TARANTULA

The spider plans a midnight snack at the ranch

TARANTULA (1955). Director: Jack Arnold. 

Professor Deemer (Leo G. Carroll) is conducting experiments with a food supplement in an isolated Arizona laboratory. The food supplement makes baby animals reach adulthood much sooner, and it also increases their size. During a fire one of the lab experiments, a tarantula the size of a large dog, escapes into the desert, where it rapidly grows to tremendous proportions and begins snacking on cows, horses, and people. Dr. Hastings (John Agar of Bait), Deemer's pretty assistant, Stephanie (Mara Corday), and Sheriff Andrews (Nestor Paiva) discover this all too clearly when the spider demolishes Deemer's house then -- as big as a mountain-- advances on the town itself!

Peekaboo! The big spider looks for a meal

After the success of the giant ant movie Them, there was no doubt that more giant insect/arachnid films would be in the offing, and Tarantula was the first of them and probably the best. Although the process work is imperfect, the monster looks and acts a lot better than the giant spiders in modern low-budget CGI offerings. With a creepy, suspenseful musical score, Tarantula also manages to work up plenty of chills as the creature advances on a ranch, overturns a truck, corners two fleeing hobos who huddle together in horror as it bears down upon them, and in a bravura sequence approaches Deemer's mansion and prepares to tear it apart after first spying on Stephanie in her bedroom, its mouth parts moving back and forth expectantly in the window.

One friggin' big spider!

Tarantula is able to get across the horror of its concept without throwing one severed limb at the viewer after another or becoming too gross to be amusing, although there is some gruesome stuff involving skeletons and huge pools of spider venom. The performances are more than adequate, and the byplay between characters is often intentionally comical. The sound FX for the creature are typically disquieting. Clint Eastwood has a bit part as a pilot who drops napalm on the spider as it moves rapidly towards the town. John Agar did a number of sci fi films, and Mara Corday did a few more monster movies as well. Two years later Jack Arnold would deal with another tarantula when he helmed The Incredible Shrinking Man. 

Verdict: Entertaining semi-classic creature feature. ***. 

THE REBEL SET

Kathleen Crowley and Gregg Palmer

THE REBEL SET (1959). Director: Gene Fowler, Jr. 

Mr. Tucker (Edward Platt of Atlantis the Lost Continent) owns a coffee shop but he has a sideline: he plans heists for lots of money. He enlists the participation of three men whom he clearly thinks of as losers: struggling actor John (Gregg Palmer); failed novelist Ray (John Lupton); and George (Don Sullivan), the screw-up son of a famous movie star. Tucker actually plans his caper very well, and the heist of an armored car goes off without a hitch, until everyone makes their escape on a train and a murder or two occurs ... 

John Lupton and Don Sullivan

The Rebel Set was packaged as some kind of "beatnik" movie, but while there are appearances by stereotypical beatniks in the film, the main characters don't fit into that category and the film has little to do with them. The screenplay for this is not that bad, but the performances are a little too laid-back to give the pic the tension it requires. Don Sullivan essays a very different character from the one he plays in The Giant Gila Monster, but he's versatile enough to pull it off although he, too, underplays too much. Poor Ed Platt walks through the movie as if it were a rehearsal and he didn't know the cameras were filming -- his high water mark really was Get Smart.  Kathleen Crowley with her trademark whiskey voice gives the best performance as actor John's very worried wife, who thinks he's going to appear in a play instead of a robbery. Others in the cast include Robert Shayne, Byron Foulger, and Gene Roth [Earth vs the Spider]. The film was shot by Karl Struss. Probably influenced by films like The Killing and The Asphalt Jungle, it's not in their league.

Verdict: Just misses. **1/2. 

HIDDEN HOMICIDE

Griffith Jones, Maya Koumani, Patricia Laffan

HIDDEN HOMICIDE (1959). Director: Anthony Young. 

Michael Cornforth (Griffith Jones) is spirited away from his flat by an unknown person and wakes up in his cousin's cottage with his dead body inside. Two women -- Jean (Patricia Laffan) and Marian (Maya Koumani) -- happen along and Michael bares his soul to them. Attracted to Micheal, Jean decides to cover up the business with the corpse although Marian is a bit more skeptical. Now Michael has to find out not only who kidnapped him but who murdered his cousin, a man from whom he might have inherited money. Seems he not only had the means but the motive. 

James Kenney

Hidden Homicide is a twisty British thriller that sets up an intriguing situation, although one has to suspend disbelief at times. The acting is sufficient, with James Kenney [The Gelignite Gang] having fun as Oswald, a presumed friend of Michael's who comes to Jean's assistance at one point. The plot is the kind of convoluted thing you would see years later in Italian giallo films, and frankly this could have used a couple of gruesome murders. It does have some lively moments, and a couple of good twists, but it's also a little too weird and disjointed. Kenny is quite good in this. 

Verdict: Moderately entertaining. **1/2.  

ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE

Judd Holdren and Leonard Nimoy

ZOMBIES OF THE STRATOSPHERE (12 chapter Republic serial/1952.) Director: Fred C. Brannon. 

Marex (Lane Bradford) has come from the dying planet Mars to plant bombs that will knock earth out of its orbit so that Mars can take its place. Marex has enlisted the help of two earth thugs -- Roth (John Crawford) and Shane (Ray Boyle) -- who somehow think it's not only okay that everyone on earth but them will die, but that they will spend the rest of their days on Mars. Marex also has a Martian helpmate on earth named Narab, who is played by a 21-year-old Leonard Nimoy, and there is a traitorous earth scientist named Dr. Harding (Stanley Waxman), who is helping him build a hydrogen bomb. Narab has a conscience, and Nimoy displays some ability in his unusual role. 

Judd Holdren

Battling Marex and his boys are Larry Martin (Judd Holdren), who wears the rocket man outfit from King of the Rocket Men, and his associates Bob Wilson (Wilson Wood), and Sue Davis (Aline Towne), as well as their rocketship pilot, Dick (Gayle Kellogg). Chapter four has a bunch of bad cowboys trying to get away with some uranium for Marex, while a large metal robot robs a bank in chapter five -- there are subsequent lively scenes with the robot. The following chapter has an underwater knife fight, and in one of the best cliffhangers Sue is pulled off a dock and into deep water when a rope with an anchor attached is wound around her ankle in chapter seven. Roy Barcroft and Tom Steele have smaller roles. 

Verdict: Zombies of the Stratosphere is another fun, fast-paced Republic serial. ***. 

THE HIDDEN EYE

Edward Arnold

THE HIDDEN EYE (1945). Director: Richard Whorf. 

Jean Hamptom (Frances Rafferty of Public Defender) is engaged to Barry Gifford (Paul Langton), but their marriage may be delayed by murders in the family. Now you would think two murders would be enough for Jean to seek the help of blind friend Duncan Maclain (Edward Arnold), who happens to be a private eye, but she waits until three of her relatives -- elderly uncles in general -- are gone before she goes to see him. Each body is found with the same note, and the room is full of the same perfume. Naturally Barry is under suspicion as a potential fortune hunter, but there is one other suspect, lawyer Phillip Treadway (Ray Collins). When his antagonist realizes that Maclain is on the right track, his seeing eye German Shepherd, Friday, is kidnapped. 

Rafferty, Collins, Langton

This is the second of two MGM films starring Arnold as Maclain, and it's nearly as bad as the first one, Eyes in the Night. This sequel is at least more of a nominal murder mystery, but as there's only one serious suspect one can't say this has much suspense to it. The culprit is revealed halfway through the running time and the rest is a lot of uninteresting running around. At least Maclain gets involved in a rather ferocious fist fight at the very end that temporarily wakes the viewer up from their stupor. The cast is game, and Arnold, always an excellent actor, proves as charismatic as ever, but this material is way beneath him. Byron Foulger [Lady in the Death House], Morris Amkrum [Earth vs. the Flying Saucers] and Arthur Space are also in the cast. 

Verdict: This short-lived detective series was done in by very poor scripts. **. 

THE GIANT GILA MONSTER

Gila monster surveys the scene: anything to eat? 

THE GIANT GILA MONSTER (1959). Director: Ray Kellogg. NOTE: This is the colorized version.

Chase Winstead (Don Sullivan) is an aspiring singer in a small Texas town who works at a garage. When his friends and his boss go missing, he and the sheriff (Fred Graham) come to fear that something monstrous and hungry is on the loose in the deep woods surrounding their community,  especially in Williams' Wash. There sure is! A Gila monster the size of a bus is snacking on hitchhikers, over-turning trucks and even derails a passenger train at one point. Can Chase save his friends, girlfriend, and family before the creature strikes again?

Don Sullivan

The Giant Gila Monster is a very low-budget movie so it can't offer tremendous stop-motion effects a la Harryhausen or adept process shots blending monster with victims, but somehow it manages to get across some creepy suspense in spite of that. The film has a great deal of fifties charm. Part of that charm has to do with the lead actor Don Sullivan, who is competent, good-looking, and can sing -- although his song compositions are nothing special. Sullivan had a handful of credits in the late fifties and then became a chemist. Incredibly, Giant Gila Monster was remade in 2012 as Gila! and Sullivan had a small role in it. 

Don Sullivan, Don Flournoy, Fred Graham

The rest of the cast members are generally adept, although a couple are clearly amateurs. The best-known actor in this is Shug Fisher, who amusingly plays "Old Man Harris;" he amassed 86 credits in a long career which included playing "Shorty Kellems" on The Beverly Hillbillies. Lisa Simone, who plays Chase's girlfriend, had a small role in Missile to the Moon. Jay Simms' screenplay is more-than-serviceable, and Jack Marshall's musical score is cheap but effective. The creature, a real Gila Monster interacting with miniature sets, is cleverly spliced into scenes of people reacting to it, generally before its big paw comes down to smash or grab them. The colorization process for the picture is well done; it looks good.

Verdict: Hot rods and monsters -- how can you go wrong? ***. 

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON

Commando Cody takes flight!

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (12 chapter Republic serial/1952). Director: Fred. C. Brannon. 

In the first appearance of "a new character," Commando Cody (George Wallace) -- actually a new version of the Rocket Man from King of the Rocket Men -- our hero uses his flying jet pack to take on moon men whose atmosphere is deteriorating and want to take over Mother Earth in a mass migration. The chief moon man is Retik (Roy Barcroft) and his chief confederate on earth is Krog (Peter Brocco). As incredible as it may seem -- but remember this is a serial -- the advance force to take over an entire planet with billions of inhabitants consists of one moon man and two -- count 'em -- two American gangsters named Graber (Clayton Moore of Lone Ranger fame) and Daly (Robert R. Stephenson). As for Cody, he also has two assistants: Ted (William Bakewell of All Quiet on the Western Front); and Joan (Aline Towne). More than once Cody flies to the moon in his rocket ship, once to reconnoiter and another time to get the Lunarium that the moon men use in their ray guns. 

Bakewell, Wallace, Towne

George Wallace is fine as Cody; in addition to a lot of film work Wallace was Mary Martin's leading man in the Broadway musical Jennie. The process work that shows Cody taking to the air is effective all these years later, and Stanley Wilson's score is consistently exciting. Our hero is trapped by molten lava at one point, and there is at least one exciting mid-air rescue. Some of the cliffhangers are recycled from King of the Rocket Men but used in different circumstances. 

Verdict: Snappy, fast-paced, and lots of fun. ***. 

THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH

Anton Diffring

THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH (1959). Director: Terence Fisher.

In Paris of 1890, doctor and sculptor Georges Bonnet (Anton Diffring), is anxiously awaiting the arrival of an old friend, Dr. Ludwig Weiss (Arnold Marle). Elderly Weiss, who is actually younger than Georges, performed a certain operation on the latter that has kept him young for many decades. The operation needs to be repeated periodically and now it is time for Weiss to perform it again, only a stroke has made this impossible. Now Georges is desperate to find another doctor who might look the other way and save Georges' life. But will Dr. Pierre Gerard (Christopher Lee) agree to do what Georges' requires? Complicating matters is a woman named Janine (Hazel Court), who is in love with Georges but may find his secrets a bit too much to bear.

Arnold Marle and Anton Diffring

The Man Who Could Cheat Death is a notable Hammer production, well-directed by Terence Fisher, and with a splendid lead performance from Anton Diffring, who makes the most of both the characters' arrogance and his near-hysterical desperation. Court and Lee are also memorable, and Arnold Marle is excellent as the originally compliant doctor who becomes increasingly appalled by his old friend's attitude and actions, which include murder. Based on a play by Barre Lyndon, this was originally filmed as The Man in Half Moon Street. This is the superior of the two versions.

Verdict: Lurid and entertaining with a superb Diffring. ***. 

THE KETTLES ON OLD MACDONALD'S FARM

Marjorie Main and Parker Fennelly

THE KETTLES ON OLD MACDONALD'S FARM (1957). Director: Virgil W. Vogel. 

"After thirty years I don't think I can fall asleep until I hear the sound of your snoring." -- Pa to Ma Kettle.

Pa Kettle (Parker Fennelly) is finally planning to sell the old farm after winning a new house way back in Ma and Pa Kettle. The potential buyers are Sally Flemming (Gloria Talbott of The Leech Woman) and her fiance, Brad (John Smith of Hod Rod Girl). Sally's father (Roy Barcroft) objects to the wedding because he thinks his daughter is spoiled and will never make a good farm wife. Ma (Marjorie Main) and Pa decide to let the couple move in on a trial basis, with Ma as chaperone, but will they ever actually make it to the altar?

Gloria Talbott and John Smith

Percy Kilbride had left the series by this time and Parker Fennelly took over the role for this final Kettle film. Fennelly is fine as Pa, and doesn't make the mistake of aping Kilbride. As happened in an earlier Kettle film, Pa gets the mistaken impression that Ma is pregnant again. Another complication is the mischievous presence of an amazing trained bear called Tree-Toes, which the Kettles try to capture, as well as the usual, amusing disagreements and misunderstandings.

This was a good way to end the series, as this entry -- while not quite as good as the best entries -- has a better story than the last couple of films, and is consistently amusing. There's also new theme music to go with a new Pa, but there is no "MacDonald" or his farm. Sally and Brad's differences -- frankly she doesn't really seem cut out to have the tedious, back-breaking life of a farm wife and why should she have to endure it?  -- are never really resolved.  Roy Barcroft appeared in a number of cliffhanger serials such as Radar Men from the Moon. John Smith was a handsome leading man who appeared in many "B" movies and television programs. 

Verdict: Fun movie bolstered by performances of Main and Fennelly and the depiction of their long-time warm relationship. ***

THE FLAW

John Bentley has a fatal flaw

THE FLAW (1955). Director: Terence Fisher.

Paul Oliveri (John Bentley) is a race car driver who sweeps a wealthy woman named Monica (Rona Anderson) off her feet. Paul marries Monica for her money, and makes sure his mistress, Vera (Tonia Bern), gets enough of it to live on. He also makes sure that Monica makes out a will leaving him everything. When Monica learns of the mistress from her solicitor and friend, John (Donald Houston), she decides to divorce him. So Paul concocts a scheme to get rid of John so that his body will never be found, and then murder Monica for her money. But while John is at Paul's mercy he tells him his plan has a fatal flaw ... 

John Bentley and Rona Anderson

The Flaw -- which could refer to sociopathic Paul's character flaws as well as the flaw in his murder plot -- is another of the British crime films directed by Terence Fisher before he became famous as a horror filmmaker. This one is somewhat better than others, but still no world-beater. John Bentley proves a more interesting actor as a bad guy than as a hero, although one can't quite say he's a George Sanders. I don't wish to generalize but I often find that British thrillers of this nature never quite have the oomph of American melodramas of similar theme -- maybe they're just not lurid enough -- admittedly there are exceptions to this rule. Rona Anderson and Tonia Bern look enough alike that at times you're not certain if Paul is talking to his wife or mistress, who doesn't show up very often anyway. There's one okay twist at the end and the song "Getting Away with Murder" that plays in a club sequence is catchy. 

Verdict: Too short a running time to make this especially compelling. **1/2.