How 'bout a Home Invasion movie? No, not the kind with Gangstas in the 'Hood. I'm talking about the old school type of Home In-vayzsh, where a group of White Guys Wearing Suits terrorize a middle class family. Think Bogie and his bunch in "The Desperate Hours" or Sinatra and gang in "Suddenly". We're talking hostage situations in the 1950s, when Caucasian males were on the run and lawless, but always wore white shirts with knotted ties.
In "The Night Holds Terror"(1955), "Gene Courtier" (Jack Kelly) finds out the hard way why you should never pick up hitchhikers. On the way home from his job at Edwards Air Force Base, he stops for Vince Edwards in the desert. Vince pulls a gun on Gene and orders him into the back seat. Then two of Vince's pals pull up : David Cross and John Cassavetes. Cassavetes is the ringleader, the three are escaped convicts. He gets behind the wheel. They drive Gene out to Rosamond Dry Lake, where it's a wonder they don't get buzzed by an F-100 Super Sabre.
There on the cracked, primordial flat, Cassavetes threatens to shoot Mr. Courtier. He's doing his trademark New York tough guy schtick. He was better at acting, in my humble opinion, than he was at directing, and was always good at playing The Reckless Hoodlum. Gene talks him out of it by offering him the pink slip to his car. "It's worth two grand, you can sell it"! This was '55, when two gees was a lot o' dough, enough to set the gang up in Mexico, or even Tahiti. The catch, though, is that they've gotta sell the car through the dealer cause Gene doesn't yet own it outright. So they drive to the dealership, back in downtown Lancaster, but the dealer doesn't have two grand on hand. He can't get the cash until morning, so...(drum roll please cause here's the setup)...the hoods force Gene to take them to his house, where they spend the night to ensure he doesn't split or call the cops.
During their sleepover, Vince Edwards put the moves on Gene's wife. This pisses Cassavetes off. "Quit messin' around. I told ya to keep an eye on our boy here". In the wee hours of the night, a schism develops. Cassavetes and Edwards fall asleep. The third thug (David Cross) has earlier made it clear that he wants no part of any killing. "I didn't sign up for that", he complained to Cassavetes. "You said we was just gonna rob them". But Cass had decided that they can't leave any witnesses. He's planning to rub out the entire family the next day, after getting paid for the car. But still awake in the living room, Cross hits upon an idea with Gene Courtier. "Say, are you by any chance related to the Courtier of Courtier Supermarkets"?
"Yes. That's my father".
"Then you's rich. Now listen to me : the only chance you have of gettin' you and youse family outta this thing alive, is by lettin' them guys (Cassavetes and Edwards) know about your Pa. You've gotta lead 'em on, let 'em think there's even more money in it for them. You could let 'em stage a kidnapping, with you as the hostage. Tell 'em your Dad'll pay a huge ransom. It'll at least get your wife and kids off the hook, and it might just buy you some time to get free".
"But why are you helping me? What's in it for you"?
"The first thing is I don't wanna go to The Chair. Secondly, if the kidnap plan works, I could be in for a cut of the dough myself. I may not be a killer but I ain't no saint. So whattaya think? I say it's your only chance".
In the morning, Gene takes the advice of David Cross. He does tell Cassavetes about his father, and a kidnap scenario is worked out. "But first we sell the car, as planned". Gene demands that his family be let go. "Take the kids to your mother's house", he tells his wife. Cassavetes allows it, and the film's grand finale is about to be set in motion. I won't tell you how the kidnap plays out, but it does include a very interesting segment that depicts the actual method of tracing phone calls. It appears to have been filmed inside the relay center of ATT, or whatever company was local to Lancaster, California at the time. But with all the circuitry involved, it's amazing that the employees can trace any call. They literally have to "run it down" through a series of switching boxes. That's why you've gotta keep crooks on the line for as long as you can - "Keep stalling him"! (said in whisper or body language).
Overall, the film's a bit drawn out at 86 minutes, and would've worked better at 70 to 75, but it gets huge points for mentioning Edwards Air Force Base, and for having some awesome Lancaster locations including a vintage 1950's Thrifty Drug Store. And you get John Cassavetes and Vince Edwards mugging it up as the tough guys. It's good stuff.
Two Solid Thumbs Up for "The Night Holds Terror". The print is razor sharp. I recommend it. ///
We also watched what may be the best Whistler so far : "Voice of the Whistler"(1945). This time, Richard Dix plays a wealthy entrepreneur with a Midas touch; his every venture is a success, from auto manufacturing to banking. He even makes it though the 1929 stock market crash unscathed. but as is true of many tycoons, his devotion to business has left him a lonely man. He has no family or friends. The stress of a solitary life is beginning to cost him his health. On his way to a meeting he suffers an angina attack, and nearly passes out at the train station.
Fortunately, a Good Samaritan is standing nearby in the form of a cab driver (Rhys Willams). He takes Dix to a clinic. The doctor there runs a blood test and unfortunately the results aren't good. Dix is told he's got just a few months to live. Being a nuts and bolts realist, he accepts the diagnosis with resigned stoicism, but on his way out of the office, he meets the doctor's nurse (Lynne Merrick, who we saw in "Crime Doctor's Strangest Case").
After a date, he offers her a deal : "I'll leave you my fortune if you'll marry me. I know I'm much older and not very exciting, but think of it as a business deal. You'll inherit everything I own. I only want to experience what it feels like to have a wife, and I'm only going to live a few more months anyway". Though Merrick already has a boyfriend - a young intern from the clinic - she blows him off to marry Richard Dix. He's going by an alias now, so no one will know him. He and Merrick live in a lighthouse that's been converted into a home.
But things aren't working out to Merrick's satisfaction. For starters, several months have passed and Dix ain't dead yet. In fact, being married has revivified him. He seems to be getting better rather than worse, and it looks like Merrick might be in for the long haul. She finally breaks down and tells Dix she's had enough. "I can't take the isolation anymore! I've fulfilled my part of the bargain. I want out of our deal". Dix says no, but tries to placate her by saying he's in love with her. "And you're still gonna get all my money".
Cue the freakin' Whistler : "Ahh yes, Lynne.......you'll get all his money.........but when? One year from now? Five years, maybe ten? Or could it be longer? One thing's for certain, you aren't getting anything as long as your husband's alive. Just his love and this old lighthouse. But you didn't marry him for either of those things, did you"?
Man, that Whistler is brutal in his assessment of the situation.
What happens next is that the boyfriend shows up. It's clear that Merrick is still in love with him and vice versa. Dix sees this and engages the younger man in a game of chess, where - while they're playing - he proceeds to tell the guy how he's going to murder him and get away with it. The boyfriend tries to use this info to turn the tables on Dix and kill him first. By now, Lynne Merrick only cares about the fortune she stands to inherit. It's a case of "be careful what you wish for", as The Whistler reminds us at the end of the film, with his usual sneering glee.
'The Voice of the Whistler" gets Two Big Thumbs Up. It was directed once again by William Castle and has the feel of a suspense film in the tradition of "Inner Sanctum". ////
That's all I know for tonight. I hope you're enjoying Summer as we head toward the Fourth of July, and I send you tons of love as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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