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 :):)
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