OF THE NORTHWEST

Marshall Reed

GUNFIGHTERS OF THE NORTHWEST (15 chapter Columbia serial/1954). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Charles S. Gould.

A Canadian mountie, Sgt. Joe Ward (Jock Mahoney), and Constable Bram Nevin (Clayton Moore) team up to take on the minions of the mysterious Leader of the White Horse Rebels, a black-cloaked man on horseback who wants to take over the entire Northwest Territory and turn it into a lawless Republic. Lynch (Marshall Reed) is chief of the Leader's lieutenants, and Rita (Phyllis Coates) is a gal with secrets who seems to be playing both sides against each other. There's a lost mine from whence comes the gold that the Leader uses to finance his Rebels. Other characters include Inspector Wheeler (Lyle Talbot), to whom the heroes report; Indian Agent Stone (Joseph Allen); Walt Anders (Zon Murray), who tries to forge an alliance with the territory's unfriendly Indians; and Otis Green (Don Harvey), any one of which could be the Leader, although the serial doesn't work up much suspense as to his true identity. Two of the more interesting cliffhangers have Ward unconscious in a boat that is slowly sinking beneath the water, and Ward and Nevin tied to horses that the Indians hope will gallop away and tear them apart. Marshall is again an appealing villain, making the most of his great voice, and the other actors are all at the very least professional. This was not only one of the very last Columbia serials, but one of the very last serials period. The serial benefits from a rousing musical score and some well-chosen locations. Moore, of course, was TV's Lone Ranger and appeared in many serials, while Mahoney starred in The Land Unknown and Three Blondes in His Life.

Verdict: Standard but entertaining western cliffhanger. **1/2.

PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS

PIRATES OF THE HIGH SEAS (15 chapter Columbia serial/1950). Directors: Spencer Gordon Bennet; Thomas Carr. 

On the paradise island of Talua in the south pacific post-WW 2, Kelly Walsh (Tommy Farrell) is bedeviled by the crew of a "phantom cruiser" that shoots at his boat and then disappears into thin air. Said cruiser has the ability to dive underwater while retaining the outward appearance of a boat instead of a submarine [this ability is so under-utilized that it's a wonder the serial even bothers with it.]. Kelly sends for his old Army buddy Jeff (Buster Crabbe), who has no interest in returning to the south pacific but suddenly finds himself besieged by passengers who must get to Talua, including Kelly's pretty blond sister, Carol (Lois Hall); Whitlock (Gene Roth), who turns out to be the governor of the island; and Castell (Tristram Coffin of King of the Rocket Men), an agent who is after a Nazi war criminal named Van Horsdorff who has hidden away millions of dollars worth of diamonds somewhere in the vicinity of Talua. The clue to the location of the diamonds may be inside a music box that plays "Three Blind Mice." It is revealed early on that Whitlock is corrupt, to put it mildly, and has some nasty confederates, especially Shark, captain of the phantom cruiser, who as portrayed by Marshall Reed with two day's growth of beard is one of the sexiest sociopaths to ever appear in a serial. Handsome Shark thinks nothing of gunning down associates with impunity before they can impart important information to the good guys. There are a couple of memorable cliffhangers, such as when a heavy stone block comes crashing down on a coffin inside which Jeff is hiding; and a great bit when Jeff battles a hood on a flat piece of wall that has just been torn off the side of the jail and is being dragged behind a speeding truck as it careens toward a cliff. Most of the characters in this, even some of the good guys, are rather shady and duplicitous, including Lamar (Stanley Price), Whitlock's secretary, and the Lotus Lady (Symona Boniface), who runs the general store and whose loyalties are ambiguous. Pirates of the High Seas may not be one of the classic serials, but it is entertaining if overlong at nearly four and a half hours. Crabbe may be a bit paunchy and middle-aged in this but he still delivers the goods, and the other cast members are generally equally adept.

Verdict: Worth a trip on the Phantom Cruiser. ***.