Last night's crime film was "Portland Expose"(1957), a story of the Mob moving into that city, which prompts the question: "Who knew they had crime in Portland?." Heck, who knew they had anything in Portland? But it turns out that it was (and may still be) a Vacation Paradise; the movie shows lots of roadside taverns amid all the pine trees, and in the 1950s, organised criminals saw it as a good place for their pinball and slot machines. Jukeboxes, too, and they had to be their machines, or else. At first, if you didn't "sign up", they'd "picket" your joint with hired (Mob-connected) union workers: "Don't patronize this establishment. Unfair to employees." This tactic could effectively shut your business down. But that was when The Syndicate ran things. We know them by now: their credo is money first, violence only as a last resort. But the Portland Sydicate boss got old, and eventually got forced out by the New York Mafia, who saw the West Coast as an untapped gold mine. They, of course, don't play nice. No picketing your establishment for the Mafia. With them, if you don't "sign up", they throw you in front of a train or pour sulfuric acid in your eyes.
Into this scenario enters "George Madison" (Edward Binns, who you've seen in a million things). A family man, Madison has bought a popular tavern on the main tourist drag, not knowing the rules of the game. Pretty soon, these new Mafia goons show up and tell him "Our pinballs, our slots. Got it?" He doesn't want to cooperate, of course, because he has to pay them a 50% cut, but it only takes a mention of his pretty daughter "Ruth" (Carolyn Craig) to convince him otherwise. The Portland Mafia boss has a chief goon whose partner "Joe" (Frank Gorshin, doing his chin and teeth thing) is a psychopath. This was in Gorshin's contract, and he's got a thing for underage girls. The Boss tells him to knock it off: "One more time and I'll put you six feet under." But Gorshin's got the hots for Ruth, George Madison's daughter, whose Christian boyfriend (a red herring character) is in place to show Portland's family values side, which is mentioned at the beginning of the movie. It looks like a nice place to live if it weren't so rainy and cold.
Anyhow, George Madison has reluctantly been going along with the program. He's accepted the Mob's slot machines, their gaming, and even their prostitutes, who work unnoticed out of an upstairs room. His wife "Clara" (Virginia Gregg) doesn't like it, but they're making a lot of money from their 50% cut, and it's easier than trying to say no. But then, one night Frank Gorshin tries to rape their daughter Ruth. This scene is filmed, in such a way, from an "eyewitness" perspective, and it is acted out so that it looks like an actual assault, and because Frank Gorshin was one of those actors (like Anthony Hopkins) who should've been arrested for his performances, it's a horrific scene to watch. George hears his daughter's screams, runs out of the tavern to find them in the woods, and beats Gorshin to a pulp. And because he's been alicecooperating with the Mob, The Boss (who's already warned Gorshin about his proclivities) has Gorshin thrown in front of a train. "There. He's all gone. Sorry about the attack on your daughter."
But Mrs. Madison has had enough. She takes Ruth and son Jimmy to Grandma's house until George agrees to sell the tavern. "These people are crazy, George!" He agrees with her assessment, but being ex-Army, he doesn't scare, or give in, easily. Also, he's just been approached by the FBI (headed up by Captain Binghamton) to entrap the Mafiosos by wearing a tape recorder under his coat. George agrees to do it, and they've even co-opted the retired former Syndicate boss to help them. All George has to do is engage the mobsters in conversation about their past conquests and future plans, get 'em talking to get their admissions on tape. The Boss tells him that they plan to take over the entire West Coast, all the way up to police and politicians. "The whole enchilada". George gets it all on tape, but The Boss's assistant smells a rat. "That tavern guy's way too cocky. Something's up with him." They trick George by having a prostitute feel him up during a dance party, honoring their #1 East Coast Madame. While the hooker is dancing with him, she feels the tape deck under George's coat. She reports it to The Boss, and now George is toast. What's it gonna be, George? Acid in the eyes? Laid out on the train tracks? This is another pre-Scorsese Mafia flick, totally brutal, be-bop jazz score, evil-beyond-measure hoodlums. But what it also shows is just how organised they were. If you've ever wondered how come the cops, or FBI, or whomever, didn't just mow down these bastards, it's because they controlled the cops, and the FBI, or had moles at the very least, and they had enough money to pay the best lawyers. What the USA should've done was sic the military on them.
In the final confrontation, the mobsters use George's daughter Ruth as a pawn, and of course he goes "Straw Dogs" crazy. Two Bigs bordering on Two Huge for "Portland Expose". This is the real deal, showing how evil the Mafia is. I have no sympathy for them, don't think they are cool, and they should never be glamorized. The picture is razor sharp. ////
The previous night, we found an early Lippert, "Mask of the Dragon"(1951), directed by our old pal Sam Newfield, in which An American intelligence officer, shipping home from Korea, stops in at a curio shop before embarking. He's had a tip that there might be some quick cash to be had if he were to schmuggle a green ceramic dragon to Los Angeles and deliver it to a dealer in Chinatown. He happens to live in LA; before the war, he was a private investigator. In meeting with the curio shop owner, he says, "I'll do it. I could use the 700 bucks." The job seems easy enough. All he has to do is pack the dragon in a small wooden crate and mail it to himself in LA. before he leaves, However, the shop owner surreptitiously snaps his picture with a hidden camera, which can't be good in a country run by an Elvis impersonator.
Because he's in intelligence, and thus careful, he has the crate shipped to a woman friend who works at the LAPD crime lab. When he gets home, he calls her: "No," she reports, "I've received nothing from you in the mail." Figuring the package is running late, he goes home and is cold-cocked by a gigantic thug and Sid Melton, who think the dragon is in his luggage. They pistol whip and kill him, search his suitcase and other belongings, but can't find the dragon because he mailed it. It later does arrive at the CSI gal's apartment, but by this time, an Army investigator is trying to take over the case because "it's my jurisdiction." Lyle Talbot of the LAPD disagrees: "The murder happened here, after your man was discharged."
A lot of cool TV studio stuff happens in the middle, with Johnny Grant (The Mayor of Hollywood) live-on-air, hosting a variety show featuring the dead officer's girlfriend, a singer. Professional wrestler "Mr. Moto" has a substantial role as a thug. He also serves up semi-comic relief along with Sid Melton, who can be funny when he doesn't overdo it.
The dead officer's partner (Richard Travis) becomes the star of the film and, after discovering a flyer for a shop called The Jade Lotus in his friend's coat pocket, he goes to Chinatown to find Sid Melton impersonating a Chinese merchant, inviting tourists inside his shop to buy trinkets. "Why," he inquires, "would a trinket, even this green dragon, be worth murder?"
It turns out that it's carrying enriched uranium. But man, is this an adept little quickie. A caucasian actor named Jack Reitzen plays "Professor Kim Ho", the owner of The Jade Lotus. The movie has only a 3.8 IMDB rating but the fans have it backwards. It should be an 8.3, because: 1) It's 53 minutes, 2) It gets the job done, 3) A Ton of Stuff Happens, and 4) You still have time for lots of Mr. Moto wrestling action. This is Sam Newfield at the top of his game. and, there's a major-league twist at the end. Two Huge Thumbs Up for "Mask of the Dragon". The picture is very good. ////
And that's all for this evening. So what did you think of the Republican debate? I got a kick out of Ramaswamy. He's like a carnival barker or a used car salesman. Super slick, but I wouldn't vote for him in a million years. Nikki Haley is the Repub's Nancy Pelosi, doing her "wag your index finger at the men" thing, If Trump for any reason can't run, or isn't selected as the nominee (please God), I think they should run Mike Pence, Tim Scott or Chris Christie. You just know Mike Pence was a hippie in the 1960s. My blogging music is "D.S. al Coda" by National Health, and "Motivation Radio" by Steve Hillage. My late night is "Tannheuser" by Wagner. I hope you had a nice Saturday and I send you Tons of Love as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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