THE GHOST OF SIERRA DE COBRE

A ghost confronts Judith Anderson and Martin Landau

THE GHOST OF SIERRA DE COBRE (1964 telefilm), Produced, directed and written by Joseph Stefano. 

"Psychical" investigator Nelson Orion (Martin Landau) -- who makes most of his money as an architect -- is called in when blind, wealthy Henry Mandore (Tom Simcox) starts receiving disturbing phone calls that are supposedly from his dead mother. Afraid of being buried alive, she had a phone installed in her crypt, and the calls are coming from this line. Accompanied by Henry's wife, Vivia (Diane Baker), Orion investigates the crypt and Vivia encounters a scary and bloody female spirit. Orion's no-nonsense housekeeper, Mrs. Finch (Nellie Burt) doesn't believe in ghosts, and neither does the Mandore's housekeeper, Paulina (Dame Judith Anderson), but the latter seems to know a lot more about what's going on than anyone else does. 

Diane Baker and Martin Landau

The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre was the pilot for what was supposed to be a follow-up series to The Outer Limits, with the focus on horror and the supernatural instead of science fiction. I assume that Nelson Orion was to be a continuing character from week to week. It's too bad that that didn't work out for one reason or another, as it might have made a compelling series. Stefano's plot has some interesting twists and turns to it -- although it never seems quite real --  and skillfully blends the supernatural with other sinister events that have natural explanations. Stefano's direction -- he replaced the original director -- although good, isn't quite as assured, but Conrad Hall's expert cinematography helps smooth over the rough edges. 

Landau with Tom Simcox

Ghost features a generally excellent cast. Landau proves he could certainly handle the lead on any TV show, and Anderson, cast as yet another creepy housekeeper, rises above the stereotype and offers a highly proficient and intense performance as Paulina. Diane Baker isn't quite on the same level and seems a bit "off" at times, but is effective. Tom Simcox certainly gets into the mood as the handsome, haunted husband who is afraid he is going out of his mind. Nellie Burt is a burst of fresh air as the other, happier housekeeper. Orion makes a hasty date with a blonde on the beach -- nothing ever comes of this -- and the blonde is billed as Delores Starr, but I swear she looks just like Diane McBain. Simcox studied meditation with the Beatles in India!

Verdict: Creepy if flawed telefilm with good performances and a very interesting plot. ***. 

SHAZAM! FURY OF THE GODS

Zachary Levi as Shazam

SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS (2023). Director: David F. Sandberg.

Two goddesses, Hespera (Helen Mirren) and Kalypso (Lucy Liu), are furious that Billy Batson (Asher Angel) was given the power that they feel rightfully belonged to their father, Atlas, and hence to them. They cause havoc in a museum in Greece, turning several tourists to stone, and shattering the likable museum guide to pieces. (Leaning of this, our heroes don't seem as appalled as they should be, and there is no talk of finding out if the victims' rock-like state can be reversed.) A third sister, Anthea (Rachel Zegler), is kinder and gentler and bonds with Billy's brother, Freddy Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and his super-hero alter ego (Adam Brody). Turning into his own super-hero counterpart, now christened Shazam (Zachary Levi) instead of Captain Marvel (for copyright reasons), Billy Batson gathers together the other children in his family, and they transform into their super-powered counterparts in order to take on not only Hespera and Kalypso, but a host of demonic creatures and a huge, malevolent dragon named Ladon.

Mortgage payment? Helen Mirren and Lucy Lui

This sequel to Shazam, which itself was no world-beater, is a cut below the original. Although Billy Batson is now nearly 18, when he switches to Shazam he acts much more childish and nerdy than he does as himself. Zachary Levi gives an adept-enough comic performance, but while the Captain Marvel stories of the 40s were pretty silly, there's no reason to make this modern movie quite so ridiculous. (The far superior Black Adam was cut from the same universe more or less but it rarely descends into camp. Here's hoping that Shazam does not join the Justice Society!) Helen Mirren and Lucy Lui, especially the former, give excellent performances (as does Rachel Zegler as their sister), but one has to wonder why an actress of Mirren's stature chose to appear in this shit. A mortgage coming due?

Ladon the dragon has no personality

Another problem with the movie is that the action sequences are not put together that well, the cinematography is disappointing (there isn't one single strikingly composed shot), and even the over-familiar special effects fail to impress -- you've seen it all before, and better. The movie is full of phony sentimentality -- so much hugging and crying while the original victims are completely forgotten. Shazam! Fury of the Gods wears out its welcome about halfway through -- you just wait for the damn thing to end.

Verdict: How much silliness can you stand. *1/2. 

WHISPERING SMITH VS. SCOTLAND YARD

WHISPERING SMITH VS. SCOTLAND YARD (aka Whispering Smith Hits London/1952). Director: Francis Searle. 

Famous American detective Steve "Whispering" Smith (Richard Carlson) comes to England for a Welsch vacation but is immediately importuned to solve a murder in London. A young woman named Sylvia has been found drowned, an apparent suicide, but her father is convinced it was murder. His secretary, Ann Carter (Rona Anderson of The Flaw), begs Smith to take the case but at first he seems more interested in romancing her. Smith goes about interviewing several people who knew Sylvia: her lawyer, Hector Reith (Alan Wheatley); her fiance, a puppeteer named Roger Ford (Herbert Lom of Mysterious Island); and one of her best friends, Louise Balfour (Greta Gynt). When someone tries to run over Smith and Ann it's clear that somebody is violently opposed to his investigation. 

Richard Carlson and Greta Gynt

Whispering Smith, a character first introduced in a novel and then in movies, was actually a 19th century railroad detective known for being rather quiet, hence "whispering." Alan Ladd played the part in a 1942 western. In this one-shot movie starring Richard Carlson the character has been updated to the 20th century, but he doesn't seem very quiet, but rather brash in the way of most American private eyes. Carlson gives a very good performance, Rona  Anderson is cute and charming, Greta Gynt radiates a certain sensuality and menace, and Wheatley and Lom make convincing antagonists; Lom is especially effective, as usual. Reginald Beckwith [Doctor in Love] is cast as a man who was a victim of vicious blackmail. Usually a comic figure, he gives a good, if brief, dramatic performance in this. An interesting element has to do with a sinister nursing home called Star Opaque, which is actually a mayhem-for-hire outfit run by the creepy Dr. Taren (Daniel Wherry). An early production from Hammer studios, this is better than their usual mysteries, well-acted, with an interesting plot (even if the ending is not that big a surprise) and characters and a swift pace. Nice score by Fred Spencer.

Verdict: Some more Whispering Smith films with Carlson would have been welcome. ***. 

THE LOST JUNGLE

THE LOST JUNGLE: Cliffhanger Action and Hollywood Serials of the 1930s and 1940s. Guy Barefoot. University of Exeter Press; 2017. 

If you're expecting a fun and colorful book examining the cliffhanger serials of old, be forewarned that The Lost Jungle is from an academic publisher and has different fish to fry. Author Barefoot looks into the minutia of serials, sometimes comically spelling out the obvious in great detail, but his enthusiasm for his subject triumphs over the approach and the book is much more absorbing and entertaining than you would expect. For one thing, Barefoot's prose is accessible and generally not pretentious. Barefoot looks into the notion that serials were just for kids, and gives convincing evidence that adults could and did enjoy these action-packed cliffhangers as much as any child. With a grant from the British academy (some authors have all the luck!), Barefoot flew to the U.S. to do extensive research in various libraries. While it may seem a bit odd that money would be paid so that a writer could explore these old serials, of all things, at least Barefoot has come up with a wealth of information and successfully argues that the cliffhangers were more popular than realized and are worthy of study.  

Verdict: Somehow the fun of the serials comes through despite the scholarly approach. ***. 

THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE JUNK

Rick Gates as Frank and Tim Matheson as Joe

THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE JUNK (1967). Director: Larry Peerce. 

Frank (Tim Matheson) and Joe (Rick Gates) Hardy of Bayport decide to start a ferry service to Rocky Island with their pals Biff (Rickey Kelman) and Chet (Stephen Jahn). Another friend, Jim Foy (Brian Fong), directs them to an old Chinese junk that they can buy, and they do so. But there seem to be others who have an abnormal interest in the junk -- including George Ti Ming (James Shigeta) -- and another ferry boat operator, "Clams" Daggett (Malcolm Atterbury) is a bit put out that he might have competition. The boys encounter the secretive Dr. Montrose (Edward Andrews) as part of their investigation. Then the Hardy Boys' father, Fenton (Richard Anderson), trying to find a criminal called The Chameleon, is attacked and disappears. It all comes to a head in a dank cavern on Rocky Island.  

Mystery of the Chinese Junk is based on the novel, which was published around 1960. Although there were some changes made -- Chet doesn't take up spelunking, for instance -- the telefilm, a failed pilot, apparently, is pretty faithful to the story. For inexplicable reasons Frank is made a blond and Joe becomes a brunette, although it was the other way around for about fifty years. Fenton Hardy doesn't appear to have a wife in this -- perhaps he's been turned into a widower -- but Aunt Gertrude is around, played in so-so fashion by Portia Nelson. Anderson makes the perfect Fenton Hardy, Atterbury is a reliable Clams, and Andrews is, as usual, quite good as Dr. Montrose. Shigeta is pretty much wasted as Ti Ming but is good. Jan-Michael Vincent appears briefly singing a rock number as Tony Prito. Chet is not as lovable as he is in the books, and there is the addition of a dog for the Hardys, a Great Dane named Tiny who is probably borrowed from the book The Secret Warning, wherein the dog was named Tivoli. The cinematographer, Joseph Biroc, also shot Hush ... Hush Sweet Charlotte and many others. Aside from the serials on the old Mickey Mouse Club show, the Hardy Boys did not get a weekly series until ten years later and then they were played by Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy. 

Verdict: Much better than one would have imagined. ***. 

NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST

Ed Nelson and Michael Emmet

NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST (1958). Director: Bernard L. Kowalski. Produced by Gene Corman. Executive Producer: Roger Corman. 

Major John Corcoran (Michael Emmet) has flown deeper into outer space than anyone before. Unfortunately, when his rocket lands back on earth he appears to be dead. Along with his heartbroken fiancee, Dr. Julie Benson (Angela Greene), his body is taken back to a make-shift lab by Dr. Wyman (Tyler McVey of Teenage Thunder), Dave Randall (Ed Nelson of Attack of the Crab Monsters), Steve Dunlap (John Baer), and Donna Bixby (Georgianna Carter). But in the lab they discover that John's blood pressure is normal and he doesn't quite seem to be deceased. There's something strange about his blood, and there appear to be organisms using his body for a breeding ground. John eventually revives, even as the monstrous parent of said organisms -- a bear-like creature with claws and a parrot-like head -- breaks in and causes havoc. 

John Baer and Angela Greene

Night of the Blood Beast isn't as well known as other Roger Corman productions, but I believe it has been seen by many filmmakers who were undeniably influenced by it. (The creatures inside John's chest remind one of Alien). The actors all play with conviction, and show the fear and upsetment, indeed depression, that they would be feeling under the circumstances. They also have to deal with the dilemma of wondering if the alien is benign, despite his gruesome murdering of one of their number, or as dangerous to the human race as an initially sympathetic John comes to believe. The creature itself, a stunt man (Ross Sturlin) who must have been sweating like crazy under the costume, is effective enough for this low-budget outing. 

Michael Emmet

Aside from Ed Nelson, none of the others became part of executive producer Corman's stock company. Gorgianna Carter had only two more credits after this, although Angela Greene had over a hundred credits overall. Tyler McVey had over 200 credits! John Baer starred on the TV series Terry and the Pirates and also amassed quite a few credits. An amusing aspect of Night of the Blood Beast is the outlandish notion that only a mere handful of people -- and not one of whom is a physicist or rocket scientist -- are on hand when the rocket crashes back to earth! The other scientific aspects of the script are also a bit fantastic. But the movie is still creepy, atmospheric, and fun. Michael Emmet also had a good part in director Kowalski's Attack of the Giant Leeches; he was actually a good actor. 

Verdict: I confess I have a higher opinion of this movie than most people. ***. 

THE SCARF

Mercedes McCambridge and John Ireland

THE SCARF  (1951). Written and directed by E. A. Dupont. 

John Barrington (John Ireland of Railroaded) was convicted of strangling a woman with a scarf, but has no memory of it. Sentenced to life in an institution, he manages to escape and winds up on a turkey farm with a grizzled old-timer named Ezra (James Barton). John gives a lift to a somewhat hard-boiled lady named Connie (Mercedes McCambridge). Like Ezra, Connie learns the truth about John but doesn't turn him in, not even for the $5000 reward. John goes to see his old friend, Dr. David Dunbar (Emlyn Williams), who tells him he actually witnessed the murder and knows that John committed it. But is this the truth? Then John's father (Basil Ruysdael) comes into the office with the police in tow ...

James Barton

Frankly, I didn't believe The Scarf for a minute. A lot of good actors are trapped within a screenplay that is half-baked and ludicrous. You can see the denouement coming from a mile away, and the characters seem to exist for only the amount of time they are on-screen -- despite the good acting they never quite seem like real people. Ireland and McCambridge, who were also in All the King's Men together, do the best they can but Broadway star Barton and Williams -- author of Night Must Fall and The Corn is Green in addition to being an actor -- make the best impression. There is also some good work from Lloyd Gough as another psychiatrist, David Bauer/Wolfe as bar owner Louie, and Iris Adrian as a drunken floozy. King Donovan [The Magnetic Monster] is the piano player in the gin joint where Connie works and sings (McCambridge betrays a not-bad voice). Lyle Talbot [Batman and Robin] gives a dull performance as a cop. The music and photography are good but not enough to make this memorable.

Verdict: Flavorful performances, but you won't believe a minute of it! **.

ZIS BOOM BAH

Jan Wiley, Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy

ZIS BOOM BAH (1941). Director: William Nigh.

Vaudeville star Grace Hayes, playing herself, has apparently endowed a college where her son, Peter Kendricks (Peter Lind Hayes, the real son of Grace Hayes) is a student. For reasons never satisfactory explained Peter doesn't know who his mother is, only that she's an entertainer. Grace is very disappointed in her son as she finds him to be egotistical and irresponsible. Although Annabella (Jan Wiley of Dick Tracy vs. Crime Inc.) has set her cap for Peter, the latter is attracted to Grace's assistant, Mary Healey (also playing herself -- she and Hayes had tied the knot the previous year). Grace buys a soda shoppe, converts it to a nightclub, and importunes the students to put on a show so that they can keep the college from going under. 

Grace Hayes with son and daughter-in-law

I didn't hold out high hopes for Zis Boom Bah, but the flick is entertaining and well-played. Both Hayes and wife Healey have very nice voices and deliver their songs with aplomb. The songs are tuneful: Put Your Trust in the Moon; Miss America; Annabella; I've Got to Smile Again. There's also a smooth trumpet player; a very talented kid dancer (Roland Dupree); and the inimitable Huntz Hall [Blonde Dynamite], who dances in drag with Hayes at one point and is a riot. Hayes does great impressions of Charles Boyer and Ronald Colman. Grace Hayes is pretty much forgotten today -- not to mention Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy -- but she is quite snappy and appealing in this picture. William Nigh also directed A Bride for Henry. 

Verdict: This family affair is more fun than you would imagine. ***. 

SCIENCE FICTION CONFIDENTIAL: Interviews with 23 Monster Stars and Filmmakers. Tom Weaver. McFarland; 2002. 

Tom Weaver has assembled another crop of interviews with old time actors, producers etc. who at one point or another were involved with genre films, especially science fiction. Many of the names in this book are really obscure: Phoebe Dorin, who did a nightclub act and appeared on The Wild, Wild West with diminutive Michael Dunn; Russ Doughton, who produced The Blob, but there are a couple of more familiar names such as Dan O'Herlihy (who doesn't quite seem to belong in this book), David Hedison of The Fly and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and Warren Stevens of Forbidden Planet fame. Not to mention prolific producers Richard and Alex Gordon. Speaking of The Blob, people involved with that production don't seem to be aware of earlier "blob" films such as The Creeping Unknown and Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (or just didn't want to admit it was a rip-off). Some of these people had genuine careers while others had only a brief flirtation with crazy "show biz." Some, like the very talented Jacqueline Scott [Macabre], have long careers without ever becoming quite famous. In any case, their stories are almost always interesting. 

Verdict: More interviews with a couple of greats and many not-so-great. ***. 

THE SHE CREATURE

Chester Morris and Marla English

THE SHE-CREATURE (1956). Director: Edward L. Cahn. 

Dr. Carlo Lombardi (Chester Morris) claims he is able to get in touch with the past lives of his subject, Andrea (Marla English of Runaway Daughters), by putting her in a trance. Andrea can give details of her 16th century life as a woman named Elizabeth. Lombardi can not only also regress Andrea to an ancestor from thousands of years ago, but call this ancestor -- a kind of humanoid, prehistoric sea creature -- up from the sea, where it proceeds to kill people. Dr. Ted Erickson (Lance Fuller of This Island Earth) is out to debunk Lombardi, while Timothy Chappel (Tom Conway of Bride of the Gorilla) wants to turn him into a star -- for 50% of the profits. But things get sticky when Red and Andrea fall in love ... 

Lance Fuller with William Hudson in the background

The She-Creature is one weird and nonsensical movie. Chester Morris, in an unusual role for him, gives a good account of himself, but we never learn how he knew that Andrea was once this strange creature nor is it explained why or how he can materialize it from the sea. It simply makes no sense. On the other hand, there simply isn't enough of the creature and its attacks to keep the excitement level up, and the film eventually becomes tedious. The actors, including Fuller and English, do the best they can and are generally more than adequate.

close-up of the She-Creature

Others in the cast include Cathy Downs [Missile to the Moon] and Frieda Inescort (as Conway's daughter and wife), Ron Randell [Captive Women] as a police lieutenant, El Brendel as Conway's comical butler, Frank Jenks as Randell's associate, Jack Mulhall as Lombardi's lawyer, and William Hudson as a tippling party guest who has a thing for Downs. These last two were both in The Amazing Colossal Man while English, Fuller and Conway also appeared in director Cahn's production of Voodoo Woman. The She-Creature, portrayed by Paul Blaisdell, has claws, intense eyes and large breasts.

Verdict: Sounds like fun but really isn't. **.