I Just Watched...

[LornaHansonForbes]

1 hour ago, rosebette said:

Green Light (1937) -   I'm an Episcopalian, but I go to church on Sunday;

Congratulations,

This might be the most Episcopalian thing I've ever heard anyone say.

signed,

A Fellow Episcopalian

[LornaHansonForbes]

12 hours ago, ChristineHoard said:

No, you're not alone at all.  I think [THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES] one of [DANA ANDREWS'] best performances.

I still say, if you have not seen it, to watch DAISY KENYON (1947)- where in spite of sharing the male lead with HENRY FONDA and having CRAWFORD as a leading lady- ANDREWS gives one of the most electric and unique performances of the decade.

He is a revelation in his part.

I'm hard pressed to think of a case where anyone did more with less in a leading capacity on film.

it's a FOX FILM tho, and seems to be one of the rare CRAWFORD titles TCM hasn't gone out of its way to acquire, but it did show up on METV recently!

[LornaHansonForbes]

8 hours ago, EricJ said:

Lee makes a good Fu (better than Peter Sellers', anyway), but this movie became infamous among MST3K fans as a movie where absolutely nothing coherent happens for ninety minutes, and even the above description gives the story and pacing too much credit.  One of the few movies the series considered truly painful to sit through, without hope of heckling.

 

My favorite of the Joelschool Era MST 3K episodes is probably BEING FROM ANOTHER PLANET; and my favorite moment is at the end, when Tom Servo insists that this is the worst movie they had ever done at that point; and Crow and Joel proceed to list the titles they had heretofore seen- which in themselves are hilarious- occasionally eliciting a footnote with a mention ("hey, I liked TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE!")

AND THEN Crow defiantly shouts "CASTLE OF FU MANCHU!" as checkmate, to which Tom replies after a pause, "OK, I GRANT YOU, CASTLE OF FU MANCHU WAS AS BAD, BUT WE'VE NEVER DONE A WORSE MOVIE!"

That still tickles me to this day; although count me in as a devoted fan who just cannot make it through this one for the life of me.

Jesus Franco must've had some family connections or known where some bodies were bodied that he was allowed to direct multiple times. (see also: RENE CARDONA, JR.)

[laffite]

4 hours ago, cigarjoe said:

Live Fast, Die Young (1958) Tail Fin Noir

I was expecting low budget junk but the film was surprisingly well made.

Directed by Actor Paul Henreid (who appeared in Now, Voyager (1942), Casablanca (1942), Hollow Triumph(1948), and Rope of Sand (1949), and directed A Woman's Devotion (1956), and Girls on the Loose(1958) a sort of thematic companion to this film, along with Dead Ringer (1964) and lots of 50s and 60s TV fare. The screenplay was written by Allen Rivkin and Ib Melchior, from a story by Ib Melchior and Edwin B. Watson. The Cinematography was by Philip H. Lathrop (Cry Tough(1959), Lonely Are The Brave (1962), The Americanization of Emily (1964), who continued to give us Neo Noirs, Experiment in Terror (1962), Point Blank(1967) and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969).

The film stars Mary Murphy (The Turning Point(1952), The Wild One (1953), Hell's Island (1955)) as Kim Winters who also provides the voice over narration, Norma Eberhardt as Jill Winters her younger sister. Mike Connors (Sudden Fear(1952), Mannix TV Series (1967–1975)) as Rick, Sheridan Comerate as Jerry, Peggy Maley (The Wild One (1953), Human Desire (1954), The Brothers Rico (1957)) as Sue Hawkins, Troy Donahue (A Summer Place (1959)) as Artie Sanders, Carol Varga (Dyesebel (1953)) as Violet, Joan Marshall (Mike Hammer TV Series (1958–1959), Homicidal (1961) and played Wilma in The Twilight Zone (TV Series) episode - Dead Man's Shoes (1962)), as Judy Tobin, Gordon Jones who played Mike the Cop in The Abbott and Costello Show TV Series (1952–1957), as Pop Winters, Robert Karnes  (Road House (1948) and twelve other Classic Noir) as Tommy "Tubbs" Thompson, Robert Carson (three Classic Noir) as Frank Castellani, John Harmon (six Classic Noir) as Jake, a Hobo, and Norman Leavitt (four Classic Noir) as Sam, a hotel clerk.

Another Beat Generation, juvenile delinquent Noir, but this one is sans most of the hip slang with hardly any references to the beats, but it does emphasize Norma's penchant for Jazz. It's all pretty "Code" tame and doesn't push any boundaries. Henreid does a good job of keeping the pace moving, though the ending seems a bit rushed. Could use a restoration. 6/10 Available online.

Full review in Film Noir/Gangster pages.

One can see right away from the poster that this can't be about beatniks. But I am glad you confirmed that in your text. Your list of credits (or should I say histories) in the first two paragrahs were quite a, uh, trip, in that they were informative and maybe a little exhausting to boot. i felt like I was driving a car out of a parking and had to deal with speed bumps every two seconds. But thorough.

[cigarjoe]

1 hour ago, laffite said:

One can see right away from the poster that this can't be about beatniks. But I am glad you confirmed that in your text. Your list of credits (or should I say histories) in the first two paragrahs were quite a, uh, trip, in that they were informative and maybe a little exhausting to boot. i felt like I was driving a car out of a parking and had to deal with speed bumps every two seconds. But thorough.

What I'm trying to illustrate most of the time for the actors is illustrating the Noir "cinematic memory" they bring with them to a project if they have other Noirs under their belts, or something that they are most noted for if they don't have any Noir films in their C.V. With the directors it's usually their other Noir directing efforts or something recognizable, equally with the cinematographers. 

I'm not listing everything, just trying to show connections.  

It's interesting to note that these Transitional Noirs (after 1959) had a lot of actors who would make most of their fame in TV, This film had Mike Connors, also it was Troy Donahue's first film.

 

[laffite]

46 minutes ago, cigarjoe said:

I'm not listing everything, just trying to show connections.  

Now that I see better .... very well done.

//

[TomJH]

Midnight Taxi (1937)

Hard nosed "B" from 20th Century Fox, featuring Brian Donlevy as an undercover federal agent who poses as a cab driver in order to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters.

The film gets off to a fairly jolting start in its opening scene in which a cab drives another car off a road, crashing down into a ravine. The driver of the taxi then shoves own vehicle tumbling down the same steep incline before he rolls himself down the hill as well. Soon afterward we see the cabbie (Harold Huber) appear banged up, talking of his "accident," the other driver (a newspaperman investigating the counterfeit ring, as it turns out) killed. With no witnesses to the murder, he gets off scott free.

Alan Dinehart is silky smooth as an antiques exporter who uses the business as a front for the counterfeit ring. His assistants are beautiful Frances Drake and a grim, humorless Gilbert Roland. Roland is effective as a cold blooded character who trusts nobody, a role considerably contrasting to the affable, good natured character parts he would later have in countless features during the '50s. Sig Rumann, often seen in comical parts, is anything but in this film as the head of the counterfeit ring, ready to double cross his own cohorts, if need be.

Donlevy, a specialist in tough guy roles, both leads and supporting, is convincing in yet another tough mug part, even if this one is a "good guy" risking his life as he mixes in with a ruthless mob. In smallish roles as federal agents are Lon Chaney Jr. in a wasted throwaway part and Regis Toomey (the latter, at least, having the opportunity to appear in disguise as an old woman).

Director Eugene Forde keeps this programmer moving at a fast pace, with the result a hard boiled crime drama, much of its action set at night, that remains an entertaining time waster.

2.5 out of 4

[Vautrin]

Whiplash (1948) Dana Clark, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, et al. No, it's not a flick about

a group of crooks who stage minor traffic accidents. It's that rare plot about a painter who

turns into a boxer and then, back again, into a painter. Dane Clark plays his patented Dane

Clark role as a working stiff with a large chip on his shoulder who is going to scratch his way

to the top of something. As the film opens, Dane is in the boxing ring taking a beating. Then

as he's about to get beat up some more, it's flashback time. Dane started out as an artiste,

a painter in Monterrey. Alexis buys one of his paintings and Dane goes to visit her. Before you

can say second rate Impressionism, they fall for each other. Then one day, Alexis is suddenly gone.

Dane finds out that the painting is being sent to NYC. Naturally he goes to NYC. Who wouldn't?

There he is depressed to find out that Alexis is married to Scott, who is confined to a wheelchair.

Dane decides to try his hand at boxing as one of Scott's group of boxers. He is very successful

as a pugilist. Alexis's brother is a booze hound doctor who give the boxers physicals. On the night

of the big championship fight, Dane is getting beat to a pulp, but then he regroups and wins the

fight. Maybe the flashback, instead of depleting his energy, gave it a big boost. The boozing doctor

confronts Zachary and his bodyguard for all their underhanded schemes and their treatment of

his sister. The bodyguard shoots the doctor and Zach prepares to be wheeled down the ramp at

the back of the boxing arena. But the dying good doctor pulls out a gat and shoots the bodyguard,

leaving old Zach to careen down the ramp and right out into the street, where Zach or a stuntman

or a dummy is smashed by a car. This is one of the best unintentional comic scenes I have ever

seen. It looks like one of those things you might see in a Fields' comedy and it is a better come-

uppance than Scott received in Mildred Pierce. With the bad guy out of the way, Clark and Smith

head back to Californyeaye and a happy ending. Alan Hale has a supporting part as Clark's Irish

trainer, who spends much of his screen time reminding people that he is...Irish. Eve Arden also

has a turn as her usual wise cracking friend of the star. Overall, a pretty conventional noir film

with a few unusual twists but still entertaining. The Zachary Scott death in wheelchair scene

is worth an additional half star, it's that hilarious.

 

Spoilers.

 

 

[LornaHansonForbes]

15 minutes ago, Vautrin said:

Whiplash (1948) Dana Clark, Alexis Smith, Zachary Scott, et al. No, it's not a flick about

a group of crooks who stage minor traffic accidents. It's that rare plot about a painter who

turns into a boxer and then, back again, into a painter. Dane Clark plays his patented Dane

Clark role as a working stiff with a large chip on his shoulder who is going to scratch his way

to the top of something. As the film opens, Dane is in the boxing ring taking a beating. Then

as he's about to get beat up some more, it's flashback time. Dane started out as an artiste,

a painter in Monterrey. Alexis buys one of his paintings and Dane goes to visit her. Before you

can say second rate Impressionism, they fall for each other. Then one day, Alexis is suddenly gone.

Dane finds out that the painting is being sent to NYC. Naturally he goes to NYC. Who wouldn't?

There he is depressed to find out that Alexis is married to Scott, who is confined to a wheelchair.

Dane decides to try his hand at boxing as one of Scott's group of boxers. He is very successful

as a pugilist. Alexis's brother is a booze hound doctor who give the boxers physicals. On the night

of the big championship fight, Dane is getting beat to a pulp, but then he regroups and wins the

fight. Maybe the flashback, instead of depleting his energy, gave it a big boost. The boozing doctor

confronts Zachary and his bodyguard for all their underhanded schemes and their treatment of

his sister. The bodyguard shoots the doctor and Zach prepares to be wheeled down the ramp at

the back of the boxing arena. But the dying good doctor pulls out a gat and shoots the bodyguard,

leaving old Zach to careen down the ramp and right out into the street, where Zach or a stuntman

or a dummy is smashed by a car. This is one of the best unintentional comic scenes I have ever

seen. It looks like one of those things you might see in a Fields' comedy and it is a better come-

uppance than Scott received in Mildred Pierce. With the bad guy out of the way, Clark and Smith

head back to Californyeaye and a happy ending. Alan Hale has a supporting part as Clark's Irish

trainer, who spends much of his screen time reminding people that he is...Irish. Eve Arden also

has a turn as her usual wise cracking friend of the star. Overall, a pretty conventional noir film

with a few unusual twists but still entertaining. The Zachary Scott death in wheelchair scene

is worth an additional half star, it's that hilarious.

 

Spoilers.

 

 

Would make good triple feature with KISS OF DEATH and MAC AND ME.

[Vautrin]

2 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

Would make good triple feature with KISS OF DEATH and MAC AND ME.

Let's roll. The scene with Scott going down the ramp and out into heavy traffic came

so suddenly all I could do was watch in fascination, almost in disbelief. It just looked so

funny. Zoom, Crash. It's funny how the look of wheelchairs have stayed the same until

the last few years. 

[LornaHansonForbes]

I bet you anything it was an attempt to outdo KISS OF DEATH from the previous year. 

I like Zachary Scott, but I sometimes wonder whose grits he pis sed in to end up getting such routinely bad roles.

 

[LornaHansonForbes]

 

[spence]

2 minutes ago, Vautrin said:

Let's roll. The scene with Scott going down the ramp and out into heavy traffic came

so suddenly all I could do was watch in fascination, almost in disbelief. It just looked so

funny. Zoom, Crash. It's funny how the look of wheelchairs have stayed the same until

the last few years. 

Which KISS OF DEATH though? I reckon' you mean the 1947 classic where R. Widmark snagged his one & only shot at an *Academy Award?

 

I;m no fan of remakes-(they outrageously even have PAPILLON coming up & it's stars look more like male models then anything else???)  All know they just don't have the heavyweight stars anymore as with HOLLYWOODS GLORIOUS GOLDEN AGE-(l925-63) But the writers are asinine. 

However the 1995 rehash of KISS OF DEATH was pretty well made ($15m.) (***) *Oscar victor: Nicolas Cage shoulda' earned a 2nd nod for s. actor that year as the villain-(Widmark's role) I say his 2nd because he was superb in the great yet ultra sad LEAVING LAS VEGAS ($32m.) (4 stars!) that *ACADEMY AWARD year & he deservedly won leading actor as Ben in it!  Thee single most accurate of an alcoholic I've yet to see. More so then *Milland's in 1945's *LOST WEEKEJND too.

THANX

[spence]

2 hours ago, TomJH said:

Midnight Taxi (1937)

Hard nosed "B" from 20th Century Fox, featuring Brian Donlevy as an undercover federal agent who poses as a cab driver in order to infiltrate a gang of counterfeiters.

The film gets off to a fairly jolting start in its opening scene in which a cab drives another car off a road, crashing down into a ravine. The driver of the taxi then shoves own vehicle tumbling down the same steep incline before he rolls himself down the hill as well. Soon afterward we see the cabbie (Harold Huber) appear banged up, talking of his "accident," the other driver (a newspaperman investigating the counterfeit ring, as it turns out) killed. With no witnesses to the murder, he gets off scott free.

Alan Dinehart is silky smooth as an antiques exporter who uses the business as a front for the counterfeit ring. His assistants are beautiful Frances Drake and a grim, humorless Gilbert Roland. Roland is effective as a cold blooded character who trusts nobody, a role considerably contrasting to the affable, good natured character parts he would later have in countless features during the '50s. Sig Rumann, often seen in comical parts, is anything but in this film as the head of the counterfeit ring, ready to double cross his own cohorts, if need be.

Donlevy, a specialist in tough guy roles, both leads and supporting, is convincing in yet another tough mug part, even if this one is a "good guy" risking his life as he mixes in with a ruthless mob. In smallish roles as federal agents are Lon Chaney Jr. in a wasted throwaway part and Regis Toomey (the latter, at least, having the opportunity to appear in disguise as an old woman).

Director Eugene Forde keeps this programmer moving at a fast pace, with the result a hard boiled crime drama, much of its action set at night, that remains an entertaining time waster.

2.5 out of 4

Even the posters were better back then. That, in my long held opinion really deserved to be *Oscars #25th category & not this alledged new ridiculous one for Most Popular Film??? (EARLY WAGER: B. PANTHER will take that new category/.race)

 

(ALSO: My personal candidate as all-time finest motion picture poster is for *CASABLANCA)

[MaryGH]

Call of the Desert, 1930

This was Tom Tyler's second-to-last silent film made for Syndicate in 1930, directed by J. P. McGowan. Tom is Rex Carson, who inherits his father's mining claim, but whose companion jumps the claim, leaving Tom stranded and ill - and taken to a nearby ranch owner by Jean Walker (Sheila Le Gay) where she nurses him back to health. This is a charming western which also stars Bud Osborne, Bobby Dunn and Cliff Lyons. Available through Alpha Video/Oldies.com

 

[LornaHansonForbes]

I am getting the *very* distinct impression that FLAXY MARTIN is *not* a nice person. 

[scsu1975]

The Lady and The Monster (1944) youtube

Despite the title, there is no monster, unless you count Vera Hruba Ralston’s horrific attempt at acting.

Beyond that, this is a pretty good B-flick, the first filming of “Donovan’s Brain.”

Erich Von Stroheim plays a scientist (you know where this is going already) who experiments on animal brains … and now he is looking for a human subject. So when a plane crashes nearby, he dispatches his assistant (Richard Arlen). Arlen finds one guy barely alive and takes him back to Erich’s “Castle.” The guy then croaks, and we find out he was a rich dude named Donovan. Stroheim manages to remove his brain and start the ball rolling. In short order, Arlen begins to get subliminal messages from Donovan, like “if you build it, he will come.”

The film gets steadily better, and Arlen does a good job transforming himself into a ruthless scumbag. The effect is heightened by what I presume was a special kind of makeup reacting to the lighting, which brought out shadows under Arlen’s eyes and gave him a menacing forehead. At times, I expected him to turn into a werewolf.

Ralston is pretty much along for the ride. She looks good, but she may as well have been a mannequin that the director rolled onto the set. Von Stroheim is remarkably sedate in his role, even though he apparently sleeps with a gun.

The film’s weakest aspect is the unnecessary narration.

Having now seen this and the 1950s version with Lew Ayres, I’m not sure which one I prefer. There is also a British version, Vengeance, which I haven’t seen.

[ChristineHoard]

Vera Hruba Ralston was married to Herbert Yates, the boss at Republic, which probably explains her appearance in many Republic movies despite notable lack of acting talent.

[LawrenceA]

Today I watched:

Thank You All Very Much aka A Touch of Love (1969) - British drama starring Sandy Dennis as a doctoral student who ends up pregnant after a brief relationship with BBC announcer Ian McKellen (in his movie debut). Sandy spends the rest of the movie trying to decide what to do, and learning how her friends and relatives take to the situation. This is a relic of the attitudes of the time and place. Dennis is low-key, with a minimum of the eccentricities that she often brought to her roles. McKellen is boyish, even if he was pushing 30. I found it rather dull. (6/10)

The Bloody Judge (1970) - Exploitation in the vein of Mark of the Devil, with Christopher Lee as a late-17th century judge who uses his position to terrorize political opponents of the king, as well as to indulge in his own sexual obsessions. This is another collaboration between Lee and Spanish director Jess Franco, although this is marginally better than The Castle of Fu Manchu. Second-billed Maria Schell has a brief role as a witch. Also featuring Leo Genn and Franco regulars Maria Rohm and Howard Vernon. Euro-sleaze with little redeeming value.   (4/10)

The Scopone Game (1972) - Italian comedy-drama about an eccentric, ultra-wealthy woman (Bette Davis) who is obsessed with card games. Every spring she returns to her Italian villa, where she whiles away her time playing card games with local poor married couple Alberto Sordi and Silvana Mangano. The rest of the poor villagers have their hopes pinned on Sordi and Mangano winning big money from the old woman, money which will be spread around the neighborhood. This is pretty amusing, although it takes time getting used to Italian-dubbed Davis and co-star Joseph Cotten, playing her put-upon companion.   (7/10)

Land of the Minotaur aka The Devil's Men (1976) - Euro-trash horror about a cult of Minotaur-worshiping cultists led by Peter Cushing who sacrifice unwary travels who end up in their Greek village. Donald Pleasence hams it up as an Irish priest who accompanies some pretty young people to the village in order to find their missing friends. This is pretty terrible, although their is some unintentional humor, and there's one blonde victim who traipses around in some tiny short-shorts.   (4/10)

The Search for One-Eye Jimmy (1994) - Indie comedy that's an excellent example of the worst tendencies in mid-90's independent filmmaking. Recent film school grad Holt McCallany returns to his old Brooklyn neighborhood to make a documentary on the local characters when he gets caught up in a search for missing oddball "One-Eye" Jimmy. The most notable thing about this is the large number of indie-film performers who show up, including Steve Buscemi, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Badalucco, Nicholas Turturro, John Turturro, Aida Turturro, Anne Meara, Jennifer Beals, boxer Ray "Boom Boom" Mancini, and Sam Rockwell. This is self-indulgent, with strained humor that's only occasionally funny, and with actors over-playing to distraction.   (5/10) 

[Vautrin]

6 hours ago, spence said:

Which KISS OF DEATH though? I reckon' you mean the 1947 classic where R. Widmark snagged his one & only shot at an *Academy Award?

 

I;m no fan of remakes-(they outrageously even have PAPILLON coming up & it's stars look more like male models then anything else???)  All know they just don't have the heavyweight stars anymore as with HOLLYWOODS GLORIOUS GOLDEN AGE-(l925-63) But the writers are asinine. 

However the 1995 rehash of KISS OF DEATH was pretty well made ($15m.) (***) *Oscar victor: Nicolas Cage shoulda' earned a 2nd nod for s. actor that year as the villain-(Widmark's role) I say his 2nd because he was superb in the great yet ultra sad LEAVING LAS VEGAS ($32m.) (4 stars!) that *ACADEMY AWARD year & he deservedly won leading actor as Ben in it!  Thee single most accurate of an alcoholic I've yet to see. More so then *Milland's in 1945's *LOST WEEKEJND too.

THANX

That would be the original with Widmark and his big Spy vs. Spy hat. Remakes vary in quality.

Some are total bombs, others, though not as good as the original, are still good films, and a few

surpass the original. A remake of Les Diaboliques came out  quite a number of years ago. It was

nowhere as good as the original, but judged on its own it was pretty good.

[LornaHansonForbes]

8 hours ago, Vautrin said:

That would be the original with Widmark and his big Spy vs. Spy hat. Remakes vary in quality.

Some are total bombs, others, though not as good as the original, are still good films, and a few

surpass the original. A remake of Les Diaboliques came out  quite a number of years ago. It was

nowhere as good as the original, but judged on its own it was pretty good.

GOD FORGIVE ME, but I genuinely prefer the remake.

[LornaHansonForbes]

12 hours ago, scsu1975 said:

The Lady and The Monster (1944) youtube...

 the first filming of “Donovan’s Brain.”...

...Having now seen this and the 1950s version with Lew Ayres, I’m not sure which one I prefer. There is also a British version, Vengeance, which I haven’t seen.

Ouch man.

I have not seen THE LADY UNDTE DER MUNSTER, but I have seen the Lew Ayres/Nancy Davis(later Reagan) version of DONOVAN'S BRAIN  and: damn, it's Baaaaaad.

Like especially bad. Like, really deserves a certain infamy which it has not, for some reason unbeknownst to me, obtained after all this time.

There is an hour long radio version for SUSPENsE, i think, starring ORSON WELLES and it is marvelous...

[LornaHansonForbes]

FALLEN ANGEL (1945) is on TCM ON DEMAND if anyone is interested. I made it an hour and fifteen minutes in this time. it's nice to look at, although damn there is a lot rear projection footage, especially the beach scenes. i half-expected them to start screening an old "cowboys and indians" pic for a moment or two behind Dana and Linda (or Dana and Alice Faye) ... Dana Andrews also wears a button-up, long sleeved shirt and tie to the beach and at no time is he wearing less for four ounces of Pomade in his hair. He also should have had a friend- not George Brent- go with him to the tailor when he was getting fitted for pants, because the rear view is nowhere as nice as the front. this was an off performance from him, not really his fault because- spoilers kinda sort but honestly, not really- once "rhymes with 'witch' " Goddess LINDA DARNELL leaves the scene, this thing takes the most ludicrous left turn you can imagine; it's some lazy direction from Otto Preminger of a badly and clearly re-re-re-re-rewritten script. Linda Darnell is everything in this movie, like a proletariat, unrefined GENE TIERNEY- and just as lovely (with an added couple liters of sex appeal.) Ann Revere is also in this, hating life as usual- but at least she has a somewhat flattering hairstyle instead of her usual lentil-picking washer-woman look.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I am a big PETER LORRE fan and I had not seen THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK (1941) until this morning; i liked it quite a bit.

LORRE plays a gentle Hungarian immigrant who arrives in New York with very broken English (well-played as usual) and whose face is disfigured by a bowl of five-alarm chili. he is HORRIBLY, HEEDEEOUSLY DEESFEEGURED ARRRRGGGGH!!!! (SNORTsnort) and has an unmasking scene that tops Nicholson in the original BATMAN. He turns to a life of crime and becomes the Boss of a ring of high-stakes thieves and he has a doctor make him a mask that makes him look a lot like Julie Andrews in VICTOR/VICTORIA.

It's a surprisingly refined and sensitive performance from LORRE, it may actually be the most tender work I've seen him do on screen...sort of like if his crazed doctor in MAD LOVE was actually a nice guy.

The acting all-around was quite good, EVELYN KEYES excels in the role of a poor blind girl who strings beads for a living  in spite of being waaaaaaaaay too heavily made up and immaculately coiffured for a poor blind girl who strings beads for a living.

they ripped off A LOT of things from this movie for the RONDO HATTEN vehicle THE BRUTE MAN.

there is a sorta/kinda homosexual undertone to Lorre's friendship with his second in-command- i didn't recognize the actor who played him, but he was very, very good.

this was directed by ROBERT FLOREY whose MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (1933) also had such a relationship and the same expressionistic direction.

[Hibi]

15 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I am getting the *very* distinct impression that FLAXY MARTIN is *not* a nice person. 

Could you fill me in (did you watch the whole thing?) I dozed off during a good part of Malone's segment. (right when Scott escaped from the train) I woke up with Malone and Scott in handcuffs with the sheriff. How did Scott and Malone get together? Who was she? How did Cook find him? Was he sent by the other heavy? (Mayo's hood boyfriend) Mayo seemed to have disappeared after the first part, only appearing for the end.

If anyone else could fill me in, thanks!