ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES

Yvette Vickers and Michael Emmet

ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES (1959). Director: Bernard L. Kowalski. Executive producer: Roger Corman. Colorized. 

Portly Dave Walker (Bruno VeSota) has a hard time keeping his sexy wife, Liz (Yvette Vickers of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman), under control. She goes off with Dave's alleged friend, the much sexier Cal (Michael Emmet), and Dave discovers the two of them making love in the swamp. As Dave is threatening them with his shotgun and forcing them into the water, they are attacked by two giant leeches -- or leech men, if you prefer. Everyone suspects Dave of murder but then more people start disappearing. Game warden Steve Benton (Ken Clark of Mission Bloody Mary), along with his girlfriend, Nan (Jan Shepard), and her father, Doc Greyson (Tyler McVey of Teenage Thunder), investigate but come into conflict with each other when Doc wants to bomb the swamp ... 

Ken Clark and Jan Shepard

With its backwoods bayou atmosphere, a sleepy score by Alexander Laszlo (also used in Night of the Blood Beast), and some decent acting, Attack of the Giant Leeches may not be a world-beater but at least it holds the attention if you're a devotee of creature features. The color adds a degree of gruesomeness to the scenes in the underground lair of the leeches, and the sequence of dead bodies rising up in the lake has always been kind of creepy. Vickers is as vivid as ever, and VeSota and Emmet are effective and professional. Ken Clark, who showed much more charisma playing a superspy in some eurospy features, is stalwart as the game warden. Although she apparently never appeared in anything that allowed her to make much of an impression, Jan Shepard amassed over eighty credits and had a long career, as did Tyler McVey, who had over 220 credits! Kowalksi also directed Michael Emmet and McVey in Night of the Blood Beast, which is better than Leeches. Art director Daniel Haller went on to better things.  

Verdict: You know it isn't especially wonderful but there's just something about it ... **1/2. 

DADDY-O

Sandra Giles and Dick Contino

DADDY-O (1958). Director: Lou Place. 

Trucker Phil Sandifer (Dick Contino) has an unfriendly encounter with Jana Ryan (Sandra Giles) on the highway. Later she meets up with him again in a club where he's asked to sing a number and later agrees to actually race Jana in Griffith Park. This results in Phil losing his driver's license, so he goes to work for the portly Sidney Chillas (Bruno VeSota of Female Jungle), as a singer. He is also hoping to get a line on what happened when his best friend, Sonny (Robert Banas), died in a car accident on the same night as the race. Phil and Jana continue to have a love-hate relationship as he investigates Chillas and his menacing gunsel, Bruce (Tipp McClure). Then Chillas tells him he wants him to deliver a package for him ... guess what's inside? 

Bruno gets a rubdown: VeSota and McClure

Daddy-O is not a very good movie but it's of interest because of the presence of Dick Contino, who gained more fame as an accordionist on Ed Sullivan than as an actor. This is too bad, because the big, handsome lug has a lot of charisma and screen presence, and gives a very good performance in the movie. He has a decent voice, and while his singing style might be considered a bit hokey today, he has a great bit when he jumps off the stage, gives manicurist Marcia (Gloria Victor/Joanne Arnold) a hot and passionate smooch, and turns triumphantly and sexily back to the audience. Bruno VeSota is also notable as the smooth-talking, pseudo-cultured Chillas and even gets a rubdown from his gunsel Bruce at one point. Alas, Sandra Giles is strictly from the Mamie Van Doren School of Acting, and makes little impression despite her physique. Sultry Gloria Victor makes much more of an impression as she stands by the bar literally smoldering with lust for Phil -- who calls himself "Daddy-O" -- as he's singing. This was the first score by the prolific John Williams of Jaws fame. 

Verdict: See it for Big Phil! **1/2. 

 

GUNSLINGER

Beverly Garland, Jonathan Haze, Allison Hayes

GUNSLINGER (1956). Produced and directed by Roger Corman.

"Sometimes I like awake two or three seconds worrying about it." -- Erica.

1878: Marshal Scott Hood (William Schallert) of Oracle Texas is shot dead in his office right in front of his horrified wife, Rose (Beverly Garland). She immediately shoots and kills one of two assassins and catches up with the other one at her husband's funeral, shooting him dead, too, as he stands hypocritically at the gravesite -- a great scene. 

Beverly Garland and John Ireland

Rose then decides to make herself the marshal of Oracle until a real marshal can show up in two weeks. In those weeks the feisty widow cleans up the town and wages war with Erica Page (Allison Hayes), who owns the Red Dog saloon. Rose insists that Erica keeps regular hours and that the trampy dancing girls leave town (they later attack Rose en masse). Erica and Rose have a zesty cat fight which the latter wins, leading to the former calling for a gunslinger named Cane Miro (John Ireland). Cane is paid $3000 to off the law in town -- Rose -- only Cane finds himself falling for the lady and vice versa. Meanwhile Erica, manipulating things behind the scenes, has bet virtually everything she owns hoping that the railroad will run through Oracle. Will Cane ultimately side with Rose or Erica?

Ireland romances the 50 Foot Woman

There are two obvious influences on Corman's Gunslinger. The first is Johnny Guitar, which came out two years earlier and also featured two women, Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge in this case, in a power struggle (both on and off the set). Then there's Duel in the Sun, made about ten years earlier, in which lovers Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck have a climactic gun battle -- Gunslinger's climax is basically a steal from that. But that doesn't detract from the fact that Gunslinger is a well-made, well-acted and entertaining picture that is better than its reputation (trashed largely because it was featured on that silly Mystery Science Theater).

Ireland confers with Hayes in front of Haze

Corman's fast-paced direction is a plus, as is the cast. John Ireland successfully keeps you guessing as to his true character and motivations, while Hayes, the 50 foot woman herself, gives possibly her best performance in her hard-as-nails portrayal of Erica. Beverly Garland, always a superior actress who deserved better than a career in B movies, is excellent as Rose, although one flaw in her performance is that she never seems to be grieving for her beloved husband -- but then she's kept pretty busy. Jonathan Haze of The Little Shop of Horrors scores as Jake, the bartender who is in love with Erica and kills poor portly Zebelon Tabb (Bruno VeSota) at her direction. Martin Kingsley doesn't make much of an impression as Mayor Polk, who is hated by Cane, but Margaret Campbell is much better as his wife. Chris Alcaide is Deputy Joshua, and Dick Miller shows up briefly as a postal man who gets shot by the sociopathic Erica. Ronald Stein contributes a quirky and effective score. 

Verdict: With a little more work this under-rated western could have been a real contender. ***. 

FEMALE JUNGLE

Burt Kaiser and Lawrence Tierney

FEMALE JUNGLE (1955). Director: Bruno VeSota.

An actress is strangled to death and a heavy-drinking cop, Jack Stevens (Lawrence Tierney), fears he may have had something to do with the murder in a black out. Suspects also include columnist Claude Almstead (John Carradine of Death at Love House), who was in love with the actress, and caricaturist Alex Voe (Burt Kaiser), who is married to waitress Peggy (Kathleen Crowley of The Flame Barrier) but is carrying on with Candy (Jayne Mansfield). As the night proceeds Almstead takes Peggy out for a ride and Stevens and Sgt. Duane (Duane Grey) interrogate Almstead; Duane is convinced that the columnist is guilty. But on this he may be fatally mistaken.

John Carradine

Female Jungle has only been remembered, if at all, because future brief star Jayne Mansfield has a small role. She has a credible death scene but otherwise her performance is undistinguished; leading lady Crowley is much, much better. Tierny and Carradine are solid, but the most impressive performance is given by Burt Kaiser, who also co-wrote the screenplay and produced. Despite his good looks and acting ability, Kaiser only made one film and had a very few TV credits. Connie Cezon, who plays another club employee, was receptionist Gertie on Perry Mason. Director Bruno VeSota gives himself a small role -- Cezon's husband -- but his direction is nothing to rave about and even in a clear print the film is criminally under-lit. Dull in spots, the picture goes on too long after the climax.

Verdict: Some good acting and a decent plot, but the execution is mediocre. **.   

BAIT

An interesting but atypical shot from Bait

BAIT (1954). Director: Hugo Haas. 

Marko (Hugo Haas) teams up with young Ray Brighton (John Agar) to find a lost gold mine and agrees to split everything fifty-fifty with him. But Marko is supposedly tempted by the Devil (Cedric Hardwicke!) to want all of the gold for himself, so he cooks up a scheme involving sexy and allegedly immoral waitress Peggy (Cleo Moore) in which he hopes to murder Ray without consequence. Marko makes Peggy his wife, and they all stay in the same small cabin together, while Marko watches the two younger people like a hawk, hoping they will eventually succumb to their obvious attraction to one another ... 

John Agar has gold fever

Bait is one of several films that director Haas made with his favorite leading lady, Moore, but this is not one of the better ones. The plot makes it sound like this might at least be entertaining, trashy fun, but be forewarned that it isn't. Moore and Agar both seem too old for their roles, and as for their performances, they hardly work up a sweat trying to act. Haas is much better, as usual, but not as good as he has been in other films directed by himself or others. Worse, the movie moves slowly -- very slowly -- and nothing much happens until the last few minutes, where there's just a slight bit of irony in play. Somehow Haas inveigled Sir Cedric Hardwicke to play the Devil in a prologue -- he's terrific -- and to add some observations in voice-overs throughout the movie. Bruno VeSota has a small role.

Verdict: A misfire on virtually all levels. Haas and Moore fans would be better off with the far superior Hit and Run with Vince Edwards. *1/2.