BY MARK CERULLI

Just before the Covid veil descended, this Cinema Retro scribe traveled to Texas to meet up with the unstoppable Allen Danziger, an entrepreneur and actor who parlayed a friendship with the late Tobe Hooper into roles in two of his films. Always fast on his feet, Allen basically improvised his way through Eggshells, Hooper’s 3rd film in 1969… five years later he got the call for a role in Hooper’s next project, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He landed the part of “Jerry”, the van driver transporting his college friends to their doom – and into cinema history. “I think he liked my look,” Danziger says of Hooper, “I was a munchkin with Leatherface towering over me.” (Leatherface was played by 6’4” Gunnar Hansen, who passed in 2015.)

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was a genre film destined for drive-ins and grindhouses, then something magical happened – audiences connected with its raw power and gritty filmmaking. TCM (as fans refer to the film) became a surprise hit, grossing over $30 million in 1974 dollars (around $150M today). Like bit players in Star Wars, anyone who had anything to do on the film was in demand at conventions and autograph shows. The surviving cast members have all become close friends, “We’re like a vanishing Band of Brothers,” Danziger notes wryly. And while he happily rode the autograph wave, he was always open to doing more...

He and a couple of friends were having a plate of barbecue at The Gas Station – a TCM location, now a horror museum/BBQ joint run by super fan Roy Rose - when they said, “Hey Allen, you’re an icon…” Danziger laughed it off saying, “Well, an icon should have his own bobble-head and it has to talk!” In short order, his buddy John (aka “The Wiz”) found a company in China able to manufacture them. “We sent them pictures of me from the movie and they did a prototype which I loved.” The first order of them arrived in January “on a slow boat from China”, Allen laughs. The response has been impressive, “Everybody’s who’s seen one, wants one.” Although sales are certainly a consideration, Danziger notes another reason for their creation – “If it gets people smiling and laughing, that’s what it’s all about. This has been a tough year for everybody.”

(Allen Danziger at The Gas Station, March 2020. Photo: Mark Cerulli.)

The Nodder should be a strong seller when fan conventions can safely resume and Danziger has a couple of other ideas in the hopper saying, “If it (the doll) takes off, I want to do a Chainsaw Jerry Chia Pet and beef jerky.” After all, it really IS about the meat…

Click here to get your signed TCM Jerry Talking Bobblehead, t-shirts and more at Chainsawjerry.com

Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" won the Best Picture Oscar in 1972. Two years later, the first sequel "The Godfather Part II" also won Best Picture- and with good reason. Coppola overcame expectations and delivered a richly textured film that in many ways was even more impressive than the original movie. Watch this scene from the finale, with an impressive flashback cameo by James Caan as the doomed Sonny Corleone.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER "THE GODFATHER COLLECTION" ON BLU-RAY FROM AMAZON

Actress Cicely Tyson has died at age 96. Ms. Tyson was a groundbreaking influence in both feature films and television, rising to fame and acclaim with her signature performance in "The Diary of Miss Jane Pittman", the 1974 television production that brought her two Emmy awards (Actress of the Year and
Best Actress in a Drama). Ms. Tyson was also nominated for a Best Actress Oscar for the 1972 film "Sounder". Click here for more about her remarkable life and career.

BY LEE PFEIFFER

I first saw The Window as a kid in the 1960s when it was shown as part of New York's legendary Million Dollar Movie broadcast. I can't recall seeing it many times since then, so I was all the more astonished at how well I remembered virtually every scene when I viewed the DVD release through Warner Archive. The film must have made a tremendous impression on me to have an impact that has lingered so long. What also strikes me is that the impact has not been diminished at all. The low-budget RKO release was shot on location in Brooklyn and conveys a real feel for life in the tenements during one particularly scorching summer. The 1949 movie stars Bobby Driscoll, a Disney discovery, as Tommy, a small boy with a penchant for telling tall tales. His loving, but frustrated parents (Barbara Hale and Arthur Kennedy) are exasperated by their inability to teach Tommy about the dangers of crying wolf. One night when Tommy seeks to nullify the searing heat by sleeping on the fire escape, he looks through the window of a neighboring apartment- and witnesses the resident husband and wife (Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman) murdering a man in a bungled robbery attempt. Because of his constant fabrications, Tommy finds no one believes him. An ill-advised trip to the police station only results in sullying his reputation even further. When the murderous couple learn that Tommy has witnessed their crime, he realizes it's only a matter of time before they kill him, as well. The opportunity presents itself when an emergency requires that Tommy be left alone in the apartment. This sets the stage for a nail-biting confrontation in which the murderers kidnap Tommy and attempt to do away with him.

The film's lack of a major budget actually works to its benefit. Director Ted Tetzlaff optimizes the use of actual Brooklyn locations, accentuating what it was like to grow up in tenements where children's playgrounds were traffic-clogged streets and dangerous, abandoned buildings. Best of all are the performances. Driscoll was so convincing that he earned a special Academy Award for his performance. Barbara Hale and Arthur Kennedy are completely convincing as a hard-working couple dedicated to providing a good home for their son, despite their impoverished conditions- and Paul Stewart and Ruth Roman are excellent as the outwardly pleasant husband and wife who moonlight as murderers. The film exemplifies Hitchcock's theory that there isn't always safety in numbers. Young Tommy is surrounded by hundreds of neighbors, but when he needs help, he finds himself in complete isolation.

The Window, originally released by RKO and now presented by Warner Brothers, is classic American film noir, a top-notch thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat.

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Cloris Leachman, the seemingly invulnerable veteran of television and film, has died from natural causes at age 94. Leachman, a former Miss America contestant, gravitated to acting and launched a remarkable career that saw her win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for the 1972 classic "The Last Picture Show" and enjoy an Emmy-winning legacy on television. Her comedic talents were the stuff of Hollywood legend and she memorably collaborated with Mel Brooks on two comedy classics, "Young Frankenstein" and "High Anxiety" in which she stole every scene she appeared in. She would also collaborate with Brooks on "The History of the World, Part 1". Click here for coverage of her remarkable life and career.

BY LEE PFEIFFER

The Warner Archive has released a Blu-ray edition of the beloved 1952 Spencer Tracy/Katharine Hepburn romantic comedy "Pat and Mike". Tracy and Hepburn had gelled with critics and audiences in their previous teamings. The film was directed by the estimable George Cukor, who Tracy and Hepburn had teamed with previously with great success. The screenplay is by Ruth Gordon and her husband Garson Kanin, who also provided the script for the earlier movie. Gordon and Kanin were close friends of Tracy and Hepburn and were inspired by the offbeat nature of their relationship. (Tracy remained married throughout his lifelong romance with Hepburn and he was noted for being short-tempered but charismatic.) They were also impressed by Hepburn's athletic abilities, especially in golf and tennis, and this formed the basis of the screenplay for "Pat and Mike". Indeed, Hepburn performs all of the sometimes incredible athletic feats seen onscreen.

Hepburn plays Pat Pemberton, an athletic coach at a college who also moonlights by developing her own career as an up-and-coming athlete who is making a name for herself on the golf and tennis circuit. She's engaged to Collier Weld (William Ching), a fellow college employee who has looks and charm but tends to be a bit bossy in his treatment of Pat. Worse, although he attends tournaments in which she competes, he seemingly does so out of politeness more than enthusiasm and let's Pat know that after they wed, he would prefer to live the life of a typical housewife. This doesn't fly very well with Pat, who is too intimidated to argue with him. Instead, she abruptly runs away temporarily to contemplate her future. Ultimately, she meets Mike Conovan (Spencer Tracy), a sports manager and promoter who talks big but who is barely hanging on by his fingernails. His sole remaining client is Davie Hucko (Aldo Ray), a beefy but simple-minded boxer who shows potential. Upon witnessing Pat's abilities on the tennis and golf courses, coupled with her abilities to excel at other sports, Mike believes she will be his dream ticket to success. With his savvy promotional abilities, Mike helps increase Pat's name recognition and acclaim. Amusingly, he plays a mother hen figure in her life, keeping her on a strict daily schedules of work outs and proper diets. Despite this paternal attitude, it's clearly he's becoming romantically enticed by her. The slow-rolling coupling of Pat and Mike is the heart of the story. We know they are falling in love even before they do. However, one obstacle remains: every time Collier attends one of her competitions, she becomes intimidated and loses. In a lively romance in which there are no major crisis, this is presented as the only roadblock standing in the way of Pat and Mike becoming a pair.

The doesn't strive for big belly-laughs and must rank as one of the most low-key romances ever filmed but the witty screenplay allows Tracy and Hepburn to banter, argue, talk over each other and provide plenty of amusing moments. Aldo Ray impresses with his first major screen role and there are fine contributions by familiar supporting actors including up-and-comers Jim Backus, Charles Bronson and Chuck Connors (in his screen debut).  The movie also features a number of real-life legendary athletes of the period who appear as themselves. "Pat and Mike" is a true gem largely because it showcases two American acting legends at their best.

The Warner Archive Blu-ray is right up to the company's high standards and features the original trailer.

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Here is the trailer for John Frankenheimer's underrated 1969 film "The Gypsy Moths", which reunited Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr, who had previously co-starred in "From Here to Eternity" and "Separate Tables". The movie features a fine supporting cast that includes Gene Hackman and Scott Wilson. 

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BY HANK REINEKE

In March of 2019 I took a drive to the Hudson River town of Nyack, New York, for a rare public screening of Bob Dylan’s ill-fated cinematic opus Renaldo & Clara. The film, originally released to art houses in New York City and Los Angeles January of 1978, was mercilessly panned. The movie – shot during Dylan’s fabled autumn 1975 tour with his ragtag Rolling Thunder Revue – all but disappeared from cinemas and, mostly, from public consciousness within the span of a few weeks. The original cut of the film was, let’s charitably say, a rambling affair, clocking in at just under four hours.

Dylan would tell his co-writer, the playwright Sam Shepard, that he was looking to model his film after a pair of French classics: Marcel Carné’s Les Enfants du Paradis (Children of Paradise) (1945) and Francois Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player (1960). Or, as he would further expound in his famous mumble, “Something like that.” If that was Dylan’s original vision for Renaldo & Clara, the resulting film fell far short of its lofty ambitions. Four decades on, I can still recall reading Pauline Kael’s withering review in the New Yorker, describing Dylan as a “sour Messiah,” the film demonstrating “an absence of artistic intelligence.” Even the street-hip Village Voice famously devoted several pages of opinions on the opus from seven different writer-critics, all of whom descended with sharpened knives.

There’s one aspect of the original production that’s pretty remarkable. In the torrent of old releases that would flood the market following the advent of home video, Dylan never chose to green-light an official release of Renaldo & Clara. The notes to this set suggest one reason this might be so: the original negative of the musical portion of the Rolling Thunder Revue tour footage seems to have been lost. The dazzling tour footage offered here on this new Criterion release - material mostly culled from vintage Renaldo & Clara footage in strikingly gorgeous quality, all things considered – is the result of a pristine 4K transfer from a surviving 16mm workprint.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The reason behind my traveling to Nyack in 2019 was two-fold. The screening of Renaldo & Clara that afternoon was to be hosted by Rob Stoner, the bass player and bandleader of the Rolling Thunder Revue, Bob Dylan’s backing ensemble in autumn 1975. I was hoping that since Stoner was a central figure in Dylan’s inner circle (at one time), we might – at long last – experience the film in better resolution. The only copies of Renaldo and Clara that circulated through “underground” channels amongst collectors had allegedly been sourced from a couple of one-off European TV broadcasts. Since the videotapes of those broadcasts varied wildly in picture and sound quality, the caliber of the bootleg sourced was dependent upon what generation a copy had been mastered from.

So it was with some surprise and disappointment when I discovered that Stoner’s personal copy was hardly better than any of the several rather ropey dupes that found their way into my own collection over the years. What didn’t disappoint were the memories and asides that Stoner would re-live and share as the near four-hour epic that is Renaldo & Clara unspooled, once again, before our eyes.

The old saying suggests “truth is stranger than fiction.” I personally believe that truth is, more often than not, actually far more interesting than fiction as well. Which leads me into this discussion of Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story, newly released as part of the white-glove Criterion Collection series. There were plenty of reasons to be excited by this release. Scorsese is an unabashed Bob Dylan fan. Anyone who saw “Life Lessons,” the director’s segment of the 1989 anthology film New York Stories, will recall Nick Nolte’s emotionally-wrought artist fiercely thrashing away at his canvas as Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” plays angrily on the stereo in his studio loft. More importantly, it was Scorsese that also gave us – via a PBS broadcast in 2005 - the celebrated and highly recommended 207 minute long two-part documentary film Bob Dylan: No Direction Home.

So when it was announced in 2018 that Scorsese would be tackling a film recounting Dylan’s legendary Rolling Thunder Revue tour for Netflix, my expectations ran pretty high. But on the evening of the film’s streaming premiere, I switched off the TV at the program’s conclusion with, at best, a sense of half-satisfaction. The footage of Dylan’s musical performances was stunning, an affirmation of the legendary status long affixed to these shows. On the other hand, I admit to being totally dismissive of the film’s faux documentary aspects. As a huge admirer of Dylan’s music and career, it only took a few minutes in to see that the feature’s sub-title “A Bob Dylan Story” was a literal one. It was exactly that, a story: an uneasy blending of factual items with fantasies and outright deceptions.

The problem with the folks who involve themselves on Bob Dylan’s various film projects is that they allow themselves to get personally sucked into his personal orbit of playful disinformation and obfuscation. His film collaborators become, in effect, coconspirators. The reason that D.A. Pennebaker’s seminal documentary of Dylan’s 1965 tour of England, Don’t Look Back (1967), will very likely remain the most honest portrait of the artist is that this director didn’t allow himself to be manipulated by the bard - to any great degree, at least. I’m not of the camp to pretend that the Dylan we’re introduced to in Don’t Look Back (magnetic, abrasive, playful, rude, gifted), is the “real” Bob Dylan. Once Pennebaker’s cameras begin to roll, Dylan may or may not have consciously play-acted before them. But at least audiences were allowed to decide for themselves whether or not Dylan was the ultimate brat or a musical genius or, perhaps, a confusing and peculiar mix of both.

“THE PELLET WITH THE POISON”

By Raymond Benson

Danny Kaye was not only a brilliant triple-threat (actor/singer/dancer), but he was a stand-up comic, an expert chef, a writer, a pilot, a baseball enthusiast (and, for a short time, co-owner of a team—the Seattle Mariners), a notable philanthropist, a UNICEF ambassador, and an honorary member of the American College of Surgeons and American Academy of Pediatrics (!). His decades-long career on stage, in film, and on television speaks for itself, but one of his most beloved screen vehicles was The Court Jester, a 1956 picture that was shockingly ignored at the Oscars that year (Kaye, who never won an Academy Award, was nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance).

Even more disturbing is the fact that it was allegedly the most expensive comedy film ever produced up to that time and was a box office failure (perhaps that’s the reason there was no Oscar love). Nevertheless, time has been extremely kind to the movie through revivals and television broadcasts. Now it’s perhaps the movie one thinks of when considering Danny Kaye starring vehicles.

The Court Jester was written, produced, and directed by the team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, who carved out a comedy-niche in Hollywood beginning in the 1940s by penning some of Bob Hope’s early classics together. Their White Christmas (1954, directed by Michael Curtiz) was a massive hit, and it paired Danny Kaye with Bing Crosby. They had directed Kaye that same year in Knock on Wood… so they were a good match for the actor on a musical-comedy send-up of The Adventures of Robin Hood.

Hubert Hawkins (Kaye) is the affable but non-heroic member of a band of Merry Men-like rebels led by Robin Hood-like “The Black Fox” (Edward Ashley). King Roderick (Cecil Parker) has usurped the throne from its rightful heir—the only survivor of the royal family, a baby with a peculiar birthmark of a “purple pimpernel” on his tuchus. The Black Fox’s band of brigands are keeping the child safe from the king’s men, led by chief antagonist Lord Ravenhurst (Basil Rathbone). Hawkins is in love with Maid Jean (Glynis Johns), a “captain” in the group, and she reluctantly admits she has affection for him as well. When the opportunity arises to plant a mole inside the castle to steal keys to an underground passage that will allow the Black Fox and his men to take control of the palace and restore the land to its true monarch, Hawkins is apparently the right man for the job—to impersonate Giacomo the Jester (John Carradine), who is on his way from Italy to receive employment. Once Hawkins is ensconced in the castle, the king’s daughter, Gwendolyn (Angela Lansbury) is told by her confidante and “witch,” Griselda (Mildred Natwick) that “Giacomo” is to be her true beloved and not the king’s ally Sir Griswold (Robert Middleton). Needless to say, complications arise.

Yes, it’s a twisty-turny plot with many instances of mistaken identity and characters intentionally posing as people they are not. There’s romance, slapstick, clever wordplay, swashbuckling swordplay and action sequences—and there are song-and-dance musical numbers written by Sammy Cahn and Sylvia Fine (Kaye’s wife).

The dialogue is especially witty and fun—what movie buffs have not attempted to memorize the classic tongue-twister, “The pellet with the poison’s in the vessel with the pestle; the chalice from the palace has the brew that is true”? (Or the follow-up which replaces the chalice from the palace with the “flagon with the dragon”).

Kaye is marvelous throughout the picture, of course, and his supporting cast are all splendid, too. Rathbone, at this point in his mid-60s, still manages to swashbuckle with skill. Johns and Lansbury, as the dual love interests, are both fetching and charismatic.

The new ParamountMovies/Paramount Presents Blu-ray release beautifully shows off the VistaVision widescreen Technicolor cinematography by Ray June. The images are absolutely gorgeous. For this alone, the new release is worth the upgrade from the older DVD edition. The only supplements are a short featurette of critic Leonard Maltin talking a bit about the movie’s history and influence and the theatrical trailer.

The Court Jester is still funny, still thrilling, and still entertaining today. Is it one of the best comedies of the 1950s? The answer to that is a resounding YES.

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Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

In 2017, after ten years of service, MI6 Confidential introduced a new special format: a limited-run 100-page perfect bound issue of the magazine taking a deep dive into one particular facet of the franchise. The fourth release hands the microphone to long-serving Bond director, John Glen taking a look back at his favourite film as helmsman, Octopussy.

The idea for this issue came together as we were finishing work on Peter Lamont's Live And Let Die portfolio. We approached someone who had a equally profound effect on the trajectory of modern Bond. John readily agreed to work with us and we gave him free choice of the film he wished to profile. He chose Octopussy - the colourful, adventurous, flamboyant and darn-right-lucky 13th Bond outing. With help from editor Bill Koenig, John walks us through pre-production, scripting, casting and then narrates the film for us, in his famous conversational style.

In This Special Issue

• 100 page special magazine; professionally printed; perfect bound
• John's memories of Sir Roger Moore, Maud Adams, Kabir Bedi, Louis Jordan, and more
• Rarely-seen concept art from pre-production
• Dozens of behind the scenes stills
• The casting of Octopussy, including the girls who were considered for the titular role
• John's personal memories from the taxing multi-continental shoot

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Cinema Retro has received the following press release:

Celebrate the 50^th Anniversary of One of the Most Romantic Films of All Time

with a Newly Restored Presentation of the Classic LOVE STORY

Limited-Edition Blu-ray^™ Arrives February 9, 2021, Just in Time for Valentine’s Day

The timeless classic LOVE STORY celebrates its 50^th anniversary with a brand-new Blu-ray in the Paramount Presents line, debuting February 9, 2021 from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Newly restored from a 4K film transfer, this new presentation beautifully captures the highs and lows of young love in a film that remains as impactful as ever.  Based on Erich Segal’s best-selling novel, LOVE STORY was nominated for seven^* Academy Awards®, including Best Picture, and became a cultural phenomenon, earning over $100 million at the domestic box office.  In 2002, the AFI named it as #9 on its list of the 100 greatest love stories of all time.

The limited-edition Paramount Presents LOVE STORY Blu-ray includes the newly restored film, a new Filmmaker Focus with film historian Leonard Maltin, plus previously released content including a commentary by director Arthur Hiller, an introduction by film critic Ben Mankiewicz, Love Story: A Classic Remembered, and the theatrical trailer, plus access to a Digital copy of the film.  The disc is presented in collectible packaging that includes a foldout image of the film’s theatrical poster, and an interior spread with key movie moments. 

Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw both received Oscar® nominations^* for their starring roles in the timeless, unmatched tale from the heart.  Harvard students Oliver (O’Neal) and Jenny (MacGraw) come from opposite backgrounds, but they share a chemistry they cannot deny—and a love they can’t ignore. Despite Oliver’s wealthy father threatening to disown him, the young couple marries and begins to build their new life together. But fate has other plans, and soon Oliver and Jenny face a crisis only the strongest of loves can endure.

About Paramount Presents

This collectible line spans celebrated classics to film-lover favorites, each from the studio’s renowned library.  Every Paramount Presents release features never-before-seen bonus content and exclusive collectible packaging.  Additional titles available in the Paramount Presents collection on Blu-ray include: Fatal Attraction, King Creole, To Catch a Thief, Flashdance, Days of Thunder, Pretty In Pink, Airplane!, Ghost, Roman Holiday, The Haunting, The Golden Child, Trading Places and The Court Jester.

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If absence makes the heart grow fonder, James Bond fans will surely love "No Time to Die" The release date of the much-delayed, highly anticipated 007 film has been pushed back again, this time to October 8 due to factors concerning Covid-19, which is still wreaking havoc around the globe. The film was originally slated to open in March, 2020, then was pushed back to November of last year. That, too, was canceled with a new opening date of April, 2021 announced. Now, it has been announced that the new opening is anticipated to be October 8, but depending upon the virus situation, we would not be surprised if this, too, turns out to be tentative. Click here for more. 

“MORE SLEUTHING, MORE DRINKING”

By Raymond Benson

The Thin Man, released in 1934, was such a success (and Oscar nominee) that Hollywood decided to make a sequel (and, in fact, several of them). After the Thin Man, released in 1936, reunited stars William Powell and Myrna Loy as Nick and Nora Charles, the Wire Fox Terrier-actor Skippy as “Asta,” director W. S. Van Dyke, writer Dashiell Hammett (who wrote the original novel and supplied story ideas for the sequels), and screenwriters Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable follow-up, if not quite as brilliant as the original (sequels seldom are).

One of the more striking elements of After the Thin Man is the presence of a young James Stewart in a supporting role. It is one of his earliest screen appearances, and he displays the charisma that would suit him well for the next several decades.

The picture brings back all the trappings of the first movie—the chemistry between husband-and-wife Nick and Nora, their penchant for cocktails (especially his penchant), their precocious dog, and the couple’s ability to outsmart the cops and effortlessly solve a crime. The plot is complex, has many twists and turns, and keeps an audience guessing (the screenplay received an Oscar nomination). The big reveal of who the murderer really is may come as a surprise to most.

Nora has some troublesome relatives. Her Aunt Katherine (Jessie Ralph) has to be the most annoying shrew on the planet. However, her daughter, and Nora’s cousin, Selma (Elissa Landi), is pleasant enough but is married to a scoundrel, Robert (Alan Marshal). Robert has run off, infatuated with a nightclub singer/dancer, Polly (Penny Singleton, credited here as Dorothy McNulty). Friend of the family David (James Stewart) provides support for Selma and wants to pay off Robert $25,000 (!) to grant Selma a divorce and leave for good. David, perhaps, has a good reason to do so—he has always carried a torch for Selma. The co-owner of the nightclub, a guy named Dancer (Joseph Calleia), is shady and schemes with Polly to steal David’s money from Robert. Added to the mix is Polly’s brother?/boyfriend?/husband? Phil (Paul Fix), who wants money from Polly, too. When Robert is shot to death on the street in San Francisco, Selma is arrested and blamed for the murder. Enter Nick and Nora. Aunt Katherine reluctantly asks the Charles couple to investigate and clear Selma’s name.

What follows is the kind of intrigue with laughs that one would expect from a Thin Man sequel (note: there is no “thin man” character in this one). Also amusing is the subplot involving Asta and “Mrs. Asta,” another Wire Fox Terrier who has had Asta’s puppies. There’s a problem, though—one of the pups is all black, and Asta discovers an all-black Scot Terrier sneaking into the yard and visiting Mrs. Asta! Uh oh! Asta must continually send the interloper on his way and chastise the missus. What isn’t explained is why Nick and Nora allow Asta inside their house all the time and take him around town with them, and yet Mrs. Asta and the puppies must remain outside in a pen and a doghouse. Doesn’t seem right, does it?

Powell and Loy are marvelous in reprising their roles. Stewart is engaging, and Ralph is hilariously exasperating. The writing is brisk and full of terrific one-liners. Van Dyke’s direction is breezy, and he handles the complicated mystery with aplomb. Perhaps the picture is ten or fifteen minutes too long, but that’s a quibble.

Warner Archive’s new Blu-ray restoration of an earlier DVD release looks superb. Supplements include a vintage MGM cartoon short by Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, “The Early Bird and the Worm,” and a 1936 comedy short, “How to Be a Detective,” starring Robert Benchley. Also included is the LUX Radio adaptation starring Powell and Loy, an MGM radio promo, and the theatrical trailer. All good stuff.

After the Thin Man is a welcome high-definition addition to sit on the shelf with the earlier release of The Thin Man. Here’s hoping Warner will issue the remaining titles in the series on Blu-ray. So, grab your martini shaker, put on your pajamas, settle back, and have a good time at the movies!

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Cinema Retro has received the following press release from Flicker Alley:

Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy traces the roots of the legendary comedy duo by offering fans a two-disc set of 35 newly restored films starring either Stan Laurel or Oliver Hardy—all produced before the two genius talents ever joined forces.

Laurel and Hardy became cinematic legends together, but before they were ever hauling pianos or throwing pies as a hilarious and unforgettable comedic duo, each had to develop as an individual artist and performer. Laurel or Hardy: Early Films of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, as proudly presented by Flicker Alley, the Library of Congress, and Blackhawk Films®, offers fans new and old the rare opportunity to track the early solo careers of two comedy icons. Featuring all new 2K restorations sourced from materials contributed by archives and collectors around the world, this comprehensive 2-disc Blu-ray collection features 35 films and includes new scores from some of the best silent film composers working today.

Arthur Stanley Jefferson comes from the British vaudeville scene, and was at one time Chaplin's understudy. Oliver Norvell Hardy, a comedian born on film, worked steadily for years in Hollywood and built his notoriety in over 300 roles. Although the two had different styles and came from distinct backgrounds, they followed similar creative paths, each marked with trials, errors, successes, and the occasional strokes of genius. Along the way, they made millions of people laugh, offering ample evidence of the incredible individual talents that would eventually merge together to create one of the greatest comedy duos in all of film history.

Stan Laurel Films:

Bears and Bad Men (1918); The Egg (1922); A Weak-End Party (1922); The Pest (1922); When Knights Were Cold (1923); The Handy Man (1923); Pick and Shovel (1923); Collars and Cuffs (1923); Gas and Air (1923); A Man About Town (1923); The Whole Truth (1923); Brothers Under the Chin (1924); Zeb Vs. Paprika (1924); Wide Open Spaces (1924); Detained (1924); Twins (1925); Pie-Eyed (1925)

Oliver Hardy Films:

Mother's Baby Boy (1914); The Servant Girl's Legacy (1914); An Expensive Visit (1915); A Lucky Strike (1915); The New Adventures of J. Rufus Wallingford: The Lilac Splash (1915); The Serenade (1916); Hungry Hearts (1916); The Candy Trail (1916); The Chief Cook (1917); Hello Trouble (1918); Married to Order (1918); He's In Again (1918); The Rent Collector (1921); The Bakery (1921); The Show (1922); Rivals (1925); Wandering Papas (1926); Say It With Babies (1926)

BONUS MATERIALS INCLUDE:

• Image Gallery — Slideshow presentation featuring photographs from the Library of Congress collections.
• Collector’s Edition Souvenir Booklet — Limited edition booklet with film notes from film historian Rob Stone, as well as notes on the restoration from Lobster Film’s Serge Bromberg.

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BY HANK REINEKE

If you had been reading the Hollywood trade paper Variety in the early winter of 1942, you would have expected that the screen rights to the popular Inner Sanctum radio series had gone to 20^th Century Fox. In early March of ’42, the paper reported “20^th Century Fox was assuring itself of a mystery story backlog by closing a contract with the Inner Sanctum publishing outfit.” On 22 March, the paper reported that Fox would shoot three Inner Sanctum films a year. The studio’s deal with the publishers of Inner Sanctum, Simon and Schuster, was a cool $100,000. Variety reported that Ralph Dietrich – a reliable producer with no directing credits - was set to helm the first Fox feature “The Creaking Door.” It all sounded pretty exciting… except, of course, for the fact that none of this would actually happen. It wasn’t until a year later, March of 1943, that Variety would make small mention that Universal Studios would be producing a series of Inner Sanctum films. What happened to 2oth Century Fox’s involvement would be, much like the tales spun on the popular radio show, a mystery.

If Lon Chaney Jr. wasn’t the star of the six Inner Sanctum films that Universal churned out between 1943 and 1945, I doubt the series would have ever received the white-glove Blu ray treatment they have received on Mill Creek’s Inner Sanctum Mysteries: The Complete Film Collection. It’s mostly the devoted fans of Golden Age Horror movies that have embraced this rickety series as part of the studio’s canon. Few could deny that all six of the films fall far short of classic status, but there’s still a lot here for one to enjoy. That is, as long as you keep your expectations relatively modest. If you’re a fan of Universal’s second-tier monster movie franchises from this same time period, you will undoubtedly find comfort in watching a score of familiar faces parade across the screen: Lon Chaney, Evelyn Ankers, Ramsey Ames, Fay Helm, J. Carrol Naish, Acquanetta, Martin Kosleck, Anne Gwynne and Ralph Morgan, just to name a few. The names, if not the faces, of the folks working behind the camera will also be familiar to fans of low-budget 1940s films, horror and otherwise: Reginald LeBorg, Ben Pivar, Edward Dein and Wallace Fox.

For my part, I personally get a kick out of seeing the ever-lovely - and often victimized - Evelyn Ankers slip easily into the role of villainess in one episode. Ankers had been famously terrorized by Chaney Jr.’s cursed Wolfman and his foot-dragging Mummy Kharis. Here in Weird Woman (1944), the second Inner Sanctum mystery, the actress shines as Ilona Carr, a manipulative, conniving and jilted ex-lover of Chaney’s. On one level, one can understand her jealously-fueled rage. Prior to setting off on a research expedition to an island in the South Seas, Chaney’s Professor Reed and Ankers’ college librarian Carr had been romantically engaged. Upon his return to the U.S. with sultry and exotic child-bride Paula (Anne Gwynne) at his side, Chaney coldly dismisses Ankers feelings for him. Chaney probably had it coming when he dismisses his and Ankers’ earlier romantic entanglement as a mere “pleasant flirtation.”

Though one could hardly describe Weird Woman as a lost cinematic gem – nor a surviving one - it might very well be the most fun entry of Universal’s Inner Sanctum series. It’s not a great film by any means, but it’s a mystery chock full with superstitious nonsense. The film’s South Seas scenes are memorable – if, perhaps, for all the wrong reasons – as the setting is decorated with carved spooky totems, drum-thumping tribal dances, death chants, enchanted medallions, witchcraft and voodoo practices.

Technically, describing this film as a mystery might be something of a stretch: the audience is oddly allowed to follow each step of Carr’s bitter plan of revenge as it unfolds. Much as in the case with Calling Dr. Death (1943), the first Inner Sanctum, the movie is not so much a whodunit? but rather an obvious exercise in “Who else could have done it?” There’s no reason to involve Sherlock Holmes to unravel the mysteries presented in this series. The clues are all but telegraphed.

So where did the series go wrong? There have been no shortage of criticisms in scholarly journals and film books that hulking Lon Chaney was ill-suited to be cast as such cerebral types as doctors and college professors. Upon the release of Calling Dr. Death, even the critic from Variety noted that the brooding actor, “from a marquee standpoint isn’t ideally cast.” There’s more than a kernel of truth to the charge. But in Chaney’s defense I’d submit that - in some manner of speaking - the actor was perfectly cast. Like his anguished Lawrence Talbot, Chaney is left completely unsettled by mysterious circumstances (mostly) not of his own doing. In the case of the Inner Sanctum, Chaney’s troubles are not brought on by an unforgiving cycle-of-the-moon calendar nor by an ancient Egyptian curse. In all honesty, it’s mostly the crazy women in his life that bring him to the brink of mental and emotional collapse.

I’m sorry, ladies, but it’s true. The sultry women featured in the series are, on four occasions at least, the root cause of Mr. Chaney’s angst. And, boy, does he suffer at their hands: In Calling Dr. Death he’s a neurologist who suffers the ignominies of a selfish, cold-hearted and unfaithful shrew of a wife. In Weird Woman, he’s a member of Monroe College’s Department of Ethnology, an esteemed author of the ground-breaking sociological work Superstition vs. Reason and Fact. Following that expedition to the South Seas, Chaney’s suffering balloons twofold: he now must contend with both an unreasonable child-bride who clings to her native occult superstitions and, secondly, from a jealous ex-paramour with plans to derail both his marriage and his career. In Dead Man’s Eyes (1944), he’s a gifted portrait artist blinded by the carelessness of his female modeling subject who inadvertently switches bottles of eye wash and acid on the studio’s shelf. In the series sixth and final entry, Pillow of Death (1945), Chaney plays the unfaithful married lawyer Wayne Fletcher… who may or may not have murdered his spiritual medium of a wife.

Here's Rod Steiger and Marlon Brando in director Elia Kazan's 1954 Oscar-winning classic "On the Waterfront". The scene is still cited as a prime example of what brilliant screen acting is all about. 

During the production of "2001: A Space Odyssey", director Stanley Kubrick commissioned musician Mike Kaplan to compose a song for the film. Kaplan complied, titling the offbeat creation "2001: A Garden of Personal Mirrors". Kubrick liked the title but shelved the idea of using the song. He also decided not to use the score for the film written by noted composer Alex North, opting instead to rely on classical music. Now Kaplan's "lost" song has been located by British film historian and critic Mark Kermode and it has recently been given air play, much to the 77 year-old Kaplan's delight. Click here to read more.

BY LEE PFEIFFER

In the 1960s, enterprising producers James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff were riding high through their production company American International Pictures. They specialized in making low-budget crowd pleasers that ranged from "B" horror and science fiction films to zany "beach" comedies. They had established a stable of stars who they could depend on to top-line these movies, none of which were blockbusters, but most of which turned a decent profit in an era in which a decent profit was sufficient to please studio bosses. There was no greater star for American International than Vincent Price, who had often teamed with producer Roger Corman for a number of highly successful film adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's literary works. When Corman and Price had exhausted most of the more promising Poe works, Corman moved on to other projects, establishing himself as a legend in the movie industry. Price, however, remained at the disposal of American-International. He was never overly-selective about the films he agreed to star in, though even the worst of them benefited from his presence.  Nicholson and Arkoff kept mining the Poe pot of gold by the weakest of links, as evidenced by "War-Gods of the Deep", of which it has been said that Price didn't even read the script until a week before filming had commenced. Nicholson and Arkoff had authorized a film inspired by Poe's poem "City in the Sea", with Dan Haller and George Willoughby producing. The movie was directed by Jacques Tourneur, who had brought to the screen at least two films that are now regarded as classics: "Cat People" and "Out of the Past". However, throughout most of his career, Tourneur did not enjoy the appreciation retro movie fans now show for his work. Instead, his talents were considered workmanlike and he was largely relegated to directing mediocre and forgettable films. ("War-Gods" would prove to be his final movie.)

"War-Gods of the Deep" (released in some countries as "City Under the Sea" and "City in the Sea") was a production fraught with problems from the very beginning. Charles Bennett, who wrote the first draft of the screenplay, was disheartened when Louis M. Heyward was hired to significantly rewrite his concepts to add some humor to the movie. Heyward's contributions included introducing a major comedic character, Harold Tufnell-Jones, played by David Tomlinson and the inclusion of a pet hen which he absurdly carries with him throughout the film. This was enough to make Bennett disown the final version of the movie. Similarly, there was also a falling-out between producers Haller and Willoughby. The production also lost some luster when plans to cast Boris Karloff in a key role fell through and he was replaced by John Le Mesurier. Filming took place at Pinewood Studios outside of London, with the movie's few exterior shots filmed on the Cornwall Coast. The film seemed to capitalize on audience fascination during this era with science fiction stories that were set in underground lairs or cities (i.e. "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea", "The Time Machine", "First Men in the Moon", "Journey to the Center of the Earth" and "Mysterious Island.") However, "War-Gods" pales in comparison to those similarly-themed films.

The movie, which is set at the beginning of the 20th century, opens in a British coastal town where strange occurrences have the inhabitants in distress. People are mysteriously disappearing and in one case, a missing man turns up dead in the surf. Ben Harris (Tab Hunter) is an American mining engineer working in the area. He makes the acquaintance of Jill Tregillis (Susan Hart), the American daughter of a local hotelier. When Jill vanishes, Ben and quirky local artist, Harold Tuffnell-Jones (David Tomlinson) launch a search only to accidentally be sucked into a whirlpool that deposits them in a secret underground city beneath the sea. It is ruled over by an aristocrat known as The Captain (Vincent Price), who overseas a civilization that has existed here for over a hundred years. The Captain informs them that, due to atmospheric conditions, the inhabitants never age and will enjoy eternal life. The city is guarded by the Gill Men, who are half-human, half-fish, who are the remaining survivors of a once thriving neighboring city that has that been all but obliterated. The Captain and his followers have installed an elaborate system of pumping air into their water-tight bubble that prevents them from drowning. They exist in apartments and rooms that have been carved into undersea caverns. He rules with an iron fist and sends the amphibious Gill Men to procure needed equipment from the local village and to occasionally kidnap people for various reasons. It becomes clear that he thinks Jill is the reincarnation of his beloved late wife. The Captain explains that an once-dormant undersea volcano is now activated, which is all-too-apparent to his captives. The seabed rocks with explosions and the Captain is desperate to find someone who can stem the inevitable destruction of his city. Ben buys time by pretending to be a scientist but with the clock ticking down, he knows he and his friends must escape before the ruse is discovered and they are sentenced to death. 

Issue #49 is the first edition of Cinema Retro Season 17. It has now shipped to all subscribers worldwide.

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Closing Channel "D"

Lee and Dave

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BY JOHN M. WHALEN 

Kino Lorber, in its relentless effort to make forgotten, hard-to-find films available in superior, like-new condition, has released a Blu-Ray edition of the 1959 Weird Western, “Curse of the Undead,” the first movie ever to mix cowboys and vampires. The Weird Western, in case you’re not aware, is a sub-genre that combines the traditional western with elements of the supernatural, horror, or science fiction. They’ve been around for about 90 years, first appearing in print in the 1930s when Robert E. Howard, a pulp fiction writer from Texas, best known as the creator of Conan the Barbarian, wrote several short stories for Weird Tales and Argosy magazine that combined the traditional western with supernatural horror. Today a number of authors including Joe Lansdale, Heath Lowrance, Jonathan Mayberry, David West and even yours truly, have turned out Weird Western novels and short stories, creating a Neo-Pulp Revolution of sorts.

In films, one of the earliest examples of the Weird Western, surprisingly, was a serial starring singing cowboy Gene Autry. “Phantom Empire” featured Gene battling the strange inhabitants of Murania, a city hundreds of miles below the surface of the earth. It’s a wild combination of western and sci-fi, with Gene contending with robots and Tika, the mysterious queen of Murania. Other Weird Western movies have since followed, including “The Beast of Hollow Mountain” (1956), “Billy the Kid vs. Dracula” (1966), “Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter” (1966), “The Valley of Gwangi” (1969), “Alien Outlaw” with Sunset Carson (1985), Kathryn Bigelow’s “Near Dark” (1987), “Jonah Hex” (2010), “Cowboys and Aliens” (2011), and others.

In 1958, writer/director Edward Dein and his wife Mildred decided, almost as a joke, to collaborate on a screenplay called “Eat Me, Gently,” a horror/western combo about a vampire out west. Ed Dein had already established himself as a B- movie director with works that included “Shack Out On 101,” (1955) and “Seven Guns to Mesa” (1958). Earlier he had written screenplays for “The Soul of a Monster,” (1944), “The Cat Creeps” (1946), and “Jungle Woman” (1944), among others. Word got out that the Deins had a script they wanted to sell and Universal International’s music director Joseph Gershenson, trying his hand at being a producer, bought it. The first thing he did, of course, was change the title. It was first retitled “Affairs of a Vampire,” then “Mark of the West,” and finally “Curse of the Undead.”

Australian character actor Michael Pate, who appeared in hundreds of television shows in the 1950’s and 60’s, and as Chief Vittorio in John Wayne’s “Hondo,” (1953), plays Drake Robey, a mysterious gunman who offers his services to ranch owner Dolores Carter (Kathleen Crowley), after her father and brother are killed. Her father, Doctor Carter (John Hoyt), died mysteriously, perhaps the victim of a plague that had already killed others (mostly young girls) in the area. Her brother, Tim (Jimmy Murphy) is gunned down by a land baron named Buffer (Bruce Gordon), who dammed up a stream, leaving Dolores with no water for her livestock.

There’s some weird connection, between all the deaths and Robey’s sudden arrival in town, but the only man in town who appears suspicious of the stranger is preacher Dan Young (Eric Fleming), who warns Dolores to stay away from Robey. Fleming who had just begun filming the “Rawhide” television series for CBS has a thankless role in “Curse of the Undead.” As film historian Tom Weaver notes in his audio commentary for the disc, Fleming’s part is written in such a way that he seems like either a total bore or a complete idiot. For instance, when Robey tells Dolores he’s going to protect her and put a stop to the evildoings going on ‘round here (wink, wink), the sanctimonious preacher pipes up, saying he’ll do everything he can to make sure he doesn’t! So who’s side is he on?

The Deins seem to have drained the script of all logic almost as efficiently as Robey drains the blood out of his helpless victims. For example, despite the preacher’s protests, Dolores invites Robey to spend the night in her home in a spare bedroom. She tells the preacher she’ll be chaperoned by the ghosts of her dead father and brother! That night Robey gets into her room and does the Fang-dango on her neck (despite the fact that Robey’s fangs are never shown—maybe they couldn’t afford them in the budget). The next day, after having fought with the preacher over Robey the night before, Dolores sweetly acquiesces to the reverend’s request to send the vampire packing. Makes no sense. After Robey’s sunk his bicuspids into her jugular, she should be more unwilling to resist him, not less, and more antagonistic toward the Preach, wouldn’t you think?

Dein’s plodding direction is another problem, with too many scenes shot in one take that seem to go on forever, leaving the viewer feeling nearly as trapped and helpless as Robey’s victims. A scene where Robey enters a mausoleum and lifts the lid on Dr. Carter’s coffin, is either unintentionally hilarious or hilariously intentional, when it ends with Robey lowering himself down out of sight behind the lid, and letting the lid close, presumably with him inside the box lying on top of the deceased physician. So what’s going on there, huh, booby? According to Weaver, the original script contained a lot of inside gay jokes. Most of them were excised by Gershenson. But apparently some of them got through.

Also in the cast is character actor Edward Binns (“12 Angry Men”), another familiar face to TV watchers of the sixties. Binns plays the town Sheriff who tries to talk sense to everybody but keeps getting ignored. In another one-take scene following a battle for survival with Robey, he becomes the heaviest-breathing corpse in movies.

Kino Lorber’s 2K transfer of “Curse of the Undead” is flawless. Ellis W. Carter’s black and white cinematography presented in 1.85:1 aspect ratio looks sharp and clear, with excellent black levels for the many night scenes. The mono soundtrack provides a full-bodied presentation of Irving Gertz’s film score. The use of an electric violin, instead of the Theremin usually employed in horror movies, is another unique distinction. Extras on the disc include Tom Weaver’s excellent commentary and trailers for other KL releases.

While “Curse of the Undead” is no classic, it is unique and worth a look at least as the first of its kind. The fact is there haven’t been too many vampiric westerns made over the years. Maybe it’s time for someone to turn out the classic we’ve been waiting for. There are some good stories that have been turned out by the writers listed at the beginning of this review just waiting to be adapted for film. Just saying.

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(John M. Whalen is the author of "Vampire Siege at Rio Muerto". Click here to order from Amazon.)

BY LEE PFEIFFEER

Throughout motion picture history, there have always been "disaster" movies. From Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy facing the great earthquake in "San Francisco" to John Wayne trying to rescue an airliner in distress in "The High and the Mighty". However, the disaster movie didn't emerge as a genre until the 1970s. Most people credit "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972) with being the first major entry among these kinds of films during that era, but arguably the genre began two years earlier with "Airport". That blockbuster flick set the standard for all of the disaster movies to follow:

• An all-star cast ranging from top boxoffice attractions to respected veteran stars and popular character actors
• Big production values
• State-of-the-art special effects
• Majestic musical score (and, if possible, a Top 40 hit shoe-horned into the proceedings) 
• A well-regarded director at the helm to preside over the mayhem

For the most part the formula worked fairly well. "Poseidon" was a major boxoffice smash and that film begat the short-lived genre's best year, 1974, which saw the virtual back-to-back release of "Gold", "Earthquake" and "The Towering Inferno", the latter being the "Citizen Kane" of disaster movies. However, the genre was to burn brightly but briefly. In the wake of "Inferno", there was nowhere else to go. The 1977 film "Black Sunday" was excellent, but despite a blimp crashing into the Superbowl stadium, it is not a "disaster movie" in the traditional sense. Most of those films that were, flopped badly. Producer Irwin Allen, who struck pay dirt as the producer of "Poseidon" and "Inferno" found the formula had grown stale by the late 1970s. His 1978 release "The Swarm" is generally referred to as the worst "Bee" movie ever made. His 1980 anemic attempt to blend cast members with elements of "Poseidon" and "Inferno" was released as "When Time Ran Out", an appropriate enough title for the flop that ended his big screen career. Another costly casualty of the disaster genre ebb was "Meteor", a 1979 production that top-lined an impressive cast: Sean Connery, Natalie Wood, Brian Keith, Karl Malden, Martin Landau, Trevor Howard and Henry Fonda. It was produced by Gabe Gatzka and Sandy Howard (among others), two veterans with very respected backgrounds in the film industry. The film was directed by another highly respected individual, Ronald Neame, the man who had helmed "The Poseidon Adventure". On paper, the project must have looked like a "can't lose" proposition. Yet, "Meteor" turned out to be a major flop at the boxoffice as well as a critical disaster. What went wrong? To start with, it was probably ill-advised to entrust the production to American-International Pictures which specialized in making low-budget horror and teeny bopper exploitation films. The AIP association branded "Meteor" with a "cheesy" stigma even before cameras rolled.

Connery stars as a cynical, world-respected scientist whose warnings about the possibility of earth being hit by a destructive meteor have largely gone ignored. When the film opens, he is summoned to Washington by government officials who tell him the top secret bombshell disclosure that his worst nightmare is about to come true. A gigantic meteor is racing towards earth and there is only one way to stop it: by having the USA and Soviet Union join forces to synchronize their nuclear missiles in the hopes of blasting the meteor out of the sky. Brian Keith plays the Soviet foreign minister who meets up with Connery and his colleagues at a secret underground New York City command center located adjacent to the subway system(!) Natalie Wood is his gorgeous interpreter, which allows for some mildly suggestive byplay between Connery and her. There's little time for romance, however, as advance particles from the meteor are already hitting earth and causing widespread damage. With time running out, the U.S, and Soviet technicians scramble to employ their nuclear arsenals in a last ditch attempt to save earth. This scenario might seem stale today, but it was a relatively fresh concept back in '79. However, the film was undermined by the apparent shortage of production funds for use in the special effects. The sets are elaborate and impressive but the key sequences showing the missiles in action are laughably poor. Equally bad are the shots of the presumably menacing meteor hurtling towards earth. No matter how much the filmmakers try, it never looks much more terrifying than a large rock you might encounter in your garden. (Sean Connery once referred to the meteor special effects as making the titular objects resemble "little balls of shit".) The screenplay is a scatter shot affair. Apparently concerned that concentrating on the key characters who are locked into an underground command center might prove to be too claustrophobic, the decision was made to "open up" the scenario by showing various international locations being destroyed by meteor fragments. In doing so, the screenwriters cram in completely extraneous characters who are given approximately ten seconds each to develop personalities in the hope we can sympathize with them when they are pulverized. Thus, we see a young father in Hong Kong scrambling to get his child before a tidal wave engulfs the city. People in a ski resort in Switzerland are given equal opportunity for brief character development before they are buried under an avalanche. The sin of it all is that the production company really did film on location in these places but, aside from a few impressive snippets of crowds running frantically through the streets of Hong Kong, there is limited to value to the expenses incurred in shooting in such disparate areas of the globe.  

Yet, for all its cheesiness, "Meteor" somehow plays better today than it did at the time of its initial release. This is primarily due to the fact that we can appreciate seeing the great cast members interacting on the big screen. Connery, middle-aged and handsome, makes for a fine leading man. Natalie Wood is given little of substance to do here but, given this was one of her last films, it gives us a precious opportunity to at least see her natural beauty. Brian Keith, long underrated as a leading man in feature films, steals the show, playing against type as a witty and funny Soviet diplomat. Only poor Martin Balsam comes across awful in an unintentionally funny performance as a fussy U.S. general who refuses to trust his Soviet counterparts (Fritz Weaver played essentially the same role very well in "Fail Safe" fifteen years earlier.) The finale of the film is truly impressive as a sea of mud descends upon the underground command center. The sequence was indeed a challenge to film and, if it looks like it was dangerous for the actors, it indeed was: several cast members were injured during this elaborate sequence. 

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is superb in terms of overall quality. As with so many special effects-laden films of the past, today's technology tends to expose the shortcomings in this pre-CGI era, but that only adds to the charm of watching a flick like this. The only bonus extra is the original theatrical trailer. 

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

Dwight Chapin was the Appointments Secretary to President Richard M. Nixon when he helped arrange the now legendary, if bizarre, meeting between Elvis Presley and the President. Elvis had made an impromptu appearance at the White House entrance and presented a hand-written letter (on airline stationary), respectfully requesting an audience with the President. Chapin didn't automatically dismiss the request and sent it up through the chain of command, eventually getting approval for the King to visit the President on that December day in 1970. In a way, Nixon and Elvis had some things in common. Both of them had revived their flagging careers through remarkable comebacks. Nixon had been in the political graveyard before being elected to the presidency in 1968, thanks in no small part to the fractious state of the Democratic party. Elvis had been mired in mediocre movies before he decided to get back to the basics by honing his craft with the intention of playing before live audiences once again. The strategies proved to be successful for both men, giving them a common bond even though Nixon was hardly a fan of Elvis or rock 'n roll music in general. Nixon did love movies and had recently praised "Patton" and "Chisum" as examples of his kind of Hollywood productions. However, the President loathed the hippie culture and the youth-driven anti-Vietnam War movement. Thus, when Elvis offered to use his influence to bring a social message of healing to young people, Nixon felt he had nothing to lose.

Click here to read Chapin's first-hand account on Politico.

A selection of American TV spots from a range of 1980s horror flicks. Appropriately, they appear to have been mastered from VHS transfers!

RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM THE CINEMA RETRO ARCHIVES

BY DOUG OSWALD

I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s rarely been a bad submarine movie. The typical film in this peculiar genre has a little something for every movie fan: action, adventure, suspense, drama, claustrophobia, torpedoes, mine fields, depth charges and silent running. The plot structure is similar to that of aircraft disaster movies except submarines have to navigate the aforementioned mine fields and depth charges and get to fire torpedoes.

“Torpedo Run” is no exception to my rule. The movie features Glenn Ford as skipper of the Greyfish, Lt. Cmdr. Barney Doyle, and Ernest Borgnine as his executive officer and best friend, Lt. Archer “Archie” Sloan. Like most submarine movies, the action takes place within the narrow passageways of the sub and we get to see a few underwater model shots of the Greyfish diving, navigating a mine field and surviving depth charges.

We do get a change of scenery throughout the movie, primarily in flashbacks of the two friends during happier times just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor. They’re stationed in the Philippines when Ford receives orders to set sail. Ford’s wife and daughter are captured by the Japanese a short time later and sent to Japan on a POW transport ship.

The transport ship travels along side the aircraft carrier Shinaru, a fictional stand-in for one of the Japanese carriers that launched the air attack on Pearl Harbor. Ford receives word of the Shinaru’s location as well as word that his wife and daughter are being used as human shields along with 1,400 other allied prisoners onboard the transport ship. Sinking the Shinaru will be a huge propaganda boon and moral booster, but launching torpedoes is tricky business and one may hit the transport ship.

Ford fires on the carrier, but hits the transport ship, killing everyone on board including his wife and daughter. Ridden with guilt and filled with vengeance, he’s obsessed with the single minded purpose of destroying the Shinaru. The rest of the movie takes a Melvillian turn with Ford as Ahab seeking out his white whale, the Shinaru.

Ford is terrific as the Greyfish skipper. He’s earnest and believable as Barney Doyle and calls upon his trademark ability to play tough, yet compassionate good guys, as he had in scores of westerns, dramas and light comedies as well as grittier fare such as “Blackboard Jungle,” “Gilda” and “The Big Heat.”

Speaking of earnest, Ernest Borgnine is equally good as Archie Sloan. Borgnine and Ford play off each other rather well in what would be an otherwise routine action movie. Borgnine is one of the great Hollywood character actors known primarily for playing heavies, tough guys and nut-burgers in scores of movies on the big screen. However, he was versatile enough to play the occasional lead and the rare nice guy such as in his Oscar winning turn in “Marty” from 1955.

Retro TV fans will undoubtedly be slightly distracted- as I was- seeing Borgnine in naval uniform. It’s a minor and unintentionally humorous issue because Borgnine is so closely identified as Lt. Cmdr. Quinton McHale, a role he would make his own a few years after the release of this movie in the popular TV comedy series, “McHales’s Navy,” from 1962 to 1966 and in one spin-off movie. I’m almost expecting Borgnine to say, “Okay you guys, knock it off!” and, “Stall ‘em! I don't care how you do it but stall ‘em!” Fortunately, Capt. Binghamton does not turn up shouting, “What is it McHale, what do you want? What, what, what?”

Diane Brewster appears in the only major female role as Ford’s wife Jane Doyle in the flashback scenes. Dean Jones appears as a young officer, Lt. Jake “Fuzzy” Foley. LQ Jones and Don Keefer play crew members and Robert Hardy is on hand as a Royal Navy liaison officer observing the use of the sub’s new sonar equipment.

According to IMDb, there are a couple of uncredited “blink and you’ll miss them” appearances in the movie by retro TV stalwarts Frank Gorshin and Robert Reed who appear as sub crewmen. Virginia Gregg, Maj. Edna Heywood RN in “Operation Petticoat,” provides the voice of Tokyo Rose.

While “Torpedo Run” is not of the same caliber as genuinely classic submarine movies such as “Das Boot,” “Destination Tokyo,” “The Enemy Below,” “The Hunt for Red October,” “On the Beach,” “Operation Pacific,” “Run Silent, Run Deep” and “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.” However, it is very watchable and features all the typical submarine movie clichés in addition to great effects and fine performances by Ford and Borgnine.

The movie was produced and released by MGM in CinemaScope making good use of the widescreen, with nice model sequences and well integrated stock footage. The movie is based on stories by Richard Sale who co-wrote the screenplay. A prolific writer and sometimes director, Sale is best known as the author of “The Oscar” and “White Buffalo,” both of which were adapted as movies.

Released in October 1958, “Torpedo Run” also oddly played on a double bill with “Fiend Without a Face” in November of that year. March 1958 saw the release of the similarly themed submarine movie, “Run Silent, Run Deep,” with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster. While “Torpedo Run” is a good WWII drama, Ford and Borgnine can’t quite compete with the performances of Gable and Lancaster and Robert Wise’s gritty direction.

“Torpedo Run” is a burn to order region-free DVD released as part of the WB Archive Collection. The movie looks terrific and sounds good. The only extra on the disc is the theatrical trailer. This is a movie that rarely made the rotation on local TV in my area when I was a kid, so it was very refreshing to watch it again after so many years. The film is a welcome addition for any fan of military adventure movies.

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BY DARREN ALLISON

Silva Screen Records kicks off 2021 with this super new 7” vinyl release and serves as a reminder of their forthcoming double album featuring Barry Gray’s classic TV soundtrack.

“Fireball” (Don Spencer and the XL5) and “Zero G” (Barry Gray and his Spacemakers) is available on transparent orange 7″ vinyl (SIL71633).

Barry Gray’s soundtrack LP to the 1962 series “Fireball XL5” from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson will be released on vinyl early this year on Silva Screen Records, the next in a wonderful series of Anderson releases which has so far featured UFO, Supercar and Thunderbirds, all of which have been covered here at Cinema Retro.

Don Spencer’s original 7” single release on His Masters Voice in 1962 reached number 32, remaining in the UK charts for twelve weeks. The original B side was another Don Spencer track, “I’m All Alone Again”, replaced on this release with “Zero G”.

"Fireball XL5" was set in 2062 and followed the exploits of the eponymous spaceship commanded by Colonel Steve Zodiac of the World Space Patrol. It was produced, like most other Anderson productions, in Supermarionation, using puppetry techniques that captured the imagination of a generation. Barry Gray collaborated with the Andersons on all the Supermarionation series, his jazzy style supplemented by the use of an electronically augmented keyboard, the Ondes Martenot creating the other-worldly atmosphere which became synonymous with the sci-fi series.

The single is beautifully packaged in a thick, retro glossy card sleeve. Containing an excellent colour image to the front, the style is perfectly in keeping with a classic 1960s design.

We look forward with great anticipation to the full album!

https://www.silvascreen.com/

If you're a Cinema Retro reader, chances are you've already seen director Stanley Donen's 1963 comedy caper film "Charade", which boasts a stellar cast: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, James Coburn, Walter Matthau, George Kennedy and Ned Glass. There's also that marvelous Henry Mancini score. Even if you've seen the film previously, it never wears out its welcome, so indulge yourself by watching it again now. You'll see why we call it "The Best Hitchcock Movie Hitchcock Never Directed!".

BY TIM MCGLYNN

Kino-Lorber has released a Blu-ray edition of 1971’s The Deadly Trap starring Faye Dunaway and Frank Langella. Helmed by famed French director Rene Clement, this film is a nifty thriller with more than a few surprising plot twists. The 1980s VHS release of this film carried the incredibly inappropriate title of Death Scream which may be the reason you never heard of this more reserved story.

Written by Sydney Buchman and Eleanor Perry with a little help from an uncredited Ring Lardner, Jr., this film requires some patience on the part of the viewer as the characters are introduced thoroughly before events are set into motion.

Faye Dunaway, looking gorgeous as a brunette, and Frank Langella play Jill and Philippe, American ex pats living in Paris where they raise their two children. Philippe is a successful book editor who has a mysterious past as a member of a the “Organization.” It is revealed that he previously was an expert at industrial spying and has moved his family to France to start a new life.

Odd things begin to happen that suggest that Jill may be suffering a nervous breakdown as she has recurring lapses in memory. These lapses are becoming more noticeable to her husband, daughter and downstairs neighbor Cynthia (Barbara Parkins), who seems just a bit too helpful to Jill in caring for the children, who are superbly played by Michelle Louire and Patrick Vincent. Lourie, as young Cathy, has an extremely expressive face that conveys both joy, and later on, disappointment as she begins to realize that all may not be well with her mother. Patrick Vincent is a cute, rambunctious sort that you just know is going to get into trouble. But you love him anyway.

Philippe, much to his surprise, is contacted by the Organization and offered another assignment with a hefty paycheck as incentive. Not wanting to sacrifice any more time away from his family, Philippe turns down their generous offer. As it turns out, his former employers are not accustomed to taking no for an answer.

More strange events ensue as Philippe’s publisher is mistakenly informed that his star editor is tendering his resignation. Jill continues to experience more lapses in memory that cause her husband and neighbor to become concerned for the safety of the children. These events culminate one afternoon when Jill loses track of her kids while on an outing in a busy plaza.

Jill at first is suspected of foul play as young Cathy and Patrick’s belongings are found by the river’s edge. After intense questioning by Commisaire Chameille (marvelously played by Raymond Gerome), it is becomes apparent that the children have been kidnapped by the Organization in an attempt to force Philippe to accept their assignment offer.

The kidnapping is the point where the tempo picks up and all of the characters we’ve met so far begin to reveal themselves in this mystery. We have also learned about the habits of the kids and in particular the toy gun young Patrick plays with constantly. This will become part of a shocking plot twist later on.

Reviewers in Europe have referred to Rene Clement as the French Hitchcock and elements from the master’s playbook are present in this film. We have mistaken identities and wrongly accused characters struggling to prove their innocence to doubting authorities.

Faye Dunaway is somewhat restrained in her performance even as her character, Jill, begins to doubt her own sanity. We experience one session with her psychiatrist that adds to her insecurity. It is the eventual support of her husband that gives her the strength to become more rational and aid the police in the search for the children. Frank Langella, fresh from Mel Brooks’ The Twelve Chairs, is handsome and somewhat awkward as the book-smart Philippe. He loves Jill, but has trouble expressing his affection. Barbara Parkiins, as helpful neighbor Cynthia, is very good at balancing between being truly helpful and a bit mysterious. She seems to have feelings for Philippe, but we’re not quite sure.

Gritty cinematography portrays Paris as less-than-beautiful in the winter. The locations look brown and a bit bleak with the usual amount of 70s grain. There are some soft focus shots particularly during the opening scenes of Jill and Patrick riding on a barge one misty gray morning. The New Wave editing style may feel abrupt and clumsy to some viewers, as transitions are not always obvious. After a time, it feels like a technique to move the story along at a faster clip. There is careful attention paid to the color scheme of Jill and Patrick’s clothing and this is discussed in some detail during the commentary track.

The Kino-Lorber Blu-ray is sharp and has clear mono sound with just a few picture flecks at reel changes. The main characters speak in English while most of the minor cast converse in French without the benefit of subtitles. It is fairly easy to deduce what is going on in these scenes, however.

There is an incredibly informative commentary track provided by entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman. Discussed are director Clement’s role in the French New Wave movement and comparisons to his previous film Rider on the Rain. Reesman notes that while the story is set in Paris, we are not shown any typical landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower or the Notre Dame Cathedral. A very ordinary-looking city is pictured for this story of marital discord and an eventual kidnapping.

One curious note is that some of the music during the kidnapping and investigation sequences seems oddly out of place. The score by Gilbert Becaud begins innocently enough, especially during a circus setting with the children. However, as the drama becomes more intense near the conclusion, the music is more jovial and almost comical.

As with most Kino-Lorber editions, there are trailers for several of the company’s current offerings. If you enjoy a film that takes the time to properly introduce the characters before developing the story, then you will enjoy The Deadly Trap. It is not a high-octane thriller, but it does contain twists, turns and a satisfying conclusion.

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