Saturday February 06, 2010 at 10:24
The Doomed Farmer ploughs some cinematic jungle terrain and finds two of the T-Man’s best movies.
TARZAN’S GREATEST ADVENTURE (1959)
Written by Berne Giler & John Guillermin Directed by John Guillermin
A group of four white men disguised as natives stealthily rob a jungle hospital of explosives, killing a doctor and a radio operator in the process. Learning that his old nemesis Slade is responsible, Tarzan (Gordon Scott) is soon on their trail, but is hampered by Angie (Sara Shane), a downed aviator. The opening sequence immediately announces a new approach to this Tarzan film: the raid is conducted without dialogue, the only sounds those of the jungle night and the fitful cries of a baby awakened by the presence of the raiders. This new approach continues and florishes as we meet the criminals: Slade (Anthony Quayle), a psychotic killer more interested in inflicting pain and death than in the hidden diamond mine he and his gang are ostensibly after; Krieger (Niall MacGinnis), a sweaty gem specialist and, it is implied, ex-Nazi; O’Banyon (Sean Connery), a reckless braggart; Dino (Al Mulock) owner of their boat who has a mother fixation; and Toni (Scilla Gabel), Slade’s girlfriend, lusted after by the others. This is one of the two best Tarzan films ever (the other being TARZAN AND HIS MATE), with the most realistic Tarzan ever. Scott is here a lethal, powerful, avenging force, his determination visible in his eyes, with no animal assistants to aid him, requiring only a knife, a bow and his wits to bring his crafty foes to justice. He’s quite human, too; after Angie nurses him back to health following an attack by Slade, he sleeps with her - no mention of Jane being back in England for this Tarzan! With this film and its sequel, TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT, in both of which he has the benefit of good scripts, direction and fellow actors, Gordon Scott proved himself to be the best Tarzan since Weissmuller. Sara Shane’s Angie is an unusual 1950s heroine; a capable bush pilot and wiseass urbanite who thinks she knows better than the local jungle yokels, but is intelligent enough to soon realize that she is in over her head, evolving into a worthy sidekick for the apeman. She is at the center of one of the film’s most suspenseful scenes, when she boards the bad guys’ boat to steal medicine for the wounded Tarzan, while Toni, her Italian counterpart, sunbathes on the cabin’s roof, a rifle near at hand. Shane, who resembles a softer Sharon Stone, is appealing in the role and plays her well; one wonders why she disappeared from the screen a few years after this film. Slade is Tarzan’s most worthy adversary, played by Quayle with a tense jaw and the single-minded focus of a sadist who would prefer to entrap Tarzan with his wire noose than shoot him from afar. Their climactic fight is grueling and a fitting wind-up to the hunt that precedes it. Slade’s crew is equally fearsome: the versatile MacGinnis as the treacherous Krieger is nearly unrecognizable as the actor who played the elegant Dr. Karswell in CURSE OF THE DEMON, the godly Zeus in JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS or the lovable Friar Tuck in SWORD OF SHERWOOD FOREST, Connery and Mulock are both believable as they goad each other, with Mulock’s death in quicksand offering a striking lingering image, and Gabel fills the bill as the goodtime gal along for whatever she can grab. The score by Douglas Gamley is percussive and suspenseful, and the cinematography of Edward Scaife (assisted by Nicholas Roeg) makes great use of the film’s genuine African locations. Producer Sy Weintraub derserves credit for injecting new vitality into a formula that had grown tired. The Warner Bros. Archive DVD of this Paramount film, which has never before been released to home video, is a good, letterboxed transfer of an unrestored but excellant archival print. Ocassional speckles and dust at reel changes and some pale color here and there don’t mar one’s viewing experience of this superb action adventure.
TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT (1960)
Written by Berne Giler and Robert Day Directed by Robert Day
Abel Banton (John Carradine) and his sons Coy (Jock Mahoney), Martin (Al Mulock) and Johnny (Gary Cockrell) rob a town in Nairobi, killing several people in the process. A local cop follows them and apprehends Coy, but the cop is, in turn, killed by Banton’s family. Tarzan arrives on the scene, recapturing Coy and, with a mis-matched group of stranded civilians in tow, begins the long trek to take Coy Banton to justice in Kairobi, with the murderous family in hot pursuit. Gordon Scott’s final Tarzan movie is a worthy follow-up to the aptly titled TARZAN’S GREATEST ADVENTURE. While not as tightly focused as ADVENTURE — the Banton family isn’t as sharply delineated as Anthony Quayle’s criminal group, Tarzan’s trek isn’t as personal, and there are more in-studio sequences — MAGNIFICENT has its share of terrific action scenes, including a scene in which Scott and Mahoney hide neck-deep in quicksand, as well as their climactic brawl, culminating in the two adversaries’ total exhaustion. Carradine and Mahoney are great father and son villains, and Scott is once again a lone wolf dispenser of justice, using his wits, his knife and, most effectively, his arrows. Its a shame Scott didn’t make more of these adult Tarzan films, though Mahoney made an interestingly mature Tarzan in the two films that followed this one. Robert Day deserves wider recognition as a fine director of action pictures. His work includes Hammer’s SHE, FIRST MAN INTO SPACE, CORRIDORS OF BLOOD, TARZAN’S THREE CHALLENGES, TARZAN AND THE VALLEY OF GOLD, and episodes of “The Buccaneers”, “Adventures of Robin Hood”, “The Avengers” and “Secret Agent”. However you look at it, TARZAN’S GREATEST ADVENTURE and TARZAN THE MAGNIFICENT go to the top of any Best Tarzan Films list, alongside Weissmuller’s TARZAN AND HIS MATE. (Watched on Warner Bros Archives letterboxed DVD, which uses a print with somewhat faded color, but is in otherwise fine condition.)
Footnote:
Here at Bantam Street, we feel Robert Day is a director after our own heart: “That’s the interesting thing that happens with these low-budget movies — that’s why so often directors make their best movies when they don’t have that much money. They have to use their imaginations instead.” (Quoted in Tom Weaver’s “Attack of the Monster Movie Makers”.)
Saturday January 30, 2010 at 11:37
ONE STEP BEYOND Season One
Directed by John Newland
We’ve all been watching lousy Public Domain prints of this series for years. No film or TV show can be properly evaluated when its been cut, spliced, duped into grainy obscurity, it’s color or black and white tonal range drained away. Now CBS has released the first season of this series in beautifully restored form, and it can at long last be appreciated for what it is: not quite as stylish as “The Twilight Zone”, not as wryly humorous as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents”, not as wildly imaginative as “The Outer Limits”, but a solid half hour show dealing with all aspects of the paranormal and supernatural in an adult manner, that delivers some genuine chills. The scripts are all compact narratives, the music creepy (if repetitive), the direction craftsman-like (every single one was directed by host John Newland, which explains how he was always readily available to walk onto the set behind the backs of the main actors). The biggest surprise of the show, for me, is the depth of the acting. I’ve picked three episodes from the beginning of the series and singled out three remarkable performances, but there are many more where these came from.
“The Dark Room”
Written by Francis Cockrell
A young photographer (Cloris Leachman) on assignment to find the “face of France” for a magazine, rents an apartment in Paris, asking her landlady to send her any “typically French faces” she may know. Shortly after, a sad little man (Marcel Dalio) quietly appears in her flat. But her landlady didn’t send him… What makes this episode is not only Leachman’s convincing mounting hysteria, but Dalio’s transformation, done in the course of a close-up monologue, from a sad, quiet, humble personage into… something else. Its done entirely through Dalio’s performance, and is as surprising as it is remarkable. This was thirty years after he performed in Jean Renoir’s classic GRAND ILLUSION, but, amazingly, only midway through his very long career (he acted into the early 1980’s.)
“Twelve Hours to Live”
Written by Merwin Gerard
A husband (Paul Richards) and wife (Jean Allison) have an argument that sends the husband driving off into the rainswept night. He parks on a ledge overlooking the city, smokes a cigarette, thinks better of his behavior and decides to return home. But the ledge he has parked on has been eroded by the driving rain, and he finds himself falling into the ravine below, pinned beneath his car as the water rises. His first call for help is his wife’s name; and in her bed miles away, she hears his voice. What is remarkable about Jean Alison’s performance here is that she is not playing the mounting hysteria of a woman who hears her husband calling her from an impossible distance, but rather she is playing the growing realization of her love for him, how badly she behaved during their argument, and how desperately she wants to find him. It is this depth of characterization that rescues her role from what could easily have been yet another hysterical woman, particularly in the scenes involving the disbelieving cop (Douglas Kennedy) whose help she reluctantly seeks. Allison appeared in a huge list of TV shows from the Fifties through the mid-Eighties, including episodes of “The Rifleman” (“Flowers By The Door”), “Gunsmoke” (“Kiowa” and “The Town Tamers”), and “Have Gun, Will Travel” (“The Last Laugh”).
“Epilogue”
Written by Don Mankiewicz
Upon release from a sanitarium, an alcoholic (Charles Aidman) returns to his wife (Julie Adams) and son (Charles Herbert). He tries to convince her that he will never drink again, but she is reluctant to believe him. She agrees to consider it, and leaves the husband behind to take their son sightseeing. The son is trapped when an old mine they are exploring collapses. There are some plot points here that I don’t want to give away, which make discussing the fine points of Aidman’s performance somewhat difficult. But I will say that when the husband realizes the truth of what he has just seen, it is not merely sheer terror that informs Aidman’s excellent performance, but the character’s alcoholic past as well. Aidman was a good actor with an intense look and distinctive voice who rarely played leads, who shows here what emotional depths he was capable of. (The ever reliable William Schallert also does fine work as Aidman’s doctor.) Aidman’s career spanned the early 1950’s through the late 1980’s. He was responsible, along with Betty Garrett, for creating the theatrical adaptation of “Spoon River Anthology”. He died in 1993.
There are 30 episodes in Season One of “One Step Beyond”, featuring more compact scripts and terrific performances by Virginia Leith, H.M. Wynant, Pernell Roberts, Reginald Owen, Alfred Ryder, Beverly Washburn, Lilyan Chauvin, Maria Palmer, Luana Anders, and more.
— Robert Deveau,
The Doomed Farmer
Tuesday January 26, 2010 at 10:37
WHO — OR WHAT — IS FEEP?
“Who’s Feep? Frankly, we’re not sure. Says he’s from Outer Cosmos and that his being here, in atmosphere, is pure accident. Seems recently he was tooling along the galactic freeway in his ‘63 Meteor convertible when he took the wrong exit ramp and had to retro-rocket to earth. He chose to touch down on Storrow Drive during the five o’clock rush hour – and we, at WNAC-TV, rescued him.
We’re glad we did because Feep seems to be the answer to Channel 7’s search for someone sufficiently far out to be the Official Introducer of our new, far out science fiction series – FANTASMIC FEATURES – all full length movies enjoying first runs in Boston, and many being seen for the first time on TV.”
That was the copy on the newspaper ad that introduced Boston TV audiences to the latest creation of Ed McDonnell, already well known as Major Mudd, host of a daily dose of the Three Stooges. Bantam Street’s own Doomed Farmer, Robert Deveau, has spent years researching McDonnell and interviewing Chris Vecchia, who began his career as Major Mudd’s pie-thrower and eventually became WNAC-TV’s director of film news. The result is an article/interview in the latest issue of Filmfax magazine, packed with funny stories and rare photos about what it was like to work back in the days of live local television. Saunter out to your local bookstore and get your copy now!
Monday January 18, 2010 at 10:52
STUFF I LIKED IN THE 2000’S
I’m not much for keeping lists, so it would be difficult for me to compile a list of The 10 Best Movies or The 10 Best TV Shows of the past decade. Instead, right off the top of my head, here’s a list, in the order in which it pops up, of Stuff I Liked — movies, TV, books —from the past 10 years.
“Dr. Who” (2005 - present)
Though I had seen a few episodes over the years of the original series, particularly those with the original Doctor, William Hartnell, and some with Jon Pertwee, I was never a big fan of the show. Maybe if I’d first seen it as a kid I would have been. So, when the BBC’s new version premiered on the Sci-Fi Channel, I watched it more out of curiosity than anything else. It was the charm and energy of Christopher Eccleston that grabbed me in that first episode, as well as the chemistry he had with his sidekick, Rose, played by Billie Piper. Episode #2, in which the Doctor takes Rose to view the destruction of Earth millennia in the future, added an element of genuine awe which is missing from most sci-fi these days. But it was the episode in which Rose tries to prevent the death of the father she never knew that really hooked me, and its this combination of awe and wonder at the vastness of the universe and the strength and depth of human emotion that makes this series, for me, the Best TV Series of the last ten years. David Tennant ably filled the shoes left vacant by Eccleston at the end of the first season. Big tip of the hat to producer/writer Russell Davies. (For an introduction that doesn’t require any knowledge of the Doctor’s considerable back-story, watch the Rondo Award winning episode titled “Blink”.)
“Deadwood” (2004 - 2006)
It took me a while to warm up to this gritty western, but the terrific writing of creator David Milch and the fantastic acting, especially that of Ian McShane as anti-hero Al Swearengen (but also that of Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane, Keith Carradine as a sad Wild Bill Hickok, Molly Parker as the widow Garret and Jim Beaver as the decent Ellsworth) hooked me on this brilliant show. A modern western that gave new meaning to profanity while allowing its characters to speak in a flowery 19th Century idiom entirely its own, I was furious at HBO for canceling it. Still am.
“Rome” (2005 - 2007)
The troubled friendship of Kevin McKidd as Lucius Vorenus and Ray Stevenson as Titus Pullo anchored this evocative series. Ciaran Hinds (Caesar), James Purefoy (Marc Antony), Polly Walker (Atia), Lindsay Duncan (the implacable Servilia), Indira Varma (Niobi) and, cast against type, Lyndsey Marshal (Cleopatra) lent solid support. Another terrific period piece that HBO canceled much too soon.
“Lost” (2004 - 2010)
I watched the first episode solely because my wife had read a review of it; I wasn’t especially interested in a bunch of 21st Century Robinson Crusoes. But the minute I heard the roar of what we would soon come to know as the Smoke Monster, it was obvious this show was something very different indeed. In the episode in which it was revealed that before coming to The Island Locke (Terry O’Quinn) was confined to a wheelchair, we had one of the biggest surprises in this endlessly surprising show. Though maddening at times — especially the interminable season where the main characters spent their time being tortured in a zoo — its curlicues through time make for boundlessly provocative viewing. Good for creators J.J. Abrams, Jeffrey Leiber and Damon Lindelof for insisting on an end point: I can hardly wait to see what they come up with. But regardless of whatever they deliver in the series finale, the fun of the ride is what makes it all worthwhile.
THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy (2001 - 2003)
Impossibly enjoyable adventure fantasy that stumbled only in its final third (at least in its theatrical cut: I mean, eliminating the downfall of the film’s major villain? What was Peter thinking?), Peter Jackson brought us to a whole new world — something every fantasy attempts but few actually achieve — with companions whose acquaintance we were happy to renew with each subsequent year’s installment.
IGUANA (1988)
Though made in the late ‘80’s, this thoughtful, austere adventure film received no U.S. release until Anchor Bay brought it out on VHS and DVD in 2001. Monte Hellman is a brilliant director whose approach to his material is rigorous and imaginative, always basing his films in his characters’ reactions to their situations; in this case, a 19th Century sailor (Everett McGill) whose deformed face has earned him the derisive nickname “Iguana”. When shipwrecked on a deserted island, he becomes dictator of all he surveys, and he soon has human subjects added to his domain. Made under absurdly limited circumstances and as rugged as the rocky coast of Iguana’s island, Hellman’s film is unlike anything you’re likely to see this year or any other.
The final episode of “Six Feet Under” (2005)
Never as innovative or rich a series as “The Sopranos”, this good HBO series came up with the perfect final episode, one that summed up what the show had always been about: mortality and loss. Beautiful, sad, funny and unutterably moving.
Mia Wasikowska in “In Treatment” (2008)
Proving that Less really can be More, this series took place almost entirely within the confines of one room, that of psychiatrist Paul Weston, beautifully played by Gabriel Byrne. But it was his young, Olympic hopeful patient Sophie, played by Mia Wasikowska, that stole the show right out from under his nose, and everyone else’s. A more heart-breaking performance could not be found on any screen. (I have to make special mention of Glynn Turman as the father of Blair Underwood’s character Alex, for his grief stricken, dangerously angry performance; another standout in a stellar cast.)
“New Frontier” graphic novel by Darwyn Cooke (2004)
Where did the heroes who emerged in the late 50s/early 60s come from, and why? Writer/artist Cooke here does a great job in making an era come to life with heroes worthy of the name, in a story that features an unexpectedly emotional climax.
“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Michael Chabon (2000)
Chabon is a meticulous writer who understands and loves comic books. In this hugely enjoyable, decades spanning epic he combines the story of how Jewish immigrants become Americans with the invention of the superhero, a great romance, and the mythology of The Golem.
PAN’S LABYRINTH (2006)
I had seen only the very good THE DEVIL’S BACKBONE before viewing this masterpiece of modern cinema. I can only compare Guillermo del Toro’s mastery of his medium to such giants as Kurosawa and Bergman. The manner in which reality and fantasy are combined in PAN lends richness and depth to both genres, and makes this - if I were forced to chose - the Best Movie of the last 10 years.
— Robert Deveau, the Doomed Farmer
Monday December 28, 2009 at 9:45
By the time THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN made Peter Cushing known to we citizens of the United States, he was already the biggest star on British television (which, in those days, meant the BBC). At a time when the Shock Theater package had made the classic Universal horror films available to an eager new audience, Hammer was giving new life to the old, public domain properties of Frankenstein, Dracula, the werewolf, and others. But they felt they needed an established star to bolster their new films’ domestic box office potential, and Cushing was their choice. He would bring his now familiar imagination, precision and physical energy to the roles of Dr. Frankenstein and Prof. Van Helsing, making them forever his own. For an insight into just how precise an actor he was, watch him in virtually any of his films as he manipulates a series of props while delivering his dialog with underlying humor or overt urgency. Actors don’t come any better than Peter Cushing.
THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960)
Written by Peter Bryan, Edward Percy & Jimmy Sangster
Directed by Terence Fisher
Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur), traveling from Paris to a girl’s school in Bachstadt, is left stranded by her coach and is offered lodging for the night by the Baroness Meinster(Martita Hunt). There she meets the Baronness’ son (David Peel), who is chained by his ankle to a wall. He charms her into retrieving the key and letting him free. Big mistake. The film’s prologue states: “Count Dracula, monarch of all vampires, is dead. But his disciples live on to spread the cult and corrupt the world.” A more truthful statement might have been “Hammer Films, monarch of all horror filmmakers, could not come to an agreement with Christopher Lee to play Count Dracula, so his disciples now come to life to spread the cult and make us a few more bucks.” Well, that may be a bit cynical, because after much re-writing BRIDES OF DRACULA turned out to be one of the best films Hammer would ever make. The blond Peel makes for quite a different vampire than Lee, Martita Hunt is marvelous as his haughty yet tormented mom, Freda Jackson is a maliciously cackling delight as the Meinster’s servant, Monlaur is, as always, lovely and vulnerable as the heroine, and Peter Cushing once again brings energy, invention and panache to Van Helsing. Reportedly, it was Cushing’s idea to run down the length of the table and jump onto the window curtains at the conclusion of HORROR OF DRACULA, and he once again provides a terrific climactic moment when he leaps upon the blades of a windmill to force their shadow into the shape of a cross, trapping and destroying the Baron. BRIDES is one of Hammer’s Top 10 Best Movies, as far as I’m concerned, and it has never looked so stunningly beautiful as it does on Universal’s “Hammer Horror Series” DVD set. Everyone behind the camera does a superlative job, too: director Fisher keeps things moving while taking the time to invest the characters with depth, and cinematographer Jack Asher uses the temperature differences of color in a manner unlike anything I’ve ever seen: in this movie that is full of doors, archways, entrances and exits, characters are constantly moving from warm tones (amber, gold) into cold (silver, gray), or vice versa. He also uses gels to delineate the depth of his compositions, similar to what Mario Bava did with primary colors, but Asher’s approach is more subtle; for example, in a room that is composed of rich soft reds, creams and grays, he’ll lay a subtle wash of light violet on a white banister, making the actor who crosses into your field of vision pop into virtual three-dimensionality. As many times as I’ve seen this film, this exquisite transfer made me feel I was seeing it for the first time.
THE MASKS OF DEATH (1984)
Written by “John Elder” (Anthony Hinds) & N.J. Crisp Directed by Roy Ward Baker
In 1913, an elderly Sherlock Holmes comes out of retirement to aid Inspector MacDonald (Gordon Jackson) in solving two murders in which the victims died with looks of stark terror on their faces. But no sooner has he begun his investigation than he is called away by the Home Secretary (Ray Milland) to assist in another case that, if left unresolved, could result in a world war. Twenty-five years after he first played the part in Hammer’s HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES, Peter Cushing returns to play Sherlock Holmes in this decent made-for-TV movie. Though 71 years old at the time, and every year etched on his face, Cushing brings his usual meticulous attention to detail and vigor to the great detective, even adding a new (albeit minor) vice to Holmes’ already long list: nail biting. The estimable John Mills makes a fine Watson, and the two seemingly disparate story lines are brought together in a satisfying conclusion. Only Ann Baxter’s performance as Irene Adler is not up to the others around her. As a feature film it is decidedly minor, but it is well mounted and would have made a solid episode of a series. As it is, one can be grateful for the opportunity to see Cushing play Holmes one last time in an intelligent, if not quite outstanding, production. (It was released in the U.S. on VHS but is long out of print, although it can be found on the collectors’ market, as can the remaining episodes of Cushing’s earlier BBC series, which are definitely worth seeking out for fans of Holmes, Cushing, or both.)
—Robert Deveau,
The Doomed Farmer
Tuesday December 22, 2009 at 15:02
SOME VERY SPECIAL, EXTRA SPECIAL, CHRISTMAS SPECIALS
Well it’s that time of year again when Jen and I get all nostalgic and pull out our favorite yuletide TV shows of yore for a Christmas Eve marathon (and believe me, yore was a long long time ago). Each year we set ourselves down in front of a roaring fire and crack open a cavalcade cornucopia of creamy Christmas cathode caramel. Mmmm. So, please, sit back and enjoy what we like to call our “recipe for fun”.
We like to start her off with a bang, something that everyone loves. Like the Rankin and Hitchcock classic, THE ELF WHO KNEW TOO MUCH.
We follow that with another enduring stop-motion puppet fave, THE YEAR WITHOUT SANTA THAT WE ALMOST DIDN’T HAVE THE CHRISTMAS THAT NEARLY WASN’T.
Then, what Christmas would be complete without Dickens’ beloved holiday classic? Not the one you’re probably thinking, though; we like to shake things up a bit with his lesser known yuletide tale, FIGGY DROPPINGS. Everyone’s great in the MGM version, but we prefer the Universal, particularly Angela Lansbury as Mrs. Wezzapenn.
And let’s not wait too long in the evening for this kids favorite, WRENNY THE WRIPPED UP WREATH, featuring the vocal stylings of Mr. Dick Van Patten. What child isn’t wrelieved when Wrenny is finally wrestored at the end?
Time for a sing along! How about everyone’s favorite holiday musical, PANDY! PANDY!. No matter how many times we see this one, we’re always afraid Pandy’s not going to get his Christmas comb. But somehow he always does, and there isn’t a dry ice in the house. Fortunately, humor balances the pathos and the scene where Santa pats himself on the head repeatedly always has us rolling on the floor.
Finally, it’s time to wrap up our big TV Christmas present to ourselves, and we always like to end things on a cultural note with the lovely ballet classic, DANCE OF THE ICE COOKIES. Try getting THOSE tunes out of your head!
Well, we hope this inspires some of you to program your very own Christmas viewing night. Believe me—you’ll be glad you’re not sorry you did!
—Larry “Big Ho” Blamire
Saturday December 19, 2009 at 9:56
I once had an especially vivid dream in which I met Boris Karloff. Though I had the dream about ten years ago, it was set in the early 1960s, so Boris was the figure we saw in Roger Corman’s THE RAVEN or hosting the uneven but sometimes great TV series “Thriller”. An elderly gentleman slightly stooped, but still impressive enough a figure to play villains, scientists and wizards. He was standing at the teller’s window in a bank. I recognized him immediately, though no one else seemed to. I wanted to say something to him, but what? “You were great in FRANKENSTEIN?” How many times had he heard that in the more than 30 years since he made that film? Then, suddenly, it hit me; I knew exactly what to say. I had been listening to the recordings that he made for Camden Records, recordings of children’s stories and Mother Goose rhymes. I had read somewhere that he very much enjoyed doing those; it was the sort of thing he referred to as “getting the ‘spook’ out of him”. I quietly walked up to him and said softly, “Mr. Karloff?” He looked up from his business, those familiar brown eyes locking with mine. “Yes?” he said, his voice a sound I’d been hearing nearly my entire life. “I just wanted to tell you how much I’m enjoying listening to you read Mother Goose rhymes.” His face positively lit up. “How kind of you to say so. I so loved doing them.” And then I woke up.
BEHIND THE MASK (1932) Written by Jo Swerling Directed by John Francis Dillon Federal agent Jack Hart (Jack Holt) goes undercover as hardened criminal Jack Quinn in order to infiltrate a gang of narcotics smugglers and ferret out the identity of “Mr. X”. There is no way to discuss this film without disclosing one big spoiler, but anyone who is a) familiar with classic Thirties horror and b) reads opening credits, will know immediately — SPOILER ALERT — that Edward Van Sloan, who is credited as playing Dr. Munsell, is also playing the diabolical Dr. Steiner. And an all stops out villainous performance it is, the most impressive I’ve seen from this usually stolid actor. Though Boris Karloff gets third billing as the narcotics ring’s second-in-command Henderson, his acting is unusually broad; its Van Sloan’s show all the way, backed up by the very creepy Bertha Mann as Edwards, a nurse who helps Dr. Steiner perform his unnecessary, diabolic operations. Its a good, pulpy crime thriller with mild overtones of horror and sci-fi and terrific shadowy cinematography from “Teddy” Tetzlaff. Constance Cummings is lovely, though not very good, as the daughter of a rich gentleman trapped into working for the dope ring, and Holt is a solid hero. The climactic scene where Van Sloan has Holt at his mercy in the operating room is tense, with a denouement that is quite unexpected. (TCM’s print of this early Columbia film looks great.) THE SORCERERS (1967) Written by Michael Reeves & Tom Baker Directed by Michael Reeves Among the films that Boris Karloff made late in his life, its TARGETS that gets the most respect and attention. Perfectly justified; its a good movie with a fine performance from Boris and a thoughtful script. But THE SORCERERS, never given a wide release in the U.S. and hard to see today, deserves a better reputation than it currently has. The story concerns Prof. Marcos Montserrat (Karloff) , a medical hypnotist who has devised a method of getting into the heads of his subjects in order to cure their ills. When he picks up a young man (Ian Ogilvy) in a coffee shop with promises of thrills without consequence, the Prof. and his wife Estelle (Catherine Lacey) are initially thrilled by the vicarious experience of swimming in a warm pool and dancing at a discotheque. But Estelle becomes enraptured with the power of controlling this young man’s mind and soon pushes him to theft and murder. THE SORCERERS touches on the loneliness of the elderly and what it means to once again feel the sensations of being young without the pains and daily effort age forces upon them. Its a fast paced film with a deeper subject matter than is typical of other sci-fi or horror films of the era, and Reeves roots it in a recognizably real working class London. Karloff and Lacey give excellent performances, perfectly believable as a long-married couple whose underlying resentments are exposed when the wife takes over for her own selfish ends an experiment that her husband had intended to benefit mankind. You can see it for yourself in perfectly watchable form on YouTube, which is where I watched it.—Robert Deveau IS the Doomed FarmerSaturday December 12, 2009 at 10:43
THE BEST MOVIES I SAW IN 2009
The best movies I saw in 2009 weren’t from 2009. Well, okay, one was. But, in compiling my year’s end roundup of favorite films, I realized that only one was released this year. So, if you feel you were tricked here under the pretense of seeing a list of swell 2009 releases, I apologize. Nevertheless, for me, these were the richest, most rewarding, viewing experiences of the year; films I discovered and instantly fell in love with.
So, perhaps as a way of reinforcing just how much is still out there to be mined in the rich cave of cinema(?), here, in no particular order, are the films that made me glad and happy and grateful, once again, to be a movie buff.
UNCLE SILAS (1947) Maybe my favorite find of ‘09; a raving mad gothic horror masterpiece by the mysterious Charles Frank. Wowness…lots and lots of wowness.
INFESTATION (2009) The newbie in the group: Kyle Rankin’s giant bug movie that’s scary and smart and funny. And, hell, Ray Wise is in it.
THE SECRET OF CONVICT LAKE (1951) Strangely affecting, moody, offbeat western in winter mountain setting. Gene Tierney and Glenn Ford lead interesting cast, including Jack Lambert was also in DAY OF THE OUTLAW; perhaps the only similar snowbound western—what are the odds? But really, where has this gem been? Where?
WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY (2007) Hi-freaking-larious satire of the biopic, takes no prisoners. Why this wasn’t a hit is a mystery to me. “It was a particularly bad case of a person being cut in half”.
SEALED CARGO (1951) Dana Andrews in way cool atmospheric-as-hell WWII thriller with an air of mystery as thick as its creepy, foggy sea scenes. And Claude Rains. Kind of a proto-Alistair MacLean with its twists and counter-twists. Ate it up.
WILD ORANGES (1924) King Vidor directs this silent minimalist swamp suspenser that I found quite compelling. Some surprising violence for the time. Charles A. Post plays a hulking psycho in a manner that struck me as way ahead of its time.
WHO WAS THAT LADY? (1960) Dean Martin almost steals this film, but then James Whitmore almost steals this film, but then Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis are wonderful in it, so I guess they ALL steal the film. Funny as hell, frothy comedy from stage play. I love mixups. Love ‘em.
SEVEN THUNDERS aka BEASTS OF MARSEILLES (1957) Lean, mean, Brit-soldiers-behind-enemy-lines suspense with some pleasant humor and romance to relieve the tension. Concurrent plotlines intersect nicely. James Robertson Justice, Stephen Boyd and cute Anna Gaylor are terrific.
THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1963) Surprise. After years dreading William Castle’s “comedy” remake of TODH, it turns out to be its own wacky animal, and not a pale redress of Whale’s classic. Tom Poston’s a fine straight man, Robert Morley leads the household parade of wackos and Charles Addams designs the titles. What can I say? It’s fun.
THREE ON A MATCH (1932) Perhaps the best cast assembled for a precode melodrama: Ann Dvorak, Joan Blondell, and Bette Davis star, with support from Warren William, Humphrey Bogart (in his first gangster role), Edward Arnold, with bits from Allen Jenkins, Glenda Farrell, Jack La Rue. A wow of a climax caps a film lousy with precode sleaze, stolen by Ann Dvorak’s truly harrowing performance.
THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH (1970) As if Chuck Jones needed another masterpiece to prove his genius. I’m a sucker for a quest adventure in a strange world with strange creatures, especially with Jones’ miraculous eye for color, composition and characterization (see tantalizing pics above). Add crazy wordplay (I presume, from the book) and you have what should’ve been an instant animated kids’ classic had not the release been botched.
SOMETHING OF VALUE (1957) Look, forget endless showings of the overrated GUESS WHOS’ COMING TO DINNER; Sidney Poiter’s work in Richard Brooks’ fine film of the Simba Rebellion is raw and brilliant and unforgettable.
A TRIO OF WESTERNS
ROUGHSHOD (1949) Mark Robson brings some of that gritty, shadowy style fresh from the Lewton camp to propel this quiet western light years ahead of the pack. Robert Sterling’s best performance. One can’t decide which combination of the three stars is best: Sterling’s interplay with son Claude Jarman, Jr., Jarman’s interplay with Gloria Grahame, Grahame’s interplay with Sterling. Any way you do the math, a perfect hidden western gem.
ROBBERS ROOST (1955) Richard Boone’s entertaining (as always) villain is one highlight of this almost-Anthony-Mann of a western. Fine cast, staging— a winner.
SERAPHIM FALLS (2006) Liam Neeson’s very good, but Pierce Brosnan is fantastic in this gritty throwback of a chase western. This is how it’s done.
TWO FROM THE ARCHERS:
A CANTERBURY TALE (1944)
I KNOW WHERE I’M GOING (1945) I discovered not one but two more masterworks from the brilliant Archers, Powell and Pressburger. Try boiling CANTERBURY down to a studio pitch and get an inkling of what’s wrong with today’s industry.
I SEE A DARK STRANGER (1946) Not from the Archers, but you’d swear Launder and Gilliat were channeling them. Quirky, funny, suspenseful, with a thoroughly charming performance by the great Deborah Kerr. Wonderful.
BRIT GRIT:
PAYROLL (1961) Sidney Hayers terse seedy heist film has Billie Whitelaw (say no more) but the real surprise is MYSTERIOUS ISLAND’s intrepid captain hero Michael Craig, playing a true lowlife scumbag. Sweet.
THE YELLOW BALLOON (1953) If you’ve only seen William in 2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY, you ain’t seen . J. Lee Thompson, before going all Hollywood, directs the tight, tough twist on the US classic THE WINDOW, and in some ways I like it better. You can feel the London tenements in this. An undiscovered beaut.
COLD WAR THRILLERS:
THE MAN BETWEEN (1953) Carol Reed’s “return” to THIRD MAN territory is unjustly hidden in the shadow of that classic. At the risk of reprisals, I say I like this film just as much, maybe better. Not as cold as the earlier film, just as haunting, with its broken Berlin imagery and John Addison’s sax solos seeping from his rich score right into your soul. James Mason, Claire Bloom star.
BERLIN EXPRESS (1948) Jacques Tourneur directs this exceptional cold war thriller that stays with you, resonating beyond thriller, into near allegory as multinationals find themselves tossed into some mighty twisty intrigue. Robert Ryan heads fine cast.
UK COMEDY AT ITS FINEST:
THE WRONG BOX (1966) Michael Caine, Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Ralph Richardson and John Mills shine in this inspired silliness while the great Wilfrid Lawson, as doddering butler Peacock, just about steals the whole shebang. Hilarious.
ON THE FIDDLE (1961) A pre-Bond Sean Connery is quite remarkable as the supposedly dumber half of a scheming duo of crooked privates in this terrifically entertaining British service comedy. Alfred Lynch, so memorable with Connery several years later in the brilliant THE HILL, is quite good as the “brains”.
THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE (1950) Frank Launder directing again. Whoever had the brainstorm of teaming Alistair Sim and Margaret Rutherford should have been knighted, though it really does seem obvious doesn’t it. Spot on hilarious school farce.
And with TREMORS IV (2004) we’ve now completed possibly the most thoroughly consistent monster movie series (or just plain movie series) of all time. Very little drop off from the original TREMORS. Do you know how damn hard that is? Part IV takes us back to the old west for a fun prequel, and that’s the great thing; each film wisely ups the ante, never resting on its laurels, never lazy. Result: some of the smartest, scariest, funniest monster movies ever. Kudos to Brent Maddock, SS Wilson, Ron Underwood and Nancy Roberts, behind the scenes, and actors Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Shawn Christian, Christopher Gartin and especially workhorse Michael Gross who entertainingly carries a lot of the weight in ALL four films. I eagerly await NIGHT CREW from the same creative team.
Honorable Mention:
NOWHERE TO HIDE (1958) Seth Holt’s fine downbeat little UK suspenser with George Nader. Another good lowlife crime drama. Tight, well done.
THE HOUR OF 13 (1952) After years of movie watching, I finally see why Peter Lawford was a star (though not a big one). His charming, charismatic performance propels this excellent, atmospheric mystery thriller remake of the 1930s Robert Montgomery film THE MYSTERY OF MR. X.
THE BURROWERS (2008)
Does a fine job of keeping my beloved horror-western subgenre smoking.
Rediscovered:
ENEMY FROM SPACE/QUATERMASS 2 (1955)
JURASSIC PARK III (2001)
Yep—they’re both still great!
—Larry Blamire
Thursday December 10, 2009 at 9:06
100 is the square root of ten. 100 is the Atomic Number of Fermium. In Greece, India, and Israel, 100 is the phone number you dial for the police. In Belgium, dialing 100 will get you an ambulance; in the United Kingdom, 100 will get you the operator. If the average length of each of the 100 movies listed below was 90 minutes, that means The Doomed Farmer has spent about 9,000 minutes during the past nine months watching 24 frames per second whiz by his eyeballs. That’s some persistence of vision. The Doomed Farmer looks forward to watching more movies and writing about them here. He thanks Larry Blamire for inviting him to write these reviews, thanks you for taking the time to read them, and thanks Bantam Street’s Moviola for compiling the list below. (Guess this is a Thanksgiving column after all.)
12 TO THE MOON (1960) Written by DeWitt Bodeen, Directed by David Bradley
ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, THE (1957) Written by Nigel Kneale, Directed by Val Guest
ALL NIGHT LONG (1962) Written by Nel King & “Peter Achilles” (Paul Jarrico), Directed by Basil Deardon
AN ANGEL FOR SATAN (1966) Written by Giuseppe Mangione & Camillo Mastrocinque, Directed by Camillo Mastrocinque
ANDY WARHOL’S DRACULA (1974) (aka BLOOD FOR DRACULA) Written & Directed by Paul Morrissey
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1962) Written by George Bruce & Orville Hampton, Directed by Edward L. Cahn
BELPHEGOR, PHANTOM OF THE LOUVRE (2001) Written by Daniele Thompson, Jerome Tonnerre & Jean-Paul Salome, Directed by Jean-Paul Salome
BLACK CAMEL, THE (1931) Written by Barry Conners, Phillip Kline, Dudley Nichols, Directed by Hamilton MacFadden
BLIND BEAST (1969) Written by Yoshio Shirasaka, Directed by Yasuzo Mazumura
BLOOD FOR DRACULA (1974) (aka ANDY WARHOL’S DRACULA) Written & Directed by Paul Morrissey
BLUE GARDENIA, THE (1953) Written by Charles Hoffman Directed by Fritz Lang
BOSTON BLACKIE AND THE LAW (1946) Written by Harry Essex, Directed by D. Ross Lederman
BRIGAND OF KANDAHAR, THE (1965) Written & Directed by John Gilling
CABINET OF CALIGARI, THE (1962) Written by Robert Bloch, Directed by Robert Kay
CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN (1943) Written by Griffin Jay & Henry Sucher, Directed by Edward Dmytryk
CASTLE OF THE LIVING DEAD (1965) Written by Michael Reeves & Lorenzo Sabatini Directed by Warren Keifer
CHRISTOPHER LEE, SIR; retrospective
CHU CHIN CHOW (1934) Written by Edward Knoblock, L. du Garde Peach & Sidney Gilliat, Directed by Walter Forde
COUNT DRACULA (1977)Written by Gerald Savory, Directed by Phillip Saville
COUNTER-ESPIONAGE (1942) Written by Aubrey Wisberg, Directed by Edward Dmytryck
CREATURE WITH THE ATOM BRAIN (1955) Written by Curt Siodmak, Directed by Edward L. Cahn
CREEPING FLESH, THE (1973) Written by Peter Spenceley & Jonathan Rumbold, Directed by Freddie Francis
CURSE OF THE DEVIL (1973) Written by Paul Naschy, Directed by Carlos Aured
CURSE OF THE MUMMY’S TOMB, THE (1964) Written and Directed by Michael Carreras
DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON (1931) Written by Monte Katterjohn, Sidney Buchman & Lloyd Corrigan, Directed by Lloyd Corrigan
DEVIL DOLL; Brynant Halliday; scrapbook: movie poster and mention
DEVIL SHIP PIRATES, THE (1963) Written by Jimmy Sangster, Directed by Don Sharp
DIABOLIQUE (1955) Written by Henri-Georges Cluzot, Jerome Geronimi, Frederic Grendel, Rene Masson, Directed by Henri-Georges Cluzot
DRACULA (1931) Written by Garrett Fort, from the play by Hamilton Deane and John Balderston
DRACULA (1973) Written by Richard Matheson, Directed by Dan Curtis
DRACULA IN ISTANBUL (1953) Written by Umit Deniz, Directed by Mehmet Muhtar
FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS, THE (1967) Written by Gerard Brach, Directed by Roman Polanski
FILMING OTHELLO (1978) Written and Directed by Orson Welles (though no credit as such appears on the film)
FLESH EATERS, THE ; William Castle; movie poster / flyer
FRANKENSTEIN (1931) Adapted by John Balderston, Screenplay by Garrett Fort and Francis Edwards Farragoh, Directed by James Whale
FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (1973) Written by Christopher Isherwood & Don Bachardy, Directed by Jack Smight
GHOST TRAIN, THE (1941) Written by J.O.C. Orton, Directed by Walter Forde
GHOSTS ON THE LOOSE (1943) Written by Kenneth Higgins, Directed by William Beaudine
GIANT BEHEMOTH, THE (1959) Written and Directed by Eugene Lourie
GOD’S LITTLE ACRE (1958) Written by Phillip Yordan (credited) & Ben Maddow (uncredited), Directed by Anthony Mann
GOLDEN BAT (1966) Written by Susumu Takaku, Directed by Hajime Sato
GOLIATH AND THE VAMPIRES (1960) Written by Sergio Corbucci and Ducio Tessari, Directed by Sergio Corbucci and Giacomo Gentilomo
GORGON, THE (1964) Written by John Gilling, Directed by Terence Fisher
HAMMER QUARTET, More Hammer Films on DVD; reviews
HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961), (aka HERCULES CONQUERS ATLANTIS) Written by Vittorio Cottafavi, Sandro Continenza & Ducio Tessari, Directed by Vittorio Cottafavi
HERE COME THE NELSONS (1952) Written by Ozzie Nelson, Donald Nelson & Bill Davenport, Directed by Frederick de Cordova
HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE (2004) Written & Directed by Hiyao Miyazaki
ICONS OF ADVENTURE DVD from Columbia / Four Hammer Films
INVISIBLE AGENT (1942) Written by Curt Siodmack, Directed by Edwin L. Marin
IRON MAN (2008) Written by Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby, Art Markum & Matt Holloway, Directed by Jon Favreau
ISLAND OF LOST MEN (1939) Written by William Lipman & Horace McCoy, Directed by Kurt Neumann
J’ACCUSE (1919) Written & Directed by Abel Gance
JOHN STANLEY, Comic Book Writer / Artist; Retrospective
JUGGERNAUT (1936) Written by Cyril Campion, Heinrich Fraenkel & H. Fowler Mear, Directed by Henry Edwards
JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE NEW FRONTIER (2007) Written by Stan Berkowitz and Darwyn Cooke, Directed by David Bullock
L’ECLISSE (THE ECLIPSE) (1962) Written by Michelangelo Antonioni, Tonino Guerra, Elio Bartolini & Ottiero Ottieri, Directed by Michelangelo Antonioni
LE MEPRIS (CONTEMPT) (1963) Written by Jean-luc Godard, from the novel by Alberto Moravia, Directed by Jean-luc Godard
LEMON GROVE KIDS MEET THE MONSTERS, THE (1965/66/67) Written by Jim Harmon, Ron Haydock, E.M. Kevke & Steckler, Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler and “Ted Roter” (Peter Balakoff)
LONE WOLF TAKES A CHANCE, THE (1941) Written by Earl Felton & Sidney Salkow, Directed by Sidney Salkow
LOST SCRAPBOOK OF CADAVRA TOO, THE; memorabillia
LOST SCRAPBOOK OF CADAVRA, THE; memorabillia
LOVERS FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE (See NIGHTMARE CASTLE) (1965) Written by Mario Caiano & Fabio De Agostini Directed by Mario Caiano
MAD ABOUT MEN (1954) Written by Peter Blackmore, Directed by Ralph Thomas
MALPERTUIS (1972) Written by Jean Ferry Directed by Harry Kumel
MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH, THE (1959) Written by Jimmy Sangster, based on the play by Barre Lyndon, Directed by Terence Fisher
MAN WHO WOULDN’T DIE, THE (1942) Written by Arnaud d’Usseau, Directed by Herbert I. Leeds
MERMAIDS OF TIBURON, THE (1962/1987) Written & Directed by John Lamb
MIRANDA (1948) Written by Peter Blackmore, Directed by Ken Annakin
MONSTERS CRASH THE PAJAMA PARTY; n/a scrapbook: movie poster/flyer and mention
MYSTERY LINER (1934) Written by Wellyn Totman from a novel by Edgar Wallace Directed by William Nigh
NEUTRON VS THE AMAZING DR. CARONTE (1963) Written and Directed by Federico Curiel
NIGHT CREATURES (1962) Written by John Temple Smith & Anthony Hinds, Directed by Peter Graham Scott
NIGHT STALKER, THE (1972) Written by Richard Matheson, Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
NIGHT STRANGLER, THE (1973) Written by Richard Matheson, Directed by Dan Curtis
NIGHTMARE CASTLE (1965) Written by Mario Caiano & Fabio De Agostini, Directed by Mario Caiano
PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER, THE (1961) Written by Jimmy Sangster, John Hunter & John Gilling, Directed by John Gilling
PORTRAIT OF JENNIE (1948) Written by Paul Osborn & Peter Berneis, Directed by William Dieterle
RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK (1966) Written by Anthony Hinds Directed by Don Sharp
RAT PHINK A BOO BOO (1966) Written, Directed & Photographed by Ray Dennis Steckler
RETURN OF MR. MOTO (1965) Written by Fred Eggers Directed by Ernest Morris
RETURN OF THE WHISTLER (1948) Written by Edward Bock & Maurice Tombragel, Directed by D. Ross Lederman
RISE OF THE SILVER SURFER (2007) Written by Don Payne & Mark Frost, Directed by Tim Story
ROBINSON CRUSOE (1955) Written by Hugo Butler & Luis Bunuel, Directed by Luis Bunuel
RUSTY LEADS THE WAY (1948) Written by Nedrick Young, Directed by Will Jason
S.O.S. EISBERG (1933) Written and Directed by Arnold Fanck
SCANDAL (1950) Written by Ryuzo Kikushima & Akira Kurosawa, Directed by Akira Kurosawa
SECRET OF BLOOD ISLAND, THE (1964) Written by John Gilling, Directed by Quentin Lawrence
SH! THE OCTOPUS (1937) Written by George Bricker, from the play by Ralph Murphy and Donald Gallaher, Directed by William C. McGann
SHE CREATURE (2001) Written & Directed by Sebastian Gutierrez
SHUTTERED ROOM, THE (1967) Written by D.B. Ledrov & Nathaniel Tanchuck, Directed by David Greene
SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE; retrospective
SKIDOO (1968) Written by Doran William Cannon, Directed by Otto Preminger
SKULL, THE (1965) Written by Milton Subotsky, Directed by Freddie Francis
SLEEPERS WEST (1941) Written by Lou Breslow & Stanley Rauh Directed by Eugene Forde
SPY IN THE GREEN HAT, THE (1966) Written by Peter Allan Fields & David Victor, Directed by Joseph Sargent
STRANGLERS OF BOMBAY (1960) Written by David Zelag Goodman, Directed by Terence Fisher
TERROR ABOARD (1933) Written by Robert Presnell and Manuel Seff, Directed by Paul Sloane
TERROR IN THE CRYPT (1964) Written by Ernesto Gastaldi Directed by Camillo Mastrocinque
TERROR OF THE TONGS (1961) Written by Jimmy Sangster Directed by Anthony Bushell
THERE GOES BARDER (1955) Written by John Berry and Jacques Nahum, Directed by John Berry/Jacques Lemare
THIRTEENTH GUEST, THE (1932) Written by Arthur Hoerl & Frances Hyland, Directed by Albert Ray
THRILL KILLERS, THE (1964) Written by Gene Pollock & Ray Dennis Steckler, Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler
TORTURE CHAMBER OF DR. SADISM, THE (1967) Written by Manfred R. Kohler, Directed by Harald Reindl
TWELVE TO THE MOON (See 12 TO THE MOON) (1960) Written by DeWitt Bodeen, Directed by David Bradley
TWO FACES OF DR. JEKYLL, THE (1960) Written by Wolf Mankowitz Directed by Terence Fisher
VAMPIRE BAT, THE (1933) Written by Edward T. Lowe, Directed by Frank Strayer
VAMPIRE CIRCUS (1972) Written by Judson Kinberg, Directed by Robert Young
VAMPIRE LOVERS, THE (1970) Written by Harry Fine, Tudor Gates & Michael Style, Directed by Roy Ward Baker
VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA; n/a; fun production photo and mention
WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (1966) Written by Takeshi Kimura & Ishiro Honda, Directed by Ishiro Honda
WEREWOLF, THE (1956) Written by Robert E. Kent, Directed by Fred F. Sears
WOMAN IN BLACK, THE (1989) Written by Nigel Kneale, Directed by Herbert Wise
WORLD WITHOUT END (1956) Written & Directed by Edward Bernds
WORLD’S GREATEST SINNER, THE (1962) Written, Produced, Directed and Distributed by Timothy Carey
YETI, GIANT OF THE 20TH CENTURY (1977) Written by Marcello Coscia, Gianfranco Parolini & Mario di Nardo, Directed by “Frank Kramer” (Gianfranco Parolini)
—Robert Deveau
The Doomed Farmer
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Wednesday December 02, 2009 at 14:02
Photo Permalink ∞
A ONCE-IN-A-LIVE-TIME EVENT!
Okay, maybe twice—but no more, that’s it!
See the original cult classic on the big screen with live DVD-style commentary as the picture runs by writer/director/star Larry Blamire and members of the cast and crew.
ONE SHOW ONLY! Sunday, Dec. 13th, 2009 at 7:30 PM
The American Cinemathéque at the Aero Theatre
1328 Montana St. (at 14th St.) in Santa Monica 323-466-FILM
http://aerotheatre.com/Aero/aeromastercalendar.htm
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/thelostskeletonofcadavra/