DOOMSDAY MACHINE

Grant Williams and Bobby Van 

DOOMSDAY MACHINE (1976). Directors: Harry Hope; Lee Sholem. 

Several astronauts, including Colonel Price (Denny Miller), Major Mason (Grant Williams of The Leech Woman), and Danny (Bobby Van), are about to take off for a flight to Venus when they are told some of the other men must leave to make way for three women: Dr. Turner (Ruta Lee), Lt. Carlson (Lorri Scott), and Russian Major Bronski (Mala Powers of The Unknown Terror). Some of the men are appalled with this development, while others leer. Halfway or so through the journey, they discover that a nuclear chain reaction has completely obliterated the earth. Will the group manage to reach Venus, who will pair off with whom, and will Mason manage to restrain himself before he has his way with Carlson? Wise old Dr. Perry (Henry Wilcoxon) might have all the answers. 

Ruta Lee and Mala Powers

Doomsday Machine sat on the shelf for years because there was no money to finish the picture. Even when it was finally released it was never quite finished, as the ending --which drags and drags -- features two different actors and different voices as Danny and the Russian major wind up in a lost Soviet spaceship. The shame is that while Doomsday Machine is very, very low-budget, it boasts some very good performances and an interesting story that keeps you watching. The shape of the spaceship they are traveling in keeps changing, there are all kinds of technical errors, and the crew, although initially shocked, never have any real reaction to the loss of loved ones back on earth. 

Grant Williams

As the kind of sleazy Captain Mason, Williams probably gives the best performance in the film, but the others are all very credible. Casey Kasem plays a mission control officer back on earth and James Craig of The Cyclops is Dr. Haines. There is a creepy, uncredited score that borrows a bit from Forbidden Planet but certainly adds to the atmosphere. Lee Sholem also directed Pharaoh's Curse. 

Verdict: Interesting casting and storyline help cope with a miniscule budget and other problems. **1/2. 

THOSE (MOSTLY) FORGOTTEN OLD COP SHOWS # 1

Lee Marvin of M Squad

THOSE (MOSTLY) FORGOTTEN OLD COP SHOWS # 1.

M Squad (1957 - 1960). In this series, which lasted three seasons, Chicago cop Detective Lt. Frank Ballinger (Lee Marvin) works to solve cases of homicide and so on in the Windy City. In "Pete Loves Mary" a murderer (Mike Connors of Voodoo Woman) breaks out of jail, but the main character is his adoring -- and ultimately disillusioned -- younger brother, played by Bobby Driscoll. In "Lover's Lane Killing," a rich gal's fiance is found dead, with Ruta Lee as guest-star. "The Fight" features Charles Bronson as a boxer who "killed" an opponent and now is facing attempts on his own life. Lee Marvin is terrific and convincing as the cop, and based on the very few episodes I've seen, M Squad looks like a pretty good show. The entire series is now on DVD.

John Compton

The D.A.'s Man (1959) stars Ralph Manza as Assistant District Attorney Al Bonacorsi and John Compton as Shannon, a handsome special investigator. (Not to be confused with the show, Shannon, in which George Nader played an investigator.) I've seen only two episodes of this show, which lasted one season. "Girl's Best Friend" is a mediocre entry about a group of jewel thieves, and the excellent "Witness" has a little boy seeing his (literal) godfather murder a mob rival in his home. This episode has a teleplay by Bruce Geller of Mission: Impossible fame and Jack Webb of Dragnet. Both Manza and Compton are effective in their roles, with Shannon getting beaten up as Bonacorsi shows up to wrap things up neatly at the end. I hope more of these will become available. The show has an interesting theme by Frank Comstock.

Verdict: M Squad: ***. D.A.'s Man: **3/4.