September 13 - 19, 2025

 

To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.

Brain Teasers:

Which American actor, who appeared in Italian Westerns, was cast, and then fired, from the original production of Edward Albee's play AN AMERICAN DREAM?

It was Thomas Hunter.

Which American actor was offered to make an Italian Western after bumping into the Italian producer in the hallway at the William Morris Agency?

No one answered this question yet.

Which Spanish actor, born in 1918, worked with director Raul Artigot, Lucio Fulci, Leon Klimovsky, Sergio Corbucci, Sergio Leone and Robert Enrico?

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Lorenzo Robledo.

Which Spanish actor, born in 1911, had played three years of professional soccer before injuries caused him to leave sports and become an actor?

Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes knew that it was Antonio Casas.

Which Spanish actor has been listed with 187 credits including working with Sergio Leone, Duccio Tessari, Paul Naschy, Jose Antonio de la Loma and Tulio Demicheli?

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem knew that it was Antonio Casas.

And now for some new brain teasers:

How many times did Reg Lewis play Maciste?

In the English version of which Italian movie was the hero renamed "Maxus"?

Which American body builder who worked in Italian films was also an airplane pilot?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Tom Betts, Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Andrea Bosic and Giuliano Gemma in I GIORNI DELL'IRA, aka DAY OF ANGER.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand van Wonterghem and George Grimes identified last week's photo from MACISTE CONTRO I MOSTRI, aka MACISTE AGAINST THE MONSTERS, aka FIRE MONSTERS AGAINST THE SONS OF HERCULES.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes and Bertrand van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Aroldo Tieri and Margaret Lee in LA BALLATA DEI MARITI, aka THE BALLAD OF HUSBANDS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo of Fu Sheng, Ching-Ching Yeung and Kara Hui in THE 8 DIAGRAM POLE FIGHTER.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:

Mildly enjoyed:

Annika season two (2023) - This season ends with an horrific cliffhanger which kind of spoils the previous five episodes. This is not that unusual for a British TV series. 

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Angel Rivera  Highly enjoyed:

"ROOM 222" (1969-1974) Various Episodes
I get a kick out of seeing some of these well known actors playing students even though they are in their mid-twenties at the time of filming. Actors like; Rob Reiner; Richard Dreyfuss; Bruno Kirby: Cindy Williams; Teri Garr, Bob Balaban (with hair) and Ed Begley, Jr. (with a head full of blonde hair).

"DEADLIER THAN THE MALE" (1967)
I've watched this film many times and  basically for two reasons: sexy Elke Sommer and the seductive Sylva Koscina as the two female assassins. Both are at the height of their allure at time of filming. Elke a 26 year old vixen and an amazingly fit 33 year old Sylva Koscina. Their performances through  out the film adds credence to the film's title. Sylva Koscina, best known for her role as Hercule's wife Iole in the original "Hercules" (1958) opposite Steve Reeves as Hercules, is a revelation of great comedic timing. Richard Johnson and Nigel Green are also effective in their roles of good guy and bad guy, respectively. And what a great ending; alone worth the time for viewing of one of the better 007 style movies, IMO. ( Sommer and Koscina would appear together again in the horror film, "Lisa and the Devil' (aka "House of Exorcism") (1973/5)

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Bertrand van Wonterghem Enjoyed:

Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949, George Sherman)

Ride a crooked trail (1958, Jesse Hibbs)

Les tortillards (1960, Jean Bastia)

Police squad (1982) – episodes 1 to 4

Mr Brain (2009) – episode 1

The man from Colorado (1957, Henry Levin)

Mildly Enjoyed

White feather (1955, Robert D. Webb)

The return of Frank James (1940, Fritz Lang)

Irma la voyante (short) (1947, Antoine Toé)

Did not enjoy:

Passion (1954, Allan Dwan)

Invasion of the body snatchers (1978, Philip Kaufman)

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 David Deal Enjoyed: 

THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (58) - Toshiro Mifune must escort his princess across enemy lines with a large cache of gold hidden in pieces of wood. Akira Kurosawa's classic period epic remains intimate even though the scale of the story is quite large.

DEVO (24) - Excellent documentary on this oft-misunderstood band.

THE LOST MAN (51) - Dr. Peter Lorre is working in a refugee camp at the end of WWII. When someone from his past shows up, we learn through flashbacks that Lorre killed his wife and another woman, and the man from the past has blackmail in mind. Lorre returned to Germany for his only directorial effort, and while the film may not be pitch perfect, Lorre is spellbinding in the role.

VISIONS OF LIGHT (92) - If any movie deserved a better presentation, it's this one.

KOYAANISQATSI (83) - Nothing's really changed for humankind; we're still blundering our way to extinction.

MY NAME IS PECOS (66)

HANA-BI (97)

THE SLAVE (69)

THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (57)

M. HULOT'S HOLIDAY (53)

I VAMPIRI (57) - First time watching the new Blu-ray and it looks great considering the various versions we've all seen. 

THE FALCON'S BROTHER (42)

Mildly Enjoyed

HYPOTHESIS OF THE STOLEN PAINTING (78) - An art collector leads us through a series of paintings by (fictional) 19th century artist Frederic Tonnerre. The purpose is to determine the reason the paintings caused a scandal in the Paris art world that resulted in one of the paintings disappearing. The paintings are presented as "tableaux vivants"; with actors posing as the characters in the paintings in the rooms of a old house that the art collector wanders through. This is a French avant-garde film meant as a parody of art films. It will appeal to a select audience that may find some amusement. A tepid recommendation, I admit, but a nice surprise was recognizing a young Jean Reno as one of the actors in the tableaux.

THE DOUBLE (71) - From 2015: "Languid, agreeable giallo with a primo cast, nudity, murder, and good tunes.  In other words, beautiful shallow people drinking J&B in exotic locales; duplicitous and amoral - 70s Italian style."

SEVEN BLOODSTAINED ORCHIDS (71)

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September 6 - 12, 2025

 

To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.

Brain Teasers:

Which American actor, who appeared in Italian Westerns, was cast, and then fired, from the original production of Edward Albee's play AN AMERICAN DREAM?

No one answered this question yet.

Which American actor was offered to make an Italian Western after bumping into the Italian producer in the hallway at the William Morris Agency?

No one answered this question yet.

Which American actor, who appeared in Italian Westerns, credited Johnny Mercer with helping him to get his first movie role?

Tom Betts knew that it was Thomas Hunter. Mercer set Hunter up for an audition from which he got a small role in WHAT DID YOU DO DURING THE WAR DADDY?

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which Spanish actor, born in 1918, worked with director Raul Artigot, Lucio Fulci, Leon Klimovsky, Sergio Corbucci, Sergio Leone and Robert Enrico?

Which Spanish actor, born in 1911, had played three years of professional soccer before injuries caused him to leave sports and become an actor?

Which Spanish actor has been listed with 187 credits including working with Sergio Leone, Duccio Tessari, Paul Naschy, Jose Antonio de la Loma and Tulio Demicheli?

Name the movies from which these images came.

Tom Betts identified last week's photo of Lorenzo Rubledo in PER UN PUGNO DI DOLLARI, aka A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one has identified the above photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one has identified the above photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

No one has identified the above photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

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I am interested in knowing what movies you have watched and what you enjoyed or not. So please send me an email at scinema@earthlink.net if you'd like to share. Here's what I watched last week:

Enjoyed:

AMERICAN FICTION (2023) - Like Mario Puzo, Jeffrey Wright is a writer of serious novels that don't fit into the stereotype of his ethnicity. So, Puzo wrote a novel about the Mafia and Wright comes up with a novel about a street thug. Like Robert Townsend with HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE, Wright is angry about what the marketplace considers "Black" and so he writes a novel using every stereotype currently popular. He is appalled when his book is taken seriously by critics and is even nominated for a Literary Award. However, this plot is only one of the many elements to be found in writer/director Cord Jefferson's movie, based on ERASURE by Percival Everett. The film begins with Wright depressed over the non-sale of his most recent novel, the censure by the faculty at the university where he teaches because he makes some students uncomfortable and his required attendance at a literary seminar in his hometown of Boston. Being in Boston means that he has to interact with his family, which he has been avoiding for years. There is a very witty comedy mixed in with the family drama, all of which is compelling. Jefferson won the 96th Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, which also received nominations for Best Picture and Best Actor.

Mildly enjoyed:

Annika season one (2021) - While the police procedural stuff is only slightly unique being set in the fictional Marine Homicide Unit in Scotland, the chracters created by Nick Walker are compelling and holds a viewer's attention. Nicola Walker of the series MI-5, aka Spooks, is rather charming as the lead detective who often speaks to the camera about how the new case reminds her of either a Norse legend or a famous literary work.

Foundation season one (2021) - I've not read any of Isaac Asimov's Foundation stories, so I don't know how this compares to the original. Many have commented how just about all science fiction after the publication in 1951 have used elements of Asimov's work, but they also commented on how Asimov did not write an adventure story. It seems that TV creators David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman felt the need to turn the material into an adventure story to get it made. Thus, many bits seem inspired by STAR WARS, Star Trek and various other shows. The story telling is very fractured with many episodes ending with a cliff hanger and the next episode taking a long time to resolve the cliff hanger throwing in many other subplots to complicate the narrative. Thus, watching the show is often confusing and unsatisfying. However, it is always nice to see Jane Espenson of the Whedonverse in the credits.

Did not enjoy:

UTAH BLAINE (1957) - I don't know how close this is to the novel by Louis L'Amour, but this is the kind of Western feature film which TV Westerns pretty much put out of business. Producer Sam Katzman cranked out many low budget features for Columbia Pictures in the late 1950s, and none made it on to anyone's "Best of" list - though I have a fondnes for EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS and KISSIN' COUSINS. Director Fred F. Sears also worked on EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS, as well as THE GIANT CLAW and CALYPSO HEAT WAVE. Why screenwriter Robert E. Kent sometimes used the name James B. Gordon when he worked on films like HOOTENANNY HOOT, TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK and DON'T KNOCK THE TWIST would suggest that UTAH BLAINE was a project about which he wasn't embarrassed..

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Angel Rivera  Highly enjoyed:

Various Episodes of  "Room 222" (1969-1974)
A document of its time. Feel a lot of nostalgia watching these episodes for a time long past.

"SOME LIKE IT HOT" (1959)
Marilyn Monroe is my favorite female star. Now know a lot of about her personal problems, especially while making this movie. This is the classic Billy Wilder film about two musicians Joe and Jerry who after witnessing a "hit" inspired by of the St. Valentine's Day massacre, become "female" musicians, Josephine and Daphne to hide from "the Mob". Enter blond bombshell and singer, Sugar Kane who is aptly named. While Monroe is beautiful and sings up a storm; Jack Lemon and Tony Curtis add a lot of humor; especially when Curtis goes from Josephine to "Shell Oil" Junior who sound amazingly like Cary Grant. With Pat O'Brien as an FBI man who is willing to make a "federal case" of the misdeeds of the mobsters; George Raft as mobster, Spats Colombo and Joe E. Brown who gets to utter the film's last line, "Nobody's Perfect."

"ROUSTABOUT" (1964)
One of my favorite Elvis movies, as it has one of favorite Elvis songs, "Big Love, Big Heartache" written by Ed Wood's, Dolores Fuller. Elvis plays a leather clad motorcycle riding singer who goes from town to town. In one town in a bit part, one of the girls he tries to pick up is Raquel Welch. Elvis shows off some karate moves when some fraternity boys jump him. Also in the cast in bit parts are: Teri Garr as a dancing chorus girl and Richard Kiel as giant strongman. Barbara Stanwyck and Leif Erickson costar as owners of the carnival Elvis joins, as he chases Joan Freeman, who also played the love interest of Don Knotts in "The Reluctant Astronaut" (1967). Elvis' performances bring fortune to the failing carnival. Standout performances are also given by Sue Ann Langdon as fortune teller, Madame Mijanou and  Pat Buttram as rich carny, Harry Carver (get it) who buys up failing carnivals. 
Elvis after some mishaps and misunderstandings saves the day as he signs on with Stanwyck for good and he wins the heart of Joan Freeman. A lot of popular Elvis songs on the soundtrack for this film as it hit number one on the Billboard charts. I found this very entertaining.

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 David Deal Enjoyed: 

WAR BETWEEN THE PLANETS (65)

VIOLENT NAPLES (76)

THE SKULL (65)

THE FALCON TAKES OVER (42)

NIGHTMARE (63)

THE CONFORMIST (70) - Bertolucci's complex, visually stunning indictment of fascism and cowardice seems particularly apt today.

THE UNFAITHFUL WIFE (68) - Michel Bouquet suspects his wife, Stephane Audran, of having an affair. And she is, with Maurice Ronet. When the private detective engaged by Bouquet confirms his suspicion, a plan unfolds that will have devastating consequences. Claude Chabrol's engaging chamber Hitchcock piece allows the viewer some pitiless glee as things go from bad to worse in a very civilized manner. Recommended.

POLICE STORY (85)

LAKE OF DRACULA (71)

Mildly Enjoyed

HERCULES VS. THE HYDRA (60)

YOUR VICE IS A LOCKED ROOM AND ONLY I HAVE THE KEY (72)

CURSE OF THE VAMPIRES (66)

THE PROFESSIONAL (81)

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