Last night's movie was "Highway Dragnet"(1954), a low budget noir co-produced by Roger Corman, starring our new go-to guy Richard Conte as a man wrongly accused of murder. He plays "Jim Henry", a Marine just back from Korea. As the movie opens, he walks into a bar in Las Vegas and sits down next to "Terry Smith" (Mary Beth Hughes), a blonde gal who looks like she knows the ropes. They hit it off and later spend the night, though we don't see this. The next we see of Conte, he's hitching a ride in the desert. Before he can get picked up, he's surrounded by Vegas PD patrol cars. Suddenly he's under arrest for the murder of Miss Smith, the bar girl.
Richard Conte always plays Earnest Guys, characters who are often troubled but not usually capable of murder. So we assume he didn't do it, even though the cops believe they have him dead to rights.
A tall cowboy police Lieutenant named "Joe White Eagle" (Reed Hadley) interrogates him back at the station. All Conte can do is deny the accusations but White Eagle's sure he's got the right man. "Did you kill her because she refused your advances"?, he asks Conte, who's getting scared now, not because it's a frame up but because the Lieutenant wants to close the case. He's gonna go down for the murder, even though it's all circumstantial evidence. Just before the cops can haul him into a jail cell, he uses his Marine self defense training to kick down Lt. White Eagle and fend off his two deputies. With the three policemen subdued, he runs out the door and jumps in an empty squad car. With haste, he drives off into the desert.
The police are in hot pursuit, so Conte has to go off-road. In the course of speeding over the rugged desert terrain, he manages to elude the chasing coppers, but in the process he bangs up the stolen squad car on rocks until it's useless. He abandons it to travel on foot. Walking a little used road, he gets lucky this time when he comes across two women trying to start their car. One is "Mrs. H.G. Cummings" (Joan Bennett), a professional photographer. The other gal is "Susan Wilson" (Wanda Hendrix), her model. They are on their way to a shoot in Apple Valley, for an advertisement of a brand new motel. Conte fixes their car and they give him a ride. Up ahead is a roadblock. The police are looking for an escaped prisoner, the suspect in a recent killing. The officers on site only have a basic description, which could match a thousand men. Conte matches it, but he gives them an alias ("James Johnson"), and because he's an Earnest Guy they believe him. One thing concerns Wanda Hendrix, however. When they stop at a cafe for something to eat, she whispers to Joan Bennett. "You heard what they said back there. The prisoner was last seen hitchiking".
"Well, what of it"?, replies Bennett.
"Mr. Johnson was wandering down the road when we saw him. And, he matches the basic description".
Bennett blows this off and they continue to the Apple Valley Inn. While setting up the photo shoot, she notices the headline on the local paper. "Police Seek Suspected Killer". Underneath it is a photo of a soldier who looks a lot like Richard Conte. It is in fact him, though we still believe he's innocent. The photo is enough to convince Joan Bennett, however, and she alerts the manager of the motel. With his back to the wall, Conte is forced to produce the gun he took from the arresting officers. "Okay, yeah. That's me. But I didn't kill that woman". He makes Bennett and Hendrix get back in the car, and with Conte driving, they head out into the desert again. This time they get stuck in the sand. With Conte and Hendrix pushing from behind, they manage to free the car, but Bennett drives off, leaving them stranded with little water. They later locate Bennett, who's now stranded herself as the car has overheated. Conte uses the remaining water to fill the radiator. "It's the only hope we've got". He tries to convince the women that they need one another to stay alive.
By now, Wanda Hendrix believes Conte's claim of innocence. "But if you didn't kill the woman, who did"?
"I have no idea". Things take another turn when Conte sets down his gun. Bennett picks it up and threatens to shoot him. He uses his Marine skills again to disarm her. This causes Susan Wilson to start wondering about Joan Bennett.
"What was the dead lady's name again"? she asks Conte. "Uh....it was 'Terry' Something....'Terry Smith' ".
A cold slap of recognition hits Wilson in the face. "Mrs. Cummings? Didn't you know a Terry Smith? Isn't that the name of the woman who was involved with your husband"?
Holy Smokes, folkerinos, Paul Shortino and Folkker Triplanes. This is one heck of a high concept chase flick we're developing. Roger Corman not only co-produced, but co-wrote the screenplay. According to Wiki it was the first script he ever sold. The plot winds up at the Salton Sea, where Conte owns a flooded house. He's supposed to meet his brother there, who can vouch for his whereabouts on the night of the murder. But the brother is elusive. He's a classified Military Intelligence agent. The Salton Sea is an amazing, atmospheric location to wind things up. There really are abandoned houses in the water.
"Highway Dragnet" is a tight, exciting noir that takes some unexpected turns within the desert. Nathan Juran directs with assurance, despite the small budget. He brings out the best from his actors and the story. I'm gonna give it Two Big Thumbs Up, with an extra plus for the photography at the Salton Sea. It's highly recommended and the print is almost razor sharp. One small defect is that the sound is a quarter-second out of synch. But that's no big deal. Make sure and see it, it's a Good One. /////
The previous night we watched "The Unearthly", a cheesy Mad Scientist flick starring John Carradine as the crazed doctor. It was actually not bad, and weird with a capital W, but it did run on too long, the chief culprit in many a flawed motion picture. On the plus side, when you've got Carradine you know he's gonna act. How much is always a gamble, but he doesn't overdo it in this film and he's perfect as "Dr. Conway", who runs an institute for the mentally ill.
As the movie opens, an associate is delivering "Grace Thomas" (50 Foot Woman Allison Hayes) into Conway's care. Grace is suffering from depression. Conway assures she'll get well if she follows his instructions and makes contact with no one during her stay at the institute.
We then observe a conversation between Conway and his associate, concerning his real plans for Miss Thomas, but I won't reveal them to you now.
Next to arrive is "Frank Scott" (Myron Healey), a man who has wandered in from the forest. Dr. Conway identifies him as a recently escaped convict from a nearby prison. "You can stay here", Conway tells him, "but you're not to speak to anyone. If you do I'll call the police to turn you in".
He has a hulking assistant named "Lobo" (Tor Johnson), who wanders the halls and does the heavy lifting. Two things about Tor : 1) As an actor he's the ultimate Johnny One Note. It's not his fault. Not that he'd be Sir Laurence Olivier anyway, but in every movie he does the same thing, stumbling mindlessly across the set with eyes wide open, a slack jaw, and a look of absolute stupor on his face. The second thing, 2), is a question I have : "How many times have Tor's characters been named 'Lobo'? It seems like it's every movie he's in.
Well anyway, there's an excellent Mad Scientist Laboratory, set up in the basement (naturally), within a labyrinth of thick concrete walls. It is there that Coway carries out his real secret work, using his patients as guinea pigs to reorganize their endocrine glands. He's hoping to create eternal youth through hormonal balance, but the results unfortunately don't jibe with his intention.
Dr. Conway keeps his patients calm through sedation and by playing Bach's Tocatta and Fugue in D Minor for them on the organ. There's also an experimental "test model" patient in a secret room. This guy's a zombie with a flap on his throat, so many times have his glands been rearranged. Conway thinks he's dead at one point and orders Lobo to bury him.........but........of course he's still alive, so you can guess how that turns out.
Throughout the proceedings, Carradine rages and carries on, self-righteously assured of his mission. "Who wouldn't want eternal life"?, he bellows. Well yeah, maybe......but not with a neck full of sutures. Plus, the "treatment" isn't working out so well for one woman, who's turning into a prune before our eyes.
"The Unearthly" treads close to Ed Wood territory, but while it's cheesy it isn't camp (I don't think). As I said before, it's just really really weird. John Carradine is at his off-the-wall best, while the other actors (with the exception of Tor Johnson) play it straight. Allison Hayes is gorgeous and sincere as always. Though she was 50 Feet Tall, she had a tragic life story and we always have a soft spot for such actresses (and actors).
You might watch it and go "huh"? or even "ugh"!, but I loved this movie and I give it Two Big Thumbs Up. Actually I think you're gonna love it too, or at least like it a lot, just because it's so, um......different. Give it a watch, it's perfect for Halloween season. /////
That's all I've got for tonight. My life is way too strange right now, too changed, too quiet and too lonely. I miss Pearl and I miss our routine, which was my life for the past dozen years. I'm slowly getting used to the fact that it's over, but...........it ain't easy. Really it's extremely difficult. On the good side though, I'm taking advantage of the solitude and the downtime to write. I've started my aforementioned book. I've been working on it for the past four days, and when I'm writing I feel energized because I'm bringing the story to life. All I'm capable of doing right now is doing what's right in front of me, and that's what's there - the book. I'll keep you posted on it's progress and we'll keep watching movies.
I hope you have a nice evening and I send you Tons of Love as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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