THE POE CINEMA: A Critical Filmography.

THE POE CINEMA: A Critical Filmography. Don G. Smith. McFarland; 1999. 

Author Smith looks at films that have been based on or influenced by the works of Edgar Allan Poe in this well-written, illustrated tome, beginning with the silent period. Sometimes the only connection to Poe is the title. Films covered include the Corman films such as The Fall of the House of Usher and The Premature Burial, the British Tell-Tale Heart with Laurence Payne, Italian films like Castle of Terror with Barbara Steele, German flicks such as The Torture Chamber of Dr. Sadism with Lex Barker, various versions of The Masque of the Red Death, and many, many others. Smith even includes such oddities as the 1989 slasher entitled Buried Alive starring Robert Vaughn. Each essay in The Poe Cinema has background notes and solid critical observations. Absorbing, informative, and highly interesting.  

Verdict: Possibly the last word on the Poe influence on movies. ***1/2. 

"TWICE THE THRILLS! TWICE THE CHILLS!"

"TWICE THE THRILLS! TWICE THE CHILLS!" Horror and Science Fiction Double Features, 1955 - 1974. Bryan Senn. McFarland; 2019. 

In this genuinely thrilling and well-written -- and humongous -- tome, author Senn covers all of the famous and infamous double-bills from various production companies (including AIP and Hammer Studios) throughout the fifties, sixties and early seventies. Senn writes with flair and intelligence about these mostly "B" horror/sci-fi/exploitation flicks, and it may make you want to revisit some of these gems or search out any movies that you have yet to see. They're all here, starting with Revenge of the Creature and Cult of the Cobra, continuing on with The Wasp Woman and Beast from Haunted Cave as well as Joan Crawford in Berserk and Torture Garden and winding up with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell and Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter. Senn doesn't condescend to these movies, no matter how low the budget, and thank goodness he sticks to accurate and informative analysis instead of pretentious psycho-twaddle. Of course you're not going to agree with his estimation of every movie, some of which he likes way better than I do (and vice versa), but that's just part of the fun. A minor complaint is that Senn perhaps spends too much space on those atrocious Andy Milligan films -- even reading about them is a bit tiresome -- but he is nothing if not complete. Oversized trade paperback that is packed with illustrations. 

Verdict: If you love these kinds of movies, this book is a rare treat! ***1/2.

EYE ON SCIENCE FICTION

EYE ON SCIENCE FICTION: 20 Interviews with Classic SF and Horror Filmmakers. Tom Weaver. McFarland; 2003.  

Tom Weaver has put together a number of collections of interviews of people involved with horror/sci fi films of the past, and this is one of the very best. The great cover features a shot of the "cyclops" inside the alien spaceship in The Atomic Submarine. Inside are interviews with producer Herman Cohen (who describes poor Barbara Payton with a vulgar term); Mike Connors of Mannix and several B movies; Arnold Drake discussing his screenplay for The Flesh Eaters; David Hedison giving his frank opinion of his series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea; Brett Halsey discussing his career in both American films and Italian giallo pictures; John Hart, who played both the Lone Ranger and Captain Africa; William Wellman Jr. on the lost Macumba Love; and others. 

Verdict: If you're like me, you'll devour this book practically in one sitting. ***1/2. 

BARE BONES # 20

 

bare bones # 20 Winter 2024 - 2025. Edited by Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri. 

This is it! A huge, super-sized special issue for a measly $14.95!

To quote from the back cover, in this issue you will find: 

"*William Schoell turns on the lights and sirens for Code 3.
*A look at the Doomed Professional in film by Larry Blamire.
*J. Charles Burwell on Steve Frazee’s vision of the west.
*Joseph Wambaugh on screen by Derek Hill.
*Jack Seabrook untangles the lost TV show, The Web.
*The Weird Tales of Not at Night by Stefan Dziemianowicz.
*Tim Lucas explores the crime quickies of Montgomery Tully.
*More Mike Shayne Mystery Magazine coverage by Richard Krauss.
*Duane Swierczynski spotlights Robert Edmond Alter in his Field Guide to L.A. Pulp.
*Night of the Living Dead and more, as seen on Bay Area TV by John Scoleri.
*Peter Enfantino is back in Sleaze Alley.
*The Search for New Grails in David J. Schow’s R&D column."

You can order your copy direct from amazon.

OTTO BINDER: THE LIFE AND WORK OF A COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION VISIONARY

 

OTTO BINDER: THE LIFE AND WORK OF A COMIC BOOK AND SCIENCE FICTION VISIONARY. Bill Schelly. North Atlantic Books; 2016. 

Otto Binder was a science fact, science fiction, and comic book writer -- one of the most prolific in the business -- who began by writing for the pulp magazines and then turned to comics when they paid more money. He wrote more stories about Captain Marvel and his friends and enemies than anyone else, and at DC Comics was instrumental in adding characters and interesting developments to the Superman mythos. Later on he wrote science articles, as well as books on investigations into UFOs. Binder's personal life was often beset with both financial and private problems, and he suffered one terrible family tragedy that nearly derailed him. This is a respectful, absorbing, well-written and researched biography that gives Binder his due while also giving an honest assessment of his work, both good and bad. This is far more than a "fan-boy's" tribute, but a fully-realized biographical and career study of an important figure in both science fiction and comic book circles. 

Verdict: Excellent Binder biography. ***1/2. 

ALL OF THE MARVELS

ALL OF THE MARVELS: A Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told. Douglas Wolk. Penguin; 2021. 

With it looking to some people like the characters of Marvel Comics are taking over the cinematic universe, author Wolk attempts to put everything in perspective and give fans or wannabee fans directions in what to read and in what order. He does this by highlighting specific issues grouped together somewhat thematically in various chapters. The idea is intriguing, but I'm not certain that it's been especially well executed. For this long-time comics fan the most interesting sections have to do with more recent issues that I have missed, as the book does concentrate more on the past twenty years than the earlier days of Marvel. There are some interesting observations in the book to be sure, but you'll also have to suffer through tedious write-ups on stuff like The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. (Wolk wants to make certain the world knows that Marvel's comics aren't just about, created by, or exclusively popular with the "old white guys" who basically invented the industry and kept it going for many decades.)  All of the Marvels -- I love the title -- comes off less as a labor of love than as a cynical "sure-fire" book project, although I'm not certain what its intended audience was supposed to be. Won't most people interested in Marvel comics already be reading them? 

Verdict: Some good things in this, but it's not really a fun read, and it should have been. **1/4.   

THE LOST JUNGLE

THE LOST JUNGLE: Cliffhanger Action and Hollywood Serials of the 1930s and 1940s. Guy Barefoot. University of Exeter Press; 2017. 

If you're expecting a fun and colorful book examining the cliffhanger serials of old, be forewarned that The Lost Jungle is from an academic publisher and has different fish to fry. Author Barefoot looks into the minutia of serials, sometimes comically spelling out the obvious in great detail, but his enthusiasm for his subject triumphs over the approach and the book is much more absorbing and entertaining than you would expect. For one thing, Barefoot's prose is accessible and generally not pretentious. Barefoot looks into the notion that serials were just for kids, and gives convincing evidence that adults could and did enjoy these action-packed cliffhangers as much as any child. With a grant from the British academy (some authors have all the luck!), Barefoot flew to the U.S. to do extensive research in various libraries. While it may seem a bit odd that money would be paid so that a writer could explore these old serials, of all things, at least Barefoot has come up with a wealth of information and successfully argues that the cliffhangers were more popular than realized and are worthy of study.  

Verdict: Somehow the fun of the serials comes through despite the scholarly approach. ***. 

TALK'S CHEAP, ACTION'S EXPENSIVE: THE FILMS OF ROBERT L. LIPPERT

TALK'S CHEAP, ACTION'S EXPENSIVE: The Films of Robert L. Lippert. Mark Thomas McGee. BearManor; 2014. 

This is a very entertaining look at the output, life and career of Robert L. Lippert, a prolific producer of mostly B movies from the forties to sixties. The book is divided into four chapters or sections -- Screen Guild, Lippert Pictures, Regal Films and Associated Producers, Inc -- which examine different periods in Lippert's career. Genre films Lippert produced include The Lost Continent, Unknown World, The Quatermass Xperiment, The Fly (one of his most famous and successful pictures), The Last Man on Earth with Vincent Price, The Earth Dies Screaming, and The Horror of It All with Pat Boone; he also did non-genre films such as The Steel Helmet and The Baron of Arizona, also with Price, and many westerns. Lippert started out in the business by owning a chain of theaters, then decided to fill the theaters with his own productions. He entered into an association with 20th-Century Fox to make black and white cinemascope productions that didn't carry the Fox name and were released under the Regal banner. His various companies also released many films that were major money-makers, such as Rocketship X-M. Margia Dean [Sins of Jezebel], who appeared in many of Lippert's movies, was apparently cast so frequently because she was his mistress. Lippert frequently claimed that he gave audiences what they wanted and was more concerned with profit than artistic merit. Still, he was responsible for some memorable films throughout his long Hollywood career. Appendices list every film that Lippert had any kind of association with. 

Verdict: An engaging and informative trip down B Movie Memory Lane. ***1/2. 

VAMPIRA: DARK GODDESS OF HORROR

VAMPIRA: DARK GODDESS OF HORROR. W. Scott Poole. Soft Skull Press; 2014. 

I've already noted that since books on major stars have been done ad nauseam, publishers began offering works on third-tier or even fringe "celebrities," often with some sort of hook to make the book of more interest. Maila Nurmi was a wannabee actress and sometime model whose greatest claim to fame was having a silent role as a ghoul in Ed Wood's not-so-classic Plan Nine from Outer Space. She had appeared for about a year as Vampira on a LA TV show as a hostess for schlock horror films, Author Poole admits this book is not a traditional biography; there simply isn't enough material to work with. Instead Poole puts Nurmi in perspective with the mores and attitudes of the period she lived in, especially in regards to the role of women. To his credit, Poole resists pretension for the most part, and the book is more interesting than you would at first imagine. Poole writes of how Cassandra Peterson, also known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, pretty much stole Vampira's act, and a legal battle ensued. Nurmi's first husband, actor-writer Dean Reisner, wrote screenplays for Dirty Harry, The Beguiled, Play Misty for Me, and other Clint Eastwood flicks, among others, and she hung out with Janes Dean for a time, although their connection is rather tenuous. Reviewing this book. one critic claims that "Vampira is up there with Vincent Price," which is, of course, ridiculous, as Price was a gifted actor with a long, long career and Nurmi was strictly camp-of-the-moment. 

Verdict: Well-written look at fringe celebrity who had a brief Hollywood flicker. ***. 

TRUE BELIEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF STAN LEE

TRUE BELIEVER: THE RISE AND FALL OF STAN LEE. Abraham Riesman. Crown; 2021. 

This very interesting and readable biography of the man most associated with Marvel comics examines the life of author and entrepreneur Stan Lee. Lee gets deserved credit for being the man who took a second or third-rate comic book company and put it on the map, competing with, and becoming, one of the Big Boys. Lee, however, often took more credit than he deserved, although it may be true that other people simply jumped to conclusions. Many people believe that Lee was the sole creator of such characters as Spider-Man, the Hulk, X-Men etc. - there is still debate today as to who contributed what -- but it is clear that people such as Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko had as big a hand in this, (although they, too, especially Kirby, may also have taken too much credit). The book reveals that it was never Lee's (Stanley Lieber)  goal in life to become associated with comic books, although -- perhaps for his own purposes -- he did much to make them respectable. He and others made the Marvel heroes flawed human beings as opposed to the perfect almost god-like characters of DC Comics such as Superman and Wonder Woman. 

True Believer looks at the attempts Lee made to create different companies in his later years and to produce films, often with people who turned out to be utterly disreputable or downright criminal. The bio also looks at Lee's relationships with his wife and daughter -- who is depicted as being a bit crazy -- and his brother, Larry Lieber. Although there are no great surprises in the earlier chapters of the book -- much has been rehashed-- the later chapters detailing numerous lawsuits, charges of elder abuse, and the like, are fascinating and page-turning. It's amazing that so many Marvel characters who were created back in the sixties (Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America, who was in no way a creation of Stan Lee, debuted in the 1940s!), are now the stars of mega-billion dollar Hollywood films. 

Verdict: Intriguing look at the late Stan Lee. ***. 
 

NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK -- JOAN CRAWFORD: THE ESSENTIAL BIOGRAPHY

Joan Crawford in Strait-Jacket

Just released is a spanking new trade paperback edition of JOAN CRAWFORD: THE ESSENTIAL BIOGRAPHY, which I co-authored with Lawrence J. Quirk.        

I mention the book on B Movie Nightmare because Joan appeared in a number of horror films, chief among them What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? She almost appeared in Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, but couldn't deal with Bette Davis (and vice versa). She instead did William Castle's zesty Strait-Jacket and I Saw What You Did, then wound up in Herman Cohen's productions of Berserk and the awful Trog. She was quite good in some of these movies, not as good in others. She really didn't think much of her horror period -- far from the glamorous days of her Hollywood past -- although she did want to do Baby Jane and even went to Davis to ask if she'd do it with her. 

As the publisher, University Press of Kentucky, puts it: 

"Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography explores the life and career of one of Hollywood's great dames. She was a leading film personality for more than fifty years, from her beginnings as a dancer in silent films of the 1920s, to her portrayals of working-class shop girls in the Depression thirties, to her Oscar-winning performances in classic films such as Mildred Pierce. Crawford's legacy, however, has become somewhat tarnished in the wake of her daughter Christina's memoir, Mommie Dearest, which turned her into a national joke. Today, many picture Crawford only as a wire-hanger-wielding shrew rather than the personification of Hollywood glamour. 

"This new biography of Crawford sets the record straight, going beyond the gossip to find the truth about the legendary actress. The authors knew Crawford well and conducted scores of interviews with her and many of her friends and co-stars, including Frank Capra, George Cukor, Nicholas Ray, and Sidney Greenstreet. Far from a whitewash―Crawford was indeed a colorful and difficult character― Joan Crawford corrects many lies and tells the story of one of Hollywood's most influential stars, complete with on-set anecdotes and other movie lore.

"Through extensive interviews, in-depth analysis, and evaluation of her films and performances―both successes and failures―Lawrence J. Quirk and William Schoell present Crawford's story as both an appreciation and a reevaluation of her extraordinary life and career. This fascinating book tells the behind-the-scenes story of one of Hollywood's great dames."

You can buy a copy on amazon or elsewhere.  

AMERICAN PREDATOR

AMERICAN PREDATOR. Maureen Callahan. Viking; 2019. 

While you've heard of Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, you may not have heard of serial killer Israel Keyes, whose career was ended after he kidnapped a young woman from a coffee kiosk in Alaska before murdering her. After Keyes was caught, it developed that he had been responsible for other deaths and disappearances in previous years, including a middle-aged couple that he raped (both of them) and slaughtered. Author Callahan looks at the investigation into Keyes activities, focusing on how a prosecutor named Feldis insisted on doing the interviewing of Keyes even though this was a serious breach of professional conduct and that he was not very adept at it.

Two portraits of Israel Keyes

Callahan looks into the bisexual (as he described himself) Keyes' background, as well as into his bizarre early family life, which might have driven anyone crazy (not that his actions were in any way justified). Keyes had a relationship and a child with a woman named Tammie, then became engaged and lived with another woman who had no idea of what he was up to. He kept "kill kits" hidden in various places that he might use when the proper circumstances and victims presented themselves and he was in a sadistic mood. Callahan suggests that Keyes might have been allowed to kill himself in prison. 

Verdict: Horrifying story of one sick individual, but somehow this is not a classic true crime book and probably not the last word on Keyes. **1/2. 

THE NIGHT STALKER COMPANION: 25TH ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE

THE NIGHT STALKER COMPANION: A 25th Anniversary Tribute. Mark Dawidziak. Pomegranate Press; 1997.

A major "fan boy" if ever there were one, Dawidziak has put together a new edition of his Night Stalking: A 20th Anniversary Kolchak Companion with more information. The book is an entertaining look at the history of the character, portrayed by Darren McGavin, and the two telefilms and TV series that he starred in. Like most fans, Dawidziak could be accused of overstatement and slavish devotion to Kolchak, but on the other hand, in a section when he looks at opinions of the TV show and well-known people who represent both positive and negative sides, he admits that the one-season series Kolchak: The Night Stalker was not all it could have been. (The naysayers towards the show include Stephen King and Darren McGavin himself!) Dawidziak also looks at the trials and tribulations of Jeff Rice, who wrote the original novel that became The Night Stalker and was treated abysmally by Hollywood and even by his own agents. The book could have used a more eagle-eyed copy editor but it has loads of photographs. There are chapters on the two telefilms and synopses and critiques of all of the twenty TV episodes. The book was published before the short-lived 2005 reboot of the series which cast Stuart Townsend as Kolchak.

Verdict: Fun read for Night Stalker fans. ***. 

EATEN ALIVE AT A CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE FILMS OF TOBE HOOPER

EATEN ALIVE AT A CHAINSAW MASSACRE: THE FILMS OF TOBE HOOPER. John Kenneth Muir. McFarland; 2002. 

In this entertaining look at the career of director Tobe Hooper [The Texas Chainsaw Massacre], Muir makes a case that he was under-rated and should have received the same accolades as, say, John Carpenter or Wes Craven. He examines how the untrue rumor that Poltergeist was directed not by Hooper but by producer Steven Spielberg was detrimental, as was the critical and financial failure of the under-rated Lifeforce. Muir, however, does not love every Hooper film and is unsparing in his criticism of certain pictures that turned out very badly. Muir is also not a mindless gore geek, arguing that the extreme graphic carnage of certain Hooper films, such as The Mangler, actually detracted from the films' effectiveness and enjoyment. Muir occasionally goes awry in trying too hard to find deep meaning in some of Hooper's films. Is Lifeforce really an allegory of sex in the age of AIDS? His lengthy and admittedly interesting analysis of Texas Chainsaw at times borders on the pretentious. Still, if Muir wants to see Chainsaw as some kind of profound masterpiece, that's his prerogative. Whatever your opinion of that particular film and of Hooper as a director, this book is well-written, well-researched, and very informative and readable.

Verdict: A must for Hooper and Texas Chainsaw Massacre fans. ***.

ATTACK OF THE MONSTER MOVIE MAKERS

ATTACK OF THE MONSTER MOVIE MAKERS. Tom Weaver. McFarland; 1994.

This book collects interviews, some already published in such magazines as Fangoria, with a variety of people associated with the horror/sci fi genre. These include Hitchcock screenwriter, Charles Bennett, who is billed as the "oldest employed screenwriter;" producer Herman Cohen, who hired Joan Crawford for her last features Berserk and Trog; director Val Guest, of Creeping Unknown and The Day the Earth Caught Fire; actress Susan Hart of Dr. Goldfoot infamy; Candace Hilligoss of Carnival of Souls and The Curse of the Living Corpse, who provides lots of behind-the-scenes details on those pictures; veteran actress Rose Hobart [The Adventures of Smilin' Jack]; Roger Corman actress Betsy Jones-Moreland, who says of Corman, "I wanted to kill him sometimes, but I liked him;" veteran actors Cameron Mitchell and Vincent Price; and lesser- known folk such as actor William Phipps [Five] and screenwriter Harry Spalding [Spaceflight IC-1]; not to mention Kenneth Tobey, who confirms that Howard Hawks was the one and only director of The Thing from Another World; among others.

Verdict: Very readable and interesting series of interviews with lesser (but no less memorable) lights. ***.