THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE

Henry Daniell

THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1959). Director: Edward L. Cahn. Colorized version. 

Jonathan Drake's (Eduard Franz) whole family has been under a curse for generations, a curse that has to do with Jivaro headhunters and revenge down in South America. Drake's ancestor killed a whole host of Indians in retaliation for their beheading an important crew member. Now every male member of the Drake family will die on his 60th birthday and be buried without their heads. After this happens to Jonathan's brother, Kenneth, (Paul Cavanagh), both his daughter, Alison (Valerie French) and Police Lt. Jeff Rowan (Grant Richards of Guns Girls and Gangsters) are afraid Jonathan might be next. 

Valerie French and Grant Richards

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake is a gruesome hoot, a wild melange of shrunken heads (how they are processed is shown in detail), decapitations by machete, ancient Indians with their lips sewn together wearing moccasins made of human flesh, severed heads boiled in pots, and a centuries-old sinister figure with a white man's head stitched on top of an Indian's body! Skulls and heads show up at unexpected moments. The acting is all satisfactory, with Henry Daniell taking top honors in an underplayed performance as the sinister Dr. Zurich. Grant Richards has a brusque, butch style that works well for his role. 

Verdict: More shrunken heads than you can throw a stick at! ***. 

THREE FOR JAMIE DAWN

Thankless role: Marilyn Simms

THREE FOR JAMIE DAWN (1956). Director: Thomas Carr.

In New York City socialite Jamie Dawn (Marilyn Simms) loses her temper -- to put it mildly -- and puts about as many bullets into her man as Bette Davis did in The Letter. Before long Jamie is being represented by defense lawyer Martin Random (Richard Carlson of The Magnetic Monster), who decides the only thing he can do to get dear Jamie off is to bribe as many witnesses as he can. He and his associate Murph (Regis Toomey) zero in one three especially vulnerable individuals: George Lorenz (Ricardo Montalban of Mystery Street), who has a wife, Sue (Laraine Day) and children as well as severe financial troubles; Lorrie Delacourt (June Havoc), an out-of-work actress who is desperate for a new part in a hit play; and Anton Karek (Eduard Franz of Sins of Jezebel), a Czech with a wife, Julia (Maria Palmer), and a young son who is still behind the iron curtain. Which if any of these needy people will succumb to Murph's entreaties and bribery? And will they be worse or better off it they do?

June Havoc and Tristram Coffin

One can only imagine what actress Marilyn Simms might have thought when she was told she had the title role in Three for Jamie Dawn, but then read the script and saw she had not a single line of dialogue. No wonder the poor woman only had two credits despite her distinctive appearance. As for the other actors, Carlson is effective if a little too obvious as the sleazy lawyer, but the other performances cannot be faulted. June Havoc scores as the flamboyant and desperate actress -- Tristram Coffin who essays a playwright, is also notable  -- Montalban proves again that he was more than a Latin Lover boy; Day is lovely as his wife; and Franz and Palmer are perfect as the couple who are dying to see their little boy again. Regis Toomey gives one of his best performances as the equally sleazy Murph, all surface charm and heartless bravado. Dorothy Adams has a good turn as an associate of the defendant. The picture is absorbing and suspenseful, it not quite top-notch. Nice theme music by Walter Scharf. Thomas Carr also directed The Daltons' Women.

Verdict: Good story line, interesting characters, and some fine performances in this. **3/4. 

SINS OF JEZEBEL

Paulette Goddard

SINS OF JEZEBEL (1953). Director: Reginald Le Borg.  

King Ahab (Eduard Franz of The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake) of Israel sends Captain Jehu (George Nader of Death in a Red Jaguar) to accompany his bride-to-be, Princess Jezebel (Paulette Goddard), back to the palace. Jezebel is delighted to see handsome Jehu and at first mistakes him for the King. Her face reflects her disappointment when she finally comes face to face with the much-older Ahab, but she's also relieved that her future husband isn't the fat man in consultation with him. Even before the ceremony, Jezebel is making out with a besotted Jehu, who undoubtedly thinks that his girlfriend, Deborah (Margia Dean), can't hold a candle to the much sexier Jezebel. Jezebel insists that Ahab build a temple to her Pagan God, Baal, which infuriates the pious prophet Elijah (John Hoyt). You know all of this will lead to trouble. And just where does one of the Three Stooges fit in with Jezebel and her schemes? 

Goddard with George Nader

No, this isn't The Three Stooges Meet Jezebel although that might have been more fun. And Joe Besser of the Stooges does have a very small role as the keeper of the chariots (and isn't very good). Sins of Jezebel almost sinks right from the start with tedious narration of Genesis from the bible delivered by John Hoyt in front of a large painting depicting some of the events. With a beard, Hoyt also plays Elijah and he is good in the role, although when he shows up again as a lecturer at key moments (obviously the budget was too small to film every sequence) it's a different story. 

John Hoyt as pious Elijah

Paulette Goddard had only four minor films to make and several TV appearances before she retired. She was still quite attractive at 43 but not quite in the siren league. She gives a solid "B" movie performance in this -- the film doesn't deserve anything better -- and the same could be said for George Nader. Sins doesn't have very strong production values, and the best thing about it is a notable score by Bert Shefter. The picture does follow the essential story of Jezebel, Ahab and Elijah, although we don't see the queen being eaten by wild dogs. 

Verdict: Not bad or campy enough to be good. **. 

THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE

Our villain prepares a shrunken head

THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE (1959). Director: Edward L. Cahn. 

Jonathan Drake (Eduard Franz), an anthropologist, has been frightened of a family curse that strikes male members when they hit sixty years of age. When the Jivaro Indians in South America kidnapped and beheaded a Swiss agent who worked with Drake's great-grandfather, the retaliation -- the murder of all the male Jivaros, including children -- was decided overkill. Now Drake's ancestors are paying the price. The latest victim is Kenneth Drake (Paul Cavanagh of Bride of the Gorilla), whose head is found missing when his coffin is opened at his funeral! When Jonathan himself is attacked, Lt. Jeff Rowan (Grant Richards of You Have to Run Fast) looks into the matter as Drake's daughter, Alison (Valerie French) wrings her hands and worries. 

Henry Daniell pontificates

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake is not one of prolific director Edward L. Cahn's better efforts, as a film with this plot should certainly be rich with atmosphere, which this isn't. However Orville H. Hampton's gleefully ghoulish screenplay makes this nifty horror film a contender. We not only have beheadings, shrunken heads, a mute Jivaro Indian with his lips sewn shut who runs about with a cleaver and a basket and wears sandals made of human skin, but there's his master, who has a white man's head sewn onto an ancient Indian's body. And we mustn't forget Henry Daniell, light years from Camille, who makes the most of his sinister role as Dr. Emil Zurich. Four Skulls is a lot of grotesque fun. 

Verdict: Delightfully gruesome horror flick. ***.