THE BIG SHOW-OFF

Dale Evans and Arthur Lake

THE BIG SHOW-OFF (1945). Director: Howard Bretherton.

Sandy Elliott (Arthur Lake) is a piano accompanist for the nightclub singer June Mayfield (Dale Evans). Their boss, Joe Bagley (Lionel Stander of Tahiti Honey), knows that Sandy is secretly carrying a torch for June. While Joe likes Sandy, he can't stand his obnoxious emcee, Wally (George Meeker of Tarzan's Revenge), who is practically affianced to June. Joe tries to encourage Sandy to tell June how he feels, and to become the kind of man that June might fall for. Somehow it develops that June is convinced that Sandy is the real identity of the masked wrestler known as "the Devil." June is amazed that the mouse is really a lion, but now she's afraid that he might be too brutal for her taste. Sandy wants to give up his alleged career as the Devil, but the real Devil might have something to say about that. What's a boy to do?

Lionel Stander with Lake

The Big Show-Off might sound like a cute picture, and it is, but it's still distinctly minor although it gets lots of help from the likable Lake, best-known as Dagwood Bumstead of the Blondie film series. Lionel Stander is less off-putting than usual, and Dale Evans gets to warble the memorable ditty "There's Only One You." The film throws in some bizarre characters like the Devil (Paul Hurst of Borrowed Wives) and his wrestling cousin and chief opponent, Boris the Bulgar (Sammy Stein). Marjorie Manners plays Mitzi, one of the show girls and June's gal pal. I could swear I spotted a young Nestor Paiva but he's not in the cast list. Anyway, The Big Show-Off is an amiable comedy with a pleasant lead performance. 

Verdict: Lake takes some time off from the Blondie series. **1/2. 

THE BOY FROM INDIANA

Lon McCallister

THE BOY FROM INDIANA (1950). Director: John Rawlins.

Lon Decker (Lon McCallister) is a young man without a family who runs into an old reprobate named MacDougal (George Cleveland of Haunted House). The old scoundrel convinces Lon to become a jockey and ride MacDougal's horse, Jo Jo, in a race. Lon has no idea that MacDougal drugs horses and the like, nor that Jo Jo is actually a famous horse named Texas Dandy; eventually the two men develop a father-son relationship. Lon meets Betty (Lois Richards) who argues that quarter horses can become winning race horses just as much as thoroughbreds -- maybe Jo Jo can compete against the big boys?  Trouble ensues when Jo Jo is gored by a berserk bull (in an exciting and cinematic sequence) and also when Lon realizes how utterly larcenous his "Pa" can be. Nevertheless, Lon is determined to race Jo Jo, providing the horse's injuries can heal in time.

Lon McCallister and Lois Riuchards

The Boy from Indiana benefits from good performances from the charming, boyish McCallister and  a peppery Cleveland, with sweet Lois Richards and an equally peppery Billie Burke [Dinner at Eight] -- as MacDougal's nemesis Zelda Bagley -- thrown in for good measure. McCallister was a handsome and likable performer who appeared in a lot of "outdoors" movies and family films. Lois Butler had only a few credits, and appeared in just three films. On the other hand, Cleveland had nearly 200 credits over a very, very long career. The Boy from Indiana has some limited charm and several likable players. John Rawlins also directed Young Fugitives as well as a number of serials.

Verdict: Amiable movie for horse lovers and racing enthusiasts. **1/2. 

FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN

Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange

FEUD: BETTE AND JOAN (8- part 2017 mini-series).

"I can't go into rehab -- I've got the Dean Martin roast!" -- Bette Davis. 

Movie legend Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange of American Horror Story: Asylum) goes to see another movie legend, Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon of The Other Side of Midnight), and offers her the title role in a film version of the novel "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" During filming with director Robert Aldrich (Alfred Molina of Prick Up Your Ears), long-simmering resentments and rivalries resurface, and while the two women resolve to have a united front against the twin demons of ageism and sexism, jealousies and insecurities only drive them farther apart. It all culminates when Davis gets an Oscar nod and Crawford doesn't ...

The real Bette Davis and Joan Crawford

Well, this incredibly entertaining and absorbing mini-series could have been a campy and horrible mess, but with intelligent writing and some excellent acting it emerges as a very memorable mini-series. (Feud was not available for viewing while Olivia de Havilland sued the production -- she lost -- but it is now back on Amazon Prime: $11.99 to own all eight Standard Definition episodes.) Let's get one thing out of the way. Feud is highly exaggerated and fictionalized, the actual "feud" between the two ladies being very over-stated to say the least. For much of their lives, Davis and Crawford were busy with careers, children and several bad marriages, and probably didn't think about each other all that much. It was the whole Oscar business -- Davis lost while Crawford accepted the coveted statuette on winner Anne Bancroft's behalf -- that undoubtedly started the "feud," and led to unpleasantness on the set of Baby Jane follow-up Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte.

Now, as to the mini-series itself, once you get past the fabrications and dramatic licenses taken, it manages to go beyond its initial premise and explore the struggles of aging women played out against an industry where an old woman is simply considered a 'hag." The feminist angle is explored but never overwhelms the production, nor does it necessarily excuse the ladies' bad behavior, which could often be chalked up to extreme sensitivity on any number of issues. Of the two lead actresses, Lange comes off the best -- the real Crawford was much better-looking than Lange in her nearly grotesque make up, and had much more authority -- but otherwise Lange proves herself a fine actress and gives a commendable performance. Of the two icons, Davis was imitated much more than Crawford, so Sarandon had a dilemma: how to play a real person without coming off like a drag impersonator. Sarandon succeeds in making Davis seem real, but her performance is also a little dull -- for lack of a better word -- in comparison to Lange's. However, both women are good, although neither of them have the kind of intense power, personality or sheer charisma of the real Crawford and Davis. And when they recreate scenes from Baby Jane? neither are as good as the original stars.

Feud benefits from some superb supporting performances: Alfred Molina as Robert Aldrich; Stanley Tucci as Jack Warner; Alison Wright as Aldrich's assistant Pauline Jameson; Molly Price as Aldrich's wife, Harriet; John Rubinstein as George Cukor; and especially Jackie Hoffman as Crawford's maid and companion, "Mamacita," and a scene-stealing Judy Davis [Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows] as Hedda Hopper. On the other hand, Catherine Zeta-Jones doesn't remind me of Olivia de Havilland at all (although you would think de Havilland would have been flattered that she was played by a much younger and beautiful actress.) And Kathy Bates makes a rather mediocre Joan Blondell. The sections showing them being interviewed about the feud could easily have been jettisoned.

Dominic Burgess seems to think that because his character, actor Victor Buono, was gay that he should play him more as a stereotype than he was in real life. While Buono is a colorful character, it's strange that Feud completely omits Maidie Norman, the black actress who played the murdered maid Elvira in Baby Jane? and who had a very interesting life -- was it because she was a lifelong Republican? Feud is perhaps more sympathetic to Joan than it is to Bette, and suggests that her daughter Christina's hateful memoirs were not entirely accurate, if at all.

It's interesting that the writers for this series must have done research by poring over bios of the two screen idols -- books such as Fasten Your Seat Belts: The Passionate Life of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography -- but none are given credit, and that even includes an exaggerated tome entitled Bette and Joan: The Divine Feud!

Verdict: Fascinating, amusing, dramatic, even poignant look at old Hollywood and how stars desperately cling to every inch they've gained while at times losing their humanity in the struggle. ***1/2. 

"BABY JANE" REVISITED

Bette Davis and Joan Crawford

WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE? (1962). Director: Robert Aldrich.

"I hope you can be kinder to Jane and your father then they are to you."

Former child star Baby Jane Hudson (Bette Davis, pictured) shares a mansion in Hollywood with her crippled sister, Blanche (Joan Crawford), who was a big movie star in her day. When they begin showing her old movies on television, Jane gets the idea of reviving her own act -- but first she has to keep Blanche from selling the house out from under her, leading to grim events and tragedy.

Joan Crawford and Maidie Norman

While the subject matter with its mental illness and physical abuse is distasteful, Baby Jane is still a mesmerizing film, adroitly directed by Aldrich, well-made, and well-acted by the entire cast. Davis is simply superb as Jane (especially good when she collapses into horrified tears in front of her mirror); Crawford is solid but has the less flamboyant role. Victor Buono and Marjorie Bennett are great as Edwin Flagg and his mother. Maidie Norman and Anna Lee are also fine as, respectively, the Hudson's maid, Elvira, and pleasant neighbor, Mrs. Bates. (Davis' witchy religious nut daughter, B.D. Hyman, is barely acceptable as Lee's teen aged daughter; she had no subsequent career as an actress.) Ernest Anderson, who had an important role in In This Our Life, has a brief scene with Davis near the end of the film when he plays a food vendor at the beach. Baby Jane? is beautifully photographed by Ernest Haller. Write-ups of this film always refer to the "decaying" mansion the Hudson sisters live in, but it doesn't seem to be "decaying" -- like Jane's mind -- at all.

2020 UPDATE: Aldrich could have built up more suspense in certain sequences. Crawford doesn't quite pull out all the stops in her final scene, but then we have to remember she's supposed to be at death's door. A bank teller is played by Maxine Cooper of Kiss Me Deadly. Remade as a TV movie with the Redgrave sisters in 1990.

Verdict: Grotesque -- but it works. ***1/2.

'CHARLOTTE" REVISITED

"Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte"

HUSH...HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964). Director: Robert Aldrich.

NOTE: My original review read as follows: 

"She's not really crazy. She just acts that way because people expect it of her."

This film seems to get better with the passage of time. Originally this was meant to be a follow up to What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? re-teaming Bette Davis with Joan Crawford (who would have been great in the picture and should have completed it) but Crawford quit the production and Olivia de Havilland stepped in -- with happy results. As others have noted, watching sweet "Miss Melanie" of Gone With the Wind doing the things that de Havilland does as Miriam gives it all an added kick.

Olivia De Havilland and Joseph Cotten

Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) lives alone in a forlorn mansion that is about to be torn down to make way for a bridge. She calls on the only family she has left -- cousin Miriam Deering (de Havilland) -- to come and help her, but Miriam has other things on her mind. For most of her life Charlotte has been the chief suspect in the mutilation murder of her lover, John Mayhew (Bruce Dern), a supposedly sensitive soul who wrote a love song to Charlotte (the title tune) and put it in a music box. Charlotte is haunted by her lost love and by her feeling that it was her father (Victor Buono in a bravura turn) who killed him.

Bette Davis as Charlotte

Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte takes a cast of golden age stars and character actors and places them in a classy production with a sop to the teen audience via the graphic, well-executed (pun intended) murder scene that almost opens the picture, and which is actually bloodier than the Psycho murder of 1960 (we never do learn what became of the poor man's head and hand, which were apparently carried off by the murderer). This alone predisposed many 1964 critics to dismiss the film out of hand, although the rest of the film is entirely tasteful. Not only tasteful, but extremely well done. Aldrich's direction and handling of the suspense scenes is far superior to his work on Baby Jane. Joseph Biroc's cinematography is consistently outstanding and the production values first-rate -- this is one good-looking movie. (Frank) DeVol's musical score is extremely effective. One could argue that Baby Jane had a kind of cheapjack feel to it, but that is definitely not true of Charlotte. The screenplay by Henry Farrell and Lukas Heller, while it may at one point borrow a plot gambit from Diabolique, is suspenseful and full of great dialogue. Most scenes, such as a murder on a staircase and the bitter arguments between the neurotic principals, are handled with great dramatic flair.

Olivia de Havilland

And then there's the acting. Davis gives one of her finest latter-day performances, getting across the pathos of the character as well as her mania. (Her pantomime at the end as she reads a letter with tremendously important information in it is marvelous.) As Miriam, Olivia de Havilland is on target from her entrance until the final moments. Witness her wonderful delivery of her rejoinder to Dr. Bayliss. "You were always free with your compliments. It was your ... intentions... that were a little vague." As the charming if reptilian Bayliss Joseph Cotten offers another dead-on characterization. Agnes Moorehead almost walks off with the picture as the unfortunate housekeeper Velma. Mary Astor, Cecil Kellaway, and others offer highly superior supporting performances.

Hush...Hush deserves to be recognized as a certified classic.

Verdict: Fascinating! ****.

2020 UPDATE: Oddly, although the plot line isn't as original as in Baby Jane, Hush ... Hush is, I believe, the better picture, even if I might take one half star away from my verdict. Although she is very good, there is no way Davis would ever have received an Oscar nomination for this film as she did for Baby Jane -- her scene on the staircase when she supposedly descends into gibbering madness is more comical than anything else. It doesn't make much sense that Charlotte would stay in town where everyone thought she was a cleaver-wielding lunatic just to cover up for her father (who she thinks is the real murderer) -- she could have gone anywhere and everyone would have still thought "she done it." Then we have the question of the murder itself. It takes a great deal of strength to cut off a man's hand with a meat cleaver with just one blow, not to mention a head with a few whacks. How could anyone think Charlotte could have done it, let alone the real killer, maniacal strength notwithstanding? (And why on earth did the killer walk off with the head and hand?) Also the two villains of the story had to count on an awful lot happening, on Charlotte falling in with their plans, for things to work out as they do. On close inspection the whole Gaslight plot seems highly suspect. But these are quibbles -- as the movie is extremely entertaining if you just suspend disbelief. A scene with a corpse falling sideways and threatening to reveal itself to a reporter at the door of the mansion is terrific!

Verdict: Diabolical story of resentment and revenge --- lots of classy if ghoulish fun. ***1/2.  

STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET

Kim Novak and Kirk Douglas

STRANGERS WHEN WE MEET (1960.) Director: Richard Quine. Screenplay by Evan Hunter, based on his novel of the same name.

"Outraged innocence is always a good gambit, but the amateur always overplays it." -- Felix.

Larry Coe (Kirk Douglas) is an award-winning architect who is always hoping he'll be given the opportunity to fulfill his potential as an artist. Although he is happily married to Eve (Barbara Rush), and has two little boys, he is galvanized by the sight of a beautiful neighbor, Maggie (Kim Novak), who also has a husband (John Bryant) and young son, and is instantly attracted. Initially resistant, Maggie is eventually won over by the persistent and narcissistic -- and presumptuous -- Larry and the two begin an affair even as Larry designs a house for author Roger Altar (Ernie Kovacs). Maggie seems to be content with the way things are, but Larry isn't so certain, especially when he's offered a job that will take him and his family to Hawaii for five years.

On the beach: Kim Novak and Kirk Douglas

Although the plot goes in a very different direction, you're immediately reminded of Fatal Attraction, because in this movie Douglas basically plays a self-serving pig just as his son does in the later film. Larry seems to give absolutely no thought to his wife and children and is only concerned with his own gratification. Maggie at least has some excuse -- her husband is under-sexed, possibly even asexual, and she is neglected in the bedroom. That this is a sexual affair is made very clear, but that this is supposedly a romantic relationship is not as certain -- sexual obsession maybe -- despite the film's attempt to turn this into some kind of Brief Encounter, which it certainly isn't.

Larry (Douglas) is confronted by Felix (Matthau)

The acting and direction helps a lot. Aside from some moments when she is overly affected, Kim Novak gives a solid performance, proving that she had become quite accomplished in the right role and with a sympathetic director. However, she is so beautiful, such an obvious sex object (which may not have been the case in the novel) that it unbalances the story -- Larry just seems like a horny jerk after a hot babe. Douglas is excellent, but one senses he doesn't plumb Larry's guilt or vulnerability because he doesn't see Larry as doing anything wrong! Barbara Rush puts the viewer on Eve's side, and it's a little sickening when Eve starts blaming herself for her husband's affair. Another actor who really scores is Walter Matthau, playing Felix, a jealous neighbor and alleged friend of Larry's who confronts him about the affair and then makes a repellent play for Eve in a very tense and disquieting sequence. In her last screen role Virginia Bruce makes an impression as Maggie's mother; an interesting character whose back story is only hinted at. Ernie Kovacs is okay as the author who wants Larry to design his dream house, but his part is pretty unnecessary to the story. John Bryant does the best he can do with a thankless role. Betsy Jones-Moreland [Last Woman on Earth] and Paul Picerni play party guests.

Kirk Douglas and Barbara Rush

Then there's the subject of rape. Maggie tells Larry about how she flirted with a man who insisted on coming over to the house when her husband was out, and forced himself upon her after she had taken a sleeping pill. Larry accuses Maggie of wanting to sleep with the man, which is why she supposedly didn't lock the door before retiring. Whatever the case, the whole business of sexual assault is glossed over as if she were talking about somebody making a mere pass.

Verdict: Rather depressing look at martial infidelity with a rather unlikable protagonist. **1/4. 

PENELOPE

Natalie Wood

PENELOPE (1966). Director: Arthur Hiller.

Penelope (Natalie Wood) is the neglected wife of a bank president, James Elcott (Ian Bannen of Psyche 59). Apparently she has had a problem with stealing -- which gives her pleasure -- for some years, but her crowning achievement, some might say, is robbing her husband's bank on the very day it opens. Two cops -- Lt. Bixbee (Peter Falk) and Sergeant Rothschild (Bill Gunn) -- are called in to investigate, and are quickly on the trail of a blond woman with a French accent who disguised herself as an old lady and changed her clothing and wig in the ladies room. The two cops get closer and closer to Penelope, but ultimately arrest a streetwalker named Honeysuckle Rose (Arlene Golonka). Will Penelope come clean and keep this innocent woman out of jail?

Penelope in old lady drag

Penelope has its amusing moments, but as a major comedy it's a bust. Natalie Wood is cute in the picture, but her character calls more for a kookie Gracie Allen-type -- even Phyllis Diller would have been better in some ways -- and Wood doesn't really have sharp comedic skills. Ian Bannen isn't especially funny, either, but although he's initially rather off-putting, his performance is acceptable. At first Dick Shawn as Penelope's psychiatrist doesn't exactly act as if he's in a comedy, but he has his moments as well. Lila Kedrova and Lou Jacobi enliven the film a bit with their portrayal of a couple who run a dress shop. Jonathan Winters is completely wasted in a terrible flashback wherein he plays Penelope's college professor who literally tries to rape her -- even back in 1966 this sequence must have seemed utterly tasteless.

Peter Falk

Yet Penelope never quite made it onto my Films I Just Couldn't Finish list. That's because the movie is generally watchable, moves fairly quickly, and has some interesting twists to it that keep you  involved. As for the other actors, Peter Falk is fine, although one could argue that he's auditioning for his role on Columbo. Bill Gunn is a likable African-American actor who does what he can with a small if sympathetic part. Norma Crane [Night Gallery] is zesty as Elcott's ex-girlfriend, who just won't let go, and Arlene Golanka [Diary of a Bachelor] really runs with her brief portrayal of Honeysuckle. If you don't blink you'll also see adept bits by Jerome Cowan and Fritz Feld. Wood didn't make another movie for three years after this flick bombed at the box office.  

Verdict:  If the biggest laugh comes from a character's burping, you know a comedy is in trouble. **1/2.                                                                                                                                                    

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1962)

Joyce Taylor and Mark Damon

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1962). Diretor: Edward L. Cahn.

Althea (Joyce Taylor) travels with her father, Count Roderick (Dayton Lummis), to a kingdom presided over by the young and recently coronated King Eduardo ( Mark Damon of The Young Racers). Althea, who is affianced to Eduardo, expects a warm greeting but discovers that her fiance is "indisposed" and there is hardly any staff in the castle aside from his chief aide Orsini (Eduard Franz). Althea sees the handsome Eduardo in the morning, but he tells her that their wedding may have to be postponed. It's worse than that -- a curse was placed upon Eduardo by a alchemist who was sentenced to death by Eduardo's father when he refused to share his secrets. Now each night Eduardo grows fur, claws and fangs and becomes a benign if tormented werewolf (of sorts). If Eduardo's nasty Uncle Bruno (Michael Pate) finds out, his regime may come to a decidedly violent conclusion.

Anders, Pate and Burrke

Beauty and the Beast is a rarity in that it's probably the only TechniColor film directed by B Movie maestro Edward L. Cahn. (This was Cahn's last film, as he died the following year.) Mercilessly skewered for its low-budget and a comparison to Cocteau's 1946 film of the same name, on its own terms Beauty and the Beast is a minor but entertaining film that probably works best for young viewers. Taylor and Damon, especially the latter, give good enough performances; Pate and Merry Anders as his gal pal, Sybil, are fine; Franz and Lummis are credible; and Walter Burke gives the most notable performance as the slimy and scheming Grimaldi, servant to Bruno.

Mark Damon. 

The werewolf design is by Ernie Young and the famous Jack P. Pierce. It doesn't look bad, although an unfortunate side effect of the big teeth is that it comically affects Damon's speech. Hugo Friedhofer's musical score is a plus, especially the theme music. A former pop singer and Howard Hughes discovery, Joyce Taylor appeared in Atlantis the Lost Continent and other genre films; her last feature was in 1971. Mark Damon starred in Roger Corman's House of Usher, did many films overseas, and became a producer. Merry Anders was in Hear Me Good and Ib Melchior's The Time Travelers, among others. Beauty and the Beast has a notable climax when the couple race to get married with Bruno's hate-filled followers in rabid pursuit. Edward L. Cahn directed Zombies of Mora Tau and about a zillion others.

Verdict: More than acceptable children's fantasy film. ***. 

GRANT WILLIAMS

GRANT WILLIAMS, Giancarlo Stampalia. Bearmanor; 2018.

It is made clear from the beginning that this is not a traditional biography of the actor Grant Williams -- most famous for The Incredible Shrinking Man -- but a career study put together from assorted press clippings and interviews with a couple of co-workers and acting students. Stampalia was hampered by Williams' extreme privacy during his life, as well as the absence of living co-stars and others who were willing to contribute anecdotes. However, Stampalia adds depth to his manuscript with his analyses of Williams' acting approach to various roles, and whether his performances worked or not, and why they did or didn't. He goes on for some length on The Incredible Shrinking Man -- but there are also notes on all of Williams' film, TV, and radio appearances. Although it would be easy to see Williams as a closeted gay or bisexual man suffering from Catholic guilt -- and this may certainly have been the case --  Stampalia argues that this assessment is by no means certain without solid proof. If Williams failed to reach major stardom it may have been, as Stampalia suggests, that he was more interested in being a good actor than in being a movie star. However, even his TV and "B" movie career might have suffered because of his heavy drinking and possible alcoholism. Williams became a regular on Hawaiian Eye and gave a notable performance in the thriller The Couch. Stampalia makes a strong case for Williams' acting talent -- he did a creditable job playing Peter Tchiakovsky on a episode of The Magical World of Disney -- although it is also true that the effect the actor frequently exuded was one of handsome blandness. Stampalia is perhaps more erudite then other writers of movie star fan books, so he can be forgiven the occasional foray into pretentiousness. The book is bolstered with lots of interesting photographs.

Verdict: Intensive study of a comparatively minor film player who kept his secrets to himself. ***. 

KING OF THE COWBOYS

Roy Rogers behind bars

KING OF THE COWBOYS (1943). Director: Joseph Kane.

Rodeo star Roy Rogers, playing himself, is importuned to quit the show so he can go undercover to find some WW2 saboteurs. His sidekick, Frog Milhouse (Smiley Burnette),  goes along with him and they hook up with another show of which Judy Mason (Peggy Moran of Horror Island) and her pal Ruby (Dorothea Kent of Young Fugitives) are a part. The gals work with Maurice  (Gerald Mohr) -- the "Mental Marvel" -- who does a mind-reading act via which he communicates with his fellow spies. James Bush plays Dave Mason, the show manager, who may not be on the side of the angels. Lloyd Corrigan plays Karley, the governor's private secretary, who is definitely not on the side of the angels.

Kent, Moran and Mohr

King of the Cowboys is often mistaken as Roger's first starring role, but he starred in a great many films-- mostly for Republic Studios  --  before he made this one. The plot in this "modern" nominal western is negligible, but Rogers has a nice voice and the film's highlights are the musical numbers: "I'm an Old Cowhand;" "Ride, Ranger, Ride;" and especially "Prairie Moon." An odd moment occurs when the governor (Russell Hicks) tells Roy how his last agent was killed and that his final words were "following May." Rogers, who is not too swift, assumes that May was some hot tamale, says "sounds like nice work," and shows absolutely no concern for the agent who was murdered! Otherwise, Rogers is pleasant, handsome and bland, and Burnette is only mildly amusing. The two gals don't get much to do, but Mohr and Corrigan are as professional as ever. Irving Bacon, Ethel's dad on I Love Lucy, has a small role as well. In addition to other Roy Rogers features, as well as co-directing a couple of serials, Joseph Kane also helmed Jubilee Trail for Republic.

Verdict: Odd mixture of cowboys and spies with some good songs. **1/2. 

THE WORLD, THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL

Harry Belafonte

THE WORLD, THE FLESH AND THE DEVIL (1959). Director: Ranald MacDougall.

Ralph Burton (Harry Belafonte of Odds Against Tomorrow) is an engineer working underground when he is trapped for several days. When no one comes to rescue him he manages to make his way to the surface, and discovers that everyone has vanished. Newspapers report that millions fled the cities because of a radioactive dust that flooded the world after an apparent nuclear holocaust. Ralph makes his way to a deserted Manhattan where he moves into a luxurious apartment building, turns on a generator so he can have electricity, and sends out radio messages in the hopes of finding someone else alive. Then he meets Sarah (Inger Stevens), who was in a decompression chamber. As the two grow closer she claims that the difference in their races doesn't matter to her, but Ralph isn't sure he can believe her. Then new arrival, Benson (Mel Ferrer of Born to Be Bad), comes to town, and a melodramatic triangle situation develops.

Inger Stevens and Mel Ferrer

As contemporary critics noted, the first third of World, with Ralph discovering (more or less) what has happened and exploring his vacant surroundings, is the best part of the movie and suggests that something powerful might be in the offing. But unfortunately, the movie begins to fall apart with the arrival of Sarah, and pretty much collapses altogether with the introduction of Benson. Benson claims he has no problem with "negroes," but he's just a civilized racist, and his actions are ludicrous, occurring only because the filmmakers needed some suspect "drama." Although Belafonte -- who is top-billed -- and Stevens give good performances, neither they, Ferrer, or the film itself ever quite gets across the depth of their emotions as it pertains to this apocalyptic scenario -- there are times it's hard to believe this story is happening post WW3. Ferrer's performance is unbelievably poor and perfunctory -- when he talks about his missing wife and child he might as well be discussing a trip to the supermarket!

Abandoned cars on bridge -- where did all the people go?

Because World turns into a schlocky B Movie when it could have been so much more, the bored audience has time to ponder a variety of things that the script never addresses. How come there is not a single corpse anywhere? Did anyone besides Benson make it out of the cities? Why no mention whatsoever of radiation sickness?  What about people in nursing homes and hospitals? And so on. Why introduce a potential end-of-the-world scenario and then virtually ignore it completely? Even a Grade Z item wouldn't make that mistake, and this is an expensive MGM CinemaScope production (albeit in black and white).

Menage a trois? Belafonte, Ferrer, Stevens

There are some good things about the movie, however. Belafonte's character is a positive and sympathetic African-American, the hero -- not just the protagonist -- of a film made late in the fifties, which alone makes it of note. Harold J. Marzorati's cinematography is striking. Miklos Rozsa wrote the score for the film but there isn't enough of it. The title of the film is completely appropriate if pretentious. This being the fifties, Belafonte and Stevens aren't allowed to touch, let alone sleep together, and while the two should have kicked Ferrer out of New York altogether, in that time period the film couldn't end with an interracial couple going off together. However, the finale, which is meant to show hope for racial unity, instead unintentionally suggests something even more controversial: a menage-a-trois!

On the Beach was released the same year, and Five, which also included racial tensions in its storyline, came out eight years earlier. Ranald MacDougall also wrote and directed Queen Bee with Joan Crawford.

Verdict: A major missed opportunity but not without points of interest. **1/2. 

THE SET-UP

Robert Ryan

THE SET-UP (1949). Director: Robert Wise.

Bill Stoker (Robert Ryan) is a 35-year-old boxer at the end of his game. He rarely if ever wins his matches, but he still has dreams even though he knows that 35 is old for a fighter. His wife, Julie (Audrey Totter), whose heart breaks for him, can't stand to see him being literally and figuratively beaten up in the ring and wishes he'd do anything else for a living. Although Bill wants her there, Julie resists going to the ring -- Paradise City in Atlantic City -- that night. Unbeknownst to Bill, his manager, Tiny (George Tobias), has made a deal with fight promoter "Little Boy" (Alan Baxter) for Bill to take a dive during his fight with newcomer Tiger Nelson (Hal Baylor of This Is My Love). Tiny is sure that Stoker hasn't got a chance against Tiger, but the determined Stoker may give everyone a surprise. But this may come with a terrible cost.

Audrey Totter and Ryan

The Set-Up, beautifully directed by Robert Wise, is one of the best boxing films ever made. With sharply observed vignettes of other boxers and hangers-on, fight fans, promoters and others, it pulls us into this insane bloody world of triumph and defeat and never lets go. The film is supposed to take place in real time -- 73 minutes for both him and the audience -- although this may not be entirely accurate. Whatever the case, Robert Ryan, who was actually forty at the time of filming, gives perhaps his most outstanding performance. Whether he's mirroring the disappointment he feels when he sees his wife's empty chair or dredging up untapped reserves in order to fight his much younger opponent, he is on top of every scene. Tall and handsome, with the look of a winner, Ryan is still able to get across his character's desperation and fear of being a loser. Totter is also excellent, especially in a silent sequence over a railroad track when you can nonetheless tell everything that she must be feeling as she ponders her future with the man she loves and seems unable to help. Her smile when she sees something amusing in an arcade, a smile that fades when things remind her of her life and marriage, is touching.

Baylor vs. Ryan

There are also good turns from George Tobias, Baxter, and Baylor, as well as Wallace Ford [The Breaking Point] as Gus, who oversees things backstage; David Clarke as the sadly defeated Gunboat; Percy Helton cast in another sympathetic part as Tiny's associate, Red; Darryl Hickman as young boxer Shanley; and James Edwards as black boxer, Luthor Hawkins; among others. The film also benefits from Milton R. Krasner's expert cinematography. Absorbing and well-detailed, The Set-Up also boasts a satisfying and moving conclusion, and the match itself is quite exciting and even suspenseful -- both Ryan and Baylor had done some boxing in real life. The script was inspired by a poem about an African-American boxer.

Verdict: More powerful than Raging Bull and half as long. ***1/2. 

HENRY BRANDON: KING OF THE BOGEYMEN

HENRY BRANDON: KING OF THE BOGEYMEN (BearManor Media; 2018). Bill Cassara and Richard S. Greene.

This labor of love looks at the work of actor Henry Brandon, who never attained stardom but was a working actor in films, on TV and on the stage for decades. Because of his association with Laurel and Hardy due to his playing nasty old Barnaby in Babes in Toyland, he later became a film-buff favorite because he often appeared at various conventions for the comedy duo and others. Not a biography as such, which the authors make clear, there is a lot about Branden's life which is not covered in this book. Just when I thought the writers were indulging in some "gay erasure" they do mention that Brandon, after a very brief marriage and a child, had a boyfriend in Mark Herron, who himself was briefly married to no less than Judy Garland. (The whole business behind this might be fascinating but it is not covered in this volume.) In any case, there is a definite downplaying of Brandon's sexuality among some of the people interviewed, but then, this book is really about his talent, which was prodigious. Brandon appeared in a great many films and TV shows and was also an accomplished Shakespearean actor. He performed with Judith Anderson in Medea and other vehicles as well.

There are separate chapters on Brandon's most notable roles in such films as The Searchers with John Wayne, the serial The Drums of Fu Manchu, in which he portrays the Oriental arch-fiend, and When the North Wind Blows, among others. The section on his appearances at film conventions gets a little tedious, but the rest is interesting enough. What comes across is how hugely admired Brandon was by his many fans and those who got to know him through his film-buff convention appearances.

Verdict: In general this is strictly for fans of Henry Brandon, but those who admire his work will enjoy this thorough look at his career. ***.                                                     

FOUR BOYS AND A GUN

Hinnant, Franciscus, Sutton, and Green -- with the gun

FOUR BOYS AND A GUN (1957). Director: William Berke.

Four young neighborhood buddies have their problems. Eddie (Tarry Green) learns that his girlfriend, Marie (Diana Herbert), is dating their boss, who fires him. Ollie (Frank Sutton) has gambling debts that could get his legs broken. Johnny (James Franciscus of I Passed for White), who has a wife and baby on the way and has high hopes for a boxing career, is told he's strictly an amateur with no future. Stanley (William Hinnant) is a little nerd who can't get a girlfriend. To make matters worse, the proceeds for a dance they put together, hundreds of dollars, are stolen by some hoods.

James Franciscus

The "boys" -- with the exception of Johnny -- go on a nasty spree where they mug a cab driver and walk out of an expensive restaurant without paying. They then importune Johnny in joining them in a robbery of the arena where he had his last fight. Unfortunately, during the botched robbery, a police officer with a family is shot and killed. Although technically all four of the participants are guilty of murder, the DA wants to know specifically which one fired the gun. Amidst flashbacks showing events leading up to the robbery, the boys contemplate their future and try to blame each other for what happened.

Frank Sutton and Tarry Green

Four Boys and a Gun is an unusual feature with an intriguing storyline. None of the characters are especially likable, however, even the more sympathetic Stanley and the more mature Johnny. In fact, most of them come off like total creeps. The boys develop some very unlikely nobility at the end, which is otherwise uncompromising. The dialogue as they analyze each other's shortcomings in crude fashion rings true, although the legal aspects are suspect. The performances are too stagy at times, with Sutton making the best impression. Of the four actors, Franciscus had the biggest career, although Sutton eventually played the nasty marine on Gomer Pyle. This was the only film Tarry Green appeared in, although he did have a couple of TV credits. William Hinnant had a few more credits and also did a lot of stage work. He died at 42 in a drowning accident. Smaller roles are played by Frank Campanella as a cop, Nancy Devlin as Eddie's sister, who likes Ollie, and Patricia Bosworth as Johnny's pregnant wife.

Verdict: Something different. **3/4. 

LOUSY NEW MOVIE: KNIVES OUT

The family of Knives Out

KNIVES OUT (2019). Written and directed by Rian Johnson.

Popular author Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer of The Fall of the Roman Empire) is found dead, apparently of a slit throat, the night of his birthday party in his beautiful mansion. His death is initially thought to be a suicide, but his caregiver, Marta (Ana de Armas), may know a lot more than she's saying -- at least at first. A private investigator named Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) has been hired -- although he doesn't know by whom -- into investigating Thrombey's death, so he speaks to all of the relatives -- and Marta. Then at the reading of the will, everyone finds out just who Thrombey left his money to and pandemonium ensues.

Daniel Craig as a southern private eye

I'm not at all certain what writer/director Rian Johnson was thinking of when he put together this movie, which is not a witty comedy and certainly not a serious drama or even clever mystery. If he was trying to come up with a master sleuth along the lines of Hercule Poirot with Benoit Blanc, he comes a cropper. Although Daniel Craig [Spectre] does a convincing enough southern accent and gives a good performance, Blanc is a completely one-dimensional and uninteresting detective. If this is an Agatha Christie pastiche, it's a petty poor one. One of the worst elements of the film is that the heroine literally pukes whenever she tells a lie, which is often. This business is not only disgusting but gets tiresome very quickly. Some elements of the plot are mildly clever, but Rian Johnson is certainly no Christie.

Barf Baby: Ana de Armas

What's worse, the film is almost completely devoid of memorable dialogue. Some viewers complained that the movie's politics were too leftist -- some of the family members have conservative views, some don't, but in either case these are mere attempts at characterization, which the film has all too little of -- but I found it ironic and amazing that the African-American cop assigned to the case, Lt. Elliott (LaKeith Stanfield), is both literally and figuratively shunted aside the minute the southern P.I. shows up, having very little to do or say thereafter! This is progressive?

The minute I saw that Jamie Lee Curtis [Halloween] was in the film I feared it would be a stinker, and I was right, although Curtis' performance is actually okay. As the lead character, Ana de Armas is competent but she completely lacks distinction as a performer, at least in this film. However, I was impressed with the performances of Christopher Plummer (seen in flashbacks), Don Johnson, Chris Evans, and Toni Collette [Fright Night], among others, as various members of the Thrombey family. The worst thing I can say about Knives Out, however, is that it's overlong and becomes tedious with only a few spurts of minor excitement along the way. It's easily thirty minutes too long.

Verdict: Puke on this movie and read a great Agatha Christie novel instead. **.

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW

Harry Belafonte and Ed Begley

ODDS AGAINST TOMORROW (1959). Director: Robert Wise.

With some difficulty ex-cop Dave Burke (Ed Begley of Sweet Bird of Youth) puts together a small team to pull a bank job in the town of Melton. There is initial resistance from musician Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte), and especially Earle Slater (Robert Ryan), a racist who at first refuses to work with a black man. But Ingram's family has been threatened by Bacco (Will Kuluva of To Trap a Spy), to whom he owes money, and Slater is tired of his wife, Lorry (Shelley Winters) paying all the bills, so they ultimately decide to go along with the plan. Everything seems to go like clockwork, until the actual robbery.

Robert Ryan and Shelley Winters

Odds Against Tomorrow, like all good caper films, spends a lot of time concentrating on its characters, so their fates have a little more meaning. There are still things we don't learn about these three men, however. The performances help make them three-dimensional: Begley is superb; Ryan again proves what an excellent and under-rated actor he was; and Belafonte also proves that there's more to him than just good looks and musical ability. Shelley Winters, in the early phases of her slovenly phase, is also excellent, and there is a very, very well-played scene between Ryan and Gloria Grahame [Blood and Lace], playing a lusty neighbor, in the former's apartment. Will Kuluva scores big in a fine turn as the menacing Bacco.  Richard Bright is cast as Coco, an associate of Bacco's who is clearly meant to be an old-fashioned pre-Stonewall "faggot" -- nasty and queeny -- not the only element that at times makes Odds seem a bit dated. Coco makes flirtatious comments to Johnny, who only looks upon him with homophobic disdain. (Not the first or last time a movie looks at one minority group with sympathy while being unsympathetic towards another.)

Robert Ryan

Kim Hamilton, a lovely actress, makes an impression as Ingram's ex-wife, who couldn't put up with his gambling and the type of people it put him into conflict with. There are also smaller roles played by people who would go on to bigger parts: Wayne Rogers as a tippling soldier, and Zohra Lampert as a young lady he's trying to impress in a bar. Hefty black songstress Mae Barnes also has a good scene when Belafonte cuts into her act. I also spotted Cicely Tyson as a bartender. Joseph C. Brun's cinematography of New York City and environs, including the Hudson river and Melton, is of a high order, and there is an interesting and quirky score by John Lewis, full of dissonance, which occasionally veers into uncomfortable shrillness. Odds is fast-paced but conversely takes its time telling its story. It has a literally explosive finish, although at the end some viewers, along with the characters, might think it was all a little pointless. A slightly jarring note is the too comic delivery of an actor who plays a man whose car is somewhat demolished during a gun battle. Watching the scenes in "Melton," I was pretty sure they were filmed in Hudson, NY, and it turns out I was right.

Verdict: Highly interesting, absorbing and extremely well-acted caper film with a difference. ***. 

ROBERT WISE: THE MOTION PICTURES

ROBERT WISE: THE MOTION PICTURES. J. R. Jordan. Newly Revised and Updated. BearManor; 2020.

Although Hitchcock, John Ford, Billy Wilder and William Wyler, among others, may get the lion's share of the attention and critical kudos, the fact remains that Robert Wise was not only a solid and highly-skilled director who worked in many genres, but the architect of many successful and famous motion pictures. Beginning as an editor -- Wise worked on Welles' Citizen Kane and Magnificent Ambersons, among others -- his first professional directorial credit was for producer Val Lewton's Curse of the Cat People. (He returned to the horror genre with The Body Snatchers and the marvelous Haunting). Although today Wise is probably best remembered for directing the box office blockbusters The Sound of Music and West Side Story, in his younger days he helmed such gritty film noir-type pictures as Born to Kill, Odds Against Tomorrow and The Set-Up. Wise also did two major science fiction films, The Day the Earth Stood Still and The Andromeda Strain. He also helmed Star Trek: The Motion Picture and the unfortunate Star!, among others. Some of his other notable films include Three Secrets and Tribute to a Bad Man, and there was the very occasional stinker, such as Executive Suite.

J. R. Jordan's well-written tome finally gives Wise his due with an illustrated book that covers all of his motion pictures. Each essay gives a background to the film, why Wise chose the project, his working methods on the set, synopses, important highlights of each picture, and lengthy quotes from people, including crew and cast members, who worked with Wise. Aside from one man who claims Wise was unsympathetic when he was injured on the set, everyone's recollections are positive. Wise was no martinet, a la Otto Preminger, but a reasonable and well-adjusted craftsman and artist who didn't need to scream at or belittle people to get what he wanted from them. Like Hitchcock, he was always fully prepared for each scene, choose his actors with great care, and only gave them direction when it was required. Wise left behind an impressive body of work and this well-researched tome will remind readers of the director's long and distinguished career. This is by no means a gossipy book, but Janette Scott's comments on Rossana Podesta when they were working together on Helen of Troy are amusing.

 Verdict: For Wise fans and film enthusiasts in general. ***1/2.

Addendum
The book is dedicated to the author's father. Joseph C. Jordan Jr. suddenly passed a short time following the publication of this article. In Robert Wise: The Motion Pictures the author wrote, "Those I interviewed for this book generally described Robert Wise as noble, patient, validating, and a class act. Such words, in short, apply to Dad."

Mr. Jordan's wife, Rosetta, preceded him in death by 37 years (see photo). He missed her terribly and never remarried. The author was fortunately afforded the opportunity to be at his father's bedside on the day of the passing. Prior to the moment of death, the author faced his father and said, "This is a special day. You're going to be with Mom again." Mr. Jordan's face lit up, as his excitement was clearly apparent. He passed a short time later.