SCUDDA HOO! SCUDDA HAY!

Walter Brennan, June Haver, Lon McCallister

SCUDDA HOO! SCHUDDA HAY!  (1948). Written and directed by F. Hugh Herbert. 

"Snug" (Lon McCallister) lives with his father, Milt (Henry Hull), termagant stepmother (Anne Revere), and nasty stepbrother, "Stretch" (Robert Karnes) on a farm. Fed up with his horrible wife, Milt goes back to sea while Snug goes to work for the dyspeptic farmer McGill (Tom Tully). McGill has two daughters: the adorable little "Bean" (Natalie Wood), and the older, curvaceous "Rad" (June Haver). Snug makes a deal with McGill for two mules that the farmer doesn't want, and with the help of old Tony (Walter Brennan), turns the mules into a team that will bring in good money. But McGill and Stretch cook up a nasty scheme to get the mules back -- or will they? 

Is that June -- or Marilyn?

I had heard of this oddly-tilted movie -- the title is actually a kind of mule call -- for decades, but never had that much desire to see it until I discovered the "adorable one" -- Marilyn Monroe -- was in the cast. Alas, her part was cut down so drastically that I couldn't even spot her until I checked again and saw her say hello to June Haver while coming out of church. And that's it! The poster tries to make the flick look as sexy and exciting as possible, and wouldn't you know that June Haver actually looks a lot like Marilyn Monroe in the ad! As for the film itself, it does have some good moments (the two step brothers have a rip-roaring fight; Rad tells off her father) and even a bit of suspense at the end as our hero sort of "bets the farm" on whether or not his mules can pull a tractor out of the mud, but other than that it gets a little tedious. As ever June Haver is bland, pretty, and professional, while Lon McCallister is a combination of charm and petulance. At times Snug hardly seems much nicer than Stretch. Brennan and the rest of the supporting cast are all terrific, and Natalie Wood nearly steals the movie in her very cute turn as the precocious and intelligent Bean. Geraldine Wall subdues her usual feistiness as McGill's wife but is good. Lee MacGregor has a nice scene when he comes to tell Rad that Snug's father died at sea. 

Lon McCallister was an appealing actor who was often cast in these kind of roles. He was the boyfriend of actor William Eythe, who co-starred with Tallulah Bankhead in A Royal Scandal. In this film you will learn that mules are a combination of horses and donkeys but are actually more intelligent than either -- yes, it's true!

Verdict: Way too much about mules! **1/4. 

RIDERS TO THE STARS

RIDERS TO THE STARS (1954). Director: Richard Carlson.

"Gordon's d-d-disintegrated!"

We're a far cry from Queen of Outer Space with this picture. A scientific team which includes Dr. Stanton (Herbert Marshall) and Dr. Flynn (Martha Hyer) assembles a group of bachelors for physical and psychological tests. Turns out they are looking for men who can fly a spaceship in order to see if man can survive in space; their assignment will be to catch a meteor in flight. James Best of Killer Shrews is one of the candidates, and Michael Fox (not to be confused with Michael J. Fox), who appeared in everything from The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms to The Bold and the Beautiful, is the psychiatrist. Three men played by Richard Carlson (who also directed), pretty-boy William Lundigan, and busy actor Robert Karnes are chosen for the mission. For the most part Riders to the Stars is dry but reasonably interesting, although even such a "serious" sci fi flick is not above some exploitation elements. After one spaceship disintegrates, Carlson sees the corpse of the pilot floating by, only a skeleton (inexplicably) inside the space suit; an early "shock" scene to be sure. Carlson is very good, and the rest of the cast, Hyer included, are more than efficient.

Verdict: A somewhat interesting curiosity. **1/2.