Last night, in "Air Patrol"(1962), a painting valued at 350K is stolen from a high rise on Wilshire Boogalord, cut from it's frame and rolled up. The thief (seen only in shadow) escapes by way of the roof and a hovering helicopter, after conking secretary "Mona Whitney" (Merry Anders) on the head. LAPD detective "Vern Taylor" (Willard Parker) responds at 3:28 in the morning. He and his partner check all possible exits. The security guard on duty is in deep trouble for going out for coffee when he should've been watching the lobby. Lt. Taylor still can't figure out how the thief made his escape, until the guard mentions hearing a helicopter on his way back from the coffee shop.
Sure enough, that's the answer, and the Air Patrol, a new division of the LAPD, is brought in for their expertise. Pilot "Bob Castle" (Robert Dix), who'd really rather work in the robbery division, asks around at local helipads: at Burbank, Santa Monica, etc, viewing logbooks, checking landings, departures, and records of chopper rentals. He gets a lead on a shifty pilot named "Oliver Dunning" (Ivan Bonar), who owns a brand new Bell. But Dunning's got an answer for his whereabouts and actions, all his t's are crossed and I's dotted. The cops follow him for a while but can't pin anything on him. They also get a lead on a guy named "Millard Nolan" (Douglas Dumbrille), whose wife formerly owned the painting. He's an aging actor, a former star now on hard times. He offers Taylor advice on the art world and it's practices. "Whoever stole it will ransom it because it's too hot to sell."
Meanwhile, Sgt. Castle and Mona Whitney are slowly becoming an item. Interludes feature wine sipping at her home while he admires her abstract paintings. Mona's a failed beatnik who went straight, got a real job, but kept painting and hating cops. This is all for color and has nothing to do with the plot, which is similar to a straight TV police procedural extended to 66 minutes. The Air Patrol chopper is really the star, with its bubble cockpit and inflated rubber landing tubes. It's one tight-looking whirlybird, exceptionally photographed in Cinemascope black-and-white with spectacular grey scale. Los Angeles is the chopper's co-star, seen here in pristine 1962 condition. The locations are incredible and almost push the movie to Two Huge. There's a chase scene at the empty Hollywood Bowl in broad daylight. Wilshire Boog is heavily featured. The last twenty minutes are prophetic: a car chase on the freeway! It, too, is pristine, with minimal traffic and barely any development on either side. LA was clean, clean, in 1962. The whole shootin' match ends up at the Sepulveda Dam, a masterpiece of concrete. Incredible photography there; a chase through the LA river channel, tires spraying water, Air Patrol chopper following. Who knew they had car chases back in those days?
As far as the painting is concerned, the casting director has once again done our job for us, so there's no real mystery about who stole it, but the investigation and helicopter-power make the movie, and Merry Anders adds female presence without overdoing the sexuality in such a role (as many actresses do). She's great; we like her in every film we've seen her in. "Air Patrol" gets Two Big Thumbs Up, but with the highest recommendation possible for showing Los Angeles circa 1962 and the excellent Cinemascope photography. In that regard, it's a must see. The picture is razor sharp. ////
The previous night we had "Mandrake the Magician"(1939), another chapter serial from Republic Pictures. Warren Hull stars, and as the first chapter opens, he's wowing the audience aboard the USS Mohawk, at the Captain's Dinner, with amazing sleight-of-hand. A note arrives for him mid-show, a telegram from "Betty Houston" (Doris Weston), the daughter of his scientist friend "Professor Houston" (Forbes Murray), saying "Come quick, I think my Dad's in danger!" The professor has a new invention, a radium gun, that a madman named The Wasp intends to steal.
Mandrake leaves the ship when it docks and flies his private plane to Professor Houston's mansion. On the way, he survives a sabotage attempt, and parachutes to a field where he is picked up by daughter Betty. We've already seen her Dad being menaced late night in his lab by The Wasp, who shines his winged insignia onto walls by searchlight. It's his way of saying "you're next" to his victims. Professor Houston's radium gun can destroy any target, including, in a demonstration, a solid steel block three feet thick.
9/11, anyone? Read "Where Did the Towers Go?", by Dr. Judy Wood.
The Wasp wants the radium gun, and he's sent five henchmen out to get it. All thus far have failed, and they find out the hard way that you don't disappoint The Wasp. Professor Houston is also working on another invention, a new metal alloy called Pentenium that is the hardest substance known to man. There are the requisite Republic Serial punchouts, though thankfully they aren't as time-consuming as in Republic's serials from the 1950s. Warren Hull is handsome and debonair as the mind-boggling magician who can pull silver dollars out of ladies' nostrils. "Mandrake" is based on a comic strip, and is the seventh serial Republic made. So far, it gets Two Big Thumbs Up. The picture is very good. ////
That's all I know for this evening. My blogging music was "D.S. al Coda", the tremendous final album by National Health. My late night is the Esther Oratorio by Handel. I hope you had a nice Saturday and I send you Tons of Love, as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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