clore

Time's up. The Viking Queen is pretty bad but Cry of the Werewolf was irredeemable. You had me fooled. I wasn't even going to watch it, but you covered your displeasure well and seemed enthusiastic enough that I watched it again. It's been about 45 years since I last saw it anyway. So, another indication that you did your job well. I did notice one moment in the film that gave an indication of aiming higher - where we first see Foch's feet stalking Stephen Crane, and then we see what looked like a German Shepherd's feet - maybe Rusty from the Columbia series of dog movies. Sure, they were aiming for Val Lewton, but a few seconds wasn't enough. By the way, how did Barton Maclane know that the fingerprints left behind were those of a woman? Was there a trace of nail polish?

The Givers Saw You First

When I was a little kid, watching TOPPER reruns in the daytime and 77 SUNSET STRIP at night, I thought that Robert Sterling and Richard Long looked a lot alike. So, a decade later there they were on NANNY AND THE PROFESSOR playing brothers. Robert Sterling Richard Long For good measure, here's Gig Young:

I use Firefox and while I was reading your post, at the very top of my screen it said "Support Forums" followed by the subject line of my thread. No indication of the particular forum. However, while I am responding to you, above the text box it does say "Post reply in forum General Discussions to message Re: OK, Quickly - Which forum are you in right now?" So at least while responding, one can determine the name of the forum.

Now I can find my friends latest posts and respond, Kudos for that! But where I am in Category.. ?? Well, thank you for bringing that piece of info to the discussion. I missed that feature and long ago gave up trying to see if it was returned to us. I guess that it's a matter of "OK, if you want one thing, then you have to give up another."

I guess you couldn't tell you weren't in the Support section of the forum. :-p Of course I couldn't. I suppose I should have checked there to see if someone was on the case already, but I guess I've been jaded by the lack of support in the "support" section which is really the General Issues forum. My reason for bringing it up here was to initiate a discussion, not to alert admin. I wanted to know if I was making too big a deal about the change and this is after all a discussion forum. After all, if the admins can't tell if something is askew, and worse than that, if they claim that no one is responsible for a change (as has happened in the past), then what's the point of bringing it up to them? At least that was why I preferred to launch this thread here. It certainly wasn't to steal anyone's thunder and by the way, didn't anyone ever tell you it's impolite to stick out your rongue in public? It could also lead to a very insulting retort, but I'm too much of a gentleman to do that. You can have the credit of being there first with the complaint if it's so important to you that you have to be deliberately rude. I apologhize for stepping on your toes.

You couldn't tell, could you? Not by looking for the forum title because it isn't there any longer. So, are you in Hot Topics, General Discussions or Films and Filmmakers? Ah yes, this can only mean that the powers that be have done another regressive upgrade. Sure, it's easy enough to look at a thread list and determine if you're in the Western forum or the one for Film Noir. But with this new look, I can't tell you how many times today I thought I had pretty much gone through what i wanted to see in one of the more generic forums, hit "Message Boards" to go to the overall forum lists, and then clicked my way back into the forum from which I just exited. Another new feature of the upgrade is that one must scroll down a post with a few paragraphs to determine just who had authored it. The user name has now gone from the upper portion of the person's post to the center. Thus, if someone has written a lengthy post, you do have to either wait until you get to the middle of the post to find out who wrote it, or scroll down and then back up again to start reading. Granted, with certain users who have their own particular style, be it a down home country vernacular, a 60s stoner with a fondness for exclamation points, or one of my own fairly frequent rages against the machine, then you can be fairly certain without any extra effort. But what was the point in these changes - to keep us guessing? I like seeing the name of the poster that I'm about to read without having to go through any extra steps. It may be just me, but I must confess that there are some of you out there whose latest posts give me reason to anticipate some good insights into our favorite subject. It's almost like opening a present. Am I making too much of this? Perhaps so, but I've never been one who likes change for its own sake. There's got to be some measure of form following function to make a change worthwhile. I just don't see it here.

RIFFRAFF This one pulls you right in immediately with its opening shot of an iguana perched on a tree branch on a dark stormy night as the camera then moves in to reveal an airport. The scene continues without dialog for five minutes as we see a car arrive, a man stepping out and clutching a briefcase and boarding the plane. For the rest of the film we're in Panama, or RKO's best efforts on the back lot to have it appear so. However, in the hands of director Ted Tetzlaff, a former cinematographer and with camera duties assigned to George Diskant, we're given an atmospheric facsimile of the locale. Martin Rackin's script is chock full of snappy patter and if Pat O'Brien appears a bit too long in the tooth and thick in the wasistline to be playing the wisecracking hero, he's still more than capable of making with the rapid-fire exchanges as he had proved many times in earlier days at Warners. He's hired to protect a passenger from the plane we saw earlier - but not the man who was clutching the briefcase - for some reason, he exited before the plane landed if you catch my drift. No, O'Brien's new client is the other passenger who was on the plane and who now has the brief case. The brief case has a map and that's the MacGuffin in the story. It doesn't matter what the map leads to, only that a group of people want it and they'll try to bribe, hire or beat O'Brien into revealing its location. The problem is that he doesn't know where it is as the last man to have it is dead and he didn't bother to let O'Brien know that it's hidden in plain sight. Of course there's a somewhat deceitful dame, this time it's Anne Jeffries and as so often happens, there's a very helpful cab driver, this one played by Percy Kilbride. Walter Slezak gets the usual heavy role and it fits him well enough. In the end, what it comes down to is an economy-line production that is bolstered by the cinematography and the dialogue. There's nothing revelatory here except for the fact that the film isn't as well known as it should be. If it had starred say Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, it would be heralded as one of the greats. Enjoy it for its own charms, there are plenty of them. Note: The poster has the title as *Riff-Raff* while the film's credits have it as *Riffraff*.

I'm not sure if he gave an intro for HOT BLOOD. I had watched the previous film, BITTER VICTORY, but as it was 3am, I was thinking of some sleep and I got up to tidy up a few things. I came into the living room to turn off the TV but decided to check out a few minutes of HOT BLOOD since my friend had referred to it as a train wreck of a film. Well, you know how people love to look at accidents, I stayed there for the whole thing. If I had to write an intro for it, I might be at a loss for words.

Try again Tom, Mr. Edelstein didn't have the "pleasure" of introducing THE WILD WILD PLANET. It is an awful film though, I saw it back in the summer of 1967 on a double-bill with HOT RODS TO HELL at the Loew's Gates in Brooklyn. Fortunately, my best friend and I knew the manager and we didn't have to pay to get in.

I believe it is THE MASK OF DEMITRIOS and in the scene where Steven Geray loses at the table and becomes indebted to Zachary Scott.

There was only one movie I introduced that I thought was terrible on every level imaginable but of course I couldn't discourage people from watching it. What was it? Any guesses?) If I had to guess one, it would be THE VIKING QUEEN. This is one of the few Hammer films that I have never seen and it was worse that CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT which was another of their bra-busting prehistoric women films. I managed to make it through to the end, but it wasn't easy. This was a film that I'm sure both Dons, Murray and Chaffey would like to forget. Chaffey did nice work on his two Harryhausen films as well as THREE LIVES OF THOMASINA for Disney. I prefer to remembe him for those rather than THE VIKING QUEEN and CREATURES THE WORLD FORGOT.

Most likely it is this short: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0143937/

However, once the movie hit the theaters, I thought Harrison Ford did the character proud in the film which was one of those rare instances were the movie was as memorable as the TV show it was based upon. That was another role that Alec Baldwin rejected that went to Harrison Ford. What I liked about the movie was that it recognized that a Kimble would have a harder time staying hidden these days and the movie took place over just a few days. With the internet and shows such as AMERICA'S MOST WANTED, I wonder how long such a high profile fugitive can last in this era.

If they were that worried about pleasing his liong dead mother, I should think then that there would be a Hedda Hopper day rather than a William Hopper one. She appeared in quite a few films and not just playing herself: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394407/

Maybe I was tripping that day, but I seem to remember that TCM had some sort of event based on the film and Pink Floyd. For some reason, I have it in my head that it was a July 4th weekend and that here in NYC, we could watch the film and the Floyd score was either on an FM station or the secondary audio channel. I'm sketchy on that as I was away that weekend and didn't get a chance to sample the airing.

I'm all for a Spec O'Donnell day if it gets CRAZY HOUSE on the schedule.

I can think of no reason, other than his mother's influence, for an entire day of TCM programming to be devoted to this journeyman actor. I think it's just a way of putting some B rarities on the schedule and for that I'm grateful. In some of them, Hopper is considerably way down the credits list which in this case I don't mind since I can't say that he's a particular favorite. But I do appreciate seeing some of the lesser-aired titles from Warners. They could schedule a Ben Welden or Joseph Crehan day also if it helps to get some of these rarely screened titles on the air.

Tomorrow, October 26, TCM dedicates the daytime schedule to William Hopper and get this - they actually managed to keep REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE out of the tribute. What we will get are a good amount of Warner "B" films which don't usually get much play and which feature others who were on the way up the ladder such as Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and Jane Wyman. 7:30 AM Public Wedding (1937) Out-of-work show folk stage a fake wedding to generate publicity. Dir: Nick Grinde Cast: Jane Wyman , William Hopper , Dick Purcell . BW-58 mins, TV-G, 8:45 AM Footloose Heiress, The (1937) To win a bet, a society girl elopes with someone she hardly knows. Dir: William Clemens Cast: Craig Reynolds , Ann Sheridan , Anne Nagel . BW-59 mins, TV-G, CC, 10:00 AM Love Is On The Air (1937) A crusading radio reporter takes on civic corruption. Dir: Nick Grinde Cast: Ronald Reagan , June Travis , Eddie Acuff . C-59 mins, TV-G, 11:15 AM Over The Goal (1937) A college football star risks his health to play in the big game. Dir: Noel M. Smith Cast: June Travis , William Hopper , Johnny Davis . BW-63 mins, TV-G, 12:30 PM Adventurous Blonde, The (1937) Reporter Torchy Blane walks out on her own wedding to solve the case of a murdered actor. Dir: Frank MacDonald Cast: Glenda Farrell , Barton MacLane , Anne Nagel . BW-61 mins, TV-PG, 1:45 PM Mystery House (1938) A detective tries to solve a murder in a house full of suspects. Dir: Noel Smith Cast: Dick Purcell , Ann Sheridan , Anne Nagel . BW-57 mins, TV-G, 2:45 PM Here Comes Happiness (1941) An heiress ditches her fortune-hunting fiance to find happiness living on her own. Dir: Noel M. Smith Cast: Mildred Coles , Edward Norris , Richard Ainley . BW-58 mins, TV-G, 4:00 PM Good-Bye, My Lady (1956) A stray dog brings together a young boy and an old man in the Georgia swamps. Dir: William A. Wellman Cast: Walter Brennan , Phil Harris , Brandon de Wilde . BW-95 mins, TV-G, 5:45 PM Bad Seed, The (1956) A woman suspects that her perfect little girl is a ruthless killer. Dir: Mervyn LeRoy Cast: Gage Clarke , Jesse White , Joan Croyden C-129 mins, TV-PG, CC, Note - the schedule has LOVE IS ON THE AIR and THE BAD SEED indicated as being in color. Blame them, not me.

I don't know that much about this movie - - - - anyone care to step in? TCM aired it recently. Davis has a supporting role and it takes a while for her to show up, Stanwyck is the star here. It was OK, but I had seen the remake with Jane Wyman first and that one has the edge in my opinion. Condensing the lengthy Edna Ferber novel into about 80 minutes makes for a rushed narrative.

You did a fine job and I must say that I never spotted one error in your copy. Of all of the substitute hosts thus far, your segments were the most enjoyable, the right combination of style and substance.

I'd disagree strongly...Corman made several very good films, it's just that *Masque* is usually considered his artistic masterpiece, often compared to Ingmar Bergman. I'm very fond of Corman's X - THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES and LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS may well be the best movie ever made in three days. On another note, Lorraine Bracco may well be the worst of the subs to date. Her readings show no interest and it's obvious that she's not seen the copy at all or at least didn't bother to read it. Lorraine - you're an actress so at least act as if you want to be there.

I'm no Castle fan either - not of his horror films anyway. He did make some good entries in the CRIME DOCTOR and WHISTLER series. I find most of Castle's horror films unsatisfying as he uses flat lighting most of the time and goes for the cheap shock rather than ambiance. It's a crime that STRAIT-JACKET gets an earlier slot tonight rather than THE DEVIL'S BRIDE and especially MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH.

I must admit to having guessed the ending, but that was only because the film struck me as a lengthy TWILIGHT ZONE episode and I was conditioned by that series to expect a twist ending. It doesn't damper my enthusiasm for the film though. That's more that I can say for THE SIXTH SENSE where I guessed the ending before the credits started. At least with CARNIVAL OF SOULS, I had to get at least half-way through the thing before it struck me.

There is one movie that terrified me when I was around 6-7 years old and to this day don't know what it was. No offense intended, but I'm not quite sure about when you were six or seven years old. That would help to narrow down the possibilities. However, I'm taking a guess here based on your description of the eyes and locale. Does your creature look anything like this: If so, then the film is INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN.