nightwalker
-
Posts
997 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by nightwalker
-
-
LOL! You should see my brother & I when we're on a roll!
-
"Tor Johnson -- the Swedish Ralph Richardson. (notice I didn't say "Olivier" because frankly I think he's overrated)."
I think "Swedish Richard Burton" might be more to the point...
-
No, not at all.
In fact, the first time I saw this, I quite enjoyed that ending as something a bit different from the ordinary!
-
True, but you've got to give him a little credit: he always seemed to maintain an affection for that movie since it did give his career a boost and did lead to his being cast as "Little Joe" Cartwright on BONANZA. He never treated it as an embarrassment.
Agree about the scariness of the scene in the gym!
And the film has another great turn by Whit Bissell as the mad scientist, to boot!
-
Yet another indication of my misspent youth!!
-
And time after time - they almost all, when they have the chance, prove they're not.
-
Or "Prince Sirki claims Fredric March!"
-
...with his mommy!
-
Bronxie wrote (re TARGET EARTH): "I'd sure love to see it. Aliens invading Shy-town!"
If you crave excitement in that setting, Bronxie, you should check out Bert I. Gordon's 1957 opus BEGINNING OF THE END, in which giant grasshoppers attack the windy city. It stars Peter Graves & Peggie Castle.
At one point, to show the creatures wreaking havoc, ol' Bert photographed some grasshoppers walking on photos of buildings in downtown Chicago! If you get the chance, it's not to be missed!
-
Sounds like it might be SMASH-UP: THE STORY OF A WOMAN, 1947, with Susan Hayward & Lee Bowman.
-
Re: THE GIANT CLAW, Joe Filmone wrote:
"They had no idea what the monster was going to look like!"
In his massive Keep Watching the Skies!, about science fiction movies of the 1950s, Bill Warren confirms this and relates that Jeff Morrow, who was something of a celebrity in his home town, would often attend the local premiers of his films and afterwards, sign autographs and meet with his fans, etc.
When THE GIANT CLAW came to town, poor Morrow actually slunk out of the theater in the dark while it was still on!
-
I agree that Lewis' best films are those in which he did not exercise absolute, total creative control over every detail. When held somewhat in check, he can be very, very funny, but when there's no restraint, he's too over the top for me.
-
Actually, Uncle Forry's been in dozens of movies in uncredited cameos!
-
"Is Aurora even around any more?"
No, sadly, they are not. But, a company called POLAR LIGHTS recreated the original molds (which were destroyed) and now sells reproductions of many of the classic Aurora models from the sixties. At about $15 to $20 apiece (or more), they're a bit pricey, but I couldn't tell the difference between ones I built then and ones I've built now.
You can usually find them in hobby shops that sell model kits or advertised in the backs of some of the new crop of monster magazines such as SCARY MONSTERS.
-
True Stories channel (in the Starz/Encore package) is now Drama. I guess there weren't enough interesting true stories for them!
-
Hi, Miss G:
Thought I'd add my 2 cents' worth here.
I don't want to go into too many details (which would spoil it for you), but "fate" does still play a part in the goings on in THE BLACK BOOK, and there's a nice (historically true) ironic ending involving Basehart as well.
As to the "noir in color" question, yes, LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN would definitely qualify as noir.
As noted, SLIGHTLY SCARLET does as well
The whole idea of a "period" film qualifying as noir has been widely (& hotly debated). Some folks feel that in order to be truly noir, a film must be limited basically to the post-war (WWII) era of the mid-1940s through to the late 1950s or early 1960s, or in other words, approximately the time the genre enjoyed its greatest popularity among filmmakers. And although they would concede the presence of noir elements in these other films, they would not consider them to be "true" noir.
Others feel that that "ain't necessarily so" and make note not only of THE BLACK BOOK, but of the "noir Western", some classic examples of which have been mentioned right here on this thread. Another good example is PURSUED, from 1947, with Robert Mitchum. These folks feel that the "look" and "feel", even the "attitude" of noir is not necessarily restricted to any given period setting, even if it perhaps was best exemplified by the post World War II era, as noted above.
Lastly, I can't comment on FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE because I've not seen it, but I always thought EL CID was more than just your run of DeMille costume epic. It's worth a look!
-
Actually, THE MONOLITH MONSTERS was not directed by Jack Arnold, it was directed by a protege of his, John Sherwood. Arnold did co-write the original story, though.
THIS ISLAND EARTH was also "officially" directed Joseph M. Newman, however, Arnold did do some re-shoots uncredited.
He was also very busy in television during the sixties and seventies, directing episodes of perennial faves GILLIGAN'S ISLAND and THE BRADY BUNCH, among many others.
-
As these kinds of movies go, it wasn't bad. (And some of them can be quite good!)
Dunne was okay. I've enjoyed her more in other things, such as THEODORA GOES WILD, PENNY SERENADE and I REMEMBER MAMA.
For me, the real draw here was Lionel Atwill. We had a thread on him for a while under "horror", in which we discussed some of his more well-known horror roles, but this is from his more "mainstream" period (prior to his career-destroying perjury scandal in the early forties) and he's terrific as the father-in-law, who decides at first glance what kind of girl Dunne is just because she's a showgirl & lets that impression cause great sorrow over the ensuing years.
Sort of a more serious riff on his bombastic father in CAPTAIN BLOOD.
-
Greetings, Princess.
I went on IMDB & they don't seem to have much information there about Miss Helm.
They don't list her as being in COURAGE OF LASSIE, although she was in SON OF LASSIE in 1945. Her last picture (according to them, anyway) was THAT BRENNAN GIRL from Republic in 1946.
Her career spanned the ten years from 1936 - 1946. After that, she seems to have retired. Her spouse is listed as Albert O. Farmer, but no birth or death date is listed for him (or any other information). The couple seems to have had one child, but again, there is no further information (not even as to its sex!).
Miss Helm's date of death is September 27, 2003. She was 94.
If you look under "General Discussions," there is a thread called "ASK MONGO." If you post your question there, Mongo, who is very knowledgeable, may be able to fill in some more details for you.
-
UP GOES MAISIE, (1946), with Ann Sothern.
-
You might check out FROM NOON TILL THREE (1976) with Charles Bronson and Jill Ireland. The details you mention are not an exact match, but this may be the film you're looking for.
-
DEAR RUTH, 1947, with William Holden & Joan Caulfield.
-
Well, Bronxie, she's not really all that unsympathetic in THE MAD GHOUL. In fact, she's the heroine!
For more of Ankers on the dark side, check out the Sherlock Holmes picture THE PEARL OF DEATH (if you haven't already). And, speaking of Holmes pictures, she was also quite good as a "woman of the city" in SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE VOICE OF TERROR, definitely not your typical "squeaky clean" Ankers heroine.
-
Enjoyed your comments as well, Mike, although I can't agree with your dismissal of CALLING DR. DEATH. It's a pretty good noirish mystery which sets the tone for the rest of the series (with the possible exception of PILLOW OF DEATH), as neurologist Lon Chaney tries to find out who murdered his shrew of a wife (Ramsey Ames) before the police in the person of tough cop J. Carrol Naish tag him for the deed. The only problem is: he just can't seem to remember much about the weekend she was killed. Good thing faithful nurse Patricia Morison's around to help him. Or is it? Besides, any film with Chaney intoning "Neurology! Neurology!" can't be all bad.
WEIRD WOMAN ranks right up there, too, and if it does stray a bit from its original source (the novel BURN WITCH BURN! by Fritz Leiber), it's still worth a look for Lon's realistic portrayal of a college professor whose ex-girl friend (played to nasty perfection by Evelyn Ankers) can't quite adjust to the fact that he's married to someone else. The picture was remade a little more faithfully to its source in 1962.
DEAD MAN'S EYES features Chaney as an artist whose jealous model Tanya (Acquanetta) blinds him by switching his eyewash with acid in hopes of preventing his marriage to fiancee Jean Parker. When Chaney's prospective father-in-law announces his intention to bequeath his eyes to Lon for an operation that may restore his sight, you just know he's not going to last much longer.
THE FROZEN GHOST features Lon as "mentalist" Gregor the Great. As you said, Mike, when a drunken heckler in a radio studio audience dies, Lon breaks off his engagement to Evelyn Ankers and moves into a wax museum in order to deal wih his guilt feelings. But there's more going on here than meets the eye, with manager Milburn Stone and extremely shady wax sculptor Martin Kosleck hanging around (not to mention cute young Elena Verdugo).
The picture STRANGE CONFESSION is a remake of is actually entitled THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD. The original was a pacifist anti-war story in which Claude Rains decapitates Lionel Atwill for numerous betrayals. Here, Lon does the honors to the thoroughly deserving J. Carrol Naish.
The final picture in the series was PILLOW OF DEATH and featured Lon as a lawyer in love with his pretty young secretary whose wife ends up dead. Then, members of the secretary's family start dying. Sorry, Mike, but it was George Cleveland in the part of crotchety old Sam Kincaid which you enjoyed so much. J. Edward Bromberg played Julian Julian (that's right, Julian Julian), a psychic investigator who may know more about the murders than he purports to have had revealed to him by the spirits of the victims. The film also co-stars Rosalind Ivan, who was so wonderful as Charles Laughton's shrewish wife in THE SUSPECT and Agatha Dunham in the Sherlock Holmes picture PURSUIT TO ALGIERS. Clara Blandick, Aunt Em in THE WIZARD OF OZ, can also be seen.
As can readily be surmised, these are mystery thrillers, not horror pictures, thus accounting, as Mike points out, for their lack of mention in many horror reference books. But for fans of the genre, they're enjoyable and well worth a look, and even more so if you're a Lon Chaney fan.
The Navy vs the Night Monsters Mamie Van Doren
in Science Fiction
Posted
LOL!
Well, whatever else you can say about this movie, at least it isn't dull!