Week of May 16 - 22, 2020

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

Brain Teasers:

What Terence Hill Western project was partly inspired by an American autobiography?

LUCKY LUKE, the Belgian comic book, was reportedly inspired by the autobiographical book by Emmett Dalton (and Jack Jungmeyer).

Which Italian actress worked for directors Piero Tellini, Federico Fellini, Vittorio Cottafavi, Bruno Paolinelli, Mario Bava, Luchino Visconti and Giorgio Ferroni?

Bertrand Van Wonterghem knew that it was Ida Galli (aka Evelyn Stewart ) « Nel blu dipinto del blu » (1959, Piero Tellini), « La dolce vita » (1959, Federico Fellini), « Messaline Venere imperatrice » (1959, Vittorio Cottafavi), « Ercole al centro della terra, 1961 » and « La frusta e il corpo, 1963 » (Mario Bava), « Legge di guerra » (1961, Bruno Paolinelli), « Il gattopardo » (1962, Luchino Visconti), « Un dollaro buccato » (1965, Giorgio Ferroni), « 

Which French actor worked for directors Sergio Corbucci, Giorgio Ferroni, Franco Giraldi, Marino Girolami, Umberto Lenzi, Alberto De Martino and Raffaella Matarazzo?

George Grimes and Bertrand Van Wonterghem knew it was Pierre Cressoy « Eros e Thanatos » (1969, Marino Girolami), « Navajo Joe » (1966, Sergio Corbucci), «« Coriolano, eroe senza patria » (1964, Giorgio Ferroni), « il leone di Tebe » (1964, Giorgio Ferroni), « il trionfo di Ercole » (1964, Alberto de Martino), « i pirati della Malesia » (1964, Umberto  Lenzi), « un dollaro buccato » (1965, Giorgio Ferroni), « sette pistole per i Mc Gregor » (1966, Franco Giraldi), « l’arciere di fuoco » (1971, Giorgio Ferroni), « Caccia al marito » (1960, Marino Girolami), « guai ai vinti » (1954, Raffaello Matarazzo), « Giuseppe Verdi » (1953, Raffaello Matarazzo), « 

Which French actress worked for directors Rod Amateau, Lino Del Fra, Mario Caiano, Vittorio Cottafavi, Andrew L. Stone and Raffaello Matarazzo?

George Grimes and Bertrand Van Wonterghem knew that it was Gaby André « Pussycat, pussycat, I love you » (1970, Rod Amateau), « la torta in cielo » (1972, Lino del Fra), « Giuseppe Verdi » (1954, Raffaello Matarazzo), «il segno di Zorro » (1962, Mario Caiano), « la vendetta di Ercole » (1960, Vittorio Cottafavi), « Highway 301 » (1950, Andrew L. Stone)

And now for some new brain teasers:

By what name is the Lee Van Cleef character referred to in the Italian version of IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL CATTIVO?

Who plays Eli Wallach's brother in IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL CATTIVO?

Why is Lee Van Cleef called "The Ugly" in the U.S. trailers for IL BUONO, IL BRUTTO, IL CATTIVO?

Name the movies from which these images came.

George Grimes, Rick Garibaldi, Charles Gilbert and Bertrand Van Wonterghem identified last week's photo of Mario Brega, Lorenzo Robledo, Diana Faenza and Francesca Leone in PER QUALCHE DOLLARO IN PIU, aka FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes, Bertrand Van Wonterghem and Charles Gilbert identified last week's photo of Linda Cristal in LE LEGIONI DI CLEOPATRA, aka LEGIONS OF THE NILE.

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 Lou Castel and Paola Pitagora in I PUNGI IN TASCA, aka FISTS IN POCKETS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

George Grimes identified last week's photo of Jackie Chan in SHINJUKU INCIDENT.

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:

Enjoyed:

THE MUPPETS (2011) - I had no interest in watching this movie until I saw Jason Segel's Dispatches From Elsewhere TV series. If he brought some of that inventiveness to a Muppet movie, then I was interested, and he did. 

THE SCARLET BLADE, aka THE CRIMSON BLADE (1963) - Sometimes it is hard to remember why a favorite movie from your childhood was one of your favorite movies. Was it the atmosphere created by the photography by Jack Asher and the locations? Now I can see that many of the sets were also used in DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS and SEIGE OF THE SAXONS, but I don't think that entered my thinking when I was a kid. Was it because our heroes lose in the end - which was not something I saw very often growing up? I vaguely remember thinking that low-budget movies were more realistic, so the less than triumphant ending could have contributed to my admiration. In any case, seeing it now I can appreciate the performances of Oliver Reed and Lionel Jeffries playing characters of surprising complexity. 

Kvinnors väntan, aka SECRETS OF WOMEN (1952) - Who would have thought that a 1952 Swedish movie would have such lovely shots of Paris. Gunnar Fischer's lovely cinematography enhances writer-director Ingmar Bergman's episodic tale of waiting wives talking about the defining moments of their lives. A lovely cast of strong women also enhances.

Mildly enjoyed:

DANTE 01 (2007) - Director Marc Caro has fashioned a compelling viewing experience, but his descision to create mysteries without explanations results in an unsatisfying film. The cast assembled is quite remarkable including Lambert Wilson, Dominique Pinon and Lotfi Yahya Jedidi. 

NO MAPS ON MY TAPS (1978) 

Riviera season one (2017) - I really enjoyed the first half of this series, and then it just got irritating. And the ending sucked.

A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE: A MARTHA'S VINEYARD MYSTERY (2020) - I'll watch just about anything featuring Sarah Lind that doesn't co-star Steven Seagal. As the Martha's Vineyard Mystery movies were cast by Sarah's mom Jackie Lind, CSA, nepotism may have played a part, but obviously good taste also factored.

RIDDLED WITH DECEIT: A MARTH'S VINEYARD MYSTERY (2020) - The writing on these two Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Channel offerings is passable and star Jesse Metcalfe is rather dull, but if Sarah's still onboard, I'll watch future offerings.

THE THIRD SECRET (1964) - Douglas Slocombe's exceptional cinematography and Pamela Franklin's performance keeps this melodramatic psychological who-dun-it watchable. The script by co-producer Robert L. Joseph strives for social commentary but director Charles Crichton seems to like the actors to become overheated.

Did not enjoy:

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (2017) - What worked okay as an animated feature doesn't quite work as a mixture of live performers and CGI. 

BLOOD ON THE ARROW (1964) - Robert Carricart's band of renegade Apaches attack a troop of U.S. Cavalry troops and leave their prisoner, Dale Robertson, for dead with an arrow in his shoulder. Staggering out of the desert, Robertson falls into a river, which happens to be where a naked Martha Hyer is bathing. Slinging Robertson over her horse, Hyer takes the wounded man to the gold mine husband Wendell Corey is working with son Danny Curran. Everyone heads to the family's trading post, where eventually the Apaches show up to take all of the guns. The natives also plan to kill the whites, but Corey convinces them that he can get them more guns if they let them live. Carricart agrees. but takes Curran as an hostage. Robertson says that he can save Curran for $20,000, and tells him where to meet Ted de Corsia, John Matthews, Tom Reese and Elisha Cook Jr. Assembling his gang, minus one who Robertson has to kill in a gunfight, our "hero" steals a shipment of Army rifles. Cavalry troopers quickly race in pursuit. Just as in THE WILD BUNCH, our hero blows up a bridge to stop his pursuers. Rethinking the idea of giving the Indians the weapons and taking over the gold mine with his gang, Robertson sneaks into the Indian camp and saves Curran while de Corsia figures to hold Hyer until Robertson comes back. Along the way, Apache Paul Mantee tries to stop Robertson, they fight, and Mantee is killed. Evnetually, Robertson blows up the stolen guns inside the gold mine, Corey kills Cook Jr. and is then killed in a dispute over the already mined sacks of gold, the Indians kill the rest of the outlaws and then the Cavalry arrives to kill or capture the remaining natives. Robertson joins Hyer and Curran to begin the long ride to a "new life". Richard LaSalle's music here contains a few cues that sound very much like what he wrote for THE TIME TRAVELERS, also released in 1964. 

JOHNSON FAMILY VACATION (2004) - Cedric the Entertainer competes with Steve Harvey at the family reunion with Vanessa Williams tagging along as Cedric's wife. Jason Momoa does a bit as a sexy Native American at an Indian Casino and Shannon Elizabeth is a sexy hitchhiker. Bow Wow as Cedric's son gets into an argument with Solange Knowles as Cedric's daughter; he wants to play video games and she wants to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is not my kind of funny movie.

MAJOR PAYNE (1996) - Gags related to APOCALYPSE NOW, BILLY JACK and COOL HAND LUKE highlight this over the top Damon Wayans comedy. Karyn Parsons of TV's The Job provides the romantic interest. Andrew Leeds and Chris Owens are among the ROTC kids he commands. Michael Ironside makes a cameo appearance.

RIDERS OF PASCO BASIN (1940) - Rodeo star Johnny Mack Brown gets a letter asking him to return to Pasco Basin because trouble is brewing. There he talks with newspaper editor William Gould about the scheme Arthur Loft and James Guilfoyle are pushing to get $2,000 from each of the ranches in the valley to build a dam. Checking the plans, Gould and Brown realize that the claim that everyone would benefit is a lie. Gould prints his information in the newspaper and is shot dead. Brown catches one of the shooters, but sheriff Ed Cassidy is sent out of town by Loft and the prisoner escapes. Brown decides that a vigilante committee is needed since the sheriff is being controlled by Loft. Loft orders the shooting of Brown's friend Frank LaRue and puts the blame on Brown. But, Loft's men also shoot the sheriff's friend Lafe McKee, who identifies them to the sheriff. Realizing that he's been on the wrong side, the sheriff throws in with the vigilantes to stop the bad guys. Even though Frances Robinson was eager to get revenge on Brown for the shooting of her father, in the end it doesn't seem to have hurt their romance. Bob Baker sings "I'm Tying Up My Bridle To the Door of Your Heart".

Rig 45 season one (2018) - There's a second season of this? How is that possible? Basically this is TEN LITTLE INDIANS on an oil rig in the middle of a storm stretched over six episodes. But, being a Swedish TV production, it has a bummer ending.

SPLIT (2016) - I wasn't a fan of UNBROKEN either.

THE WAYWARD BUS (1957) - Based on a novel by John Steinbeck, this film plays like SHIP OF FOOLS (on a bus) on a journey similar to LE SALAIRE DE LA PEUR. There is some excellent miniature work showing a landslide hitting the bus, and the bus trying to cross a rickety bridge in the midst of an heavy rainstorm. The bridge scene may have inspired director William Friedkin to redo it without miniatures for SORCERER. Fans of the TV show Combat should enjoy seeing Rick Jason express a full range of emotions as the bus driver married to an unhappy wife played by Joan Collins. Jayne Mansfield once again shows that she's a weak dramatic actor, but has good chemestry with Dan Dailey.

WHEELY FAST & HILARIOUS! (2019) 

WITCHING HOUR (2007) - The IMDb doesn't say much about this dreadful bit of gory nonsense. Francois Merlin is the director, and, thankfully he only has the one credit. Alexandre Guegan, Nicolas Verdoux, Yann Joseph, Gilles Landucci and Ulrich Waselynck are some of the on-screen performers. Incoherent from one scene to the next, ugly to look at and edited as if someone was trying to induce a seizure, this has to be one of the worst releases from Redemption.

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David Deal enjoyed:

WARRIOR EMPRESS (60) - AKA Sappho - Venus of Lesbos.  Tina Louise is Sappho, resident of the Isle of Lesbos, who is promised to villain Riccardo Garrone and romanced by rebel Kerwin Matthews.  Fun and colorful, it would be nice to see a proper presentation.

MANET: THE MAN WHO INVENTED MODERN ART (09) - Interesting documentary on the artist.

HOUSE OF 1000 DOLLS (67) - From 2005: "For some reason this flick is pretty much universally panned. I still enjoyed it even this second time. Sure it's not very sophisticated in story or execution, nor is it sleazy enough to obtain cult status but I find it sort of charming and it has a good enough cast to keep things interesting. And there's female mud wrestling."

MY SON, THE HERO (62) - Giuliano Gemma, one of the Titans trapped in Hades is released to bring evil King Pedro Armandariz back for his sins.  Gemma falls in love with the king's daughter, Jacquiline Sassard, along the way.  Duccio Tessari's peplum is an uneasy mix of humor and adventure but Gemma's winning personality and athletic ability carry the day.

HOUSE OF GAMES (67)

TRON (82)

Mildly enjoyed:

FEAR IN THE NIGHT (72) - Late cycle Hammer psychological thriller has Judy Geeson being attacked but no one believes her.  The milieu is an old, disused school and the attacker has a a prosthetic arm.  Predictable but not a complete waste of time.  Ralph Bates, Joan Collins and Peter Cushing co-star.

DUEL IN THE ECLIPSE (68)

THE FICTION-MAKERS (68) - Two-part episode of The Saint has Roger Moore protecting an author threatened with kidnapping.  The gag is that the female author uses a male nom de plume, and when she is kidnapped for her expertise in designing a heist, the villains think Roger is the author and the author is his secretary.  Mildly enjoyable but feels padded to reach the feature length they needed.

HEARTACHES (47) - Crooner Kenneth Farrell can't sing a note, it's really Chill Wills providing his voice.  Death threats begin arriving for the pretender and the murders pile up. Not the cream of the crop even for poverty row, but interesting to hear what is reportedly Wills' real singing voice.

HIDDEN GUNS (56) - Villain Bruce Bennett runs the town and straight arrow sheriff Richard Arlen and his son Faron Young oppose him.  Standard Western plot has an odd feel.  John Carradine is an assassin who doesn't mind demeaning the henchmen and warbling a tune while giving the old squeezebox a workout.  C&W singer Young contributes to the pointless Greek chorus music in this mean-spirited but entertaining oater.  This is a movie where no one shoots anyone just once; shooters unload their six-guns every time.  Features Lloyd "Crash" Corrigan, who owned the western town set that was used and a young Angie Dickinson with not enough to do.  Same for Guinn "Big Boy" Williams.

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Charles Gilbert watched:

FIRE AND ICE (1983) Superb animation facilitated by 'rotoscope'. Impressive "study" in anatomy. Big Leo Gordon lends his voice.

GANDAHAR (1987) French animation extreme with the fantasy factor. English caption with French dialogue makes it difficult to follow.

DANTE'S INFERNO (2010) Eyefilling, exquisite animation with non-stop mystical images depicts intense surreal ideas from the Frenchman Dante Alighieri's poem. Noble warrior endures numerous, fast-paced horrors as he battles Lucifer for the sake of his maiden. Quite graphic.

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Bertrand Van Wonterghem enjoyed:

French dressing (1963, Kurt Russell)

The night caller (1965, John Gilling)

Pecos è qui : prega e muori (1966, Maurizio Lucidi)

Lano & Woodley : Fly (tv show, 2020, Simon Francis)

Mildly enjoyed

Vuur, liefde en vitaminen (1956, Jef Bruyninckx)

Hoe zoter, hoe liever (1960, Edith Kiel)

Did not enjoy

Kasper in de onderwereld (1979, Jeff Van der Heyden)

Exit – exil (1985, Luc Monnheim)

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Week of May 9 - 15, 2020

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

Brain Teasers:

What Terence Hill Western project was partly inspired by an American autobiography?

No one has answered this question yet.

Which Italian actor, born in Venice, appeared in an American TV sit-com episode along with Umberto Raho?

George Grimes knew it was Mino Doro.

Which Italian actor, born in Bari, Italy, played a Mexican guitar player in an Italian Western?

George Grimes knew that it was Umberto Raho.

And now for some new brain teasers:

Which Italian actress worked for directors Piero Tellini, Federico Fellini, Vittorio Cottafavi, Bruno Paolinelli, Mario Bava, Luchino Visconti and Giorgio Ferroni?

Which French actor worked for directors Sergio Corbucci, Giorgio Ferroni, Franco Giraldi, Marino Girolami, Umberto Lenzi, Alberto De Martino and Raffaella Matarazzo?

Which French actress worked for directors Rod Amateau, Lino Del Fra, Mario Caiano, Vittorio Cottafavi, Andrew L. Stone and Raffaello Matarazzo?

Name the movies from which these images came.

George Grimes, Rick Garibaldi and Bertrand Van Wonterghem identified last week's frame grab of Adolfo Celli in YANKEE.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Bertrand Van Wonterghem and Charles Gilbert identified last week's frame grab of Tony Russel and Renato Rossini, aka Howard Ross, aka Red Ross, in LA RIVOLTA DEI SETTE, aka THE SECRET SEVEN.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came? 

George Grimes identified last week's frame grab from director Bernardo Bertolucci's THE DREAMERS.

Above is a new photo.

Can you name from what movie it came?

Ric Meyers, 833P and George Grimes identified last week's photo from YOJIMBO.

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:

Enjoyed:

WAIT FOR YOUR LAUGH (2017) - A marvelous profile of Rose Marie. Thank you to David Deal for telling me about this.

Betty White First Lady of Television (2018)

Scandal: The Trial of Mary Astor (2018)

Washington (2020) - A three part History Channel documentary with re-enactments. It is curious to see YOUNG SHERLOCK HOLMES actor Nicholas Rowe playing George Washington.

Mildly enjoyed:

THE SATAN BUG (1965) - As a ten year old, I found the premise that an unseen virus could destroy all life on Earth terrifying. I was also upset that my hero from Voyage To the Bottom of the Sea, Richard Basehart, turned out to be the bad guy. Seeing the movie now, I am struck at the number of elements which reminded me of one of my favorite movies THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN. While credited screenwriters James Clavell and Edward Anhalt did an acceptable job of changing the locale from England to America, and altering the premise from the bank robbery scenario in the book - which might have inspired DIE HARD WITH A VENGEANCE, they must take part of the blame for not being able to sustain the suspense of the premise. And they fail to come up with a reasonable excuse for the villains not killing the hero the first time he falls into their hands. (If they killed the hero so soon the movie would be too short.) John Sturges produced and directed. The credited writer of the novel, Ian Stuart, turned out to be Alistair MacLean using a pseudonym.

American Experience "George W. Bush" (2020)

American Masters "Worlds of Ursula K. Le Guin" (2018)

Line of Duty season one (2012) - AMC has begun to show "one of the best BBC shows of all time". But, season one created a number of characters that we are given to hate, and then doesn't kill them, which made for a very unsatisfying experience. I am interested in seeing more of Vicky McClure, and Keeley Hawes comes on in seasons two and three.

BLUE NOTE RECORDS BEYOND THE NOTES (2019) - Most of what I know of jazz is from music used on movie soundtracks. The only Miles Davis music I have is on a compilation of French Movie Soundtracks. While I found this documentary enjoyable, I didn't find the music very compelling. And then finding out that a lot of hip-hop music samples old Blue Note recordings was interesting, but I don't find hip-hop music very compelling either. 

Did not enjoy:

AMANDA (2009) - On his 40th birthday, Randy Ryan worries that finding love is a faded dream. But, in walks Ariana Dubynin and after 30 minutes of screen time they marry. After they marry, Ariana tells Randy that she was born a man and underwent a sex change operation. He walks out on her only to find, over the next 30 minutes of screen time, that he can't forget her. His best friend convinces him that she has moved out of town. Eventually, he finds out that his best friend has been lying and has been dating her. Randy comes to realize that he loves her and when he swears he loves her unconditionally, an elderly businessman steps out of a car and orders them to be in his office the next day. The elderly man is Ariana's father who was convinced that his daughter would grow up damaged after being raised by his ex-wife and her lesbian lover. Now that Randy has declared he loves Ariana no matter what, it is revealed that the sex change story was a ploy to test our hero's love - and that she was born a female. She is also set to inherit $200 million. Randy and Ariana drive up to their new mansion and declare that they will raise normal kids. Considering how low-buget this movie is, that it ends with characters becoming filthy rich feels especially bogus. While showing acceptable production value, the movie suffers from not having a single convincing acting performance. 

THE DEVIL DOLL (1936) - It is surprising to me that in 1936 there were mad scientists, in France no less, trying to solve the problem of feeding the world by shrinking people. It is less surprising that an escaped convict would misuse this experiment to get revenge on the three men who sent him to prison. It is surprising to me that a MGM Tod Browing flick would seemingly quote Universal's BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, with doll-size people, a shock of white in a woman's frizzed out hair and a threat to blow everything to atoms. It is not surprising that Tod Browning would reuse a bit from THE UNHOLY THREE by having a criminal disguise himself as a woman.

THE IVORY-HANDLED GUN (1935) - Buck Jones plays Buck Ward, who turns down a gunfight with Pat Moore, played by Joseph Girard, but punches The Wolverine Kid, played by Walter Miller, unconscious. It all started years ago when Buck's father married the woman both Pat Moore and the Kid's father wanted. The Kid's father shot Buck's father using an ivory-handled gun and paralyzed him - but not before Buck's father choked him to death. The Wolverine Kid swore that peace would only come when his ivory-handled gun is reunited with the ivory-handled gun Buck's father now has. When Buck rides over to talk with Pat Moore, he arrives just in time for the Wolverine Kid to murder Moore. Moore's daughter, Paddy, played by Charlotte Wynters, accuses Buck of the killing, but the sheriff finds the deadly bullet and knows that it came from the Kid's gun. It turns out that the Kid is plotting to take over Moore's land in order to replace the cow herds with sheep. When Buck goes looking for the Kid in the sheep town of Broady, Squint Barlow, played by Stan Blystone, meets our hero in the street and dies. At least there's an excuse for why the bad guys don't kill our hero right away when they catch him: the Kid offers $500 for our hero alive, while Paddy offers $1,000. Eventually, Paddy sides with Buck and prevents the cow boys from falling into the Wolverine Kid's trap. Finally, Buck grapples with the Kid while the bad guy seems about to repeat on Buck what happened to Buck's father. But when the gun goes off, it is into the Kid's face, not Buck's back.

THE LONG ROPE (1961) - Written by Robert Hamner, directed by William Witney and produced by Margia Dean, THE LONG ROPE has a number of unique bits. Steve Welles rides up to a stable at night and ties the front legs of his horse together. Robert Wilke rides up later and ties his horse's reins to the saddle sturup of Welles' horse. Later, while John Alonzo (later to become the Director of Photography of CHINATOWN) is in jail for the murder of Welles, William Kerwin and Jeff Morris show up to lynch him. Unable to get into the cell, the two guys try to lasso Alonzo to hang him from the other side of the bars. When Sheriff Alan Hall Jr. stops them, they go out on the street and try to string up the first Mexican they see. Judge Hugh Marlowe unsuccessfully tries to stop them, but gunman Chris Robinson arrives and scares the bad guys away. Marlowe investigates and reveals the real murderer in court. Despite being hired by Wilke to kill Marlowe, Robinson comes to our hero's rescue when the bad guys decide to contest the court's ruling. At the finale, Robinson elects to ride out of town with Marlowe saying that for a grown man he needs a lot of taking care of.

MERTON OF THE MOVIES (1947) - This was the third movie version of the 1922 novel and play and I don't see the appeal of the material.

MAGIC MIKE XXL (2015) - In some ways this is better than MAGIC MIKE, but among its disappointments is that Channing Tatum's best dance happens at about the mid-point in the film. Still, Elizabeth Banks makes a welcome appearance.

MUSIC FOR MILLIONS (1944) - Little Margaret O'Brien arrives by train at New York's Grand Central Station expecting her sister to be there waiting for her. The sister isn't there, but Margaret won't talk to strangers until a cop suggests that they go to the police station. Margaret pulls a poster out of her suitcase showing the orchestra. Pointing out her sister, June Allyson, in the poster, Margaret is then escorted to Symphony Hall. Conductor Jose Iturbi is unbelievably forgiving when Margaret disrupts the orchestra's performance, but everyone celebrates the reunion of sisters. Eventually, it becomes clear that June is pregnant and is worried sick about her husband who is overseas fighting in the war. When a telegram from the War Department shows up, the other women in the orchestra decide to hide it from June to protect the welfare of the unborn baby. At one point, one of the musicians suggests getting her uncle, Hugh Herbert, who is a forger, to write a phony letter pretending to be the husband. A letter arrives saying that the husband is recovering from wounds in an hospital, so June goes into maternity in good spirits. When the forger uncle shows up to get money from the niece to leave town, all of the women musicians thank him for the timely letter. It turns out that he never wrote the phony letter because he had been arrested - which means that the letter was actually from the still living husband. The orchestra performs the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah while June rests with her baby boy in her arms. Jimmy Durante is part of the orchestra support team and provides some relief from Margaret O'Brien's efforts to make viewers cry. This is an early effort by the great cinematographer Robert Surtees.

THE UNSUSPECTED (1947) - This film was much more cinematically stylish than the usual Michael Curtiz effort. Was he trying to emulate Alfred Hitchcock's style or was this just another post World War II crime flick? For the first two thirds this movie worked very well, but then it became tiresome. 

YOU CAN'T GET AWAY WITH MURDER (1939) - Warden Lewis E. Lawes of Sing Sing Prison wrote a play called CHALKED OUT with Jonathan Finn, which is the basis of this movie. Shopgirl Gale Page tells her Nightwatchman fiance Harvey Stephens that she's worried about her younger brother Billy Halop hanging out with hoodlum Humphrey Bogart. Bogart and Halop successfully hold up a gas station. Halop then steals Stephens' pistol for Bogart to hold up a pawnshop. Bogart kills the pawnshop owner and leaves the pistol. When the cops nab Bogart and Halop for the gas station robbery, they gladly accept their prison sentences. When Stephens is sentenced to death for the pawnshop murder, Bogart worries that Halop won't be able to keep quiet. Bogart and Halop plan to join a prison escape on the night of Stephens' execution. Bogart finds the confession that Halop leaves behind, so when the escape fails, Bogart shots Halop for betrayal. Luckily, Halop lives long enough to testify to Stephens innocence. Lewis Seiler also directed YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW.

YOU'RE IN THE ARMY NOW (1941) - Released after the draft was instated, but before the outbreak of World War II, this service comedy is unique. With the song "I'm Glad My Number Was Called", the film tries to sell the idea that women, particularly Jane Wyman, are attracted to men who have been drafted into the Armed Forces. The film tells the story of two vacuum cleaner salesmen, Phil Silvers and Jimmy Durante, who inadvertently enlist in the Army when they think they're making a sale at an enlistment office. The USO musical numbers don't occur until 45 minutes into the film, but the movie isn't a musical. It is mostly the sort of comedy which Silvers and Durante did on the radio. The Army wants to mechanize the U.S. Cavalry and the film sports some clever miniature effects as a tank is shown dragging a house across town, a train narrowly missing the house when it gets stuck on the railroad tracks and the house teetering on the edge of a cliff. Lewis Seiler also direced YOU CAN'T GET AWAY WITH MURDER.

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David Deal enjoyed:

GOOD LUCK, CHARLIE (65)

LONG RIDE FROM HELL (68) - There's a cool extra on the Blu-ray (about 15 minutes) where a couple of Italian fans visit Steve Reeves at his ranch.  An interesting look at the man away from the movie industry.

BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (64)

THIEF (71) - Richard Crenna, Cam the Man, and Angie Dickenson in this prime slice of downbeat TV angst that is one of my faves. A keeper.

DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS (54)

DANGER ROUTE (68) - See The Eurospy Guide book for a complete review of this top-notch Eurospy entry.

THE RETURN OF DR. MABUSE (61)

TERROR IN THE DARK (72) - From 2006: "Jose Antonio Nieves Conde's HISTORIA DE UNA TRAICION is another nonsensical and totally enjoyable slice of Eurotrash cinema. Marisa Mell, Stephen Boyd, Massimo Serato, Fernando Rey, and Sylva Koscina glide through the twists and turns while some groovy tunes by Carlo Savina play on the soundtrack. I really don't need much more than that to be very happy indeed."  UPDATE: My tape from ETC is lousy and ends abruptly.  Would be nice to see a decent presentation.

Mildly enjoyed:

CHOP SOCKY: Cinema Hong Kong (04) - Hour-long documentary scratches the surface of the genre but manages chats with Jackie Chan, Samo Hung, and Jet Li.  A good starter.

THE GOLDEN EYE (48) - Roland Winters as Charlie Chan visits a western dude ranch to solve the mystery of a suddenly profitable mine and the threatened owner.  Serviceable late cycle series entry with Victor Sen Young and Mantan Moreland.

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Charles Gilbert watched:

MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE (1969) Ex convict 'Killer' Cain (Clint Walker) tries to reform in 1890 West but can only find gainful employment as a sharpshooter in the Ruffalo (Vincent Price) travelling marksman show. He is befriended by amateur artist Anne Francis. Surprise ending.

THE MOON IS DOWN (1943) B&W. World War 2 Germans drop into Norway to occupy a mining town for their ore resources. They find the pacifist citizenry a bit unnerving. John Banner (Hogan's Heroes Sergeant Shultz) has a bit part, as does little Natalie Wood. Sir Cedric Hardwicke plays the Nazi general. Director Irving Pichel has an integral part as the tavern keeper. I'd been curious about this film since it was featured on an all-night movie marathon circa 1966 accompanied by another Hardwicke film GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. First time viewing.

ASYLUM (1972) Another collection of short stories of the macabre from Amicus. Four mentally halt patients tell their incredible stories to a young doctor interviewing for a position at an English asylum who gets the job if he can identify the patient who had been a doctor there. Barry Morse, Robert Powell, Peter Cushing, Britt Eckland,  Barbara Parkins.

Seconds From Disaster - EXPLOSION IN THE NORTH SEA. On oil platform Piper Alpha 167 men lost their life the night of July 6 1988 when a fire erupts subsequent to faulty maintenance practice.

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Bertrand Van Wonterghem enjoyed:

White feather (1954, Robert D. Webb)

Swooni (2011, Kaat Beels)

Baleari, operazione oro (1966, Jose Maria Forque)

Madigan episode « the Naples beat » (1972, Boris Sagal)

Y manana ? (1966, Emile Degelin)

Department S  episode « a cellar full of silence » (1968, John Gilling)

Mildly enjoyed:

The Norliss tapes (1973, Dan Curtis)

The green hornet episodes « give ‘em enough rope » with gorgeous Diana Hyland (1966, Seymour Robbie) and « programmed for death » (1966, Larry Peerce)

Jungle goddess (1948, Lewis D. Collins)

Karaoglan – Bizansli zorba (1966, Suat Yalaz)

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