THE MYSTERIOUS MR. VALENTINE

William Henry

THE MYSTERIOUS MR. VALENTINE (1946). Director: Philip Ford. Colorized.  

Janet Spencer (Linda Stirling of The Crimson Ghost) runs into trouble when a corpse is thrown in front of the car she's driving and she's accused of a hit and run. Private detective Steve Morgan (William Henry of Nearly Eighteen) comes to Janet's assistance, but he actually gets hired by Rita Armstrong (Barbara Wooddell) to find out who her husband's (Tristram Coffin) girlfriend (Virginia Christine) is. Then the husband, who was the dead man's business partner, is also murdered, and Lt. Milo Jones (Thomas E. Jackson) tells Steve to stick to divorce cases and insurance fraud. But Steve is determined to find out who is pretending to be the "Mysterious Mr. Valentine" who keeps phoning Janet and making blackmail demands no matter how often he gets hit on the head and knocked unconscious. 

Linda Stirling with Henry

The Mysterious Mr. Valentine comes off at first like an especially complicated episode of Perry Mason without the courtroom scenes. Things are a bit convoluted at first with characters and incidents being thrown at you in rapid succession. Henry makes a likable private dick, and although she looks a little odd in this (as if she overdid the dieting) Stirling is spirited and energetic, giving a breezier performance than usual. Tristram Coffin (of King of the Rocket Men) is as interesting as ever, and Virginia Christine makes a sexy and conniving mistress. Thomas E. Jackson is especially notable as the lieutenant, who -- thankfully -- doesn't play it gruff and nasty as actors playing cops often do in these roles. This is perhaps the only private eye film I've seen in which the hero actually has to go to the hospital for stitches after he gets conked on the head, although it happens again to him and others later in the film and apparently no one gets a concussion. Virginia Brissac, who was the realtor Mrs. Hammond on the "Sublease" episode of I Love Lucy, plays Janet's housekeeper. Arthur Space also appears in this, albeit briefly. This was Henry's one and only appearance as Steve Morgan; the actor amassed over 250 credits!

Verdict: Minor mystery film from Republic studios with an interesting plotline and some clever touches. **1/2. 

HAWAIIAN EYE Season One

Connie Stevens, Anthony Eisley, Robert Conrad

HAWAIIAN EYE TV series Season One (1959).

77 Sunset Strip was such a successful private eye show that Warner Brothers producer William Orr decided to use the same formula -- good-looking guys involved with dames and intrigue -- on a series set in Honolulu instead of Los Angeles and the result was Hawaiian Eye. Anthony Eisley and Robert Conrad played the detectives, who have an office complete with bedrooms and swimming pool inside the Hawaiian Village Hotel (which still exists) for which they do security. They also have time to take cases for people who are being threatened or searching for someone who's disappeared etc. 

Douglas Mossman as Moke

There are two other recurring characters, the cab driver and kibitzer Kim (Poncie Ponce), and the singing photographer Cricket Blake (Connie Stevens). Cricket is a petulant, annoying, 12-year-old in a woman's body who has a serious crush on Tracy Steele (Eisner of The Wasp Woman). She not only adds little to the program -- there are plenty of attractive women in the stories -- but her contract obviously gives her the right to sing a song in virtually every episode. This wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that Stevens' whispery so-called singing is pretty mediocre. Actually Poncie Ponce, who like Stevens is afflicted with terminal cuteness, has a much better voice and is a more talented singer. Others who appeared frequently in the first season and afterward include handsome Hawaiian native Douglas Mossman as security officer Moke and Mel Prestidge  as Lt. Danny Quan, another native Hawaiian who was also a real-life sheriff at the time the show was filming. 

Anthony Eisley and Robert Conrad

Hawaiian Eye was a good and entertaining series if not necessarily a great one. It lasted four seasons, however. Notable episodes include "Beach Boy" with Troy Donahue, Faith Domergue and Robert Lowery in a story of a young man who may or may not be the wealthy heir who supposedly drowned ten years earlier. "Secret of the Second Door" features Harry Bartell in a story of a woman who wants Tom Lopaka (Conrad) to find a stolen cache of money. "Dead Ringer" stars an excellent Dianne Foster and Warren Stevens in a tale of a sinister plot that enfolds Lopaka simply because he resembles Foster's husband. "The Kikiki Kid" stars John Gabriel as a nightclub singer with major show biz aspirations who pursues and romances a columnist (Jean Byron) who can help him while neglecting his wife (Myrna Hansen). Kim is accused of stealing a diamond worth half a million dollars in "Cut of Ice" with Robert Clarke and Frank Albertson. 

Verdict: Fun colorful series with interesting leads and guest performers. ***. 

THE LITTLE SISTER Raymond Chandler

THE LITTLE SISTER. Raymond Chandler. 1949.  

Private eye Philip Marlowe is hired by a young lady whose brother has gone missing. As he looks for this fellow, who seems a bit on the shady side, Marlowe keeps tripping over dead bodies. The trail leads to a glamorous movie star, Mavis Weld, who is afraid of scandal, and her friend and rival, a tempestuous Spanish beauty who makes more than one play for Marlowe. There's a lot of discussion about a photograph taken of Mavis in a nightclub in which she is sitting with a gangster who was supposed to be in jail at the time. And there are more corpses and murderers before the story is done.

Perhaps it's because so many years have gone by since the publication of Little Sister, but the book today almost reads like a parody. Of course there have been so many similar types of stories in the years between, and Chandler -- who is a good writer -- was one of the earlier practitioners of the 

genre, but much of the book borders on the idiotic, and the dialogue doesn't often ring true. The worst thing I can say about the book is that it is neither especially suspenseful nor even entertaining. Were this the first book of Chandler's I'd ever read, I would probably not have read another. There are some good sequences, however, such as when Detective French defends his police department. The story was filmed as Marlowe with James Garner playing the private eye.

Verdict: Chandler has written better books, but this one hasn't stood the test of time. **. 

WHISPERING SMITH VS. SCOTLAND YARD

WHISPERING SMITH VS. SCOTLAND YARD (aka Whispering Smith Hits London/1952). Director: Francis Searle. 

Famous American detective Steve "Whispering" Smith (Richard Carlson) comes to England for a Welsch vacation but is immediately importuned to solve a murder in London. A young woman named Sylvia has been found drowned, an apparent suicide, but her father is convinced it was murder. His secretary, Ann Carter (Rona Anderson of The Flaw), begs Smith to take the case but at first he seems more interested in romancing her. Smith goes about interviewing several people who knew Sylvia: her lawyer, Hector Reith (Alan Wheatley); her fiance, a puppeteer named Roger Ford (Herbert Lom of Mysterious Island); and one of her best friends, Louise Balfour (Greta Gynt). When someone tries to run over Smith and Ann it's clear that somebody is violently opposed to his investigation. 

Richard Carlson and Greta Gynt

Whispering Smith, a character first introduced in a novel and then in movies, was actually a 19th century railroad detective known for being rather quiet, hence "whispering." Alan Ladd played the part in a 1942 western. In this one-shot movie starring Richard Carlson the character has been updated to the 20th century, but he doesn't seem very quiet, but rather brash in the way of most American private eyes. Carlson gives a very good performance, Rona  Anderson is cute and charming, Greta Gynt radiates a certain sensuality and menace, and Wheatley and Lom make convincing antagonists; Lom is especially effective, as usual. Reginald Beckwith [Doctor in Love] is cast as a man who was a victim of vicious blackmail. Usually a comic figure, he gives a good, if brief, dramatic performance in this. An interesting element has to do with a sinister nursing home called Star Opaque, which is actually a mayhem-for-hire outfit run by the creepy Dr. Taren (Daniel Wherry). An early production from Hammer studios, this is better than their usual mysteries, well-acted, with an interesting plot (even if the ending is not that big a surprise) and characters and a swift pace. Nice score by Fred Spencer.

Verdict: Some more Whispering Smith films with Carlson would have been welcome. ***. 

BLACKMAIL (1947)

William Marshall and Ricardo Cortez

BLACKMAIL (1947). Director: Lesley Selander. 

Ziggy Cranston (Ricardo Cortez) calls in a private eye, Danny Turner (William Marshall), when he is blackmailed by a avaricious gal named Carla (Stephanie Bachelor). When Carla is murdered, Ziggy is less concerned that he might be accused of the crime than that there might be associates of the dead woman who still have the incriminating photographs. This turns out to be true, and one of those associates winds up dead in Ziggy's swimming pool. Thinking Ziggy did the deed, Danny wants no part of murder and calls the police, but when the cops, including Inspector Donaldson (Grant Withers) get there the body has disappeared. Ziggy's gal, Sylvia (Adele Mara), backs up his story that there was no murder and no body, but Danny determines to get to the bottom of things. Along the way he has to contend with casino owner Kellaway (Roy Barcroft of The James Brothers of Missouri), his punch-happy associate, Pinky (Tristram Coffin of King of the Rocket Men), the supposedly French chauffeur Antoine (Richard Fraser of The Tiger Woman), and other nefarious characters before he reveals the true killer at the climax.

"I didn't do it!" Ricardo Cortez and Adele Mara

Blackmail is another bit of film noir from Republic studios featuring many of their contract players. Star William Marshall, who was once married to Ginger Rogers, makes a very convincing movie-type private eye radiating toughness and insolence in equal measure although he isn't given many opportunities to love up the ladies. Cortez plays the part in such a way that you never quite know if he's on the level or making things up as he goes along. Adele Mara is okay if a little bland in this as Cortez' squeeze. The plot is a wild and confusing  concoction that has a few holes in it, although it's entertaining enough and fast-paced. Marshall should have made more of these but this was his only appearance as Danny Turner. Probably the best thing about the movie are the ferocious fistfights which approach the level of the fisticuffs seen in Republic serials.

Verdict: Fast-moving Republic private eye flick. **1/2. 

DANGER ZONE

Virginia Dale and Hugh Beaumont

DANGER ZONE (1951). Produced and directed by William Berke. 

In the first of three movies starring Hugh Beaumont as boat renter and sometime private eye Denny O'Brien working out of Pier 23 in San Francisco, he gets involved in two separate cases (as he does in the subsequent films Roaring City and Pier 23). In the first story a woman at an auction, Claire Underwood (Virginia Dale), importunes Denny to bid for her on a locked suitcase that turns out to contain a saxophone. Claire isn't the only person who wants the sax, there's a dumpy fellow named Dunlap (Ralph Sanford) who's after it as well. Then there's a poor guy named Bud Becker (Don Garner) who wants the instrument simply to play sweet music and winds up poisoned to death. Lt. Bruger (Richard Travis) is convinced that Denny is up to his ears in murder and mischief, but with the help of his pal the professor (Edward Brophy), Denny is able to find out the secret of the sax and the identity of the killer.

Beaumont with Tom Neal

In the second story Denny is hired by another private eye, Edgar Spadely (Tom Neal), to escort a woman, Vicki (Pamela Blake), to a party on a yacht. This turns out to be a trick so that the lady's husband can catch her in a compromising position with a photographer at the ready. Naturally Lt. Bruger suspects Denny of murdering the husband even as Denny fingers Vicki and her accusatory niece, Sheila (Paula Drew), who will inherit all of her uncle's money. Eventually the unsurprising truth comes out. A fast pace is the main asset of Danger Zone, although the first story has a slight bit of suspense to it. Beaumont and Travis are good as the bickering hero and cop, although Denny never comes off like an especially likable character. The women give mediocre performances and aren't very sexy, either. Edward Brophy adds some humor and gives arguably the most notable performance as the tippling professor, who sleeps on a couch in Denny's bedroom. Don Garner is also memorable in his bit as the sick and dying Bud, whose tragic death is barely remarked upon. From Lippert Pictures. 

Verdict: Low-grade film noir. Proof that B movies transitioned into TV shows, in this case literally. **.  

PIER 23

Hugh Beaumont and Richard Travers

PIER 23 (1951). Director: William Berke.

Dennis O'Brien (Hugh Beaumont of Railroaded) lives on the San Francisco docks and operates as a troubleshooter. Father Donovan (Raymond Greenleaf) importunes Denny to meet up with an escaped con on Pier 23 and bring him to the priest, who hopes to convince him to turn himself in. Denny grabs the guy, who insists on taking time out to see a shady lady named Ann (Ann Savage). Denny is slugged and wakes up to discover that the escaped con is a corpse -- and it turns out that he wasn't even the guy he was supposed to bring to Father Donovan. This leads into a convoluted plot involving wrestling fraud (!) and murder. 

Ann Savage with Beaumont

In the early fifties Hugh Beaumont starred in three films featuring the character of Dennis O'Brien, who takes on cases but doesn't really seem to be a licensed private eye. His adversary was Police Inspector Lt. Bruger (Richard Travis of Missile to the Moon.) Beaumont gets into the hard-boiled style even better than he did as Michael Shayne in the forties, but the character is callous and unlikable. The films were generally two radio scripts put together and it's sometimes hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Pier 23 is talky and convoluted but also fast-paced at 57 minutes, and it has an interesting cast. 

Beaumont vamped by Margia Dean

Ann Savage of Detour is typically vivid but she doesn't have much time on-screen and it's never clearly delineated as to how exactly she fits in the story line. Mike Mazurki of New Orleans Uncensored plays a wrestler named "Ape," and Edward Brophy is comedy relief as Professor Shickler, Denny's tippling roommate. Eve Miller gives a poor performance as Savage's nicer sister, Norma, but Margia Dean is more flavorful as a dead wrestler's widow named Flo. Frankly Dean and the other ladies are not exactly the sexiest women in the world, but the real beauties don't wind up in poverty row pictures. (Dean was actually the mistress of producer Robert L. Lippert.) On the other hand, Joi Lansing has a small role as a cocktail waitress and is rather sexy. This is atmospheric and well-acted but the plot is poor. 

Verdict: Despite a solid performance from Beaumont this never really catches fire. **.

X MARKS THE SPOT

Damian O'Flynn

X MARKS THE SPOT (1942). Director: George Sherman. 

Eddie Delaney (Damian O'Flynn of The Hidden City) is a private eye who is about to go into the Army. His father, Timothy (Robert Homans), is a beat cop who is shot to death when he confronts some suspicious characters at a warehouse. Eddie is determined to find out who murdered his dad, but he is warned by Police Lt. Bill Decker (Dick Purcell) that he can't become a vigilante no matter how he feels. When a suspect named Marty Clark (Jack La Rue) is shot and killed in his own nightclub, Bill arrests Eddie for the crime. In tried and true PI fashion, Eddie slugs Bill and takes off to solve the crime on his own. He has help from his "dream gal," Linda (Helen Parrish), a woman whose voice he has only heard when he asks for a song on the jukebox but who got involved in the murder when someone asked her to say there was a black-out and she tells everyone to turn out the lights. 

Helen Parrish and Damian O'Flynn

X Marks the Spot is a standard WW2 private eye melodrama that doesn't boast too many surprises. Not as rugged as other private dicks, O'Flynn still makes a reasonably appealing protagonist, and Dick Purcell is also good as the head cop on the case. Helen Parrish is acceptable as Linda but there are more interesting females in the movie, such as Lulu (Anne Jeffreys), who dallies with Marty, and Billie (Edna Harris), Linda's amusing older co-worker. The only other well-known cast member in the movie is Neil Hamilton, who plays a man who hires Eddie to find out who stole two empty trucks that belonged to his company.

O'Flynn with Dick Purcell

The motive behind everything may seem strange today but we have to remember that during WW2 rubber was a hot commodity. This is another movie that takes advantage of the fact that decades before the jukeboxes with which we are familiar, people in clubs could get tunes by calling up an exchange wherein the "d.j" would play records at a central location and pipe them out to different establishments (or something like that; it's a bit confusing, frankly). George Sherman also directed The Lady and the Monster. 

Verdict: Acceptable PI meller. **1/2. 

THE HIDDEN EYE

Edward Arnold

THE HIDDEN EYE (1945). Director: Richard Whorf. 

Jean Hamptom (Frances Rafferty of Public Defender) is engaged to Barry Gifford (Paul Langton), but their marriage may be delayed by murders in the family. Now you would think two murders would be enough for Jean to seek the help of blind friend Duncan Maclain (Edward Arnold), who happens to be a private eye, but she waits until three of her relatives -- elderly uncles in general -- are gone before she goes to see him. Each body is found with the same note, and the room is full of the same perfume. Naturally Barry is under suspicion as a potential fortune hunter, but there is one other suspect, lawyer Phillip Treadway (Ray Collins). When his antagonist realizes that Maclain is on the right track, his seeing eye German Shepherd, Friday, is kidnapped. 

Rafferty, Collins, Langton

This is the second of two MGM films starring Arnold as Maclain, and it's nearly as bad as the first one, Eyes in the Night. This sequel is at least more of a nominal murder mystery, but as there's only one serious suspect one can't say this has much suspense to it. The culprit is revealed halfway through the running time and the rest is a lot of uninteresting running around. At least Maclain gets involved in a rather ferocious fist fight at the very end that temporarily wakes the viewer up from their stupor. The cast is game, and Arnold, always an excellent actor, proves as charismatic as ever, but this material is way beneath him. Byron Foulger [Lady in the Death House], Morris Amkrum [Earth vs. the Flying Saucers] and Arthur Space are also in the cast. 

Verdict: This short-lived detective series was done in by very poor scripts. **. 

EXPOSED (1947)

Adele Mara and Mark Roberts

EXPOSED (1947). Director: George Blair. 

"He probably got admitted to the bar too often." -- referring to attorney-turned-drunk Severance. 

Lady private eye Belinda Prentice (Adele Mara) is hired by Colonel Bentry (Russell Hicks) to investigate the doings of stepson William Foresman (Mark Roberts of The Brothers Brannigan), who has supposedly been acting strangely. Belinda and associate Iggy (William Haade) have barely gotten started when the client is found dead in his study. Suspects include William, his sister Judy (Lorna Gray), the attorney turned drunken butler Severance (Harry Shannon), the lawyer Lowell (Charles Evans), seedy gunsel Chicago (Bob Steele), Dr. Richard (Colin Campbell of The Lost World) and the odd Professor Ordson (Paul E. Burns). Belinda's father, Inspector Prentice (Robert Armstrong), just happens to be the lead cop on the case, and he doesn't appreciate his daughter's interference. 

Robert Armstrong and Adele Mara

The notion of a female private eye was still unusual enough in the forties, but while Exposed starts out in snappy enough fashion, it soon bogs down into a very routine Republic studios programmer that lasts less than an hour and is much less entertaining than the average episode of Perry Mason (Mark Roberts appeared eight times on that series). There are no clever murder schemes nor any surprises whatsoever. In fact, the only memorable sequence is a protracted and explosive fight between Iggy and Chicago that reminds one of the kind of fisticuffs you would see in one of Republic's serials. The actors are all professional enough although none of them especially distinguish themselves. Mara seems over-rehearsed throughout. 

Verdict: Except for the lively fight scene, this is pretty dull. *1/2. 

THE TIGER WOMAN (1945)

Kane Richmond

THE TIGER WOMAN (1945). Director: Philip Ford. 

Private eye Jerry Devery (Kane Richmond) is contacted by a pretty singer at the tony Tiger Club named Sharon Winslow (Adele Mara). Sharon is afraid that something might happen to her husband, the club's co-owner, because of gambling debts, but she also confesses that she is in love with her husband's partner, Steve Mason (Richard Fraser). Sharon and Steve find Mr. Winslow's dead body along with a suicide note, and Steve decides to burn the note so that he can collect on his partner's insurance. Now even the police are sure it was murder -- and maybe it really was. Devery discovers a suspect, Rosie (Donia Bussey), who had a grudge against Winslow and she is arrested, but are things as neatly sewn up as Devery thinks? 

Adele Mara and Richard Fraser

Based on a play, The Tiger Woman -- not to be confused with the cliffhanger serial of the same name -- comes off like an interesting pastiche of various private eye novels. There are no major surprises in the plot but there are some twists and turns along the way and the flick is entertaining. It also features an especially ruthless and sociopathic villainess. Kane Richmond plays the private eye in the insouciant style that was nearly obligatory during the period, and he's perfectly okay on that level. Adele Mara doesn't have to do much but look good, alternately purring and snarling, but she is also okay. Richard Fraser and Donia Bussey offer adept supporting performances, and Cy Kendall [Lady in the Death House] is more than adequate as the fat Inspector Leggett. Although Leggett amd Devery eventually unravel the clues in the case, they generally don't come off as especially intelligent investigators. From Republic Pictures.

Verdict: Private eye pastiche from Republic. **3/4.

THE CRIMSON KEY

Kent Taylor

THE CRIMSON KEY (1947). Director: Eugene Forde. 

Larry Morgan (Kent Taylor) is a none-too-successful private eye -- he still owes his secretary Daisy (Vera Marshe) several weeks of back salary -- who finds a much-needed client in Mrs. Swann (Bernadene Hayes). Mrs. Swann has sensed a distraction in her husband, Dr. Swann (Douglas Evans), and wants Larry to find out if he's seeing another woman or if it's something else. In rapid order, both Swann and his wife are soon murdered, but Larry decides to earn his retainer anyway and keep investigating. Riiiight. 

Doris Dowling and Kent Taylor

This brings him into contact with a number of suspects: entertainer Paris Wood (Ann Doran); her fiance Jeffrey Regan (Edwin Rand); artist Peter Vandaman (Ivan Triesault);  Dr. Swann's adoring assistant Miss Phillips (Victoria Horne); psychic psychiatrist Huntley G. Harlow (Milton Parsons of The Hidden Hand); his seductive confederate, Heidi (Louise Currie); the jealous Steven Loring (Dennis Hoey); and his attractive, dipsomaniac wife, Margaret (Doris Dowling). Everything seems to center on a key that was in the possession of the Swanns and may have secret information inside a locker. Larry has the usual love-hate relationship with the cop on the case, Captain Fitzroy (Arthur Space of 20 Million Miles to Earth). 

Dennis Hoey, Kent Taylor and Arthur Space

When Larry and his secretary learn that Dr. Swann has been murdered they express absolutely no sympathy for either him or his widow -- only dismay over the loss of a paying client -- so it is out of character for Larry to want to keep investigating just because the now-dead woman paid him several hundred dollars -- he would just go out and drink and let the cops do their job, which is what he first suggests to Mrs. Swann before her own murder. A bigger problem with the movie is that despite its complicated plot (with all the familiar elements of the genre) and relatively fast pace, it's so talky and dull. Taylor and the other actors -- especially Doris Dowling -- turn in perfectly good performances, but despite a satisfying conclusion this just doesn't work. The lack of a strong musical score is a another major deficit. 

Verdict: Private eye movie from 20th Century-Fox that never really catches fire. **. 

ACCOMPLICE

Richard Arlen and Veda Ann Borg

ACCOMPLICE (1946). Director: Walter Colmes.

Private eye Simon Lash (Richard Arlen) gets a surprise visitor, Joyce (Veda Ann Borg), the woman who left him at the altar years before to marry a wealthy man. Now her husband is missing and Joyce wants Simon to track him down, although he is wary that this is merely a divorce case, which he wants no part of. Simon's investigation takes him to a mink farm, where he encounters the suspicious Sheriff Rucker (Archie Twitchell), along with a couple of bodies. Eventually the trail leads Lash to a mysterious castle in the desert (not to be confused with the Charlie Chan film of that name) where elderly men with shotguns have got an operation running that might put Lash in a bit of difficulty.

Accomplice is a fast-moving, interesting PI story, although towards the end it does get a little ridiculous. However, the acting is sharp, there are certainly interesting settings, and the action is all resolved in a satisfactory and exciting manner. Although Arlen makes a more than credible private eye, he was never to play Lash again. 

Verdict: Entertaining PI flick from the forties. **3/4. 

WELCOME!

I have been doing the Great Old Movies blog for about ten years -- covering all kinds of movies (primarily but not limited to those that are twenty-five years old) -- but much of the material I have covered can't necessarily be considered "great" nor especially classic. Of course, there are two things to remember: some acclaimed classic films with major stars don't wear well and may actually be rather poor (as you can tell if you've read my blog); and there are lots of "B" movies and genre films, as well as old TV shows, that are excellent. So B Movie Nightmare will be the sister blog to Great Old Movies, focusing on genre films (horror, sci-fi, fantasy, crime and detective, etc.), exploitation items, old, often-forgotten TV shows, and all the stuff that may not necessarily qualify as a "great old movie" but, conversely, may not be that bad at all. In addition, B Movie Nightmare will cover films, TV (as well as the occasional non-fiction book and novel) from all decades, even if I will concentrate primarily on older material. And, of course, I will cover the stinkers, hopefully in amusing fashion. 

Depending on my schedule, B Movie Nightmare will at first come out on a monthly basis, generally the last week of the month, while the first three weeks will be given over to Great Old Movies, (although it is possible that GOM may eventually go on a bi-weekly/twice monthly schedule). This is subject to change. 

The photos directly above are from the following pictures: Attack of the 50 Foot Woman with Allison Hayes; The Brasher Doubloon with George Montgomery playing Philip Marlowe; Bert I. Gordon's The Cyclops; and Jacques Tourneur's Curse of the Demon. The main blog photo up above is from William Castle's Homicidal, with Joan Marshall (as "Jean Arless") and Eugenie Leontovich.