Nina Foch in "Escape in the Fog", and "The Walking Target" with Ron Foster (plus Skeeter Syndrome)

Last night's movie was "Escape in the Fog"(1945), an espionage thriller directed by Budd Boetticher, another Tarantino favorite known mainly for his Westerns. If "Escape" is any indication, he was proficient in the spy genre too. "Eileen Carr" (Nina Foch) is a WW2 nurse on leave in San Francisco. Asleep in her hotel room, she has a  nightmare, of German agents on the Golden Gate bridge. The fog is rolling in. A man's about to be killed. She screams and several hotel guests come running. William Wright (not to be confused with the ancient Wil Wright) is one of them. He wakes her up. Holy smokes and Sweet Jumping Jiminy : he's the same man from her dream, the one being stabbed by the Nazis!

She's grateful to realize it was only a dream, but it's certain she's not in Kansas anymore. Wright's a little unnerved by Foch's tale, but offers to take her out for a quick cup o' joe. "You could use some fresh air", he suggests. En route to an all-night cafe, he stops at an office building (always a red flag in an espionage flick.) "I'm just gonna run in to leave a message for my boss, so sit tight".

Inside, he's really meeting with his superiors on yet another Federal undercover operation, this time to run Japan out of China using radio controlled ships. Wright is given a set of documents to take to Hong Kong, but on that same night, as he and Foch cross the Golden Gate Bridge, they're ambushed by a carload of - you guessed it - Nazi agents - who jump Wright and try to steal the Top Secret papers. The leather pouch containing them falls into the water below, which sets off a mad scramble to find it before it sinks. Wright escapes death when a beat cop intervenes, and Foch now sees her dream as a premonition, which fortunately didn't end in Wright's death. "Maybe I'm your good luck charm", she proposes, and from there the tone changes from thriller to romp, or maybe a combination of both.

There's a "date movie" feel to the script at this point, as the Nazis become caricatures and Foch and Wright become death defying heroes, stalked by Zee Jare-mons as they make their way across the city. There's obvious humor, as when a Nazi with a heavy accent calls Wright's boss (Otto Kruger), pretending to be the head of the San Francisco Port Authority. The dashing duo are finally trapped in the basement of a Nazi hideout, with the gas turned on and no way out. Wright comes up with an ingenious means of escape, and I'm debating on telling you what it is...........oy, but I won't. It has to do with an insult to his Chinese allies, and it's clever enough to make up for any deficiencies in the plot, which has loopholes you could drive a truck through. As I said though, once the movie becomes a popcorn flick, it's strictly for fun, and is very enjoyable on that level. You get bad guys aplenty, and in addition to the Klutzy Krauts there are weasels, squealers and even a chiseler. A young Shelly Winters is in view for thirty seconds as a cab driver, and doe-eyed Nina Foch is charming as the Girl Friday.

Two Solid Thumbs Up for "Escape in the Fog", which succeeds on murky atmosphere and the dauntlessness of it's two leads. The Youtube print is razor sharp, watch it for a good time at the movies. ////

The previous night's film began with yet another prisoner being paroled, and I'm thinking that we might need to stop and investigate what's taking place here. Is there a subgenre of Parole Movies that we were previously unaware of? Maybe parole flicks were big box office for a while and we missed it? Hell, I dunno, but clearly something's up. We'll set it aside for the moment, so we can review the movie, but if we get another parole movie after this one, we'll do that full-blown investigation.

It was called "The Walking Target" (1960), and speaking of repeats, Ron Foster is back, playing "Nick Harbin", another variation on his Conflicted Hard Guy persona. Harbin's just been paroled. Before he leaves San Quentin, the warden questions his rehabilitation. "You've been a model prisoner, you act like you've learned your lesson, and yet I know it's not genuine because you've never told us about the money you hid. I think you've been biding your time until you could get out and recover it. Please Nick, I ask you not to do this. You're a smart guy. Please try to go straight. I don't wanna see you back here again".

Nick keeps a poker face. "Thanks for your concern, warden, but I've done my time. I owe the state nothing and it has no hold on me. My plans are to live a quiet life, if it makes you feel any better, but I have no obligation to anyone once I walk out of here". 

Harbin was convicted of a payroll robbery that netted him a quarter mil. But one of his accomplices was shot dead during the job, and Nick feels guilty about that. It's in Ron Foster's contract that he Must Experience Doubt at some point in the story, in order to utilize his Method chops ( and don't forget he played against type in Highway Patrol, in which he Couldn't Have Been More Vanilla). So yeah, Foster's got us in a whirl about his level of talent, which might well have been semi-formidable. It more than suffices for his role in this film and we'll have to go on a tirade about him at some point.  ;)

Anyhow, as Nick Harbin, recent parolee, he bides his time, fending off advances from his old girlfriend (Merry Anders) who pretends to still love him. She and his best friend throw him a Welcome Home party, in which it's all "so glad to have ya back" and "we never stopped thinkin' 'boutcha". There's back slaps aplenty, and "can I getcha another drink"?, but when Nick is in the kitchen and out of earshot - or so they think - the best friend pops the question to the girlfriend, the one that's really on his mind : "Aren't you gonna ask him about the money? Don't wait. He might pick it up and leave town. We can't blow it now, after waiting all this time".

So in reality, it's not such a warm-hearted welcome. His girlfriend and best friend have been making the scene ever since Nick went to prison, which he suspected anyway since she never came to visit him once in the five years he was incarcerated. Now that he's overheard them, his suspicions are confirmed. Nick plays it cool, however, pretending he doesn't know. He doesn't wanna give them - or anyone else - a clue to where the money is, or indeed that he ever even hid the stolen money. Better to just keep silent and not reveal his intentions. 

It turns out that his girlfriend and best friend are working for a Big League Honcho - a Dallas oilman type - who knows about the hidden loot and wants it for himself. He's promised the duo a cut, provided they don't double cross him. There's also a rogue policeman who'd like to get his hands on the cash. He dogs Nick, threatening to bust his parole, thinking he'll reveal the location of the cash if he keeps the hammer down.

Because of Ron Foster's contractual obligations, the tone changes, from one of Take The Money And Run, to Maybe I Should Give It Away. As I mentioned, he feels guilty about his partner who was killed in the heist, so he goes to see the guy's widow (Joan Evans), who runs a diner. Screenwriting 101 : once you place a diner in the scenario, especially a Lonely Old Roadside Diner, you're setting an opportunity for two characters to fall in love, or leave for parts unknown, or both. Roadside Diners are where conflicts are resolved, or come to a head, or whatever. But one thing is certain : once you, as a movie character, enter a Roadside Diner, nothing will ever be the same. And that's especially true if you're Ron Foster, the Enigma's enigma. He's recovered the money by this time and offers it to the dead man's widow. When she refuses, because "it's blood money", he falls in love with her and they do a Motion Picture Makeout Clinch. When this happens, especially in a Roadside Diner, the fates of the two characters become Permanently Entwined.

Ultimately, the widow convinces Nick to turn the money in to the police. "Then you'll truly be free and we can go away". But it's not gonna be that simple, because the two-timing couple and their Big Honcho Bossman have followed Nick to the diner, and - if you can dig it - the crooked cop has in turn followed them. Everything culminates there, in following dramatic law, and while I won't reveal what happens, it's an exciting finale, and there's that full on Ron Foster 180 as well, so you get your money's worth.

I give "The Walking Target" Two Big Thumbs Up. Edward L. Cahn once again directed, the second time we've seen him with Foster in the lead, the first being "Secret of Deep Harbor" (viewed a couple weeks ago). Merry Anders was also in that picture, so it's a trio. They work well together and we'll look for more from them. At this point we oughta do a Ron Foster film fest, as we did with Sir John Mills back in April. 

Well, that's all for the moment. I'm listening to The Beach Boys' "Smile", I'm reading "The President's Daughter" by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, and I've just discovered I've got Skeeter Syndrome. You might recall that last Summer I complained of (and was astounded by) some Industrial Strength mosquito bites I received, which swelled up like big red bullseyes on my arms. I'd never had such huge bites before, and at the time I just chalked 'em up to The Year of Covid, and everything being bigger and badder than it had been before, like "murder hornets" and such. But the skeeter bites were truly awful, and I remarked at the time that I would've rather had them hurt, like a bee sting, than to experience the itch that resulted, which was relentless and felt like my arms were on fire. I mean......it was godawful.

Finally they went away and I forgot about them.......sort of. And this Summer I was pretty lucky, until this week. Then on Tuesday I woke up with two mosquito bites on my right elbow. Right away I could see they were swelling, so I put an ice pack on 'em. It helped to keep the itch at a minimum (praise the Lord), but I couldn't hold it there all day, and the swelling continued, until today my whole elbow was very swollen extending halfway down my forearm. I did some Googling  - "mosquito bites that cause swelling" - and discovered the aforementioned Skeeter Syndrome, which is basically an allergic reaction to said bites. Judging from the images of other sufferers, I'd say I've got a middling to slightly above average case. Some folks get fevers to go along with the swelling; thank goodness I haven't had that, nor the rare case of anaphylactic shock (God forbid), but it's just weird that you (meaning me) can go all your life with just an ordinary reaction to mosquito bites, and then all of a sudden.........whammo!

But apparently there's evidence that Skeeter Syndrome can develop suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, and this may be linked to genetics. Researchers in England did a veddy Brrrittish study of Skeeter Syndrome and discovered a chromosomal link that may be passed on by one's parents, so maybe that's the case with me. I also developed Dupuytrens out of nowhere, beginning when I was 53, and of course both my folks had the bent fingers which result from that condition. Dupuytrens comes on in mid-life, so maybe in my case Skeeter Syndrome did too. The Dupuytrens turned out to be no big hindrance. I still play guitar with a few left hand adjustments, and I still grip things mostly as I did before. I've got three bent fingers but five straight ones, and two good thumbs (which is why we can do Two Big Thumbs Up!).

But this mosquito thing is a little more worrisome until I get it figured out, and get the hang of preventing the bites. It's not life threatening or even anything requiring treatment, but the swelling is semi-extreme, and oh man that itch. They say that the damn skeets can't bite through clothes, so for me it's gonna be long sleeves and long pants all the way, especially at night. Take that, you freakin' skeeters!

Well, sorry to complain but I just thought I'd mention it, cause I never knew there was such a thing as Skeeter Syndrome, and I'm glad it's been researched and explained.

Have a great weekend and thanks for reading. I send you Tons and Tons of Love, as always.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)     

Turhan Bey in "Parole, Inc.", and "The Embezzler" (an English gem)

Last night we had another crooked parole scam to deal with, in "Parole, Inc."(1948). This time, the mastermind wasn't Peter Lorre but Turhan Bey, who wouldn't bother with plotting a sinister demise if he wanted to get rid of you - he'd just make a phone call. What's Turhan Bey's deal, anyway? Is he even a real person? He looks like he emerged fully formed from the Suave Factory.  

Well anyhow, the opening is nearly identical to the one in "Island of Doomed Men". G-Man Michael O'Shea is being briefed by his superiors on an undercover assignment, in which he'll investigate a group of gangsters who've corrupted the parole system. He will pose as an ex-convict (a bank robber) who wants to spring his buddy from The Slammer, so he can assist in a heist.

The next prisoner to be paroled is connected to a gin mill run by Evelyn Ankers. O'Shea goes there and approaches him. "Say, you just got out of Quentin, right"? "That's right - who wants to know"? "I do. Were you acquainted with a 'Joe Smith"? He was in there for safecracking". "Yeah. We was in the same cell block. Why?" "Well, I've got a job for him, and I heard on the grapevine that a parole can be had, er.......for the right price". "I don't know nuthin' about that. If you got any more questions you can go talk to Jojo (Ankers). She runs this joint. Me, I'm a free man and wanna stay that way". O'Shea then enters the back room and introduces himself to Ankers. She's running a casino racket that's enforced by hoods from the parole scheme. O'Shea's "bank robber" act fools her. He gains her trust. Still, she won't give out much info. "I don't know anything about buying a parole". In a subplot, we are shown that someone on the parole board is bought and paid for. Ankers must be connected to that person, but how?

O'Shea follows one of her henchmen to an office building, then observes him take an elevator to the fifth floo-ah. Rather than trail the guy too closely and risk discovery, O'Shea writes down the name of every tenant on that floor, then calls in all the names to headquarters. One name stands out : Turhan Bey, a high powered lawyer. I've gotta break in to say that we should just do a whole blog on Bey, to try and figure out what his trip is, but in the movie, the Feds are certain he's gotta be The Fixer, the payoff man between Ankers and the parole board.  

O'Shea is directed to engage Bey personally, as Evelyn Ankers won't reveal their connection, and when he proposes a payoff to get his "friend" paroled from prison, Bey accepts. But before he makes the arrangements, he has two of his mugs break in to O'Shea's hotel room. "I'm not sure I trust that guy. Go in there, look for anything you can find - an address book, a briefcase, a badge - but don't toss the place. If he is with the Feds I don't wanna tip him off". What the lackeys find is some recording equipment. Bey's suspicion was on target. He feigns ignorance and gets the ball rolling on the parole of O'Shea's pal. In doing so he intends to draw O'Shea closer, to find out everything he knows before he kills him (or rather, has him killed; Bey would never participate in anything so vulgar as an execution).

"Parole, Inc." has a script worthy of an A-list release, the plot is well developed and has an interesting subthread about identifying the corrupted member of the parole board. The acting is uniformly good if not exceptional, and by all accounts everything adds up to an involving 71 minute crime film. The problem is that it could've been so much better, a minor classic even, if the director had cared enough to build some tension, and especially some character development with his bad guys. I mean, here you've got Ankers, a respected English actress (playing the American Jojo). She's invested in the role, yet we find out next to nothing about her character. Her mooks get more screen time. And then you've got Turhan F. Bey, Exotic Man of Mystery, so freakin' suave that Dennis Hopper would bow in admiration, so weird that we ourselves are mystified by him, and yet director Alfred Zeisler just allows him to die on the vine, characterwise.

So yeah, that lack of development in what was otherwise an excellent film was a letdown for sure. This leads me to do something I've never done before in terms of rating. I'm gonna give "Parole, Inc." a split verdict : Two Big Thumbs for overall entertainment value (including all ingredients mentioned above), but only Two Regulars for direction. It would've been a lot better with a top Hollywood Craftsman at the helm, but I still recommend it. The picture quality is good and it gave us a chance to tee off on Turhan Bey, who we aren't done with yet. Give it a watch. ////

The previous night we watched "The Embezzler"(1954), a crime film with a poignant sensibility. "Oh, really? How veddy Brrittish of you to say so". "Henry Paulson", a middle aged bank clerk (age 50, looks 65) is at the end of his rope. Every day for thirty years he's been on time, done his job, gone home and come back the next day to do repeat the routine. And for what? His lazy wife does nothing but complain, nagging him from her bed, from which she seldom arises. To say the poor man is henpecked is putting it mildly. And when he's finally offered a promotion after all this time, he experiences an attack of stress. When he goes to visit his doctor, the news is unfortunately not good.

The doc tells him he's got a heart condition : "You've got two years at most".

So he decides to say the hell with the entire bloody situation. He forgoes the promotion, leaves his witchy wife in the dust, and splits........without a word. He plans to live the rest of his life to the fullest, however long that will be.

To finance this final expedition, Henry embezzles a suitcase full of money. On his last day at work, he stays late at the bank - to "finish up some paperwork" - and when the other employees have gone home, he unlocks the vault and steals all the cash, stacks and stacks of large bills. In the middle of this load-up, the bank manager returns unexpectedly and surprises him, but he shoves the man into an office and locks the door. Then he leaves and boards a train. His first thought is to flee to Paris, but the train stops in a small town called Eastcourt, so he disembarks to spend the night in a hotel.

Right away, you know the plot has changed. The hotel is peopled with quirky tenants who - through their interaction with our beleaguered hero - will test his resolve to live out his adventurous fantasy. It's a karmatic twist that plays off his inbred guilt, instilled in him for decades by his wife and his place in society. He's never been anything but a cog in the machine, living a life of quiet desperation (it's the English way). Then, when he finally makes his first Bold Move, because he knows he going to die, he finds himself among people who need his help. Will he be able to change his spots, to live life on his own terms for the first time, or will he revert to a lifelong habit of service? And which is the more noble cause?

But he has so little time left. Surely God wouldn't begrudge him a single trip to Paris, if only for a couple of months.

One of the hotel guests is a woman who's husband is just out of prison. He's a hoodlum she wants nothing to do with. Now we'll have a surprise as to the real Embezzler of the title. The woman's husband finds out about Henry and his stolen bank loot. He wants the money for himself. If he can't have it, he's going to turn the Henry in to the police. Will Henry leave for Paris, or will he stay and face down his accuser? Part of him wants to do something good before he dies. Another part longs for one memorable experience. 

"The Embezzler" is for the most part a "single location movie", in this case where Everyone Congregates at the Hotel. It's like a curveball on Ten Little Indians, because it's not a mystery, but the conversations among the guests are formulated to make Henry paranoid. Everyone is talking about a report in the newspaper of a bank clerk who embezzled thousands. The ways in which they point it out cause Henry to suspect "they know it's him". The action culminates at a children's party put on by the hotel management, which serves as a metaphor for the lost innocence of the adults. The peripheral characters all have that eccentric English charm you often see in Brit movies from this period, where light comedy is used to contrast the grimmer aspects of the situation (i.e. Henry's terminal illness).

I loved "The Embezzler" and give it Two Big Thumbs Up. It runs a brisk 61 minutes and was directed by (of all people) a man named John Gilling, who also made the horrific "Plague of the Zombies" for Hammer Studios. Talk about a 180 in style and craftsmanship! Wow. But yeah, don't miss this movie, it's an understated gem. /////

That's all for the moment. I hope you had a wonderful day. I send you Tons of Love, as always.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Surf City All-Stars at Warner Park, plus Peter Lorre and Lionel Atwill

Yesterday I went to Warner Park to see The Surf City All-Stars play a concert of Beach Boys music. As I've mentioned, I've really been getting into the BBs this Summer after buying several of their albums on CD ("Sunflower", "Surf's Up", "Holland" & "Pet Sounds"). Those albums all come from their late '60s/early '70s period, after they'd changed their sound to incorporate styles besides the Surf Rock they're best known for. Of course I love that music, too. I mean, how many great songs do The Beach Boys have, right? They certainly add up after you see The Surf City All-Stars in concert. They stick to the hits, and they must've played 25 songs last night over the course of their 90 minute show. Every song's a classic! Boy are these guys great. It says on their website that each member has toured with The Beach Boys at one time or another, and one guy was hand picked by Carl Wilson himself to start this  tribute band. They nail the music and especially the four part harmonies. If you ever have the chance to see them, don't miss it. I'm freaking out on The Beach Boys right now, lol, and I'll put Brian Wilson up there with Lennon/McCartney.    

Anyway, that's why the blog is late (shoulda been posted yesterday). I also went back to church yesterday morning, for the first time since March 2020. We didn't sing - and probably won't be singing for quite a while, due to ongoing Covid concerns - but it was nice to see everybody after all this time. Our new pastor is great, too.

Well, I'm back at Pearl's, so I have to adjust my writing schedule (pronun.) I should be able to get the blog back on track by tomorrow, but what I'm gonna do today is just synopsize our last two movies, starting with Saturday night's film. Here's what I wrote to begin with :

Last night we were sent to the "Island of Doomed Men"(1940). Probably should've known better than to search Peter Lorre, but anyway, once we got there, we had to find a way out. Luckily for us, undercover agent "Mark Sheldon" was on the island too, except there he was known as "John Smith", ex-convict. Better let me explain.  

As the movie opens, Sheldon (Robert Wilcox) enters an office and signs on with a super Top Secret agency, tasked with taking down the world's most dangerous criminals. The Supervisor gives him the lowdown on Lorre and his private island in the Pacific. "He owns a diamond mine that he mans with slave labor. You should know the risks, you might not return alive, and if you're caught we'll deny your existence". 

Before he can finish his spiel, an assassin pokes a gun through the windum and fires. Bang! The Supervisor is wounded. Before he dies, he exhorts Sheldon to flee down the fire escape. "No one can know your identity, not even the police"! Sheldon can't explain the situation to the coppers because he'll expose the op. As he's fleeing he gets caught on the sidewalk. He refuses to identify himself, except as "John Smith". The police know it's an alias and he gets blamed for his bosses' murder. Then he is tried and convicted, and sentenced to 20 years in prison! (Great Googley Moogley!)

But Peter Lorre gets him out after serving just one year. Lorre's a "legitimate businessman" (oh no, not one of those again) who sponsors a program to employ parolees on his island. He's "rehabilitating" the convicts to live honest lives. All they have to do is work hard (in Bronson Cave) until they're ready to re-enter society. In reality though, it's a slave labor camp from which no one's ever escaped. I mean, c'mon.....what'dja expect? It's Peter Lorre. Did you really think he suddenly became an altruist? 

Well anyhow, yeah he's running a prison camp with forced labor, staffed by prisoner guards just like at Auschwitz. His stunning wife is a prisoner, too, though she isn't made to work. She stays at home in the jungle, wearing slinky gowns. He orders her to play piano. Man, does she hate him.  Once "John Smith" arrives, she seeks him as an ally.

Lorre employs a slow burn delivery. He never raises his voice, but don't let his even keel fool you. He's beyond merciless and knows everything you're doing to scheme against him. He's always one step ahead and in his mind he's planning the worst possible demise for you that he can conjure. In the 1980s, my friends and I would argue who would win a cage match between Brian Dennehy and Wilford Brimley, but now, I'd take Peter Lorre over both of them. He wouldn't even have to get in the cage; he'd just figure out a Sinister Plan to entrap them. 

The main thing in the plot is that he doesn't want to lose his wife (and you wouldn't either if your wife was Rochelle Hudson). He knows she hates his guts, but that's okay as long as he can still possess her. By this time he's lost interest in persecuting "John Smith", who he finds rather dreary. "I know that you work for the government. That's why I brought you here, to control you". He says this causally as he checks his fingernails. It's the ultimate Peter Lorre role.

Two Big Thumbs Up for "Island of Doomed Men". 

The previous night we walked over to Poverty Row for a goodie from Monogram Pictures : "The Sphinx"(1933), starring Lionel Atwill as a deaf mute accused of murder. As the movie opens, we see him leaving a stockbroker's office late at night. The only other guy in the building is a janitor who's taking a swig. He sees Atwill, who nods and tips his hat. The next morning a body is discovered; the stockbroker from the office. The janitor is questioned but not believed, after all he's a lush. He's also a humorous Italian, who "a-swears-a", that he "a-saw-a", the "silent man-a" in the building. "But he couldn't-a notta do it. He a seem-a like a nice guy". I paraphrase, but the accent is the character's. Remember, this is 1933.

Back at his home, Atwood's butler runs interference. He's played by the Joker-faced Lucien Prival, who looks like The Man Who Laughed. He acts as Atwill's interpreter, and when a reporter shows up, he answers all his questions. ("Mr. Breen says this, Mr. Breen says that"). The scribe thinks Prival is covering something up and you would too; the scene takes place in one of those old Hollywood mansions where the walls are made of stone and bookcases rotate to reveal hidden rooms.

You'll never guess what (or whom!) Atwill is hiding in order to get away with murder. The movie succeeds on his turn as the deaf mute. Though the camerawork is static and the production values low, I loved "The Sphinx" because of it's clever plot. It runs just 64 minutes, and this time I strongly recommend you watch it as a double feature with "Island of Doomed Men". Atwill's performance plays in tandem with that of Peter Lorre. Both are eccentric and the movies seem to go together. Two Big Thumbs Up for "The Sphinx". Watch 'em both and have fun! ////

That's all for the moment. Sorry for the short reviews, but we'll adjust back to normal. Hope you have a great evening, I send you tons of love as always.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

 

Conrad Veidt in "Nazi Agent" and "The Return of The Whistler" starring Michael Duane

Last night I was looking for a spy movie, and my search was made easy by the unambiguously titled "Nazi Agent"(1942). You can't get more Blue Label than that when naming an espionage film. The great Conrad Veidt ("Cabinet of Dr. Caligari", "Casablanca") stars in a dual role as German identical twins, one of whom is "Otto Decker", a patriotic U.S. immigrant who runs a used book shop. The other is "Baron Hugo von Detner", the German consul general stationed in New York. He's the Nazi agent in question, working undercover, and as the movie opens he visits his brother with a proposition. "Vee need to use your bookshop for in-for-mayshun gathering. You vill be compensated and it is a chance to do something for your country".

"But this is my country"! Otto declares. "I am an American now, I want nothing to do with your cause. Get out and don't come back"! He opens the door to invite his brother to leave, but the Baron holds a Donald Trump card. "Vould you like me to report you to the immigration authorities? I know about your status here". Otto snuck in on a fishing boat. "Think about vhat vould happen if you were deported back to Jaremany. I'm sorry to have to do this, Otto but you cannot schtand in our way". Thus Otto is blackmailed into accepting his brother's scheme, which involves sending coded messages via books and stamp collections. He's given a handler, a woman who poses as his clerk but in reality oversees every move he makes. Otto wants out of this setup and tries to sneak a letter to an old friend : "I'm being forced to work for the Nazis. Please get help, call the police or FBI". But the letter is intercepted and the old friend is killed.

Otto confronts his brother. "Now you murder an innocent man! My friend had nothing to do with this"!

"Ahh, Otto, but he could have talked. You must underschtand, nothing is more important than the cause".

Otto is enraged and strikes the Baron. A punchout ensues, the Baron pulls a gun and after a struggle it goes off. The Baron falls down dead. One of his henchmen is waiting outside and the mild mannered Otto panics. In a desperation move, he takes off his glasses, shaves his goatee, and dons the Baron's suit. Suddenly he is the Baron! "Everything's okay", he tells the waiting thug. "Otto is dead. It was terrible to have to shoot him but we must move forward". The henchman helps him bury "Otto"'s body.

Otto's decision to impersonate his brother was a spur-of-the-moment impulse because he was afraid to be accused of the Baron's murder. But now that his deception is working, and people believe he's the Baron, he decides to use his newfound power to sabotage the Nazis' spy plans. Only his loyal servant "Brenner" (Moroni Olsen) knows his true identity, revealed by a scar on Otto's back. But Otto doesn't know the specifics of the spy operation; it's protocols and code words. There are some dicey moments as he bluffs his way through their planning sessions.

The goal of the group is to sink U.S. supply ships after they launch out of New York City. The spies acquire departure times and relay them via the code process through Otto's bookstore. U-boats then show up and torpedo the ships. Otto tries to stop this in his guise as the Baron, but some American traitors are working with the Nazis. One, a bomb specialist, notices "The Baron" using a pay phone and reports him to the Gestapo in Berlin. They send their American thugs in to threaten him, but they can't outright kill him yet because his loyalty has never before been questioned. I should note that in watching this film, I was surprised at the level of German subterfuge in this country. I knew they had U-boats off the coasts and spy networks in the major cities, but I wasn't aware how thoroughly they'd infiltrated our system, or that American criminals were on their payroll.

The Nazi plot builds to a climax with a plan to blow up the Panama Canal, using a time bomb planted on an ammo ship. In a subplot central to the last half of the movie, Otto (as The Baron) has fallen in love with a French girl who - like himself - was forced into cooperating with the Nazis. In her case they've got her parents imprisoned back home. She is tasked with spotting the munitions ship so the timing mechanism of the bomb will work accurately. Otto can't bear to watch her become implicated in so heinous a deed, so he bargains with the New York Gestapo agent (Martin Kosleck, always good at playing die hard officious Nazis) to use him instead. "Allow me to trade places with her and I won't turn you in". Things get complicated at this point. Kosleck is in a stand off with Otto, who's also trying to get a message back to the FBI before the canal is exploded. But can he save the French girl in the process? I won't describe the ending, but the film's final image has Otto staring at the Statue of Liberty.

"Nazi Agent" was directed by Jules Dassin, a top Hollywood Craftsman whose work ran the gamut from comedy ("The Canterville Ghost") to Noir ("Night and the City"), to "Rififi", one of the greatest heist flicks ever made. He was also a victim of the HUAC Hollywood blacklist, which is ridiculous considering he made a patriotic propaganda film like this one. It's highly recommended and gets Two Big Thumbs Up. //// 

Now then, before we get to our next review - what would you say are the Universal Questions, the enigmas that everyone's pondered? Is there a God? Is there life after death? What is the meaning of existence? Those all come to mind, but I'd add another, one I'm sure all of us have contemplated. It is this : Can you do a Whistler movie without Richard Dix? Strictly speaking, the answer is yes. To wit : "They already did one". But we already know that and it's not what I mean. We wanna know if it works. That's why The Question is "can you do a Whistler movie without Dix", and not "can you make one".  Of course you can make one; anybody can "make" anything (all you've gotta do is start making). But "to do" in this case is quite different. It involves "should you" and "will it suck", and "why did Dix quit the series" and (oh shut up, Ad). 

Okay I will. Here's the plot then :

A couple drives down a country road at night in the middle of a blinding rainstorm. Why? Because they're gonna get married. Isn't that the way it's usually done? Well anyhow, when they arrive at the preacher's door ("weddings performed", says the sign), he isn't home. "Didn't wanna drive back in this weather", says his wife. She suggests the engaged young couple sleep over at a nearby motel. "That's a great idea", they agree, but they barely make it to their lodgings. Someone has sabotaged their car. We're just getting started with "The Return of The Whistler"(1948), starring Michael Duane in place of Richard Dix, who retired because of health problems. Duane is the young man of the couple. With their car stalled out front, he signs them into the motel. But when the clerk discovers they aren't yet man and wife, he throws Duane out. "Can't let the both of you stay here". It's 1948, you see and.......well, it's just not "that kind" of motel. So Duane volunteers to sleep in the car while his girlfriend takes the bed in the room. Everything's fine until the next morning, when Duane goes inside to collect his fiancee. She's not in her room and he can't find her.

"Who did you say"?, asks the clerk. "I'm sorry sir but there's no one here by that name". Duane figures the guy's a little soft in the head, so he gets the manager and asks the same question. "Can you tell me what happened to Alice Barkley (Lenore Aubert)? I just checked her into your motel last night".

The manager looks at the register. "I'm afraid my clerk is correct. There's no one signed in by that name". Duane figures he getting the runaround. Then the clerk does a 180 : "Oh wait a minute.......here she is. She signed herself out at 3am". It sounds like a bunch of baloney. Duane challenges the clerk and a punchout ensues (and doncha just love all these movie punchouts?) The manager calls the cops. They tell Duane "sounds like the lady got cold feet". Now he's got no car and no fiancee. He's got one hell of a conundrum to solve, though - but before he can think straight, can you believe what happens next?

That's right. The freakin' Whistler breaks in to give him a hard time. The nerve of this guy! After all Duane's been through - the rainstorm, the unavailable preacher, the car breaking down, being separated from his girlfriend, and now being told she's gone - after all that, The Whistler has the audacity to chime in with one of his sarcastic asides, to suggest Duane's at fault for all his current troubles. "Ahh yes, Ted (Duane)......what if you hadn't been in such a hurry to get married? Did you ever consider that? What if you'd waited for the rain to stop? Ahhh, but you were in love, weren't you, and love must never be kept waiting".

I mean, screw you Whistler! That's what I'd be thinking if I was Michael Duane. Giving him guff after the hotel staff pulls a Mission Impossible on him. Well, I guess The Whistler's seen it all by now and maybe he's a little jaded. Or maybe he's upset that Richard Dix has been replaced.

Duane ultimately hires a private detective to find out what happened to his gal. It turns out she's been married before, and "it's possible she's running from her ex-husband". Or maybe they're not even divorced. "She's French, isn't she"?, asks the P.I. Duane resents the insinuation, but it's clear that Alice is mixed up in something he doesn't know about. The real question is whether she's in it willingly or being forced. That's all I'm gonna give ya, but I'll say that this is one of the better Whistlers, plotwise. Richard Dix could've given "Ted" a little more heft, which would have added to his torment when the bad guys are trying to drive him crazy. But Michael Duane does a satisfactory job and holds together the last film in the series. Even The Whistler eases up on him at the end. I think he feels guilty about being such a jerk. I give "The Return of The Whistler" Two Big Thumbs Up. And we're in luck, because we still have one Whistler left. That's because we watched 'em out of context. So we still have "The Power of The Whistler", and that one does star Dix! We'll save it for a treat, maybe watch it in a couple weeks. 

That's all I know for tonight. I hope you had a nice day and are enjoying the Summer. I send you tons and tons of love, as always. 

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Arthur Franz in "New Orleans Uncensored" and "Never Let Go" starring Peter Sellers

Last night we went back to the waterfront for "New Orleans Uncensored"(1955), a film about crime on the docks. A narrator informs us that 'Nawlins has thus far avoided the kind of racketeering that's overtaken the Port of New York : "A remarkable accomplishment for the second largest harbor in America". Ex- Navy man Arthur Franz is new in town and looking to buy a cargo boat so he can start his own shipping company. In order to pay for it, he takes a job down at the wharf, working as a stevedore. On his first day, he gets into a punchout with a co-worker over a mislabeled purchase order. Franz is a straight arrow who doesn't know - yet - that the company he's working for is crooked. The owner is stealing cargo via a sophisticated "shell game" scheme.

During the fistfight, Franz's foreman observes his strong right hook. "Say there fella, you've got one hell of a thump. You oughta try out for the union boxing team". I must step in here to note that I've never heard of Union Boxing Teams. Maybe they exist, who knows, but in the movie the boxing angle serves mostly to show that Franz can take care of himself despite his Good Guy image. There is also a minor boxing subthread involving another character.

On his first night in town, Franz goes out to a club. He meets a gorgeous dame (Helene Stanton) and they dance. Later she invites him back to her pad. It's fancy, one of those wrought-iron joints on the edge of the French Quarter. He wonders how she can afford it. It turns out she's got another man on the hook : "Zero" (Michael Ansara), the owner of the company Franz works for. He keeps Helene at arms length after that (don't mess with the boss's wife), and starts hanging with "Joe Reilly" (William Henry), the foreman who noticed his boxing skills. Joe does double duty as Zero's sales manager, his top underling. He's got a nice wrought- iron pad too, worth more than his salary would indicate. Franz becomes chummy with Joe's wife "Marie" (Beverly Garland), who bemoans the changes in her husband. "He's not the man I married, the pressure's changed him". Garland is anxious but won't reveal why. All she says to Franz is "don't take a promotion, no matter what they offer. You're a good man, don't let this job change you".  

One day, Joe meets with Zero and says he wants to quit. "I wanna start my own outfit. Of course, I won't work in your district, Zero. It's just that I'd like to branch out on my own".

The thing is, nobody quits on Zero, so he sends two thugs to follow Joe (one of them being Mike Mazurki/Albuquerque!). Joe gets scared and runs. The thugs shoot him dead. But that's not what Zero ordered; he just wanted them to "persuade" Joe to stay. The murder brings unwanted attention. Things now start going downhill for Zero's cargo smuggling enterprise.

I mentioned the boxing subplot. Once Joe is killed, what had been a smooth and unprovable criminal operation is now rife with enmity. "Scrappy" (Stacy Harris) is the company's union representative and former boxing champ. He was also Joe's best friend. He goes to the cops and spills the beans on what he knows. Of course, even the Feds have yet to corner Zero, so it's no surprise the local police don't have the clout to stop him. But Zero can't afford to take chances at this point. He needs Scrappy out of the picture. Another murder now would turn the heat up way too high, so he arranges for an "accident" for the Scrapmeister. His henchmen spread a rumor that Franz has ratted on Scrappy. Scrap confronts Franz and a punchout ensues. There's that strong right hook again. Franz connects hard to Scrappy's gut and he falls down dead. Zero's "accident" has worked. Franz didn't know Scrap had a heart condition.

Now that two men are dead, the Port Authority have finally had enough of Zero. He's always presented himself as an "honest businessman" in the past, one who works within city regulations. But now they're certain he's running a racket, so they recruit Arthur Franz to help trip him up. "He'll be risking his life", the narrator informs us. Well, yeah. That's pretty obvious. But Zero's lost many of his allies by this time, so it's even money (I think) that Franz will be able to expose him. Michael Ansara is great as Zero, the slick but ruthless bossman. Arthur Franz is forthright as the clean-cut newcomer, who won't go along with the program. Our friend William Castle directs in his usual compact style. He's always good visually and you get some great location shots of mid '50s Noo Awlins. Man, you can really see how low to the water it sits. Yikes. 

Finally, it was nice to see Beverly Garland again. She's one of our favorites, 100% pure class in every role. Two Big Thumbs Up for "New Orleans Uncensored". The picture is widescreen and razor sharp, it's highly recommended. /////

Okay, now on to the previous night's picture. I'm gonna make you do a little guesswork. Would you believe a Brrrittish crime film? Would you believe a Britttissh crime film from 1960? Would you believe a Brrrittish crime film from 1960 about a ring of car thieves? Okay, so you would; so would I. But would you believe a Brrrittish crime film from 1960, about a ring of car thieves, starring Peter Sellers as the mastermind? And not just any mastermind, mind you, but an all-out psycho, a total maniac?

Well Holy Smokerino and Paul Shortino, if you'd believe all of that, then have I got a movie for you : "Never Let Go"(1960), the story of a man whose car is stolen, and will stop at nothing to get it back.

Michael Todd is "John Cummings", a salesman at a cosmetics firm in low-rent London. One day, right after he gets to work, a group of punks hotwire his Ford Anglia and drive off. Todd is upset, as you can imagine, but he's even more worried that the loss is gonna cost him his job. A salesman needs a car to get around. He reports the theft to the cops, who tell him to sit on it. "Don't worry, Mr. Cummings, we recover more than 80% of all stolen cars, and most are intact when we find them". Okay, fine. But what about the other 20%?

Todd feels the police are giving him the brush off, so he decides to look into the matter himself. He knows an old newspaper seller who works across the street. "Hey, Alfie.....did you see anything that night"? Alfie doesn't wanna talk about it, but Todd persists. He really needs his car back; his boss is threatening to fire him. Finally Alfie gives up the goods. "Go over to the Victory Cafe and ask for Tommy".

"Tommy" (Adam Faith) is the street punk who jimmied Todd's car. When Todd confronts him, he pulls his best Quadrophenia tough guy act : "Slag off, mate"! Tommy and his motorcycle buddies then split the scene, circling Todd in the street (ala Brando in "The Wild One"), engines revving as he cringes.

Now, Tommy has a girlfriend, who is also Sellers' moll (she's doing double duty like Helene Stanton in "New Orleans Uncensored"). She blabs about the visit from Richard Todd. Now Sellers is pissed off. He's running a chop shop, in which cars are stolen and reconfigured. He pays Tommy a visit. "How'd that lipstick salesman find you out"? When Tommy says it "must've been Alfie, he was the only one around", Sellers has his thugs visit the old codger. They trash his place and kill his goldfish. Alfie then kills himself by turning on the oven. Yeah, it's all pretty doggone grim. Todd feels guilty about Alfie's death and keeps a lookout on his shop from the windum of his cosmetics building. The next day he recognises Sellers' car out front. Sellers is inside Alfie's hovel, cleaning up evidence. Todd goes back to the police : "The man who owns 'Meadows Garage', I think he's the reason Alfie killed himself"! The police inspector listens, but instructs Todd not to interfere. "Let us do our job and keep out of it". But Todd really, really wants his car back, like the guy in The Bicycle Thief. It's the principal of the thing - criminals shouldn't get away with what they do. But in Todd's case it's also about his wife. She sees him as a wimp, a guy who never follows through on anything. He's never gotten a promotion, nor saved any money. He's non-confrontational and passive by nature, but she loves him anyway. Now he's trying to prove something to her, i.e that he's a man. She wants no part of messing with hoodlums, and threatens to leave him.

"Don't keep challenging those people"!, she says of the car thieves. "Let the police handle it". There's a bit of a Straw Dogs thing happening, although this film came out first. 

So what about Peter Sellers? Once he's exposed, by Tommy and his girlfriend, and recognised by Richard Todd, he comes unglued. First he tries the aggrieved "legitimate businessman" routine, but he's not as slick as Michael Ansara (see above). The police can see through him, and Richard Todd keeps appearing at his garage (pronounced GARE-ahge). "It's that little lipstick salesman again! Get rid of him, damn you"! Now that he's revealed as his true self, a fully enraged Mobster, I'm here to tell you that he's genuinely downright scary. You've never seen Sellers like this, not even close. He makes all movie hoodlums, excepting maybe Joe Pesci, look like Casper Milquetoast. The same dramatic diligence he brings to a film as diverse as "The Party" (or "Being There"), he employs as a stone cold nutcase in this movie. Man, he's got a fly in his ointment this time!

Few maniacs on film have ever been as frightening as Peter Sellers in "Never Let Go", which according to IMBD has grown a cult following. But when asked about his performance years later, Sellers demurred, saying he was only doing his "best Rod Steiger imitation". But when you think about it, this is the guy who played Inspector Clouseau, who said "birdie num num", and "are you going to die now, Ben"? In addition he was on "The Goon Show", which influenced John Lennon.

So yeah, I think the real question is : what kind of trip was Peter Sellers on? He died at 54 and we hardly knew him. I think he was like Robin Williams, brilliant at portraying eccentric characters, but unable to portray himself. He goes all-out in this film, however.  Richard Todd is equally good as the timid man who confronts him. Two Big Thumbs Up for "Never Let Go", don't miss it! So there you have it, two good ones about two different crime rackets. As always when we have such a duo, I suggest watching 'em on a double bill or two nights in a row. ////

That's all for the moment. It's time for my CSUN walk. I hope you had a nice day, and I send you Tons of Love as always.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):) 

Robert Redford in "The Great Waldo Pepper", and "Pilot X" w/ Lona Andre

Last night's movie was another one of those repeat viewings that involve the passage of an Enormous Span of Time between the first and second screening. In 1975, Dad took us to see "The Great Waldo Pepper" at the Cinerama Dome. At 46 years between views, that makes it third on our list of Lengthy Layoffs after "Those Magnificent Men" (56 years!) and "2001" (50 years). In fact, it was "Magnificent Men" that made me think of Waldo Pepper. Both films celebrate the early days of aviation, when flying was new and exciting and still done mostly by the seat of one's pants. It's interesting to note, in "Waldo Pepper", that the story begins in 1926. Therefore, when we saw it for the first time at the theater, it was almost 50 years in the past. That seemed so long ago, but as of last night it's almost doubled.  Ahh, there's that Time Thing again, in all it's weird glory.

Well at any rate, Waldo Pepper (Robert Redford) is a barnstormer, wowing rural audiences in Nebraska. He flies into farm country, performs a few stunts, and acts as his own promoter, talking up his talents while offering rides for five dollars a head. He's got a cool yellow bi-plane and the folks can't resist (and on a side note, I should mention it was a big deal for children in those days to get their first ride in an airplane. Dad used to talk about his flight in a Ford Trimotor when he was nine years old). Waldo's doing pretty well until a rival shows up, "Axel Olsson" (Bo Svenson), a skilled pilot himself. Waldo doesn't appreciate the invasion of his territory, so he sabotages Svenson's plane, causing him to crash. This is all played as light comedy.

Next he meets a pretty gal at a movie theater. Waldo has seen this particular flick several times and uses this knowledge to pick up "Mary Beth" (Susan Sarandon, in one of her first major roles). But just as he's taking her out for an ice cream sundae, in walks her boyfriend........you guessed it, Bo Svenson. He's in a full leg cast from the crash and in no mood to watch Waldo steal his gal. Now, Waldo's a former Air Corps pilot who served in the war but never saw any combat, so he likes to embellish his history. We've already watched him tell a farm family about his infamous dogfight against a legendary German ace. Now he's repeating that story to Mary Beth. Bo Svenson sits down, looks at Waldo - still mad about the plane crash - and waits for him to finish. Then he chimes in with his own version, which turns out to be the real thing :

"Are you talking about that fight with Ernst Kessler"? Waldo becomes silent, nonplussed. Svenson goes on to name all the pilots involved, "each of whom was in my squadron". Now that Waldo's been shown up as a BSer, he gains respect for Bo Svenson. He also stops hitting on Mary Beth, too, and the three of them become friends, then partners.

Now they're a team, performing daredevil stunts around the midwest. They join a flying circus, where the owner demands ever riskier exhibitions : "My customers are looking for blood"! They decide to try wing walking, and Waldo's pretty good at it, but it too becomes rote. "Why don't you have the lady do it"?, suggests the owner (Phillip Bruns). "We'll stage it so her clothes blow off. That'll give 'em something to talk about"!

This is where the movie takes a tragic turn (spoilers ahead), and as I watched I remembered it from the theater all those years ago. Svenson takes Mary Beth up to perform the stunt, but when she gets out on the wing, she freezes. Waldo sees what's happening and jumps in his own plane to try and rescue her. In an amazing bit of stuntwork, he is shown climbing out of his cockpit and onto Svenson's wing. Just as he's reaching out for Mary Beth, she slips and falls. I recall being jarred the first time I saw it, because of the sudden change in tone. What had been a breezy adventure was now sad, in large part because Sarandon made "Mary Beth" so appealing, in a Roaring '20s way. Bo Svenson is devastated by her death and bows out of the act. Waldo is alone again, and is now being investigated in the accident that killed Mary Beth. "All I did was try to save her"!, he exclaims. The investigator is an old friend, his former squadron leader (Geoffrey Lewis) who works for the newly established CAA. "Are you gonna tell me there's regulations on flying now"?, Waldo cries. "There are on stunts like you tried to pull", replies Lewis. "I'm sorry, old buddy, but I have to ground you for a year. I have no choice, it's the agency's decision". Waldo's lost what matters most to him; the ability to fly. 

He's got a lifelong pal (Edward Herrmann) who's an accomplished aircraft designer. Herrmann hopes to cheer Waldo up. He's working on a new design - a monoplane - that he believes will be able to set a world record. "It's gonna be the first plane to pull an outside loop"!, he tells Waldo. "I'll have it ready around the time your suspension is up. You can be the one to perform it. Even Ersnt Kessler hasn't been able to pull a loop. Imagine being the first one to do it"! This perks Waldo's ears. He wasn't aware that Kessler, the great German ace, is now performing in American stunt shows. Waldo's enthusiasm returns, and Herrmann builds the monoplane. But it's finished ahead of schedule, and Waldo's still prohibited from flying. "You should do the loop", he tells Herrmann. "It's the only way we'll get there first". Herrmann's a decent pilot, but nowhere near the skill of Waldo. He tries to perform the outside loop at an airshow and fails. On his third attempt, the new plane hits the ground. Herrmann is seriously injured but still alive. Then the crowd gathers around him (remember, "they want blood"!) as the plane starts to burn. Waldo tries to rescue him, but too many people are in the way. Herrmann dies, and Waldo's infuriated. He jumps in his plane and buzzes the crowd. "Get away from him, get away from him", he yells, flying low enough to give them haircuts. He crashes the plane into a building, and is again investigated by Geoffrey Lewis. "This time I've gotta take away your licence", he informs Waldo. 

"Are you telling me I can never fly again"?

"I'm afraid so", is the answer. Waldo's permanently grounded.

The movie's gone from light comedy to fully tragic in the course of twenty minutes and it's quite a turn of events, but keep in mind that we're working with some heavy hitters. George Roy Hill directed and was coming off his Best Picture win with "The Sting" (he also directed Redford in "Butch Cassidy"), and the script was by the great William Goldman.

Waldo ends up in Hollywood, at the behest of his old pal Svenson, who's now a stunt double in the motion picture industry. He gets Waldo a job on his upcoming movie : an aerial spectacular that will feature a re-creation of the Kessler dogfight! Hill gives you a feeling such a showdown is coming (the subject of Kessler is mentioned throughout the film), but when Waldo finds out the German ace is on set, he's elated. He's finally going to meet The Master. Kessler's been hired to fly his own stunts. Waldo will play his American opponent. The director is a bloodthirtsty sort who wants realism. "Fly as close together as possible, give me tension"!!, he demands.

At this point, Waldo and Kessler - both of whom are disillusioned with life on the ground - are ready to give the director exactly what he wants. They stage an unscripted dogfight for the cameras - with Geoffrey Lewis watching too! - where they play a game of chicken with each other, slashing at each others wings in midair, until finally both planes become disabled.

The ending is ambiguous, and I won't reveal any more of what happens. Goldman could've made it a tad less mysterious, but all in all I give this film a ten. I agree with many fans at IMDB who say it's the gold standard for aviation movies, and the plot, with it's many subthreads, is compelling all the way through. It's about the freedom of flight, before "the sky was mapped" (as Waldo says), by the agencies working for commerce. There's an artistry to what the daredevils are doing, a romance in their courage, and a chivalry between pilots. This is pointed out in the "Kessler story" which forms the basis for the climax. 

I was startled to read on IMDB, after the movie was over, that Robert Redford and Bo Svenson performed all their own wing walking stunts. Holy Jumping Jiminy! I mean, it's clear that someone is doing it, that it's real wing walking and no static airplane models are being used. The planes are all definitely in flight. But yeah, it was actually Redford and Svenson, and maybe I shouldn't be surprised because in Redford's case, they say he climbed that mast in "All is Lost", at age 77. If you saw the movie, you know the scene I'm referring to. "The Great Waldo Pepper" looks fantastic in gorgeous Technicolor widescreen. I'd sure love to see it at the Cinerama Dome again. They just don't make movies like this anymore, and I think it's equal to George Roy Hill's best. That's why I'm gonna give it my highest rating, Two Gigantic Thumbs Up. Despite the sudden shift in tone, it's a classic of big studio filmmaking. Very highly recommended! ////

The previous night's picture was another aerial adventure : "Pilot X"(1936), a whodunit with a Ten Little Indians plot. Someone is shooting down pilots at an aircraft test facility. A group of World War 1 flying aces are called in to solve the case (sadly, Snoopy is not among them), with the caveat that all are suspects. This is an oft-used "Indians" gimmick : invite all the major suspects to a house, an island, or in this case an airport. "One of you is the culprit", says the owner. "He will try to shoot the others down. Those of you who are innocent must find out who he is". They discover that a masked pilot flying a black airplane is ambushing the others mid-air. He calls himself Pilot X and leaves notes describing when he'll strike next.

Beautiful Lona Andre plays the love interest, engaged to Leon Ames (of "Meet Me in St. Louis" fame). He's an engineer and doesn't fly, but his father owns the facility. I was sure it was Miss Andre who was Pilot X (and she might be!), cause she always disappears when a death happens. She's also fooling around on Leon Ames (cause he's boring) with a debonair crash investigator (John Carroll). It's a nice little programmer, nothing fancy but it does have a lot of early aerial footage. There's also one scene where an English pilot freaks out about the killing and starts screaming his bloody head off. It's scenery chewing at it's finest - "just mad, I tell you!! Mad!!"

The format has more substance than the usual Indians plot, as well. Quite often in these movies, it's just a matter of picking the most unlikely suspect, then seeing if you outwitted the screenwriter. This time, there's a psychological reason for the killer's behavior that's explained and adds up. It also comes out of the blue and you might not guess it. Good stuff with a ton of flying, "Pilot X" gets Two Solid Thumbs Up. If you like bi-planes you came to the right place. The running time is 69 minutes.  ///// 

That's all for the moment. I'm gonna head over to Chatsworth Park for a hike, then we'll watch another movie this evening. Have a great afternoon. I send you Tons of Love as always.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Two Semi-Solid B Flicks : "The Cat Burglar" and "Secret of Deep Harbor"

Last night we watched a tough little crime caper called "The Cat Burglar"(1961), directed by William Witney and starring Jack Hogan (from "Combat") as a thief who steals a briefcase from a woman's apartment. Remember when cat burglars were all the rage, back in the early sixties? Nowdays they seem to be extinct, but back then they were the hippest of villains. They wore black pants and turtlenecks and clambered up the sides of apartment buildings and highrises, using balconies for hand holds. Then they'd pick a window lock or simply cut a hole in the glass, and voila! - they'd slink into the victim's apartment and steal whatever they came for (or whatever they could find of value). Then they'd vanish into the night the same way they came in, catlike of course. The cat burglar craze culminated with the tv show "It Takes a Thief" starring Robert Wagner as Alexander Mundy. Then it died out, but it's heyday was the 1960s, when everything was mod and hip.

As "The Cat Burglar" opens, Hogan ascends an apartment building accompanied by a Jazzbo score. You know the kind I mean; a soundtrack where only a snare drum is playing, with some echo on it, and the drummer is improvising, like he's kicking a can down the street. Occasionally a sax player will blast a few notes, then it's back to the snare drum, to signify that the action taking place is Super Cool, daddio. And because it's the early '60s, it is. This ain't no retro lookback, where ersatz cool subs for the real thing. In other words, the filmmakers who utilized a jazzy score weren't doing it to be hip or ironic, it was just the type of soundtrack in vogue in those days for certain films. And it works here, to accentuate Hogan's movements. The building has the right look, too. It's one of those Modernist structures that resembles a Holiday Inn. Once Hogan's inside his target's apartment, he prowls around, opening drawers and cabinets until he finds a few trinkets. He also finds an empty briefcase that he uses to carry them out.

When he gets back to his pad - a slummy flophouse in Downtown L.A. - his landlady (Billie Bird) starts hassling him for the rent. "You've got til tomorrow morning", she shouts. So he takes the stolen jewelry to a crooked pawnbroker pal (Gene Roth), and scores enough cash to pay the back rent, with a little left over for his wallet. It ain't much, but it's a living, and Hogan seems okay with it. He's a casual Cat Burglar, a kick-back type guy. He's not trying to get rich, just to stay afloat. And everything's hunky dory, until......

We cut to the woman who got robbed (June Kenny). She's on the phone with her boss (John Baer), and he's pissed about the stolen briefcase. Apparently it wasn't empty after all. There were some papers inside with a printout of a Secret Formula, government stuff, full-on National Security status. Hogan removed the papers without knowing their significance, and folded them up to use as a stopgap for an uneven table leg. He never gave them a second thought after that, but the papers are life and death for Kenny and Baer. She informs him that her jewelry was also stolen, and they're savvy enough to hit the pawnshops, too, knowing that's where a thief might hock it. At one of the shops they question Gene Roth. He's a tough old buzzard but cracks under Baer's pressure. Roth gives them Hogan's address, they go there and confront him, and he admits to the robbery, but he swears he never saw any papers. And he seems to be telling the truth, at least as he knows it, because the papers were just an afterthought for him. Once he folded them and put them under the table leg, he forgot all about them.

When Baer and Kenny leave, they don't entirely believe him. Also, they're in a heap of trouble with two Higher Ups, big thugs in suits who appear to be working for the government. I keep saying "appear" because nothing is clarified, which is one of the big drawbacks of this movie. Hogan does wonder why Baer and Kenny were so interested in some papers, so he wracks his brain until he remembers. "Oh yeah, I used 'em to level the table". He pulls them out and takes a gander. He can see that they're some kind of scientific diagram. "They must be worth some dough", he thinks, and sets out to sell them back to their owners, for a hefty fee. This is a bad idea on Hogan's part, because he doesn't realize who he's messing with. It's not just Baer and Kenny - and they're bad enough - but it's also the shiny-suited Hard Guys, who're huge and square jawed. Okay, so there's your set-up, and we're halfway through the 65 minute movie. Director Witney has a way with the action, and is good with his camera and actors. But again, there's that drawback - nothing is made clear. I'll say right now - and it's a spoiler - that we never find out what was on those papers. Witney never tells us their signifcance, nor how the protagonists came to have them, nor what they plan to do with them. All we see is their effort to recover "the papers" (as they are called) from the Cat Burglar. Normally I'm not big on a lot of expository dialogue, but in this case it would've made the film much more interesting. You're making a big deal out of these papers : so what the hell are they? 

Instead, Witney focuses on personalities instead of plot. A fan over at IMDB said that he's one of Tarantino's favorites, and that may be why, because he's got his Cool Tough Guy schtick down pat. You can see a lot of inspiration here for QTs characterizations, but there ain't a lot of substance when you take away the style. I mean, if you're gonna make a movie involving espionage, you've gotta have some Spy vs. Spy. You've gotta tell us something - if only a tidbit - about the all-important "papers" and their couriers, but we never get a single tiny detail.

I'm still gonna give it Two Regular Thumbs Up, because you can enjoy it as a simple thriller, and it does feature some cool Downtown exteriors from before they cleaned it up. You also get Bruno VeSota as a middleman. He was a Roger Corman regular (Corman's brother Gene produced this film), and he always adds a dash of eccentricity to any sketchy story. Billie Bird is good, too, as the landlady named "Mrs. Prattel", who's constantly correcting Hogan's mispronunciation of her name. "It's Pray-Tell, not Prattle"!   

Finally, the screenplay was written by our old pal Leo Gordon, he of the prison-muscle physique and stone-carved facade, who appeared in many Westerns as an actor. Gordon was a talented writer as well, and scripted some good episodes of "The Virginian" and "Tombstone Territory", but I wouldn't say "The Cat Burglar" was his best effort. ///// 

The previous night we watched another crime drama called "Secret of Deep Harbor"(1960). It was one of those "I Cover The Waterfront" deals, where a reporter (Ron Foster) hangs out on the wharf looking for a scoop. One falls into his lap when a body is recovered, hauled up from the deep with an anchor chained to it's ankles. Who the heck was it? Well now that you ask : As the movie opens, a hoodlum boards a fishing boat, after paying to be smuggled to Mexico. Unfortunately for him, a Mob boss is also aboard. He pulls a gun and exposes the crooked hood (there's no honor among thieves, despite the myth) : "You've been extorting money from our take and we know it. This is where you get off". The boat's out to sea so there's no landing pier. The Boss shoots the hoodlum, then prepares to dump him in the ocean. At that moment the captain comes below deck. He sees the dead hood and is shocked. "I only agreed to the smugglin", says he, "I didn't agree to no killin' ". The mobster throws a wad of cash on a table to placate the the old sea dog. It's a hefty chunk of dough. The captain says nothing and waits til the mob boss leaves, then he pockets it. He's now in the boss's pocket, too. Good thing he knows how to keep his mouth shut, but he never signed on for murder and it's buggin' him. To ease his guilt, he gets hammered at the shoreline saloon. As for Ron Foster (our Intrepid Reporter), he's hanging around too and asking questions. "Who is that old man"? "Why is he always drunk"? "Who was that slick looking guy with him"? Foster knows the salvage operator who finds the dead hoodlum, and in fact is on the boat when he's discovered. He notices a young woman (Merry Anders) who waits for the captain every night, and uses her as a wedge to build his story.

We have a similar set of circumstances here as we did with "The Cat Burglar" above. "Deep Harbor" is another early 60s film, directed by another skilled low-budget filmmaker, in this case Edward L. Cahn, who specialised in monster movies like the classic "It! The Terror from Space". And I'm sorry to report that Cahn also takes the same tack with his script as did William Witney. He builds up a tense plot and then drops it to focus on character styles and romance. After discovering that Merry Anders is the boat captain's daughter, who waits for him at the bar to make sure he gets home safely, Foster falls in love with her. Director Cahn discards the murder mystery, and the thread involving smuggling, to concentrate on Foster's courting of Anders. Then he does a 180 with the plot, to make us question whether Foster is a bad guy. Is he romancing this naive young woman only for his news story, or does he truly care about her?

As with the infamous "papers" in William Witney's "Cat Burglar", we never hear from the mob boss again, except for a brief moment where we see him strung out on heroin (didn't know Mafiosos were junkies). We never hear anything more about the hoodlum-smuggling operation, either. Why build it up if you're just going to forget it entirely? Instead, a rivalry develops between Ron Foster and the old boat captain, who resents Foster's relationship with his daughter. He suspects Foster's only using her for bait, and he himself has that secret of the cash payoff, which he's afraid Foster will uncover.

Once again, it's an okay movie that could've been much better if the director and/or the writer would have stuck to the original plot. But like "Cat Burglar", it's technically well- made, and can be enjoyed on that level. So it also gets Two Regular Thumbs Up. If you're a fan of "Highway Patrol", you're familiar with Ron Foster as "Officer Garvey", Broderick Crawford's go-to assistant. He's an interesting actor, because he's plain vanilla on "Highway", and couldn't be more bland, yet he's a super Hep Cat here, an on the ball cynic doing his best Edd "Kookie" Byrnes. He can really spout the lingo through his deeply dimpled mouth and chin. I'm surprised he didn't become a bigger star, cause he's good, and the main reason to watch "Secret of Deep Harbor".

So there you have it, two so-so films. I still recommend them, cause both are short and have the early 60s thing happening. Soon we'll break out some more classics. 

That's all for now. I hope you had a nice day. I'm listening to some new cds I ordered, including The Beach Boys' "Holland", "Eli and the 13th Confession" by Laura Nyro, and "Winter Ethereal" by Arch/Matheos. 

I send you Tons of Love, as always!  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Special Disneyland Report

Okay, so here's my Disneyland Report from yesterday, presented Jack Webb style with just the facts. I know it was initially promised last night, but there's a reason I didn't write when I got home. You'll see what it is at the end of the report. So, to paraphrase Peter Pan : "Are you ready everybody? Here we go"........

I left my apartment at 8:45 and arrived at Disneyland at 10:15. The traffic wasn't bad except for a slowdown on I5 in South Los Angeles that cost me maybe 20 minutes. But to be parked in the Mickey & Friends lot at that time was most excellent, as my goal had been to arrive by eleven. There wasn't even a line of cars in the payment lane, I just drove right up to the booth. So that was a shoot n' score to begin with. Parking at D-Land is 25 bucks, but I knew that beforehand. Spending some dough is part of the deal and I'm not complaining.

They don't have the trams running yet, so you've gotta walk from the lot to the front gates. It's about a half mile, maybe more. That was my warm up stroll for what would prove to be a marathon day. They send you through a quick metal detector check, and the ticket takers snap your picture before sending you through the turnstiles. Say "cheese" for Uncle Walt, and before you know it, you're inside The Happiest Place on Earth and standing in front of the famous flower marquee in front of the train station. I had a few minutes to kill because I was scheduled (pronounced shedge-yooled) to meet my sister at 11 am (we took separate cars). So I walked through the legendary stone archway that leads you to Main Street, and there I was, for the first time in almost 10 years, looking at the Disneyland Town Hall, the Fire Station and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln. There was a scattering of people, the day was early and attendance would increase later, but for now it was relatively quiet. 

The first thing that struck me was that everything looked the same, which was just how I wanted it. Part of the magic of The Magic Kingdom is it's timelessness. They don't mess it up with constant changes, and in fact they do the opposite. As I've remarked in other blogs, there's comfort in tradition, and in remembering the past, and in harkening back to a simpler time. Walt Disney knew that, which is why he created Main Street. Well anyhow, to get back to the facts, I didn't have time to go on a ride, so I just walked around and took a few photos - got a great one of a horse-drawn trolley - then I walked into the Main Street Theater, where "Steamboat Willie" is always playing, in addition to other Mickey Mouse cartoons. It's a tradition of mine since about 2000 or so to begin the day with the Mouse who started it all, so I hung out and watched his Silly Symphonies, as they are known, until it was time to meet my sis. 

The first thing we did was head straight for the Jungle Cruise. It has just reopened after some changes to eliminate what was perceived as racial and/or cultural insensitivity. I just got done saying that they don't change things at Disneyland, but with Jungle Cruise they did, and in this case I suppose it was justified. If you know the ride, they used to show some African natives (pygmies) being chased up a pole by a rhinoceros. They also had a headhunter named Trader Sam who sold shrunken heads. These scenes were deemed improper for today's audiences and that's fine. Trader Sam is gone and the pygmies have been replaced by a safari group. The good news is that the ride is still awesome and still features the black humor of the boat captains, who maintain their cutting edge.

After Jungle Cruise, we walked straight over to Indiana Jones, in order to ride before the line got too long, which it always does as the day progresses. I've waited an hour for Indy in the past; this time our wait was only 20 minutes. As always, it's one of the most impressive attractions in the park. Following Indiana, we went to the Haunted Mansion. I was hoping they'd still have one hold-over from the pandemic. Right after Disneyland re-opened in April, social distancing protocols were still in place. The six foot rule was in effect and lines extended out into walkway areas as a result. To corral the line at Haunted Mansion, they were letting people in through a side door, which allowed a view of the interior never seen by park guests. That's what I was hoping, that we'd get to enter through that door, but the protocols are gone and the line was short. They let us in the regular way, but that was fine. Soon the walls were stretching and the body was hanging from the cupola. As you know, there's only one way outta there : the host's way (hahahahahahahahahaha!). Man, he's one evil dude. A few new effects have been added to the Haunted Mansion, just minor details but you'll notice 'em when you go, and again it was awesome as always. "Hurry ba-aack.....hurry baa-ack", says the scary small lady as you exit up the moving ramp.

Another re-vamped ride was "Snow White", which we went on next. Newspaper reports played this one up big, and I was worried that it was gonna be "woked" into insignificance. They deemed the witch holding the apple to be too scary for the little children of today, so they removed her. Woke reporters cheered, and in one article I read, some nitwit also disapproved of Prince Charming's kiss, decrying it as "non-consensual". I was worried the ride would be ruined, but I'm happy to report it hasn't been. Not only is The Kiss intact, but The Witch lives on too! Yes, the one that terrified the toddlers of my generation is gone (the one at the end), but she's still there in two other places earlier in the ride, so "take that"!, Wokesters, haha. The Ugly Witch is alive and well, and the added colors in the ride make it more beautiful than ever.

I have one more Woke reference to report on and then I'll shut up. I wanted to ride Splash Mountain and hoped that it wasn't closed down yet. As you probably know, they're gonna shut it because Uncle Remus is seen as a stereotype, and because "Song of the South" is considered a racist movie. That infuriates me no end, because I loved the Uncle Remus stories as a kid, and I also love "Song". It was Walt Disney's favorite of all the films he made, and if you think it's racist, you oughtta have your head examined, and your heart too. I think it's the opposite; one of the most beautiful, uplifting movies of all time. Check the final image in the film for proof. Well as promised, I'll shut up, but I'm happy to report that - for the time being - you can still ride Splash Mountain, and see B'rer Rabbit and all his friends, and you can still sing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah just before you free fall 50 feet into the water. Don't forget to make a face before you plunge; your picture will be waiting for you at the exit, post ride.

Oh man, it's getting late and the blog's getting long, I'd better cut to the chase with the rides. We were trying to pound as many as possible, being as it was our first time at the park in a long while. So we went on Pirates, we went on Small World, we went on the Storybook Land Canal Boats, we went on the Matterhorn. That one was especially jarring. Vickie thinks they've sped it up since the old days. I dunno, but it rocks ya even more than the other coaster-type rides at D-Land. All of a sudden, The Abominable Snowman is in your face, then you're slamming against the rails in the other direction as you fly around a turn. It's still a blast and the line was just 15 minutes. We had good luck all day in that respect.

Let's see, we did Mr. Toad, then Pinocchio, then back to Frontierland for Big Thunder Railroad. That's one of our favorites. Vickie always screams her head off. I still call it The Mine Train, it's name in the 60s and 70s. Then all of a sudden it was 7pm. Vick planned to leave at that hour, which was why we took separate cars. I walked with her back down Main Street to the entrance/exit gates, then I was on my own at Disneyland, something I've never experienced. I wanted to stay til closing (10pm), so I was gonna be alone for three hours, or four if you count the extra hour they give you to shop and clear out of the park. I wanted to ride some of the attractions we missed, so I went first to Space Mountain, which Vickie never goes on. Too extreme for her but I love it (I won't do Magic Mountain type Super Roller Coasters, though). That was my longest line of the day, about 35 minutes. I went back to Fantasyland, my favorite land in the park, to hit Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan, which was also about a half hour wait. I doubled up on Haunted Mansion and Snow White, and Big Thunder, too, all of which I just walked up and rode. There were virtually no lines by 9pm.

I asked about fireworks. "They'll begin at 9:30", said a Cast Member. That's what they call their employees. The fireworks show was incredible as always, accompanied by an animated extravaganza called "Mickey's Mix Magic", filled with lasers, lights and music. This is projected against the Sleeping Beauty Castle as the fireworks bloom in the background. It was a wonderful way to close out the night. But wait! I wasn't done yet - it was only 9:50. I still had ten minutes. I tried for a second ride on Mr. Toad's and I made it. Then I hustled over to Space Mountain for one last repeat.........but the chain was pulled over the entryway. "It's closed, sorry", said the Cast Member. My riding day was over, but I still had an hour to browse Main Street.

It's traditional to buy a pin whenever you visit Disneyland. I've got about seven, been collecting 'em since 2005. I went into the Emporium, but it was jam packed with customers. As I mentioned, they give you an extra hour to shop, and many folks wait until closing time. So I decided to return when the cashier's line was shorter, and I went back to the Main Street Cinema to watch Steamboat Willie again. As I began the day, so I'd finish. It gave me a chance to rest my feet, too. I'd been standing or walking most of the time for 11 hours. Good thing I like to hike, but I was tired. Finally, at 10:30, the Emporium crowd had thinned out. I browsed the pins until I found a perfect one.

You guessed it : Steamboat Willie. A classic depiction of The Mouse in his original form. With him in my possession, I walked back through the legendary stone archway. Then I was through the exit and on my way back to the car. It was another half mile to the Mickey & Friends parking garage, and maybe more. I don't know how many miles I put in overall, but it had to be at least five, my daily average. My car was easy to find, one of the last in it's row and sitting in plain view. I drove out of Disneyland exhausted but elated after a 12 hour day and nineteen rides (15 plus four doubles). That place does something to you that cannot be described except to call it magic. It really is The Happiest Place on Earth and I had a blast. It was one of my best trips ever to Disneyland, but wait!...........

I still had one more ride to go on. I'll tell you about it briefly, cause I don't want it to reflect on the day, which was wonderful and as great as I'd hoped for. But what I'm talking about was my ride home, on Interstate 5. I left Disneyland at 11pm and figured I'd be home by midnight. Instead, it took twice that long - two full hours, because some genius decided to close down the freeway. Yep. First there was a slowdown around Buena Park because of some bridge work. That took about twenty minutes and was a bummer, but once we got past it we were crusin' and I figured "no problem, make it 12:20 for my ETA". I was sailing along until Glendale, and then........suddenly........there were those friggin' arrows again. The ones that flash, to direct you to move over. They were closing down several lanes once again.

This time it wasn't just a slowdown. I5 turned into a parking lot. And I could see the river of red brake lights stretching forward for a mile at least. "Oh joy", I thought. As we barely crawled along, I tried to Zen Out, using my Disneyland Day as a focus. And it worked pretty well, considering the situation. Finally after 40 minutes we'd been merged into just one lane, and a sign appeared : "Freeway Closed". A police car was parked behind a row of orange cones, and that was it. Freeway Closed. The single lane of cars was led to an off ramp by another row of cones, and I had to exit at Olive Avenue in Burbank, an unfamiliar area. Thank you, Freeway Genius. Shouldn't there be some notification, like maybe a headline, if they're gonna close a freakin' freeway in the middle of the doggone night?

Long story short, I had to pick my way home from Burbank using only surface streets. There is no grid system there, roads curve and slant and you don't know which direction you're going. Luckily there was an 18 wheeler in front of me. He'd been forced off the freeway too. "I'll follow him", I figured. "If there's anyone who knows what he's doing in this situation, it's gonna be a truck driver". That tactic worked, and got me to Victory and Cauhenga. From there I got home on my own. "It was my final ride at Disneyland", I laughed to myself as I pulled into my apartment parking space. That's sacrilege, I know. Walt Disney would never create anything so unmagical. But I needed some black humor to restore my good spirits, and I walked up to my pad feeling fine. Anyhow, that's the reason I didn't write this report last night. It was one a.m. when I got home and all I wanted to do was relax after the I5 debacle.

But it was one awesome day at The Land of Mr. Disney, and I won't wait ten years to go back. In fact, I'm sure I'll return very soon. If you're thinking of going yourself, now's a great time while there are still some capacity limits. It did get pretty full later on in the day, but nowhere near the elbow-room-only crowds I've seen in past Summer visits. My guess is that they're up to 50% capacity, maybe 65. As I say, we barely had to wait for most rides, and even the worst line was only 35 minutes. One last note : you may be wondering about Star Wars. They have a virtual queue to get on the new rides, and neither Vickie or I have the Disneyland App. For myself, I've never had anything but a Flip Phone, and I'm still learning to work my new Nokia. I've never downloaded an app before, so Star Wars will have to wait until next time. We did walk through Star Wars Land, however, and it was huge (pronounced Yooge), and as Mega as you can imagine. So again - go. You know how to do Apps, so you'll probably get on those rides for sure. 

I give Disneyland Two Gigantic Thumbs Up and highly recommend it. In the next blog we'll return to the movies. /////

That's all I know for now. Hope you had a great day. I send you Tons of Love, as always.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):) 

"Ski Troop Attack" by Roger Corman and "The Crime Doctor's Gamble"

Would you believe I found another Roger Corman movie? No no no........I mean, I understand what you're saying. Of course he's made over 400 films, so you're right : "How hard could it be to find another Corman movie, Ad"? What I meant was, another good Corman movie, one from his classic early period, before he turned into a non-stop exploitation film producing machine. I thought we'd used up all his good ones (and there were indeed a lot), last year when we had such a blast watching sci-fi and horror monster movies on Youtube. That's when I was forced to reassess the talent of Roger Corman and conclude that he was a very good filmmaker. But yeah yeah yeah, okay Ad, shut up. What was the Corman movie you found?

Wouldja believe it was a Roger Corman war movie? And a doggone good one, too. It was called "Ski Troop Attack"(1960), and the title tells the basic tale. In World War Two, a troop of American soldiers on skis are on a secret mission in the Ardennes mountains in Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge has just begun; Corman shows us stock footage of Panzers firing away in the snow. The ski troop has been cut off from it's regiment and is operating behind German lines. The troop's lieutenant decides to continue with the mission, which is to map the area (roads and bridges) and report back via wire about German troop movements.

The LT has a loudmouth sergeant he has to deal with, who's always complaining about not getting a chance to fight. The sarge is old school Army, he hates being second banana to a by-the-book lieutenant. "Is this how they teach things in Officer Candidate School"?, he asks snidely. The sarcasm doesn't play well with the LT. "Listen up, Sergeant - we're here to do a job and we'll do it until it's finished. I give the orders and I'll not have them challenged". "Okay", says the Sarge, "But I'm here to kill Krauts. That's how I was taught to win the war". The friction between the two will continue for a while, and you're expecting a confrontation. I won't tell you if one occurs or not, but for now "let's move out"! (that was the LT talking).

When they finish mapping the area, the troop commandeers the mountain home of a German woman, whose husband is off fighting the war. The sergeant verbally abuses her and she gives it right back. "You blame us for the war, but do you ever look at yourselves? And what about the Poles? They started it". It's a frank exchange that continues with the woman declaring victory. "No matter what you do to me, there'll be thousands of German soldiers waiting for you in the forest. You'll never get out alive and America and your allies will soon lose. Our fuhrer has developed secret weapons, you won't even know what hit you". The LT orders his men to kill her chickens so they'll have food. "Leave her two", he adds magnanimously. If you remember the scene from "Platoon" with Kevin Dillon (which was a Lt. Calley/Mai Lai reference), this is in a similar vein, albeit far less horrific. What's astonishing is that it's depicted in a low budget war film made in 1960, 25 years before "Platoon", when American GIs were rarely portrayed as anything less than heroic. It's a blunt political assessment, and while I'm not taking a position on it's veracity, it's worth noting that the script was written by the great Charles W Griffith, who wrote the best of Corman's films. You could say he's doing an Oliver Stone here, or a John Milius, in analyzing the morality of the situation. 

The troop ends up killing the German fraulein (I won't tell you why), then they leave and and hole up in Bronson Cave. Meanwhile, a German ski patrol discovers the fraulein's body. Their leader is none other than Roger Corman! Knowing some Americans must be in the area, they track them for the rest of the movie.

You know how we always say we love short movies? Well what about films that are models of simplicity? We often talk about scripts that include "everything but the kitchen sink", and we're especially impressed when that is pulled off in sixty minutes. But what about the opposite? "Ski Troop Attack" runs only an hour, and instead of giving us the proverbial "Ton of Stuff", Griffith focuses instead on just one event : the demolition of a bridge.

Because the troop is cut off and is now being pursued by the German ski troop, the LT decides on a do or die effort to blow up a bridge that is crucial to German transport. It crosses into Belgium and the Ardennes forest where the Battle of the Bulge is taking place. The troop is down to just four men. The LT directs one of them - the best marksman - to cover the other three, each of whom will climb one of the support columns and place explosive charges. In the course of this operation, the Sarge slips on an icy metal beam. He's hanging on for dear life from hundreds of feet in the air, but the LT -with whom he's had so much friction - scales the column just in time to save his life. From then on, the Sarge cooperates with every order, realizing that his lieutenant is more than just a pretty boy. The third member of the demolition team is a can-do G.I. who volunteers for all the toughest jobs. Just as he's placing his charge beneath the bridge, along comes a German troop train. On the far slope, the German ski patrol arrives simultaneously. The loyal marksman, a Southern boy who graduated from West Point, tries to hold them off, but they're shooting at him and the G.I. who's still on the bridge. Will either of them survive? Will they succeed in blowing the bridge? These are things I cannot reveal, but it's incredible how Griffith and director Corman take this single incident and make it the last half of the film, how they're able to maintain both suspense and surprise. 

The movie was surprisingly good, so good that it merits a restoration, in my opinion. Criterion, are you listening? The economy of filmmaking, breaking things down to their bare essentials, the way the actors invest in the material, even though it's clear they only had one take for most if not all of their lines. The LT and the Sarge were played by Michael Forest and Frank Wolff, both Corman regulars. I thought it was one of his very best pictures, a serious war film in which he (as usual) gets the most out of a very limited budget. If you're thinking of seeing it - and you should be - pay no attention to the rating on IMDB. I just checked it, and it's only a 3.5, a number usually reserved for the worst of the worst cheapies. The nitwits who gave it such a lowball oughta have their heads examined. You can take it from Your Dedicated Reviewer that "Ski Troop Attack" is a very good film, one which gets Two Big Thumbs Up and is highly recommended. ////  

The previous night we were back with the Crime Doctor, in "The Crime Doctor's Gamble"(1947). This time the Doc's on vacation in Paris. He's there to enjoy himself; he doesn't even wanna think about crime. He says as much to his host, the Prefect of Police, but then wait just a doggone minute : what's the Prefect of Police doing in this movie? Wasn't he just Claude Rains in "Casablanca"? Also, if the Crime Doc doesn't want to talk shop, why is he hanging out with the freakin' Chief of  the Paris Police? Well anyway, that's how the movie opens. They're inside a Parisian casino, watching a knife throwing act.

Then the Chief gets a phone call. "Sorry about this", he tells the Crime Doc after hanging up, "but a man has just confessed to a murder. I'm to meet him at the prefecture in ten minutes". So much for the Doctor's vacation.

At the prefecture, the suspect appears dazed. He repeats his confession of how he killed his own father because the father disapproved of his fiance - the girl in the knife-throwing act. After the Chief locks him in a holding cell, the Doc offers his analysis. "That man is innocent. He shows signs of hypnotic trance. The way he spoke was like a programmed recitation. He's not the killer, of that I'm certain".

"Well, you are the expert", replies the Chief. "Will you help me solve the case"?

The Doc nods in assent. His vacay may be ruined, but otherwise we wouldn't have a movie. The trouble is that it's very confusing. The Chief and Dr. Ordway are led to the studio of an artist who's a friend of the confessed killer and his fiancee. The artist feigns ignorance of any knowledge of the crime, but Ordway takes note of his ability as a copyist. "You paint copies of famous masterpieces"?, he asks. "Why yesss", comes the reply (said in French accent). "How ellse am I to make money.......withh theese"? (points to his own paintings).

Using his psychiatric powers of observation, The Doc suspects the artist of forgery. This leads to the discovery of an art theft ring : "They're stealing the originals from museums and replacing them with that man's copies. Then they sell the originals to collectors on the black market for millions of dollars". It's a brilliant deduction, but I'll be damned if I know what it has to do with the murder, or why someone did a Sirhan on the confessor, to get him to cop to the killing. It may be indicative that this was the ninth entry in the ten film Crime Doctor series, and it's possible the writers were being rushed or just plain out of gas. But I'll admit that I couldn't follow it, and I love the Crime Doc as you know. The script moves from one indecipherable plot point to another and then makes use of exposition between two characters to explain everything in the closing minutes. And even when they explained it, I still didn't understand. It wasn't one of the better Crime Doctor movies, not worth ruining his Paris vacation for at any rate, and much as I hate to do this, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give it Two Thumbs Down, or One Down and One Sideways, just because we love the series. But yeah, unless you're a completist you can skip it.  /////

That's all for tonight. I'm writing from home, off work for a few days, and in a surprise announcement I'm going to Disneyland tomorrow (oh boy!). I haven't been there since October 2011, so you can bet I'm excited. It'll be late when I get home, but I'll try to give a report. See you then.

I send you tons and tons of love, as always.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)

Chames Mason in "The Upturned Glass", and "The Inner Circle" w/ Adele Mara

Last night I found a riveting Brrrittish thriller called "The Upturned Glass"(1947). Chames Mason stars as a brain surgeon who gets involved with the mother of a young patient. The movie uses a narration device that I've never seen before. As it opens, Mason is giving a lecture to a group of medical students. The subject is abnormal psychology as it relates to homicide. He goes through the casebook of convicted murderers with conditions ranging from schizophrenia to psychosis and tells the students why they kill. Then he switches gears and explains the mental processes of a perfectly sane killer who plans his crime using logic. To illustrate the example, he presents a hypothetical story of a man who murdered his lover. His lecture continues as narration and we see the story he is describing onscreen.

Though the students don't know it (but we do), the hypothetical "sane killer" is himself. It is his own story he is narrating. Mason goes back to the beginning to relate how it all unfolded.

One day, a woman - "Emma Wright" (Rosamund John) - brought her daughter to his office. She was injured in an air raid (this is wartime) and is going blind. Mason diagnoses the problem, a piece of shrapnel on her optic nerve. He operates and saves the little girl's eyesight. This brings him close to her mother and they fall in love as a result. The trouble is that both of them are married. Each is estranged from their spouse, yet they still feel it's wrong to cheat. Finally they break it off, but Emma has an evil sister-in-law named "Kate" (Pamela Mason, wife of Chames), who's found out about her affair with Mason and blackmails her. Emma then commits suicide by jumping from a windum in her house.

Mason is brokenhearted. His relationship with Emma was the only real love he's ever known, and at first he's unaware of the blackmail. But he's suspicious of the coroner's suicide ruling, so he goes to visit Kate to pry for information. Using his Masonic charm, he courts and pretends to fall in love with her. In getting to know Kate, he can see she had no feelings for Emma. She's totally self-absorbed. But one day he runs into Ann, the little girl he operated on. She's hiding a secret but Mason coaxes it out of her. "She made Mummy do it"!, Ann tells him, referring to Kate. "They had an argument right before she died. She said horrible things to Mummy and I know that's why she killed herself". Mason digs some more and discovers from other sources the specifics of Kate's blackmail scheme. He's so pissed that he decides to kill her, in a way that will never be discovered. He'll commit the perfect murder; the one he's lecturing his students about.

In the classroom, he tells the story in past tense, as if it's already happened. But it hasn't. Now we cut back to real time. The narration is over and Mason is leaving the lecture hall. It's as if he told the story to gear himself up, because now he's going to carry out his plan. He picks up Kate and drives her to Emma's house, now abandoned, using the excuse that he just wants to examine it. "I want to see the window she supposedly jumped from. I'm still having a hard time believing it was suicide".

"Oh, it was, I can assure you", Kate replies. "I don't know if you're aware of it, but Emma was seeing a married man. He broke it off and she became despondent".

"Is that so"?, says Chames Mason. Kate has no idea he's aware she just lied to him. She doesn't know he's the married man in question. Once inside Emma's house, he leads Kate upstairs, then to the room from which she jumped. He kills Kate by throwing her out the windum, and I'm sorry for the spoiler but that's not the end, and the ending must be given a disclaimer.   

The first hour of "The Upturned Glass" is as tight and involving a murder mystery as you could ask for. It's got that brilliant narrative device explained above, and the plot leads you down a convoluted path via Mason's romantic defrauding of Kate. But after he kills her - whoa nelly - the screenwriter decided to create the last act out of whole cloth. It's so absurd and has so little relation - as far as making sense - to what has gone before, that you'll have to have a PhD in Disbelief Suspension to accept it.

Now then : having said that, the Final Absurdity (which runs 20 minutes), doesn't ruin the movie. At least it didn't for me. Yes, it's ridiculous, but the director was able to maintain the suspenseful tone that led to this point. The scenario calls for a drive in the fog, with Kate's body in Mason's car, so you at least have a continuation of the dark, sinister mood. Then it turns into the writer's Fantasyland, with some postulating on what constitutes sanity by Mason and another character. I won't tell you who he is, but good grief gimme a break. The ending is a downer, too. But again! (and this is important), it does not ruin the movie.

It makes it pretty kooky, but doesn't ruin it. So I just wanted you to be aware of what's coming when you watch, and I hope you do because I'm giving the movie Two Big Thumbs Up. Chames Mason is great as always, playing yet another Man In Emotional Turmoil. The Youtube print is excellent so give it a shot. Despite my caveat, I nonetheless highly recommend it. ////    

The previous night we watched another Paul Shortino called "The Inner Circle"(1946). How short is short? In this case only 56 minutes, which is stretching the limits of calling it a movie (and have we ever determined a cutoff point)? How bout 55? We can drive 55 - anything less and we'll have to pull over. At that point we won't consider it an Official Movie, but using that standard, 56 minutes qualifies.

Anyhow, it was a fun flick, a crime film with screwball timing. Adele Mara is an assertive dame who "hires herself" as the secretary for Johnny Strange, private detective. She just walks in to his office and tells him she's got the job. "Saved you the money for an ad", she adds. As his new Gal Friday, she takes her first call, then steers Johnny to a red hot crime scene. A gossip columnist has been murdered. The cops haven't even been there yet. Johnny meets a woman in front of the dead man's apartment. She was the caller. She wears a veil and has an accent. "It was I who discovered the body" she tells him. Johnny enters the apartment, only to be knocked unconscious by the veiled woman. She stages the crime scene to make it look like Johnny did it.

Fred Mertz (William Frawley) is the head of homicide down at police headquarters. Johnny's got a lot of 'splainin to do to get Mertz off his case (wait a minute, that's Lucy and Ricky.....get with it, Ad). Gal Friday's got an alibi ready for her boss. She's way ahead of Johnny Strange on this, her first case. 

Speaking of endings and narration like we did with the first film, 'The Inner Circle" also uses a nifty device to reveal the culprit at the end. Johnny enlists a pal down at the local radio station to broadcast a show featuring himself, Gal Friday and all of the major suspects (and Fred Mertz too), re-creating the crime on air. If you recall just a couple of blogs ago, we were talking about "Account Rendered", the English film with dialogue so tight that it could have been a radio drama. Well how bout a movie that turns into one? That's "The Inner Circle", a slam-bang sparkler of a crime flick that gets Two Big Thumbs for being fun. 

And since we're on Strange Detail tonight, what with Johnny Strange and that ending in "The Upturned Glass", I have to ask a question : What's the deal with Will Writght? He's an actor in "The Inner Circle" and I'm sure you've seen him. He's tall, gaunt and ancient, with a hayseed curmudgeon persona. He's been in a million movies. But he's listed as being born in 1894, which would make him 52 in this film. Now, we've talked about actors whose appearances changed, including Richard Boone whom we wrote about recently. He appeared to age drastically and looked extremely run down late in his career, which was likely due to boozing and cigarettes. But with Will Wright it's like he's 52 going on 90. I looked him up on IMDB for the specific reason of expecting him to break our record for the earliest motion picture actor yet seen. I kid you not, I thought he was at least 85 years old, which would've made his birth year around 1860. So I was shocked to discover he was only 52, almost a decade younger than Tom Cruise is now.

The thing is, it's not a Keith Richards trip I'm talking about (or a Richard Boone). Will Wright doesn't look beat up as a result of hard living, he just looks and sounds old. And not just old but elderly, like 85 or 90. Unless he was lying about his age and year of birth, then he was 52 when he made "The Inner Circle", and he died at 68 in 1962. It's one of the weirdest physical appearances I've seen on any actor, and it's not from makeup, either. It's just some "weird, wild stuff, Ed". 

"You, are correct, sir"! (slaps knee and guffaws).  

That's all for tonight. Hope you had a nice weekend. I send you tons of love, as always.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)