THE BIG CHASE

THE BIG CHASE (1954). Director: Arthur Hilton. 

Peter Grayson (Glenn Langan of The Amazing Colossal Man) is a new police officer and his wife, Doris (Adele Jergens of Blonde Dynamite) is expecting their first baby and fears complications to her pregnancy. Pete's buddy, Lt. Ned Taggert (Douglas Kennedy of Rockabilly Baby), hopes that his pal will try to become a detective but he has other plans. Meanwhile Brad Bellows (Jim Davis) is planning a payroll robbery before he even gets out of prison. When the day comes for the attack on an armored car, Bellows is accompanied by his wife (uncredited), Kip (Lon Chaney Jr.), and others. Just as Doris goes on the operating table, Pete and his partner are off in pursuit of Bellows and his confederates. This results in a chase sequence that is certainly not as exciting as the film's poster would indicate (someone jumps out of a copter at one point, but no one falls to their death). 

The Big Chase looks cobbled together from TV outtakes, and the two storylines -- Peter and his wife, and the robbery -- never quite jell. The acting is fine, however, and the pace is swift enough so that the running time -- less than an hour! -- doesn't seem padded. Lon Chaney hasn't a line of dialogue and his scenes -- along with half of this movie -- were lifted from an earlier film, a color 3D short entitled Bandit Island. Joe Flynn, the exasperated commander from McHale's Navy, plays a reporter to whom Kennedy tells the story. Langan and Jergens were married for many years in real life. 

Verdict: Not much to recommend in this soggy suspenser. *1/2. 

THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN

Glen Manning struts through Las Vegas

THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN (1957). Director: Bert I. Gordon. 

"What sin could a man commit in a single lifetime to bring this upon himself?" -- Glenn Manning 

Korean War vet Lt. Colonel Glenn Manning (Glenn Langan of Jungle Heat) is caught in a Plutonium blast while heroically trying to save the pilot of a downed aircraft. The radiation miraculously heals his injuries in record time, but his cells keep multiplying, and he begins to grow taller at an alarming rate, 8 to 10 feet a day  -- except for his heart muscle. The race is on to stop, and perhaps, reverse his growth before his heart gives out. But there is also the danger that his mind will go first ... 

Cathy Downs with William Hudson

This imitation of The Incredible Shrinking Man is nowhere in that league but it is an absorbing science fiction drama nevertheless. While the special effects are variable, the film's main strengths are a credible enough screenplay and the performances of Glenn Langan as the tragic hero and Cathy Downs [Missile to the Moon] as his loving fiancee Carol Forrest, who is treated quite badly by the military establishment. The opening with the bomb is quite tense and well-done (and may have influenced the origin of the Marvel Comics character, the Hulk), but eventually the movie becomes a bit schlocky. A scene in which Dr. Linstrom (William Hudson) reveals a miniature elephant and camel is ludicrous, although a bit with a giant needle that skewers one unfortunate soul is effective. 

Glenn Langan with Cathy Downs

Actor William Hudson would be forever linked with giant people because he also appeared in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, playing the heroine's husband. (Mark Hanna wrote the screenplays for both pictures.) There's a newscaster named "H. Wells" --- Gordon would later film Wells' novel The Food of the Gods, twice. Albert Glasser contributes his typically effective brassy score. Gordon also did a sequel to this picture, War of the Colossal Beast.

Verdict: Despite deficiencies, this is an entertaining picture with Langan making the most of his unusual role. ***. 

JUNGLE HEAT

Mari Blanchard and Lex Barker

JUNGLE HEAT (1957). Director: Howard W. Koch.     

Roger McRae (Glenn Langan) and his wife, Ann (Mari Blanchard), arrive in Hawaii and discover that the manager of the plantation where they are to reside has been murdered. Roger takes over, while his unhappy wife becomes friendly with Dr. Jim Ransom (Lex Barker). There is a lot of talk of Japanese fifth columnists in Hawaii during this pre-WW2 period, as well as difficulties with the plantation workers, whom the entitled McRae sees mostly as slaves. Major Dick Grey (Rhodes Reason of the Bus Stop TV series) has a Japanese wife, Kimi-San (Miyoko Sasaki), whom is unfairly suspected of being a fifth columnist. Meanwhile a planter named Mathews (James Westerfield) manipulates things behind the scenes as a worker named Felix Agun (Glenn Dixon) is hunted by the law.

Rhodes Reason and Lex Barker

Jungle Heat tries to add some substance to its melodramatic story but nothing ever really jells. With this cast, one would have hoped for a sexy and lurid romp but the movie only briefly veers in that direction and never goes anywhere. As usual, Barker reads his lines without adding any nuances, although Blanchard, Langan, and Westerfield, as well as the other cast members -- including an intense Dixon -- are more on target. The score by Les Baxter seems to do most of the work, giving the flick an energy it generally lacks. The ironic ending isn't much of a surprise given the time period. Another cheap production from Bel-Air.    

Verdict: Half-baked melodrama with interesting elements that don't quite add up. **.