BY LEE PFEIFFER

Christopher Lee and Boris Karloff collectively made countless films that varied widely in terms of quality. However, they always brought dignity to every role they performed. Sadly, the two icons of the horror film genre only worked together twice.The first time in the late 1950s in "Corridors of Blood" and the second and last time in what turned out to be the final film of Karloff's career, the 1968 Tigon Films production of "The Crimson Cult" (released in the UK as "Curse of the Crimson Altar" and in some territories as "The Crimson Altar" and "Black Horror"). Karloff barely got through the arduous shoot during a particularly cold and unpleasant British winter. However, always the ultimate professional, he persevered and continued the film until completion, even after having been hospitalized with pneumonia. The result is a film that is not particularly well-loved by horror film fans but which this writer enjoyed immensely on my first viewing, which came courtesy of the Blu-ray release from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Perhaps the film looked better to me than it should have. It's got some loose plot points and the production doesn't fully utilize the skills of it's marvelous cast, which includes character actor Michael Gough and the iconic Barbara Steele. However, given the fact that we don't get lineups of great stars like this any more, I found the entire movie to be a joy to watch (despite of- or perhaps because of- it's sometimes blatant exploitation scenes.)

Things get off to a rather rollicking start with the very first frames of the movie which depict a woman clad only in leather panties and pasties who is mercilessly whipping another sexy young woman who is chained to an altar in a dungeon-like environment. Watching the action is Peter Manning (Denys Peek), who we learn is a respected antiques dealer who runs a high end shop with his brother Robert (Mark Eden). Peter looks completely out of place in this S&M scenario, even more so when we see the others who are witnessing what becomes evident as a Satanic Black Mass ceremony, which is taking place amid other scantily-clad men and women. Peter is approached  by an exotic beauty who we will later learn is the reincarnation of a notorious witch named Lavinia, who was executed by local villagers a few centuries ago. As played by real life exotic beauty Barbara Steele in a largely wordless role, the character exudes both danger and sexual deviancy. She insists that Peter sign an ancient ledger after which he is given a dagger which he uses to promptly murder the young woman who is chained to the table. 

The scene then switches to the antique shop where we find Robert concerned about his brother's whereabouts. He tells his secretary that Peter had gone to search for antiques for a few days in the remote rural village of Greymarsh, which coincidentally is the ancestral home of the Manning family. The only clue he has to his brother's movements is a cryptic note he had written to Robert from a manor house in the village. Robert decides to visit the house to see if he can trace Peter's location. Naturally, he chooses to arrive at the place in the dead of night and finds the villagers are engaged in riotous celebrations for an annual festival that rather tastelessly celebrates the execution of witches in a bygone era. The locals playfully recreate pagan rituals including the execution of an effigy of Lavinia. Arriving at Greymarsh Manor, Robert finds a wild party underway with a group of young people in an orgy-like state. The girls are pouring champagne over their nearly naked bodies and there are "cat fights" intermingled with lovemaking. Robert is understandably amused and fascinated. He makes the acquaintance of Eve (Virginia Wetherell), a fetching blonde with a flirtatious nature who informs him that she is the niece of the manor's owner, a sophisticated and erudite man named Morley, who greets Robert warmly but denies any knowledge of his brother. Morley says that he can't explain how Robert received a note from Peter on Greymarsh Manor stationary but nevertheless invites Robert to stay a few days at the manor while he continues his investigation. Predictably, Robert and Eve form a romantic bond in short order and she assists him in his efforts to find Peter. Meanwhile, Robert is introduced to Professor John Marsh (Boris Karloff), an elderly, wheelchair-bound academic who is the village's most prominent local historian. Fittingly, he is also a collector of ancient torture devices.  

Most of the film centers on Robert and Eve attempting to track down Peter's doings in the village and his present whereabouts. It becomes pretty obvious that either Morley and/or Marsh are hiding some explosive secrets. The only question for the viewer is whether one or both of them have been complicit in Peter's vanishing.  Robert's stay at the manor house is  decidedly mixed experience for him. In the evenings he gets to enjoy rare, expensive liquors as he sits around chatting with Morley and Marsh. He also gets a willing bed mate in Eve. However, he is terrified by recurring nightmares that find him in the midst of a Black Mass ceremony where he finds his brother. In these bizarre dreams, Lavinia insists that Robert sign the ancient ledger, as Peter did, but Robert steadfastly refuses because he believes he will be murdered once he does. Robert discovers that his arm has been seriously cut by a knife- a key part of his nightmare. He thus begins to suspect that these aren't dreams at all, but real experiences that are taking place when he is in drugged condition. A trail of clues leads to some red herrings until Robert and Eve discover that the manor house has a hidden room where it is apparent Satanic ritual ceremonies are taking place.  From that point, key plot devices begin to fall into place with a few minor surprises along the way. The movie is a great deal of fun from start to finish and seeing both Lee and Karloff on screen together is a real treat.  Michael Gough  makes welcome  frequent appearances as an Igor-like butler who tries to warn Robert about the dangers of staying at Greymarsh Manor and Rupert Davies has a nice cameo as the local vicar. A few other observations: Virginia Wetherell is a first rate leading lady in this type of genre film so the fact that she never achieved greater name recognition seems unjust. Also the production design is first rate, as it generally is in British horror movies of this period. Kudos also to veteran director Vernon Sewell who crafts a consistently interesting film from a script that has some loose ends and weak plot points. He also has to contend with a good amount of T&A that seems to be inserted largely for exploitation reasons. The film's dramatic conclusion is meant to be intriguing and ambiguous but comes across as somewhat unsatisfying. However, in the aggregate, the movie is a great deal of fun- largely due to the presence of Lee, Karloff and Steele. 

The film has been released by Kino Lorber as a Blu-ray special edition under its American title. The company has wisely ported over some of the content of special bonus materials that were available on a previous UK-only Blu-ray edition. These include a wonderful commentary track with Barbara Steele and well-known horror film historian David Del Valle, who has also produced a number of documentaries. Del Valle is uniquely suited to conduct the discussion of the film, as he personally knew many of the legendary figures of the horror film genre and his knowledge is encyclopedic. He and Steele have a good rapport because they are old friends. Both of them, however, denounce the movie because of its missed opportunities. The main criticisms revolve around the misuse of Christopher Lee and Boris Karloff in their only film together. Del Valle feels that there isn't much for them to do other than sit around parlors sipping drinks. He points out that this was Karloff's last film and  he was in poor health during its production, yet was valiant enough to complete filming- and insist that a scene be rewritten so he could rise from his wheelchair, an act of defiance and courage considering his fragile state. Steele bemoans the fact that the screenwriters didn't allow her character to share any scenes with either Lee or Karloff, although she did spend time with them off set and clearly adored both men. However, the way the story is structured simply wouldn't allow the three characters to interact without fundamentally changing the story. One can understand Steele's frustrations as an actress, however, in not having the opportunity to share screen time with these cinematic legends. Del Valle also dismisses leading man Mark Eden (who resembles young George Lazenby) as a lightweight, a charge that seems debatable. I personally found Eden to be a likable and charismatic leading man. Both Del Valle and Steele acknowledge the film has some merits but you'd barely know it by the time they get done slicing it up scene by scene. Steele also provides some very interesting discussions about her non-horror films including quitting the production of "Flaming Star" in which she was Elvis Presley's leading lady. She also discusses her work with Fellini. In all, I found myself not agreeing with Steele and Del Valle's overall assessment of "The Crimson Cult" but I did find this to be an excellent commentary track, filled with wonderful anecdotes.

Barbara Steele as Lavinia, The Black Witch of Greymarsh.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray contains other bonus extras. The most interesting is an interview with composer Kendall Schmidt, who relates why he receives screen credit for the musical score in the video versions of the film. (Peter Knight is still the composer of record on the theatrical prints.) Schmidt, who is now a well-regarded photographer, relates that when Orion acquired video rights to the American International Pictures library in the mid-1980s, there were many films they could not secure the music rights to. Thus, Schmidt, who was a 24 year old starving composer, was hired to re-score these films. In some cases, he emulated the original composer's scores while in most other cases he created wholly original compositions. His score suits this film well but, not having seen the theatrical version, I can't compare his work with Peter Knight's. The Blu-ray also includes both the U.S. and British trailers with their respective title differences.

It should be pointed out that the picture quality of this release is as close to perfect as you can get. Colors practically leap off the screen and the transfer does full justice to the production design. In all, I found this to be a first rate release of an extremely underrated film from the "Golden Age" of British horror productions.  

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

By Lee Pfeiffer

Released in 1966, producer Ivan Tors' Around the World Under the Sea seemed at first blush like an exercise in stunt casting: cobble together some contemporary TV favorites into a feature film and have MGM and Tors divvy up the profits. However, that perception would be entirely wrong. While the film did boast some popular TV stars in leading roles, the film itself is an intelligent adventure flick, well acted and very competently directed by old hand Andrew Marton. The film stars Lloyd Bridges (only a few years out of Sea Hunt), Brian Kelly (star of Flipper), Daktari lead Marshall Thompson and Man From U.N.C.L.E. David McCallum. Veteran supporting actors Keenan Wynn and Gary Merrill are also prominently featured and Shirley Eaton, riding her fame from Goldfinger, has the only female role in this macho male story line. 

The plot finds a team of leading scientists who come together to install earthquake warning sensors on seabeds around the world. The risky mission is undertaken in the Hydronaught, a nuclear-powered state of the art submarine/science lab capable of operating at the ocean's greatest depths. The physical dangers are only part of the frustrations the team has to cope with. The presence of Eaton, as a drop-dead gorgeous scientist, on board the confined all-male environment leads to inevitable jealousies and sexual tensions. (Although Tors specialized in family entertainment, even he couldn't resist a most welcome, completely gratuitous sequence in which Eaton swims around underwater in a bikini.) Unlike many films aimed at kids, Around the World Under the Sea boasts a highly intelligent screenplay that has much appeal to older audiences. The heroes are refreshingly human: they bicker, they panic and they make costly mistakes in judgment. Bridges is the stalwart, no-nonsense leader of the group, Kelly is his ill-tempered second-in-command who tries unsuccessfully to resist Eaton's charms, Wynn is his trademark crusty-but-loveable eccentric character. McCallum's Phil Volker is the most nuanced of the characters. A brilliant scientist, he can only be persuaded to join the life-saving mission by making demands based on his own personal profit. He also allows a brief flirtation with Eaton to preoccupy him to the point of making an error that could have fatal consequences for all aboard. Each of the actors gets a chance to shine with the exception of Thompson, whose role is underwritten. The scene stealers are McCallum and Wynn, who engage in some amusing one-upmanship in the course of playing a protracted chess game. However, one is also impressed by Kelly's screen presence. He could have had a successful career as a leading man were it not for injuries he sustained in a near-fatal motorcycle accident. (Partially paralyzed, Kelly went on to serve as producer on a number of successful film including Blade Runner.)

The film benefits from some wonderful underwater photography shot in the Bahamas, Florida and the Great Barrier Reef - all the result of a collaborative effort between the three top underwater filmmakers of the period: Jordan Klein, Ricou Browning and Lamar Boren. Although the special effects were modestly achieved, they hold up quite well today. Marton wrings some legitimate suspense out of several crisis situations including an encounter with a giant eel and a Krakatoa-like earthquake that almost spells doom for our heroes. How they escape is cleverly and convincingly played out. The movie also has a lush score by Harry Sukman (we'll leave it to you to pronounce his last name.)

Warner Archive's widescreen hi def presentation is available for viewing on the Warner Archive streaming service. Click here to access the site. (Subscription required).  

CLICK HERE TO ORDER THE DVD FROM AMAZON, WHICH ALSO INCLUDES AN ORIGINAL PRODUCTION FEATURETTE AND TRAILER. 

BY LEE PFEIFFER

It's easy to look back on the Blaxploitation film craze of the 1970s as a short-lived period that spawned some cinematic guilty pleasures. However, time has been kind to the genre and if retro movie buffs view some of the films that emerged during this era they will undoubtedly find more artistry at work than was originally realized. Case in point: "Truck Turner", a 1974 action flick released at the height of the Blaxploitation phenomenon. I had never seen the film prior to its release on the new Blu-ray special edition from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. It's a violent, brutal film filled with ugly characters and "heroes" who deserve that moniker only because they aren't quite as abhorrent as the cutthroat antagonists they face. Yet, there is something special about "Truck Turner". Amid the carnage and frequent, extended action sequences, there is real talent at work here. Most of it belongs to Jonathan Kaplan, the director who had recently emerged as yet another promising protege of Roger Corman. In fact, Kaplan had just recently completed filming another Blaxploitation film, "The Slams" with Jim Brown, before being drafted into "Truck Turner". The idea of a white, Jewish guy directing a Blaxploitation film may seem weird today but at the time, most of the creative forces behind these movies were white guys, an indication of just how few opportunities existed in Hollywood for black filmmakers in the 1970s. The movies were also largely financed by white studio executives who benefited the most financially. Yet, it cannot be denied that the genre went a long way in opening doors for a lot of talented black actors and musicians, who often provided the scores for the films. Until the release of "Shaft" in 1971 (which was directed by a black filmmaker, Gordon Parks), most of the action roles for black characters seemed to be hanging on the durable shoulders of Sidney Poitier, Jim Brown, Harry Belafonte and the great character actor Woody Strode. Suddenly, there were a great number of opportunities for black actors and actresses to display their talents on screen. The vehicles in which they toiled were often low-budget potboilers, but it did increase their visibility and name recognition. More importantly, black action characters became commonplace henceforth. 

"Truck Turner" has emerged as a genuine cult movie in the decades since its initial release. The movie's oddball appeal begins with the casting of the titular character, who is played by legendary soul musician Isaac Hayes in his screen debut. While Laurence Olivier probably never lost sleep over Hayes's decision to enter the movie business, his casting was a stroke of genius on the part of the executives at American International Pictures, which specialized in exploitation films for the grindhouse and drive-in audiences. Hayes had recently won the Academy Award for his funky "Theme From 'Shaft'" and had an imposing and super-cool physical presence. He also  proved to be a natural in front of the camera. His emotional range was limited but he exuded an arrogance and self-confidence that the role required. Turner is a skip tracer/bounty hunter employed by a bail bond agency in the slum area of Los Angeles. A stunning opening shot finds literally dozens of such agency dotting the urban landscape- an indication of how out of control crime was in the city during this period. Turner and his partner Jerry (Alan Weeks) agree to take on an assignment to track down a local notorious pimp and crime kingpin named 'Gator' Johnson (Paul Harris), who has skipped bail, thus leaving the agency's owner Nate Dinwiddle (Sam Laws) on the hook for the money. Turner and Jerry pursue 'Gator' in one of those requisite high octane car chases that were seemingly mandatory in 70s action movies. This one is quite spectacular and features some dazzling stunt driving. 'Gator' is ultimately killed by Turner and this leads to the main plot, which concerns his lover, Dorinda (Nichelle Nichols). She was 'Gator's  partner in a lucrative prostitution business. The two pimped out beautiful young women who they keep as virtual prisoners on a large estate. Dorinda is the Captain Bligh of madams, routinely abusing her stable of girls and demeaning them at every opportunity. She is enraged by Turner's slaying of 'Gator' and offers a bounty for his murder: half of her stake in the prostitution ring. The offer draws more than a few professional assassins to her doorstep, all of whom promise they can kill Turner. However, the only one who seems to have the ability to do so is Harvard Blue (Yaphet Kotto), a soft-spoken but vicious crime boss who would like nothing more than to make easy money from a major pimping operation. With a small army of assassins, he sets out to make good on his promise to kill Turner. 

Like most action movies of this genre, the plot points are predictable. As with Charles Bronson's character in the "Death Wish" films, virtually every person who befriends Turner comes to great misfortune. This kind of predictable emotional manipulation is par for the course when you're watching 70s crime films and doesn't overshadow the fact that there is a great deal of style evident in "Truck Turner". The dialogue is saucy and witty. For example, Dorinda describes one of her "girls" as "Kentucky Fried Chicken" because "she's finger-lickin' good!" and another as "Turnpike" because "you have to pay to get on and pay to get off." If you think that's politically incorrect, consider that every other line of dialogue has somebody calling somebody else a nigger. Then there's the character of Truck Turner, who - like his fellow  cinematic tough ass crime fighters of the era ranging from Dirty Harry to 'Popeye' Doyle to John Wayne's McQ- seems oblivious to the fact that he is endangering an abundance of innocent people in his obsession to get the bad guys. Turner engages in carjacking and threatens the lives of people who he feels aren't cooperating fast enough. He also has a sensitive side, though, as we see in his scenes with the love of his life, Annie (Annazette Chase). She's recently completed a jail term and only wants to settle down with Turner to live a quiet, normal lifestyle. Good luck. When the contract is put out on Turner, she becomes a potential victim and is terrorized by Harvard Blue and his gang. The film concludes with some terrific action sequences, the best of which has Hayes and Kotto going mano-a-mano inside the corridors of a hospital. They chase and spray bullets at each other amid terrified patients in wheelchairs and on gurneys and in one scene, carry the shoot out into an operating room with doctors in the midst of  working on a patient! The finale, which centers on Kotto's last scene in the movie, is shot with such style that it almost approaches being  (dare I use the term?) poetic. The supporting cast is first rate with Alan Weeks scoring strongly as Robin to Turner's Batman. Annazette Chase is excellent as the ever-patient object of Turner's desire and, of course, Kotto is terrific, as usual, managing to steal scenes in his own unique, low-key way. The most enjoyable performance comes from Nichelle Nichols, who is 180 degrees from her "Star Trek" role. As the ultimate villainess, she seems to be having a blast insulting and threatening everyone in her line of vision. Her final confrontation with Turner makes for a memorable screen moment, to say the least.  

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is up to the company's usual high standards in all respects. Old Truck never looked better on screen and there are some welcome bonus materials. Director Kaplan provides a witty and highly informative audio commentary, relating how American International was more interested in the soundtrack album they would be able to market than the film itself. (Hayes provides the impressive score for the film, including some "Shaft"-like themes.). He also said that he was originally drawn to the project because he was told the film would star either Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine or Robert Mitchum! Nevertheless, he speaks with great affection for Hayes and his colleagues and points out various character actors his used in the film including the ubiquitous Dick Miller, James Millhollin, Scatman Crothers and even Matthew Beard, who played "Stymie" in the Our Gang comedies.  Another welcome bonus is director Joe Dante,obviously an admirer of the film, in discussion at a 2008 screening of "Truck Turner" at the New Beverly Cinema in L.A. He's joined by director Kaplan and stuntman Bob Minor. The reaction of the audience indicates this film enjoys a loyal following. There is also a segment from Dante's popular "Trailers From Hell" web site that features director Ernest Dickerson introducing and narrating the original trailer for the film. The trailer is also included in the Blu-ray, as well as a double feature radio spot ad for "Truck Turner" and Pam Grier as "Foxy Brown". In all, an irresistible release for all retro movie lovers. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

BY ROD BARNETT

Until recently I had been woefully ignorant of professional pornography from the 1970's but thanks to Vinegar Syndrome I am undergoing what might be considered a master class in the genre. Their latest release to attract my attention is A Saint... A Woman... A Devil... (1977) which has to qualify as one of the more ambitious of its type I have eyer seen. This film is nothing short of an attempt to use The Three Faces of Eve (1957) as the template story but taking the material to places that Hollywood classic would never have dreamed. After all, what better reason for a fractured personality than shameful feelings of lust? And what better scenario than a main character that engages in sex with multiple partners but then cannot remember those encounters? Ah, only in the 1970's, huh?

Sylvia (Joanna Bell) hasn't been well since the recent deaths of her parents but she appears to be doing just fine when her cousin Toby (Pamela Serpe) drops in accompanied by her school roommate Sheila (Helen Madigan) for a holiday visit. The shocked Toby discovers Sylvia on the living room floor with a door to door vacuum cleaner salesman engaged in a bit more than a demonstration of just his product's abilities. Toby doesn't understand what is going on because her cousin has always been a mousy, boring and even religious person - not one that would seduce a stranger in her own home! So, when the two visiting ladies return later to make their presence known to Sylvia they find her praying at a living room altar and she tells Toby about her current medical problems. It seems that her doctor thinks her recent migraines and blackouts are psychological rather than physical in nature but roommate Sheila isn't buying any of it. She assumes that Sylvia is just a secret swinger and isn't bothered when Sylvia seduces her on her first night in the house. This lesbian encounter is done in the butch persona of "Tony" and Shelia is amused by what she assumes is a sex game.

By this time Toby has become convinced that Sylvia's childhood personality problems have returned but decides to consult a priest rather than a doctor. The cleric (Armand Peters) suggests it is possible that Sylvia is possessed and relates a flashback of Sylvia's rape of a seminarian (Grover Griffith) in the church itself! The religious man wisely recommends psychoanalysis before ordering an exorcism and Sylvia's psychiatrist Dr. Ballaban (this film's director Peter Savage) tells Toby that Sylvia has multiple personalities which range from man-crazy Mona to lesbian Tony and devout but slightly less repressed Mary. These separate personalities have grown as a defense mechanism to the childhood abuse she suffered at the hands of her schizophrenic mother (Helen Devine) who we see abuse Sylvia in more flashbacks. The doctor decides to use deep hypnosis to try to unify Sylvia's various personalities but Mona is the most resistant to the treatment because she believes it will destroy her. Sylvia is completely unaware of her other selves even though they are all part of her own personality so when Toby tries to convince Sylvia to see Dr. Ballaban again the Mona personality takes over and convinces a couple of junkies (Sonny Landham and Guido D'Alisa) to get rid of the good doc before he can get rid of her.

If this sounds pretty crazy then you are on the right track. Besides being a porn film it also appears to be a bit of a vanity project by writer, director and co-producer Peter Savage. If you think he looks familiar you might have seen him in mainstream films such as Martin Scorsese's  Raging Bull or William Lustig’s Vigilante. The Lustig connection seems to have started with this very film as he serves as the assistant director and production manger for Savage here, gaining filmmaking experience along with a number of other New York University film students. This movie appears to have been one of many projects used to get future filmmakers into the industry. Indeed, A Saint... A Woman... A Devil... is a technically well made movie showing that - subject matter aside - these crew people have the chops to make a good, solid film on a limited budget which Lustig would go on to prove with his own work. Of course, no 1980's action movie fan can fail to notice that actor Sonny Landham of 48 HRS and Predator fame is in this film and he even performs in the hardcore sex scenes. I can't say I ever wanted to see this but now I have I can inform you that if you feel the need to watch Mr. Landham in 'action', here is your chance. But if you're like me and can't imagine wanting to see fairly unattractive people copulate you might want to give this movie a total pass. I don't mean to be cruel, but none of the cast members of either gender are very attractive and by the time we are witness to a fairly impressive home party/suburban orgy the ugliness of the people onscreen had become noticeable enough to be a problem. I mean- wouldn't there be some really gorgeous people in any given group of swingers? Or am I living in a sexual fantasyland as based in reality as Middle Earth? Oh well.... dreams die hard.

Vinegar Syndrome has put A Saint... A Woman... A Devil... out as a standalone release instead of in their usual porn double feature DVD structure.  I would have thought they would take the opportunity to use the saved space for extras of some sort as a number of the cast and crew are still around. Then again, they might not be too keen to discuss this mostly closeted skeleton and wish its decades old door had remained locked. The only extra is the non-porn R rated version of the film that simply chops the hardcore sequences out to present a pretty strange, low budget character study.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

By Fred Blosser

Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice” drew almost uniformly positive A-list reviews on its limited theatrical release in December 2014 (to qualify for 2014 Academy Award nominations), and on its official nationwide release the following month. Not a surprise: Anderson has been a darling of critics since “Boogie Nights” (1997), and his script was based on a 2009 novel by Thomas Pynchon, an academically revered novelist. Box-office wasn’t so hot, though. The gross from the nationwide opening weekend was $381,000, and the total gross by the end of April only $11.1 million, just a little more than half the film’s reported budget. Observers theorized that the film was sunk by Pynchon’s perplexing, labyrinthine storyline about a pothead private eye in a Cinema Retro setting of 1970 Los Angeles. Well, maybe, but “Chinatown” (1974) was a commercial success with an equally twisty script, and Ross Macdonald, the dean of complex PI mysteries, sold well enough that he regularly made the New York Times bestseller list at the end of his career.

In fact, Ross Macdonald and “Chinatown” are two strands of the movie’s DNA, along with Raymond Chandler’s “The Big Sleep” (1939) and “The Long Goodbye” (1954), the classic movies by Howard Hawks (1946) and Robert Altman (1973) that were based on the two novels, Roger Simon’s counterculture PI Moses Wine in “The Big Fix” (1973), turned into a 1978 film with Richard Dreyfuss, and arguably, the Coen Brothers’ “The Big Lebowski” (1998). Mystery fans may enjoy teasing out the influences. Mainstream viewers may feel like they’ve already been there, done that.

The private eye at the center of Pynchon’s story, Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix), is visited at his beach shack by a former girlfriend, Shasta Fay Hepworth (Katherine Waterston). Shasta Fay’s sugar daddy, Mickey Wolfmann, a real estate mogul, has disappeared. Shasta Fay believes that he may have been put away against his will by his wife Sloane and Sloane’s boyfriend. She asks Doc to investigate. Doing so, the amiable, ambling PI encounters a series of high-rolling and low-life characters who seem to have little or nothing in common with each other. With a little digging, Doc begins to uncover one tenuous thread that seems to connect most of them, an association with something called “The Golden Fang.” The name may refer to a schooner used to ship dope from Southeast Asia, a criminal ring that uses the vessel, a fraternity of dentists, or a secluded sanitarium where Doc has a fleeting encounter with a spaced-out Mickey, or all of the above. With each character, the name carries a different connotation. When a cute Asian girl in a massage parlor reveals an important clue to Doc in a foggy alley, veteran mystery fans may wonder if Pynchon and Anderson are also channeling the venerable pulp trappings of Sax Rohmer and Fu Manchu.

Perhaps today’s moviegoers don’t read Chandler or Macdonald, or maybe attention spans have gotten shorter over the years. Like their predecessors, Pynchon and Anderson use a variety of tricks to keep viewers off-balance, principally the relentless introduction of new characters as suspects and red herrings, to the point that in one brief scene, Doc perplexedly writes all the names on a wall board and draws lines from one to the other to keep them straight. However, the ultimate unraveling of the mystery, when it arrives, seems pretty clear. For a real headscratcher, try Ross Macdonald’s “The Blue Hammer” (1976) some time.

The film’s actual shortcomings lie more with Anderson than Pynchon, including inconsistent tone, uneven casting, and a decision to use a tired dramatic device as the way to relate the story -- voiceover narration by one of Doc’s other pals, trippy astrologer Sortilege (Joanna Newsom). Some critics defended Anderson’s choice as the only way that the filmmaker could feasibly spoon out chunks of information that Pynchon conveyed in his novel through the running narrative. But it seems like an easy and lazy out of a challenge that might have been surmounted in a more dramatically satisfying way with a little more thought. At that, it still leaves unexplained some prominent details that were clear in the novel but hazy in the film. For example, who is “Aunt Reet,” the eccentric elderly woman from whom Doc mines some basic intel about Mickey Wolfmann? Played by an unrecognizable Jeannie Berlin, the character actually is Doc’s aunt, as the novel explains, but she’s a puzzling cypher in the movie as she comes and goes in one brief scene. Neither are Doc’s working quarters in a medical building explained. Is he actually a physician? You have to read the novel to find out why he operates out of a medical office. I suspect that these puzzling, unexplained details were actually the main source of frustration for paying audiences, and not the mystery plot itself.

Joaquin Phoenix is excellent as Doc, and Josh Brolin is amusing as his requisite cop nemesis, his performance hovering somewhere between the menacing persona of his character in “Gangster Squad” (2013) and his straight-faced send-up in “Men in Black III” (2013). In a bit perhaps inspired by “L.A. Confidential” (1997), Brolin’s character exploits the LAPD’s ties with Hollywood to land small roles in Jack Webb’s “Adam-12.” On TV, Doc watches a scene from the old show in which Brolin is digitally inserted in the background behind Martin Milner. The film’s best stunt-casting places Reese Witherspoon as Doc’s occasional playmate, Deputy D.A. Penny Kimball, and the two have the single best exchange of lines in the film:

Doc: “I need something from you. I need to look at somebody’s jacket.”

Penny: “That’s it? That’s no big deal. We do it all the time.”

Doc: “What? You break into officially sealed records all the time?”

Penny (casting a jaundiced glance): “Grow up.”

The Warner Home Video Blu-ray presents the movie in high-def, richly saturated color. The special features include three trailer-style clip compilations, each focused on a specific element of the movie (paranoia, Shasta Fay, and the Golden Fang). An alternate, unused ending is included in the fourth feature, “Everything in This Dream.” It hews a little closer to the final chapter of Pynchon’s novel than the rather pedestrian finale that Anderson decided to use instead, in which Doc and Shasta Fay sorta get back together. Nevertheless, although closer, it’s still not up to Pynchon’s lyric, evocative conclusion. The package also contains a DVD version and a digital copy.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

BY JOHN M. WHALEN

In 2009 a gelding trained and owned by a couple of cowboys from New Mexico won the Kentucky Derby running at 50-1 odds. Mine That Bird hadn’t won a single race in the United States before that and only qualified to run the Derby because of the stakes he’d won in Canada. Not only that, Mine That Bird was small and slightly “crooked up front,” as his trainer, Chip Wooley (Skeet Ulrich) says when he first sees him. He’s skeptical at first when he flies up to Canada to see him and advises his boss/friend Mark Allen (Christian Kane) to pass on him. But when he sees Mine That Bird whizz around the track he decides they need to buy him. Asking price, half a million. The Canadians who owned him had paid only $9,500 for him.

Sony Pictures’ “50-1,” (2014) directed and co-written by Jim Wilson, producer of 1990’s Oscar Winner “Dances With Wolves”, tells the story of Mine That Bird and the two cowboys who beat the odds and brought him to the winner’s circle. It’s your typical underdog-overcoming-all-obstacles kind of story, except that the focus is more on the four main human characters involved, rather than the horse. In addition to Wooley and Allen, William Devane is present adding some gravitas to the film, playing Doc Blach, owner of Buena Suite Equine, who puts up some of the purchase money. Madelyn Deutch rounds out the principal cast playing another horse trainer brought in later in the story. It’s the interrelationships between the four characters that dominate the script with the colorful New Mexican and dazzling Kentucky Derby settings as background.

Mine That Bird loses the first three races that he runs in the U.S., and Wooley, a rough and tumble former rodeo star, in frustration rides his motorcycle out into the desert to let off some steam and has a serious accident. His injuries limit his activities out on the track, and that’s when Allen brings in a new trainer (Deutch) to help out. Wooley is none too pleased to discover his assistant is “a girl!” This part of the story portrays the conflict between the two, with Wooley acting more or less as a jerk, resenting her presence, constantly barking criticisms at her. Frankly, the scenes between Ulrich and Deutch seem tedious, with the “conflict” somewhat forced and contrived. The fault was more in the dialog and situations concocted by Wilson and co-writer Faith Conroy than with the actors who did the best they could with what they had.

The rest of the movie relates how Mine That Bird qualified for the Derby and preparations for the race, including the hiring of veteran jockey Calvin Borel, who plays himself. There are some more complications involving the forgetting of registration papers and some inane comedy bits involving Borel that seem more appropriate for an old “I love Lucy” episode.

Most movies about horse racing usually give equal time to the horse and its owners. The human drama is presented along with the story of the horse’s struggle to win first place. Sea Biscuit and Secretariat live in our memories as great heroes of the track, as will American Pharoah. In “50-1”, unfortunately, the human angle overshadows the horse’s story. It’s almost as though screen writers Wilson and Conroy forgot that Mine That Bird was the story’s main character. The script is so focused on the two cowboys, the female assistant and their partner, that Mine That Bird seems to disappear until the big race at the end. There are very few scenes showing what a Derby contender goes through to get ready for the big race. Because of his short stature and “crooked” body, much could have been made of how horse and trainers compensated for these shortcomings. But Wilson seemed more fixated on the squabbling quartet of characters.

The deficiencies of the script not withstanding, Wilson makes good use of the actual locales where the real life story took place. I’ve got a soft spot for movies set in New Mexico where Sam Peckinpah did some of his best work. The state is nothing if not photogenic. The trip through Roswell for example is fun, with the camera picking out the UFO Museum and all the fast food restaurants serving Alien Burgers. Wilson also does a good job of capturing the atmosphere of Louisville and Churchill Downs on Derby Day and the excitement of the race.

All in all, considering the film’s limited budget and a so-so script that sticks too much to what is probably the literal truth of what happened rather than a larger- than -life story about a racing legend, “50-1”is, in this age of overblown special effects, impossible car chases, and adolescent toilet humor, a movie about real people in a real place, where the only aliens and spaceships in sight adorn the tourist attractions in Roswell. It’s a refreshing change of pace.

The Sony DVD contains a “Making of” documentary, and a blooper reel. Sound and picture are good, but the film would be even more impressive if it had been released on Blu-ray.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

BY DOUG OSWALD

I had no idea what to expect when I placed the DVD for “Scobie Malone” in my player. Scobie, played by Jack Thompson, makes his way through traffic on a sunny day in Sydney Australia as the movie credits begin. An Olivia Newton-John sound-alike sings the Scobie Malone title song. Scobie breaks the third wall by looking directly at the viewer as the title appears on-screen during his drive as an invitation to join him on his adventure. Scobie gives the thumbs up to a motorcycle cop during his drive. He winks, nods and flirts with pretty girls on the way to his swinging bachelor pad.

Scobie lives at “Sunrise Patios” and the entry sign proclaims SINGLES ONLY with a placard stating: NO VACANCIES. His bachelor pad is reached through the central courtyard containing a large patio and pool. A pretty girl in a bikini is changing the sign reading “Nude Sunbathing Prohibited” by crossing out “prohibited” and writing “Encouraged!” She pauses in front of Scobie who reads the sign and smiles as he catches her tossed bikini and she dives nude into the pool. Scobie says hi to another sunbather and greets a pretty girl in his apartment with, “Hello-Hello” as they strip and get into bed.

If you had doubts that women can’t resist Scobie, the movie’s title song makes it clear with lyrics like, “There’s a softness in his eyes. Try to catch him if you can. If you catch him try to hold that man. Love him yes, but don’t expect to own Scobie Malone. He’s an angel and a devil changing all the time.” The bedding is interrupted with a flashback as we discover that Scobie is more than just a swinging sex-craved bachelor, but also a serious homicide detective, Sergeant Malone. He’s investigating the murder of a woman in the Sydney Opera House. The credits continue with a new song, “Helga’s Web,” and we learn that Helga is the name of the murdered woman at the center of this movie.

Released in 1975, “Scobie Malone” is billed as “a 70s ‘Ozploitation’ murder mystery with a sexy wink to the crime genre.” The movie makes great use of location scenes shot at the Sydney Opera House and uses a series of flashbacks to tell Helga’s story which includes plenty of sex weaved into the mix of blackmail, mystery and murder. Jack Thompson is terrific as Scobie Malone and it’s a pity that the movie did not do better financially or receive a wider release outside of Australia. Maybe it was all about timing because a few years later Australian films and pop music were everywhere.

Thompson plays Scobie in his unique swaggering style. While not instantly recognizable outside of Australia, he is certainly memorable from featured parts in “Breaker Morant,” “The Man From Snowy River,” “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” “Flesh+Blood,” “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones” in addition to many Australian screen and TV roles.

Judy Morris plays Helga Brand. Morris is far less known here in America, but I’m familiar with her from the down-under comedy TV series “Mother and Son” which aired in Australia from 1984-1994 and played here in America on public TV. She also appeared in the 1979 Peter Weir TV movie, “The Plumber” (better known as “The Cars that Ate Paris”). She’s also the co-producer, co-writer and co-director of the 2006 animated hit feature “Happy Feet.”

Morris plays model, actress and high class prostitute Helga in “Scobie Malone.” She’s also the mistress of the Australian Minister for Culture and blackmails him with explicit pictures of them together. Their lives become even more complicated when she convinces her boyfriend to blackmail a local gangster and drug runner. Helga’s murderer is revealed in a series of flashbacks as Scobie exposes those trapped in Helga’s web.

In spite of the juxtaposition between swinging 70s bachelor Scobie Malone and serious police detective sergeant Malone, the movie is quite entertaining and an enjoyable slice of 1970s cop thriller with plenty of sex and nudity on the side. In one scene, Scobie asks for advice on the case from a swimsuit-clad woman lying next to the pool who is also an expert on photography. She eagerly follows Scobie to his apartment and after advising him on cameras and film exposures, she strips and heads for the bedroom.

Based on the novel “Helga’s Web” by Jon Cleary, this is actually the second movie based on Cleary’s Scobie Malone book series. Rod Taylor played Scobie in the 1968 movie “Nobody Runs Forever” which was released as “The High Commissioner” in America. The book series includes 20 novels, but to date there are only two Scobie Malone movies.

The movie, released by Australian label Umbrellas entertainment,  is presented in widescreen on a region free DVD release. The picture image is sharp and the movie sounds good with a couple artifact sounds left over from the digital transfer. There are no extras on this bare bones release and there are no subtitles. Overall this is a very worthwhile movie for fans of cop thrillers, 70s “Ozploitation” and fans of Scobie Malone.

"SCOBIE MALONE" is available as a region free DVD. Click here to order from Amazon. 

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Few actors had the screen and stage presence of Yul Brynner. There never was an actor quite like him and there hasn't been since. Like most thespians, Brynner had his share of good movies as well as those that fell considerably short of their potential. Nevertheless, the man never gave a false performance. He came across as supremely self-confidant even when he must have suspected the material he was given proved to be far below his considerable talents. Much of his self-confidence seemed to stem from an inflated ego. Robert Vaughn once told me that when Brynner arrived on the set of "The Magnificent Seven" in Mexico, he was still firmly in the King of Siam mode that had seen him win an Oscar. Vaughn said he carried himself as though he were real life royalty at all times. You didn't chat with him casually. Rather, he would grant you an audience. As Brynner's stature as a top boxoffice attraction began to wane, he returned over and over again to his signature role in stage productions of "The King and I" and found his mojo and star power were still very much intact when it came to touring in front of live audiences. His exotic look and manner of speaking were invariably intoxicating. Given Brynner's enduring legacy as a Hollywood icon it's rather surprising to remember that he had very few major hits. "The King and I" in 1956 was his star-making vehicle and his role in "The Ten Commandments", released the same year,  helped build on his success. However, with the exception of the surprise success of "The Magnificent Seven" in 1960, Brynner proved to be more of a reliable boxoffice attraction than a powerhouse draw in the way that John Wayne, Cary Grant and Burt Lancaster were regarded. For most of Brynner's screen career, he top-lined in major studio releases that were relatively modest in terms of production budgets. Since this was during an era in which a decent profit for a film made it a success, Brynner remained popular for many years. By the 1970s, however, his clout had diminished considerably. He would have only one memorable big screen success during the decade- his brilliant appearance as the murderous robot in "Westworld" (1974). He would concentrate primarily on stage work until his death in 1985.

"Invitation to a Gunfighter" is the kind of mid-range vehicle that defined most of Brynner's career in Hollywood. Released in 1964 by Stanley Kramer's production company, the film is a perfect showcase for Brynner in that it lacked any rival star power and afforded him a smorgasbord of scene-stealing opportunities.  The story opens in the wake of the Confederate surrender that marked the end of the Civil War. Matt Weaver (George Segal), a veteran of the Confederate army, is making an arduous journey home to his Texas ranch on foot through the desert. When the exhausted man finally reaches the small town he calls home, he gets a rude welcome. His ranch is now occupied by another man who claims he bought the deed from the township. Matt soon learns that he is despised by the locals because he is the only man to have served in the southern army. He is notified by the town's political kingpin, Sam Brewster (Pat Hingle), that a technicality has been used to seize ownership of his ranch. He also advises him to move on out of town because he is no longer welcome there. Matt, however, is not about to be cheated. He confronts the new owner of his house and is forced to shoot him dead in self-defense. Brewster manipulates the facts and accuses Matt of being a murderer. Matt takes possession of his ranch and uses firepower to hold off the townspeople. He is surreptitiously visited by his former lover Ruth (Janice Rule), who admits that she could no longer bear waiting for him to return from the war. She reluctantly married Crane Adams (Clifford David), a local union war veteran who lost an arm in the conflict. Since then, Crane has become an alcoholic with a violent temper and his relationship to Ruth has devolved into a loveless marriage of convenience.

Unable to lure Matt from his besieged homestead, Brewster takes the step of announcing to the town council that he will hire a gunslinger to kill him. Coincidentally, a man with the exotic name of Jules Gaspard d'Estaing overhears the offer. He is just passing through on a stagecoach ride but is immediately intrigued. d'Estaing convinces Brewster that he is a master gunfighter and demonstrates his prowess with a pistol. Brewster hires him on the spot but d'Estaing is in no hurry to carry out the mission. Instead, he sees the townspeople for what they are: cowardly hypocrites and delights in humiliating Brewster in front of them.  d'Estaing is an intimidating presence to the townspeople. They can't pinpoint his ethnicity and know nothing of his background. He dresses immaculately, speak fluent French, plays the harpsichord  and chain smokes Churchill cigars (though I wonder what they called them in this era before Churchill was born.) Ever provocative to his hosts, he stirs the pot even further by moving into the house of Crane and Ruth Adams. Predictably, it isn't long before Ruth is entranced by this larger-than-life man of mystery who dresses like a dandy and is highly cultured- the very opposite of her own husband and Matt. Tensions rise as Crane correctly suspects a romance may be brewing. d'Estaing insists he intends to carry out his mission to kill Matt, despite Ruth's protests, but he later makes it clear to her that he intends to manipulate the situation so that Matt is spared and Brewster is dragged down in disgrace.

The film, directed with admirable if unremarkable competence by Richard Wilson, is a slow-moving, talky affair that leads to some intelligent discussions about race relations and the horrors of bigotry. (This was, after all, a production financed by Stanley Kramer, who never heeded the old adage, "Leave the messages to Western Union!"). What saves the movie from devolving into a completely pedantic affair is the charisma of Yul Brynner. It also helps that he is playing an interesting character with a mysterious background and the revelations he makes to Ruth about his life only make him even more intriguing. This is a "thinking man's" western that touches on social issues as well as the desperate plight of women in the old West, when their survival often saw them entering dreadful marriages simply for financial security and protection. Brynner gets fine support from Janice Rule and rising star George Segal and Pat Hingle plays the town's pompous boss with appropriate, sneering superficial charm. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray boasts an excellent transfer and includes the original theatrical trailer. 

"Invitation to a Gunfighter" is by no means a classic but it does afford viewers to spend some time with Yul Brynner and that is always time well-spent.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON AND TO VIEW A CLIP 

BY LEE PFEIFFER

For most of its running time, "The Sleepwalker" is a very compelling and intriguing mystery/drama. It centers on a young couple, Kaia (Gitte Witte) and her boyfriend Andrew (Christopher Abbott), who are attempting to do major restorations on a rural house that Kaia has inherited from her father. At first glance, the two lead a normal life: they laugh, engage in minor disputes, make love and, in general, seem to be in a stable relationship. Their lives become unbalanced, however, with the unexpected arrival of Kaia's half-sister Christine (Stephanie Ellis), a wayward soul with a free spirit and a quirky, unsettling personality. She arrives in the dead of night and announces to Kaia that she is pregnant. Christine makes herself at home in the house she once shared with Kaiva. It becomes clear that both young women, who have different mothers, have very diverse opinions of their deceased father. Kaia is defensive of him while Christine denounces him as a bully and implies he might have engaged in abusing the girls on some level. With Christine's arrival, Kaia takes on the role of mother, as much as older sister, and tries to control Christine's unpredictable behavior and impulses. Christine is outspoken and feels free to critique those around her, regardless of how inappropriate her comments may be. Andrew is clearly disturbed by her presence and wants her out of the house as soon as possible. However, things become more complicated with the arrival of Ira (Brady Corbet), Christine's exasperated boyfriend and father of her forthcoming child. Ira is as much a parental figure to the immature Christine as he is her lover. He and Andrew take an immediate dislike to each other. Andrew, who has a blue collar background, resents the highly educated Ira for what he feels to be his condescending attitude toward him. The two men have an awkward relationship that is made even more strained by Ira and Christine's request to extend their stay at the house. The situation becomes even more tense as Kaiva tries to deal with Christine's psychological problems which include an eerie habit of sleepwalking and engaging unknowingly in shocking acts such as masturbating in front of others. Kaia is well aware of Christine's mental problems, but her obsession with protecting her seems to go beyond that of a concerned sister. In fact, the two seem almost uncomfortably close in the physical sense. They doff their clothes in front of each other and they snuggle together in the same bed in a manner that approaches a mutually erotic attraction. In terms of the group dynamics, the two young couples attempt to have fun through dancing and drinking, tensions continue to mount. The relationship between Andrew and Ira leads to a shocking act of violence that coincides with Christine's mysterious disappearance from the house. Kaia, Ira and Andrew search frantically for her and even notify the police, but it's all to no avail. 

"The Sleepwalker" has many admirable aspects. It represents an impressive feature film directing debut for Mona Fastvold, who previously directed music videos. Fastvold has an eye for composing tension-filled situations and gets top performances from a supremely talented cast of largely unknown actors. The film also boasts some very impressive camerawork by Zack Galler and a haunting musical score by Sondre Loche and Kato Adland. However, it is Fastvold the screenwriter who runs into problems. Working with a script co-written by Brady Corbet, who plays Ira, the compelling story line waivers between a Gen X version of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (i.e couples reveal uncomfortable truths about themselves and each other during a tension-filled evening of socializing) and a potential slasher film, as we gird ourselves for what we believe will be some unpredictable act of violence caused by Christine, who is a menacing presence throughout the film. However, the movie's merits are undermined by a completely unsatisfactory ending that leaves most of the key questions unanswered and is so ambiguous as to be incomprehensible. (After watching the final scene several times, I actually consulted other reviews of the film to see if I was simply too stupid to "get it". I found that other reviewers had the same reaction I had.) This seems to be a trend in modern movie-making: leave the audience feeling frustrated and cheated. Ambiguity in the finale of a film can be an attribute. A perfect example revolves around the motivations of the seemingly crazed music teacher played by J.K. Simmons in "Whiplash". Everyone I know who has seen it likes debating whether his final actions in the film were an act of retribution or benevolence. However, there are other films, such as "The Sleepwalker", wherein the ambiguity looks like pretentious gibberish. The movie ends so abruptly that one might suspect that the financing dried up and they had fifteen minutes in which to wrap up the entire production. By taking this tact, the screenwriters negate many of the admirable aspects of the film, which are plentiful. "The Sleepwalker" isn't the only movie to feature a completely unsatisfying ending. "No Country for Old Men" rides along brilliantly until the final scene, which appears to have been the result of a wrong reel having been inserted into the film. Up to that point, it is a brilliant piece of work but its impact is severely negated by a boring and seemingly "out-of-left-field" ending that many viewers complained left them cheated. There are numerous other films that have been indulging in this trend, which is baffling. Why would a director want to leave an audience resentful and unsatisfied, feeling that they have just wasted their time watching an otherwise admirable movie? 

"The Sleepwalker"  serves as a showcase for some impressive up-and-coming talent. It's too bad they didn't close the deal and produce a movie that lived up to its potential. The film has been released on DVD by MPI Home Video. The edition features a creepy original trailer and some truncated interviews with the director and cast culled from some footage shot for the film's screening at Sundance. Perhaps appropriately, the interviews- like the film itself- end too abruptly to be satisfying. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON

Star Vista/Time Life has released "The Best of the Ed Sullivan Show" as a six-DVD collection. The following is the official press release:

No one had a better eye for talent than Ed Sullivan. That simple fact was confirmed by the broad range of incredible acts he brought into America's living rooms from his Broadway stage between 1948 and 1971 on the greatest, longest-running prime timevariety show in the history of television.  This May, StarVista Entertainment/Time Life will bring home audiences front row seats for THE BEST OF THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW, a 6-disc collector's set never before available at retail.  Priced to add to every TV aficionado's collection at $59.95srp, the special edition release delivers the biggest names in music, comedy and variety captured in the prime of their careers, as well as all the astonishing novelty acts selected by Ed as his personal favorites, culled from over 1,000 hours of classic television! 

Comedian Alan King famously said,"Ed Sullivan can't sing, can't dance and can't tell a joke, but he does it better than anyone else."  And while the host of the eponymous show may not have been as talented as his guests, he had an uncanny ability to spot top-notch talent and welcomed everyone to his stage: politicians, poets, sports idols, Broadway stars, musicians -- be they rock, classical, jazz, opera, gospel, pop, rhythm and blues -- as well as comedians, novelty acts, children's entertainment legends, and acts that defied label.  Sullivan filled his weekly showcase with something for everyone, and he was so successful at it that he became America's most powerful cultural arbiter.  Presiding over many "firsts" on American television, including appearances by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Jack Benny, Hank Williams, Jr., Itzhak Perlman and Harry Belafonte, Sullivan is probably best remembered for bringing us Elvis Presley's  three historic appearances in 1956/'57, and the Beatles' three earth-shattering performances  in 1964. 

In its 23-year run, The Ed Sullivan Show presented a remarkable array of over 10,000 performers and celebrities, including the most spectacular ensemble of stars in show business and THE BEST OF THE ED SULLIVAN SHOW reflects that across 6 carefully curated DVDs: "Unforgettable Performances," "The All-Star Comedy Special," "World's Greatest Novelty Acts," "Amazing Animal Acts," the "50th Anniversary Special" and an exclusive bonus disc never before available at retail.  The collection includes:  

· Rare appearances by Barbra Streisand, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart, Fred Astaire and more

· Rock 'n' roll's greatest -- including Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Buddy Holly, The Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Byrds, Janis Joplin and more

· Comedic talents Milton Berle, Carol Burnett, George Carlin, Rodney Dangerfield, Phyllis Diller, Jackie Gleason, Bob Hope, Richard Pryor, Joan Rivers, the Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson and more

· Classic Broadway performances from My Fair Lady, Man of la Manchaand West Side Story

· The best of the daring acrobats, challenging balancing acts and dexterous jugglers-selected by Ed as his personal favorites

· Zippy the roller-skating chimp, Heidi the Talking Dog, the legendary Lipizzaner stallions and more than a dozen other amazing animal acts

· Sullivan in a rare comic sketch with comedy legends Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz 

This historic DVD set contains over 2 hours of special bonus features, including the only surviving on-camera interview with Ed and Sylvia Sullivan, exclusive interviews with Milton Berle, Phyllis Diller, Shari Lewis, Johnny Mathis, Michelle Phillips, Joan Rivers, Smokey Robinson, Señor Wences, Flip Wilson and more. 

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON AND SAVE $24!

BY DOUG OSWALD 

Fans of military movies will appreciate “Screaming Eagles” which purports to tell the “Blazing Untold Story of the 101st Airborne’s HELL RAIDERS!” Unlike the many years later fact-based exploits told in the “Band of Brothers” mini-series, this 1956 movie offers a more personal and brief fictional account of Company D in the days leading up to and after D-Day.

The movie offers the usual war movie clichés that typify the war movie genre. We meet the main characters in a roll call during a practice jump in the opening credits. The men are identified as members of fifteenth paratroopers of Company D, 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division of the U.S. Army.

The story begins in England, June 1944, and three replacement soldiers arrive to join “Dog” Company days before the Normandy Invasion of France. The replacements meet Sgt. Forrest, played by Pat Conway, and Lt. Pauling, played by Jan Merlin. The Lieutenant welcomes the new guys with a pep talk while Sgt. Forrest singles out Pvt. Mason as trouble and makes it clear that he has to be a part of the team. Pvt. Mason, played by Tom Tryon, has a chip on his shoulder and quickly establishes himself as a hot-head. Martin Milner plays Pvt. Corliss, one of the other replacements and Mason’s buddy.

Pvt. Mason receives a “Dear John” letter and knocks over the other guy’s equipment after getting drunk. On the eve of the D-Day invasion, the men reach out to Sgt. Forrest who talks with Lt. Pauling. Forrest wants Mason out, but the benevolent platoon commander gives Mason a second chance after talking with the men of “Dog” Company. Mason screws up during a practice jump and the mistrust lingers throughout the rest of the movie.

After landing in France, the men discover they have missed their drop zone and their objective by several miles. They hike through German occupied France and make their way to the bridge which they have to take and hold in order to prevent German advances to the Normandy landings at Utah and Omaha beaches. The men are ordered to hold their fire so they don’t attract unwanted German attention. A German soldier spots Lt. Pauling and Mason kills him with his knife as the German gets off a shot which starts a fire-fight. Lt. Pauling is blinded in the aftermath of the firefight by a wounded German soldier and Mason becomes Pauling’s guide.

They take a German occupied farmhouse and befriend Marianne, a French woman played by Jacqueline Beer. They capture a German radio operator, but none of the men speak German. Marianne speaks German, but does not speak English. Conveniently, the blinded Lt. Pauling speaks French and they begin a series of misinformation communications via radio to redirect the Germans away from the bridge. The men of “Dog” Company make their way through a village and several fire-fights on their way to the bridge with the aid of Marianne.

This was an early movie in the careers of Martin Milner and Tom Tryon. Tryon may be best remembered from such movies as “I Married a Monster From Outer Space,” “The Story of Ruth,” “The Longest Day,” “Moon Pilot,” “The Cardinal,” “In Hams Way” “The Glory Guys” and many TV roles. He also had a prominent role in the uncompleted Marilyn Monroe movie, “Something’s Got To Give.” He also became a bestselling author.

Milner is probably best remembered as the star of two iconic TV series during the 60s and 70s. He starred in “Route 66” from 1960-64 and played Officer Pete Malloy during the seven season run of “Adam-12” from 1968-75. He also featured in the movies “The Sands of Iwo Jima,” “Halls of Montezuma,” “Operation Pacific,” “Destination Gobi,” “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral,” “Sweet Smell of Success,” “Valley of the Dolls” and appeared in just about every TV series during the 50s and 60s including “Twilight Zone” and a return as Captain Pete Malloy in the brief 1989-91 series “The New Adam-12.”

Jacqueline Beer was Miss France in 1954 and married to adventurer/director/ writer Thor Heyerdahl. She had small roles in several prominent Hollywood movies including “The Buccaneer” (1958), “Pillow Talk,” “The Prize” and “Made in Paris” as well as appearances in several TV series.

The movie also features Alvy Moore, who is probably best remembered by fans of “Green Acres” as Hank Kimball, Joe di Reda, Mark Damon,, Paul Burke, Robert Blake and Ralph Votrian.

While the use of American surplus vehicles painted up as German vehicles and post- WWII aircraft used as stand-ins for planes of the era may be distracting to nitpickers like myself, most viewers will likely not notice. Overall, there’s a nice attention to detail and good use of archive combat footage. The German’s speak German and the German radio operator, played by Werner Klingler, is also credited as the technical advisor for the German military.

“Screaming Eagles” was directed by long-time Hollywood contract director Charles F. Haas and was released by Allied Artists in May 1956. The black and white widescreen image looks terrific and the movie sounds great, landing at a swift 81 minutes running time. There are no extras on this bare-bones burn-to-order DVD via the Warner Archive Collection but this is a welcome edition for war movie fans.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER FROM AMAZON