THE LEECH WOMAN (Another view)

Grant Williams and Coleen Gray

THE LEECH WOMAN (1960). Director: Edward Dein. 

Wealthy June Talbot (Coleen Gray) is ten years older than her not-so-adoring husband, Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry), and his disaffection has driven her to drink. Paul gets an idea to make lots of moola when he encounters Malla (Estelle Hemsley), a native woman who claims to be over 140! Paul importunes June to travel to Africa with him -- along with guide Bertram Garvey (John Van Dreelen) -- so they can discover Malla's secret from her tribe. June discovers the secret -- and how! -- and returns to the States (sans Paul) looking so young and beautiful that she can masquerade as her own niece. She sets her cap for her "aunt's" gorgeous lawyer, Neil Foster (Grant Williams), which sets his fiancee Sally's (Gloria Talbott) teeth on edge. Meanwhile bodies of murdered men are being found in both New York and California ... 

Estelle Helmsley, made up to look even older

The Leech Woman is a fun B movie with an interesting premise that actually could have used another 15 minutes or half an hour to develop the characters and milk the situations further. The picture certainly exploits the universal terror of aging. Coleen Gray gives a vivid lead performance in this, although 73-year-old Estelle Helmsley (mother of comic actor Sherman Helmsley) makes a strong impression as well. (When Malla becomes young and beautiful again she is played by Kim Hamilton.) Phillip Terry, former husband of Joan Crawford, offers an effective portrait of a slimy opportunist. Van Dreelan is fine and Williams [The Incredible Shrinking Man] doesn't have to do much but look dreamy enough to excite the interest of both Sally and June, something the handsome blond easily accomplishes. 

Verdict: One woman's revenge on callous male age-bigots? ***. 

DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL

Gloria Talbott and John Agar

DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL (1957). Director: Edgar G. Ulmer.

"If you love me, please kill me!" 

Janet Smith (Gloria Talbott of The Leech Woman) and her fiance George (John Agar of Bait) come for a visit with her late father's friend, Dr. Lomas (Arthur Shields). Lomas informs her that she has inherited this vast estate, house and cash, from her father, but also tells her that he was the notorious Dr. Jekyll. Departing from Stevenson's classic novel, Lomas tells Janet that Mr. Hyde was apparently a werewolf. Afraid that she has inherited the curse (although it sounds as if she were born before Daddy imbibed all those nasty chemicals), she breaks off the engagement. Worse, she has nightmares that she is attacking and killing women in her sleep, women who later turn up dead. 

The werewolf of Daughter

Daughter of Dr. Jekyll is a fair-to-middling horror film. On one hand, there are atmospheric shots of the mansion and countryside, all sheathed in fog, but the internal scenes seem a little too matter-of-fact. The truth of what's going on is pretty much given away by a campy prologue in which one character in werewolf make-up cackles at the audience (repeated at the end). Arthur Shields gives a good performance, while Talbott is suitably overwrought and Agar tries to summon up some enthusiasm. The supporting performers are fine, and the score, which is attributed to no one, is creepy when it needs to be. Cheap and entertaining, this is not one of Ulmer's best directorial efforts. The woman who appears in the nightmare sequences is an actress other than Talbott. 

Verdict: Good enough premise, and fun in a limited way. **1/4. 

THE KETTLES ON OLD MACDONALD'S FARM

Marjorie Main and Parker Fennelly

THE KETTLES ON OLD MACDONALD'S FARM (1957). Director: Virgil W. Vogel. 

"After thirty years I don't think I can fall asleep until I hear the sound of your snoring." -- Pa to Ma Kettle.

Pa Kettle (Parker Fennelly) is finally planning to sell the old farm after winning a new house way back in Ma and Pa Kettle. The potential buyers are Sally Flemming (Gloria Talbott of The Leech Woman) and her fiance, Brad (John Smith of Hod Rod Girl). Sally's father (Roy Barcroft) objects to the wedding because he thinks his daughter is spoiled and will never make a good farm wife. Ma (Marjorie Main) and Pa decide to let the couple move in on a trial basis, with Ma as chaperone, but will they ever actually make it to the altar?

Gloria Talbott and John Smith

Percy Kilbride had left the series by this time and Parker Fennelly took over the role for this final Kettle film. Fennelly is fine as Pa, and doesn't make the mistake of aping Kilbride. As happened in an earlier Kettle film, Pa gets the mistaken impression that Ma is pregnant again. Another complication is the mischievous presence of an amazing trained bear called Tree-Toes, which the Kettles try to capture, as well as the usual, amusing disagreements and misunderstandings.

This was a good way to end the series, as this entry -- while not quite as good as the best entries -- has a better story than the last couple of films, and is consistently amusing. There's also new theme music to go with a new Pa, but there is no "MacDonald" or his farm. Sally and Brad's differences -- frankly she doesn't really seem cut out to have the tedious, back-breaking life of a farm wife and why should she have to endure it?  -- are never really resolved.  Roy Barcroft appeared in a number of cliffhanger serials such as Radar Men from the Moon. John Smith was a handsome leading man who appeared in many "B" movies and television programs. 

Verdict: Fun movie bolstered by performances of Main and Fennelly and the depiction of their long-time warm relationship. ***

PUBLIC DEFENDER

Reed Hadley as the Public Defender argues a case

PUBLIC DEFENDER. (1954 television series). 70 half-hour episodes.

Reed Hadley had formerly starred in Racket Squad where he put away the bad guys, but he switched hats for this new series and is defending them (as "Bart Matthews"), although many -- but not all -- turn out to be innocent. The cases were supposedly taken from real-life public defender files -- with the state and the name of the P.D. being stated at the end of each episode -- but this is a bit suspect as one episode, "The Director," clearly takes place in Hollywood but the public defender is from South Bend, Indiana! Say what?

Patrick O'Neal as the (alleged) "Forger"

Public Defender was a more interesting show than it might sound like, and during its two-year run it presented many memorable episodes. "Think No Evil" has Jimmy Lydon accused of armed robbery. "Confession of Guilt" features a woman who is forced to shoot her ex-husband (an excellent Dan Haggerty). "Third Floor Rear" stars a notable Marshall Thompson and Frances Rafferty in a tale of a widower with a little boy who is up against his dead wife's parents. "The Forger" has Patrick O'Neal playing an accused forger who has no less than fourteen witnesses against him. "Badge of Honor" concerns a young cop who falsifies a report and is importuned to do the right thing. "Escape" has a man escaping from a work farm when he gets a letter from a lady that he's in love with -- and she's not worth it (Anne Kimbell gives a notable performance in this episode). "Pauper's Gold" is an especially excellent episode starring Douglass Dumbrille [The Catman of Paris] and Gloria Talbott [The Leech Woman] in a story of a man let out of jail for robbery who is re-arrested.

Marshall Thompson in Third Floor Rear"

"The Failure" concerns a veteran bookkeeper and family man who steals money from his employer because he can't afford nice things for his wife and children. "The Murder Photo" stars DeForrest Kelly in a story of an endangered  little boy who inadvertently takes a photo of a killer's car. In "Crash Out" a convict with only thirty days to go tries to break out of prison. ""All That Glitters" concerns a man accused of shooting his wife who insists that he didn't do it. Guest-stars on the show included Robert Clarke, Randy Stuart, Marie Windsor, Paul Langton, Glenn Langan, Esther Dale, Ann Doran, Martha Hyer, Richard Travis, Percy Helton, Phyllis Coates, Hugh Beaumont, Richard Crane, Frankie Darro, Dennis Hopper and Natalie Wood. Frequent directors for the series included Erle C. Kenton and Budd Boetticher. 

Verdict: Highly interesting early crime show with a solid Hadley as the man you'd definitely want defending you. ***.

THE LEECH WOMAN

Coleen Gray and  Estelle Hemsley

THE LEECH WOMAN (1960). Director: Edward Dein. 

Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry) has driven his wife, June (Coleen Gray), to drink, and is even more contemptuous of her now that she's a dipsomaniac. However, when they encounter a woman named Malla (Estelle Hemsley), who claims she is 152-years-old and that her tribe back in Africa can make her young again, the Talbots lives begin a downward spiral into horror. 

Back to beauty: Coleen Gray

Malla believes that men grow distinguished with age but that an aged woman is pretty useless. Her tribe offers its old women one night of regained youth, beauty and love before dying. Oddly, one of the tribe's males has to be sacrificed in order for the woman to have one more night of life. Accompanied by their guide, Bertram (John Van Dreelen), the Talbots travel to Africa where June is offered her lost youth -- only she must pick the man for the sacrifice. Guess who's chosen? Using a powder derived from orchids combined with liquid from the pineal gland, June becomes young and sexy again. But for how long? And how many men will have to die in order for her to stay young?

Grant Williams and Coleen Gray

The Leech Woman is a fun movie if you don't take it seriously. The sequences in Africa are quite flavorful, with well-chosen clips of wild life and the like, and the scenes with the natives are all well-played. The movie becomes a bit stage-bound once the characters are back in the U.S., and not nearly enough is done with the film's basic premise of murder-for-youth. Gray gives a very good performance in a difficult role -- she pretends to be her own niece once she's young again -- but is on top of things all the way through. Terry is fine as the oily and distasteful Paul, Van Dreelen makes a convincing Bertram, and Grant Williams [Soldiers of Fortune] and Gloria Talbott are also good as June's somewhat sleazy lawyer and his over-anxious fiancee. Virtually every character in the movie is a certified creep. Irving Getz' score and a fast pace are decided assets. 

Verdict: Ridiculous but amusing horror flick with a solid lead performance. ***.