LADY IN A CAGE

Trapped but determined: Olivia de Havilland

LADY IN A CAGE (1964). Director: Walter Grauman.

Cornelia Hilyard (Olivia de Havilland of Not as a Stranger) is a determined lady who has apparently been rather stifling towards her probably gay son, Malcolm (William Swan).  Malcolm goes off for a few days, leaving a letter basically telling his "darling" to let him live his own life, while Cornelia -- who has broken a hip -- gets trapped in her home elevator when there is a power failure. Her attempts to draw attention with an alarm system fail, and in short order she is "visited" by everyone from a wino (Jeff Corey of Bright Leaf) and a sluttish friend of his named Sade (Ann Sothern of A Letter to Three Wives) to three young mentally-defective "troglodytes" -- Randall (James Caan), Essie (Rafael Campos) and Elaine (Jennifer Billinsley) -- all of whom are looking for booty. Then Randall gets the idea that the wino, Sade, and Cornelia should all be done away with ...

Billingsley, Caan and Campos

Lady in a Cage is a decidedly repellent film on many levels, but it is also well-directed and well-made, and has many effective and suspenseful moments. The acting is a little more problematic, with virtually everyone seeming stagy and obvious at times as if they thought they were in a play. In spite of this, de Havilland is generally good, and Corey and Sothern are mostly on-target as well. Caan and Billingsley, who were "introduced" in this film (both had previous TV credits), are less impressive, as is Campos as the decidedly weird Essie, as probably none of them had a clue as to what their characters were all about. William Swan, who is fine, mostly had television credits.

Slattern and wino: Sothern and Corey

This pre-Stonewall film tries to suggest that this dominant mother figure "turned" her son into a homosexual, a dated notion to be certain. Arguing that Malcolm is not gay, Cornelia mentions all of his "charming women friends," to which Essie -- who may have sexual identity issues himself -- responds "'women' friends he met in public shower rooms!" When this film played on television years ago, that line, among others, was excised, as was the shot of a certain individual's head after being crushed under the wheels of a motor car.

Verdict: Whatever you think of the movie it gets points for being unpredictable. ***. 

THE DISEMBODIED

THE DISEMBODIED (1957). Director: Walter Grauman.

"You bad, bad woman!"

Photographer Tom Maxwell (Paul Burke) comes across Dr. Wetz (John Wengraf) and his evil wife Tonda (Allison Hayes) on a jungle back lot. Tonda is a voodoo queen who's learned the secrets of native witch doctors, and she wants her husband dead -- and just wants Maxwell. Norman (Joel Marston) and Joe (Robert Christopher) are Tom's associates, and Dean Fredericks of The Phantom Planet is the native Suba. Wengraf was also in 12 to the Moon and Christopher was in Creature of the Walking Dead. Allison Hayes probably didn't know that she'd shortly star in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. Although The Disembodied has a perfectly workable if minor-league plot, it's much too slow and dull to amount to much. Paul Burke went on to better things on television.

Verdict: Even Allison Hayes devotees may want to miss this. **.

A RAGE TO LIVE

A RAGE TO LIVE (1965). Director: Walter Grauman.

Grace Caldwell (Suzanne Pleshette) has a strong sexual drive and won't apologize for it. She gets a bad reputation in the neighborhood and worries her mother and brother. Grace marries dignified Sidney Tate (Bradford Dillman), but when Roger Bannon (Ben Gazzara), an old acquaintance who's working on their barn, tells her how much he's longed for her for years, well Grace just can't help herself and she and hunky Bannon embark on an electric affair. This all leads to a lot of melodramatic but highly entertaining developments and confrontations, especially when one frustrated wife (Bethel Leslie) believes that Grace is carrying on with her husband (Peter Graves). The movie, constricted by the weakening production code, is, alas, of the "sin and suffer" variety, and Grace must pay for actions that many husbands indulge in without guilt or punishment. Still, the movie sort of thumbs its nose at the censors as well. Pleshette and Gazzara make a very sexy pair in and out of the sack. The performances are all good and the picture moves at a brisk pace. Far, far more entertaining than the British study of amorality, Darling, which was released the same year and won a few Oscars. Loosely based on a novel by John O'Hara.

Verdict: Great popcorn movie. ***.