THE BEAST MUST DIE

Calvin Lockhart

THE BEAST MUST DIE (1974). Director: Paul Arnett. 

A black man named Tom Newcliffe (Calvin Lockhart) is chased by what appear to be white mercenaries through a forest and is apparently shot and killed. But Newcliffe turns out to be the wealthy owner of the island, and the men have been hired to test him and his security equipment. Pavel (Anton Diffring) is the chief security officer and watches everything that happens on the island through not-so-hidden cameras.

Peter Cushing

Newcliffe has become convinced that one of his guests, all of whom have some dark secrets in their past, is a bonafide flesh-eating werewolf,  and as the full moon approaches he is determined to find out who the guilty party is. Suspects include painter Paul Foote (Tom Chadbon); pianist Jan (Michael Gambon); Jan's girlfriend Davina (Ciaran Madden); the businessman Pennington (Charles Gray); Dr. Lundgren (Peter Cushing), who is knowledgeable about the loup garou;  and even Newcliffe's beautiful wife, Caroline (Marlene Clark). As victims with torn-out throats start piling up, and the survivors are unable to leave the island, panic begins to set in and the already slightly unhinged Newcliffe becomes even more manic and possibly dangerous.

Anton Diffring and Calvin Lockhart

The Beast Must Die benefits from an excellent premise and a suspenseful and exciting screenplay by Michael Winder (taken from a story by James Blish). Paul Arnett's direction is satisfactory. It is interesting that the lead role is played by handsome Nassau-born "blaxploitation" star Lockhart [Myra Breckenridge], whose flamboyant acting style doesn't quite work with this material. A frail Peter Cushing [The Gorgon] has little to do as the doctor who dispenses wisdom about werewolves, but he does it well. Anton Diffring [The Man Who Could Cheat Death], another old pro like Cushing, plays with his customary adeptness and authority. The other actors are mostly professional and on target in their portrayals. Marlene Clark is dubbed by Annie Ross, which may be why her performance seems a bit odd at times. The film has a "werewolf break" in which the audience has thirty seconds to decide who they think the monster is. Aside from this one theatrical feature, Paul Arnett directed British television productions. From Amicus Studios. Douglas Gamley's theme music is awful and completely inappropriate. 

Verdict: Imperfect but entertaining and unusual werewolf-on-the-loose flick. ***. 

JAMES BOND: LICENSE RENEWED

LICENSE RENEWED. John Gardner. 1981.

After the debacle of Colonel Sun by Kinsley Amis -- the first 007 novel since the death of creator Ian Fleming -- James Bond was reintroduced and reinvigorated by John Gardner in this excellent thriller which began a whole new series of Bond novels by Gardner. In this adventure Bond is up against the potent combination of Anton Murik -- a nutty physicist who is outraged that the world has rejected his new ideas for nuclear plants as “unsafe” -- and Franco, one of the world's most dangerous terrorists. To gain money to build his devices and prove the scientific community wrong, Murik, with Franco's aid, comes up with a scheme to take over several nuclear power plants and cause simultaneous melt-downs unless a massive ransom is paid. Of course, he has no intention of letting Franco keep his share of the money, and hires Bond, whom he thinks is a mercenary, to assassinate the terrorist. Then there are the two women in Murik's life: his niece Lavender Peacock, who seems to be on the side of the angels; and his girlfriend Mary Anne Mashkin, who appears not only to be Murik's partner in business but in other ways as well. Murik is the Scottish Laird of Murcaldy, although he may not have the right to the title. (In On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Ernst Stavro Blofeld also pretended to be something he was not.)

The climax takes place on a giant starlifter aircraft in which Bond has a chilling fight to the death with Murik's lieutenant Caber, and there are exciting sequences at festivities in Perpignan in the French Pyrenees (including a fashion show in which Lavender is a model). Murik almost approaches the level of a classic Bond villain, although Franco is not developed nearly as well.

Verdict: Suspenseful, well-paced, and well-written, overall this is a Damned Good Show! ***1/2.

VOODOO WOMAN

Touch Connors wants none of Marla English

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

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

Wedded bliss? Tom Conway and Mary Ellen Kay

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

Verdict: Moderately compelling schlock. **.

PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO

Phyllis Coates vs Gorilla

PANTHER GIRL OF THE KONGO (12 chapter Republic serial/1955. Director: Franklin Adreon. 

Dr. Morgan (Arthur Space of The Crimson Key) and his cohorts Cass (John Daheim) and Rand (Mike Ragan) have discovered diamonds in an abandoned gold mine and want to scare the natives out of the territory so they can work it without interference. To that end Morgan uses a formula to enlarge crawfish to giant size, creating "Devil Monsters" that terrify the tribesmen. Wildlife photographer Jean Evans (Phyllis Coates), who is known as the Panther Girl due to her heroic actions regarding a rogue panther, and who frequently rides around on an elephant, wants to film and possibly capture one of these monsters with the assistance of Larry Sanders (Myron Healey). This is something Cass and Rand try to stop on a regular basis. 

Claw Monsters go at it

The "claw monsters" are the most interesting feature of this entertaining serial, which frequently uses stock footage from Republic's previous jungle cliffhangers. Amazingly, the natives are portrayed by actual black actors! I believe the monsters are photographed in slow motion which almost makes them seem to be products of stop-motion animation at times, although the time factor would make that unlikely. Trying to prove the existence of these creatures for the authorities with her home movies, Jean photographs them separately so that there's nothing to show their actual size in relation to everything else. In reality everyone would just assume she was taking pictures of ordinary craw fish! 

Myron Healey and Phyllis Coates

Dr. Morgan also drugs the natives to make them compliant and to work against Jean and Larry along with his two nasty hirelings. In the cliffhangers, Jean's arm is grabbed and nearly torn off by a giant claw; Larry is almost run over by a jeep rushing toward his prone form on the road; a maddened gorilla goes after Jean for heaven knows what purpose; and Larry gets caught in deadly quicksand even as the natives lob arrows at him and his would-be rescuers. The entertaining serial moves at a swift pace and boasts excellent theme music by composer R. Dale Butts. The serial was shown on television in an abbreviated form as The Claw Monsters.  

Verdict: Thrills, fistfights, gun battles, and yucky giant monsters! ***. 

PHARAOH'S CURSE

Mark Dana and Ziva Rhodann

PHARAOH'S CURSE (1957). Director: Lee Sholem. 

"It was never Robert's fate that he should meet a peaceful death." 

In 1902 Egypt Captain Storm (Mark Dana) travels with a woman named Sylvia Quentin (Diane Brewster) to her husband's archaeological site in the Valley of the Kings. Native uprisings against the Crown have necessitated a bodyguard for Mrs. Quentin and Storm is elected. Along the way they encounter a mysterious female named Simira (Ziva Rhodann), whose brother, Numar (Alvaro Guillot), is working at the dig. Sylvia basically wants a divorce from her husband, Robert (George N. Neise), but bigger problems develop when they open the tomb of King Rahotep, and there is a transfer of souls from the mummy into Numar, who instantly ages and even turns into a blood-drinking vampire. 

A vampire that looks most unwell

Pharaoh's Curse has some atmosphere and isn't badly acted but it never develops into a truly memorable horror film. In his vampire form, Numar manages to drain every ounce of blood from both animals and humans, but he does it in such a record-breaking amount of time that it's almost comical -- one can imagine him slurping up a person's entire blood supply in a matter of seconds. The fact that he hardly seems animated or energetic enough to do much of anything makes it even funnier. George N. Neise seemed to make a specialty of playing immoral and weasel-like characters. This was the first film credit (after one TV appearance) of Ziva Rhodann, an Israeli actress who was first billed as Ziva Shapir in this film and others; she did mostly  television work. From those fine folk at Bel-Air Studios. 

Verdict: Mediocre vampire-mummy movie. **1/4.  

INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN

Steven Terrell and Gloria Castillo

INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN (1957). Director: Edward L. Cahn.

"I bet you killed one of my price heifers!" -- Farmer Larkin

Out near Lover's Lane in the town of Hicksville, two teens who plan to get married -- Johnny (Steven Terrell) and Joan (Gloria Castillo) -- run over a little green man who came out of a spaceship. Bedeviled by the creature's severed but animated claw, they contact the police, only to be accused of killing a huckster named Joe (Frank Gorshin of Hot Rod Girl) who hoped to cash in on the alien's body. As the military close in on the spaceship and ultimately destroy it, Johnny and Joan decide to find the little green man's corpse for themselves, and do the sensible thing -- by fleeing the police station and stealing a patrol car! They enlist the aid of Joe's roommate, Artie (Lyn Osborn), who doesn't seem the slightest bit concerned or even that curious about his supposed friend's demise. Since the adults won't listen to them, Johnny and Joan gather up the necking teenagers and decide to take care of the alien invaders -- if that's what they even are -- themselves. 

aliens on the loose!

Invasion of the Saucer Men is not a very good movie, but it's not an out and out parody, although it comes close at times. The aliens, who are short but have big, membranous and ugly heads, appear only briefly, although one of them has a fight with a bull, injecting the animal with alcohol (as it did Joe) via needles at the end of its fingers. As for the cast, Steven Terrell was a regular on the sitcom Life with Father, and played a lot of "teen" roles, although he was actually 28 when he appeared in Saucer Men. Gloria Castillo was 24 and also played a number of teen roles, mostly on television. 

Because they're young? Terrell and Castillo

Raymond Hatton nearly steals the movie with his blustery and amusing portrayal of Farmer Larkin, who is always afraid some one will steal or kill one of his price heifers.  Douglas Henderson, who plays Lt. Wilkins of the U.S. Air Force,  was in Bert I. Gordon's King Dinosaur and amassed quite a few credits. Frank Gorshin, who later achieved a measure of fame playing the Riddler on Batman, is fine as the ill-fated Joe and seems to be having fun. Ronald Stein contributed a quirky musical score which is still creepy when it needs to be. The constant references to how the teens just won't be believed about the aliens because they're young, and how clueless those pesky adults can be, gets "old" very quickly.

Verdict: See it once and never again. **1/4.

IT CAME FROM 1957

IT CAME FROM 1957: A Critical Guide to the Year's Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films. Rob Craig. 2013; McFarland.

1957 was a banner year for the release of films in the horror, fantasy, and science fiction genres, and this book chronologically looks at the prodigious output, including numerous double-bills and a few re-releases. In the first chapter, author Rob Craig puts the year into context, especially as it pertains to The Bomb -- its ethical implications, fear of nuclear attack, and especially of the effects of radiation on people, animals, and insects, the results of which were often shown in these movies.  

First a disclaimer. Scholarly books about film come in two categories. There are those written by people who are knowledgeable about cinematic technique and the different elements of film and analyze a movie in such terms. Then there are writers who are not so "film-aware" and focus more on psycho-sexual and sociopolitical aspects of film, examining -- frequently over-examining - real or imagined subtext, not that this is necessarily an invalid way of looking at films. It Came from 1957 could be called a combination of both types, because author Craig does seem film-aware, although he also indulges in examining non-cinematic  subtexts -- a little too much for my taste, which, for me at least, weakens the book.

The first chapter of the book, although perhaps too long (many readers will be impatient to get to the actual movies) is quite well-written, informative and often fascinating. On the other hand, Craig is given to overstatement and over-simplifying far too often, and along with the good points he makes he also spouts unsubstantiated conspiracy theories in a way that at times seems childish. But the big problem for me is the pseudo-intellectual nature of the book, particularly in the section that covers the movies. There is nothing wrong with examining the sub-text of a film (even if it this sub-text was unintended) -- and to be fair Craig occasionally intimates that the writers and directors were in most cases just making silly horror flicks with no underlying themes or motives --  but he just takes it too far: the book literally has several laugh-out-loud moments. For example: 

"Yet, as we all are, the crab monster's very existence is challenged  by the horrific inroads of phallic culture via the burgeoning military-industrial complex, and its mascot -- baleful emblem of patriarchal intimidation -- the mushroom bomb that can easily kill us all."

Well ... I think even Roger Corman, who directed Attack of the Crab Monsters, the film in question, might scratch his head at that. It's not that it's hard to get -- it's just silly! At times Craig seems positively obsessed with phallic and vaginal symbols to the point where you're thinking of Dr. Frederic Wertham's debunked tome "Seduction of the Innocent," wherein he twisted panels every which way to come up with evidence of the comic book industry's horrible influence on teenagers. 

However, despite the horribly pretentious psycho-babble, the book can still be fun to read at times (tedious to digest at others). I agree with Craig's disdain for the over-rated Star Wars, love Crab Monsters possibly even more than he does, and can't help but be impressed by his enthusiasm for his subject, no matter how misguided at times. Craig is rather inconsistent when it comes to Bert I. Gordon, and there are times I suspect he was reviewing some movies from distant memory. The book also left me confused on where he stands on LGBT rights, as he finds homosexuality (often in a negative light) in certain films that honestly have no gay characters. 

Verdict: It was a very good year if a highly imperfect if interesting book. **1/2. 

REFORM SCHOOL GIRL

Gloria Castillo

REFORM SCHOOL GIRL (1957). Director: Edward Bernds.       

Donna (Gloria Castillo) has an unfortunate home life living with her miserable Aunt Rita (Claire Carleton) and her lecherous, leering uncle (Jack Kruschen). No wonder she decides to go out for a ride with Gary (Wayne Taylor). Unfortunately the driver is Vince (Edd Byrnes of 77 Sunset Strip), and the car they're in is stolen. Throwing Gary and his own date, Josie (Luana Anders), out of the car, he takes off for a wild ride with a resisting Donna, and runs over and kills a man. Frightened of Vince's retaliation, Donna refuses to tell the cops who the driver was, and is sent to reform school, where things, are, if anything, even worse. 

Edd Byrnes and Ralph Reed

Donna finds herself in the Hastings School for Girls, run by Mrs. Trimble (Helen Wallace). There is also a teacher named David Lindsay (Ross Ford), who is doing research on the tough lovelies but who is unlikely to inspire romantic feelings in any of them. Donna earns the enmity of some of her fellow inmates, including Roxy (Yvette Vickers, who looks like crap in this). Things get worse when the devious Vince has a lady pal call the police pretending to be Donna, and she gives Josie's name to them -- Josie winds up at the Hastings School herself and with the help of the other girls, who hate snitches, decides to get even with Donna. Donna's only friends are Ruth (Jan Englund) and Jackie Dodd (Ralph Reed), a nice boy who sneaked inside the gates to go on more than one date with her. Vince forces Ralph to show him the way inside, but Ralph may have other plans. 

Yvette Vickers and Ralph Reed

Reform School Girl is a modestly entertaining flick with a good lead performance by Castillo [Invasion of the Saucer Men]. Vickers [Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman] is typically zesty, most of the other gals play with vitality, Edd Byrnes overacts a bit but is sufficiently nasty, and Ralph Reed makes an appealing "good boy" to counterbalance Byrnes' snake in the grass. Sally Kellerman has a small role as nasty, violent Marcia; she seems to literally tower over the other girls. Bernds also directed High School Hellcats. 

Verdict: "Chicks" in the hoosegow. **3/4. 

THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES

Linda Stirling and Dennis Moore

THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES (15 chapter Republic serial/1945). Directed by Spencer Gordon Bennett and Fred C. Brannon.

A man from  Mars (Ray Barcroft), the first wave of an invasion force and who calls himself the "Purple Monster," kills Dr. Layton (James Craven) and periodically takes over his body to use in his nefarious schemes. (Apparently his animating the corpse of Dr. Layton also prevents obvious decomposition.) Unaware that her uncle is actually a Martian invader, Layton's niece Sheila (Linda Stirling) and her associate, Craig (Dennis Moore), an insurance investigator, find themselves persistently in deadly conflict with the Purple Monster and a variety of earth gangsters headed by a man named Garrett (Bud Geary).

Dennis Moore about to be incinerated

The Monster first wants the rocket ship invented by Layton, then goes after a deadly "annihilator," as well as a Dimensional Magnet and a Stabilizer. Naturally Craig and Sheila do their best to keep these weapons out of the hands of the Monster and his men. At one point the Monster brings in a female Martian named Marcia (Mary Moore), who kills and takes over the body of poor Helen (Rosemonde James), a scientist's assistant who's in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sheila and the Martian witch have a "cat fight" on top of a cliff that doesn't go well for Marcia in chapter twelve. The Monster reports to the Emperor of Mars (John Davidson), who isn't certain that Barcroft is the right man for the job.

James Craven and Dennis Moore

The Purple Monster Strikes is full of lively fight scenes and a variety of cliffhangers. Sheila is almost shot into space inside a rocket in chapter one. Craig nearly falls off a ladder between two buildings when it totters and crashes into a wall in chapter two. There is a watery death trap for Sheila in chapter six and Craig is nearly squashed by a falling auto hanging on an overhead pulley in chapter eight. A moving wall pushes Craig towards bars lined with spikes in chapter ten. Dennis Moore is swell as Craig and has one of the best voices of any leading man. Stirling is decorative and reasonably adept as well. Craven and Barcroft are enthusiastic supporting players. There is no scene showing Sheila's remorse when she learns that her uncle has been dead all this time! Craven played a scientist who forms an alliance with an invading Martian in the later Flying Disc Man from Mars.

Verdict: Crazy but lots of action and fun. ***. 

SHE DEVIL

Mari Blanchard

SHE DEVIL (1957). Director: Kurt Neumann. 

Dr. Dan Scott (Jack Kelly of Cult of the Cobra) is convinced that all animals have the ability to heal themselves, and has come up with a miracle serum derived from fruit flies. His associate and friend Dr. Richard Bach (Albert Dekker of Gammera, the Invincible) warns him against testing it on humans, but they both agree there is no harm in testing it on a hopeless case, a dying woman named Kyra (Mari Blanchard). The serum not only saves Kyra's life, but gives her amazing healing properties as well. To study any further effects of the serum, Kyra agrees to move in with the two men -- the maid Hannah (Marie Blake) will serve as chaperone -- but they soon discover that Kyra has a decidedly ruthless and opportunistic nature. 

Marie Blake displays her opinion of Kyra's painting

She Devil should have been a fun movie, but it lacks energy and real viciousness and never fully exploits its potential. One gets the impression that Kyra -- who has a hard-luck story we never really get to hear -- was a sociopathic personality long, long before Dr. Scott administered his magical elixir, but this never occurs to the scientists. Despite the elixir being derived from fruit flies, Kyra never starts crawling across the ceiling or turning part-bug as The Wasp Woman does -- or as the hero does in The Fly, also directed by Kurt Neumann -- although that certainly might have been amusing. Blanchard plays the sexy hard-boiled, one-dimensional Kyra as well as anyone could, supported by a bland Kelly and an earnest Dekker. Marie Blake, herein billed as "Blossom Rock" as she was later on The Addams Family TV show, has one of her best and biggest roles and is very funny as the disapproving maid Marie, especially when she reacts to a painting of Kyra that she gives cast-off lover Dr. Scott as a wedding present. 

Jack Kelly and Albert Dekker

Two other significant roles in the film are played by John Archer and Fay Baker, the former as Barton Kendall, a wealthy suitor -- and then husband -- of Kyra's and the latter as the former's outraged wife, Evelyn, who is helped into eternity by the actions of the second Mrs. Archer. Although the score by Sawtell and Shefter at times tries to work up some pathos, sympathy, for Kyra (in the hopes that it was the serum that made her evil, as unlikely as that might be), the movie is too junky to really make anything of this. In fact, She Devil would have been a much more worthwhile watch if it was even more lurid and sensational. Paul Cavanagh shows up briefly as a wealthy man Kyra assaults and robs in a dress shop. Kurt Neumann also directed They Were So Young. 

NOTE: The same source material was used for an episode of Science Fiction Theater, "Beyond Return," that aired two years earlier. 

Verdict: Too tame by far. **. 

THE INVISIBLE MONSTER

Richard Webb

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

A man who calls himself the Phantom Ruler (Stanley Price) is determined to take over the nation with an invisible army. He already wears a black cloak which makes him disappear under a certain kind of light. Now he has enlisted the often unwilling aid of illegal immigrants who work in various disciplines. PR and his thuggish helpmates -- who are almost constantly outwitted by handsome insurance agent Lane Carson (Richard Webb) -- try various means to get money and chemicals. Along the way Lane and his pretty assistant Carol (Aline Towne of Radar Men from the Moon) face danger at every turn. 

Stanley Price and Douglas Evans

There is no suspense over the identity of the Phantom Ruler because he is unmasked in chapter one, although his actual name or occupation is never revealed. However, the serial itself does work up some suspense over how Lane and Carol will finally capture the elusive mastermind. The couple are nearly immolated by a stream of gasoline and a fiery truck explosion in chapter two, and are trapped by a river of fire in a mine in chapter five. In chapter seven Lane is tied to a railroad hand-car loaded with explosives and sent hurtling toward an express train as Carol tries to prevent the collision with her automobile. In chapter eight Lane manages to free himself from a pit below a trapdoor when the house above is set on fire. 

Richard Webb takes aim

Lane has a condescending attitude when he first finds out that a woman is to be his partner. "Isn't this an unusual job for a woman?" he sniffs. However, he is eventually won over by Carol's courage and aptitude. Webb [Captain Midnight] makes the perfect serial hero, stalwart, strong, square-jawed, and both "dreamy" and heroic in bearing and appearance. Towne is also capable as a serial leading lady, although she is less colorful than others. Price underplays his role of despicable monster and manages to be convincing if unexciting. Lane Bradford [Zombies of the Stratosphere] is sneeringly effective as the chief thug in the Phantom Ruler's employ. John Crawford is his helpmate, and the "foreigners" forced to help them include John Hamilton, Douglas Evans [The Crimson Key], Dale Van Sickel and George Meeker. Tom Steele and Marshall Reed, both of whom were in very many serials, also make appearances on opposite sides. Stanley Wilson's excellent score expertly compliments the action -- and there is plenty of it in this exciting serial. 

Verdict: Despite the absence of an unknown archenemy and flying, costumed hero, this is still a fun cliffhanger serial. ***. 

CONFIDENCE GIRL

Hillary Brooke

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

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

Tom Conway and Hillary Brooke

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

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

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

HOSTILE WITNESS

Ray Milland also directed the film

HOSTILE WITNESS (1969). Director: Ray Milland. 

Attorney Simon Crawford (Ray Milland, who also directed the film) is horrified to learn that his daughter, Joanna (Sandra Tallent), has been killed by a hit and run driver. Soon after, Simon's old friend, Judge Gregory (Percy Marmont), who was practically an uncle to the young lady, is found murdered. The prosecutor insists that there is evidence that the dead judge was the hit and run driver, and that Simon, who swore to kill whoever ran over his daughter, is the murderer. Simon does not believe that the judge was the driver, and knows he did not commit the murder. Now the arrogant barrister finds himself on trial, and a lot depends on a strange letter and a private investigator who may or may not even exist. 

Hostile Witness is absorbing enough although the plot, taken from a stage play, is a bit on the creaky side. Milland is fine as Simon, and he gets some able support from Sylvia Syms as a legal assistant, Ewan Roberts as his lawyer, Hamish Gillespie, and Norman Barrs as another associate, Charles Milburn. Geoffrey Lunsden is also effective as Major Maitland, a dear friend of Simon's who may do more harm than good on the witness stand. It's all professional, reasonably fast-paced, but all in all just too minor to be that memorable. Milland also directed Panic in the Year Zero and a few other theatrical films along with several TV episodes. There is at least one loose end remaining at the film's conclusion. 

Verdict: Watchable if forgettable. **1/4. 

CAPTIVE WOMEN

Gloria Saunders and Robert Clarke

CAPTIVE WOMEN (aka 1000 Years from Now/1952). Director: Stuart Gilmore. 

In 3000 A.D. after a nuclear holocaust, mankind has developed into two groups. "Mutates," who are disfigured and can't give birth to normal children, and "Norms" who were spared the ravages of radioactivity. In the shattered ruins of Manhattan, the Norms live in the abandoned subways while the Mutates have a conclave in New Jersey and send raiding parties out through a secret underwater passageway, probably the Holland tunnel. What the mutates are raiding for are "norm" females in the hopes that one will give birth to a normal child, which is strange as the mutates hate the norms and vice versa, so you'd think they'd want their children to be mutates.

Ron Randell

In any case, another problem for this particular tribe of norms is a man named Gordon (Stuart Randall), who leads another norm tribe that resides upstate; Gordon wants to take over the Manhattan tribe. He chooses to do this on the wedding day of Rob (Robert Clarke), son of the Manhattan chief, and Catherine (Gloria Saunders), daughter of the High Priest. Unfortunately, the sluttish Catherine is in league with slimy Jason (Douglas Evans), who is in league with Gordon. One of the best scenes in the movie shows Gordon giving an unsuspected and violent "reward" to Jason for helping him take over the tribe. Rob and his friend Bram (Robert Bice) are taken captive, along with some women, by the mutates, who are led by Riddon (Ron Randell). Not as disfigured as the others, Riddon is hoping for peace between the two groups, as is a lovely norm lady named Ruth (Margaret Field). But will Gordon allow this to happen? 

Saunders with Douglas Evans

Captive Women pre-dates Roger Corman's post-nuclear film Teenage Caveman by several years, but it, unfortunately, doesn't include any monsters, radioactive or otherwise, which it could have used. Instead it's a fairly straightforward, somewhat absorbing, and generally unexciting look at bigotry and jealousy, as well as another rip-off of Stephen Vincent Benet's classic short story "By the Waters of Babylon." On the plus side are some of the performances. Ron Randell, with an inappropriate British accent (the actor was actually born in Australia) that doesn't quite ruin his portrayal but somehow adds to it, comes off best, giving a genuine performance when others might have phoned it in. William Schallert is also notable as another mutate who tries to take leadership away from Randell, and Clarke is fine as the noble Rob. Saunders is zestily nasty betraying everyone right and left, and Margaret Field (Sally Field's mother), Bice, and Evans are perfectly competent. The picture has plenty of atmosphere. The prologue sequence, which makes it all too clear for the atomic age that what follows is a cautionary tale (but is really just the same old schlock with pretensions) is at least well done. The sixties comic book Mighty Samson, which also took place in a ravaged post-nuclear New York City , was a lot more entertaining. 

Verdict: This could have used a big lizard or a giant spider or two. **1/4.

THE CRIMSON GHOST

The Crimson Ghost played by ?

THE CRIMSON GHOST (12 chapter Republic serial/1946). Directed by William Witney and Fred C. Brannon. 

A masked figure called the Crimson Ghost is secretly one of the board members of a scientific society. Professor Chambers (Kenne Duncan) has invented the cyclotrode, the "most powerful offensive weapon in the world" and the Ghost can't wait to get his hands on it. The cyclotrode can neutralize virtually all forms of energy. The Ghost and his associates Ashe (Clayton Moore) and Bain (Rex Lease) enact various schemes to either steal the cyclotrode or make a duplicate, doing their best to loot armored cars and purloin some heavy water. Their efforts are stymied by Duncan Richards (Charles Quigley), who is not only a physicist himself but a security man. His associate Diana (Linda Stirling) proves an able helping hand on more than one occasion.  

Linda Stirling and Charles Quigley 

The Crimson Ghost is an exciting and briskly-paced serial, with lots of Republic's trademark furious fisticuffs and furniture-smashing battles. Our hero falls from a wire he's traversing in chapter three, almost succumbs to poison gas pumped into a locked room in chapter four, and apparently falls from a high window into an alley with a thud in chapter eleven. Chapter six is especially action-packed, featuring a plane crash, a battle by cliff side, and the explosion of a bridge. The Ghost is, as usual, an  utterly ruthless, amoral and sociopathic criminal and his henchmen are little better. Quigley makes a stalwart hero in this; Linda Stirling had more to do in earlier serials such as Zorro's Black Whip and The Tiger Woman, when she was the leading lady.  Quigley was in a number of serials and B movies. 

Verdict: Punches and thrills galore. ***. 

YOU HAVE TO RUN FAST

Elaine Edwards and Craig Hill

YOU HAVE TO RUN FAST (1961). Director: Edward L. Cahn.

Roger Condon (Craig Hill), a young doctor, has to treat a dirty cop who was beaten by thugs who work for mob boss Jim Craven (Grant Richards). When the crooked cop dies, the police want to put Condon in protective custody, but he wants to stay in charge of his life. Therefore he runs off to become a sporting goods salesman -- rechristened Frank Harlow -- in a small hunting community. Meanwhile Craven and his men go on the hunt for Condon, hoping to eliminate him as a witness. The doc stays in an inn owned and run by Colonel Maitland (Willis Bouchey) and his daughter Laurie (Elaine Edwards).  

Craig Hill and Jack Mann as Lt. Carbo

The first problem with this poorly scripted movie is that the lead character is an asshole. He expresses not the slightest remorse nor regret after a cop who was assigned to protect him -- after he's refused to go to a hotel -- is gunned down (but then the lead detective doesn't seem especially bothered by this, either). His idea of "living his life" is shaving his mustache, getting contacts, and completely giving up his hard-earned career as a doctor -- say what? Laurie comes off like a hopeless she-geek -- she is so desperate to have a relationship with Condon that for a birthday present she actually gives him a picture of herself! (Talk about pushy!) Fortunately for her, Condon is equally interested in Laurie. 

As the excitement doesn't mount, Craven shows up in town with two more thugs, leading Condon to run off once more, and a gun battle develops with the old Colonel and his rifle playing a large part. You Have to Run Fast comes off like a barely-produced and padded television episode and it resists interesting developments at every turn. Craig Hill was a handsome "B" actor who went to Europe to make features. He finally got married at age 64 after having hot flings with Rock Hudson and, reportedly, Marlene Dietrich, among others. His early romantic life might have made a more interesting movie than this stinky picture. Director Cahn keeps things moving but to no avail with this bad a story. 

Verdict: Run fast from this movie. *1/2. 

COP HATER

Partners: Robert Loggia; Gerald S. O'Loughlin

COP HATER (1958). Director: William Berke.

Detective Steve Carelli (Robert Loggia) and his partner, Mike (Gerald O'Loughlin), look for a man who has been gunning down cops at the rate of one a day. Steve has a deaf-mute girlfriend,  Teddy (Ellen Parker), and Mike has a wife named Alice (Shirley Ballard). In between having drinks, fooling around with the ladies in their lives, and occasionally talking to suspects, the two detectives -- who always seem tired even though they actually do very little -- eventually uncover a suspect or two. But will they ever find the right guy?

Russell Hardie and Jerry Orbach

Cop Hater is based on a novel by Ed McBain of the well-known 87th Precinct series. These books feature Detective Steve Carella, although the film changes his name to Carelli. The movie is a misfire on virtually every level. For one thing, considering the fact that cops are being killed, the movie has absolutely no urgency or pacing at all. As noted, Carelli and Mike don't seem to do very much actual detective work, and nobody but their boss, Lt. Byrnes (Russell Hardie), seems to give a damn about much of anything. Loggia is only okay as Carelli, but O'Loughlin is quite good as his partner, Hardie is excellent as the Lieutenant, and a very young Jerry Orbach makes a decided impression in his one big scene as a young punk, leader of a boy gang that may be responsible for a murder. 

Other good bits are provided by Vincent Gardenia as Danny the Gimp, and Glenn Cannon as Rip, another member of the Grovers gang. As Mike's wife, Shirley Ballard proves no actress, although she somehow managed to amass 42 credits. Lincoln Kilpatrick, Lulu B. King, and Janet Manson, among others, are given some good moments. Albert Glasser's [Beginning of the End] score oddly gets melodramatic during what are supposed to be tender romantic scenes -- it's certainly not the composer's highwater mark. Agatha Christie's "ABC Murders" provides the basic premise for the murders themselves. The Mugger, also directed by William Berke, was another adaptation of an Ed McBain novel. 

Verdict: Lackadaisical treatment sinks this from the start. *1/2. 

IMPULSE

Constance Smith and Arthur Kennedy

IMPULSE (1954). Director: Charles de Latour (Cy Endfield.)

Alan Curtis (Arthur Kennedy) is an American real estate man with a British wife named Elizabeth (Joy Shelton). Alan feels that his life is in a rut, and asks Elizabeth to forget her plans to go see her mother and go off for a second honeymoon in Paris on impulse. Elizabeth refuses, making Alan more susceptible to the charms of a pretty songstress with car trouble named Lila (Constance Smith), whose brother, Harry (Bruce Beebe), is in some kind of dire straits. Alan keeps doing whatever Lila asks and he gets wound up in some crooked business Involving diamonds, police inspectors asking questions, and a few bad guys who are up to no good. 

Constance Smith

Impulse features a typically good performance from Kennedy but the movie -- another bad British so-called suspense film with an American lead -- never really catches fire. As I've said before, this is the kind of movie that fades from memory even while you're watching it, and nothing of great import and excitement ever happens even when Alan becomes convinced that he's killed someone. A scene that almost becomes amusing occurs when the nosy, horse-faced neighbor, Miss Birchington (Jean St. Clair), comes calling when Lila is parading around Alan's house in a towel. The life of Constance Smith, who showed much promise in the beginning but wound up being thrown in jail more than once and tragically died an alcoholic, would undoubtedly been more interesting than this mediocre picture. Smith also appeared in Otto Preminger's 13th Letter. 

Verdict:  The very definition of "minor." **. 

JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET

Carl Ottosen and John Agar

JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET (1961). Producer/Director: Sidney Pink. 

In the year 2001 humankind has solved all of its problems and there is no war or fear of annihilation; the United Nations is the "sole governing body" of the planet. Spaceship Explorer 12, which has an international, if all-male, team of astronauts, is sent on a mission to explore Uranus, the seventh planet of our solar system. Landing on Uranus, the men expect to find a frozen wasteland, but instead they see lush forest land -- and babes! Is this yet another "Space Babes on the Moon" type fantasy a la Missile to the Moon? Not exactly. 

Just what the captain expects to find on Uranus

We learn early on that some kind of unseen presence has entered the minds of the astronauts and gleaned all of their secrets --  their hopes and dreams as well as their fears and nightmares. Lover boy and captain Don Graham (John Agar) runs into some of the beautiful women he knew back home, including Greta (Greta Thyssen). Commander Eric (Carl Ottosen) encounters the one woman he ever loved and lost years ago, Ingrid (Ann Smyrner). Svend (Louis Miehe-Renard) was always scared of rats, so he faces a giant materialization of a kind of rodent-monster. Meanwhile the evil presence that has overtaken Uranus -- a big brain with a glowing eye -- has taken up residence in frigid caverns below the surface where the team will have to try and destroy it. The ladies, of course, are just manifestations of this same creature, but it takes the guys awhile to realize this, and the Commander never does, wanting to bring the malevolent presence back to earth in the form of Ingrid!

pathetic rodent-monster

Journey to the Seventh Planet is a Danish science-fiction film released in the U.S. after some fiddling by AIP. When the nasty alien conjures up a giant arachnid to bedevil the men, the footage is actually from Bert I. Gordon's Earth vs the Spider, albeit tinted. The film's other monster is a pathetic, one-eyed clawed alleged rodent monster that is brought to life by fifth-rate stop-motion animation. Strangely, in the early sections as the men wander around wondering what on Uranus is going on, the film comes off like a Twilight Zone episode, and then seems more like early Star Trek, with similar shenanigans (aliens casting illusions and so on) and cheap production values. Despite its many flaws, Seventh Planet does work up a bit of suspense and holds the attention, although it wears out its welcome after about an hour with more than a quarter hour to go. The music is effective and there's a pleasant enough theme song at the end. 

Verdict: Watchable enough if not that memorable. **1/2.