To answer these trivia questions, please email me at scinema@earthlink.net.
Brain Teasers:
In which Italian Sword & Sandal movie is the king afraid of a man missing a shoe?
George Grimes, Angel Rivera and Charles Gilbert knew that it is LE FATICHE DI ERCOLE, aka HERCULES.
In which Italian Western does a bounty killer toting a body stop for coffee from a stranger only to find out that the stranger is the body's son?
Tom Betts knew that it is DJANGO SPARA PER PRIMO, aka DJANGO SHOOTS FIRST.
In the U.S. version of which Italian Western does the hero die, but in the Italian version he lives?
Tom Betts knew that it is MINNESOTA CLAY.
And now for some new brain teasers:
By what name is Lee W. Beaver better known?
Which Italian film director committed suicide by jumping from the balcony of his home in the Via dei Gracchi in Rome?
By what name is Susan Scott better known?
Name the movies from which these images came.
Tom Betts and George Grimes identified last week's photo of Henry Silva in UN FIUME DI DOLLARI, aka THE HILLS RUN RED.
Above is a new photo.
Can you identify from what movie it came?
Charles Gilbert identified last week's photo of Alan Steel and Dan Vadis in URSUS GLADIATORE RIBELLE, aka REBEL GLADIATORS.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes and Angel Rivera identified last week's photo of Helmut Berger in DAS BILDNIS DES DORIAN GRAY, aka DORIAN GRAY, aka THE SECRET OF DORIAN GRAY, aka THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY.
Above is a new photo.
Can you name from what movie it came?
George Grimes identified last week's photo from THE 36TH CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN, aka THE MASTER KILLER.
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:
BATTLE AT BLOODY BEACH (1961) - The year before he became known as the screenwriter for DR. NO and most of the James Bond films, Richard Maibaum was toiling away as a writer/producer of B-moves for 20th Century Fox. This one starred Audie Murphy as a civilian separated from his new bride when Japan invaded the Philippines. In an effort to find Dolores Michaels, Murphy volunteered to help U.S. Forces in finding U.S. citizens hiding in the various islands and in supplying weapons to guerrilla groups fighting the Japanese. Interestingly, this film also exposed gangsters like William Mims who under the guise of being a "freedom fighter", was greedily exploiting the local populace. On one island, Murphy was aided by Gary Cosby, who was posted to report on Japanese ships off shore. Eventually, Murphy met up with guerrilla leader Alejandro Rey (given an "introducing" billing despite his film career in Argentina). When he found Michaels, he was shocked to discover that in the two years that she thought him dead, Michaels had devoted herself to the guerrilla cause and to Rey personally. So, the film quickly descended into melodrama, not only the romantic triangle between the leads, but also in the group of U.S. citizens which were also found - especially the bickering couple played by Barry Atwater and Marjorie Stapp. Eventually, everyone ended up on the beach inside a wrecked boat as word came that the submarine pickup had been delayed and the Japanese soldiers were attacking. Reportedly filmed on one of the Catalina Islands, BATTLE AT BLOODY BEACH wasn't a very expensive looking production, but director Herbert Coleman was able to keep things moving and didn't press too hard on the melodrama. An American with a Japanese background, Dale Ishimoto went on to roles in P.T.109 and KING RAT as well as much TV before roles in ENTER THE NINJA and NINJA III: THE DOMINATION. Also in the cast was Ivan Dixon, who became a director in 1970 on The Bill Cosby Show, before making features like TROUBLE MAN and THE SPOOK WHO SAT BY THE DOOR.
BLOOD ON THE SUN (1945) - The Tanaka Memorial document was reported by Chinese sources as being a 1927 master plan of how Japan was going to take over the world by first conquering China and then the East Coast of the U.S. Baron Tanaka Giichi was the Prime Minister of Japan when the story broke. BLOOD ON THE SUN was a fictional film, written by Garrett Fort and Lester Cole, about how heroic newspaper man in Japan, James Cagney, teamed with mysterious EurAsian beauty Sylvia Sidney, to smuggle the document out of Japan and expose it the world. Most historians agree that the entire affair was a hoax, but it obviously predicted the Pacific War. While most movies featuring Japanese characters shot during World War 2 used Chinese Americans to play Japanese, here Warner Bros. and director Frank Lloyd decided to go with White actors wearing false eyelids, which kept reminding me of Fu Manchu movies. And, oh!, those phoney Japanese accents! However, the filmmakers do make some effort to show Japanese culture, and Cagney was shown taking Judo lessons. However, Tanaka did not commit seppuku as depicted here, and the seppuku ceremony was not convincing. Still, director Frank Lloyd did a good job of keeping the mysterious goings-on interesting and Cagney and Sidney create interesting chemistry. Unfortunately, the end of the film was disappointingly limp.
HALLOWEEN 3: SEASON OF THE WITCH (1982) - I saw this movie on it's opening day at the Hollywood Pacific theater, and I didn't like it much. While I liked the idea of not following the "Michael Myers" storyline and possibly starting a new anthology series, I felt the execution of the halloween masks killing children triggered by a TV commercial plot not compelling. However, I put it on last night and found myself intrigued enough to not fast-forward through it. Stacy Nelkin is very appealing in this film. Five years before HALLOWEEN 3, Woody Allen began a relationship with a Nelkin who was to appear in ANNIE HALL, but ended up being cut out of the movie. Allen stressed that they never dated while she worked for him, but their two year relationship inspired the teenage character played in MANHATTAN by Mariel Hemingway. (Babi Christina Engelhardt recently publicly stated that her relationship with Allen was the real inspiration.) Years later MANHATTAN was said to show evidence that Allen was obsessed with underaged women. Anyone who thought that obviously didn't watch that movie, as from the beginning Allen's character was troubled by his girlfriend's youth. And the bittersweet ending came about because he refused to accept that age wasn't the most important element in the relationship. Regarding Allen's relationship with Nelkin, that ended about the same way his relationship with Diane Keaton did - she wanted to pursue an acting career on the West Coast. Anyway, I didn't remember that the masks in HALLOWEEN 3 turn children's heads into a mass of slimy creepy crawlies including poisonous snakes to kill parents. Wouldn't it have been better if it turned them into knife-wielding maniacs like Michael Myers? Also, with the countdown to a 9 o'clock airing of a TV commercial, wouldn't the evil have been revealed in an earlier time zone screening? Or was the threat only in the Pacific Time Zone? The finale of HALLOWEEN 3 seemed to be inspired by INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS with the hero screaming into the camera lens. Reportedly Joe Dante was considered to direct this film from a script by Nigel Kneale, but Dino De Laurentiis complained that Kneale's didn't have enough graphic gore. Tommy Lee Wallace was brought in to rewrite the script and direct the film. In an interview with Fangoria, Wallace admitted the influence of BODY SNATCHERS, which also explained why the film takes place in the fictional town of Santa Mira.
Did not enjoy:
CONFESSIONS OF A POP PERFORMER (1975) - This sequel to 1974's CONFESSIONS OF A WINDOW CLEANER, continued the erotic escapades of Robin Askwith. It was followed by two more in the series - CONFESSIONS OF A DRIVING INSTRUCTOR and CONFESSIONS FROM A HOLIDAY CAMP. Under the name Timothy Lea, Christopher Wood - who also wrote THE SPY WHO LOVED ME and MOONRAKER - published this story originally as a novel, and then wrote the screenplay under his real name. It was further evidence that I don't enjoy English sex comedies. Sheila White, who was charming the movie version of OLIVER! popped up here. She would later appear as Messalina in the 1976 TV mini-series of I, Claudius.
EGLIMA STO KAVOURI, aka THE RAPE KILLER, aka DEATH KISS (1974) - Vagelis Eilinos comes upon a couple making out in a car at night. He shoots the man and then chases down the escaping woman. He slaps her around before raping and murdering her. I've not seen many Greek thrillers, but in the ones that I've seen, foreplay seems to involve slapping the woman around or whipping her with a belt. In any case, it turns out that Eilinos is actually being employed by Lakis Komninos, aka Larry Daniels, to murder his wife, Dorothy Moore. He's committing a series of rape/murders to hide the intended single murder to come. However, Eilinos finds a look-a-like woman to murder instead, so that he can use the still living wife as blackmail. Luckily, an old doctor/boyfriend of the wife notices the absence of an appendix scar on the dead woman in the morgue, so the police know to begin shadowing Komninos. This leads to the nefarious plot falling apart. Oddly, the film ends with Komninos seeming to get away into the night. Thanos Leivaditis, aka Telly Livadas, is the credited writer with Kostas Karagiannis, aka Dacosta Carayan, is the credited director. Karagiannis is reported to be the most prolific filmmaker in Greek cinema history with 180 credits on the IMDB. He died in 1993.
EACH DAWN I DIE (1939) - Intrepid newspaper man James Cagney is gathering evidence against a politician, so he is clobbered over the head, doused with alcohol and sent down a city street in a car. Cagney's car hits another car and the driver of the other car is killed. Cagney gets 20 years in prison. Inside, he meets George Raft, who comes from a similar background, so the two bond, particularly when another inmate gets a notion to shiv one, or both, of them. When the murderous inmate winds up dead, Raft convinces Cagney to say that Raft did it. This means that Raft and Cagney have a court date, which is a set-up for Raft's escape plan. Left behind, Cagney faces beatings and time in isolation because no one believes that he doesn't know where Raft went. Eventually, Cagney's girl gets to Raft and lectures him on standing up for Cagney, who is a stand up guy. So, Raft turns himself into the prison, and orchestrates a riot. This is because the villain who carried out the car accident involving Cagney is now in prison. In front of the captive warden, Raft gets the villain to confess to Cagney's innocence just before the National Guard kills both Raft and the villain. The film ends with Cagney getting out with no mention that he could now write articles about the inhumane treatment of prisoners. Executive produced by Hal B. Wallis, EACH DAWN I DIE is a credible example of the kind of crime drama Warner Bros. was churning out at the time. This was based on a novel by Jerome Odlum and directed by William Keighley.
GINGER (1971) - I guess low budget movie maker Don Schain thought that model Cheri Caffaro had what it takes to be a movie star, so he married her and gave her the role of a woman recruited to work for private investigators in GINGER. The soft core sex activities don't really start until about an hour into the film, and I guess at the time they were considered exciting. What ever the critical opinion of the film, it was successful enough to spawn two sequels: THE ABDUCTORS and GIRLS ARE FOR LOVING. In addition to the lame sex stuff, there is some pretty dull action stuff too.
NIGHT OF THE COBRA WOMAN (1972) - During World War 2 in the Philippines, Nurse Marlene Clark throws caution to the wind in order to investigate a cave said to have been used by a cult of snake worshippers. She is bitten by a cobra which transfers eternal life to her. In present day, researcher Joy Bang and Dr. Vic Silayan are investigating the mysterious properties found in cobra venom, so Bang heads off to find the cave of the snake cult. She doesn't find it, but the next day, she sends her boyfriend, Roger Garrett to find it. Clark sees Garrett and she decides to take him away from Bang. When Bang comes looking for Garrett, she brings along his pet eagle, who kills snakes. When Clark sends her cobra to kill Bang, the researcher uncages the eagle that kills the snake. Unable to get the life expanding venom from the now dead cobra, Clark finds that having sex with various men helps her produce her own venom. Eventually, Garrett convinces Bang to leave him. Clark turns into a cobra, and Garrett settles down to live with the snake. Was this supposed to be scary? Director Andrew Meyer is credited with coming up with the story with Kerry Magness and they convinced Roger Corman at New World Pictures to help finance it. While Clark takes her top off, Bang doesn't. Vic Diaz appeared as a Japanese soldier that becomes an idiot after raping Clark's fellow nurse. This was Meyer's last effort as a writer/director, though he is reported to have worked as an actor in 1973's SUBMERSION OF JAPAN.
NOT OF THIS EARTH (1988) - Loading this movie with clips from HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP, BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS and HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD may help to fill out the running time, but it doesn't really improve this remake of the 1957 original. Nude shots of Trarci Lords are welcome.
EROTIK IM BERUF-WAS JEDER PERSONALCHEF GERN VERSCHWEIGT, aka OFFICE GIRLS (1971) - Ernst Hofbauer directed this pseudo documentary about sexual relations in the work place. Not surprising, writer Gunther Heller uses the premise for a series of soft-core sex scenes featuring many women who take their tops off but still keep their panties on. I guess some of these scenes are supposed to be funny, and the rape scene supposed to be upsetting, but everything is just dull.
REVENGE OF THE NINJA (1983) - This was Sho Kosugi's second effort for Cannon Films after playing the villain in ENTER THE NINJA. While Arthur Roberts tries to convince Sho Kosugi to leave Japan and come to the U.S., ninjas attack Kosugi's home killing everyone except his baby boy, who had been hidden in the bushes. Kosugi comes to California, where Roberts helps to set him up in a business. Kosugi begins to train his son, Kane Kosugi, in the ways of the ninja, just as more ninjas appear. It turns out that Roberts has been using Kosugi's business to import heroin, and mob boss Mario Gallo wants to take over. So, Kosugi has to deal with mafioso and ninjas - led by a ninja with a metal mask that has hypnotic powers. Shot mostly in Salt Lake City, the film ends with a ridiculous attack on the mob boss' office in an high rise building, which the villain enters by sliding down a guide line from another high rise building. Our hero uses claws to scale the outside wall of the building. After both the hero and the villain kill everyone using a gun, they face off for a very long and very dull on the building's roof. Who would have thought that martial arts fighting required so much somersaulting? This is one of six writing credits for James R. Silke, who also has a credit as a costume designer. This was Sam Firstenberg's first action film, and though he shows no talent at directing action, he would go on to a successful career making NINJA III: THE DOMINATION, AMERICAN NINJA and about 20 other flicks. Karate champion Nick Vitale also appears.
THE MARVELOUS STUNTS OF KUNG FU (1979) - An old master - who looks as if he hasn't bathed in decades, accepts the challenge of two thugs. When it becomes clear that the thugs can't beat the master, two assassins jump out from hidden holes in the ground to stab the master to death. Handsome Yun Ling arrives in town and meets fortune teller Wang Kuan-Hsiung and Wang's sister Ling-Ling Hsia. After about a hour of tedious dealings involving Ping-Ou Wei, Yun Ling comes face-to-face with the villainous thugs from the first scene. After he loses to the thugs, Yun is told by Wang that he has the old master's kung fu manual. So Yun has a montage of training. Not surprising, Yun wins the second match with the bad guys, even foiling that attack of the two assassins, who don't pop out of the ground this time. The film ends with one of the worst "lovers racing towards each other in slow motion" ever committed to film. Veteran director Sheng-En Chin and writer Ji-Shang Lu should get the blame for this I guess.
TORRID ZONE (1940) - Instead of calling this EQUATOR, Warner Bros. titled it TORRID ZONE. Pat O'Brian is the local boss of a North American banana business, which James Cagney is trying to leave behind. The plantation that Cagney used to run is failing, so O'Brian uses every trick he can conjure to keep him around. This effort is complicated by a red-haired saloon singer/card sharp, played by Ann Sheridan. and a local outlaw/revolutionary, played by George Tobias, who wants to drive the Gringos out. While a romantic comedy, TORRID ZONE also deals with U.S. based companies exploiting third world countries for their natural resources. There is a running joke about how the leader of the revolutionaries continues to escape while awaiting a firing squad, and many instances of guys being killed in shoot-outs. But the dead are locals so the filmmakers seem to not care about them. Produced by James' brother William Cagney, this film was directed by William Keighley.
VAMPIRE HOOKERS (1978) - Writer Howard R. Cohen first collaborated with director Cirio H. Santiago in 1975's COVER GIRL MODELS. Here they decided to add a touch of Horror to their sexy comedy. Unfortunately, the result is not funny, erotic or scary. U.S. sailors on shore leave the the Philippines, Bruce Fairbairn and Trey Wilson are hoping for some female action. Naturally, just when they think they are getting some where, they realize that they are in a transvestite bar. Later on, CPO Lex Winter seems to find a willing partner and willingly follows her into the cemetery and then into a crypt which opens up to an undergound lair. John Carradine is down there with two other women who reveal themselves to be vampires. Vic Diaz is also down there as a wannabe vampire. After Winter faces being declared A.W.O.L., Fairbaim and Wilson go looking for him. Fairbaim finds the underground lair in the cemetery, but the female vampires want to have sex with him before they feed. Naturally, Wilson attempts to rescue him, leading to events which cause the underground lair to collapse. Do our heroes escape with their lives? Does anyone care?
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David Deal Enjoyed:
THE NICKEL RIDE (74) - Gritty 70's crime. Recommended.
THE ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (32) - Are we not men?
CORRIDOR OF MIRRORS (48) - Eric Portman is perfect.
DAY OF THE OUTLAW (59) - From 2009: "Good winter western with Robert Ryan as a bad ass rancher and Burl Ives as a badder ass rogue soldier. Packed with adult themes, brutality, a solid B cast of supporters, and a ton of snow. The 'removing the bullet' scene is right up there with Ronin's. Recommended."
EUGENIE (69)
TOP SECRET (66) - Refer to The Eurospy Guide for a review of this Gordon Scott entry.
MOON OF THE WOLF (72) - Refer to the Television Fright Films of the 1970s book.
Mildly enjoyed:
HAMNET (25)
THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES (72)
FRANKENSTEIN (25) - Guillermo del Toro's film definitely adds dimension to the famous tale, but I found the artificiality of the environment distracting.
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Angel Rivera Highly enjoyed:
"THE CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS" (1962)
One of the criticisms of this film is that it is a talk fest. Oh but what talk. For those who have never seen it here is a short synopsis. The war that no one thought would come has arrived and left it's mark. Mankind is near extinction. But the survivors who remain have built robots to help them rebuild the world. The problem is some people have a problem working along side machines. So to placate these people robots who resemble humans are built. These are called "the humanoids". But as one would have it there are still humans who object to these "humanoids" which they derisively refer to as "clickers". The group that objects to "the clickers" are known as "The Order of Flesh and Blood". It is this group and one of their exalted members known as "The Craigis" played Don McGowan who is one of the main focuses of the film. The film is a study in prejudice and has a "cute" twist ending. One on my favorite sci-fi films.
One of the criticisms of this film is that it is a talk fest. Oh but what talk. For those who have never seen it here is a short synopsis. The war that no one thought would come has arrived and left it's mark. Mankind is near extinction. But the survivors who remain have built robots to help them rebuild the world. The problem is some people have a problem working along side machines. So to placate these people robots who resemble humans are built. These are called "the humanoids". But as one would have it there are still humans who object to these "humanoids" which they derisively refer to as "clickers". The group that objects to "the clickers" are known as "The Order of Flesh and Blood". It is this group and one of their exalted members known as "The Craigis" played Don McGowan who is one of the main focuses of the film. The film is a study in prejudice and has a "cute" twist ending. One on my favorite sci-fi films.
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Charles Gilbert watched:
Tales of Wells Fargo "Billy the Kid". New Mexico governor Lew Wallace (Addison Richards) assures notorious title character (played by Robert Vaughn) of a fair trial when he is suspected of a stage coach robbery. Their discussion includes his authorship of book 'The Fair God' and a new one he's working on entitled 'Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ'.
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea:
S2E13 'The Monster From Outer Space.' An amorphous ragged ballon shaped alien hitching a ride from space on a Gemini capsule splashes down in the ocean, and despite meticulous sterilization procedures, winds up on board the Seaview threatening to take over control of the ship. One by one the crew are attacked, and rendered in a possessed state...even the Captain
S2E14 "Terror of Dinosaur Island" Paul Carr plays a crew member planning revenge on the Captain (David Hedison) for his part in causing the death of another crewmember friend. The confrontation comes on a volcanic island while searching for the admiral and Chief Sharky who crashed the flying sub there. It also happens to be inhabited by those kitschy lizard-like dinosaurs used in Irwin Allen's THE LOST WORLD 1960.
CURSE OF THE DOLL PEOPLE (1961) B&W. Creative Mexican horror with several midgets playing the role of the menacing dolls, instead of using puppetry or animation.
Wagon Train "Echo Pass Story" S8E14 Jack Lord (the imperious Steve McGarrett) guest stars with James Caan, Diane Brewster, and Susan Seaforth Hayes as farmers escaping the law who abduct Coop (Robert Fuller).
THE NAKED HILLS (1956) Middling western about the California gold rush with David Wayne romancing Marcia Henderson. Music cues by Hershel Burke Gilbert he later used extensively in the Rifleman tv series.
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