THE CORN IS GREEN

THE CORN IS GREEN (1945). Director: Irving Rapper.

Lilly Moffat (Bette Davis) comes to a small Welsh village and decides to help the miners -- many of whom are children -- by opening a small school and teaching them how to read and write. She especially focuses on a young man, Morgan Evans (John Dall), whom she thinks has real potential and can get a scholarship to a major university. But Bessie, (Joan Lorring) the impish, rather nasty daughter of Moffat's housekeeper Watty (Rosalind Ivan) has other plans for the young man. Mildred Dunnock and Rhys Williams are two villagers that Moffat enlists as teachers, and Nigel Bruce is the Squire with whom Miss Moffat must cross swords but whom she easily outwits. Bette Davis gives it a good try, and to be fair, her performance is lively and interesting, but she's much too young for the part and she plays Miss Moffat with an affectedness that goes completely against the down-to-Earth quality of the character. The rest of the cast is much better, however, especially Bruce and Dunnock. John Dall gives a superb performance, and young Joan Lorring, who was "introduced" in the film along with Dall, almost walks off with the movie. There are a lot of things one could quibble about in the film -- the miners always sound like a professional chorus as they march by singing, and the ending is a bit pat and has questionable aspects -- but The Corn of Green -- with its emphasis on knowledge and learning and bettering oneself and the plight of one's fellow man -- is still a solid, absorbing, well-crafted film that is undeniably stirring and poignant. Nice Max Steiner score as well.

Verdict: Good show! ***1/2.

ANNA MAY WONG: Frosted Yellow Willows

ANNA MAY WONG: Frosted Yellow Willows -- Her Life, Times and Legend (2008). TCM documentary. Director: Elaine Mae Moo.

Narrated by Nancy Kwan, this is an interesting if somewhat superficial look at the life and work of Anna May Wong (pictured), whose career spanned silent films to the early 1960's. The film does give biographical details, and shows clips from some of her more interesting movies. Anna May Wong is at its best showing how difficult it was for actors who were not Caucasian to achieve and maintain stardom in Hollywood, sometimes even being passed over for ethnic roles they would have been perfect for (Wong was herself passed over for two roles in the film adaptation of The Good Earth). Wong was a talented woman who had some of her greatest successes overseas, but we don't learn too much of her private life in this film, which mentions such things as her younger sister's suicide and Wong's possible alcoholism (she had cirrhosis of the liver at the time of her death) but provides few details. Still this is a worthwhile, entertaining introduction to the Chinese-American actress who helped open doors for those of her race who followed.

Verdict: Not great but not bad. **1/2.

OUR RELATIONS

OUR RELATIONS (1936). Director: Harry Lachman.

In this comic masterpiece starring Laurel and Hardy the boys have dual roles as happily-married men Stan and Ollie, and their long-lost twin brothers, two single sailors, Alf and Bert. Stan and Ollie innocently enter a beer garden with their wives when they come upon two babes who are acquainted with their brothers -- and the mistaken identity mania begins, taking in everything from unpaid bar bills, run-ins with the law, to chases in fancy night clubs (which they demolish) to gangsters and cement shoes down at the docks, all of it beautifully-paced, zestily-acted, and consistently hilarious. This is probably the boys' greatest and funniest movie. Young Iris Adrian is one of the hungry gals in the beer garden, and Alan Hale is the proprietor of said establishment. Daphne Pollard and Betty Healy score as the boys' wives. James Finlayson, who frequently appeared in Laurel and Hardy movies, is Alf and Bert's shipboard buddy, Finn. He's on the broad side, as usual, but good. Sidney Toler is the captain of the ship.

Verdict: Classic comedy. ****.

TOWER OF LONDON (1939)

TOWER OF LONDON (1939). Director: Rowland V. Lee.

The story of Richard III, the little princes in the tower, and all the skulduggery that went on in those long-ago days is good movie fodder, although both film versions (including the 1962 remake) take a great deal of dramatic license, especially the latter. The one thing both movies have in common is Vincent Price, who gives good performances in both versions. In this, the 1939 version, he is cast in a supporting, but pivotal, part as the Duke of Clarence, the half-brother of King Edward and Richard. In the 1962 remake he is no less than Richard III himself and the star. Although the first version has many macabre touches and was released by Universal, with Boris Karloff in a supporting role, it is not really a horror flick.

This first Tower of London, is entertaining, fast-paced, and well-produced. Basil Rathbone is as superb as ever as Richard III. Although not in the same league, Ian Hunter is fine as King Edward, whose philosophy is "marry your enemies and behead your friends." As the spoiled, petulant, whiny Duke of Clarence, Price offers a simpering and superior portrait. One of the best – and best-acted – scenes in the movie is when Price and Rathbone engage in a drinking contest with malmsy wine, a contest Price seems to win, although he winds up being killed by Rathbone and his body dumped in a wine vat. "He asked for Malmsy," Rathbone shrugs. An early scene detailing an execution (the beheading is off-screen, although we see reactions to it) is very well done. Although he has little dialogue, Karloff is excellent as the skulking, club-footed headsman, Mort, who measures the little princes for coffins as they sleep. The murder of the princes (young Edward is actually king at this point) is another good scene, both horrifying and heartbreaking. Young Edward’s brother, a mere child, cries out, "Kill me! Kill me! Let Edward live!" [This is one of the most notorious and loathsome crimes in the history of humanity.] As the boys die they squeal in much the same manner as one of them does very early in the film when he is just a squawling baby, a horrifying touch of pathos.

Verdict: A near-classic. ***1/2.

TOWER OF LONDON (1962)

TOWER OF LONDON (1962). Director: Roger Corman.

The second Tower of London, directed by Vincent Price’s frequent collaborator Roger Corman, is definitely part of Price’s latter-day horror cycle. (The screenplay was co-written by Leo Gordon, who also wrote Attack of the Giant Leeches.) The remake (also in black and white like the original, if wide screen) is not as good as the original film, but it has its moments. The film cuts out much of the first picture’s storyline by beginning with the death of the older King Edward. The murder of Clarence by Richard occurs almost immediately afterward, sans the wine-drinking competition. Richard III (Vincent Price) cuts an outrageous swath through the court, eliminating anyone who gets in his way. Naturally there is more emphasis on the torture scenes, with one poor gal being placed on the rack and stretched until her death – a not bad sadistic fillip. Price looks more like a hunchback than Rathbone did, and manages the incredible feat of creating some sympathy for the monstrous Richard. Surprisingly, he gives a rather good performance as Richard, one that may seem "hammy" due to Price’s natural floridness (and identification with outrageous horror roles) but is actually a fine, serious performance. It’s a shame Price didn’t have a better picture to showcase his thesping. Despite Price’s performance, Tower of London is one of the lesser Corman horror films – the irony is that Price is far better in the movie than in, say, The Pit and the Pendulum, which he also did with Corman. Of course, Richard III is quite a role for any actor!

Verdict: Horrors! -- Price is rather good! **1/2.

MARY STEVENS M.D.

MARY STEVENS M.D. (1933). Director: Lloyd Bacon.

Mary Stevens (Kay Francis, pictured) and Don Andrews (Lyle Talbot) are life-long friends who both become doctors and set up practice together. Mary has long been carrying a torch for Don, but he marries a wealthy gal for career reasons and makes quite a few dumb and immoral mistakes. Smart women, foolish choices -- Mary still hankers for him and winds up pregnant. The scene in this pre-code film when she joyfully announces that she's carrying his baby would have certainly had a different, "sinful" tone in later years; this matter-of-fact approach is absolutely refreshing. But there are more trials and tribulations for our Mary, including cases of infantile paralysis when she's returning from Europe. This is a very entertaining, snappy comedy-drama with an interesting heroine who lives by her own rules. Francis is good in the role, although she's not quite up to the more challenging and tragic sequences. Talbot gives one of his better performances. Glenda Farrell nearly steals the picture as Mary's delightful friend and nurse-assistant, also named Glenda. Instead of Farrell's more typically brash and obnoxious portrayals which she used when she played reporters, in this she's much more likable and appealing. Thelma Todd appears briefly as Don's wife, and Una O'Connor is more subdued for a change as a mother worrying over her very sick daughters on shipboard. Too fast-paced to give you time to think about its flaws or improbabilities.

Verdict: Dig in! ***.

GOLDEN BOY: The Untold Story of WILLIAM HOLDEN

GOLDEN BOY: The Untold Story of William Holden. Bob Thomas. St. Martin's Press; 1983.

An excellent biography of film star William Holden traces his life from boyhood to his death at 63 while intoxicated. Thomas doesn't spend any time analyzing his films or acting style, but he does give us solid biographical information, from his first big role in Golden Boy with Barbara Stanwyck, his long-term marriage to actress Brenda Marshall (throughout which he apparently had numerous affairs), his public liaison with (rather homely) model-turned-actress Capucine, and his relationship with Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'s Stephanie Powers -- and a lot of film roles along the way. Thomas also explores how Holden was held responsible for the death of Valerio Giorgio Novelli while driving on the Autostrada (Holden claimed he wasn't drunk), but basically bought his way out of it. The book eventually becomes quite depressing as it unflinchingly examines Holden's sloppy, out-of-control alcoholism and his attempts to go on the wagon without admitting he had a problem. There are interesting anecdotes about how he got and approached certain roles along with behind the scenes tidbits. Holden was completely unable to bond with his own children, and one senses there was some conflict or problem that the actor was never quite able to come to grips with.

Verdict: An absorbing read. ***1/2.

MR. WU (1927)

MR. WU (1927). Director: William Nigh.

Lon Chaney is excellent in this handsomely produced silent film in which he essays elderly Grandfather Wu, and then his grandson, Mandarin Wu, as an adult. Mandarin Wu has a daughter Nang Ping (Rene Adoree) who falls in love with the Caucasian Basil Gregory (Ralph Forbes), with tragic results. If there's any problem with Mr. Wu is that what begins as a credible enough and reasonably compelling drama turns into a kind of Fu Manchu variation, with the script turning Wu into the evil, sadistic stereotype of the "Yellow Peril" variety. It's one thing to adhere to traditions, but Wu is a complete fanatic, which the film never really makes clear. Still, even these scenes, bolstered by the performance of Louise Dresser as Basil's mother, hold the attention and are well-done for what they are. John Arnold's cinematography is of a high order. Some shots, consisting of several elements, are so strikingly composed that they almost achieve a 3D effect. Anna May Wong has a small role as Nang Ping's attendant and friend, Loo Song. This was seen accompanied by an excellent original score by Marie Newman.

Verdict: Definitely worth a look, but watch out for Wu. **1/2.

THE BIG BOODLE

THE BIG BOODLE (1957). Director: Richard Wilson.

In this hard-boiled story set and filmed in Havana, casino croupier Ned Sherwood (Errol Flynn) discovers a young lady, Fina (Rosanna Rory), who's carrying a bundle of counterfeit cash. Before long he's up to his neck in threatening police officers, surly hoods, gang leaders who employ torture, a search for counterfeit plates, and a couple of dangerous females. Not as much fun as it sounds, The Big Boodle is a pretty standard but somewhat absorbing crime thriller with very few surprises in it. There are good locations, an okay climactic fight, and it's always fun to see the villain fall into the middle of some hungry sharks. Gia Scala plays Anita, one of the gals, and Carlos Rivas of The Beast of Hollow Mountain is a sinister playboy. Flynn, in one of his last roles, gives an acceptable performance but he looks pretty battered. Rory also had a small role in L'eclisse.

Verdict: Not worth missing The Beverly Hillbillies for. **.

BIG RED

BIG RED (1962). Director: Norman Tokar.

In Quebec dog breeder James Haggin (Walter Pidgeon) allows a young French orphan boy Rene (Gilles Payant) come to work for him, where the boy bonds with the beautiful Irish Setter, Red. After the show dog is injured, Haggin wants him put down, but Rene runs off with the animal and nurses him back to health. There are more misunderstandings and arguments and eventually Rene sets off to find Red and Molly, a female setter, who have run off -- and Haggin sets out to find the boy. The dogs are cute and beautiful, although the story is at times contrived, with Haggin made out to be more insensitive than he would be to drive the plot along. Still, this is a worthwhile family film for dog lovers of all ages. Supposedly Big Red made the Irish Setter breed so popular that they were widely inbred, turning them into the neurotic -- if lovably crazy -- species they are today. Pidgeon is okay but Payant is better; this was apparently his only film. Janette Bertrand adds some warmth and humor as Haggin's wise, motherly housekeeper. Very nice scenery and location photography.

Verdict: Appealing Walt Disney film in spite of its flaws. **1/2.

THE FAMILY SECRET

THE FAMILY SECRET (1951). Director: Henry Levin.

David Clark (John Derek, pictured) kills his drunken, knife-wielding best friend in self-defense but he and his father Howard (Lee J. Cobb) decide to keep quiet about it. Unfortunately, an innocent man (Whit Bissell) is arrested for the crime and Howard winds up defending him. The Clarks' silence ultimately proves tragic. Interesting, but irritating, drama has some good performances and situations, but never quite comes to grips with the moral questions and dilemmas it poses. Erin O'Brien-Moore is David's concerned, over-protective mother, and Dorothy Tree is the wife of the man put on trial for David's crime. This could have used a few more plot twists. For one thing, we have only David's word that it was self-defense. Jody Lawrance is appealing as Lee, Howard' secretary and a romantic interest for David.

Verdict: Unsatisfactory but holds the attention. **1/2.

WHITE MANE

WHITE MANE (Crin blanc: Le cheval sauvage/1953). Director: Albert Lamorrise.

A group of ranchers in France try to capture White Mane, the leader of a group of wild horses. The young fisherboy Folco (Alain Emery) befriends the horse and tries to tame him. When he succeeds, the exasperated ranchers decide they want the horse after all and set off in pursuit of the boy and White Mane -- with tragic results. This short film, which won the Grand Prix in Cannes in 1953, is poetic, charming and poignant, beautifully photographed by Edmond Sechan and with a lovely score by Maurice Le Roux (Leroux). One of the nicest moments has Folco bringing a small turtle to his fascinated younger sibling, who is delighted with it. The latest version is narrated by actor Peter Strauss. Although the commentary tries to put a positive spin on the ending, there's no getting around its grimness. Albert Lamorrise was also responsible for the cheerier Red Balloon. An amusing aspect of White Mane is the way the horse's mane, falling over its eyes, reminds one of the "peekaboo bangs" of Veronica Lake!

Verdict: Heartbreaking children's film for adults. ***.

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE Novel by Tennessee Williams

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE (1950). Novella by Tennessee Williams.

Tennessee Williams' 1950 novella is a fascinating character study of an aging, self-absorbed, wealthy actress who has lost her husband and given up her career and settled in Rome, where the only thing that will fill her days, and end her feeling of “drifting,” is a handsome young Italian marchetta (or gigolo) named Paolo. The book is beautifully crafted, and Williams does a superb job of taking us into the mind and character of a not entirely admirable but all too human woman named Karen Stone. Williams is not without compassion for his main character, who has come to realize how much she, her career, and so much else depended on her now-faded beauty, but he doesn't sentimentalize her, either. The scene when her husband dies of a heart attack in the middle of a plane flight is powerful and moving. Paolo is not as well-delineated, but then it is the story of Stone, not of the young Italian. It is also probably true that Paolo doesn't have much character to delineate. Williams makes some attempts to present his point of view, but he seems to be someone who – even more than Karen Stone – has no redeeming virtues aside from his beauty. The Contessa who “introduces” Paolo to Karen and expects him to share the bounty he gets from Karen with her, is also an interesting, if less developed, character. The fourth character, although less important, is the most tiresome: Meg Bishop, an old and blunt school chum of Karen's who apparently once made a fumbling pass at her. She comes dangerously close to being an out-dated lesbian stereotype, almost an “evil dyke.” [It is an oddity that there are some gay men who can be friends with straight women but not with lesbians. Perhaps because they can relate more to a woman who also admires male beauty?] It also must be said that the novella, while a good one with many wonderful insights into human nature and elegant but accessible prose, has a certain dated quality if only because nowadays relationships between older women and younger men – while they may raise a few eyebrows – are not as scandalous as they were in 1950. The novel was filmed in 1961 and remade for cable in 2003.

Verdict: Imperfect but interesting. ***.

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE (1961)

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE (1961). Director: Jose Quintero.

This first film version of Tennessee Williams' novel, with a screenplay by Gavin Lambert, stars Vivien Leigh and Warren Beatty as Karen and Paolo. Both of them give good performances – it is actually one of Beatty's best -- but the picture is stolen by a superb Lotte Lenya in the expanded role of the lizard-like if oddly likable Contessa. [It is explained that she is originally from Budapest, unlike the Contessa in the novel, to account for her accent.] Coral Browne also scores as a somewhat more sympathetic Meg, who seems to genuinely love and care for Karen [who almost goes off to New York with her at the end]. The dopey screen persona that Jill St. John affected at that time works perfectly for the small role of the film actress who attracts Paolo. Jean Marsh appears as a young woman smitten with Paolo; she seems terrified of Beatty in an early party scene, but is all over him in sexy fashion in a later scene in a restaurant. Bessie (The Lost World) Love and Ernest (Bride of Frankenstein) Thesiger have small roles in a party scene at the end. It is a half an hour into the running time before Beatty is given a close up, which is not a problem so much as the fact that he is not given enough scenes to show off the charm that wins over the cautious and dignified Karen Stone.

Unlike the novel, the movie isn't that sympathetic to Karen, perhaps reflecting the mores of the time. Instead of "Romeo and Juliet," Karen's final performance was changed to "As You Like It," and her husband is made twenty-five years older, perhaps to explain why she requires and is amenable to a lover so much younger. Ironically, the film still has some daring elements, such as the [generally unnecessary] narration at the opening that talks of how the Spanish steps are a place of "assignation" and just on that word shows a middle-aged man talking to a man in his twenties. However, the Baron, who was briefly referred to in the novel as one of Paolo's earlier keepers (although it is suggested that Paolo kept the man sexually at bay), while also seen briefly in the movie, is not linked to Paolo in the film version. Finally, at the end of the film, as in the novel, when Karen throws her keys down to the dark, handsome Angel of Death who has been following her all around Rome, Vivien Leigh simply seems too cool and strong to want to commit suicide by inviting Death into her home. Excellent score by Richard Addinsell. Remade for cable in 2003.

Verdict: Still a fascinating movie with some fine performances. Lenya rules! ***1/2.

THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE (2003)

The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (Cable; 2003). Director: Robert Allan Ackerman.

The cable remake of 2003, with a teleplay by Martin (Bent) Sherman, stars Helen Mirren and Olivier Martinez as Karen and Paolo, both of whom are superior to Leigh and Beatty in the 1961 version. Mirren is simply superb and Martinez, a fine actor, doesn't just play Paolo like Beatty does (however well); he is Paolo. Brian Dennehy is excellent as Karen's husband, as is Anne Bancroft as the Contessa, although she is nowhere near as good as Lotte Lenya in the original. The Meg character has been replaced with a male gay playwright who seems based on Tennessee Williams and is given some of Meg's lines with less caustic delivery. Roger Allan is very good in the part but the real Tennessee Williams wasn't as epicene as Allan plays him. This version is, of course, more sexed-up than the original, with the two leads sexily pounding away in a Cadillac out in the country at one point. There is also more of a political subtext to the movie, with Karen Stone representing the wealthy American invaders of Rome, American prosperity in general, during the difficult post-War period when so many Italians were living in poverty, which, of course, gives more impact to, and a strong basis for, Paolo's contempt for her. The handsome tramp or Angel of Death who follows Karen around (played by Rodrigo Santoro) is introduced snatching a discarded piece of pizza from the street and stuffing it hungrily into his mouth. [Unfortunately, this emphasis on his starvation and misery creates the impression that at the end of the movie he will be less interested in raping or killing Karen than he will be in raiding her refrigerator for a sandwich!] In this version, as in the original, the ending just doesn't convince. Mirren, like Leigh, seems much too strong and collected to throw her life away the way she throws her keys down to the man who's been stalking her. And neither film version today can quite escape the dated quality of the novel when it comes to older woman/younger man relationships. Still, both films are very good and worthwhile seeing. The cable remake has the slight edge due to the superior acting of the leads, as well as more scenes delineating Paolo's character, but the original does have the wonderful Lenya – an absolute force of nature! -- as well as an evocative Richard Addinsell score.

Verdict: See it! ***1/2.

SCREAMING MIMI

SCREAMING MIMI (1958) Director: Gerd Oswald.

After nearly being stabbed to death by a maniac, Virginia Wilson (Anita Ekberg) is sent to a sanitarium. She runs off with her doctor (Harry Townes) and reinvents herself as "Yolanda Lange," exotic dancer. When she is attacked on the street one night, everyone assumes she was nearly the second victim of "the ripper," who stabbed another blond beauty to death a month before. Phil Carey is newspaperman Bill Sweeney, who falls in love with Yolanda, and Gypsy Rose Lee is her employer, owner of El Madhouse nightclub. Carey decides to try and find out who the ripper is, and what he has to do with Yolanda. Part of the mystery centers on a figurine of a screaming woman that Sweeney believes is a fetish for the killer. Based on a novel by Fredric Brown, Screaming Mimi might be considered a very early "mad slasher" flick were it not for the fact that its style is completely different from that genre, which began in the late 70's. For one thing, Screaming Mimi has no style, tension, or suspense, making it hard to care who the slasher is or his connection to Virginia/Yolanda. Too much has been made of the fact that Virginia is attacked while taking an outdoor shower in a film made two years before Psycho -- the movies and the sequences are really nothing alike. There were other pre-Psycho films where the killer had psycho-sexual motives. The psychological aspects of Screaming Mimi are dubious. There's some moody if unspectacular photography from Burnett Guffey. The uncredited score seems to have been lifted from a much better picture.

As for the buxom Ekberg? Well, she isn't awful. She manages to get across the emotions of her character, although not with any kind of Katharine Hepburn-like skill. Some might say she's almost out-acted by her protective, snarling Great Dane, Devil (who isn't much use in protecting her on two separate occasions). Ekberg's "dancing" is both sexy and comical. Gypsy Rose Lee, who isn't bad, is given the best line: "The way he looks at her you'd think a bosom is something unique." (Well, Ekberg's bosom was kind of unique.) There seems to be a hint that Lee's character may be gay, but this isn't explored. Townes is effective as the doctor who's madly in love with his deeply disturbed patient. With all that's supposedly going on, it's amazing how dull the movie is. Screaming Mimi is not a gruesome shocker or flamboyant thriller along the lines of William Castle's Homicidal, more's the pity. Gerd Oswald also directed the far superior A Kiss Before Dying. He doesn't seem to have been inspired much by the script for Screaming Mimi.

Verdict: Even less interesting than it sounds.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN (1940). Director: A. Edward Sutherland.

Essentially unrelated to the first two Invisible Man movies, this is an out and out comedy starring John Barrymore -- giving a very funny performance -- as an absent-minded professor who advertises for a human guinea pig for his invisibility machine. Kitty Carroll (Virginia Bruce, pictured), a model who's fed up with her nasty boss Growley (Charles Lane, playing his usual grumpy Gus and playing it well), volunteers because she wants to get even with Growley without his knowing that it's her. A racketeer in exile, Blackie Cole (Oskar Homolka), also wants the machine so he can return home literally without being seen. Then there's the not-so-wealthy millionaire playboy Rich Russell (John Howard) who has been sponsoring Barrymore, and his ever-suffering butler Charles Ruggles. This is a very cute picture with many amusing moments and lines, some of which sneak up on you, and John P. Fulton's effects are as good as ever. The whole cast is quite good, including the bellicose Donald MacBride and Shemp Howard (of 3 Stooges fame) as Blackie's henchmen. Margaret Hamilton plays Barrymore's housekeeper and she and "the Great Profile" make a very funny team. Terrific ending!

Verdict: If you're in a silly mood on a rainy Sunday. ***.

SON OF DRACULA (1943)

SON OF DRACULA (1943). Director: Robert Siodmak.

Imagine fearing death and oblivion so much that you would desire to become a vampire so that you could "live" eternally with your beloved. That is the premise of this fascinating, chilling, and ultimately poignant horror film, one of the best of the Universal Dracula/monster flicks. Lon Chaney (Jr.) plays Count Alucard, who comes to a sleepy Southern town at the invitation of Katherine Caldwell (Louise Allbritton), and who begins a reign of terror against those who figure out who he really is. Frank Craven is the kindly Dr. Brewster, who calls upon his friend Professor Lazlo (J. Edward Bromberg) for information on vampires. Robert Paige is Katherine's fiance, Frank, and Evelyn Ankers is her sister, Claire. Son of Dracula is well-acted (although Chaney can't compare to Lugosi and is rather disappointing), well-directed, and quite unpredictable, with a terrific conclusion. Lots of atmosphere. NOTE: There is no actual reference in the film to Chaney being the son of the original Dracula.

Verdict: Outstanding Universal horror film. ***1/2.

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN

SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939). Director: Rowland V. Lee.

Boris! Bela! Basil! In the same movie! Karloff, Lugosi, and Rathbone combine forces for the third entry in Universal's Frankenstein series. Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone), the son of Henry Frankenstein, arrives in the village of Frankenstein with his wife and child to reclaim the ancestral castle; the citizenry aren't thrilled. Somehow the monster survived the conflagration at the end of Bride of Frankenstein, and has been befriended -- and used for revenge -- by Ygor (Bela Lugosi), who bears a broken neck due to a botched hanging. Now the monster is failing, and Wolf decides he can somehow redeem his father's name by not only bringing the creature back to health but curing its madness. Wolf determines that the monster's seeming invincibility is due to the fact that it was inadvertently irradiated by cosmic rays. Rathbone is as wonderful as ever, Karloff plays the monster with aplomb and even a touch of pathos (cringing in disgust from his own reflection), and Lugosi nearly steals the picture in his perfect protrayal of the devilish and madly eccentric Ygor. Lionel Atwill is excellent as police man Krogh, who lost his arm to the monster as a boy, and Josephine Hutchinson also scores as Wolf's wife Elsa. Little Donnie Dunagan is the adorable boy Peter, who sees a giant coming "through the wall" of his bedroom. [NOTE: Dunagan was also the voice of Bambi.] The castle sets are weird, sparse, and presumably economical. Son of Frankenstein isn't big on logic, and is overlong and slow in spots, but it's also extremely entertaining.

Verdict: Great fun -- and possibly Lugosi's finest hour. ***.

THE HOUSTON STORY

Barbara Hale and Gene Barry

THE HOUSTON STORY (1956). Director: William Castle.

Frank Duncan (Gene Barry), a wannabee player, interests the mob in his plan to steal oil and winds up bogged deeper and deeper in corruption. This is an entertaining, fairly fast-paced crime thriller with good performances from Barry and the rest of the cast. Edward Arnold scores as the mobster Paul Atlas, as does Frank Jenks as Barry's old buddy Louie. Jeanne Cooper is customarily saucy and fine as a waitress that Duncan dallies with but it's Barbara Hale who provides the biggest surprise. Usually cast as comparatively bland good girls (a la "Della Street" on TV's Perry Mason) in this she's a sexed-up blond singer and bad girl Zoe and she seems to be having a ball playing the part. Paul Richards is also vivid as Duncan's rival, Gordy. Some exciting chases and fight scenes.

Verdict: Barbara runs off with the picture! **1/2.

THE DANCING MASTERS

THE DANCING MASTERS (1943). Director: Malcolm St. Clair.

Laurel and Hardy run a dance studio but are way behind in their bills. They have one wealthy student, Trudy (Trudy Marshall) who's in love with Grant (Robert Bailey), whom her father detests. Hardy tries to make Laurel break his leg so they can collect on an insurance policy, then the two help Grant demonstrate his "invisible" ray gun. A protracted climactic sequence with a runaway bus that winds up on a roller coaster track is frenetic but not very funny, but there are some amusing bits in the film, including an auction for a grandfather clock that ends in disaster. Margaret Dumont is amusing as Trudy's mother, but she hasn't enough to do. Robert Mitchum has a small role as a small time hood selling "insurance" to the boys. Nestor Paiva plays another crook. The script for this picture never really jells, and despite some good moments, it can't be considered one of the better L&H features.

Verdict: Not the boys at their best. **.

THE SHE-CREATURE

THE SHE-CREATURE (1956). Director: Edward L. Cahn.

AIP certainly collected an unusual group of actors for this weird little movie. Chester Morris (who gives a very good performance) is the mentalist Carlo Lombardi, who claims that he can regress his beautiful assistant Andrea (Marla English of Three Bad Sisters) three hundred years into a past life. For reasons that are never made clear Lombardi also regresses her back even further in a -- as he puts it -- "transmigration of the soul of a living woman into her first life body." Apparently her soul first inhabited a female prehistoric sea creature of some kind (at least it keeps coming out of the sea) that is alternately invisible, transparent, and finally very much solid and homicidal, leaving many battered corpses in the movie's best scenes. Timothy Chappel (Tom Conway), whose wife (Frieda Inescort) is a fan of the occult, teams up with Lombardi to make him a household name and both of them rich even as the murders of the she-creature continue. Cathy Downs, the wife of The Amazing Colossal Man, plays Chappel's daughter Dorothy, who is dating Dr. Erickson (Lance Fuller, who was in This Island Earth), another doubting Thomas. Rounding out the cast, Ron Randell is a police lieutenant, Frank Jenks is a sergeant, Jack Mulhall is a lawyer, and William Hudson (from Colossal Man and Attack of the 50 Foot Woman) is a snickering party guest. Paul Blaisdell both designed and plays the she-creature; her appearance is amusing and scary at the same time. This oddly likable movie has atmosphere and some creepy scenes, even if it doesn't make much sense.

Verdict: For monster/horror/B movie aficionados only. **1/2.

SERGEANTS 3

SERGEANTS 3 (1962). Director: John Sturges.

Along with Ocean's 11, Robin and the 7 Hoods, and 4 for Texas, this was one of the "Rat Pack" movies made during the sixties. It's a variation on the Gunga Din story set in the old west. Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Peter Lawford as the three sergeants, and Sammy Davis Jr. -- in the Gunga Din role -- plays bugler Jonah Williams (and probably gives the best performance; in any case he has more to do in Sergeants 3 than in the other RP movies he appeared in. Joey Bishop has a small role as well.) One critic called this "a 4 million dollar home movie for Sinatra's gnat pack," and while it isn't especially memorable, it does have its good points. Winton C. Hoch's sweeping wide screen cinematography is excellent, and the boys' performances are acceptable. The storyline has them up against a maverick band of white-hating Indians; a sub-plot has Martin and Sinatra trying to talk an engaged Lawford out of quitting the Army (Ruta Lee is very appealing as Lawford's fiancee.) Although essentially light-hearted, the movie does have its "serious" moments. Some of the action is well-staged, although the climactic battle scene is mediocre. There's a funny and tense moment involving a rope bridge wherein Martin nearly falls to his death and for added measure a horse tries to climb out on the already precarious construction. The obvious matte paintings in this and other scenes are a minus, however. Overlong, and a bit slow at times.

Verdict: Some amusing and exciting moments but basically for Rat Pack fanatics only. **.

INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN

INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN (1956). Director: Jack Pollexfen.

Charles "Butcher" Benton (Lon Chaney Jr.) isn't having a very good day. Arrested for a payroll robbery and murder, his two partners in the crime roll over on him and his own lawyer is the mastermind of the plot. However, things look up after he's executed, when his body is delivered to a scientist, Professor Bradshaw (Robert Shayne), who is trying to find a cure for cancer. For some reason Bradshaw treats Benton's corpse to an electrical process that inadvertently brings the dead man back to life -- mute. With super-strength and invulnerability to bullets and what-not, Benton proceeds to go after the ones who done him wrong. Max Showalter is the detective on the case, and Ross Elliott is the Lawyer, Paul Lowe. Ken Terrell, who played butler Jess in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, is one of Benton's victims. The cast is professional enough, and Chaney -- although he only speaks in the opening sequence -- gives one of his better, more intense performances. Marian Carr is very appealing as the dancer, Eva Martin, who once befriended Benton; she was also in Kiss Me Deadly. Marjorie Stapp makes an impression as a woman whose boyfriend is murdered by Benton right in front of her. (She was also in The Monster that Challeneged the World -- as was Showalter -- Daughter of Dr. Jekyll, and other genre films.) Joe Flynn of McHale's Navy has a small role as Shayne's assistant. Elliott was a busy actor of the period and appeared in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Albert Glasser's dramatic score is a definite asset to the picture. The narration is unnecessary but there is a good use of locations. Exciting climax in the sewers.

Verdict: Entertaining, taut little thriller. ***.

HIT THE ICE

HIT THE ICE (1943). Director: Charles Lamont.

Bud and Lou are photographers who inadvertently wind up consorting with bank robbers and being accused of their crime. They and the real crooks hot foot it to Sun Valley, where there are further complications. Oddly, the best thing about the movie are the snappy numbers performed by Ginny Simms -- who sings as good as she looks -- who plays Marcia, and Johnny Long and his Orchestra (including the bizarre "Slap Happy Polka.") Mantan Moreland has a brief funny bit with Lou at a train station. Sheldon Leonard plays the head crook and Joe Sawyer and Marc Lawrence are gang members. Patric Knowles is a doctor and Elyse Knox the nurse who's looking after a supposedly sick Leonard. An interesting bit has Lou winding up in a single bed in-between a husband and wife after he crashes through a wall. What's interesting about it is that even in the following decade Lucy and Ricky had separate beds in their bedroom, not one.

Verdict: Primarily for A & C addicts, but easy to take if nothing special. **1/2.

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER

DRACULA'S DAUGHTER (1936). Director: Lambert Hillyer.

This first sequel to the Bela Lugosi Dracula has Van Helsing (Edward Van Sloane) trying to explain why he drove a stake through Count Dracula's heart and in danger of either being put on trial for murder or institutionalized as insane. [A similar situation occurred in Columbia's entry into the vampire sweepstakes, Return of the Vampire.] Otto Kruger plays Jeffrey Garth, a psychiatrist who tries to help his friend Van Helsing, and Marguerite Churchill is his busy-body secretary. But the main attraction is Countess Marya Zaleska, who claims to be Dracula's daughter, and is played by one of the most fascinating screen presences of the period, Gloria Holden. Holden is very effective as a tormented woman who hopes that Dracula's death means she is free from his curse of vampirism, which turns out (luckily for the audience) not to be the case. Irving Pichel, who also directed many films, plays Sandor, the countess' major domo. Nan Grey is effective as a pretty young would-be suicide, Lily, who becomes a victim of the she-vampire, and Hedda Hopper appears as a high society acquaintance of Garth's.

(Some have seen a supposedly "sapphic" tone to Dracula's Daughter because of the scene in which she hypnotizes Lily and then drinks her blood. But she also hunts and attacks a man earlier in the film, and wants to turn Otto Kruger into one of the undead so that he can spend eternity with her. Besides, in the Lugosi Dracula his victim Lucy, once undead, stalks children, which doesn't necessarily make her a pedophile.) The film doesn't quite make it clear if Holden is actually Dracula's daughter (can the undead impregnate?) or simply someone he turned into a vampire via his curse of blood. In any case, it seems clear that the countess wants to be cured so that she can enter the world of light and laughter, not because she cares about her victims, making her selfish and ultimately unsympathetic. Dracula's Daughter is an entertaining picture, but there's too much comedy and romance in the film, and not enough horror. Even so, it's better than the original. Although Holden appeared in quite a few films after Dracula's Daughter, and played the wife of Emile Zola, her promise was never fulfilled.

Verdict: Flawed but fascinating. ***.

THE GARMENT JUNGLE

THE GARMENT JUNGLE (1957). Director: Vincent Sherman.

Soon after the terrible death of his partner in a freight elevator "accident" -- a horrifying, well-handled sequence -- Walter Mitchell (Lee J. Cobb) welcomes his son Alan (Kerwin Mathews) into the garment business. Alan is disturbed to learn what a hold the mob has on the business with its protection racket, and how they've been terrorizing union organizers. This is basically a poor man's On the Waterfront, and not at all in the same league as that classic. However, there are several good scenes, and there's an interesting cast. Cobb is as good as ever, and Mathews gives it a good try, but his forte was swashbuckling costume heroes like in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, not realistic drama. Richard Boone is more on the mark as a mob boss, as is Robert Loggia as a union organizer and Joseph Wiseman (Dr. No) as one of the garment workers. Wesley Addy has an unusual role as a vicious associate of Boone's. Gia Scala and Valerie French are effective as the ladies involved with the garment workers.

Verdict: Overbaked melodrama. **.

A VIEW TO A KILL

A VIEW TO A KILL (1985) Director: John Glen.

Roger Moore's final Bond film plays better on TV than it did in the movies; on the small screen its low-key (as opposed to epic or grandiose) quality can be better appreciated. Christopher Walken is an Americanized ex-KGB agent who wants to dominate the computer market by manipulating [via flooding] the faults near Silicon Valley. Walken is fine as the psychotic villain, although the scene with him gleefully machine-gunning the mine workers is a bit over the top. While the movie is more serious than other Moore-Bond adventures, there is a cartoonish early scene on the Eiffel Tower, and late in the movie some San Francisco men in blue chase Bond in a long and inappropriate scene like something out of the Keystone Kops. A deadly steeplechase race isn't bad, however, nor is the flooding of the mine and the subsequent draining of the lake above. The finale involving a dirigible and the Golden Gate Bridge is a knock-out. Patrick Macnee is very appealing as Bond's associate, as is pretty Tanya Roberts as a normal girl caught up in the nasty business. Grace Jones is also fine as Walken's exotic bodyguard and hit woman.

Verdict: While the picture is entertaining and holds the attention, it just isn't special enough to be a classic. **1/2.