CRY VENGEANCE

CRY VENGEANCE (1954). Director: Mark Stevens.

Former cop Vic Barron (Mark Sevens) comes to Alaska in search of mobster Tino Morelli (Douglas Kennedy), whom Barron feels is responsible for the death of his wife and child as well as his own facial disfigurement. Searching for the man and plotting his revenge, he encounters bar owner Peggy Harding (Martha Hyer) and old girlfriend, Lily (Joan Vohs). Barron is so understandably intent on getting even that he even contemplates harming Morelli's little girl, Marie (Cheryl Callaway). But before he can get to Morelli, he has to deal with a nasty blond hit man named Roxey (Skip Homeier). Homeier [Stark Fear], Hyer and Vohs [Lure of the Swamp] give the best performances in this; striving for a depiction of single-minded intensity, Stevens, who also directed, plays it all in one note. Mort Mills, the cop in Psycho, has a small role, as does Richard Deacon [The Birds] as a bartender.

Verdict: Acceptable if minor-league film noir. **1/2.

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY

ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE MUMMY (1955). Director: Charles Lamont.

Silly but amusing trifle has Bud and Lou dealing with a sinister cult in Egypt, as well as a tough dame named Madame Rontru (Marie Windsor) and a walking mummy named "Klaris." Lou has accidentally swallowed an important medallion and the madame is perfectly willing to cut it out of him if need be. Richard Deacon plays a cult leader and Peggy King is the delectable vocalist who delivers a number in a saucy style in a nightclub sequence. As the sexy if hard-bitten bad girl, Windsor plays the material with just the right touch. Inside the tombs Lou briefly encounters a giant lizard that looks as if it wandered in from One Million B.C. Zany but cute.

Verdict: Fun for the boys' many fans. **1/2.