AN UNLOCKED WINDOW: ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR

T. C. Jones, Louise Latham, Dana Wynter

AN UNLOCKED WINDOW: The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. (Season 3, episode 17/1965).  Directed by Joseph M. Newman. 

In the middle of a thunder storm, two nurses, Stella (Dana Wynter of The View from Pompey's Head) and Betty (T. C. Jones), and a cook/housekeeper (Louise Latham of Marnie), are alone in the house with their patient, Glendon (John Kerr), who is in bed in an oxygen tent. The caretaker has been sent off to get another tank of oxygen, and the ladies are nervous because several nurses in the area have been murdered by an unknown maniac. Stella is determined to make certain that every door and window in the house is locked, but down in the basement she is startled by a mouse, and forgets to lock a window swinging in the wind ... Something nags at Stella, who does seem forgetful at times, as Betty reminds her.

Nurses in the bedroom with John Kerr

Based on a story by Ethel Lina White, and with a script by James Bridges, An Unlocked Window is one of the most memorable episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The big reveal at the end is not as shocking as it was back in the sixties, and if you know anything about the actors you will be clued in early on, but the program is still quite suspenseful and well-acted (even if in some scenes Wynter doesn't act quite as terrified as she should). The show is well-directed by Joseph M. Newman for maximum tension. Admittedly there is one scene that is a bit of a cheat, rather impossible in fact -- people simply can't be in two places at once -- but this doesn't completely ruin things (blame it on the editing).  Busy director Newman's most famous film is probably This Island Earth. Writer James Bridges later directed such films as The China Syndrome and Urban Cowboy. 

Verdict: Very creepy, with a chilling finale -- you just can't trust anyone, can you? ***. 

UNDEREXPOSED: THE 50 GREATEST MOVIES NEVER MADE

UNDEREXPOSED: THE 50 GREATEST MOVIES NEVER MADE. Joshua Hull. Abrams: New York; 2020. 

Underexposed looks at various movie projects that may have showed great promise but for one reason or another never actually made it into production. As these movies don't actually exist, it's only natural that Hull has to pad out the book with sections detailing the backgrounds and former movies (that were actually produced) of the participants, as there isn't that much to say about movies that never came to be. However, Hull does look at the maddening processes that go into a film not getting made, explaining why some pictures never get out of the developmental hell they are in, sometimes for decades. Non-films covered include such unappetizing items as Plastic Man, The Diary of Jack the Ripper, Batman vs. Godzilla, and others. Hull only mentions two classic directors , Alfred Hitchcock and Henri-Georges Clouzot. With the exception of unrealized films by these two directors, I can't say these never-to-be-seen movies will be missed.

Verdict: While the book is not as much fun as you might have hoped for, it is a good, well-researched read. ***. 

BARE BONES 17

 bare bones 17 Winter 2024. 

Yes the new barebones 17 is now out and available on Amazon. This scholarly and fun publication, edited by Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri, is chock full of fascinating articles. We've got pieces on THE FUGITIVE TV show; on the Mexican NOSTRADAMUS movies; ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE; surveys of sleazy paperback thrillers; Randall D. Larson on fanzines; and much more including a piece on the forgotten post-Peter Gunn Craig Stevens series MAN OF THE WORLD by yours truly.

https://www.amazon.com/Bare.../dp/B0CW9VLMVT/ref=sr_1_1...

STEP RIGHT UP! I'M GONNA SCARE THE PANTS OFF AMERICA

STEP RIGHT UP! I'M GONNA SCARE THE PANTS OFF AMERICA. The Memoirs of Hollywood's Master Showman. William Castle. 

In this vaguely entertaining but rather unsatisfying autobio of the late filmmaker, Castle writes of his association with studio boss, Harry Cohn, who gave him his earliest breaks. Castle actually began in the theater, as both actor and stage manager, and he frequently inserts flashbacks to those days in the present-day narrative. After toiling for Columbia doing programmers, he became an associate producer for Orson Welles when the latter directed Lady of Shanghai (according to Castle this was originally a film for The Whistler series!) -- years later he produced Rosemary's Baby, among others -- but didn't really come into his own as a director until he tried to outdo Alfred Hitchcock and the success of Psycho. Because of this Castle got a reputation as a horror specialist, when actually many of his films were not really in that genre. Castle's horror flicks weren't always great -- on occasion they were downright awful -- but he did do some nifty items such as House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler, Mr. Sardonicus, Homicidal, and Strait-Jacket. Castle became King of the Gimmicks, floating skeletons over audiences' heads, and wiring seats to give some patrons a shock (a really dumb idea). As much as I get a kick out of some of his movies, I didn't find myself especially liking or admiring Castle, who comes off as a self-absorbed and insensitive hustler more than anything else. I also found myself not believing much of what he's written (did Welles and James Agee really admire Castle's terrible When Strangers Marry?) The weirdest sections of the book deal with Castle's assertions that witches were responsible for his gall stones after Rosemary's Baby was released!

Verdict: Castle gets credit for making some fun movies that have stood the test of time, but this bio is hardly the last or most objective word on his career. **1/4.