THE INVISIBLE MONSTER -- IN COLOR!

Richard Webb

THE INVISIBLE MONSTER (12-chapter Republic serial/1950). Director: Fred C. Brannon. 

A fellow who calls himself The Phantom Ruler (Stanley Price) has developed a formula which makes things invisible when they are coated with it. This includes the Ruler's cloak, which makes him invisible as long as he stays within a light beam generated by his special machine. His immediate goal is to get the materials for this formula, but his ultimate plan is to gather an army of invisible soldiers to help him take over the whole country. Determined to stop him are two insurance investigators (!), Lane Carson (Richard Webb of Hillbillies in a Haunted House) and plucky Carol Richards (Aline Towne of Radar Men from the Moon). Meanwhile the evil Burton (Lane Bradford of Zombies of the Stratosphere) and his associates are out to stymie them at every turn. 

Stanley Price as the Phantom Ruler

The Invisible Monster recycles some cliffhangers but is still a snappy, fast-paced and entertaining serial. Square-jawed Webb makes an effective hero and pretty Towne is his more-than-competent companion. As the main villain, Price doesn't chew the scenery and Bradford, as usual, makes a cold, non-nonsense sociopathic assistant. Others in the cast include Tom Steele as a henchman, Marshall Reed as a cop, as well as Roy Gordon as a doctor and John Hamilton as one of the foreigners forced to work for the Phantom Ruler (in positions he secures for them for his own nefarious purposes). Highlights  of the serial include Carol nearly being flattened by a heavy vault door; Lane tied up in a handcar that is packed with explosives and sent hurtling towards a train; Carol and Lane pursued by a minecart full of coal oil that has been set on fire; and others. The fight scenes are lively and well-staged. 

Verdict: Fast-paced fun! ***. 

THE TRAP SNAPS SHUT AT MIDNIGHT

Jerry Cotton (George Nader) goes into action!

THE TRAP SNAPS SHUT AT MIDNIGHT (aka Um Null Uhr schnappt die Halle zu/1966). Director: Harald Philipp.  

A small-time operator named Hatton (Gert Gunther Hoffmann) steals a truck and is alarmed to discover it is stuffed with vats of nitroglycerine. The cool blonde Maureen (Dominique Wilms of OSS 117 -- Panic in Bangkok) acts as go-between for him and big-time operator Larry Link (Horst Frank of Eye in the Labryinth), but Hatton isn't in the picture for long. Link contacts the authorities and threatens to use the nitro to blow up Manhattan if he isn't paid one million smackers. FBI agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) and his partner Phil Decker (Heinz Weiss) are assigned to get the crooks and find the nitro -- before a summer heat wave causes it to explode! 

Dominique Wilms and George Nader

This is the third of the West German Jerry Cotton films starring George Nader, and as usual it's entertaining and well-played. The film is distinguished by two exciting action scenes: when Jerry masquerades as a window washer and nearly falls to the sidewalk far below; and a tense sequence on the Manhattan Bridge when Jerry has to fight off a thug and get rid of a bomb attached to one of the nitro canisters at one and the same time. The editing manages to blend Jerry and the other characters into the New York City exteriors quite well, and the irritating theme music is used sparingly for a change. 

Verdict: More than decent action film from West Germany. ***. 

MANHATTAN NIGHT OF MURDER

Heinz Weiss and George Nader

MANHATTAN NIGHT OF MURDER (aka Mordnacht in Manhattan/1965). Director: Harald Philipp. 

In New York a group of thugs called The Hundred Dollar Gang are terrorizing business owners who don't pay the monthly protection fee of $100. During an attack on a restaurateur, the man is shot to death, but apparently not by any of the gang members. FBI agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) and his partner, Phil Dekker (Heinz Weiss) investigate, and obtain the help of gas station owner Sophie (Elke Neidhart) while doing their best to protect little Billy (Uwe Reichmeister) who witnessed the shooting. Jerry and Phil eventually arrive at the Goldfish Club, where there are "mermaids" in a tank and a cool blonde named Wilma (Silvia Solar of Death and Diamonds) advises the gang members. But she is not the true leader -- that is something Jerry and Phil have to determine before they can put this case to bed.

George Nader

This is the second of eight German action films starring Nader as Cotton, and it is generally entertaining and fast-paced although it drags in some spots. The musical score, featuring the Carnival-like Jerry Cotton theme, becomes pretty annoying, however. Nader makes a good Cotton and the other performances are also adept. There is a terrific scene when one of the thugs, who screwed up, is tied to a chair with a bomb that will go off if anyone opens the door, and Jerry has to enter the room another way to prevent both of them from being killed. There are some fairly exciting fight and chase sequences. The identify of the ultimate gang leader is a small surprise. There are enough location shots to preserve the illusion that this actually takes place in New York City, although one suspects that this was filmed mostly in Germany. This follows The Violin Case Murders and is preceded by The Trap Snaps Shut at Midnight. 

Verdict: 2nd entry in an interesting series. **3/4. 

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. 

FULLER REPORT

Lincoln Tate and Ken Clark

FULLER REPORT (aka Rapporto Fuller, base Stoccolma/1968). Director: Sergio Grieco.  

American race car driver Dick Worth (Ken Clark of Attack of the Giant Leeches) is in Stockholm when he becomes innocently embroiled in espionage, suddenly mixed up with CIA agents like Pearson (Lincoln Tate) and Clay (Gianni Brezza), Russian agents like Bonjasky (Serge Marquand), and a defecting ballerina named Svetlana (Beba Loncar), as well as other duplicitous females who are murdered. Despite all the different factions and their confusing schemes -- everyone wants to get their hands on something called the Fuller Report -- Dick doesn't realize that the true architect behind his problems may be much closer to home, and that there is a right wing conspiracy afoot to assassinate a certain world leader. 

Clark with Beba Loncar

Ken Clark appeared in a number of eurospy features playing super-spies, but in this he's an ordinary man, as such, thrown into intrigue. Fuller Report doesn't have that bad a plot but the pacing is slow, and it may not be long before you find that you couldn't care less about what's really going on. Clark looks the part of the hero, and the dubbed supporting cast all seem more than adequate for the task. The movie has an imitation James Bond type theme, sung by a lady who tries to imitate Shirley Bassey, and it wears out its welcome pretty quickly. Shot in Stockholm, Zurich, and London, with interiors in Rome. Clark also did Mission Bloody Mary for director Grieco. 

Verdict: Watching this on fast-forward might improve it. **. 

THE BLACK WIDOW

Carol Forman as Sombra

THE BLACK WIDOW (13 chapter Republic serial/1947.) Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and Fred C. Brannon. 

"Open the tanks and we'll cremate them!" -- Sombra.

The beautiful fortune teller Sombra (Carol Forman), popularly known as the Black Widow, takes orders from her father, Hitomu (Theodore Gottlieb) -- who shows up now and then in a puff of smoke in a kind of teleportation chair --  but otherwise seems very much in charge of her assorted underlings. Her chief adversaries are mystery writer (!) Steve Colt (Bruce Edwards) and reporter Joyce Winters (Virginia Lee), to whom Steve is continuously condescending. Sombra, who got her nickname from her use of black widow spider toxin in her victims' bloodstreams, employs such thugs as Nick Ward (Anthony Warde of Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc.) to do her dirty work, although she's not above getting her own hands dirty when it suits her. She is a mistress of disguise who impersonates more than one woman, causing both consternation and havoc. Sombra and her father particularly want to get their hands on a special formula for atomic rockets if not the rockets themselves. 

Theodore Gottlieb as Hitomu

The Black Widow is a very entertaining Republic serial with good performances from Forman and Warde, who seemed to make a career playing nasty and efficient bad guys in assorted serials. Alas, Edwards and Lee as the good guys in this are comparatively colorless, although Joyce can be feisty at times, and at one point tries to clobber Sombra with a steering wheel that she had been handcuffed to. Notable cliffhangers include the tunnel filled with fire in chapter five, and a large pane of glass that nearly functions as a guillotine in chapter six. The most outstanding and thrilling sequence is in chapter four, when Joyce is secreted in a crate on a plane as the crate keeps sliding closer and closer to the open hatchway ... 

Virginia Lee and Bruce Edwards

The Black Widow is full of stock "orientalisms," including the excellent theme music (although the rest of the score is not as memorable), even though none of the actors are remotely Asian. Theodore Gottlieb as Hitomu reminds me of nothing so much as a Borscht Belt comic and apparently that's exactly what Gottlieb was! While he doesn't make the most convincing "Oriental" ruler -- I'm not even certain if that's what he's supposed to be -- he is still effective and fun as Hitomu. A clever bit has Ward using a special mist to instantly change the color of his car when he is being pursued by Colt, although the business with Colt having to use special "triangulation" to find Sombra's HQ is laughable, as by now he should surely have known where the woman was! 

Verdict: Whatever its flaws, this serial is a lot of fun! ***. 

DEATH IN A RED JAGUAR

George Nader

DEATH IN A RED JAGUAR (aka Der tod im roten Jaguar/1968). Director: Harald Reinl. 

FBI agent Jerry Cotton (George Nader) is called to San Francisco after a series of murders which point to the same killer -- the same pistol and same silencer were used. Cotton, who drives a sleek red jaguar, works with SF detective Sam Parker (Herbert Stass), partner Phil Decker (Hans Weiss). and Parker's associate, Ria (Daniela Surina) in an effort to pinpoint the murderer. As the bodies pile up, Cotton and the others uncover a kind of "Dial a Death Service" in which hit men are hired to murder unsuspecting innocents, and the hit men themselves are exterminated once their usefulness is over. 

Cotton flips Harry (Frank Nossack) to his side

This is another dubbed German Jerry Cotton movie, and like The Violin Case Murders it is slick, fast-paced and entertaining. As usual in these stories, the authorities don't seem capable of protecting witnesses and more than one gets offed during the running time. Robert Fuller shows up in an exciting prologue as a machine-gun toting bad guy that Cotton pursues into a theatrical establishment, frightening -- but also saving -- a whole bunch of chorus girls. Frank Nossack is cast as Harry, a hit man who is somehow flipped into working with Jerry, and Carl Lange is the sinister Dr. Saunders. The identity of the true mastermind comes as a bit of a surprise. 

Verdict: Jerry Cotton is back! ***. 

OUR MAN IN JAMAICA

Larry Pennell as Agent 001

OUR MAN IN JAMAICA/aka A 001: operazione Giamaica/1965.) Director: Richard Jackson. 

Ken Stewart, aka Agent 001 (Larry Pennell), is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of Larry Peacock, Agent 009. Once there, Stewart pretends to be an antique dealer, and establishes a friendship with Mrs. Cervantes (Linda Sini), who is also in the business. But Larry develops a more personal relationship with the older woman's secretary, Gloria (Barbara Valentin), and Larry's sister, Jane (Margitta Scherr). Joining forces with Captain Mike Jefferson (Brad Harris), Stewart tries to uncover the true identity of an arms dealer operating out of the island, and winds up in the villain's makeshift electric chair! 

Brad Harris as Captain Jefferson

Clearly modeled after Dr. No -- although with a much less interesting villain -- Our Man in Jamaica is a fair-to-middling Eurospy film that features all of the usual elements, including an American actor in the lead; Pennell is fine as the spy. Brad Harris, also an American, went on to co-star in several more eurospy films in the Kommissar X series. This is a pretty low-tech affair -- a high-frequency recorder seems to be Agent 001's only gadget -- with location filming, and women who are far less beautiful than you usually see in Bond movies. Like Dr. No, the villain in this, played by Wolfgang Kieling, has his own private island, but there isn't much of interest on it. A pop tune that deliberately sounds like music for the Bond films plays over the opening credits.

The film has a hilarious prologue, with both Stewart and a lady friend passed out after a night of lovemaking. The woman says "You can marry me, like you said." To which a hungover Stewart replies: "Who are you?" Unlike a lot of eurospy movies, Our Man in Jamaica manages to hold the attention and proceeds at a relatively swift pace, but it never quite develops into anything that memorable. Italy-West Germany-Spain co-production. 

Verdict: Well-played and smooth but no Dr. No. **1/2. 

MISSION TO CARACAS

Roland Carey as agent Gil Becker

MISSION TO CARACAS/Mission speciale a Caracas/1965. Director: Raoul Andre. 

In Caracas Special agent Gil Becker (Roland Carey using the name "Rod Carter") is after a self-described evil Frenchman named Vasson (Saro Urzi). Vasson works with Madame de Lainville (Louise Carletti), the directress of an institution for underprivileged young girls, but she has no intention of being underprivileged herself. 

Agent Becker with femme fatale

Vasson exchanges a formula for a deadly neurotoxin, PK 23, for a bunch of diamonds from a consortium, which he passes off to Madame. On a cruise ship some of Madame's female associates try their damnedest to get the briefcase containing the diamonds away from the directress, with the result that she is thrown overboard and, later, six or seven of the gals engage in a protracted "cat fight." Meanwhile there are assorted spies who don't want the diamonds, but rather the briefcase, which contains special secret documents irradiated in such a way that the writing will eventually vanish. Dodging assorted spies and weapons, including a camera that doubles as a weapon, Becker does his best to outwit everyone. 

Paul Demange and Carey

Mission to Caracas is a pretty bad eurospy film. Believe me, it wasn't easy coming up with a coherent synopsis of the plot as there are so many characters working at cross purposes you need a scorecard. French-Swiss actor Carey makes a perfectly acceptable super-spy, but he appeared mostly in "peplum" movies; this was his only appearance as Gil Becker. Even dubbed, Urzi makes an impression as the slimy but charming Vasson. The movie is all but ruined by a horrible jazzy headache-inducing score that never matches up with the action on screen, and many of the action sequences are clumsily staged. A Spanish-Italian-French co-production.

Verdict: Try and follow it if you dare! *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. 

G-MEN VS. THE BLACK DRAGON

Nino Pipitone as Haruchi

G-MEN VS. THE BLACK DRAGON (15 chapter Republic serial/1943). Director: William Witney.

Haruchi (Nino Pipitone), the head of a Japanese society called the Black Dragons, is smuggled into the U.S.A. in a mummy case. There, with his deadly black raven at his side, he orders his henchmen. including Ranga (Noel Cravat), to commit various acts of sabotage, including setting fire to ships at sea. Haruchi is fond of sending men through a trapdoor to their doom, which comes at the beak and claws of his poisonous raven. His mission is to destroy the Occidental fools and take over the world for his people.

Rod Cameron as Rex Bennett

Haruchi's mission is imperiled by the brave actions of G-Man Rex Bennett (Rod Cameron), who is assisted by the equally brave British agent Vivian Marsh (Constance Worth) and Chinese agent Chang Sing (Roland Got). Vivian is as rugged and courageous as any man, throwing herself into battle at the drop of a hat and blasting away with a machine gun at one point. She is locked in a cabinet and nearly immolated in a room set on fire, affixed to a log heading towards a buzz saw, and tied to a chair with a huge spear aimed at her! As for Rex, he falls out of a skyscraper window, saving himself with a fire hose, crashes in a stolen robot plane, and nearly goes over a dam in a speedboat (a cliffhanger used repeatedly by Republic ever after). 

Constance Worth and Roland Got

Stalwart Cameron, feisty Worth and energetic Got are all fine in their roles. Nino Pipitone betrays his Italian accent now and then but offers a restrained and dignified -- if unexciting -- portrait of the nasty leader of the Black Dragons, but he is nevertheless effective. There is some astounding "choreography" in this as good guys battle bad guys in furious fights and their whirling dervish-like fisticuffs result in tons of smashed furniture -- nothing is unscathed! Mort Glickman's music score backs up every bit of action -- and there is a lot of it -- in a way that increases the thrills. I am not comparing director William Witney to Hitchcock, but there is a similarity in the brisk tight cutting of the film and a judicious use of close-ups. 

Made during WW2, the film understandably makes the villains either Japanese or Caucasian traitors, but there was a certain courage in having a Chinese-American actor playing one of the good guys. Born in San Francisco, Got appeared in 19 films but died much too young at age 32. Constance Worth was an Australian actress, and this was probably her largest role. The same is true of Nino Pipitone, as most of his roles were uncredited bit parts. The first chapter of this serial is entitled "The Yellow Peril" while chapter six is amusingly called "Death and Destruction!" of which there is plenty. Rod Cameron also played Rex Bennett in the serial Secret Service in Darkest Africa, which is not as good as this. Stuntman Tom Steele is not listed in the credits but he has two small speaking parts in the movie. Other familiar faces are John Hamilton, George J. Lewis, and Ken Terrell [Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman]. 

Verdict: Fast and furious, this is one of the most exciting Republic serials ever. ***1/2. 

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON

Commando Cody takes flight!

RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON (12 chapter Republic serial/1952). Director: Fred. C. Brannon. 

In the first appearance of "a new character," Commando Cody (George Wallace) -- actually a new version of the Rocket Man from King of the Rocket Men -- our hero uses his flying jet pack to take on moon men whose atmosphere is deteriorating and want to take over Mother Earth in a mass migration. The chief moon man is Retik (Roy Barcroft) and his chief confederate on earth is Krog (Peter Brocco). As incredible as it may seem -- but remember this is a serial -- the advance force to take over an entire planet with billions of inhabitants consists of one moon man and two -- count 'em -- two American gangsters named Graber (Clayton Moore of Lone Ranger fame) and Daly (Robert R. Stephenson). As for Cody, he also has two assistants: Ted (William Bakewell of All Quiet on the Western Front); and Joan (Aline Towne). More than once Cody flies to the moon in his rocket ship, once to reconnoiter and another time to get the Lunarium that the moon men use in their ray guns. 

Bakewell, Wallace, Towne

George Wallace is fine as Cody; in addition to a lot of film work Wallace was Mary Martin's leading man in the Broadway musical Jennie. The process work that shows Cody taking to the air is effective all these years later, and Stanley Wilson's score is consistently exciting. Our hero is trapped by molten lava at one point, and there is at least one exciting mid-air rescue. Some of the cliffhangers are recycled from King of the Rocket Men but used in different circumstances. 

Verdict: Snappy, fast-paced, and lots of fun. ***. 

VENOM (2018)

Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock

VENOM (2018). Director: Ruben Fleischer. 

Reporter Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) winds up fired from his job when he goes up against billionaire scientist Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), who sends men into space to look for resources and finds some weird aliens called Symbiotes. Drake wants to merge the aliens with humans and uses homeless people, most of whom don't survive, for experimentation. Eddie's fiancee, Annie (Michelle Williams), loses her job, too, and cancels their engagement. 

Eddie confronted by Venom

Eddie eventually winds up bonded with one of these creatures himself. The alien talks to him, calls himself "Venom" and has to be talked out of biting people's head's off when he's hungry, which doesn't always work. Venom knows that a group of his kind plan to take over Earth, but he likes it here, and tries to help Eddie prevent Drake -- who has bonded with an alien known as "Riot" -- from taking off into space. 

Venom on thee rampage

Venom is actually a character that was introduced in the Spider-Man comic books. Peter Parker put on a black costume he found during the "Secret Wars" and only later discovered that it was alive. Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four helped him separate from the symbiote, which later merged with Eddie Brock (and later with the serial killer Cletus Kasady, as well as with Parker's friend, "Flash" Thompson.) Played by an appealingly grubby Tom Hardy, Brock is more of a sympathetic figure in this movie than he was in the comics. 

Riz Ahmed

Although Venom begins quite well -- and the FX work throughout is quite good -- the movie eventually becomes a mess, getting sillier and more ridiculous as it goes along. Venom might have worked as an outre horror film, but the PG rating works against it, and this doesn't really jell as a part-time black comedy. The movie has no real climax, because there has to be room for a sequel. There are a couple of exciting moments, but the battle between Venom and Riot kind of falls flat. 

Verdict: Not one of the better Marvel movies. **.