Tonight's movie was "The Flesh Eaters", a title I knew only as the name of a punk rock band until recently. I wasn't aware there was a film of the same name until it popped up on a Youtube list a few weeks ago. I've been avoiding it for one of the usual reasons; in this case because it was long by our current standards, 91 minutes, but tonight I needed something in a pinch. The hour was late and I couldn't find anything salvageable, so I went with "The Flesh Eaters". It turned out to be a mixed bag.
The premise was interesting. After a brief opening scene, in which a young couple disappear while boating, we cut to a pier in New York. An actress (Rita Morley) and her assistant (Barbara Wilkin) hire a pilot to fly them to Cape Cod, where the actress can get some rest and relaxation. She's an alcoholic, and drunk at the moment so her assistant does all the talking. The pilot (Byron Sanders) doesn't want to take them. Besides the hammered actress, there's a storm brewing. They might not make it to their destination. But he can't turn down their offer of double his usual fee, so away they go.
Out over the ocean they experience engine trouble. "I think the carburetor is icing up! We'll have to find a place to land"!, the pilot exclaims. Fortunately, the assistant spots a small island through heavy cloud cover. The pilot guides his balky seaplane to a landing just off the beach. They are safe for the moment. But as he and the two women walk to shore, they are startled to find a human skeleton on the sand. We in the audience are aware it belongs to one of the boaters from the opening scene.
As they are examining the skeleton, a rubber-suited figure emerges from the ocean. No, it's not a Monster, but a man wearing scuba gear. He introduces himself as "Professor Peter Bartell" (Martin Kosleck), a marine biologist. "I am doing research here. It is lucky you found me". As for the skeleton, the Professor figures it's the work of sharks. The pilot isn't so sure. "Don't sharks usually bite through bone and tear an arm or a leg off? This looks awfully clean. The skeleton is intact and there isn't a scrap of flesh".
"I have seen it many ways", says the Professor.
"Alright, well.....you're the expert", the pilot replies, dropping the matter for the moment.
The Professor takes the trio back to his tent for some tea. "You can try to fly out in the morning", he suggests. The actress, needing her booze, asks the pilot to go back to the plane to retrieve her suitcase, in which a bottle is stashed. Knowing it will go easier for everyone if she gets her fix, he agrees. While he is walking back through shallow water, he sees a phosphorescent glow in the foam. "Hey! Professor Bartell! Come and look at this"! The Professor comes running from his tent, followed by the two women.
"Oh, my goodness", says Bartell. "Don't move! Stay right where you are".
Bright little critters are in the water, lit up like fireflies and about the same size. The pilot raises a foot - big mistake! - and at that, several of the critters attach themselves to his shin. Holy smokes! There are boring holes in his skin, as if they are secreting acid! It's totally gross, his leg is turning into raw meat and.........just in the nick of time, the Professor digs the critters out with his knife. He bandages the pilot up with strips made from the assistant's blouse, and they all return to the tent for the second time.
But at least the actress now has her whiskey. In fact, they all could use a shot.
"What do you think they are, Professor"? asks the assistant, referring to the glowing critters.
"Some kind of marine life", replies Bartell, stating the obvious. "They might come from the deep, which would explain the phosphorescence. Perhaps they were washed ashore by the storm. I've never encountered them before, but they're obviously deadly".
He's not being honest here. Keep in mind that Professor Bartell is a German (pronounced CHermann, much in the same way as one pronounces CHames May-son). We're only one generation removed from the war, and not all the Nazis were captured. In truth, Bartell knows exactly what the Glowing Critters are. But we aren't there yet, so allow me to continue.
The next morning, the pilot goes out to try and start the plane, but finds it washed out to sea. The actress is passed out nearby, her bottle in one hand, the airplane's anchor rope in the other. It looks like she got drunk and untied the anchor for some crazy reason. Now the plane's beyond reach and they're stuck. We know it's not the actress's fault, but the pilot doesn't. He's furious. Worse, he notices that the phosphorescent foam has now spread out along the coast. Whatever these things are, they're multiplying! (following an ironclad rule of sci-fi).
Suddenly he's got more important things to do than yell at the actress. "We've gotta go alert the Professor"! But wait! The actress is pointing toward the water. A man on a raft approaches. He can save them! They try calling out to him, to warn him away from the shore, but he can't hear them because he's spouting mantras. He's an early prototype Hippie, circa 1964. Somehow he makes it past the glowing foam and lands his raft on the beach, where we can get a closer look at him. In those days, before Flower Power debuted, the Hippie Paradigm had yet to be established. In the early 1960s, what became known as a Hippie was usually portrayed as a kaftan-and-sandal wearing Health Food freak with an Eastern philosophy and a Beatnik vocabulary. The pre-Hippie almost always had shorter hair than his successors, rarely past the collar. All of these things are in evidence here. The rafter even has an Eastern name, "Omar", though he speaks with a Texas accent. He's clearly on scene to provide comic relief, which he does admirably, but Professor Bartell is eventually gonna have to get rid of him, because he can't allow anyone to leave the island.
He has a generator, you see, a huge, solar powered thing that can produce a million volts. He even shows it to the castaways, telling them he can use it to kill off the spreading band of "flesh eaters" that by now are surrounding the island. "We'll use one of my cables to create an electrode, and throw it into the ocean. Hopefully that will destroy them"! What he doesn't say is that the electricity actually has the opposite effect - it makes the doggone things grow, and multiply. He's the maniac who created them.
"The Flesh Eaters" is really well done in many ways. It has great characters (Rita Morley and Martin Kosleck stand out as the Actress and the Professor), an interesting story, a comic element (the rafter) that's introduced at just the right time, and excellent black and white photography that includes art house camera angles. It has unique special effects - the acidic, luminous "flesh eaters", and it's got a great villain (the Professor again). It's even got a Nazi backstory the Professor explains near the end, with death camp experiments shown in flashback.
Howwwww-ever........now just a moment - we'd better pause. Can you handle an extended however? Okay then, let's do it, because it's needed to complete the review. All together now : Howwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww - evvvvvvvvvvvver, despite all these positives, there is one major drawback to this movie.
It drags on for-evah. Can we do a Barbra Streisand accent on that word? Can we say "for-evah"? Better yet, "for-EVAH", with the accent on the second syllable.
Yeppers and yes indeedy, folks. 91 minutes is waaay to long for a movie like this. It should've run about 65 to 70, tops, but instead it's padded out with endless scenes of drunken arguing and pointless character development. The Actress character gets to do her Method Thing as a sarcastic alcoholic, and it sure gets tedious after awhile. Also, the "reveal" that the Professor is behind the creation of the flesh eaters comes way too late and is obvious from the early going. He's a German for God's sake, and this is 1964, so of course he's a Nazi. These factors do unfortunately take away from the end result, and while "The Flesh Eaters" still merits a positive appraisal - Two Regular Thumbs Up - it's a little bit hard to sit through. Toward the end, I found myself looking at the corner of the screen to see how much time was left. I'm still gonna recommend it because of all the good things mentioned above (and some of the fans love it), but you may wanna bring along a pillow if you need a quick nap. //////
That's all I know for the moment. I'm gonna go for my CSUN walk now, as the sun is setting. I hope you had a great day, and I'll see you later tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Monday, June 29, 2020
"Attack of the Puppet People" starring John Hoyt and John Agar, directed by Bert I. Gordon
We were talking about cross-references in our movies. Well, how about this combination : a picture that stars John Agar, is directed by our buddy Bert I. Gordon, and tells the story of a twisted Doll Manufacturer? Put it all together and you've got "Attack of the Puppet People"(1958), in which we revisit the Doll Theme, this time at the hands of actor John Hoyt, who plays "Mr. Franz", the owner of Dolls Incorporated in Los Angeles. Unlike the evil Neil Hamilton, who owned the doll shop in "The Devil's Hand" (seen a few nights ago), Mr. Franz is a kind, friendly man. As the movie opens, a troop of Brownies (junior Girl Scouts) is touring his facility. He shows them his creations with pride. One little girl asks to see a set of dolls that are encased in plastic tubes and locked inside a glass cabinet. Mr. Franz explains that they are off limits. "Ahh, those are the only ones I'm afraid you cannot touch. They are from my personal collection".
The next day, a young woman named "Sally Reynolds" (June Kenney) answers an ad in the paper : "Wanted - reliable secretary". She meets with Mr. Franz, who hires her on the spot. In another cross reference, the previous secretary has gone missing, as did the first governess in "The Unseen". "She left without explanation", says Mr. Franz. Sally thinks he's a little strange, but is grateful for the job and settles in. One day, John Agar enters the lobby. He's as smug as ever, treating Sally like wallpaper as he demands to see Mr. Franz. "I'm the best salesman in St. Louis", he brags. Sally explains that Mr. Franz is never to be disturbed when he's working in the shop, especially in the back room, which is marked "No Admittance". Agar reluctantly agrees to honor this request, but tells Sally he'll be back.
Not only does Agar return as promised, but soon he and Sally are dating. One night at the Drive-In, as they are watching "The Amazing Colossal Man" (an inside joke on Bert Gordon's part, haha), Agar proposes to Sally and she accepts. "Great"!, he exclaims. "You're gonna love it in St. Louis". Sally didn't realise the marriage included relocating. "Oh......but what'll I tell Mr. Franz? He relies on me".
"Just tell him the truth", says Agar. "Or, if it's too difficult I can do it for you. I'll go see him tomorrow morning and tell him you're quitting". The next morning, Sally receives a call from Mr. Franz : "My dear, where are you? Are you not coming to work today"? Sally hems and haws. What happened to Agar? He was supposed to give Franz the news. "Uh.....yes Mr. Franz, I'll be right in. I'm sorry, I'm running a little late today". When she gets there, she beats around the bush before finally asking, "Er..Mr. Franz? Did John come by this morning"?
"Yes, Dear. Why"?
"Uh....did he mention anything about me"?
"Well, no. He just came in to tell me he was leaving town, going back home to St. Louis. He got on the train a little while ago".
Sally is stunned but says nothing. She resumes her duties as Mr. Franz putters about the shop. Later, she thinks "John would never just up and leave like that, without an explanation". As she mulls it over, she notices a new doll in the glass cabinet. Holy smokes.......it looks just like John Agar!
Sally's seen enough and goes to the cops, but the detective she talks to is nonplussed. "Lemme get this straight. Your boyfriend's been turned into a doll by your boss. Is that what you're saying"? I've gotta cut in here to sigh and say "My goodness" (uttered with great resignation). Me : "How many times to we have to tell these movie characters that policemen are rationalists who don't believe in weird stuff? I mean, if they don't believe in ghosts, or shape-shifting Satanists, why does Sally assume they are gonna believe in a boyfriend-shrinking dollmaker? I mean, c'mon already......enough is enough"!
But the thing is, she's telling the truth. Sometimes the shoe is on the other foot and movie cops should realise this. In movies, especially horror and sci-fi, the Weird Story is quite often true. The detective agrees to accompany Sally back to the factory, if only because she's so insistent. But when they arrive, Mr. Franz is ready. "Oh hello, Sally. I was wondering where you went. Who is this gentleman"? The detective introduces himself, then states his purpose....well, sort of.
"Miss Reynolds says that her fiancee's gone missing without explanation, and that you were the last to see him. She also says you have a doll that resembles him".
"Well, this is partially true", Franz admits. "I did see him, but he's not missing. He's back in St. Louis by now. As for the doll, that is a hobby of mine. I become sad, you see, when people leave, those I am close to. To relieve the sadness, I make myself a doll in their likeness. I have done this with Mr. Agar, whom I considered a friend. I was very sorry to see him go". Mr. Franz smiles his placid smile. "Ahh yes......Sally sees how lifelike it is, and that is why she contacted you, but let's be realistic here. It's only a doll". He retrieves it from the cabinet and pulls out a lighter, with which he sets it on fire. It quickly melts. "There, you see? It is only a doll, made of plastic", says Mr. Franz. The detective apologises and leaves, feeling embarrassed for Sally, but when he gets back to headquarters he calls the train stations in Los Angeles and St. Louis, just for the heck of it. No one by the name of John Agar ever bought a ticket, nor was on the passenger manifest for any train between the two cities. Very, very strange.
As for Sally, she's upset poor Mr. Franz by bringing a policeman to his factory. He hates to do it, but he's gonna have to take her down a few notches so she doesn't leave the building again. The next time we see her, she is ten inches tall, standing in her own plastic case inside the glass cabinet. In there with her is John Agar and several others, all of whom were acquainted with Mr. Franz but tried to "leave him" at one time or another. This is one of those movies where I could go on all day, haha, so I'm gonna summarize the rest of the story. Suffice it to say that Mr. Franz sees nothing wrong with shrinking his friends. He even lets them out of their containers every few days. He gives them parties, he holds dances. He even makes them mini-cakes and champagne to serve as refreshments. You see, Mr. Franz has a Shrink Ray in his back room. He can miniaturize anything, through the use of acoustic resonance, which I was amazed to discover was not unlike the science of harmonic oscillation that is explained by Dr. Farrell in "Giza Death Star". But yeah, Mr. Franz feels he's done all his friends a favor : "Look at you; you've all got it made. No jobs to go to, no work to do, no bills to pay. All you have to do is have fun! That's all I want you to do, so you'll always be happy. Would any of you like another ice cream"?
See? I told ya Mr. Franz was a nice guy. The tiny folks, though, they don't see it that way. John Agar makes a plan with the others to escape, using the oversized telephone to call for help. It doesn't work because their voices aren't loud enough to be heard, but that doesn't stop Agar. You can shrink the man but you can't shrink his spirit or his ego. Actually, Agar is pretty good in this movie. I can't really poke fun at him this time. He and the other actors have fun with the Giant Furniture set, which they have to climb over in their escape attempt. But it's John Hoyt at "Mr. Franz" who steals the show. He never stops with the Kindly Keeper facade, and in fact it's not a put on. He really does love his Little Friends, donchaknow. He does everything for them, like God would. All he asks in return is that they never leave him. Poor Mr. Franz.......he'd be so lonely without his friends. Hoyt plays him to the hilt, right up to the edge of satire without crossing the line.
I thought "Attack of the Puppet People" was one of Bert Gordon's best movies. He's got a good story, good characters, good actors and his usual excellent photography. The Shrink Ray Laboratory looks great, and I liked that Gordon didn't overdo the size gimmick, like he did in "Amazing Colossal Man". This time, he has a more interesting protagonist to focus on in Mr. Franz, so the Small Dolls aspect isn't required to carry the movie. It's really good overall and earns Two Big Thumbs Up. The Youtube print is razor sharp too, so don't miss it. Highly recommended, //////
That's all I've got for the time being. Today's hike was up at Aliso. Still no pictures to post, but I'll try to remedy that tomorrow. See you tonight at the Usual Time!
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
The next day, a young woman named "Sally Reynolds" (June Kenney) answers an ad in the paper : "Wanted - reliable secretary". She meets with Mr. Franz, who hires her on the spot. In another cross reference, the previous secretary has gone missing, as did the first governess in "The Unseen". "She left without explanation", says Mr. Franz. Sally thinks he's a little strange, but is grateful for the job and settles in. One day, John Agar enters the lobby. He's as smug as ever, treating Sally like wallpaper as he demands to see Mr. Franz. "I'm the best salesman in St. Louis", he brags. Sally explains that Mr. Franz is never to be disturbed when he's working in the shop, especially in the back room, which is marked "No Admittance". Agar reluctantly agrees to honor this request, but tells Sally he'll be back.
Not only does Agar return as promised, but soon he and Sally are dating. One night at the Drive-In, as they are watching "The Amazing Colossal Man" (an inside joke on Bert Gordon's part, haha), Agar proposes to Sally and she accepts. "Great"!, he exclaims. "You're gonna love it in St. Louis". Sally didn't realise the marriage included relocating. "Oh......but what'll I tell Mr. Franz? He relies on me".
"Just tell him the truth", says Agar. "Or, if it's too difficult I can do it for you. I'll go see him tomorrow morning and tell him you're quitting". The next morning, Sally receives a call from Mr. Franz : "My dear, where are you? Are you not coming to work today"? Sally hems and haws. What happened to Agar? He was supposed to give Franz the news. "Uh.....yes Mr. Franz, I'll be right in. I'm sorry, I'm running a little late today". When she gets there, she beats around the bush before finally asking, "Er..Mr. Franz? Did John come by this morning"?
"Yes, Dear. Why"?
"Uh....did he mention anything about me"?
"Well, no. He just came in to tell me he was leaving town, going back home to St. Louis. He got on the train a little while ago".
Sally is stunned but says nothing. She resumes her duties as Mr. Franz putters about the shop. Later, she thinks "John would never just up and leave like that, without an explanation". As she mulls it over, she notices a new doll in the glass cabinet. Holy smokes.......it looks just like John Agar!
Sally's seen enough and goes to the cops, but the detective she talks to is nonplussed. "Lemme get this straight. Your boyfriend's been turned into a doll by your boss. Is that what you're saying"? I've gotta cut in here to sigh and say "My goodness" (uttered with great resignation). Me : "How many times to we have to tell these movie characters that policemen are rationalists who don't believe in weird stuff? I mean, if they don't believe in ghosts, or shape-shifting Satanists, why does Sally assume they are gonna believe in a boyfriend-shrinking dollmaker? I mean, c'mon already......enough is enough"!
But the thing is, she's telling the truth. Sometimes the shoe is on the other foot and movie cops should realise this. In movies, especially horror and sci-fi, the Weird Story is quite often true. The detective agrees to accompany Sally back to the factory, if only because she's so insistent. But when they arrive, Mr. Franz is ready. "Oh hello, Sally. I was wondering where you went. Who is this gentleman"? The detective introduces himself, then states his purpose....well, sort of.
"Miss Reynolds says that her fiancee's gone missing without explanation, and that you were the last to see him. She also says you have a doll that resembles him".
"Well, this is partially true", Franz admits. "I did see him, but he's not missing. He's back in St. Louis by now. As for the doll, that is a hobby of mine. I become sad, you see, when people leave, those I am close to. To relieve the sadness, I make myself a doll in their likeness. I have done this with Mr. Agar, whom I considered a friend. I was very sorry to see him go". Mr. Franz smiles his placid smile. "Ahh yes......Sally sees how lifelike it is, and that is why she contacted you, but let's be realistic here. It's only a doll". He retrieves it from the cabinet and pulls out a lighter, with which he sets it on fire. It quickly melts. "There, you see? It is only a doll, made of plastic", says Mr. Franz. The detective apologises and leaves, feeling embarrassed for Sally, but when he gets back to headquarters he calls the train stations in Los Angeles and St. Louis, just for the heck of it. No one by the name of John Agar ever bought a ticket, nor was on the passenger manifest for any train between the two cities. Very, very strange.
As for Sally, she's upset poor Mr. Franz by bringing a policeman to his factory. He hates to do it, but he's gonna have to take her down a few notches so she doesn't leave the building again. The next time we see her, she is ten inches tall, standing in her own plastic case inside the glass cabinet. In there with her is John Agar and several others, all of whom were acquainted with Mr. Franz but tried to "leave him" at one time or another. This is one of those movies where I could go on all day, haha, so I'm gonna summarize the rest of the story. Suffice it to say that Mr. Franz sees nothing wrong with shrinking his friends. He even lets them out of their containers every few days. He gives them parties, he holds dances. He even makes them mini-cakes and champagne to serve as refreshments. You see, Mr. Franz has a Shrink Ray in his back room. He can miniaturize anything, through the use of acoustic resonance, which I was amazed to discover was not unlike the science of harmonic oscillation that is explained by Dr. Farrell in "Giza Death Star". But yeah, Mr. Franz feels he's done all his friends a favor : "Look at you; you've all got it made. No jobs to go to, no work to do, no bills to pay. All you have to do is have fun! That's all I want you to do, so you'll always be happy. Would any of you like another ice cream"?
See? I told ya Mr. Franz was a nice guy. The tiny folks, though, they don't see it that way. John Agar makes a plan with the others to escape, using the oversized telephone to call for help. It doesn't work because their voices aren't loud enough to be heard, but that doesn't stop Agar. You can shrink the man but you can't shrink his spirit or his ego. Actually, Agar is pretty good in this movie. I can't really poke fun at him this time. He and the other actors have fun with the Giant Furniture set, which they have to climb over in their escape attempt. But it's John Hoyt at "Mr. Franz" who steals the show. He never stops with the Kindly Keeper facade, and in fact it's not a put on. He really does love his Little Friends, donchaknow. He does everything for them, like God would. All he asks in return is that they never leave him. Poor Mr. Franz.......he'd be so lonely without his friends. Hoyt plays him to the hilt, right up to the edge of satire without crossing the line.
I thought "Attack of the Puppet People" was one of Bert Gordon's best movies. He's got a good story, good characters, good actors and his usual excellent photography. The Shrink Ray Laboratory looks great, and I liked that Gordon didn't overdo the size gimmick, like he did in "Amazing Colossal Man". This time, he has a more interesting protagonist to focus on in Mr. Franz, so the Small Dolls aspect isn't required to carry the movie. It's really good overall and earns Two Big Thumbs Up. The Youtube print is razor sharp too, so don't miss it. Highly recommended, //////
That's all I've got for the time being. Today's hike was up at Aliso. Still no pictures to post, but I'll try to remedy that tomorrow. See you tonight at the Usual Time!
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
"Devil's Partner" starring Ed Nelson, Jean Allison and Richard Crane
This blog was begun Sunday night June 28th, and completed the following day :
Tonight's film was another Satanic Spectacular, courtesy of Spooky Movie Dave, who's been coming through for us big time this week. It was called "Devil's Partner"(1961), the story of an elderly gent who sells his soul to Beelzebub in return for two years of youth. The opening scene shows old, bent over "Pete Jensen" (Ed Nelson) carrying a goat back to his shack, in an unnamed Southern town. This is another movie that wastes no time getting down to business, so if you're squeamish you may want to close your eyes for the first couple of minutes, because old Pete is gonna perform a ritual sacrifice.
Don't worry - it's depicted in shadow ("no animals were harmed during the making of this motion picture"), but it's still sick and twisted. Pete has a pentagram drawn on his floor. He smears it with goat's blood, kneels in prayer and signs a contract. Norwegian Black Metallers have got nothing on this guy. Moments later, an arm appears on the right. It takes the stylus from Pete's hand and signs in agreement. You can guess who the hand belongs to, and we're off and running. Old Pete dies right there on his floor, and the next thing we see is a car, traveling up the Keys Highway in Florida (though Florida is never specified and the movie looks to have been shot in Thousand Oaks).
We then cut to a diner in the aforementioned small town. The waitress is shooting the breeze with a customer, when a handsome young man walks in and orders a coffee. She asks if he's new in town. He replies "yes, I've just arrived to check on my Uncle". His Uncle is Pete Jensen, now deceased. The young man's name is "Nick Richards". He too is played by Ed Nelson, without the octogenarian makeup. There's never any question who Nick really is. He's old Pete, brought back to life and young again, according to the terms of his contract.
Nicks takes up residence in Pete's shack, and is visited by "Nell Lucas" (Jean Allison), a young woman who knew Pete. She's come to get a supply of goat's milk that she brings to her father, a local physician (Edgar Buchanan). "It works wonders on his TB patients", she reports. Nick explains that his Uncle has passed away, but he'd be happy to continue the supply. "Come by anytime", he tells her.
Nick needs money, and lands a job at the local gas station. By coincidence, the owner's girlfriend is Nell. Nick fixates on her, but keeps his feelings to himself. However, back at the shack, late at night, he pulls a floor rug away to uncover the old pentagram, which he uses to begin casting spells on "David" (Richard Crane), the boss who is now his rival. He means to win Nell away from David. We see Nick projecting himself into the body of David's dog, a big German Shepherd. The dog then turns on David and attacks him, severely mauling his face. It seems inexplicable. David loved his dog and vice versa. Now he's scarred for life. Nick visits him in the hospital, feigning sympathy. He "consoles" Nell, pretending to be the "caring friend". "I'll pray for David", he tells her. Yeah, he'll pray all right - (cue The Church Lady)......."to Satan"!
Nick takes over the day-to-day running of the gas station, playing the Loyal Employee in his boss's absence. He continues to visit Nell, always as the Platonic Good Guy, but ever so slowly he begins to turn her away from David. "You realize he'll have psychological problems resulting from his disfigurement". "Oh, but I don't care what he looks like", she replies. "I love him for who he is".
Oh yeah? Well, Nick will see about that.
David gets some good news when Nell's father finds a plastic surgeon who can repair his face. However, the man is killed en route when he crashes into a cow in the middle of the highway. How did it get there? The nearest farm is miles away.
One night, the town drunk comes to the shack asking for spare change. Nick shoos him away, but once he's outside he stops to peek in the window. He sees Nick performing a ritual. Nick sees him, too. Minutes later, he is trampled by a black stallion that appears in the street as he walks home.
By now, the Sheriff gets involved. People are being killed or maimed and Nick always seems to be on the periphery. Everyone agrees he's the nicest guy, but there's also something really weird about him, like he's imperturbable. His demeanor never changes, no matter the latest news. Also, he's physically unusual. "It's been a hundred degrees for over a week", muses the Sheriff. "He's outside all day at the gas station, but I've never seen him break a sweat. He never has a hair out of place".
The Sheriff decides to pay Nick a visit. When he gets to the shack, no one is home, so he enters and sees the pentagram on the floor. Outside, his dog is digging at a patch of dirt. Goat bones are uncovered. "What the hell is this guy up to"?, he wonders. Of course, the Sheriff is a rational minded lawman. Whatever Nick is hiding, it's a long way from proving he's behind the deaths and David's mauling, all of which were caused by animals.
Meanwhile, Nick has almost achieved success in prying Nell away from David, who's become very depressed following the death of the plastic surgeon. "You should just live your life without me", he tells Nell. It's one of those situations where the more he withdraws, the more she tries to draw him out, using love and compassion, until finally his depression pushes her away and into the arms of Nick, a vulture posing as a good friend. He's just been waiting for the chance to swoop all along.
The plot is pretty simple : "Crotchety old man makes Faustian bargain to get revenge on townsfolk who hated him". Some fans at IMDB have wondered if the script was tinkered with, or the movie re-edited, because the "revenge" factor is hard to see at first. When "Old Pete" returns as "Nick", he doesn't seem to know anyone. Then he finds out that Pete - his former self - was generally disliked by everyone in town, except Nell and her father, the physician. That sort of explains his motivation for fixating on Nell, but it's worth noting that the movie was made in 1958 and then shelved for three years until it's release in '61. So maybe it went through some reworking. Overall, though, as far as Weird Horror Movies go, this one's right up there with the weirdest. To begin with, it's got the pentagram and goat's blood, which is weird enough in, say, a Hammer Studios film with a gothic setting. But here, we have an old man in a one room Hilbilly shack performing the rituals. We expect it of Christopher Lee, but the atmosphere in "Devil's Partner" is more out of "Eaten Alive" or one of those "Small Town in Texas" movies that were popular in the mid-70s. In short, the story is good, if by-the-book, but the weirdness, the sheer creepiness, is off the charts! For that reason, and the excellent location photography (I'd love to know where the gas station was), I'm gonna give it Two Big Thumbs Up, with a reminder that it's not for the squeamish. Highly recommended for horror fans. /////
Well, now I'm getting caught up. It's Monday afternoon, so I'll probably head out on a hike in a little while. Gotta do some shopping too. Have a great day and I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tonight's film was another Satanic Spectacular, courtesy of Spooky Movie Dave, who's been coming through for us big time this week. It was called "Devil's Partner"(1961), the story of an elderly gent who sells his soul to Beelzebub in return for two years of youth. The opening scene shows old, bent over "Pete Jensen" (Ed Nelson) carrying a goat back to his shack, in an unnamed Southern town. This is another movie that wastes no time getting down to business, so if you're squeamish you may want to close your eyes for the first couple of minutes, because old Pete is gonna perform a ritual sacrifice.
Don't worry - it's depicted in shadow ("no animals were harmed during the making of this motion picture"), but it's still sick and twisted. Pete has a pentagram drawn on his floor. He smears it with goat's blood, kneels in prayer and signs a contract. Norwegian Black Metallers have got nothing on this guy. Moments later, an arm appears on the right. It takes the stylus from Pete's hand and signs in agreement. You can guess who the hand belongs to, and we're off and running. Old Pete dies right there on his floor, and the next thing we see is a car, traveling up the Keys Highway in Florida (though Florida is never specified and the movie looks to have been shot in Thousand Oaks).
We then cut to a diner in the aforementioned small town. The waitress is shooting the breeze with a customer, when a handsome young man walks in and orders a coffee. She asks if he's new in town. He replies "yes, I've just arrived to check on my Uncle". His Uncle is Pete Jensen, now deceased. The young man's name is "Nick Richards". He too is played by Ed Nelson, without the octogenarian makeup. There's never any question who Nick really is. He's old Pete, brought back to life and young again, according to the terms of his contract.
Nicks takes up residence in Pete's shack, and is visited by "Nell Lucas" (Jean Allison), a young woman who knew Pete. She's come to get a supply of goat's milk that she brings to her father, a local physician (Edgar Buchanan). "It works wonders on his TB patients", she reports. Nick explains that his Uncle has passed away, but he'd be happy to continue the supply. "Come by anytime", he tells her.
Nick needs money, and lands a job at the local gas station. By coincidence, the owner's girlfriend is Nell. Nick fixates on her, but keeps his feelings to himself. However, back at the shack, late at night, he pulls a floor rug away to uncover the old pentagram, which he uses to begin casting spells on "David" (Richard Crane), the boss who is now his rival. He means to win Nell away from David. We see Nick projecting himself into the body of David's dog, a big German Shepherd. The dog then turns on David and attacks him, severely mauling his face. It seems inexplicable. David loved his dog and vice versa. Now he's scarred for life. Nick visits him in the hospital, feigning sympathy. He "consoles" Nell, pretending to be the "caring friend". "I'll pray for David", he tells her. Yeah, he'll pray all right - (cue The Church Lady)......."to Satan"!
Nick takes over the day-to-day running of the gas station, playing the Loyal Employee in his boss's absence. He continues to visit Nell, always as the Platonic Good Guy, but ever so slowly he begins to turn her away from David. "You realize he'll have psychological problems resulting from his disfigurement". "Oh, but I don't care what he looks like", she replies. "I love him for who he is".
Oh yeah? Well, Nick will see about that.
David gets some good news when Nell's father finds a plastic surgeon who can repair his face. However, the man is killed en route when he crashes into a cow in the middle of the highway. How did it get there? The nearest farm is miles away.
One night, the town drunk comes to the shack asking for spare change. Nick shoos him away, but once he's outside he stops to peek in the window. He sees Nick performing a ritual. Nick sees him, too. Minutes later, he is trampled by a black stallion that appears in the street as he walks home.
By now, the Sheriff gets involved. People are being killed or maimed and Nick always seems to be on the periphery. Everyone agrees he's the nicest guy, but there's also something really weird about him, like he's imperturbable. His demeanor never changes, no matter the latest news. Also, he's physically unusual. "It's been a hundred degrees for over a week", muses the Sheriff. "He's outside all day at the gas station, but I've never seen him break a sweat. He never has a hair out of place".
The Sheriff decides to pay Nick a visit. When he gets to the shack, no one is home, so he enters and sees the pentagram on the floor. Outside, his dog is digging at a patch of dirt. Goat bones are uncovered. "What the hell is this guy up to"?, he wonders. Of course, the Sheriff is a rational minded lawman. Whatever Nick is hiding, it's a long way from proving he's behind the deaths and David's mauling, all of which were caused by animals.
Meanwhile, Nick has almost achieved success in prying Nell away from David, who's become very depressed following the death of the plastic surgeon. "You should just live your life without me", he tells Nell. It's one of those situations where the more he withdraws, the more she tries to draw him out, using love and compassion, until finally his depression pushes her away and into the arms of Nick, a vulture posing as a good friend. He's just been waiting for the chance to swoop all along.
The plot is pretty simple : "Crotchety old man makes Faustian bargain to get revenge on townsfolk who hated him". Some fans at IMDB have wondered if the script was tinkered with, or the movie re-edited, because the "revenge" factor is hard to see at first. When "Old Pete" returns as "Nick", he doesn't seem to know anyone. Then he finds out that Pete - his former self - was generally disliked by everyone in town, except Nell and her father, the physician. That sort of explains his motivation for fixating on Nell, but it's worth noting that the movie was made in 1958 and then shelved for three years until it's release in '61. So maybe it went through some reworking. Overall, though, as far as Weird Horror Movies go, this one's right up there with the weirdest. To begin with, it's got the pentagram and goat's blood, which is weird enough in, say, a Hammer Studios film with a gothic setting. But here, we have an old man in a one room Hilbilly shack performing the rituals. We expect it of Christopher Lee, but the atmosphere in "Devil's Partner" is more out of "Eaten Alive" or one of those "Small Town in Texas" movies that were popular in the mid-70s. In short, the story is good, if by-the-book, but the weirdness, the sheer creepiness, is off the charts! For that reason, and the excellent location photography (I'd love to know where the gas station was), I'm gonna give it Two Big Thumbs Up, with a reminder that it's not for the squeamish. Highly recommended for horror fans. /////
Well, now I'm getting caught up. It's Monday afternoon, so I'll probably head out on a hike in a little while. Gotta do some shopping too. Have a great day and I'll see you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, June 28, 2020
Elizabeth + "Murder By Television" starring Bela Lugosi
This blog was begun Saturday night June 27th and completed the following day :
Elizabeth, I'm glad to see you posting again. Those were some beautiful sunsets you put up the other day, and I especially liked the one that included the frog sounds. :) Were they frogs? Frogs or crickets, maybe. I also liked tonight's photo of the green trail, and the late night crafting pic that included the feather. Again, I've gotta make sure I'm right. That is a feather, correct? I wasn't 100% sure, because I thought for a minute it might be a quill you were using for the small drawing next to it. Well, I'm happy that you're back, and hope you are enjoying the start of Summer. :):)
Tonight I was pressed for time and needed a quickie. Pizza Flix came through with a 54 minuter called "Murder By Television"(1935). I was intrigued by the year because, although I was aware that Philo Farnsworth transmitted tv images in 1927, I didn't know that there were attempts to market his invention prior to the late 1940s, when TV as we know it first became available to the public. The movie turned out to be rather dull, but the inclusion of an experimental television broadcast provided me with enough curiosity to keep watching.
The plot is standard 1930s low budget : stick a bunch of people in a house and figure out whodunit. "No one is allowed to leave this room"! You've seen a lot of movies like this, though in fairness, this film does venture outside, to the offices of rival broadcast executives, eager to get their hands on the new invention. "Professor James Houghland" (played by Charles Hill Mailes, born 1870!) might be a fictional stand-in for Farnsworth. He's come up with a new way to transmit tv signals, only he doesn't want to sell it. He foresees television as "the greatest force for good in the history of Mankind" (oy!), and wants to keep his invention from being corrupted.
The rival executives scheme amongst themselves : "If he refuses to sell the technology, we'll use other means to obtain it". On the night he demonstrates a worldwide broadcast, Houghland is killed on live TV. To viewers it appears he's suffered a heart attack, but those at the studio suspect foul play.
What ensues is a paint-by-the-numbers investigation with dry dialogue. Several suspects are questioned, including Bela Lugosi, who plays "Arthur Perry", Houghland's assistant. In addition to the "put everyone in a room" motif that was used in countless low budget movies of the early sound era, there was also the "aha"! moment, where a detective would make a Sudden Discovery. This device served as exposition to explain things for confused viewers. In murder mysteries the "aha"! moment was often used several times to maintain interest in an otherwise wooden film, and unfortunately that's what we have here. The acting is stiff, save for Hattie McDaniel and Allen Jung, who provide decidedly non-PC comic relief as Mr. Houghland's maid and houseboy. They and Lugosi seem like the only actors having any fun. The rest of the cast recite their lines as if from cue cards, and then you get an "aha"! moment when an investigative "stone" is overturned. Think of it this way : "Blah blah blah blah" - the characters. "Aha"! - the detective. The "aha"! wakes us up before we nod off.
I'm not trying to be mean, but it's the same old story of a screenwriter either not trying very hard or not having the talent, because there are also a lot of low budget pics from the same era that were very good. Think Poverty Row. Lugosi made quite a few of these hour long mysteries, some good ("Bowery at Midnight", "Phantom Ship" ) some bad (this movie, "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla"). In the early '30s, if you didn't have a budget, you'd better have a good story, because the photography was likely to be static and there usually was no music. These movies very often resemble a stage play, where the editor decides which character you'll be looking at. In those days, a movie without a budget didn't "move". So you needed a good story, and actors with enthusiasm. Here you have neither, except for Bela, Hattie (who's always great), and Allen Jung.
There isn't much to say about this movie except that the murder involves the broadcast technology itself, which is interesting from a scientific point of view. There is one thing to recommend it, and it may actually make the film worth watching for some fans. That is the use of actual experimental television equipment circa 1935, including a massive black and white tv set. I don't know how any of it worked, though I plan to do some reading. It fascinates me because my Dad was a part of the early commercial TV era, beginning in 1951, when the Big Three Networks first began to come into American homes on a nightly basis.
But I'm afraid I can't recommend "Murder By Television" other than as a historical curiosity. Watch it if you wanna see the tv equipment (which is pretty cool), or if you're a Bela Lugosi completist, otherwise Two Thumbs Down. ////
How're we doing with the movie reviews? Are you enjoying them, and should I keep going? I enjoy writing them, although when I'm at Pearl's it's not always easy to keep up. I love watching movies, of course, and they give me something to blog about. I love to write. But maybe I'll begin adding in some occasional Weird Stuff like I used to do back in the old days. Man, I've been writing a blog for twenty years! I began on a long defunct site called Delphi back in 2000. Then around 2003, I moved over to X-Page (also long gone), and finally, I wound up at Myspace in 2005, where I settled in and really started to blog in earnest. I was at Myspace for eight years until they shut down in 2013. My blog there was dedicated mostly to What Happened In Northridge, and I would return to writing about that subject if I had any new information, but unfortunately I do not. Gotta start writing those FOIA letters again. But anyhow, yeah : maybe I'll throw in the odd Weird Blog every now and then, in addition to the movie reviews. Don't hold me to it; I can only do what time permits, but I will try to toss you some curveballs.
That's all for now. I had a nice hike at Santa Susana this afternoon, went to the top of the Slide. The Summer is off to a pretty wimpy start, though. 75 degrees and overcast ain't cuttin' it. Bring on the Heat already! :)
See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Elizabeth, I'm glad to see you posting again. Those were some beautiful sunsets you put up the other day, and I especially liked the one that included the frog sounds. :) Were they frogs? Frogs or crickets, maybe. I also liked tonight's photo of the green trail, and the late night crafting pic that included the feather. Again, I've gotta make sure I'm right. That is a feather, correct? I wasn't 100% sure, because I thought for a minute it might be a quill you were using for the small drawing next to it. Well, I'm happy that you're back, and hope you are enjoying the start of Summer. :):)
The plot is standard 1930s low budget : stick a bunch of people in a house and figure out whodunit. "No one is allowed to leave this room"! You've seen a lot of movies like this, though in fairness, this film does venture outside, to the offices of rival broadcast executives, eager to get their hands on the new invention. "Professor James Houghland" (played by Charles Hill Mailes, born 1870!) might be a fictional stand-in for Farnsworth. He's come up with a new way to transmit tv signals, only he doesn't want to sell it. He foresees television as "the greatest force for good in the history of Mankind" (oy!), and wants to keep his invention from being corrupted.
The rival executives scheme amongst themselves : "If he refuses to sell the technology, we'll use other means to obtain it". On the night he demonstrates a worldwide broadcast, Houghland is killed on live TV. To viewers it appears he's suffered a heart attack, but those at the studio suspect foul play.
What ensues is a paint-by-the-numbers investigation with dry dialogue. Several suspects are questioned, including Bela Lugosi, who plays "Arthur Perry", Houghland's assistant. In addition to the "put everyone in a room" motif that was used in countless low budget movies of the early sound era, there was also the "aha"! moment, where a detective would make a Sudden Discovery. This device served as exposition to explain things for confused viewers. In murder mysteries the "aha"! moment was often used several times to maintain interest in an otherwise wooden film, and unfortunately that's what we have here. The acting is stiff, save for Hattie McDaniel and Allen Jung, who provide decidedly non-PC comic relief as Mr. Houghland's maid and houseboy. They and Lugosi seem like the only actors having any fun. The rest of the cast recite their lines as if from cue cards, and then you get an "aha"! moment when an investigative "stone" is overturned. Think of it this way : "Blah blah blah blah" - the characters. "Aha"! - the detective. The "aha"! wakes us up before we nod off.
I'm not trying to be mean, but it's the same old story of a screenwriter either not trying very hard or not having the talent, because there are also a lot of low budget pics from the same era that were very good. Think Poverty Row. Lugosi made quite a few of these hour long mysteries, some good ("Bowery at Midnight", "Phantom Ship" ) some bad (this movie, "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla"). In the early '30s, if you didn't have a budget, you'd better have a good story, because the photography was likely to be static and there usually was no music. These movies very often resemble a stage play, where the editor decides which character you'll be looking at. In those days, a movie without a budget didn't "move". So you needed a good story, and actors with enthusiasm. Here you have neither, except for Bela, Hattie (who's always great), and Allen Jung.
There isn't much to say about this movie except that the murder involves the broadcast technology itself, which is interesting from a scientific point of view. There is one thing to recommend it, and it may actually make the film worth watching for some fans. That is the use of actual experimental television equipment circa 1935, including a massive black and white tv set. I don't know how any of it worked, though I plan to do some reading. It fascinates me because my Dad was a part of the early commercial TV era, beginning in 1951, when the Big Three Networks first began to come into American homes on a nightly basis.
But I'm afraid I can't recommend "Murder By Television" other than as a historical curiosity. Watch it if you wanna see the tv equipment (which is pretty cool), or if you're a Bela Lugosi completist, otherwise Two Thumbs Down. ////
How're we doing with the movie reviews? Are you enjoying them, and should I keep going? I enjoy writing them, although when I'm at Pearl's it's not always easy to keep up. I love watching movies, of course, and they give me something to blog about. I love to write. But maybe I'll begin adding in some occasional Weird Stuff like I used to do back in the old days. Man, I've been writing a blog for twenty years! I began on a long defunct site called Delphi back in 2000. Then around 2003, I moved over to X-Page (also long gone), and finally, I wound up at Myspace in 2005, where I settled in and really started to blog in earnest. I was at Myspace for eight years until they shut down in 2013. My blog there was dedicated mostly to What Happened In Northridge, and I would return to writing about that subject if I had any new information, but unfortunately I do not. Gotta start writing those FOIA letters again. But anyhow, yeah : maybe I'll throw in the odd Weird Blog every now and then, in addition to the movie reviews. Don't hold me to it; I can only do what time permits, but I will try to toss you some curveballs.
That's all for now. I had a nice hike at Santa Susana this afternoon, went to the top of the Slide. The Summer is off to a pretty wimpy start, though. 75 degrees and overcast ain't cuttin' it. Bring on the Heat already! :)
See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Saturday, June 27, 2020
"The Unseen" starring Gail Russell and Joel McCrea
In 1944, director Lewis Allen made a movie called "The Uninvited", starring Gail Russell and Ray Milland. It was a classic of the Ghost Story genre, with all the necessary ingredients : an old house that holds secrets, a shadowy atmosphere, an inquisitive protagonist, tension-building camerawork and editing, and in this case, first class special effects - one of the earliest and most realistic depictions of a "spectre" that I am aware of. I discovered the movie several years ago when it was restored by Criterion, and I bought a copy. For me, it's in the canon of The Scariest Movies Ever Made.
Allen followed up "The Uninvited" with "The Unseen", a title likely to draw the same viewers, and he once again enlisted Gail Russell as his star, this time pairing her with Joel McCrea. Though Russell's personal story is one of the saddest in Hollywood, she was a talented and immensely likable actress with a gift for inspiring empathy. Her specialty was the dedicated but vulnerable young woman. I've only seen her in a handful of films, but she always stands out, and in "The Uninvited" it is her performance that gives the story it's traction. She's not merely a "scream queen" but someone who invests real feelings in her characters.
As a fan of both Russell and "The Uninvited", I'd been looking for a copy of "The Unseen" for years. Every so often I'd check Amazon but no dvd was ever available. Finally, Spooky Movie Dave posted the movie on his Youtube channel. Last night, I sat down to watch it. My anticipation was high.
Russell plays "Elizabeth Howard", the governess for the children of "David Fielding" (McCrea), a widower who lives in an old row house in an unnamed city, likely New York. His kids are a mixed pair. Ellen is a sweet little girl who takes to Russell immediately, but her brother Barnaby, a year older, is a sullen brat. He disobeys Russell at every turn. "I hate you, you're my enemy"!, he tells her. It seems Barnaby had a crush on the previous governess, Maxine, who was fired for an unknown reason. Fielding tells Russell that it's okay to discipline the boy. "Set some limits. It'll do him good". So she forbids him to use the telephone without asking. He's on the phone a lot, always late at night. Russell can never find out who he's talking to, but it sounds like an older person, someone Barnaby is taking orders from. When she asks who the caller is, he says "it's no one". He's entirely uncooperative.
Shortly after Russell moves in, an old woman is murdered in nearby Salem Alley. The police have no clue who did it, but little Ellen tells Russell "it was the man next door, the man who lives in the empty house". Mr. Fielding had mentioned the house. "It's been vacant for twelve years. There's a story behind it, but it's nothing you need to be bothered with". One of the maids hints at a death; the lady of the house. She too may have been murdered. Whatever the reason, it was enough to clear the property for over a decade. No one wants to live there, but apparently someone does, at least according to Ellen. She knows even more : "That's who Barnaby talks to, on the telephone. The man who lives there gives him things to do, and pays him for it". We have a heck of a plot developing.
Russell continues to gently prod Barnaby for information, but he won't name the caller. He's good at changing the subject. For his part, Mr. Fielding has given up on the boy. He's an absentee father who's never home much, and when he is, he's usually entertaining a guest. "Dr. Charles Evans" (Herbert Marshall) is a frequent visitor.
One night, after the children have gone to bed, Russell hears a noise in the cellar. When she goes down there to investigate, she finds a watch that belonged to the old woman murdered in Salem Alley. Mr. Fielding tells Elizabeth again not to concern herself with anything but her duties. By now, though, she's getting pretty scared. Dr. Evans advises her to lock all the doors and windows at night, which she does, but it does no good because little Ellen reveals that Barnaby is unlocking the front door after she goes to bed. Someone is entering the house in the middle of the night, and it's obviously the phone caller. But who is he? And did he plant the dead woman's watch, or was it already there, in the cellar?
If you want a layered story, this is the movie for you. The problem is that it grows too complex for it's own good. At first, because of the title and the return of Gail Russell and director Lewis Allen, I was expecting another ghost story, perhaps a sequel to "The Uninvited". But "The Unseen" turned out to be a murder mystery with everything hanging on Who Done It. It's got atmosphere galore and the same flair for suspense that Allen brought to the first picture. But it becomes so convoluted that it's hard to follow at times. Too many characters are introduced. For instance, all of a sudden a woman comes to the door, announcing that she is the owner of the empty house. "I've returned after all this time to sell it". Okay, but if so, why knock on Fielding's door? It's meant to deepen the mystery, but all it does, in my opinion, is muddy the waters.
The screenplay was adapted from a book, and this woman becomes a central character, but in the film her appearances are so sporadic you find yourself asking, "what was her motivation again"? There just wasn't enough room in an 82 minute movie to develop her plot thread. Had they cut out the different maid characters, and the pointless "Maxine" subtheme, they could've devoted more time to the lady who owns the empty house. It would've really helped untangle things. A final complaint is the score. Music can be an enormous asset to any film, especially a mystery, but they overdid it here. Every bump in the night, every trip down a darkened hallway, every move anyone makes is cued by trilling violins, which rise to a crescendo before the scare. It's waaay too much. The thing is, Gail Russell's performance is so good, they didn't need to accentuate anything. She carries the movie. Allen should've trusted her.
It's still a good film, but the story simply gets out of hand. Had Allen and his screenwriter worked harder to contain it, they could've had another classic along the lines of "The Uninvited", albeit a melodrama rather than a horror movie. I'm still gonna give it Two Solid Thumbs Up, mainly because of Gail Russell and the aforementioned technical excellence. It's well worth seeing. It just could've been better. ////
I'm just getting home after my latest work cycle at Pearl's. Once again I've finished this review in a mad rush, just to get caught up, so please excuse poor sentence construction where it exists, and any typos as well. Check back for a corrected version tomorrow morning. Thanks.
That's all for the moment. See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Allen followed up "The Uninvited" with "The Unseen", a title likely to draw the same viewers, and he once again enlisted Gail Russell as his star, this time pairing her with Joel McCrea. Though Russell's personal story is one of the saddest in Hollywood, she was a talented and immensely likable actress with a gift for inspiring empathy. Her specialty was the dedicated but vulnerable young woman. I've only seen her in a handful of films, but she always stands out, and in "The Uninvited" it is her performance that gives the story it's traction. She's not merely a "scream queen" but someone who invests real feelings in her characters.
As a fan of both Russell and "The Uninvited", I'd been looking for a copy of "The Unseen" for years. Every so often I'd check Amazon but no dvd was ever available. Finally, Spooky Movie Dave posted the movie on his Youtube channel. Last night, I sat down to watch it. My anticipation was high.
Russell plays "Elizabeth Howard", the governess for the children of "David Fielding" (McCrea), a widower who lives in an old row house in an unnamed city, likely New York. His kids are a mixed pair. Ellen is a sweet little girl who takes to Russell immediately, but her brother Barnaby, a year older, is a sullen brat. He disobeys Russell at every turn. "I hate you, you're my enemy"!, he tells her. It seems Barnaby had a crush on the previous governess, Maxine, who was fired for an unknown reason. Fielding tells Russell that it's okay to discipline the boy. "Set some limits. It'll do him good". So she forbids him to use the telephone without asking. He's on the phone a lot, always late at night. Russell can never find out who he's talking to, but it sounds like an older person, someone Barnaby is taking orders from. When she asks who the caller is, he says "it's no one". He's entirely uncooperative.
Shortly after Russell moves in, an old woman is murdered in nearby Salem Alley. The police have no clue who did it, but little Ellen tells Russell "it was the man next door, the man who lives in the empty house". Mr. Fielding had mentioned the house. "It's been vacant for twelve years. There's a story behind it, but it's nothing you need to be bothered with". One of the maids hints at a death; the lady of the house. She too may have been murdered. Whatever the reason, it was enough to clear the property for over a decade. No one wants to live there, but apparently someone does, at least according to Ellen. She knows even more : "That's who Barnaby talks to, on the telephone. The man who lives there gives him things to do, and pays him for it". We have a heck of a plot developing.
Russell continues to gently prod Barnaby for information, but he won't name the caller. He's good at changing the subject. For his part, Mr. Fielding has given up on the boy. He's an absentee father who's never home much, and when he is, he's usually entertaining a guest. "Dr. Charles Evans" (Herbert Marshall) is a frequent visitor.
One night, after the children have gone to bed, Russell hears a noise in the cellar. When she goes down there to investigate, she finds a watch that belonged to the old woman murdered in Salem Alley. Mr. Fielding tells Elizabeth again not to concern herself with anything but her duties. By now, though, she's getting pretty scared. Dr. Evans advises her to lock all the doors and windows at night, which she does, but it does no good because little Ellen reveals that Barnaby is unlocking the front door after she goes to bed. Someone is entering the house in the middle of the night, and it's obviously the phone caller. But who is he? And did he plant the dead woman's watch, or was it already there, in the cellar?
If you want a layered story, this is the movie for you. The problem is that it grows too complex for it's own good. At first, because of the title and the return of Gail Russell and director Lewis Allen, I was expecting another ghost story, perhaps a sequel to "The Uninvited". But "The Unseen" turned out to be a murder mystery with everything hanging on Who Done It. It's got atmosphere galore and the same flair for suspense that Allen brought to the first picture. But it becomes so convoluted that it's hard to follow at times. Too many characters are introduced. For instance, all of a sudden a woman comes to the door, announcing that she is the owner of the empty house. "I've returned after all this time to sell it". Okay, but if so, why knock on Fielding's door? It's meant to deepen the mystery, but all it does, in my opinion, is muddy the waters.
The screenplay was adapted from a book, and this woman becomes a central character, but in the film her appearances are so sporadic you find yourself asking, "what was her motivation again"? There just wasn't enough room in an 82 minute movie to develop her plot thread. Had they cut out the different maid characters, and the pointless "Maxine" subtheme, they could've devoted more time to the lady who owns the empty house. It would've really helped untangle things. A final complaint is the score. Music can be an enormous asset to any film, especially a mystery, but they overdid it here. Every bump in the night, every trip down a darkened hallway, every move anyone makes is cued by trilling violins, which rise to a crescendo before the scare. It's waaay too much. The thing is, Gail Russell's performance is so good, they didn't need to accentuate anything. She carries the movie. Allen should've trusted her.
It's still a good film, but the story simply gets out of hand. Had Allen and his screenwriter worked harder to contain it, they could've had another classic along the lines of "The Uninvited", albeit a melodrama rather than a horror movie. I'm still gonna give it Two Solid Thumbs Up, mainly because of Gail Russell and the aforementioned technical excellence. It's well worth seeing. It just could've been better. ////
I'm just getting home after my latest work cycle at Pearl's. Once again I've finished this review in a mad rush, just to get caught up, so please excuse poor sentence construction where it exists, and any typos as well. Check back for a corrected version tomorrow morning. Thanks.
That's all for the moment. See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, June 25, 2020
"The Devil's Hand" starring Robert Alda, Linda Christian and Neil Hamilton
Before I begin tonight's review, a quick note about the soundtrack in "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things". I forgot to mention it last night, but it's fantastic. The music, by Karl Zittrer, is a collection of spooky synthesizer sounds, composed in a way to dial up the sense of unreality as it pertains to what the Hippie actors are experiencing. Zittrer's synths sound like screws turning inside your head, as if your mind can't handle what you're seeing. Tobe Hooper would use a similar tactic two years later for the music on "Texas Chainsaw Massacre". It's great score, and it blends perfectly with the overall soundtrack that includes dialogue and jungle sounds (animal screams, foliage rustling, insect scratchings, etc). I wish there was a soundtrack CD. I'd buy it!
Now on to tonight's picture, a nifty occult thriller called "The Devil's Hand"(1961). Robert Alda stars as "Rick Turner", a man about to marry his sweetheart "Donna" (Ariadne Welter). You've gotta suspend your disbelief pretty quickly in this one, because we jump from the opening scene where Rick has lost his job and the marriage is put on hold, to a dream he is having, where a beautiful woman beckons him to her home. Next, Rick is telling Donna about his dream as they window shop along a Los Angeles boulevard. They pass in front of a Doll Store, and lo and behold, Rick sees a doll that looks exactly like the woman in his dream.
When they go inside to talk to the owner (Neil Hamilton, i.e. "Commissioner Gordon"), he insists that Rick ordered the doll himself. Rick is stunned. "I can assure you, Sir, that I've never been in this shop in my life". But Hamilton won't back down. There's something malevolent in his manner as he continues to assure Rick the doll is his. He shows Rick a photograph of the same woman. "You brought this picture for me to work from. You paid for the doll in advance. Would you like me to gift wrap it for you"?
Feeling very ill at ease, Rick and Donna leave the shop. Rick tells her the man's mistaken. "I've never met him, and I never bought a doll. But that is the woman in my dream! She's in that photograph, too"! He also guarantees Donna he's not having an affair, but she loves and trusts him. "Just don't leave me for your Dream Woman", she jokes. That night, Rick has the dream again. He tells Donna he needs to take action, so they go back to the shop, and this time there is a doll of Donna, too. "Who ordered this doll"?, Rick demands. "A lady who is one of my regular customers", Hamilton answers. "It's quite obviously the likeness of my fiancee", Rick replies, indicating Donna. They know Hamilton is messing with them, so Rick presses him for the woman's address. "This 'regular customer'.....who is she? Where does she live"?
Hamilton twists the whole thing into a pretzel. "Why, she's the same woman from your photograph. I should think you'd already know her".
"Tell me where she lives"!
Hamilton gives Rick her address, as if he meant to all along. "Her name is Bianca Milan, she orders from me all the time".
Rick storms out, with Donna in tow. "Don't forget your doll", Hamilton beckons in their wake.
Rick tells Donna he has to pay a visit to Miss Milan. "I've got to get to the bottom of this, how she's able to invade my dreams. Don't worry Donna, I'm only going to demand that she leave us alone".
But as they continue home, Donna is suddenly stricken with a sharp pain in her chest. Is she having a heart attack? Don't forget that Neil Hamilton runs a doll shop. He also has an assortment of Sharp Pins on hand. Are you getting the picture? That's right! They're Voodoo Dolls.
Rick goes to Bianca Milan's house, and it's as if the dream is coming true. She called him, now he's come. Rick knocks, the door opens, and there in the flesh is the stunning Miss Milan (Linda Christian). He's taken aback by her beauty. Much of his anger dissipates before he even says "hello". She invites him in, they sit down, and Rick makes a half-hearted attempt to get his questions answered. "How are you able to appear in my dreams"?
Milan is coy. "Ohh, you could call it a form of mental telepathy".
"Why did you choose me? What do you want"?
"Very simple. I saw you on the street and found you quite handsome. What I want is you, and here you are". She's basically letting him know she has power over him and there's nothing he can do about it. "Look, Rick, let's be honest with each other. You desire me, too, or you wouldn't be here".
"But the dolls! And the man in the shop; how does he tie into all of this"?
"He is the leader of a group I belong to. His name is Francis Lamont. The dolls are for casting spells, as I have cast on you. But you know you don't mind. You are attracted to me as I am to you. Would you like a drink"?
Rick protests that he's engaged, but it's weak excuse. In another moment he's in Bianca's embrace, there's a Major League Make-Out going on, and all Rick's thoughts of Donna have fallen by the wayside. When they come up for air, he asks Bianca if he can join her group. What he doesn't know is that that's been the plan all along, why Bianca seduced him in the first place, so he could join her circle and be set up for human sacrifice. (yikes)
We find out that Bianca not only works for the demonic Francis Lamont, she's also his girlfriend. They're a Diabolical Dynamic Duo; she brings in the recruits by invading their dreams, and Lamont sacrifices them to Gamba the Evil God, on a ceremonial altar set up in the basement below his doll shop. It's a voodoo ceremony, replete with Native Bongo Drummer. Lamont is much older than Bianca, and has to tolerate her dalliances with men her own age as the price for their sacrificial lambs, but he warns her : "don't fall in love". Now, it looks like she's doing just that with Rick. She wants to sacrifice Donna instead. Rick draws the line at hurting his now-ex fiancee. Donna's still in the hospital with the unknown heart ailment. Rick knows exactly what's ailing her, and promises to remedy it.
One night, he sneaks into the shop and removes the pin from from the Donna doll. She instantly recovers from her "illness" and is ready to leave the hospital the next day. But does Rick want her back, or is he still in Bianca's thrall? The answer isn't clear. Meanwhile, Lamont has discovered that someone's broken into the shop. He places the blame on a newspaper reporter who's been posing as a cult member.The man's car goes off a cliff the same night.
All of this will lead to a four-way showdown between Rick, Lamont, Donna and Bianca. We know where Lamont stands, his only allegiance is to Gamba. And Donna is an innocent. She's still in love with Rick, despite his betrayal. But where does his heart lie? With the sweet, loyal Donna, or the sexy, seductive Bianca, who's only been using him all along. Does he even realize this?
The plot is not complex in this film. Like I said, it basically jumps right in to the Bianca "Dream Theme" and follows it all the way down to the Satanic Sacrifices that take place toward the end. But it's fast-paced and Neil Hamilton excels as the austere Francis Lamont. He's got that unmistakable Voice you remember from the Batman TV series, and a strong Continental accent gives his words authority. He's pure evil as the cult leader, and it must have been a kick for him to play because he began his career in Silent films, was a well-known star during the Golden Era, and always played well heeled, gentlemanly types. Now he's uttering oaths that would put him in league with Alan Ormsby, haha.
"The Devil's Hand" is not particularly scary, nor is the script well-developed, but it looks great and it's weird, which is enough to earn it Two Solid Thumbs Up from your tireless reviewer. Recommended for it's obscure take on the subject matter, and for Neil Hamilton's far out performance. /////
That's all for the moment. This review was written in great haste, so if there are typos or if it's crummy, check back for the edited and sentence corrected version tomorrow afternoon. See you at the Usual Time!
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Now on to tonight's picture, a nifty occult thriller called "The Devil's Hand"(1961). Robert Alda stars as "Rick Turner", a man about to marry his sweetheart "Donna" (Ariadne Welter). You've gotta suspend your disbelief pretty quickly in this one, because we jump from the opening scene where Rick has lost his job and the marriage is put on hold, to a dream he is having, where a beautiful woman beckons him to her home. Next, Rick is telling Donna about his dream as they window shop along a Los Angeles boulevard. They pass in front of a Doll Store, and lo and behold, Rick sees a doll that looks exactly like the woman in his dream.
When they go inside to talk to the owner (Neil Hamilton, i.e. "Commissioner Gordon"), he insists that Rick ordered the doll himself. Rick is stunned. "I can assure you, Sir, that I've never been in this shop in my life". But Hamilton won't back down. There's something malevolent in his manner as he continues to assure Rick the doll is his. He shows Rick a photograph of the same woman. "You brought this picture for me to work from. You paid for the doll in advance. Would you like me to gift wrap it for you"?
Feeling very ill at ease, Rick and Donna leave the shop. Rick tells her the man's mistaken. "I've never met him, and I never bought a doll. But that is the woman in my dream! She's in that photograph, too"! He also guarantees Donna he's not having an affair, but she loves and trusts him. "Just don't leave me for your Dream Woman", she jokes. That night, Rick has the dream again. He tells Donna he needs to take action, so they go back to the shop, and this time there is a doll of Donna, too. "Who ordered this doll"?, Rick demands. "A lady who is one of my regular customers", Hamilton answers. "It's quite obviously the likeness of my fiancee", Rick replies, indicating Donna. They know Hamilton is messing with them, so Rick presses him for the woman's address. "This 'regular customer'.....who is she? Where does she live"?
Hamilton twists the whole thing into a pretzel. "Why, she's the same woman from your photograph. I should think you'd already know her".
"Tell me where she lives"!
Hamilton gives Rick her address, as if he meant to all along. "Her name is Bianca Milan, she orders from me all the time".
Rick storms out, with Donna in tow. "Don't forget your doll", Hamilton beckons in their wake.
Rick tells Donna he has to pay a visit to Miss Milan. "I've got to get to the bottom of this, how she's able to invade my dreams. Don't worry Donna, I'm only going to demand that she leave us alone".
But as they continue home, Donna is suddenly stricken with a sharp pain in her chest. Is she having a heart attack? Don't forget that Neil Hamilton runs a doll shop. He also has an assortment of Sharp Pins on hand. Are you getting the picture? That's right! They're Voodoo Dolls.
Rick goes to Bianca Milan's house, and it's as if the dream is coming true. She called him, now he's come. Rick knocks, the door opens, and there in the flesh is the stunning Miss Milan (Linda Christian). He's taken aback by her beauty. Much of his anger dissipates before he even says "hello". She invites him in, they sit down, and Rick makes a half-hearted attempt to get his questions answered. "How are you able to appear in my dreams"?
Milan is coy. "Ohh, you could call it a form of mental telepathy".
"Why did you choose me? What do you want"?
"Very simple. I saw you on the street and found you quite handsome. What I want is you, and here you are". She's basically letting him know she has power over him and there's nothing he can do about it. "Look, Rick, let's be honest with each other. You desire me, too, or you wouldn't be here".
"But the dolls! And the man in the shop; how does he tie into all of this"?
"He is the leader of a group I belong to. His name is Francis Lamont. The dolls are for casting spells, as I have cast on you. But you know you don't mind. You are attracted to me as I am to you. Would you like a drink"?
Rick protests that he's engaged, but it's weak excuse. In another moment he's in Bianca's embrace, there's a Major League Make-Out going on, and all Rick's thoughts of Donna have fallen by the wayside. When they come up for air, he asks Bianca if he can join her group. What he doesn't know is that that's been the plan all along, why Bianca seduced him in the first place, so he could join her circle and be set up for human sacrifice. (yikes)
We find out that Bianca not only works for the demonic Francis Lamont, she's also his girlfriend. They're a Diabolical Dynamic Duo; she brings in the recruits by invading their dreams, and Lamont sacrifices them to Gamba the Evil God, on a ceremonial altar set up in the basement below his doll shop. It's a voodoo ceremony, replete with Native Bongo Drummer. Lamont is much older than Bianca, and has to tolerate her dalliances with men her own age as the price for their sacrificial lambs, but he warns her : "don't fall in love". Now, it looks like she's doing just that with Rick. She wants to sacrifice Donna instead. Rick draws the line at hurting his now-ex fiancee. Donna's still in the hospital with the unknown heart ailment. Rick knows exactly what's ailing her, and promises to remedy it.
One night, he sneaks into the shop and removes the pin from from the Donna doll. She instantly recovers from her "illness" and is ready to leave the hospital the next day. But does Rick want her back, or is he still in Bianca's thrall? The answer isn't clear. Meanwhile, Lamont has discovered that someone's broken into the shop. He places the blame on a newspaper reporter who's been posing as a cult member.The man's car goes off a cliff the same night.
All of this will lead to a four-way showdown between Rick, Lamont, Donna and Bianca. We know where Lamont stands, his only allegiance is to Gamba. And Donna is an innocent. She's still in love with Rick, despite his betrayal. But where does his heart lie? With the sweet, loyal Donna, or the sexy, seductive Bianca, who's only been using him all along. Does he even realize this?
The plot is not complex in this film. Like I said, it basically jumps right in to the Bianca "Dream Theme" and follows it all the way down to the Satanic Sacrifices that take place toward the end. But it's fast-paced and Neil Hamilton excels as the austere Francis Lamont. He's got that unmistakable Voice you remember from the Batman TV series, and a strong Continental accent gives his words authority. He's pure evil as the cult leader, and it must have been a kick for him to play because he began his career in Silent films, was a well-known star during the Golden Era, and always played well heeled, gentlemanly types. Now he's uttering oaths that would put him in league with Alan Ormsby, haha.
"The Devil's Hand" is not particularly scary, nor is the script well-developed, but it looks great and it's weird, which is enough to earn it Two Solid Thumbs Up from your tireless reviewer. Recommended for it's obscure take on the subject matter, and for Neil Hamilton's far out performance. /////
That's all for the moment. This review was written in great haste, so if there are typos or if it's crummy, check back for the edited and sentence corrected version tomorrow afternoon. See you at the Usual Time!
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, June 24, 2020
"Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" starring Alan Ormsby (absolutely not for the squeamish)
Back in the mid-70s, a staple of late-night TV on weekends was the Midnight Horror Movie. They were shown on local stations like Channel 9 or 11. Sometimes, the programs had a "ghoulish" host, like Seymour, or Elvira later on in the 1980s. The movies they showed were always little known affairs, either a decade old or something that played at drive-ins, second run features nobody had ever heard of. But quite often, they were really scary.
One such movie was the memorably titled "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things"(1972). Sometime around 1975, one of the Midnight Horror channels began programming this film, and for a long time it seemed like the only movie they were showing. Week in, week out, it was "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things". As a budding young horror fan, I stayed up late to watch the weekend movies, and I saw "Children" multiple times during that mid-70s run. I didn't always see the whole movie - sometimes I only caught a few minutes, it varied - but over the period in which it was broadcast, I saw it in it's entirety at least twice, and "in pieces" a half dozen more times. My friends saw it, too. We all talked about it, because it was so totally over the top; a movie about Hippies and Zombies, and..........Devil Worship.
As teenagers, we were mostly fascinated by the Zombies. There were loads of 'em in this flick, and man were they gruesome. The Zombie makeup was especially memorable. But coming in a close second were the Hippies. They were actually a troupe of actors, led by a tyrannical director (Alan Ormsby), who sail to a small island off the coast of Florida to conduct a Satanic ritual. The counterculture aspect made it seem like a joke, but it wasn't, because the story was sacrilegious to the point of utter blasphemy, and it was also freakin' sick. I will tell you about it, but you may want to tune out if you are squeamish.
When the Hippies reach the island, director "Alan" (Alan Ormsby) leads them to an old graveyard that's in a state of disrepair. It's been used as a "potter's field" for years, to bury the indigent. In other words, it's the perfect place for Alan to conduct his ritual, which will conclude with the exhumation of a body. Again, I'm warning you, this is a twisted story. I should add that there is an element of black comedy. The "Alan" character is played by Ormsby as a pompous fool, who speaks with an aggrandized accent and vocabulary. Do you remember the episode of "King of the Hill", where Bobby met an older kid who headed up a "Dungeons and Dragons"-type cult? The older kid used fancy language; his favorite word was "resplendent"! That's kind of who "director Alan" reminds me of, though his character was written long before "King of the Hill". Anyhow, suffice it to say that I only feel the need to explain these things because we live in a PC Age of Taking Offense At Everything. In 1975, none of my friends, nor me, would have been offended by this movie. We would've just thought it was gross and hilarious, and freakin' scary, the way teenagers view such things. I guess now we have "The Walking Dead" (which was certainly influenced by this flick), but that show doesn't have the blasphemous irony of the movie. I'm not sure many writers would dare it now.
Back to the story : the Hippie actors are disgusted with Alan when he reveals the extent of his ritual. They didn't know it was gonna include digging up a grave. But, he's paying them and they don't wanna lose their jobs. The script also insinuates that Alan has clout in the local film and theater scene. He can get them blackballed. So, as much as they don't want to take part in his ghoulish fantasy, they don't want to lose favor with Alan. Reluctantly, they go along with his wishes, making wisecracks to ward off the terror. Alan is rude and disparaging. He castigates all of his proteges - whom he refers to as "children" - but saves most of his venom for "Val", his leading lady. The thing is, Alan is such a fop that none of the actors take him seriously, except for the paycheck. So when he insults them, they give it right back, especially Val, who can see through Alan's Black Magic persona. She thinks he's a phony.
He's gonna prove her wrong, however, because he really is gonna go through with the exhumation. First, though, he's going to play a truly insane practical joke on all his "children", which I will let you discover for yourself. Once the joke is over, and Alan reminds them of his clout ("do you wish to join the unemployment line"?) he gets down to business. Using an old Book of Rituals from Druidic times (here we go with the Druids again), Alan recites the Incantation to raise the dead. The poor soul he has unearthed only lies there, so he tries again. But nothing happens.
This sends Val, his much maligned leading lady, into a flurry of sarcastic laughter. "Some sorcerer"!, she mocks. Then she does her own ad-lib incantation to make fun of Alan, who by now is getting pissed off. Again, because of Ormsby's performance, this is to be taken as black humor (and most folks will understand that). What happens is that Alan "takes his ball and goes home", proverbially speaking. He has the two male actors carry the Dead Body into the caretaker's house, where they set it down in the living room. BTW, Alan will explain what's happened to the caretaker, who's not present.
At this point, the movie will slow down, to dwell on the depth of Alan's sick perversions, and this is some evil stuff, folks. You've gotta have a National Lampoon level of black humor appreciation to watch the following sequence, where Alan - get ready - will force his actors to participate in a "marriage ceremony", in which he will be hitched to the dead man. Hey, I didn't write this stuff. It was written and directed by a guy named Bob Clark, who went on to make the 1983 hit "A Chirstmas Story". He also created the "Porky's" franchise, which netted him trillions of dollars in the '80s.
Perhaps Clark and co-writer Ormsby wanted to push the limits of taste and acceptable subject matter, much as John Waters was doing with his films. If so, they pushed it to the limit with the middle section of "Children". The pacing suffers, but only a little because Ormby is so compelling as Alan. Had the character or the actor playing him been uninteresting, the result could've been a grade C generic zombie film, but these guys knew what they were doing and had the talent to pull it off. If the question is asked, "Does it hold up, fifty years later"?, the answer is a resounding "Yes". "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" is one of the greatest Zombie movies ever made, and it's much better than you remember it to be, in every respect.
Technically, it's excellent. The color photography is liquid and mobile, hand held sometimes but never jittery. Clark's camera moves, but hits all the right spots at the right times. It's not aimless but precise. Ditto the editing, which produces plenty of tension and jump scares. Clark and Ormsby were film students in real life, and they learned their chops. The makeup rivals anything Tom Savini ever did, and the "pompousness" of the script is downright funny at times, deliberately so. I was waiting for one line my friends and I used to repeat, years ago : when Alan needs a locked door broken down, he instructs one of his male actors to bash it in : "Do your 'Athlete Thing', Paul", he says, in his most pretentious voice. We used to get a big kick out of that line, and I did once again, last night.
You can probably guess that all does not end well for Alan and company. I mean, all you have to do is consider the title of the movie. Children should indeed refrain from playing with Dead Things. Didn't their mommas ever tell them? Well, now they're gonna learn the hard way. There was one other thing about the movie that I never forgot, and I waited for it last night : The Slow Motion Shot at the end. It's one of the greatest uses of slo-mo you'll ever see, and highly effective!
So yes, despite the slow middle section the film succeeds on every count and is technically superior. The graveyard set looks like something out of your worst nightmare. It's the perfect Halloween movie.
But should you see it? That all depends on how willing you are to "just go with it" and give in to your Inner Fifteen Year Old. You also have to be a hardcore horror fan. But if you're squeamish, or politically correct, or easily offended, don't watch it, because you absolutely won't like it.
It remains, however, a Horror Classic. Within it's narrowly defined context, I'm gonna give it our second highest rating, Two Huge Thumbs Up, and recommend it to the dedicated, thick skinned fans mentioned above. Maybe you've already seen it. /////
That's all for the moment. Tonight I will search for something slightly less gruesome, with which we can "cleanse our palate", as it were. See you at the Usual Time.
Tons and tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
One such movie was the memorably titled "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things"(1972). Sometime around 1975, one of the Midnight Horror channels began programming this film, and for a long time it seemed like the only movie they were showing. Week in, week out, it was "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things". As a budding young horror fan, I stayed up late to watch the weekend movies, and I saw "Children" multiple times during that mid-70s run. I didn't always see the whole movie - sometimes I only caught a few minutes, it varied - but over the period in which it was broadcast, I saw it in it's entirety at least twice, and "in pieces" a half dozen more times. My friends saw it, too. We all talked about it, because it was so totally over the top; a movie about Hippies and Zombies, and..........Devil Worship.
As teenagers, we were mostly fascinated by the Zombies. There were loads of 'em in this flick, and man were they gruesome. The Zombie makeup was especially memorable. But coming in a close second were the Hippies. They were actually a troupe of actors, led by a tyrannical director (Alan Ormsby), who sail to a small island off the coast of Florida to conduct a Satanic ritual. The counterculture aspect made it seem like a joke, but it wasn't, because the story was sacrilegious to the point of utter blasphemy, and it was also freakin' sick. I will tell you about it, but you may want to tune out if you are squeamish.
When the Hippies reach the island, director "Alan" (Alan Ormsby) leads them to an old graveyard that's in a state of disrepair. It's been used as a "potter's field" for years, to bury the indigent. In other words, it's the perfect place for Alan to conduct his ritual, which will conclude with the exhumation of a body. Again, I'm warning you, this is a twisted story. I should add that there is an element of black comedy. The "Alan" character is played by Ormsby as a pompous fool, who speaks with an aggrandized accent and vocabulary. Do you remember the episode of "King of the Hill", where Bobby met an older kid who headed up a "Dungeons and Dragons"-type cult? The older kid used fancy language; his favorite word was "resplendent"! That's kind of who "director Alan" reminds me of, though his character was written long before "King of the Hill". Anyhow, suffice it to say that I only feel the need to explain these things because we live in a PC Age of Taking Offense At Everything. In 1975, none of my friends, nor me, would have been offended by this movie. We would've just thought it was gross and hilarious, and freakin' scary, the way teenagers view such things. I guess now we have "The Walking Dead" (which was certainly influenced by this flick), but that show doesn't have the blasphemous irony of the movie. I'm not sure many writers would dare it now.
Back to the story : the Hippie actors are disgusted with Alan when he reveals the extent of his ritual. They didn't know it was gonna include digging up a grave. But, he's paying them and they don't wanna lose their jobs. The script also insinuates that Alan has clout in the local film and theater scene. He can get them blackballed. So, as much as they don't want to take part in his ghoulish fantasy, they don't want to lose favor with Alan. Reluctantly, they go along with his wishes, making wisecracks to ward off the terror. Alan is rude and disparaging. He castigates all of his proteges - whom he refers to as "children" - but saves most of his venom for "Val", his leading lady. The thing is, Alan is such a fop that none of the actors take him seriously, except for the paycheck. So when he insults them, they give it right back, especially Val, who can see through Alan's Black Magic persona. She thinks he's a phony.
He's gonna prove her wrong, however, because he really is gonna go through with the exhumation. First, though, he's going to play a truly insane practical joke on all his "children", which I will let you discover for yourself. Once the joke is over, and Alan reminds them of his clout ("do you wish to join the unemployment line"?) he gets down to business. Using an old Book of Rituals from Druidic times (here we go with the Druids again), Alan recites the Incantation to raise the dead. The poor soul he has unearthed only lies there, so he tries again. But nothing happens.
This sends Val, his much maligned leading lady, into a flurry of sarcastic laughter. "Some sorcerer"!, she mocks. Then she does her own ad-lib incantation to make fun of Alan, who by now is getting pissed off. Again, because of Ormsby's performance, this is to be taken as black humor (and most folks will understand that). What happens is that Alan "takes his ball and goes home", proverbially speaking. He has the two male actors carry the Dead Body into the caretaker's house, where they set it down in the living room. BTW, Alan will explain what's happened to the caretaker, who's not present.
At this point, the movie will slow down, to dwell on the depth of Alan's sick perversions, and this is some evil stuff, folks. You've gotta have a National Lampoon level of black humor appreciation to watch the following sequence, where Alan - get ready - will force his actors to participate in a "marriage ceremony", in which he will be hitched to the dead man. Hey, I didn't write this stuff. It was written and directed by a guy named Bob Clark, who went on to make the 1983 hit "A Chirstmas Story". He also created the "Porky's" franchise, which netted him trillions of dollars in the '80s.
Perhaps Clark and co-writer Ormsby wanted to push the limits of taste and acceptable subject matter, much as John Waters was doing with his films. If so, they pushed it to the limit with the middle section of "Children". The pacing suffers, but only a little because Ormby is so compelling as Alan. Had the character or the actor playing him been uninteresting, the result could've been a grade C generic zombie film, but these guys knew what they were doing and had the talent to pull it off. If the question is asked, "Does it hold up, fifty years later"?, the answer is a resounding "Yes". "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things" is one of the greatest Zombie movies ever made, and it's much better than you remember it to be, in every respect.
Technically, it's excellent. The color photography is liquid and mobile, hand held sometimes but never jittery. Clark's camera moves, but hits all the right spots at the right times. It's not aimless but precise. Ditto the editing, which produces plenty of tension and jump scares. Clark and Ormsby were film students in real life, and they learned their chops. The makeup rivals anything Tom Savini ever did, and the "pompousness" of the script is downright funny at times, deliberately so. I was waiting for one line my friends and I used to repeat, years ago : when Alan needs a locked door broken down, he instructs one of his male actors to bash it in : "Do your 'Athlete Thing', Paul", he says, in his most pretentious voice. We used to get a big kick out of that line, and I did once again, last night.
You can probably guess that all does not end well for Alan and company. I mean, all you have to do is consider the title of the movie. Children should indeed refrain from playing with Dead Things. Didn't their mommas ever tell them? Well, now they're gonna learn the hard way. There was one other thing about the movie that I never forgot, and I waited for it last night : The Slow Motion Shot at the end. It's one of the greatest uses of slo-mo you'll ever see, and highly effective!
So yes, despite the slow middle section the film succeeds on every count and is technically superior. The graveyard set looks like something out of your worst nightmare. It's the perfect Halloween movie.
But should you see it? That all depends on how willing you are to "just go with it" and give in to your Inner Fifteen Year Old. You also have to be a hardcore horror fan. But if you're squeamish, or politically correct, or easily offended, don't watch it, because you absolutely won't like it.
It remains, however, a Horror Classic. Within it's narrowly defined context, I'm gonna give it our second highest rating, Two Huge Thumbs Up, and recommend it to the dedicated, thick skinned fans mentioned above. Maybe you've already seen it. /////
That's all for the moment. Tonight I will search for something slightly less gruesome, with which we can "cleanse our palate", as it were. See you at the Usual Time.
Tons and tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Tuesday, June 23, 2020
"The Lady and the Monster" starring Richard Arlen and Erich von Stroheim
Tonight I was excited to find what I thought was an unknown Brain Movie : "The Lady and the Monster"(1944). Though the title was generic and sounded more like a fairy tale, I knew it was about Brains because of the IMDB synopsis. Seeing that Erich von Stroheim was one of the stars cinched it for me, and I began watching with great anticipation.
Von Stroheim, who we saw a few weeks ago in "The Crime of Dr. Crespi", plays a Mad Scientist named Professor Mueller. He works in a well-appointed laboratory inside an old castle in Arizona. I'll bet you didn't know they had castles in AZ. Neither did I. But they do, and Prof. Mueller is busy experimenting inside his. He's transplanting monkey brains, a theme we explored just the other day in "The Man Without a Body". We often have cross-references in our movies!
Just like the doctor in that film, von Stroheim wants to graduate to human brains, and who can blame him? This was the standard to which all Mad Scientists aspired in sci- fi movies of the '40s and '50s. There's something about Brains, with their squiggly hemispheres - they just beg to be transplanted! I have to detour for a moment to tell you about a personal experience that had a great effect on me. When I was in fourth grade, there was a kid in our class named Andrew R. His Dad was a brain surgeon. One day, we had Show-and-Tell, and Andrew brought in a jar that had a human brain inside. The jar was one of those white, ceramic jobs with a lid on top, that you knew was from a medical lab. It was the size of a soup pot. When it was Andrew's turn to show and tell, he gave a brief introduction and our teacher passed this jar around, for all the kids to see. When it came to me, I glanced at the Brain and was grossed out and, for a split second, frightened. The formaldehyde smelled really bad, the brain was squishy looking - just like in the movies - and undoubtedly real. Afterwards, some of the kids grumbled about Andrew's contribution. "Why'd he have to bring a brain to class? It almost made me sick"! Everyone agreed that it was gross, and I'm sure that many of my classmates remember it to this day, as I do.
That's what Brains will do to ya. But back to our story, a serendipitous plane crash presents von Stroheim with the chance he's been waiting for. As the only doctor available, he is called to the site to check on possible survivors. Alas, there are none. The lone passenger was a man named William H. Donovan. It was here that I got a feeling of cinematic deja-vu. The State Troopers tell von Stroheim to leave the body for the coroner. "He'll pick it up in the morning. You can go now". But when they leave, Von Stroheim packs Donovan's corpse into the trunk of his sedan. Then he drives back to the castle, where he prepares it for post-mortem surgery.
"Get me the Gigli saw"!, he yells to one of his assistants, the lovely "Janice" (Vera Ralston). She and "Dr. Patrick Cory" (Richard Arlen) live with von Stroheim. Both are up and coming neurological researchers who admire the madman's brilliance. They've volunteered to assist him for free, just to be part of his team. Dr. Cory and Janice are also in love, which von Stroheim resents, as he is infatuated with Janice himself.
But back to the Gigli saw. I had never heard this term, and it sounded so weird and creepy (the Giggly saw?) that I almost paused the movie to look it up. Fortunately, von Stroheim gave me a definition right away. "Outline the skull for trepanning"! Well, I knew what trepanning was. It's another one of those words you never forget, like amputation. How horrible a word is that? Anyway, trepanning is something else I first had ex-schperience with as a kid. No, I wasn't trepanned myself (though some may say otherwise, haha). What I had was a copy of National Geographic that showed Ancient Skulls that had had holes cut into them, at the crown. This was a way, according to the folks at National Geo, for old-time surgeons to "let Evil Spirits out" of the patient's body. The point is that the writer of the article used the word "trepanning" to describe the procedure, and I never forgot it, so when von Stroheim mentioned it in the movie, I knew what the Gigli saw was for. Yikes! "Get me the Gigli saw", indeed!
While von Stroheim is removing the cranuim of the plane crash victim, Dr. Cory begins to get nervous. "Excuse me, Dr. Mueller, but.........isn't this illegal"? The question sends von Stroheim into another tirade, which he tends toward in all of his movies. Tirades must be a contractual stipulation with him.
"Who cares"!, he thunders. "Do you realise what this could mean for the future of science? Besides, no one will know. We will simply remove Donovan's brain, replace the skull, and take the body back to the crash site. Now stop asking questions and get me the forceps"!
When he said "Donovan's brain", deja vu became remembrance. All of a sudden I knew I was watching a prior version of the film with that exact title, "Donovan's Brain", made in 1953. Coincidentally, we saw it on March 19th, the very first day of the quarantine. It was the first film in our foray into science fiction, which branched out into the public domain shortly thereafter. "Donovan's Brain" starred Lew Ayers in the Dr. Cory role. First Lady Nancy Davis played his assistant and love interest. Both characters were composites, there was no von Stroheim madman in the 1953 film and the story was rewritten as a truncated version of the original novel by Curt Siodmak, also entitled "Donovan's Brain". I discovered that "The Lady and the Monster" was the first movie version, and the filmmakers apparently decided to be faithful to the book.
The problem was that it led to a lot of confusion. I can see why Felix Feist, the director of "Donovan's Brain", decided to simplify things. The main thrust of both movies is that Dr. Cory, once he finds out that William H. Donovan was a wealthy investment banker, decides to use mental telepathy to "talk" to Donovan's brain, which is being kept alive by electrodes (the usual method, haha). Dr. Cory, who was at first apprehensive about the matter, is now gung ho to communicate with the brain, because - similar to the protagonist's motivation in the Nostradamus movie - he wants investment tips that will net him a fortune. The chance for easy money has corrupted the good doctor, who pushes von Stroheim aside to take over the experiment. Soon, he has succeeded in "talking" to Donovan's Brain, to the extent that he's absorbing the man's personality. In short, Dr. Cory is becoming William H. Donovan, to the point where he can replicate his signature. He uses this ability to withdraw huge sums from Donovan's bank account.
In the 1953 film, the story remained focused on Cory's corruption and his wife's efforts to free him from the Brain's hold (he's married to Janice in this version). But in "The Lady and the Monster", the writers throw in the whole kit-'n-kaboodle. Now, there's not only the monetary angle, but a very complex theme about freeing an innocent man from prison that shares equal screen time. Dr. Cory, as "Donovan", orders his lawyer to "do whatever it takes" to free a condemned murderer from Folsom. The reason being that "he's innocent"! Why this concerns "Donovan" we won't learn until much later. In the meantime, he tries bribing the warden, pushing for a new trial, even petitioning the Governor for clemency. He does all this in the guise of Dr. Cory, but we in the audience know Cory has been taken over by Donovan.
Long story short, the von Stroheim character is basically pushed out of the picture until the end, and so is the coherent storyline. Once the "innocent murderer" plot takes hold, you won't be able to make heads or tails of what's going on, and I know it wasn't just me because the filmmakers felt the need to insert an expository scene in the last three minutes where Cory's lawyer "explains everything", right down to the last confounding detail. It's as if the studio bosses saw the final cut and said "what the Hell was that all about"?, and ordered the explanation written in.
Once again we have half a good film, though the atmosphere is exceptional for the duration. Cinematographer John Alton shot the movie as a Noir and did a brilliant job. On a side note, his IMDB bio says he began his career as a Lab Technician at MGM in 1924, so maybe he operated the same black-and-white developing machine that I did 55 years later! But yeah, his photography and the art direction are what keep you watching, despite the baffling script. Erich von Stroheim is as great, and diabolical, as always, but as noted his character disappears once the "prison plot" takes over.
I'll be generous and give "The Lady and the Monster" Two Regular Thumbs Up. I was gonna give it One and One Half, and not recommend it, but I changed my mind because everything looks so good, including von Stroheim's laboratory. I'll just add that if you do watch it, make sure to follow it up with the superior 1953 version. That's a no-fat film that cuts to the heart of the matter, or should I say the brain? /////
That's all for the moment. Lemme see what I can find for tonight. See you in a couple of hours.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Von Stroheim, who we saw a few weeks ago in "The Crime of Dr. Crespi", plays a Mad Scientist named Professor Mueller. He works in a well-appointed laboratory inside an old castle in Arizona. I'll bet you didn't know they had castles in AZ. Neither did I. But they do, and Prof. Mueller is busy experimenting inside his. He's transplanting monkey brains, a theme we explored just the other day in "The Man Without a Body". We often have cross-references in our movies!
Just like the doctor in that film, von Stroheim wants to graduate to human brains, and who can blame him? This was the standard to which all Mad Scientists aspired in sci- fi movies of the '40s and '50s. There's something about Brains, with their squiggly hemispheres - they just beg to be transplanted! I have to detour for a moment to tell you about a personal experience that had a great effect on me. When I was in fourth grade, there was a kid in our class named Andrew R. His Dad was a brain surgeon. One day, we had Show-and-Tell, and Andrew brought in a jar that had a human brain inside. The jar was one of those white, ceramic jobs with a lid on top, that you knew was from a medical lab. It was the size of a soup pot. When it was Andrew's turn to show and tell, he gave a brief introduction and our teacher passed this jar around, for all the kids to see. When it came to me, I glanced at the Brain and was grossed out and, for a split second, frightened. The formaldehyde smelled really bad, the brain was squishy looking - just like in the movies - and undoubtedly real. Afterwards, some of the kids grumbled about Andrew's contribution. "Why'd he have to bring a brain to class? It almost made me sick"! Everyone agreed that it was gross, and I'm sure that many of my classmates remember it to this day, as I do.
That's what Brains will do to ya. But back to our story, a serendipitous plane crash presents von Stroheim with the chance he's been waiting for. As the only doctor available, he is called to the site to check on possible survivors. Alas, there are none. The lone passenger was a man named William H. Donovan. It was here that I got a feeling of cinematic deja-vu. The State Troopers tell von Stroheim to leave the body for the coroner. "He'll pick it up in the morning. You can go now". But when they leave, Von Stroheim packs Donovan's corpse into the trunk of his sedan. Then he drives back to the castle, where he prepares it for post-mortem surgery.
"Get me the Gigli saw"!, he yells to one of his assistants, the lovely "Janice" (Vera Ralston). She and "Dr. Patrick Cory" (Richard Arlen) live with von Stroheim. Both are up and coming neurological researchers who admire the madman's brilliance. They've volunteered to assist him for free, just to be part of his team. Dr. Cory and Janice are also in love, which von Stroheim resents, as he is infatuated with Janice himself.
But back to the Gigli saw. I had never heard this term, and it sounded so weird and creepy (the Giggly saw?) that I almost paused the movie to look it up. Fortunately, von Stroheim gave me a definition right away. "Outline the skull for trepanning"! Well, I knew what trepanning was. It's another one of those words you never forget, like amputation. How horrible a word is that? Anyway, trepanning is something else I first had ex-schperience with as a kid. No, I wasn't trepanned myself (though some may say otherwise, haha). What I had was a copy of National Geographic that showed Ancient Skulls that had had holes cut into them, at the crown. This was a way, according to the folks at National Geo, for old-time surgeons to "let Evil Spirits out" of the patient's body. The point is that the writer of the article used the word "trepanning" to describe the procedure, and I never forgot it, so when von Stroheim mentioned it in the movie, I knew what the Gigli saw was for. Yikes! "Get me the Gigli saw", indeed!
While von Stroheim is removing the cranuim of the plane crash victim, Dr. Cory begins to get nervous. "Excuse me, Dr. Mueller, but.........isn't this illegal"? The question sends von Stroheim into another tirade, which he tends toward in all of his movies. Tirades must be a contractual stipulation with him.
"Who cares"!, he thunders. "Do you realise what this could mean for the future of science? Besides, no one will know. We will simply remove Donovan's brain, replace the skull, and take the body back to the crash site. Now stop asking questions and get me the forceps"!
When he said "Donovan's brain", deja vu became remembrance. All of a sudden I knew I was watching a prior version of the film with that exact title, "Donovan's Brain", made in 1953. Coincidentally, we saw it on March 19th, the very first day of the quarantine. It was the first film in our foray into science fiction, which branched out into the public domain shortly thereafter. "Donovan's Brain" starred Lew Ayers in the Dr. Cory role. First Lady Nancy Davis played his assistant and love interest. Both characters were composites, there was no von Stroheim madman in the 1953 film and the story was rewritten as a truncated version of the original novel by Curt Siodmak, also entitled "Donovan's Brain". I discovered that "The Lady and the Monster" was the first movie version, and the filmmakers apparently decided to be faithful to the book.
The problem was that it led to a lot of confusion. I can see why Felix Feist, the director of "Donovan's Brain", decided to simplify things. The main thrust of both movies is that Dr. Cory, once he finds out that William H. Donovan was a wealthy investment banker, decides to use mental telepathy to "talk" to Donovan's brain, which is being kept alive by electrodes (the usual method, haha). Dr. Cory, who was at first apprehensive about the matter, is now gung ho to communicate with the brain, because - similar to the protagonist's motivation in the Nostradamus movie - he wants investment tips that will net him a fortune. The chance for easy money has corrupted the good doctor, who pushes von Stroheim aside to take over the experiment. Soon, he has succeeded in "talking" to Donovan's Brain, to the extent that he's absorbing the man's personality. In short, Dr. Cory is becoming William H. Donovan, to the point where he can replicate his signature. He uses this ability to withdraw huge sums from Donovan's bank account.
In the 1953 film, the story remained focused on Cory's corruption and his wife's efforts to free him from the Brain's hold (he's married to Janice in this version). But in "The Lady and the Monster", the writers throw in the whole kit-'n-kaboodle. Now, there's not only the monetary angle, but a very complex theme about freeing an innocent man from prison that shares equal screen time. Dr. Cory, as "Donovan", orders his lawyer to "do whatever it takes" to free a condemned murderer from Folsom. The reason being that "he's innocent"! Why this concerns "Donovan" we won't learn until much later. In the meantime, he tries bribing the warden, pushing for a new trial, even petitioning the Governor for clemency. He does all this in the guise of Dr. Cory, but we in the audience know Cory has been taken over by Donovan.
Long story short, the von Stroheim character is basically pushed out of the picture until the end, and so is the coherent storyline. Once the "innocent murderer" plot takes hold, you won't be able to make heads or tails of what's going on, and I know it wasn't just me because the filmmakers felt the need to insert an expository scene in the last three minutes where Cory's lawyer "explains everything", right down to the last confounding detail. It's as if the studio bosses saw the final cut and said "what the Hell was that all about"?, and ordered the explanation written in.
Once again we have half a good film, though the atmosphere is exceptional for the duration. Cinematographer John Alton shot the movie as a Noir and did a brilliant job. On a side note, his IMDB bio says he began his career as a Lab Technician at MGM in 1924, so maybe he operated the same black-and-white developing machine that I did 55 years later! But yeah, his photography and the art direction are what keep you watching, despite the baffling script. Erich von Stroheim is as great, and diabolical, as always, but as noted his character disappears once the "prison plot" takes over.
I'll be generous and give "The Lady and the Monster" Two Regular Thumbs Up. I was gonna give it One and One Half, and not recommend it, but I changed my mind because everything looks so good, including von Stroheim's laboratory. I'll just add that if you do watch it, make sure to follow it up with the superior 1953 version. That's a no-fat film that cuts to the heart of the matter, or should I say the brain? /////
That's all for the moment. Lemme see what I can find for tonight. See you in a couple of hours.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Monday, June 22, 2020
"How Awful About Allan", another TV Movie starring Anthony Perkins, Julie Harris and Joan Hackett
Tonight we gambled on another made-for-TV flick from Spooky Movie Dave, entitled "How Awful About Allan"(1970). So much for the old warning from English class : "Avoid Alliteration". It's a very effective title, though - at least I think so - because it uses the "innuendo" gimmick that was popular at the time. The potential viewer is left wondering : "What's so awful about Allan? What'd he do? What happened to him? Who the hell is Allan, anyway"?
In this case, he's Anthony Perkins, so you know that whatever his deal is, it's gonna be pretty awful indeed. The movie begins with a fire inside Allan's home, where he lives with his father and sister. Dad's bedroom is engulfed. He's trapped inside. Perkins looks on helplessly but there isn't much he can do. His sister Katherine (the great Julie Harris) rushes in to try and save their father, but her effort is in vain. He perishes in the flames and Katherine's face is burned.
The next we see of Allan, he's been confined to a mental institution. He's suffering from psychosomatic blindness, convinced the fire was his fault because he left some paint thinner near the heater. His shrink's been working hard to free him of his guilt. "You're not to blame, Allan. You left the paint thinner by accident. There's nothing wrong with your eyes. We must continue to work through this until your sight returns". Allan's been at the institute for eight months. When the doc gets him to admit he resented his father, his eyesight begins to return. All he can see is a blur, but it's enough for him to be sent home, where he returns to live with Katherine.
We find out that she was her father's favorite, while Allan - a quiet man who might be autistic - was browbeaten as a child. Their Dad was a professor at the local university and a strict disciplinarian, but he reserved all his punishments for Allan, while Katherine was treated like gold.
Now that he's back home, Allan tries to get along with his sister. He apologizes profusely for the damage to her face, which she covers with a prosthesis. He doesn't want to be a burden and tries to do things for himself, despite his blindness. But when Katherine announces that they'll be renting out a room, Allan draws the line. "I don't want anyone living here, Katherine. I have enough to worry about already". "He's only a college student", she explains. "He'll be gone most of the day". But the stalemate continues. Katherine rents the room and "Harold Dennis" moves in. He speaks only in a whisper, seems he had an accident too, that affected his vocal cords. Allan finds his presence even more unnerving than he feared, because he can't get a fix on Harold. He only appears as a blur. Allan can barely hear his voice, and when he does speak, he walks quickly away and leaves the house. It's as if he's trying to torment Allan, who hears strange messages in Harold's comments. He again complains to Katherine, but she vetoes his desire to evict Harold. "We need the money", she says.
The siblings have a neighbor named "Olive" (Joan Hackett). She's a kindly soul who takes an interest in Allan's plight. Olive brings him food and spends time with him, trying to draw Allan out of himself. One day, she suggests a brief trip. "How'd you like to take a ride with me? I'm just going over to the university to drop off some books, but the fresh air would do you good, Allan. C'mon, let's go". He trusts Olive enough to accompany her, but when they get to the college library and he is alone in the car, Allan hears the voice of Harold Dennis. Outside, the people look like blobs. He can't make out which one is Harold but the voice continues and it once again has those Strange Messages for him. Allan gets so scared that he starts the car and drives off. Because he can't see, he soon crashes.
Back home, Olive is apologetic. "It was my fault for asking you to come with me before you were ready". But Allan doesn't want to talk about his condition. He wants to talk about Harold, who he believes is deliberately out to get him, and for a specific reason : because of the fire.
"I think Harold knows me, knew me before he moved in. He may even be someone I know, using an assumed name". Allan finds a letter from Katherine's old boyfriend, stating that he's moved back to town. Is he "Harold Dennis"? The boyfriend never did like Allan, treated him like a weirdo. Is he now trying to force Allan back to the asylum?
Allan enlists Olive's help, but she's sworn to secrecy. As much as she cares about him, she's also friends with Katherine, who insists that her boyfriend has nothing to do with it. "He's not Harold Dennis"!, she repeats. Fed up by now, Katherine acquiesces to Allan's wish. "I've asked Harold to leave. He'll be moving out tomorrow". But is that true? Who is Harold, and why does he whisper insinuations about the fire that killed Father? How would he even know about it?
"How Awful About Allan" is a "drive the victim crazy" story in the mode of "Baby Jane" or "Let's Scare Jessica To Death" (another great TV Movie title). In this case, however, the victim is Perkins, who may be blind but he's not gullible. He's a pretty good detective. Also, like Norman Bates, he's suspicious of everyone around him except Olive. He knows that Katherine is only housing him out of duty. We see childhood flashbacks of her mocking poor Allan, while the father berates him. Now all of a sudden she's become the Caring Sister? Allan doesn't believe it. If she cares so much, why did she insist on renting to Harold Dennis?
The movie has that claustrophobic feel that comes with a small cast and no "outside world" for them to turn to. Allan has only Olive, but she's friendly with Katherine. You couldn't have three better actors than Perkins, Joan Hackett (who sadly died young), and Julie Harris, whose performance opposite James Dean in "East of Eden" is one of the greatest you will ever see. It's mostly Anthony Perkins' film, though, and he doesn't disappoint (did he ever?). This is more along the lines of your classic TV Movie, and while it's not one of the truly scary ones, it'll still run some chills down your spine. There will be a couple of twists as well, including one that you may or may not see coming.
This is more like it, after the horrible "Horror at 37,000 Feet". "How Awful About Allan" gets Two Solid Thumbs Up and a strong recommendation for the acting and atmosphere. See it. //////
I'm at home on my afternoon break. Gonna read some "Giza Death Star", then head out on a CSUN walk before going back to Pearl's. Hope your Summer is off to an awesome start! See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
In this case, he's Anthony Perkins, so you know that whatever his deal is, it's gonna be pretty awful indeed. The movie begins with a fire inside Allan's home, where he lives with his father and sister. Dad's bedroom is engulfed. He's trapped inside. Perkins looks on helplessly but there isn't much he can do. His sister Katherine (the great Julie Harris) rushes in to try and save their father, but her effort is in vain. He perishes in the flames and Katherine's face is burned.
The next we see of Allan, he's been confined to a mental institution. He's suffering from psychosomatic blindness, convinced the fire was his fault because he left some paint thinner near the heater. His shrink's been working hard to free him of his guilt. "You're not to blame, Allan. You left the paint thinner by accident. There's nothing wrong with your eyes. We must continue to work through this until your sight returns". Allan's been at the institute for eight months. When the doc gets him to admit he resented his father, his eyesight begins to return. All he can see is a blur, but it's enough for him to be sent home, where he returns to live with Katherine.
We find out that she was her father's favorite, while Allan - a quiet man who might be autistic - was browbeaten as a child. Their Dad was a professor at the local university and a strict disciplinarian, but he reserved all his punishments for Allan, while Katherine was treated like gold.
Now that he's back home, Allan tries to get along with his sister. He apologizes profusely for the damage to her face, which she covers with a prosthesis. He doesn't want to be a burden and tries to do things for himself, despite his blindness. But when Katherine announces that they'll be renting out a room, Allan draws the line. "I don't want anyone living here, Katherine. I have enough to worry about already". "He's only a college student", she explains. "He'll be gone most of the day". But the stalemate continues. Katherine rents the room and "Harold Dennis" moves in. He speaks only in a whisper, seems he had an accident too, that affected his vocal cords. Allan finds his presence even more unnerving than he feared, because he can't get a fix on Harold. He only appears as a blur. Allan can barely hear his voice, and when he does speak, he walks quickly away and leaves the house. It's as if he's trying to torment Allan, who hears strange messages in Harold's comments. He again complains to Katherine, but she vetoes his desire to evict Harold. "We need the money", she says.
The siblings have a neighbor named "Olive" (Joan Hackett). She's a kindly soul who takes an interest in Allan's plight. Olive brings him food and spends time with him, trying to draw Allan out of himself. One day, she suggests a brief trip. "How'd you like to take a ride with me? I'm just going over to the university to drop off some books, but the fresh air would do you good, Allan. C'mon, let's go". He trusts Olive enough to accompany her, but when they get to the college library and he is alone in the car, Allan hears the voice of Harold Dennis. Outside, the people look like blobs. He can't make out which one is Harold but the voice continues and it once again has those Strange Messages for him. Allan gets so scared that he starts the car and drives off. Because he can't see, he soon crashes.
Back home, Olive is apologetic. "It was my fault for asking you to come with me before you were ready". But Allan doesn't want to talk about his condition. He wants to talk about Harold, who he believes is deliberately out to get him, and for a specific reason : because of the fire.
"I think Harold knows me, knew me before he moved in. He may even be someone I know, using an assumed name". Allan finds a letter from Katherine's old boyfriend, stating that he's moved back to town. Is he "Harold Dennis"? The boyfriend never did like Allan, treated him like a weirdo. Is he now trying to force Allan back to the asylum?
Allan enlists Olive's help, but she's sworn to secrecy. As much as she cares about him, she's also friends with Katherine, who insists that her boyfriend has nothing to do with it. "He's not Harold Dennis"!, she repeats. Fed up by now, Katherine acquiesces to Allan's wish. "I've asked Harold to leave. He'll be moving out tomorrow". But is that true? Who is Harold, and why does he whisper insinuations about the fire that killed Father? How would he even know about it?
"How Awful About Allan" is a "drive the victim crazy" story in the mode of "Baby Jane" or "Let's Scare Jessica To Death" (another great TV Movie title). In this case, however, the victim is Perkins, who may be blind but he's not gullible. He's a pretty good detective. Also, like Norman Bates, he's suspicious of everyone around him except Olive. He knows that Katherine is only housing him out of duty. We see childhood flashbacks of her mocking poor Allan, while the father berates him. Now all of a sudden she's become the Caring Sister? Allan doesn't believe it. If she cares so much, why did she insist on renting to Harold Dennis?
The movie has that claustrophobic feel that comes with a small cast and no "outside world" for them to turn to. Allan has only Olive, but she's friendly with Katherine. You couldn't have three better actors than Perkins, Joan Hackett (who sadly died young), and Julie Harris, whose performance opposite James Dean in "East of Eden" is one of the greatest you will ever see. It's mostly Anthony Perkins' film, though, and he doesn't disappoint (did he ever?). This is more along the lines of your classic TV Movie, and while it's not one of the truly scary ones, it'll still run some chills down your spine. There will be a couple of twists as well, including one that you may or may not see coming.
This is more like it, after the horrible "Horror at 37,000 Feet". "How Awful About Allan" gets Two Solid Thumbs Up and a strong recommendation for the acting and atmosphere. See it. //////
I'm at home on my afternoon break. Gonna read some "Giza Death Star", then head out on a CSUN walk before going back to Pearl's. Hope your Summer is off to an awesome start! See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Sunday, June 21, 2020
"The Horror at 37,000 Feet", a TV Movie starring William Shatner, Roy Thinnes, Chuck Connors and others
Man, when I pick a bad movie I go all out, no half measures. The title sounded promising : "The Horror at 37,000 Feet" (1973), a made-for-TV flick with an all-star cast. The movie-of-the-week format on the big three networks turned out some great horror films in the 1970s, but this wasn't one of 'em. I found it on the Youtube channel of Spooky Movie Dave; it sounded familiar. Had I seen it back in '73, when it first aired? I couldn't remember. Now I'm thinking not, because I'd never forget something this awful.
Roy Thinnes (legendary star of "The Invaders") plays an architect who has chartered a jumbo jet in order to transport a heavy piece of cargo from England to the States. It's an ancient stone altar from a Druidic site of worship that was situated on his wife's estate. He's saving the altar from demolition, the estate is being subdivided for condominiums.
The flight takes place on the night of Midsummer's Eve, a pagan holiday that we in America would call the Summer Solstice. Well, tonight just happens to be the night before the Solstice. Anyhow, the flight takes off with Chuck Connors at the controls. Russell Johnson is his navigator. When you've got The Rifleman and The Professor in the cockpit, everything should be steady eddy, and at first, it is - right up until they get the plane to altitude. At 37,000 feet, the odometer stops advancing. Connors thinks it's broken, but The Professor checks his coordinates and they indicate the same anomaly, no forward motion. The control tower at Heathrow reports a headwind, but more calculations imply that it would have to be blowing at 600+ miles per hour to cancel out the jet's airspeed. Connors requests and is given permission to turn around and fly back to the airport, but after he makes his u-turn, the same thing happens. The odometer remains unchanged. The plane is not moving.
"It seems like we're caught in a vortex"!, says Connors. Will the script get caught in one too?
Meanwhile, back in First Class, a Strange Englishwoman (Tammy Grimes) confronts Thinnes about his cargo. "You're the one who's causing this problem". Thinnes pretends not to know the woman, but he's actually very familiar with her. She's the head of a local historical group that protested his removal of the altar. She's aware of it's Druidic history and has the aura of a witch herself.
So far, you have all the makings of a scary TV movie, and as I say, there were some great ones in the 1970s. Remember "The Night Stalker"? Or how about "Night Terror" with Valerie Harper and Richard Romanus? I didn't sleep after watching that one! There were a couple of excellent werewolf fims, too, "Moon of the Wolf" with Bradford Dillman, and "Scream of the Wolf" with Clint Walker. And lot of others, many of them produced by Dan Curtis. Right up to this point, "37,000 Feet" is looking pretty horrific, too. The filmmakers appear to have an actual 747 interior as their set. The garish red lighting in the cockpit looks straight out of Hammer Studios. The first 20 minutes is top notch.
After the English Witch Lady confronts Roy Thinnes, we cut to the cargo hold. Something is banging on the inside of the container holding the altar. The aluminum walls are being punched outward. There's a doggie down there, in a cage. He's barking his head off. A rip opens in the container wall and a mist begins to escape. Whatever it is, it's mighty cold. The next we see of the dog, he's frozen solid. Frost is covering his fur.
A stewardess (Darlene Carr, remember her, from "Streets of San Francisco"?) sees the mist rising in the cargo elevator. When she opens the door to investigate, she gets sucked in. The door jams shut and she nearly freezes to death. The Professor pulls her to safety, but then makes the mistake of going down into the hold to investigate. Moments later, he turns into a popsicle, just like the dog.
Right around this time, William Shatner takes over the picture. He's already been introduced, but we don't really know who he is. He's got sideburns and '70s hair. He's traveling with a pixieish young woman (Lyn Loring, the real life wife of Roy Thinnes). She has an acoustic guitar she's brought aboard. Are they folk singers? Could be. Shatner is waxing philosophical. He's drinking way too much and is full of ennui. The pixie worships him. Are they man and wife? We just don't know. But Shatner's character, whoever he is, begins to dominate the proceedings, and the results ain't pretty. Remember how we said he was really good in "Incubus", the Bergmanesque horror flick we saw a couple weeks ago? He was effective in that film because director Leslie Stevens got him to restrain himself. Here, he's untethered and doing his Shatner Thing. He's not loud or overbearing, but he's overdoing the worldweariness in a big way.
I don't know about you, but I long ago got over the alleged "coolness" of the acting styles and, to be honest, the filmmaking in general from the late 1960s through the mid-70s, the supposed Age of Realism. Yes, there were a lot of tremendous films made during that era, but there was also a lot about the style that doesn't hold up, and some of that has to do with the acting. It's been said that the so-called "realistic" actors of the 70s were more talented than their Golden Era forebears. I say, "hardly not even"! There was a discipline to the Studio System, and though the acting was formal and stylised, it was also tight and to the point. Watch Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart and tell me the actors of the 70s (or today) are better. Puh-leeze. So yeah, when Shatner or anyone else from that decade goes off on a free form tangent, I can't "get into it" just because it's supposed to be ironic. Really, it just sucks.
Now, to be fair to Bill, he can be good when he wants to. But here, he's paired with Lyn Loring, who is so terrible that it's no wonder she switched careers to become a TV executive. In this movie, she makes Excruciating Faces when the going gets rough, to the point where you wonder if she was in competition to "out overact" Mr. Shatner. We're in a situation where Chuck Conners is the best thespian on the set. Paul Winfield has a nice turn as a Veddy Brrittisshh doctor, and of course he was a fine actor who could do everything from "Sounder" to "Star Trek", but his role in this picture is minor. It is Connors, believe it or not, who gives this flick whatever gravity it has.
The "thing" in the cargo hold - the freezing mist - never develops past that. There's no monster that emerges, to hide in the many compartments within the jet, to jump out and terrorize. Instead, we get a pagan explanation. The altar carries ghosts, who are of course pissed off. Where's Casper the Friendly Ghost when you need him? The passengers end up trying for a human sacrifice to appease the invisible Druids who've stowed away with the altar.
I was on the ropes long before any of this came to pass. Really, once the Hammer Horror effect was ditched in the early going, it was all I could do to make it to the end. I'm sorry I don't have more plot to describe to you, but there wasn't any. So much time is spent with William Shatner that any development of the Druid story is forgotten. It's too bad, because had the screenwriter given a darn, he could've had a classic TV movie on his hands. Now, to be fair I have to acknowledge that quite a few fans at IMDB like this movie. Some compare it to the Twilight Zone episode with Shatner, entitled "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". Given the similarity of the titles, it's possible the writer was trying for a an homage. But make no mistake, this work doesn't hold a candle to the vastly superior T-Zone ep, in which Shatner is better as well. I don't share the fans' soft spot for this film, remake or not. There's no monster and very little horror. Once you get past the mist, there's just a lot of talky characters.
Perhaps it could be retitled?
How about "The Horror of Watching The Horror at 37,000 Feet"?
Two Thumbs Decidedly Down. Not recommended. //////
This blog's coming in late cause I was out shopping with my sister yesterday. We went to The Mall. It's back open and jammed with shoppers, all wearing masks of course. I'll try to get back on track today. Happy Summer! See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Roy Thinnes (legendary star of "The Invaders") plays an architect who has chartered a jumbo jet in order to transport a heavy piece of cargo from England to the States. It's an ancient stone altar from a Druidic site of worship that was situated on his wife's estate. He's saving the altar from demolition, the estate is being subdivided for condominiums.
The flight takes place on the night of Midsummer's Eve, a pagan holiday that we in America would call the Summer Solstice. Well, tonight just happens to be the night before the Solstice. Anyhow, the flight takes off with Chuck Connors at the controls. Russell Johnson is his navigator. When you've got The Rifleman and The Professor in the cockpit, everything should be steady eddy, and at first, it is - right up until they get the plane to altitude. At 37,000 feet, the odometer stops advancing. Connors thinks it's broken, but The Professor checks his coordinates and they indicate the same anomaly, no forward motion. The control tower at Heathrow reports a headwind, but more calculations imply that it would have to be blowing at 600+ miles per hour to cancel out the jet's airspeed. Connors requests and is given permission to turn around and fly back to the airport, but after he makes his u-turn, the same thing happens. The odometer remains unchanged. The plane is not moving.
"It seems like we're caught in a vortex"!, says Connors. Will the script get caught in one too?
Meanwhile, back in First Class, a Strange Englishwoman (Tammy Grimes) confronts Thinnes about his cargo. "You're the one who's causing this problem". Thinnes pretends not to know the woman, but he's actually very familiar with her. She's the head of a local historical group that protested his removal of the altar. She's aware of it's Druidic history and has the aura of a witch herself.
So far, you have all the makings of a scary TV movie, and as I say, there were some great ones in the 1970s. Remember "The Night Stalker"? Or how about "Night Terror" with Valerie Harper and Richard Romanus? I didn't sleep after watching that one! There were a couple of excellent werewolf fims, too, "Moon of the Wolf" with Bradford Dillman, and "Scream of the Wolf" with Clint Walker. And lot of others, many of them produced by Dan Curtis. Right up to this point, "37,000 Feet" is looking pretty horrific, too. The filmmakers appear to have an actual 747 interior as their set. The garish red lighting in the cockpit looks straight out of Hammer Studios. The first 20 minutes is top notch.
After the English Witch Lady confronts Roy Thinnes, we cut to the cargo hold. Something is banging on the inside of the container holding the altar. The aluminum walls are being punched outward. There's a doggie down there, in a cage. He's barking his head off. A rip opens in the container wall and a mist begins to escape. Whatever it is, it's mighty cold. The next we see of the dog, he's frozen solid. Frost is covering his fur.
A stewardess (Darlene Carr, remember her, from "Streets of San Francisco"?) sees the mist rising in the cargo elevator. When she opens the door to investigate, she gets sucked in. The door jams shut and she nearly freezes to death. The Professor pulls her to safety, but then makes the mistake of going down into the hold to investigate. Moments later, he turns into a popsicle, just like the dog.
Right around this time, William Shatner takes over the picture. He's already been introduced, but we don't really know who he is. He's got sideburns and '70s hair. He's traveling with a pixieish young woman (Lyn Loring, the real life wife of Roy Thinnes). She has an acoustic guitar she's brought aboard. Are they folk singers? Could be. Shatner is waxing philosophical. He's drinking way too much and is full of ennui. The pixie worships him. Are they man and wife? We just don't know. But Shatner's character, whoever he is, begins to dominate the proceedings, and the results ain't pretty. Remember how we said he was really good in "Incubus", the Bergmanesque horror flick we saw a couple weeks ago? He was effective in that film because director Leslie Stevens got him to restrain himself. Here, he's untethered and doing his Shatner Thing. He's not loud or overbearing, but he's overdoing the worldweariness in a big way.
I don't know about you, but I long ago got over the alleged "coolness" of the acting styles and, to be honest, the filmmaking in general from the late 1960s through the mid-70s, the supposed Age of Realism. Yes, there were a lot of tremendous films made during that era, but there was also a lot about the style that doesn't hold up, and some of that has to do with the acting. It's been said that the so-called "realistic" actors of the 70s were more talented than their Golden Era forebears. I say, "hardly not even"! There was a discipline to the Studio System, and though the acting was formal and stylised, it was also tight and to the point. Watch Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart and tell me the actors of the 70s (or today) are better. Puh-leeze. So yeah, when Shatner or anyone else from that decade goes off on a free form tangent, I can't "get into it" just because it's supposed to be ironic. Really, it just sucks.
Now, to be fair to Bill, he can be good when he wants to. But here, he's paired with Lyn Loring, who is so terrible that it's no wonder she switched careers to become a TV executive. In this movie, she makes Excruciating Faces when the going gets rough, to the point where you wonder if she was in competition to "out overact" Mr. Shatner. We're in a situation where Chuck Conners is the best thespian on the set. Paul Winfield has a nice turn as a Veddy Brrittisshh doctor, and of course he was a fine actor who could do everything from "Sounder" to "Star Trek", but his role in this picture is minor. It is Connors, believe it or not, who gives this flick whatever gravity it has.
The "thing" in the cargo hold - the freezing mist - never develops past that. There's no monster that emerges, to hide in the many compartments within the jet, to jump out and terrorize. Instead, we get a pagan explanation. The altar carries ghosts, who are of course pissed off. Where's Casper the Friendly Ghost when you need him? The passengers end up trying for a human sacrifice to appease the invisible Druids who've stowed away with the altar.
I was on the ropes long before any of this came to pass. Really, once the Hammer Horror effect was ditched in the early going, it was all I could do to make it to the end. I'm sorry I don't have more plot to describe to you, but there wasn't any. So much time is spent with William Shatner that any development of the Druid story is forgotten. It's too bad, because had the screenwriter given a darn, he could've had a classic TV movie on his hands. Now, to be fair I have to acknowledge that quite a few fans at IMDB like this movie. Some compare it to the Twilight Zone episode with Shatner, entitled "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". Given the similarity of the titles, it's possible the writer was trying for a an homage. But make no mistake, this work doesn't hold a candle to the vastly superior T-Zone ep, in which Shatner is better as well. I don't share the fans' soft spot for this film, remake or not. There's no monster and very little horror. Once you get past the mist, there's just a lot of talky characters.
Perhaps it could be retitled?
How about "The Horror of Watching The Horror at 37,000 Feet"?
Two Thumbs Decidedly Down. Not recommended. //////
This blog's coming in late cause I was out shopping with my sister yesterday. We went to The Mall. It's back open and jammed with shoppers, all wearing masks of course. I'll try to get back on track today. Happy Summer! See you tonight at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Friday, June 19, 2020
"The Lost Missile" starring Robert Loggia
Tonight's movie was a riveting Cold War thriller called "The Lost Missle"(1958), starring Robert Loggia as a nuclear physicist who tries to prevent the destruction of New York City. It's filmed in the style of a docudrama, almost like a newsreel, which gives the action a "you are there" immediacy. As it opens, the Russians are tracking a missile of unknown origin. It's up over the Arctic Circle and headed in their direction, so they send up a "Hunter" warhead in response (what we would now call an anti-ballistic missile). Ordinarily, their "Hunter" would destroy any incoming ICBM, but this one survives the explosion and is only thrown off course. Now it is orbiting the Earth at an altitude of just 25,000 feet, lower than the level of jetliners.
The Russian Ambassador calls the American President in an attempt to avert World War Three. Both sides swear the missile is not theirs. We the audience see it screaming through the sky. It's a fearsome thing, sleek and chromed, pushing a boundary layer, trailing fire and thus far unstoppable. Where the hell did it come from? No one knows, and now it's heading for Canada.
"Dr. David Loring" (Loggia) picked a bad day to get married. He's needed top priority at the Hart Island Nike Base. His fiance Joan is not happy about this, and in "subplot haste" she calls the engagement off, not realising the apocalypse is at hand. Loring has top secret clearance, he's the designer of the Jove missile, an all purpose weapon that has offensive and defensive capabilities. By the time he gets back to base, the lost missile is headed for Ottowa. It's estimated speed is 4200 miles per hour. Loring concludes that it has a hydrogen based propulsion system, and if so, it will give off a heat signature of one million degrees.
That explains the burned forests in it's wake. What will happen if it reaches Ottowa?
The Canuks send up a squadron of fighter jets to intercept the missile, but it obliterates them all in a devastating flyby. The special effects in these scenes are terrific. First we see the missile in a stock shot, a blazing projectile, then it becomes a bright circle on the horizon. By the time the jets intercept it, it's a blinding wall of light and heat. This is very well done for the era. In another subplot, the wife of Loring's associate "Dr. Joe Freed" (Phillip Pine), is having a baby. She calls him from the hospital to break the news, but he's forbidden to leave by his superiors. All hands are needed to figure out how to shoot down the missile before it's too late. When the base's Nike missiles are activated, Freed freaks out. "No! Don't shoot it down until we determine exactly where it came from! What if it's from another planet? What it if has crewmen aboard? They might even be friendly. Please, gentlemen, let's wait and find out"! Freed is obviously stressed by his wife's impending delivery, which he's unable to attend. It doesn't make any difference if the missile is piloted or not, or whether the occupants are friendly. For God's sake, it's cooking everything in it's path! Get a grip, Dr. Freed.
By this time, a policy dispute has broken out between the media and Washington. The President wants the news kept secret but a top anchorman is threatening to spill the beans on national television. The newsman wins out. Within minutes of his announcement, an evacuation is underway to remove all children from the vicinities of Ottowa and NYC. As a last ditch effort, the Air Force sends up it's own squad of fighter jets, just to track the missile from a safe distance. But then Ottowa gets smoked, and I have to jump in here to say, "Wow, that's some serious negativity on the part of the filmmakers. Negativity or cynicism or hard-headed realism, call it what you want. There's no last minute Hollywood style solution presented to save the city. Maybe because it's Canadian, who knows (sorry, Canada). But yeah, even though it's a spoiler I had to tell ya. The missile reaches Ottowa, and the entire city is annihilated. Yikes!
So yeah, now the American jets are given the okay to attack. They unleash a fullisade of Sidewinders at the thing, none of which do any damage. All of this is depicted with real F-104s firing away, in the best use of stock footage we've seen since "Invasion USA" a couple months ago. In fact, if you like military hardware, this is the movie for you. There's a ton of everything, from rocket launches, to radar tracking (featuring the actual DEW Line stations in Canada), to lots of aerial combat simulations. The story is simple and mostly action based, so much of the screen time is made up of Air Force simulation footage.
It all boils down to the fact that the missile appears indestructible. Then Dr. Loring gets a brilliant idea. "What about using the Jove"? It's still in a testing phase, it's never been launched, but it's sitting right there on the pad. Why not try it? It's the fastest missile the U.S. has ever developed, and it's Loring's baby. He's given the go-ahead to produce a plutonium trigger for the Jove, without actually arming it with a warhead. This will give it just enough explosive power to destroy the runaway missile, without endangering the city below. There's yet another awesome stock scene of the actual equipment on which such a trigger is engineered. The plutonium "bullet" is handled behind protective glass with metal "arms" that are controlled by a physicist, in this case Dr. Loring. He produces the bullet and then races back to the base, but en route - wouldn't you know it! - the screenwriter has a bunch of hoodlums carjack him!
Yeppers and yes indeedy! It's one of the craziest plot setbacks I've ever seen. So here's Loring, driving like a madman with a cargo of extremely radioactive material. He's the only man who can save New York City and a bunch of greasy punks decide to steal his car just for kicks. Wow.
That's all I'm gonna tell ya. Keep in mind that the filmmakers allowed Ottowa to be vaporised. Will they do the same to New York? Good Lordy Moses, I hope not.
"The Lost Missile" is pure adrenaline rush. The only real plot point is the race to save NYC. Everything else, including the human interest subthemes of the marriage and the pregnancy take a backseat to the hard-charging missile. But it's a heck of an exciting ride. I give it Two Big Thumbs Up and a strong recommendation for all fans of Atomic Paranoia flicks. It's one of the best I've seen. Also, Robert Loggia is excellent in the lead role. He's thin and youthful here, with a smooth, somewhat high voice, entirely different from the gruff-sounding, thick set man he became. Anyhow, great movie! Be sure to see it. /////
That's all for now. Gonna read a few pages of "Giza Death Star" before the next movie starts. See you in a bit at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
The Russian Ambassador calls the American President in an attempt to avert World War Three. Both sides swear the missile is not theirs. We the audience see it screaming through the sky. It's a fearsome thing, sleek and chromed, pushing a boundary layer, trailing fire and thus far unstoppable. Where the hell did it come from? No one knows, and now it's heading for Canada.
"Dr. David Loring" (Loggia) picked a bad day to get married. He's needed top priority at the Hart Island Nike Base. His fiance Joan is not happy about this, and in "subplot haste" she calls the engagement off, not realising the apocalypse is at hand. Loring has top secret clearance, he's the designer of the Jove missile, an all purpose weapon that has offensive and defensive capabilities. By the time he gets back to base, the lost missile is headed for Ottowa. It's estimated speed is 4200 miles per hour. Loring concludes that it has a hydrogen based propulsion system, and if so, it will give off a heat signature of one million degrees.
That explains the burned forests in it's wake. What will happen if it reaches Ottowa?
The Canuks send up a squadron of fighter jets to intercept the missile, but it obliterates them all in a devastating flyby. The special effects in these scenes are terrific. First we see the missile in a stock shot, a blazing projectile, then it becomes a bright circle on the horizon. By the time the jets intercept it, it's a blinding wall of light and heat. This is very well done for the era. In another subplot, the wife of Loring's associate "Dr. Joe Freed" (Phillip Pine), is having a baby. She calls him from the hospital to break the news, but he's forbidden to leave by his superiors. All hands are needed to figure out how to shoot down the missile before it's too late. When the base's Nike missiles are activated, Freed freaks out. "No! Don't shoot it down until we determine exactly where it came from! What if it's from another planet? What it if has crewmen aboard? They might even be friendly. Please, gentlemen, let's wait and find out"! Freed is obviously stressed by his wife's impending delivery, which he's unable to attend. It doesn't make any difference if the missile is piloted or not, or whether the occupants are friendly. For God's sake, it's cooking everything in it's path! Get a grip, Dr. Freed.
By this time, a policy dispute has broken out between the media and Washington. The President wants the news kept secret but a top anchorman is threatening to spill the beans on national television. The newsman wins out. Within minutes of his announcement, an evacuation is underway to remove all children from the vicinities of Ottowa and NYC. As a last ditch effort, the Air Force sends up it's own squad of fighter jets, just to track the missile from a safe distance. But then Ottowa gets smoked, and I have to jump in here to say, "Wow, that's some serious negativity on the part of the filmmakers. Negativity or cynicism or hard-headed realism, call it what you want. There's no last minute Hollywood style solution presented to save the city. Maybe because it's Canadian, who knows (sorry, Canada). But yeah, even though it's a spoiler I had to tell ya. The missile reaches Ottowa, and the entire city is annihilated. Yikes!
So yeah, now the American jets are given the okay to attack. They unleash a fullisade of Sidewinders at the thing, none of which do any damage. All of this is depicted with real F-104s firing away, in the best use of stock footage we've seen since "Invasion USA" a couple months ago. In fact, if you like military hardware, this is the movie for you. There's a ton of everything, from rocket launches, to radar tracking (featuring the actual DEW Line stations in Canada), to lots of aerial combat simulations. The story is simple and mostly action based, so much of the screen time is made up of Air Force simulation footage.
It all boils down to the fact that the missile appears indestructible. Then Dr. Loring gets a brilliant idea. "What about using the Jove"? It's still in a testing phase, it's never been launched, but it's sitting right there on the pad. Why not try it? It's the fastest missile the U.S. has ever developed, and it's Loring's baby. He's given the go-ahead to produce a plutonium trigger for the Jove, without actually arming it with a warhead. This will give it just enough explosive power to destroy the runaway missile, without endangering the city below. There's yet another awesome stock scene of the actual equipment on which such a trigger is engineered. The plutonium "bullet" is handled behind protective glass with metal "arms" that are controlled by a physicist, in this case Dr. Loring. He produces the bullet and then races back to the base, but en route - wouldn't you know it! - the screenwriter has a bunch of hoodlums carjack him!
Yeppers and yes indeedy! It's one of the craziest plot setbacks I've ever seen. So here's Loring, driving like a madman with a cargo of extremely radioactive material. He's the only man who can save New York City and a bunch of greasy punks decide to steal his car just for kicks. Wow.
That's all I'm gonna tell ya. Keep in mind that the filmmakers allowed Ottowa to be vaporised. Will they do the same to New York? Good Lordy Moses, I hope not.
"The Lost Missile" is pure adrenaline rush. The only real plot point is the race to save NYC. Everything else, including the human interest subthemes of the marriage and the pregnancy take a backseat to the hard-charging missile. But it's a heck of an exciting ride. I give it Two Big Thumbs Up and a strong recommendation for all fans of Atomic Paranoia flicks. It's one of the best I've seen. Also, Robert Loggia is excellent in the lead role. He's thin and youthful here, with a smooth, somewhat high voice, entirely different from the gruff-sounding, thick set man he became. Anyhow, great movie! Be sure to see it. /////
That's all for now. Gonna read a few pages of "Giza Death Star" before the next movie starts. See you in a bit at the Usual Time.
Tons of love! xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Thursday, June 18, 2020
"The Man Without a Body" directed by W. Lee Wilder
You can file this one under "What Were They Smoking"? The movie was "The Man Without a Body"(1957), a Severed Head flick that begins with a lot of potential, then gets really weird, and then......
Well, let me tell you about it. "Karl Broussard" (George Coulouris) is a wealthy businessman who's used to getting his way. Even though he's pushing 60, he works out with a trainer to maximize his potential (and this is in the days when 60 equaled Fred Mertz). He is also the guardian of "Odette" (Nadja Regin), the voluptuous adult daughter of his deceased business partner. That he has designs on her shows you what kind of guy he is, a megalomaniac.
The problem for Broussard is that he's not well. He's got a brain tumor. He tries not to let it stop him, but his doctor says it's eventually gonna end his life. Broussard demands a second opinion, so the Doc sends him to a specialist, and boy does this guy specialise! He is "Dr. Phil Merritt" (Robert Hutton), a neurosurgeon who is researching brain transplants. So far, so good - right? We seem to be looking at a decent Brain Movie at this point. Dr. Merritt has a state of the art Mad Scientist Lab, though in his case it does not automatically mean he's a nutcase. He's got funding, so he's legit. He's not working out of a basement in a creepy house. But he is transplanting Brains, monkey brains to be exact, and he's had success. A monkey six years dead has been revived and had his brain reactivated. The future looks good for human brains! Broussard wants a new one so he can go on living and pushing people around.
"How long will it be, Doctor, before you move on to human patients"?
"That depends, Mr. Broussard. We aren't on a timetable. We have to have a certain ratio of success with monkeys first. So far, we've only kept alive the one you see here". This doesn't satisfy Broussard, who wants his Brain Transplant, like, yesterday. He asks the doc about specifics. "If you were going to transplant a human brain, what would you be looking for, what would be the requirements"?
"Well, first of all, we'd need a brain that was physically sound, undeteriorated".
"And where would such brains be found"?
"Well, besides fresh brains, say from accident victims or the newly deceased, you'd want a brain that's been well-preserved. Burial in the ground causes rot due to moisture and soil elements. A brain taken from a crypt would be a better choice. This is why Egyptian mummies are found remarkably intact, due to proper wrapping and very dry burial conditions. The main thing, besides preservation, is that you'd want to make the correct choice for your transplanted brain. You wouldn't want one you knew nothing about - who it belonged to, their background, etc. This is why I wouldn't recommend the use of an accident victim. You might not have time to do the proper research. There are also all the corresponding legal issues to be addressed. We won't be making Frankensteins here. Everything we do will be strictly by the book. But a human transplant is likely years away, at best. I'm sorry, Mr. Broussard, but that's the way it is".
Broussard nods and remains silent for once. He's heard enough. He leaves the doctor's lab with an idea in mind. The next we see him, he's taking a tour of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London. The guide takes him past Hitler and Goebbels, Henry VIII and Napoleon. Finally they come to a certain Frenchman. "This man was born almost 500 years ago, and yet he predicted events in our own day. He was a mathematician, astrologer, mystic and artist, all rolled into one. He was the prophet Michel de Nostradame, commonly known as Nostradamus".
A lightbulb goes off in Broussard's head. "This is the man! With his brain I could rule the world"! He asks the guide where Nostradamus is buried, gets on a plane to France, and goes straight to the Collegiale Saint-Laurent, where he sneaks into the prophet's tomb. With him is a former doctor he's hired, a man of ill-repute, now an alcoholic. "Help me lift the lid off", Broussard orders. "Quickly now, we mustn't be seen"! Setting the heavy lid aside, they lift out the body of Nostradamus and set it on the marble of his crypt. "Now, do what I've paid you to do, and do it well! If you slip, you'll cost me my future"!
You can guess what he wants, but just in case you can't, I'll tell you. He wants the doctor to remove Nostradamus' head, but it must be done with Surgical Precision. A sloppy job could render the brain untransplantable. The effort will have been for naught if that happens. However, despite shaky hands, the nervous doc does indeed manage to relieve old Nosty of his noggin. It's a perfect cut. Broussard "heads" back to the airport, gets the Head past the baggage handler (for real, lol), and flies back to London, where he presents it to Dr. Merritt.
The Doc is shocked, to say the least. "Mr. Broussard! Do you realise that what you've done is not only illegal but morally outrageous"?!
"I don't have any time for society's code of ethics"!, Broussard replies. "Do you want it or not? It's the head of Nostradamus. Here's your chance to make history". The doc mulls it over and decides it's a pretty good offer after all. But, he's not gonna rush into anything. He's nothing if not methodical. Pretty soon, he's got Nostradamus hooked up to electrodes, sitting in a saline bath. After a few days the head comes to life and is placed on a table, as required by Rule #1 in the Severed Head Movie Playbook. Everything's been going according to plan, plotwise, but now for some reason it goes off the rails.
Instead of transplanting Nostradamus' brain into Broussard's head, to see what he does with it, the filmmakers throw in a subplot. I knew there was a reason the screenwriter created the character of "Odette", the Sophia Loren lookalike who's supposed to be Broussard's goddaughter. Now, I mentioned that Broussard has the hots for her. He buys her diamonds and furs to keep her interested, but really she thinks he's repulsive (and he is). Odette has someone on the side that Broussard knows nothing about, and it just so happens to be Dr. Merritt's assistant, Dr. Waldenhouse. She tells Waldenhouse all about Broussard, how he's a business cheat, etc. Now Waldenhouse sets out to stop the transplant, so instead of having the Brain Transplant Movie you expected, they're gonna pull The Old Switcheroo on ya and give you a battle of wits instead.
Broussard keeps asking what's taking so long, and Dr. Merritt keeps postponing due to "setbacks" in Nostradamus' condition. What neither man knows is that Dr. Waldenhouse is secretly unplugging the electricity to the Brain Table that keeps the head alive. So, Nostradamus is in bad shape all of a sudden. Fearing he'll lose him, Broussard badgers ol' Nosty for some stock market tips. Nortradamus can't stand Broussard, so he deliberately gives him bad information. Remember, he can see into the future. So he tells Broussard to "sell" when he should be "buying". Broussard might lose his fortune in the process, and the movie might turn into an incoherent fiasco.
I think I've told you enough, and indeed, the quality of this part of my review may have degenerated in proportion to the lousiness of the script. Really what we've got is half a good movie. Once they introduce the Odette Subplot, everything about the sci-fi intrigue goes to hell. The film runs only 77 minutes but should've been cut to 65 or thereabouts. This is why W. Lee Wilder was not directing Academy Award Winning Motion Pictures like his brother Billy. He did make "Killers From Space", for which he deserves credit, but on that one he had the help of the great screenwriter, neighbor and baby photographer Bill Raynor, who we wrote about in our review of that picture a couple months ago.
I'm gonna go out on a Severed Limb and give "The Man Without A Body" Two Regular Thumbs Up, but only because it gets off to such a great start. It does recover in the final ten minutes, as the head of Nostradamus finds accommodations after all. I can't tell you where he winds up, but it makes for a pretty freaky grand finale, especially in the final shot of the movie. But boy oh boy is the second half some slow, slow going. They should've dispensed with all the Odette and Stock Market B.S. and gone straight for the transplant - then they would have had something. Recommended only for dedicated Brain Movie fans. /////
That's all I know for this evening. Only two more days until Summer. Let's make it a good one.
See you in a while at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Well, let me tell you about it. "Karl Broussard" (George Coulouris) is a wealthy businessman who's used to getting his way. Even though he's pushing 60, he works out with a trainer to maximize his potential (and this is in the days when 60 equaled Fred Mertz). He is also the guardian of "Odette" (Nadja Regin), the voluptuous adult daughter of his deceased business partner. That he has designs on her shows you what kind of guy he is, a megalomaniac.
The problem for Broussard is that he's not well. He's got a brain tumor. He tries not to let it stop him, but his doctor says it's eventually gonna end his life. Broussard demands a second opinion, so the Doc sends him to a specialist, and boy does this guy specialise! He is "Dr. Phil Merritt" (Robert Hutton), a neurosurgeon who is researching brain transplants. So far, so good - right? We seem to be looking at a decent Brain Movie at this point. Dr. Merritt has a state of the art Mad Scientist Lab, though in his case it does not automatically mean he's a nutcase. He's got funding, so he's legit. He's not working out of a basement in a creepy house. But he is transplanting Brains, monkey brains to be exact, and he's had success. A monkey six years dead has been revived and had his brain reactivated. The future looks good for human brains! Broussard wants a new one so he can go on living and pushing people around.
"How long will it be, Doctor, before you move on to human patients"?
"That depends, Mr. Broussard. We aren't on a timetable. We have to have a certain ratio of success with monkeys first. So far, we've only kept alive the one you see here". This doesn't satisfy Broussard, who wants his Brain Transplant, like, yesterday. He asks the doc about specifics. "If you were going to transplant a human brain, what would you be looking for, what would be the requirements"?
"Well, first of all, we'd need a brain that was physically sound, undeteriorated".
"And where would such brains be found"?
"Well, besides fresh brains, say from accident victims or the newly deceased, you'd want a brain that's been well-preserved. Burial in the ground causes rot due to moisture and soil elements. A brain taken from a crypt would be a better choice. This is why Egyptian mummies are found remarkably intact, due to proper wrapping and very dry burial conditions. The main thing, besides preservation, is that you'd want to make the correct choice for your transplanted brain. You wouldn't want one you knew nothing about - who it belonged to, their background, etc. This is why I wouldn't recommend the use of an accident victim. You might not have time to do the proper research. There are also all the corresponding legal issues to be addressed. We won't be making Frankensteins here. Everything we do will be strictly by the book. But a human transplant is likely years away, at best. I'm sorry, Mr. Broussard, but that's the way it is".
Broussard nods and remains silent for once. He's heard enough. He leaves the doctor's lab with an idea in mind. The next we see him, he's taking a tour of Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum in London. The guide takes him past Hitler and Goebbels, Henry VIII and Napoleon. Finally they come to a certain Frenchman. "This man was born almost 500 years ago, and yet he predicted events in our own day. He was a mathematician, astrologer, mystic and artist, all rolled into one. He was the prophet Michel de Nostradame, commonly known as Nostradamus".
A lightbulb goes off in Broussard's head. "This is the man! With his brain I could rule the world"! He asks the guide where Nostradamus is buried, gets on a plane to France, and goes straight to the Collegiale Saint-Laurent, where he sneaks into the prophet's tomb. With him is a former doctor he's hired, a man of ill-repute, now an alcoholic. "Help me lift the lid off", Broussard orders. "Quickly now, we mustn't be seen"! Setting the heavy lid aside, they lift out the body of Nostradamus and set it on the marble of his crypt. "Now, do what I've paid you to do, and do it well! If you slip, you'll cost me my future"!
You can guess what he wants, but just in case you can't, I'll tell you. He wants the doctor to remove Nostradamus' head, but it must be done with Surgical Precision. A sloppy job could render the brain untransplantable. The effort will have been for naught if that happens. However, despite shaky hands, the nervous doc does indeed manage to relieve old Nosty of his noggin. It's a perfect cut. Broussard "heads" back to the airport, gets the Head past the baggage handler (for real, lol), and flies back to London, where he presents it to Dr. Merritt.
The Doc is shocked, to say the least. "Mr. Broussard! Do you realise that what you've done is not only illegal but morally outrageous"?!
"I don't have any time for society's code of ethics"!, Broussard replies. "Do you want it or not? It's the head of Nostradamus. Here's your chance to make history". The doc mulls it over and decides it's a pretty good offer after all. But, he's not gonna rush into anything. He's nothing if not methodical. Pretty soon, he's got Nostradamus hooked up to electrodes, sitting in a saline bath. After a few days the head comes to life and is placed on a table, as required by Rule #1 in the Severed Head Movie Playbook. Everything's been going according to plan, plotwise, but now for some reason it goes off the rails.
Instead of transplanting Nostradamus' brain into Broussard's head, to see what he does with it, the filmmakers throw in a subplot. I knew there was a reason the screenwriter created the character of "Odette", the Sophia Loren lookalike who's supposed to be Broussard's goddaughter. Now, I mentioned that Broussard has the hots for her. He buys her diamonds and furs to keep her interested, but really she thinks he's repulsive (and he is). Odette has someone on the side that Broussard knows nothing about, and it just so happens to be Dr. Merritt's assistant, Dr. Waldenhouse. She tells Waldenhouse all about Broussard, how he's a business cheat, etc. Now Waldenhouse sets out to stop the transplant, so instead of having the Brain Transplant Movie you expected, they're gonna pull The Old Switcheroo on ya and give you a battle of wits instead.
Broussard keeps asking what's taking so long, and Dr. Merritt keeps postponing due to "setbacks" in Nostradamus' condition. What neither man knows is that Dr. Waldenhouse is secretly unplugging the electricity to the Brain Table that keeps the head alive. So, Nostradamus is in bad shape all of a sudden. Fearing he'll lose him, Broussard badgers ol' Nosty for some stock market tips. Nortradamus can't stand Broussard, so he deliberately gives him bad information. Remember, he can see into the future. So he tells Broussard to "sell" when he should be "buying". Broussard might lose his fortune in the process, and the movie might turn into an incoherent fiasco.
I think I've told you enough, and indeed, the quality of this part of my review may have degenerated in proportion to the lousiness of the script. Really what we've got is half a good movie. Once they introduce the Odette Subplot, everything about the sci-fi intrigue goes to hell. The film runs only 77 minutes but should've been cut to 65 or thereabouts. This is why W. Lee Wilder was not directing Academy Award Winning Motion Pictures like his brother Billy. He did make "Killers From Space", for which he deserves credit, but on that one he had the help of the great screenwriter, neighbor and baby photographer Bill Raynor, who we wrote about in our review of that picture a couple months ago.
I'm gonna go out on a Severed Limb and give "The Man Without A Body" Two Regular Thumbs Up, but only because it gets off to such a great start. It does recover in the final ten minutes, as the head of Nostradamus finds accommodations after all. I can't tell you where he winds up, but it makes for a pretty freaky grand finale, especially in the final shot of the movie. But boy oh boy is the second half some slow, slow going. They should've dispensed with all the Odette and Stock Market B.S. and gone straight for the transplant - then they would have had something. Recommended only for dedicated Brain Movie fans. /////
That's all I know for this evening. Only two more days until Summer. Let's make it a good one.
See you in a while at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
"The Soul of a Monster" starring George Macready, Jeanne Bates and Rose Hobart
Tonight's film was an unusual little gem called "The Soul of a Monster"(1944). I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it - a faith-based horror film about the fight over a man's soul between the forces of good and evil. Hollywood stalwart George Macready stars as "George Winson", a famous surgeon who is dying of a blood infection. Winson is known for accepting any patient, regardless of their ability to pay. He's so well loved that his illness is headline news in his hometown. Everyone is talking about him, sad that he's near death.
At home, his wife Ann (Jeanne Bates) is beyond being sad. She's distraught, even angry. She lashes out at her husband's doctor : "If you can't help him then just go"! For the family priest she saves her worst invective : "Your prayers meant nothing. They didn't save him. They're just a crutch for weak people to lean on. I believed once myself, but I don't anymore. You know, I've never prayed to the devil, but now I don't see why I shouldn't. God did me no help at all".
The priest asks her to keep the faith, but right before his eyes, she begins to pray : "To any force in the Universe, positive or negative, I ask you to save my husband". Within moments, we see a woman walking with determination, up the sidewalk towards the Winson home. She barges in without knocking and takes over George's care. "You called me", she says to his incredulous wife. "Here I am. Now get out of the way and let me work".
The woman, an ill-natured harpie with a Severe Hairdo, manages to save Dr. Winson. She announces herself as "Lilyan Gregg" (Rose Hobart), and then throws everybody out of the house, including Ann. Soon, she is dominating George's life. He moves in with her. She forbids him to see his wife and old friends. "What did they ever do for you"?, she asks. When the priest rings the bell to try and speak with George, Lilyan sends him away, then has George follow the clergyman back home, through dark streets. George is holding an icepick he's brought at Lilyan's command. She's ordered him to kill the priest. "He's your enemy"! The only thing that prevents it are a series of encounters with innocent bystanders. Something inside George still knows right from wrong, but just barely.
He eventually goes back to work, but he's not the same doctor everyone knew and loved. Now, he's cold and calculating, only accepting patients with insurance, and even then picking and choosing which ones are "worth saving". One day, his partner Dr. Vance (Jim Bannon) tries talking to him. "What's happened, George? That woman has changed you"! He has no idea how right he is, until he grabs George's wrist.
"He had no pulse", Vance tells Ann, later that night.
What's so interesting about this film is the way that shocking bit of news plays out. George is obviously a Walking Dead Man. He's lost his soul to Ms. Gregg, as the price she demanded for saving his life. The priest realises this, but there won't be any Exorcist-style confrontations to decide the matter. Instead, it will be a war of words, fought between the priest and Ann, on one side, and Lilyan and George on the other. Lilyan mostly hides in the shadows, using George as her mouthpiece. Long, philosophical discourses are exchanged, as the priest tries to reason with George, to speak to the last vestige of goodness still latent in his mind. George volleys back with emotionless, materialistic logic. His argument is based on the here-and-now, on cold-hearted individualism. "I don't believe in an afterlife", he says. "Why should I help others who can't repay me"?
George's wife Ann confronts Ms. Gregg : "You have George do all your bidding. You can't even face us. I believe you're scared"! The struggle for George's soul is quiet but forceful. Lilyan won't give up without a fight (she is of course The Devil's minion). Finally, she causes Dr. Vance to be stricken. He's in need of an operation and requests George to be his surgeon. Vance knows he's putting his life on the line because George is still under the control of Lilyan. But he believes the goodness in George will win out. He will recognise their friendship, and in doing so, he'll regain his soul. Dr. Vance will be saved in the bargain.
"The Soul of a Monster" is one of those Weird, almost Supernatural Horror Movies with religious overtones that sometimes appeared in the 1940s. Fans on IMDB have compared it to the films of Val Lewton, and it certainly has that dark and shadowy look. I'd add a comparison to a movie like "The Enchanted Cottage", which - while having an entirely different content - has a similar theme of Christianity running through it. The religious ideals are more broadly cast; there's no mention of Jesus, only God, but the whole idea is that good always triumphs over evil if one has faith. And in this film, it's all wrapped up in a metaphysical horror story with an Undead Surgeon at it's center.
As Johnny Carson would say, "That's some weird, wild stuff"! And it is. Man, I wish they'd make more movies like this, where characters give ideological speeches and go on far-out diatribes. It's a nice change of pace from the Endless Punchouts and/or Gun Battles that are usually trotted out to resolve conflicts. Speaking of weirdness, actress Jeanne Bates, who plays George's wife "Ann" (the one who invoked the Devil in the first place), went on much later in her career to work with David Lynch, not once but twice! Yessiree, in "Eraserhead" she was "Mrs. X", Henry's creepy mother-in-law. Remember the dinner scene where she grilled Henry about his sex life? How weird was that? Then in "Mulholland Drive" she was "Irene", the creepy old lady who enters Diane's room under the door at the end of the movie. That's even weirder! That scene freaked me out big time. So yeah, maybe David Lynch saw her Weird Performance in "The Soul of a Monster" and said, "Get me Jeanne Bates"!
Two Big Thumbs Up for this movie. Ya gotta see it, highly recommended! /////
That's all for tonight. See you in a while at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
At home, his wife Ann (Jeanne Bates) is beyond being sad. She's distraught, even angry. She lashes out at her husband's doctor : "If you can't help him then just go"! For the family priest she saves her worst invective : "Your prayers meant nothing. They didn't save him. They're just a crutch for weak people to lean on. I believed once myself, but I don't anymore. You know, I've never prayed to the devil, but now I don't see why I shouldn't. God did me no help at all".
The priest asks her to keep the faith, but right before his eyes, she begins to pray : "To any force in the Universe, positive or negative, I ask you to save my husband". Within moments, we see a woman walking with determination, up the sidewalk towards the Winson home. She barges in without knocking and takes over George's care. "You called me", she says to his incredulous wife. "Here I am. Now get out of the way and let me work".
The woman, an ill-natured harpie with a Severe Hairdo, manages to save Dr. Winson. She announces herself as "Lilyan Gregg" (Rose Hobart), and then throws everybody out of the house, including Ann. Soon, she is dominating George's life. He moves in with her. She forbids him to see his wife and old friends. "What did they ever do for you"?, she asks. When the priest rings the bell to try and speak with George, Lilyan sends him away, then has George follow the clergyman back home, through dark streets. George is holding an icepick he's brought at Lilyan's command. She's ordered him to kill the priest. "He's your enemy"! The only thing that prevents it are a series of encounters with innocent bystanders. Something inside George still knows right from wrong, but just barely.
He eventually goes back to work, but he's not the same doctor everyone knew and loved. Now, he's cold and calculating, only accepting patients with insurance, and even then picking and choosing which ones are "worth saving". One day, his partner Dr. Vance (Jim Bannon) tries talking to him. "What's happened, George? That woman has changed you"! He has no idea how right he is, until he grabs George's wrist.
"He had no pulse", Vance tells Ann, later that night.
What's so interesting about this film is the way that shocking bit of news plays out. George is obviously a Walking Dead Man. He's lost his soul to Ms. Gregg, as the price she demanded for saving his life. The priest realises this, but there won't be any Exorcist-style confrontations to decide the matter. Instead, it will be a war of words, fought between the priest and Ann, on one side, and Lilyan and George on the other. Lilyan mostly hides in the shadows, using George as her mouthpiece. Long, philosophical discourses are exchanged, as the priest tries to reason with George, to speak to the last vestige of goodness still latent in his mind. George volleys back with emotionless, materialistic logic. His argument is based on the here-and-now, on cold-hearted individualism. "I don't believe in an afterlife", he says. "Why should I help others who can't repay me"?
George's wife Ann confronts Ms. Gregg : "You have George do all your bidding. You can't even face us. I believe you're scared"! The struggle for George's soul is quiet but forceful. Lilyan won't give up without a fight (she is of course The Devil's minion). Finally, she causes Dr. Vance to be stricken. He's in need of an operation and requests George to be his surgeon. Vance knows he's putting his life on the line because George is still under the control of Lilyan. But he believes the goodness in George will win out. He will recognise their friendship, and in doing so, he'll regain his soul. Dr. Vance will be saved in the bargain.
"The Soul of a Monster" is one of those Weird, almost Supernatural Horror Movies with religious overtones that sometimes appeared in the 1940s. Fans on IMDB have compared it to the films of Val Lewton, and it certainly has that dark and shadowy look. I'd add a comparison to a movie like "The Enchanted Cottage", which - while having an entirely different content - has a similar theme of Christianity running through it. The religious ideals are more broadly cast; there's no mention of Jesus, only God, but the whole idea is that good always triumphs over evil if one has faith. And in this film, it's all wrapped up in a metaphysical horror story with an Undead Surgeon at it's center.
As Johnny Carson would say, "That's some weird, wild stuff"! And it is. Man, I wish they'd make more movies like this, where characters give ideological speeches and go on far-out diatribes. It's a nice change of pace from the Endless Punchouts and/or Gun Battles that are usually trotted out to resolve conflicts. Speaking of weirdness, actress Jeanne Bates, who plays George's wife "Ann" (the one who invoked the Devil in the first place), went on much later in her career to work with David Lynch, not once but twice! Yessiree, in "Eraserhead" she was "Mrs. X", Henry's creepy mother-in-law. Remember the dinner scene where she grilled Henry about his sex life? How weird was that? Then in "Mulholland Drive" she was "Irene", the creepy old lady who enters Diane's room under the door at the end of the movie. That's even weirder! That scene freaked me out big time. So yeah, maybe David Lynch saw her Weird Performance in "The Soul of a Monster" and said, "Get me Jeanne Bates"!
Two Big Thumbs Up for this movie. Ya gotta see it, highly recommended! /////
That's all for tonight. See you in a while at the Usual Time.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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