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.

MISSION IMPROBABLE: CINNAMON CARTER DOES DIETRICH

Bain as Cinnamon as Dietrich

MISSION IMPROBABLE: "CINNAMON CARTER" DOES DIETRICH.

In the season three episode of Mission: Impossible entitled "Illusion," Barbara Bain, playing model-turned-spy Cinnamon Carter, summons up the image of a woman who was murdered by imitating her act in a nightclub. Intentional or not, Bain does an absolutely hilarious take-off on Marlene Dietrich, flat, off-key singing in a German accent and all. Arguably, it's the best acting Bain ever did on the show. Rarely did Cinnamon (or Bain) ever show emotion, and when Cinnamon -- arrested and jailed during a mission in another episode ("The Exchange") -- seems to break down in her cell, it's hard to tell if Bain is actually acting or just pretending to act like Cinnamon does. Incredibly, Bain won an Outstanding Actress Emmy for all three seasons that she was on the show, while her much more talented husband, Martin Landau, while nominated each year, never won (he did, however, win a well-deserved Supporting Actor Oscar for Ed Wood.) You just never know ... To be fair to Bain, while a great actress she may never have been (My mother used to say, "she only has one expression!") she did add a certain something, a kind of oomph to Mission: Impossible, and both she and Landau were missed when they left the show, although Leonard Nimoy was a great replacement for Landau.

Verdict: They should have recorded Cinnamon's singing on an album and played it at parties for laughs! 

THE TELEVISION HORRORS OF DAN CURTIS

THE TELEVISION HORRORS OF DAN CURTIS: Dark Shadows, the Night Stalker, and Other Productions. Jeff Thompson. McFarland; second edition 2019. 

Although producer/director Dan Curtis was also responsible for the mammoth and critically acclaimed mini-series The Winds of War and its sequel War and Remembrance,  he will always be primarily remembered for his prodigious output in the horror field. This includes Dark Shadows and its reboot as well as the big-screen adaptations; The Night Stalker, which introduced Carl Kolchek (Darren McGavin); the notable theatrical film Burnt Offerings; videotaped adaptations of literary classics such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Dorian Gray, Frankenstein etc.; and numerous horror telefilms, some of which were quite effective (Scream of the Wolf) and others which were merely mediocre (the over-rated Trilogy of Terror and others). Author Jeff Thompson provides lots of behind-the-scenes details in several chapters that explore these various projects, as well as a chapter on projected projects that never came to be. Although at times Thompson writes as if Curtis can do no wrong -- and despite some good work I'm not necessarily convinced Curtis was some kind of horror genius -- the book is still well-written and very entertaining.

Verdict: If you love the work of Dan Curtis, this is the book for you. ***.

VACATION DAYS

Warren Mills and Freddie Stewart

VACATION DAYS (1947). Director: Arthur Dreifuss.

Miss Hinklefink (Belle Mitchell), a teacher at Whitney High, takes her graduating students -- and Professor Townley (Milton Kibbee), the principal of the school and her crush -- for a vacation at her ranch in the town of Gulch's Gulch. There young Freddie Trimball (Freddie Stewart) is mistaken for a notorious outlaw named "Angel Face," whom he greatly resembles, and assorted people do their damnedest to kill him. 

Jim Hart and June Preisser

Vacation Days is yet another in the series of "Teen Agers" films from Monogram studios and along with the aforementioned players we've also got the usual suspects: Frankie Darro, Noel Neill, Warren Mills as the kind-of-campy Lee, and perky June Preisser; Jackie Moran was apparently on a real vacation when this was made.  Handsome Jim Hart plays "Big Jim," the foreman at the ranch, who gets the girls' juices flowing but may not be all he seems to be; Hart had a minor career primarily based on his looks but he amassed 168 credits! 

With his very nice voice and amiable screen presence, Freddie Stewart makes an impression singing the standard "Once in a While," but despite a few chuckles and spirited players, the movie has little else to recommend it. 

Verdict: More Teen Agers than you can shake a stick at! **.

HELL HATH NO FURY

Loretta Swit

HELL HATH NO FURY (1991 telefilm). Director: Thomas J. Wright. 

Terri Ferguson (Barbara Eden of Dead Man's Island) has a happy marriage to furniture store owner Stanley (David Ackroyd). One afternoon Stanley is murdered by an old girlfriend, Connie (Loretta Swit), who has been obsessed with him since college. Not only does Terri have to deal with the loss of a man she loved, but she discovers they were practically broke, their daughter (Amanda Peterson) far preferred her father over her mother, and now the police are zeroing in on her as the primary suspect. Meanwhile Connie changes her appearance and befriends Terri, who has no idea that this is the woman who ruined her life ...

Barbara Eden

Hell Hath No Fury is an absorbing telefilm, although it never becomes the nail-biter it could have been. Loretta Swit offers the best performance as Connie, who improbably manages to hide her demented state a bit too well. Barbara Eden has been offered a terrific role in this -- better than psycho-Swit's, in fact --  but while she's competent, she simply hasn't the acting chops to really make the most of this opportunity. Amanda Peterson is adequate as Michelle, but Conor O'Farrell offers a flavorful if obvious performance as a young detective who is smugly convinced of Terri's guilt. Richard Kline and Kim Zimmer are fine as close friends of Terri's who try to help her through her ordeal and wind up paying a terrible price. William Lucking plays an older cop, and Natalie Core has a strong moment or two as Connie's very distraught mother. 

Verdict: Entertaining "psycho-bitch" movie with some exciting moments. **3/4. 

ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS

The crab prepares to feast

ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS (1957). Produced and directed by Roger Corman.

A research party on an isolated atoll where atomic testing took place has disappeared, and a new group has been sent to investigate. Although they believe that the members of the first party are deceased, they eerily keep hearing their voices in the night. It develops that the radiation has mutated two land crabs into giants who develop the thought patterns of the people they devour, and turn against humans to protect their species. As one scientist puts it, "once they were human. Now they're land crabs." The crab telepathically calls out in the voices of the dead men in order to pounce upon the members of the new group. To make it easier for the hungry crabs to turn the scientists into prey, they use explosive energy charges to blow up the island bit by bit, giving the potential victims less places to run to.

Richard Garland and Pamela Duncan

Although the basic premise of the story might have been taken from an old horror comic tale, Attack of the Crab Monsters adds some unique elements of its own. It would be easy to dismiss the flick as absurd and highly illogical -- why does only one crab devour all of the members of the first party, for instance  -- but it's hard to dismiss the effectiveness of Roger Corman's adroit direction and the sheer disgusting creepiness of the situation the scientists find themselves in. (If anything, the actors in this completely underplay the terror and disorientation their characters must be feeling.) 

"Foolish. Very foolish."

The actors include "B" movie stalwarts Pamela Duncan [Soldiers of Fortune], Russell Johnson, Ed Nelson [T-Bird Gang], Mel Welles, Leslie Bradley, Richard H. Cutting and Beach Dickerson [Creature from the Haunted Sea, which was also directed by Corman]. Ronald Stein contributes a score which adds to the dread atmosphere, and the film is well-photographed by Floyd Crosby. The highlight of the film is a surreal sequence when the one remaining giant crab emerges from the ocean and telepathically shouts out at the survivors -- "foolish, very foolish" --  in a French accent no less! The low-tech effects fit the production perfectly and are kind of charming. NOTE: For more information on this film and others like it see Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. 

Verdict: Gotta love those crabs. ***. 

HOT ROD RUMBLE

Richard Hartunian as Arnie Crawford 

HOT ROD RUMBLE (1957). Director: Leslie H. Martinson. 

Arnie Crawford (Richard Hartunian) belongs to a racing gang called the Road Devils but is treated like an outsider, possibly because of his sullen nature or out of jealousy over his effect on women. His best buddy, Ray (Wright King), is an Arnie-wannabee who makes a play for Terry (Leigh Snowden), Arnie's girl, although the two are having a rough patch. Terry goes off for a drive with Hank (Larry Dolgin), and someone runs them off the road, killing Hank. Fellow Road Devil Jim (Brett Halsey of High School Hellcats) is convinced that Arnie is responsible, and the whole town turns against him, except, seemingly, for Ray, who may have his own agenda. Meanwhile Arnie hopes to raise the entry fee so he can race and win some cash ... 

Wright King and Hartunian

Hot Rod Rumble is an exploitative title for a melodrama that with a little more care and a more thoughtful screenplay might have emerged as an effective dramatic piece. With presence and sex appeal as well as genuine acting ability, Hartunian makes a solid impression as Arnie, and he gets good support from King and Snowden, among others. Hartunian certainly had all the ingredients for a major career, but he had only four credits, with his last being in 1961. He lived another ten years and died too young at 39. Wright King lived to 95 and amassed 114 credits. Also in the cast is John Brinkley [T-Bird Gang] as a gas station attendant and friend of Ray's. A strange aspect to Hot Rod Rumble is that in the climactic car race not a single car remotely resembles what one would call a "hot rod." Leslie H. Martinson also directed Hot Rod Girl.

Verdict: Some good acting makes this more compelling -- albeit in a minor way -- than you might imagine. **1/2. 

ASSIGNMENT REDHEAD

Carole Mathews and Richard Denning

ASSIGNMENT REDHEAD (aka Million Dollar Manhunt/1956). Director: Maclean Rogers. 

Major Gregory Keen (Richard Denning) of Army Intelligence (temporarily attached to MI-5), is assigned to look for a mysterious man known only as Dumetrius (Ronald Adam) who murdered a man and took his place on a flight from Berlin to London. Keen questions the other people on the flight, trying to get a description, but they either wind up murdered themselves or don't recall what the man looked like. In the latter category is Viennese-born Hedy (Carole Mathews), whom Keen rather rapidly falls in love with. Does she feel the same about him or she is hiding something -- or both? 

Alex Gallier and Ronald Adam

The most memorable scenes in Assignment Redhead don't have to do with the star-crossed lovers or even the manhunt but focus on the interplay between the two main villains of the piece, Dumetrius and Max Rubenstein (Alex Gallier), who was formerly the Nazi collaborator Armand Yannis. Dumetrius has discovered that Yannis has in his possession 12 million dollars of counterfeit American money and he wants it, hoping to strike a deal with the reinvented Rubenstein. Watching these two try to outwit and outfox each other is a delight, and both actors play the roles with restrained zeal. As for the others, Denning and Mathews are professional enough, although Denning "underplays" the more emotional moments which are outside his range. The supporting actors -- Brian Worth as Captain Ridgeway, Jan Holden as a helpful cigarette girl -- are a bit more flavorful in their interpretations. Mclean Rogers also directed Calling Paul Temple.

Verdict: British suspense flick holds the attention. **3/4. 

PUBLIC DEFENDER

Reed Hadley as the Public Defender argues a case

PUBLIC DEFENDER. (1954 television series). 70 half-hour episodes.

Reed Hadley had formerly starred in Racket Squad where he put away the bad guys, but he switched hats for this new series and is defending them (as "Bart Matthews"), although many -- but not all -- turn out to be innocent. The cases were supposedly taken from real-life public defender files -- with the state and the name of the P.D. being stated at the end of each episode -- but this is a bit suspect as one episode, "The Director," clearly takes place in Hollywood but the public defender is from South Bend, Indiana! Say what?

Patrick O'Neal as the (alleged) "Forger"

Public Defender was a more interesting show than it might sound like, and during its two-year run it presented many memorable episodes. "Think No Evil" has Jimmy Lydon accused of armed robbery. "Confession of Guilt" features a woman who is forced to shoot her ex-husband (an excellent Dan Haggerty). "Third Floor Rear" stars a notable Marshall Thompson and Frances Rafferty in a tale of a widower with a little boy who is up against his dead wife's parents. "The Forger" has Patrick O'Neal playing an accused forger who has no less than fourteen witnesses against him. "Badge of Honor" concerns a young cop who falsifies a report and is importuned to do the right thing. "Escape" has a man escaping from a work farm when he gets a letter from a lady that he's in love with -- and she's not worth it (Anne Kimbell gives a notable performance in this episode). "Pauper's Gold" is an especially excellent episode starring Douglass Dumbrille [The Catman of Paris] and Gloria Talbott [The Leech Woman] in a story of a man let out of jail for robbery who is re-arrested.

Marshall Thompson in Third Floor Rear"

"The Failure" concerns a veteran bookkeeper and family man who steals money from his employer because he can't afford nice things for his wife and children. "The Murder Photo" stars DeForrest Kelly in a story of an endangered  little boy who inadvertently takes a photo of a killer's car. In "Crash Out" a convict with only thirty days to go tries to break out of prison. ""All That Glitters" concerns a man accused of shooting his wife who insists that he didn't do it. Guest-stars on the show included Robert Clarke, Randy Stuart, Marie Windsor, Paul Langton, Glenn Langan, Esther Dale, Ann Doran, Martha Hyer, Richard Travis, Percy Helton, Phyllis Coates, Hugh Beaumont, Richard Crane, Frankie Darro, Dennis Hopper and Natalie Wood. Frequent directors for the series included Erle C. Kenton and Budd Boetticher. 

Verdict: Highly interesting early crime show with a solid Hadley as the man you'd definitely want defending you. ***.

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. **. 

HIGH SCHOOL HERO

Freddie Stewart

HIGH SCHOOL HERO (1946). Director: Arthur Dreifuss. 

The third "Teen  Agers" film from Monogram features the old -- and I mean old -- high school gang up to assorted shenanigans at Whitney High amidst singing and dancing. Freddie's (Freddie Stewart) rival Jimmy (Jackie Moran) is now at Fairview High along with his buddy, Roy (Frankie Darro), and Jimmy is still trying to court Dodie (June Preisser). The only thing that will keep the Whitney football team from being trounced by Fairview is by secretly substituting Dodie for Lee (Warren Mills) during the games. When this subterfuge is discovered, the football team resorts to using dance moves to confound their opponents. In another development Freddie has been told that his show for the governor's appearance has been canceled in favor of professional entertainers. Dodie stupidly blames Freddie for this, but he has a plan. He nearly gets in hot water with sexy singer Chi Chi (Lita Baron), and Dodie's sister, Betty (Noel Neill) is on hand to report it all for the school paper. 

Lita Baron as Chi Chi

High School Hero is good-natured nonsense that features a good cast and some nice musical numbers. Freddie Stewart has quite a nice voice as well, and does a fine job crooning the ballad "You're Just What I Crave." Lita Baron scintillates during her nightclub act and has fun trying to vamp the innocent Freddie. Milton Kibbee and Belle Mitchell are back as Professor Townley and Miss Hinklefink, who has a crush on the professor, and Leonard Penn is cast as a psychology professor who ignites the romantic interest of Dodie's other sister, Addie (Anne Rooney). Just when you think the man couldn't possibly appear in yet another movie, Pierre Watkin shows up as the governor!

Verdict: Another amiable Monogram musical. **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. ***. 

THE SPANIARD'S CURSE

Lee Patterson and Susan Beaumont

THE SPANIARD'S CURSE (1958). Director: Ralph Kemplen. 

Guy Stevenson (Basil Dignam) is sentenced to death in a British court after being convicted of murdering an aging party girl. Stevenson mentions something about "Assize of the Dying," which turns out to be a curse on those who passed judgment on him. Margaret (Susan Beaumont), the ward of the sentencing judge, Manton (Michael Hordern), is not so sure of Stevenson's guilt, and neither is Mark (Lee Patterson), the half-brother of the victim. With the help of Manton's son, a reporter named Charles (Tony Wright), Margaret and Mark try to uncover the truth. Stevenson dies of a heart attack, and the jury foreman is run over in the street ... Is the curse beginning to work? 

Michael Hordern and Tony Wright

The Spaniard's Curse is more a work of irony than it is of the supernatural. I was surprised that it wasn't based on a play because at times it seems very talky and stage bound. There is, however, a creepy scene in a cemetery at night, and the film does work up some minor suspense at the very end. The identity of the killer will probably not come as much of a surprise, but it leads to an interesting, dramatic and affecting climax. Patterson, a Canadian-born actor who appeared on Surfside 6 and who also did several British films, is okay as Mark, and Beaumont makes an appealing heroine. Wright just sort of walks through the movie, but Horden is excellent and easily out-acts everyone else, although there are some on-the-money supporting performances. 

Verdict: Minor but somewhat entertaining British suspense film with fine work from Hordern. **1/2. 

SCREAM OF THE WOLF

Clint Walker and Peter Graves

SCREAM OF THE WOLF (1974 telefilm). Producer/Director: Dan Curtis. Screenplay by Richard Matheson. 

A series of gruesome deaths are attributed to an unknown wild animal that authorities fear can transform from a four-legged creature into something that walks upright. John Wetherby (Peter Graves) is called in to search for the beast, and tries to enlist the aid of old hunting buddy Byron Douglas (Clint Walker). John's gal pal, Sandy Miller (Jo Ann Pflug), is convinced that Byron is somehow behind the deaths, especially when he refuses to help John entrap the beast. John feels that the killings are making the whole community feel "alive." Then someone or something breaks into Sandy's home and tries to kill her ...

Old friends turned enemies? Graves and Walker

Scream of the Wolf is one of Dan Curtis' better horror telefilms as it is well-directed and has a lot of eerie atmospherics and suspense. The cast, including Philip Carey as the sheriff, is fine, with Clint Walker delivering an excellent performance as Byron. Some viewers have seen homoerotic elements in the movie, centering on a relationship between Byron and his employee, houseman Grant (Don Megowan of Creation of the Humanoids), whom he met in a bar, as well as a bit of dialogue when Byron says to John "can't you even hold me for a minute?" which actually refers to  an arm-wrestling match! Sandy accuses John of wanting to go off hunting the beast with Byron even if he were the killer! One can read all sorts of things into this scenario, but whether scripter Richard Matheson meant them to be taken that way is debatable. 

In any case, Scream of the Wolf  is worth catching on the Late Show, although viewers might wonder why no one in the movie ever ponders the possibility that the mysterious beast who can walk on two legs or four and tear a man apart might be -- a bear? (It isn't.) 

Verdict: Creepy horror teleflick with a notable Walker. ***.

T-BIRD GANG

John Brinkley and Ed Nelson

T-BIRD GANG (1959). Director: Richard Harbinger. 

Frank Simmons (John Brinkley) drives up to the warehouse where his father is a night watchman and discovers he's been murdered during a robbery. Leaning that a "T-Bird gang" -- named after the getaway car they drive -- led by Alex Hendricks (Ed Nelson of New Orleans Uncensored) is responsible, Frank takes it upon himself to join the gang to get incriminating evidence against them. Eventually Police Captain Prell (Coleman Francis) cooperates and encourages Frank's undercover work. Hendricks' other employees include Barney (Beach Dickerson); blond Raymond (Tony Miller); a boy named, well, "Boy;" and Hendrick's girlfriend, Marla (Pat George). Nola Thorp plays Frank's girlfriend, Kay. 

John Brinkley 

T-Bird Gang is a minor crime meller but it benefits from two very good performances from Nelson -- quite sinister and effective as Hendricks -- and Brinkley. Nelson appeared in numerous Roger Corman films but had a successful career afterwards, while Brinkley was a sexy and talented actor whose most famous credit was probably Corman's Bucket of Blood. He and co-star Tony Miller wrote the screenplay. This was the only film directed by Harbinger. 

Verdict: Acceptable melodrama with lots of bongo music. **1/4. 

THE GELIGNITE GANG

Wayne Morris

THE GELIGNITE GANG (aka The Dynamiters/1956. Director: Francis Searle. 

In London a gang are committing robberies by using dynamite -- or gelignite, as it is known in the UK. The head of this gang is the mysterious "Mr. G." Jimmy Baxter (Wayne Morris) is an insurance investigator who decides to go after this gang, much to the consternation of his partner, John Rutherford (Patrick Holt), who thinks this is a dangerous business best left to the police. Jimmy and John share a secretary, Sally (Sandra Dorne), whom John is smitten with, although she prefers Jimmy. She decides to help Jimmy by investigating a pawn shop that may have something to do with the gang. Then there's young Chris Chapman (James Kenney), who works in a jewelry store that is robbed, has big gambling debts, and may also be involved in the gang. A club owner named Popoulos (Eric Pohlmann), who may be a bit on the shady side, offers some assistance after his head waiter is shot trying to get info to Jimmy. 

The Gelignite Gang is a gritty and fast-paced, if distinctly minor, crime drama with some effective performances, although Wayne Morris at times seems to have wandered in from a different movie. The identity of "Mr. G" will not be much of a surprise to most viewers. 

Verdict: Unremarkable British B movie. **. 

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME

SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019). Director: Jon Watts.

"No one listens to you unless you've got a cape or lasers shooting from your fingers." -- Mysterio. 

While on a class trip to Europe, Peter Parker (Tom Holland), better-known as Spider-Man, encounters a do-gooder who calls himself Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhaal), and helps him and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) stop attacks by elemental creatures. However, Mysterio -- always a bad guy in the comic  books -- turns out to be behind the attacks and now Spider-Man has to stop his deadly plans while managing to stay alive and protecting his classmates. As with the last Spider-Man film, this is very much a Disney-type movie, and doesn't bear that much resemblance to the comic books, just as the multi-cultural supporting cast -- Maryjane is now Eurasian and so on -- are barely related to the originals, even in personality, which is a much bigger problem than their diversity. Long-time Spider-Man fans may find this all disconcerting although I imagine people who are new to the character won't give a damn. There are some good FX and a few exciting scenes as well as a certain degree of tedium. Holland is okay as Peter; Gyllenhaal is uneven as Mysterio; Jackson's overly gruff Nick Fury is merely tiresome. Jon Favreau shows up as "Happy" Hogan from the Iron Man films; you can miss him. Although he does look like a teenager, Holland is actually in his twenties. 

Verdict: Cutesy super-hero flick with some good moments. **1/2. 

SHORT TAKES II

Philip Winchester of In My Sleep

IN MY SLEEP (2010) presents a young massage therapist named Marcus (Philip Winchester of Law and Order: SVU) who suffers from a sexual addiction as well as from being a parasomniac, which means he can do virtually anything while sleepwalking, including having sex with his best friend's wife. When he wakes up all bloody one morning he wonders if he killed someone while asleep. The film is absorbing, suspenseful and well-acted, but it hasn't got much style, and another problem is that there's really only one major suspect. The basic plot might have worked better had it been used for a Dario Argento-type giallo film with several more murders. Written and directed by Allen Wolf. **3/4.

Kim Cattrell and Jeff Fahey

EVERY WOMAN'S DREAM is a 1996 telefilm based on the true story of David Russell Miller (herein called Mitch Parker and played by Jeff Fahey), a narcissistic sociopath, pathological liar and bigamist who keeps two women (DeLane Matthews and Kim Cattrell) on the string while he indulges in a high end lifestyle on other people's money. Mitchell uses a perpetual stream of deception to keep one step ahead of his wives and creditors. He even convinces his first wife that he is an agent for the CIA! It all leads up to a terrible tragedy. This is an absorbing and well-acted telefilm directed by Steven Schachter. ***.

Emrys Jones and Zena Marshall

DEADLY NIGHTSHADE (1953; directed by John Gilling) presents a prisoner on the run who manages to change places with a perfect lookalike, only to discover that the lookalike is responsible for worse crimes than he is. There are interesting story elements to the movie, but the film is just lackluster and fails to take advantage of any of its potentially dramatic situations. It doesn't help that the lead actor, Emrys Jones, is kind of dull no matter which character he's playing. The other actors, including Zena Marshall as the fugitive's ex-fiancee, are much better, and Joan Hickson, famous for her portrayal of Miss Marple many years later, scores as the housekeeper, Mrs. Fenton. **.

Mary Germaine and William Sylvester

HOUSE OF BLACKMAIL (1953) has a woman (Mary Germaine) picking up a hitchhiker (William Sylvester) -- a possible fugitive -- and enlisting him in a scheme in which she hopes to outwit a nasty fat man who is blackmailing her brother over some bad checks. Instead the man is murdered in his mansion, and all of the suspects are locked inside. Although made in the fifties, House of Blackmail comes off more like a 1930's movie, and may indeed be a dusted-off script, The identity of the murderer comes off like a joke. This was directed by Maurice Elvey. Despite his British accent in this, Sylvester was born in California. **.

So superior: Hugh Grant as Jeremy Thorpe

A VERY ENGLISH SCANDAL (3 part 2018 UK mini-series.) stars Hugh Grant as British politician Jeremy Thorpe, who was put on trial for allegedly planning the assassination of his former lover, Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw). This true, if heavily fictionalized and rather sordid story suffers from the fact that neither of its two lead characters are especially admirable, and it unavoidably wallows in a pre-Stonewall time period when homosexuality was seen as sinful. Attempts to add some kind of Gay Lib perspective don't really work. However, the series is absorbing for the most part, and Grant, Whishaw, and others in the large cast all give superior performances. **3/4. 

BEGINNING OF THE END

giant locust attacks 

BEGINNING OF THE END (1957). Director: Bert I. Gordon. 

Ace lady reporter Audrey Aimes (Peggie Castle) is perplexed, to say the least, when she is told by the military that the whole town of Ludlow, Illinois has been cordoned off. Later she learns that every building in town has been completely demolished and all 500 inhabitants have disappeared. She encounters entomologist Dr. Ed Wainwright (Peter Graves of Death Car on the Freeway) who uses a small amount of radioactivity in his experimentation. Investigating a grain storage facility that was wrecked from the inside out, Wainwright's deaf-mute assistant Frank (Than Wyeen) is suddenly set upon and devoured (off-screen) by a humongous locust. Now Audrey knows what happened to those 500 missing people! 

Peter Graces and Peggie Castle

Aside from fans of "Mr. Big," Beginning of the End has been roundly excoriated, but I will gladly say that the movie has always given me the creeps, along with those scary giant grasshoppers (even if the cheap process work makes them look washed out). The picture has a solid script, a fast-pace, unnerving sound effects of the critters chirp-chirrrping before an attack, and a very effective score by Albert Glasser. Graves and Castle make convincing enough leads, with the female emerging as just as courageous as the male, if not more so. The well-constructed climax has the couple attracting the monsters to their building in downtown Chicago so that they can flick a switch that will, hopefully, send them out into the river so they can drown. But will they manage to survive long enough for that to happen?

locust and truck

One can certainly quibble about some of the cheap effects, but that doesn't stop the movie from being entertaining. The "battle" scenes between soldiers and locusts are well-done and often horrifying. For inexplicable reasons the official DVD of the film cuts a shot of a giant locust nearly catching up to a truck full of soldiers upon whom it would certainly pounce, so just to catch that nifty, chilling moment I watch an inferior TV print (see pic on the left). Some well-known character actors are in the cast, including James Seay, Thomas Browne Henry [20 Million Miles to Earth], Hank Patterson, and Morris Ankrum as the general in charge of the whole operation. Gordon also directed Earth vs the Spider and many others. 

NOTE: For more info on this film and many others like it see Creature Features: Nature Turned Nasty in the Movies. 

Verdict: Low-budget insect disaster film with disgusting and voracious monsters. ***. 

UFO TARGET EARTH

Nick Plakias

UFO TARGET EARTH (1974). Director: Michael A. DeGaetano. 

Alan Grimes (Nick Plakias) is a communications researcher attached to a small-town college. One day some telephone lines are crossed and he inadvertently overhears a conversation at the nearby military base about UFOs. Grimes becomes convinced that there is some strange activity occurring out near a power plant and the adjacent lake, and enlists the help of psychic Vivian (Cynthia Cline), Dr. Mansfield (LaVerne Light), and associate Dan Rivers (Tom Arcuragi). Alan discovers that there is indeed something weird in the lake, and encounters strange aliens of pure energy who have a rather unhealthy use for him. 

That hair! Phil Erickson and Nick Plakias

The memory can play tricks on you. I actually saw this film in theaters long ago and my recollections told me to take another look at it. Too bad. Yes, it has its eerie moments, but it's not very good. The acting can best be described as earnest but uninspired. It has the look of an ambitious student film that is padded with all sorts of stuff just to get an acceptable running time. One of the most amazing things in the movie is the hairdo affected by Dr. Whitham (Phil Erickson), which reminds one of Donald Trump's! General Gallagher, whom Alan tries to interview at the military base, is played by Brooks Clift, the older brother of the famous Montgomery Clift! Most of the people who participated in this film had few if any additional  credits. 

Verdict: Atmospheric but rather dull hodge podge. *1/2. 

FREDDIE STEPS OUT

Freddie Stewart and li'l cutie

FREDDIE STEPS OUT (1946). Director: Arthur Dreifuss. 

In the second "Teen Agers" film from Monogram studios, Whitney High School student Freddie Trimball (Freddie Stewart) winds up in hot water when he is mistaken for his double, a crooner named Frankie Troy. Troy has run away from everyone because he wants some peace and quiet, but a rumor is started that Freddie is actually Frankie -- which infuriates his gal Dodie (June Presisser) when "his" wife and baby -- actually Frankie's -- show up. Things are further complicated when the principal, Professor Townley (Milton Kibbee), comes to the mistaken conclusion that the baby belongs to Dodie. 

High School kids? Frankie Darro and Noel Neill

Freddie Steps Out is a cute if minor musical comedy with at least one fairly memorable production number, "Patience and Fortitude." Also on hand are Jackie Moran as Freddie's rival, Jimmy; Frankie Darro as Jimmy's pal, Roy; Noel Neill as Roy's on-again/off-again girlfriend and Dodie's sister, Betty; Belle Mitchell as teacher Miss Hinklefink; Warren Mills as the jittery Lee; and Anne Rooney, now playing Dodie's other sister, Addie. Douglas Fowley [Lady in the Death House] plays Troy's anxious manager, Mr. Adams. There's also an un-credited but very adorable baby. Whitney is probably the only high school in history that has its own dormitory! 

Verdict: Actually has a few good chuckles. **1/2.   

NO TRACE

Hugh Sinclair

NO TRACE (1950). Director: John Gilling. 

Robert Southley (Hugh Sinclair) is a best-selling mystery writer, radio host, and former actor. Patronizing and chauvinistic, he has a secretary, Linda (Dinah Sheridan), who puts up with him probably because she's in love with him. Inspector MacDougall (John Laurie) doesn't think much of Southley's crime novels, and thinks he should learn more about police procedure. This opportunity presents itself when Southley murders a blackmailer (Michael Brennan), and MacDougall invites him to tag along on their investigation. Southley finds himself in a bit of a sticky wicket, and now Linda is beginning to have suspicions herself ...

No Trace is an entertaining and well-acted British suspense film -- Laurie is especially good in this -- and other cast members include Dora Bryan as the dead-common Maisie, who lives in the same boarding house as the victim, and Barry Morse as Sgt Harrison, who is an assistant to MacDougall and is also sweet on Linda. 13 years later Morse became famous as the policeman hunting David Janssen on the long-running TV series, The Fugitive. You would never have known that Morse was actually an Englishman who emigrated to Canada and eventually got many American roles; he amassed about 150 TV and film credits, and that's not even counting his numerous stage credits. 

Verdict: The acting, a fast-pace, and interesting situations put this over. ***.