PROJECT MOON BASE

Ross Ford and Donna Martell

PROJECT MOON BASE (1953). Director: Richard Talmadge.

A foreign agent named Roundtree (Herb Jacobs) engineers the substitution of a prominent scientist, Dr Wernher (Larry Johns), for a duplicate whose mission is to destroy the U.S. space station. (From there the Americans hope to eventually build a base on the moon.) During the switch, Roundtree pretends to be a bellboy! Colonel Briteis (Donna Martell) is to pilot a ship to the moon but there is a slight contretemps when she learns her co-pilot is to be her former boyfriend, the handsome Major Moore (Ross Ford of Reform School Girl). "Wernher" comes along with the bickering couple -- who are secretly in love, of course -- but gives the game away when he doesn't know the name of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team -- he must be a spy! 

the space station

Very little happens even after this revelation, as the phony scientist is easily subdued and not very threatening in any case. There's a lot of talk and minimal, if decent, special effects work. Project Moon Base was the pilot for a television program that was released to theaters instead, where people had to pay to see something that wouldn't have been worth watching for free. Hayden Rorke, who plays the project head, later wound up on I Dream of Jeannie, and indeed he plays General Greene as if he were in a sitcom. Barbara Morrison also plays reporter Polly Prattles (!) as if this were a sitcom. James Craven of innumerable cliffhanger serials has a small role. The only really interesting thing about the movie, which was co-scripted (and disavowed) by Robert Heinlein, is that both the chief moon pilot and American president are women. 

Verdict: Pretty bad. *1/2. 

THE GHOST OF SIERRA DE COBRE

A ghost confronts Judith Anderson and Martin Landau

THE GHOST OF SIERRA DE COBRE (1964 telefilm), Produced, directed and written by Joseph Stefano. 

"Psychical" investigator Nelson Orion (Martin Landau) -- who makes most of his money as an architect -- is called in when blind, wealthy Henry Mandore (Tom Simcox) starts receiving disturbing phone calls that are supposedly from his dead mother. Afraid of being buried alive, she had a phone installed in her crypt, and the calls are coming from this line. Accompanied by Henry's wife, Vivia (Diane Baker), Orion investigates the crypt and Vivia encounters a scary and bloody female spirit. Orion's no-nonsense housekeeper, Mrs. Finch (Nellie Burt) doesn't believe in ghosts, and neither does the Mandore's housekeeper, Paulina (Dame Judith Anderson), but the latter seems to know a lot more about what's going on than anyone else does. 

Diane Baker and Martin Landau

The Ghost of Sierra de Cobre was the pilot for what was supposed to be a follow-up series to The Outer Limits, with the focus on horror and the supernatural instead of science fiction. I assume that Nelson Orion was to be a continuing character from week to week. It's too bad that that didn't work out for one reason or another, as it might have made a compelling series. Stefano's plot has some interesting twists and turns to it -- although it never seems quite real --  and skillfully blends the supernatural with other sinister events that have natural explanations. Stefano's direction -- he replaced the original director -- although good, isn't quite as assured, but Conrad Hall's expert cinematography helps smooth over the rough edges. 

Landau with Tom Simcox

Ghost features a generally excellent cast. Landau proves he could certainly handle the lead on any TV show, and Anderson, cast as yet another creepy housekeeper, rises above the stereotype and offers a highly proficient and intense performance as Paulina. Diane Baker isn't quite on the same level and seems a bit "off" at times, but is effective. Tom Simcox certainly gets into the mood as the handsome, haunted husband who is afraid he is going out of his mind. Nellie Burt is a burst of fresh air as the other, happier housekeeper. Orion makes a hasty date with a blonde on the beach -- nothing ever comes of this -- and the blonde is billed as Delores Starr, but I swear she looks just like Diane McBain. Simcox studied meditation with the Beatles in India!

Verdict: Creepy if flawed telefilm with good performances and a very interesting plot. ***. 

THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE JUNK

Rick Gates as Frank and Tim Matheson as Joe

THE HARDY BOYS: THE MYSTERY OF THE CHINESE JUNK (1967). Director: Larry Peerce. 

Frank (Tim Matheson) and Joe (Rick Gates) Hardy of Bayport decide to start a ferry service to Rocky Island with their pals Biff (Rickey Kelman) and Chet (Stephen Jahn). Another friend, Jim Foy (Brian Fong), directs them to an old Chinese junk that they can buy, and they do so. But there seem to be others who have an abnormal interest in the junk -- including George Ti Ming (James Shigeta) -- and another ferry boat operator, "Clams" Daggett (Malcolm Atterbury) is a bit put out that he might have competition. The boys encounter the secretive Dr. Montrose (Edward Andrews) as part of their investigation. Then the Hardy Boys' father, Fenton (Richard Anderson), trying to find a criminal called The Chameleon, is attacked and disappears. It all comes to a head in a dank cavern on Rocky Island.  

Mystery of the Chinese Junk is based on the novel, which was published around 1960. Although there were some changes made -- Chet doesn't take up spelunking, for instance -- the telefilm, a failed pilot, apparently, is pretty faithful to the story. For inexplicable reasons Frank is made a blond and Joe becomes a brunette, although it was the other way around for about fifty years. Fenton Hardy doesn't appear to have a wife in this -- perhaps he's been turned into a widower -- but Aunt Gertrude is around, played in so-so fashion by Portia Nelson. Anderson makes the perfect Fenton Hardy, Atterbury is a reliable Clams, and Andrews is, as usual, quite good as Dr. Montrose. Shigeta is pretty much wasted as Ti Ming but is good. Jan-Michael Vincent appears briefly singing a rock number as Tony Prito. Chet is not as lovable as he is in the books, and there is the addition of a dog for the Hardys, a Great Dane named Tiny who is probably borrowed from the book The Secret Warning, wherein the dog was named Tivoli. The cinematographer, Joseph Biroc, also shot Hush ... Hush Sweet Charlotte and many others. Aside from the serials on the old Mickey Mouse Club show, the Hardy Boys did not get a weekly series until ten years later and then they were played by Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy. 

Verdict: Much better than one would have imagined. ***. 

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY

John Rockwell as Superboy

THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERBOY (1961 TV pilot). Director: George Blair. 

In Smallville, Clark Kent goes to school with friends Lana Lang (Bunny Henning) and Jimmy Drake (Jimmy Bates). Jimmy is embarrassed to tell the class that his father, Mr. Drake (Ross Elliott), is only the doorman at the local bijou. No one is aware that the mild-mannered Clark, who keeps disappearing, is secretly the dynamic Superboy. For a movie premiere in Smallville (one of the cast members comes from there), some real diamonds worth $200,000 are exhibited in front of the theater, and stolen. Superboy asks for Mr. Drake's help in capturing the criminals and getting the jewels back, and his son develops an even greater appreciation of his dad. 

John Rockwell and Ross Elliott

Produced, I believe, by the same people who did George Reeves' The Adventures of Superman, this series -- had it gone beyond the pilot episode -- is similarly earthbound, with few of the elements that made the Superboy comic book run for so many years. Instead we have a human interest story with some mild special effects and a heart-warming quality that is typical of fifties television. John Rockwell is handsome and reasonably impressive as Superboy, and seems uncomfortable playing his alter ego. Bunny Henning doesn't really have much of a chance to get across the somewhat obnoxious qualities of Lana Lang. Bates is fine as young Jimmy and Ross Elliott, forgoing his hairpiece, also makes an impression as his likable and admirable father. George Blair also directed Exposed. Decades later, when FX capabilities had greatly improved, Superboy finally became a series. 

Verdict: Probably would have made a pleasant if unmemorable series. **1/2.