THE SHE CREATURE

Chester Morris and Marla English

THE SHE-CREATURE (1956). Director: Edward L. Cahn. 

Dr. Carlo Lombardi (Chester Morris) claims he is able to get in touch with the past lives of his subject, Andrea (Marla English of Runaway Daughters), by putting her in a trance. Andrea can give details of her 16th century life as a woman named Elizabeth. Lombardi can not only also regress Andrea to an ancestor from thousands of years ago, but call this ancestor -- a kind of humanoid, prehistoric sea creature -- up from the sea, where it proceeds to kill people. Dr. Ted Erickson (Lance Fuller of This Island Earth) is out to debunk Lombardi, while Timothy Chappel (Tom Conway of Bride of the Gorilla) wants to turn him into a star -- for 50% of the profits. But things get sticky when Red and Andrea fall in love ... 

Lance Fuller with William Hudson in the background

The She-Creature is one weird and nonsensical movie. Chester Morris, in an unusual role for him, gives a good account of himself, but we never learn how he knew that Andrea was once this strange creature nor is it explained why or how he can materialize it from the sea. It simply makes no sense. On the other hand, there simply isn't enough of the creature and its attacks to keep the excitement level up, and the film eventually becomes tedious. The actors, including Fuller and English, do the best they can and are generally more than adequate.

close-up of the She-Creature

Others in the cast include Cathy Downs [Missile to the Moon] and Frieda Inescort (as Conway's daughter and wife), Ron Randell [Captive Women] as a police lieutenant, El Brendel as Conway's comical butler, Frank Jenks as Randell's associate, Jack Mulhall as Lombardi's lawyer, and William Hudson as a tippling party guest who has a thing for Downs. These last two were both in The Amazing Colossal Man while English, Fuller and Conway also appeared in director Cahn's production of Voodoo Woman. The She-Creature, portrayed by Paul Blaisdell, has claws, intense eyes and large breasts.

Verdict: Sounds like fun but really isn't. **. 

VOODOO WOMAN

Touch Connors wants none of Marla English

VOODOO WOMAN (1957). Director: Edward L. Cahn.

Deep in the jungle, a crazy scientist named Dr. Roland Gerard (Tom Conway of Bride of the Gorilla) uses a combination of his science and the witch doctor, Chaka's (Martin Wilkins) voodoo to turn a pretty native girl, Zuranda (Jean Davis) into a hideous, hulking monster. With some vague plan to get revenge on colleagues who laughed at him and probably take over the world, Gerard is dismayed to discover that the decent Zuranda will not kill at his command, even when she is in her monster form. However, he also discovers that a greedy adventuress named Marilyn Blanchard (Marla English), who had a tough early life in Pittsburgh, will be only too happy to kill whoever gets in her way. Will these two creeps form an unholy alliance?

Wedded bliss? Tom Conway and Mary Ellen Kay

Voodoo Woman just misses being a hoot, although it certainly tries hard to be a luridly entertaining melodrama. Marla English makes a game effort to get across Marilyn's sociopathology, but she hasn't quite got the real acting chops to completely pull it off. As Gerard's helpless wife, Susan, whom he keeps a prisoner, Mary Ellen Kay gets across her character's hysteria but is also limited as an actress. Conway, who looks ill, is fun as the mad doctor. Lance Fuller [This Island Earth] is Marilyn's disposable boyfriend, Rick, and Mike Connors (billed as "Touch" Connors) is the guide, Ted,  who takes the couple deep into the dangerous jungle wherein they encounter that fun couple, the Gerards. It's funny how often Ted rejects the supposedly seductive advances and icy would-be charms of the not-terribly-feminine Marilyn. This was the one and only starring role for Marla English, and the last picture she made as well. One positive thing about the movie is that at least it employed a lot of black actors instead of having natives portrayed by whites, although native stereotypes undoubtedly abound. Paul Blaisdell, who designed the barely-seen creature, plays the monster.

Verdict: Moderately compelling schlock. **.

CONFIDENCE GIRL

Hillary Brooke

CONFIDENCE GIRL (1952). Written and directed by Andrew L. Stone. 

Roger Kingsley (Tom Conway) is a supposed insurance investigator who is working with the police to bring down confidence woman Mary Webb (Hillary Brooke). In reality Mary is Kingsley's girlfriend and his helpmate in various crooked shenanigans. Kingsley has gone so far as to circulate a phony picture of Mary and to pass off the fingerprints of an unidentified dead woman as Mary's. Kingsley's latest scheme involves setting Mary up as a genuine psychic in the hopes that it will lead to lots of cash. But will the cops be fooled so easily? 

Tom Conway and Hillary Brooke

The cheaply-made Confidence Girl is more entertaining than it might seem at first, though one has to take it with a large grain of salt. Some of the tricks that Mary and Roger use to fleece people seem very genuine, but the business with the psychic is another matter. Doing her act in a nightclub, Mary is given tips about people in the audience from the parking attendant and the hat check girl. Reasonable so far. But then we learn that there's a whole group of people working upstairs with peepholes over every table and hidden mikes. How Roger hopes to make any money by employing over a dozen people to help Mary in her act is a question that's never answered. Mary tries to unveil a murderer at one point, and when she realizes that some people could be fleeced out of their life savings she develops a conscience. 

Confidence Girl begins well as Mary and Roger play their cons on a department store (for a mink coat) and on a pawnbroker who gets greedy when he thinks a cheap violin is worth thousands, but the business with the psychic and a man accused of murdering someone with poisoned liquor doesn't quite work. Andrew L. Stone went on to much better things, such as The Last Voyage and The Steel Trap. 

Verdict: Entertaining enough if minor-league. **1/4. 

BRIDE OF THE GORILLA

Barbara Payton and Raymond Burr

BRIDE OF THE GORILLA (1951). Writer/director: Curt Siodmak. 

Dina (Barbara Payton) is married to the wealthy plantation owner Klaas Van Gelder (Paul Cavanagh), but is secretly in love with his foreman, Barney (Raymond Burr), who returns her feelings. Barney is indirectly responsible for Van Gelder's death-by-snake, but the aged maid Al-Long (Gisela Werbisek), covers up for him and plots her own revenge. Barney begins imagining that he is transforming into a gorilla, and it starts driving him crazy, driving him into the jungle at night as well. Then there are stories of sightings of a supernatural creature that can tear a man to pieces ,,, 

Tom Conway and Lon Chaney, Jr. 

Bride of the Gorilla is similar to another Curt Siodmak film, Curucu, Beast of the Amazon, in that it promises a monster that it never delivers. With photography by Charles Van Enger and a flavorful score by Raoul Kraushaar, the film looks professional, but its script -- despite some interesting elements -- is dead on arrival. I imagine the film had a short shooting schedule as in many scenes the actors seem self-conscious and under-rehearsed. In spite of that, Raymond Burr and Barbara Payton have at least one well-played love scene. Cavanagh is as smooth and adept as ever in his brief appearances, and Tom Conway and Lon Chaney Jr. do the best they can with weak material. Woody Strode, who would go on to much better things, appears very briefly as a policeman. 

Verdict: Fortunately for Raymond Burr, Perry Mason put an end to his appearances in movies like this. **.