TomJH

I watched Five Fingers the other evening on the Fox Cinema Archives DVD. It's an okay image, hardly restored, but I have no complaints about it. My library had this DVD and I scooped it up to make a copy of it. Like yourself this low key highly intelligent spy drama is a great personal favourite of mine. The entire cast is excellent but James Mason's understated, dry deliveries of sharp, incisive, often clever dialogue are a particular joy for me. Some on location shots done in Turkey (though I doubt that any of the cast were actually there) adds tremendously to the atmospheric appeal of the street scenes. I also have to say that not enough people are aware of this terrific, at times highly suspenseful film portrayal of a real espionage event from the war.

I enjoy both though I hardly find them scary. Curse of the Cat People is actually quite poignant when seen through the viewpoint of a sensitive, lonely little girl.

I hope there aren't any Bigfoot private eye films. Eddie might have to start showing them.

The Pagan (1929) Ramon Novarro stars as an easy going half caste living on an island in the South Seas who falls in love with another half caste (Dorothy Janis), under the "protection" of a hard nosed white trader (Donald Crisp), who wants to raise her as a white. Not so secretly he desires her himself. This late silent (with Pagan Love Song repeatedly sung on its soundtrack by Novarro) was a followup by director W. S. Van Dyke to the previous year's White Shadows in the South Seas in which ambitious whites also took advantage of innocent, peace loving islanders. This is a simple story, distinguished by lovely black and white photography shot on location, according to the film's opening titles, in the Paumolu Islands in the South Seas. Novarro delivers a remarkably naturalistic performance, while this was one of only six films in which the little remembered Dorothy Janis appeared. Donald Crisp, in a performance reminiscent of his work in Griffith's Broken Blossoms, is the one cast member who overdoes it with his villainy portrayal. Renee Adoree, best remembered today for her touching performance in King Vidor's The Big Parade, is second billed but has limited screen time as a woman living in the islands. The gifted Adoree would tragically die of tuberculosis just four years later. While a minor film, The Pagan is not without its charms, thanks to Novarro's performance and the photography. TCM occasionally broadcasts this MGM production. Lovers of silent films will probably be satisfied. 2.5 out of 4

And I'll be watching Five Fingers tonight by way of paying tribute to the lady.

One of my all time favourite lines of dialogue was drolly delivered by Danielle Darrieux in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's FIVE FINGERS (1952). She played a countess, used to living a luxurious lifestyle, who resided in neutral Turkey during WW2 and would side with whichever side of the war could keep her in a world of comfort. When at one point she notices a German clerk observing her admiringly Darrieux commented to him, "Please do not look at me as if you had a source of income other than your salary." The French actress's ability to combine a worldly sophistication with, at times, a haughty disdain in the film was a sheer delight.

I recently purchased the Warners Archive copy of Mystery of the Wax Museum with its restored print. They really did eliminate the scratches that had been on the print previously available as an extra feature on the House of Wax DVD. I didn't bother to compare the difference in the two strip colour of the two prints. Soon after that I pulled out and watched Doctor X from the DVD that had been released of it ten year ago or so. Truth is I prefer Doctor X to Mystery, perhaps because it's bolder in the over-the-top melodrama that plays on screen. There are some great Anton Grot sets, of course. I also have a real weakness for Lee Tracy's comic fast patter so I think he adds a lot to the film. And can anyone forget the words "Synthetic flesh" after a particularly ghoulish scene in Doctor X? What bothered me about that DVD of Doctor X, though, were the scratches on the print and the overall greenish tint of the two strip colour. This is a film that could really use a restoration, much like Mystery of the Wax Museum received. By any chance, has anyone heard if this fun old fashioned chiller is going to get a restoration?

Thanks for the info, Dargo. That answers my question. As for your statement in the quote, Really?

Oh, you didn't explain that before. My imagination was going wild with your Pop swinging that paddle and that ball bouncing all over the place. Not a bad idea for a bit in a comedy skit, though, eh?

I agree that Maltin's selections were a real treat. Here's hoping this is the beginning of a series for him with the channel. COME NEXT SPRING was a particular delight for me. For starters it was the only one of Maltin's picks that hadn't been on TCM before. I already had a copy of this film but TCM's vibrant colour print put my old washed out one to shame.

Dargo, I feel sorry for your Dad. I mean it must have really hurt him whenever one of those balls struck him in the face after he wacked you with that paddle.

Would anyone know if in those scenes depicting the fire scarred maniac in House of Wax it was actually Vincent Price wearing the makeup? Or was it a double? I'm thinking, in particular, of the many early scenes in the film in which there was no dialogue. It's a given that any of the real action moments like a fist fight in the film would have been a double. I was thinking more of those scenes on the street, for example, in which you see shots of him and he is limping as he chases Phyllis Kirk in the fog or scenes in which he shows up in a bedroom getting Kirk to do her Fay Wray scream imitation. I ask this because, unlike Lionel Atwill in Mystery of the Wax Museum in which you can make out the actor's features beneath the makeup, that is not the case with Price. That could really be anyone. Yes, you hear Price's voice in his final scenes as the fiend (his voice could have been dubbed, of course, but it doesn't sound like it to me) but for most of the film his fiend character has no dialogue so I was wondering whether or not we're seeing the actor himself wearing the makeup. Looks like Lionel Atwill in the makeup to me House of Wax - that could be anybody

For fans of Reggie Rymal (the paddle ball guy in House of Wax) here is an appearance he made on The Spike Jones Show, demonstrating his paddle ball dexterity by playing musical bars with it, as well as dismantling a clarinet being played. Reggie comes into the video at 2:34. What a guy! By the way, Reggie also appeared as a guy playing with yo yos in Vincent Price's The Mad Magician (1954). Reggie's odd niche in show biz was recognized by Variety when they printed a 2002 obit for him: Reggie Rymal, comedian and paddle-ball expert who was featured in the Warner Bros. 3D pic “House Of Wax” died Dec. 25 of a heart attack in La Habra Ca.. He was 81 years old. Rymal was an entertainer and comedian in the early 1950s and was well known for his paddle-ball skills. He performed standup comedy and paddle-ball at hotels around the country. He appeared on many television shows during the early days of TV, including “The Eddie Cantor Show,” “You Asked For It,””Ladies Choice,” and “The Steve Allen Show”. But he is best remembered for his paddle-ball act in “House Of Wax.” In the 3D pic, Rymal’s paddle-balls seem to jump off the screen He is survived by his son Royal A. Rymal, three Grandchildren and his brother Murray Westgate.

"Umphh trgh yv." (Translation: "I thank you.").

Anyone watch COME NEXT SPRING, which played on TCM last evening? This is one of those gentle tales about human relationships that some might call "heart warming" if done well while others might dismiss as "corny" if they don't care for it. I like this film very much. This tale of redemption is simple and may not have any surprises in the story but there's an honesty in the projection of emotions by the characters that rings true for me. Ann Sheridan, as pointed out by the hosts, plays a character more severe than usual but you can understand why as she plays a farm woman forced to have raised two children by herself. There wasn't a false note in her performance. The former "Oomph Girl" could, if the fates had served her better with superior film roles, developed into a fine character actress. And Steve Cochran shows a sensitivity and even vulnerability in his role as an alcoholic on the wagon that makes you realize he could have been so much more as an actor than just a guy known for playing mugs and tough guys (good as he was in White Heat). Then there's Sherry Jackson as the couple's mute daughter, delivering, okay I'll say it, a heart warming portrayal full of innocence and sensitivity. The final scene in the film chokes me up, that final shining moment belonging to young Jackson. Adding immeasurably to the warmth of this production is Max Steiner's musical score. Was I the only one who noticed that Max borrowed passages of his score from Sergeant York for this production? It works equally here. COME NEXT SPRING may be no classic but it's well worth the investment of a viewer's time. Ann Sheridan could be pretty brutally honest in her appraisal of her own films. In an interview she gave about a year and a half before her death she called this production a "sweet, charming little film." Right on, Annie.

But Cagney's character matures and realizes the shallowness of his former values regarding a beautiful woman versus a steadfast loyal one. You see that in that splendid scene in which Cagney and de Havilland sit on that park bench just after his release from prison and, now mellowed, he open heartedly thanks her for being the person she is. Both actors are magnificently restrained in their portrayal of emotions here, making this scene all the more poignant. I think The Strawberry Blonde has one of the great performances of James Cagney's career, with Olivia de Havilland sublime in support. Olivia, by the way, loved working with Raoul Walsh on this film enough that she recommended him as director to Errol Flynn for his upcoming western epic They Died With Their Boots On. Walsh would become Errol's favourite director and a friend he called "Uncle." Walsh, in turn, would regard Flynn as a son but, sadly, one he couldn't save from self destruction.

Interesting comments about Bacall's performance in Dark Passage especially since I have always liked her work in this film. It's the only one of her four films with Bogie in which her character acts protective towards him (after all his character is quite vulnerable and turns for help to a lot of others, very untypical for Bogie). Bacall brings a warmth to her scenes with Bogart that makes her quite appealing to me. And that final scene in the film, when Bacall with that expectant sweet smile on her face as she has a rendezvous with Bogart in that Peruvian cafe, the two melting into one another's arms on the dance floor to the sounds of Too Marvelous For Words, is one of the most romantic fairy tale endings I've seen in any film. The potent chemistry between these two stars is so key to that. The Bacall performance that leaves the least impression upon me of her Bogart films is in Key Largo in which their scenes lacked the sexual sparkle they had previously had together. Bacall is quite bland in this film. Maybe its because Lauren, a limited actress at this point in her career, was a bit overwhelmed by all the great scene stealers that appeared in that one, Eddie G. and Claire Trevor in particular. On the other hand, I thought Bacall scored well in Bright Leaf and How to Marry A Millionaire (all that smart, sophisticated banter), while decades later her reserve and a slight tired sadness in her eyes worked effectively opposite an aging dignified Duke in The Shootist.

Carolyn Jones is so good in House of Wax that I was sorry the screenplay had her character meeting her end so soon. It's hardly a scary film by moderns standards but it has slick handsome productions values, including some impressive studio sets and street scenes. Some of my favourite moments in the film are when Phyllis Kirk is being chased through the fog shrouded streets by the limping mad man in cape and slouch hat (shades of Jack the Ripper).. Not to nit pick but why does the maniac limp in the film's earlier scenes but at the end of the film, when Price gets out of the wheelchair and starts to walk, there is no limp at all? I mean if he hadn't been doing that fake limp when chasing after the girl in the early scenes he might have caught her. Hey, here I am, catching myself pointing out the lack of logic in a horror film! Will I never learn? It's the movies! Perhaps the film's best remembered scene . . . . . . the magic of which Mel Brooks later failed to re-capture.

Norman Lloyd. He'll always be remembered as a fall guy. (Sorry).

Thursday, November 12, 9:30 pm (EST) Come Next Spring (1956) Charming bucolic tale about a man who returns to his Arkansas farm nine years after walking out on his family, now sober after years of drinking. The community is disdainful of him but his wife gives him a second chance after seeing her children's positive response to him. A tale of redemption, this gentle little film has a sweetness without ever seeming cloying. Ann Sheridan is fine in her third last film, cast as the farm woman, while Steve Cochran, normally a screen tough guy, does a lovely, sensitive turn as the husband. Cochran's company was involved in producing this film but the actor had friction with Herbert Yates of Republic Pictures, which had the film playing on the bottom half of a double bill. Ann Sheridan badly needed a hit at this point in her career, not having had one since I Was A Male War Bride seven years before, and she had hopes this film might be it. It didn't happen but Come Next Spring remains a lovely tender little drama. Walter Brennan co-stars, along with a very sweet performance from Sherry Jackson as the couple's shy mute daughter. I believe this may be a TCM premiere.

At least you've got a great backup door stop.

Well, if your Mom finished page two she's got me beat.

My favourite book to read whenever I want to get to sleep is Silas Marner, a tale about a weaver, by George Eliot. Usually by the time I get to page 2 the sounds of my snoring are filling the house. That book is ten times better than Unisom.

It's so frustrating when you see performances you love in a film you can resist.

I can understand that because the film has a lot of things going for it. Connery is exceptionally good. Maybe it's not fair of me to ask because you haven't seen the film for a long time, but do you recall if you had difficulty following that complicated plot? That was the bugaboo for me.