BY FRED BLOSSER

“The Don Is Dead,” a 1973 crime drama directed by Richard Fleischer, is available on Blu-ray from Kino Lorber Studio Classics. Unassuming but sharply executed, it may offer a bracing slice of old-school pizza for viewers who were disappointed by David Chase’s “The Many Saints of Newark” earlier this year. In Fleischer’s film, an unexpected heart attack claims Don Paolo Regalbuto, one of three powerful crime bosses in an unnamed American city. Since organized crime abhors a vacuum even more than nature does, the “national commission” of bosses quickly meets to decide the fate of the Regalbuto crime Family. No one ever uses the word “Mafia,” but wink-wink, you know whose these guys are anyway. One of the three bosses with whom Don Paolo shared control over their city, Don Jimmy, is away in prison and represented at the emergency summit by his consigliere, Luigi Orlando (Charles Cioffi). Luigi suggests that Don Paolo’s only son and heir apparent, Frank (Robert Forster), is too inexperienced to be crowned as the new boss of the Regalbuto empire, not to mention too impulsively hot-headed. Instead, why not dissolve Don Paolo’s organization and divide the assets between Don Jimmy and the other boss in the triumvirate, Don Angelo? Luigi will be glad to manage Don Jimmy’s interests in his enforced absence. When Frank resists the notion of stepping down, the seasoned Don Angelo (Anthony Quinn) ventures a middle ground that everyone agrees to. The Regalbuto assets will be divided evenly. Angelo will get half and Don Jimmy will get the other half as an absentee owner with Luigi as his caretaker. In the meantime, without any offspring of his own, Angelo will take Frank under his wing as his surrogate son. Don Paolo’s enforcers, the Fargo brothers, will be on call whenever either of the two gangs needs their services. When Angelo dies, Frank will inherit his entire organization.

Like many compromises, the plan is reasonable in theory but shaky in practice. Frank wants to continue his lucrative sideline in narcotics. No, Don Angelo objects -- too risky, too dirty. Still, he agrees to let the younger man travel to Italy to close one final transaction. The younger and smarter of the two Fargo brothers, Tony (Frederic Forrest) is determined to get out of the rackets, but Frank resists, as does Tony’s older brother Vince (Al Lettieri). They need Tony’s wise counsel to keep them on track. In the meantime, with his boss Don Jimmy behind bars, the devious Luigi Orlando turns the instability to his own advantage. When he and his equally grasping wife Marie see Frank having lunch with an attractive blonde, Luigi sends Marie over to chat her up after Frank leaves. Learning that the young woman, Ruby Bridges, is an aspiring singer and songwriter, Luigi devises a plan more J.R. Ewing than Al Capone, but equally effective. While Frank is away, Luigi secretly introduces Ruby to Don Angelo. Not aware that Frank has a prior claim, the older man falls for her. Her one song that we hear briefly on a demo tape (actually composed by Carol and Jerry Goldsmith) isn’t likely to excite today’s Adele or Cardi B fans, but Angelo likes it and he’s impressed by Ruby’s sincerity. In turn, she feels that Frank deserted her by flying off to Italy, and Angelo promises to use his high-level connections in the music business to further her career. It doesn’t hurt either that Ruby is played by Angel Tompkins. That name may not mean much to anyone under 50 today, but it revives fond memories for all us guys who saw the blonde actress in the sleazy 1974 drive-in movie “The Teacher” in our hormonal early 20s. Angelo installs Ruby in a luxurious apartment as his mistress, as Frank learns when he returns from Italy and receives an anonymous tip from Luigi. The short-tempered younger gangster reacts violently, Don Angelo retaliates, and war breaks out with Frank and the Fargo brothers on one side, Angelo on the other, and Luigi gleefully stirring things up behind the scenes.

Any Mafia movie, even “The Godfather” which “The Don Is Dead” dutifully emulates on a smaller scale, stands or falls on two factors. One, does it deliver the expected quota of double-crosses, machine-gun volleys, shotgun blasts, and loud explosions? Fleischer’s unpretentious drama, with screenplay credited to veteran pulp writer Marvin H. Albert, based on his novel, performs as well in this respect as most pictures in its genre, if not better. There’s even one of the action-movie staples so beloved by the late Roger Ebert, the runaway car that crashes into a produce stand, scattering fruits and vegetables everywhere. Fleischer and Albert add a second crash for good measure, followed by a scene where a character, fatally shot, falls onto a mountain of empty crates, toppling it. On the second criterion -- are the actors believably cast and do they perform capably?-- the picture scores high points too. Cioffi, Forrest, Forster, Lettieri, and Quinn are all first-rate. This is one of those rare films where Quinn is nearly, if not completely, upstaged in macho presence by his co-stars. Another graduate of “The Godfather,” Abe Vigoda, is listed prominently in the credits, but he only appears briefly early on, as one of the big bosses who decide the fate of Don Paolo’s empire. For veteran TV fans, there are plenty of other welcome players in the supporting cast too, notably Frank De Kova, J. Duke Russo, Joe Santos, and Vic Tayback. Viewers who muse, “I know the face, but who is that guy?” may spend as much time trying to ID the actors as following the plot.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray includes the theatrical trailer and an excellent audio commentary by film historian Sergio Mims.

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Fred Blosser is the author of "Sons of Ringo: The Great Spaghetti Western Heroes". Click here to order from Amazon)

RETRO-ACTIVE: THE BEST FROM THE CINEMA RETRO ARCHIVES

REVIEW – Naked City: The Complete Series

RLJ Entertainment / 6,063 minutes

By Harvey F. Chartrand

Naked City was like no other TV series before or since – Michel Moriarty, star of Law and Order, once told this reviewer.

Inspired by Jules Dassin's 1948 film of the same name, Naked City centers on the detectives of the NYPD’s 65th Precinct, but the criminals and New York City itself often played as prominent a role in the dramas as the series regulars. Like the film it was based on, Naked City (1958- 1963) was shot almost entirely on location. The first season ran as a half-hour show under the title The Naked City, starring James Franciscus and John McIntire playing, respectively, Detective Jimmy Halloran and Lieutenant Dan Muldoon—the same roles essayed by Don Taylor and Barry Fitzgerald in the film.

The Naked City also starred Harry Bellaver as Det. Frank Arcaro. When the series was expanded to an hour, the producers brought in handsome Paul Burke as Det. Adam Flint and gruff Horace McMahon as Lt. Mike Parker to replace Franciscus and McIntyre (with jovial Bellaver remaining in the cast). That's when the classic episodes of Naked City were produced... with a host of famous guest stars, ranging from silent movie actors like Conrad Nagel to newcomers Martin Sheen, Peter Fonda and Christopher Walken.

Naked City is so good and so unlike any other American crime drama or police procedural it's hard to believe it was produced in the United States, because the series definitely has a European look and sensibility. It's sort of operatic neorealism – Vittorio De Sica let loose with a camera in NYC. Not unlike De Sica's Bicycle Thieves and Umberto D., Naked City reflects a very existentialist and humanistic philosophy that occasionally moves the viewer to tears. The series regulars often become supporting players in the weekly dramas. The writing by Stirling Silliphant and others makes the more celebrated Paddy Chayevsky sound like an overbearing pontificator. Silliphant really humanizes his characters.... whether cops, criminals or ordinary New Yorkers.

Sadly, the image quality of Naked City: The Complete Series varies considerably. Several of the earlier episodes are in bad shape – dark and speckled. Framed in 1.33:1, most of the transfers look pretty good. Generally, image and sound quality are more than acceptable, although dialogue isn't always clear.

But this box set is the only way to see the entire landmark television series – unfamiliar to contemporary audiences because the series rarely went into syndication after its ABC run.

Watching 138 episodes of Naked City on 29 DVDs is quite a time commitment, but well worth the effort. The show (filmed in glorious black and white) is interesting from a historical standpoint: We see the magnificent old Penn Station (tragically demolished in 1963) and the Singer Building (the 47-story office tower – built in 1908 and torn down in 1968). In the early sixties, the New York City skyline was never more beautiful and balanced, before the intrusion of such massive structures as One World Trade Center and the Bank of America Tower. The Columbus Circle of the late fifties is almost unrecognizable, with the monument at the centre the only constant. We also see pre-gentrified Manhattan neighborhoods that looked quite grungy back in the day, especially in the winter.

Naked City attracted top-flight guest stars, including Luther Adler, Eddie Albert, Edward Asner, Martin Balsam, Barbara Barrie, Richard Basehart, Diahann Carroll, Lee J. Cobb, James Coburn, Richard Conte, Hume Cronyn, Robert Culp, Sandy Dennis, Bruce Dern, Bradford Dillman, Keir Dullea, Dan Duryea, Robert Duvall, Peter Falk, Nina Foch, Anthony Franciosa, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Hopper, Kim Hunter, David Janssen, Jack Klugman, Shirley Knight, Diane Ladd, Piper Laurie, Joanne Linville, Robert Loggia, Jack Lord, Walter Matthau, Myron McCormick, Roddy McDowall, Burgess Meredith, Sylvia Miles, Vic Morrow, Robert Morse, Lois Nettleton, Leslie Nielsen, Carroll O'Connor, Susan Oliver, Nehemiah Persoff, Suzanne Pleshette, Claude Rains, Robert Redford, Ruth Roman, Mickey Rooney, Carol Rossen, Telly Savalas, George C. Scott, George Segal, William Shatner, Sylvia Sidney, Maureen Stapleton, Karen Steele, Akim Tamiroff, Rip Torn, Jon Voight, Eli Wallach, David Wayne, Tuesday Weld, Keenan Wynn and Dick York. George Maharis guest stars in a first-season episode that served as a pilot for Route 66. (Naked City and Route 66 were created and produced by Stirling Silliphant and Herbert B. Leonard.)

Gene Hackman

Christopher Walken

The only extra features are 12 minutes of commercials from 50+ years ago, including one in which Peter Lorre promotes a flexible watchband.

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BY HANK REINEKE

On the very month that Roger Corman’s The Raven was to hit theaters in January 1963, AIP announced that they had just signed a four year eight-film contract with that film’s co-star Peter Lorre. The contract was an interesting one as it wasn’t exclusive: the actor wasn’t necessarily barred from accepting acting offers from other studios. But the contract stipulated Lorre could not accept any roles offered of “the horror, science-fiction, macabre type,” and certainly not in any competing non-AIP Edgar Allan Poe film adaptation. Such movies would remain the domain of AIP, which had recently been on a hot streak with their churning of Gothic horrors. Arkoff and Nicholson triumphantly announced they had already readied two new projects for Lorre, one titled It’s Alive (reported to co-star Elsa (The Bride of Frankenstein) Lanchester and a second, The Comedy of Terrors. The former film, alas, would never see the light of day.

Then, in March of ’64, AIP announced a similar deal had been struck with the aging and increasingly frail Boris Karloff. Perhaps sensing that the seventy-six year old Karloff’s faltering health might prove a liability, the actor’s contract called for a more cautious four film, two-year deal. As with Lorre, the rider in Karloff’s contract also precluded him from appearing in any non-AIP horror-type pictures in the years 1963-1965.

In the final tally, Karloff was able to fulfill to the terms of the deal struck, appearing in two films, The Comedy of Terrors and The Terror in 1963. His concluding two films for AIP were less demanding on the beloved actor. He would appear in a cameo role in the Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon romp Bikini Beach (1964) and, lastly, as “The Corpse” – a somewhat more substantial seated role for the mostly wheelchair-bound actor - in the Nancy Sinatra vehicle Ghost in the Invisible Bikini (released 1966).

Lorre’s tenure with AIP was, sadly, cut short. The actor appeared, memorably, in The Comedy of Terrors and, in a brief cameo, in still another Frankie and Annette teen-comedy Muscle Beach Party (1964). These two films would be among his last released. Lorre was found dead, the apparent victim of a stroke, in his apartment on Hollywood Boulevard in March of 1964. He was a mere 59 years of age. Vincent Price, his co-star in both The Raven and The Comedy of Terrors, told the Los Angeles Times that he was “crushed” when he learned of his friend’s passing. “Peter was the most inventive actor I’ve ever known,” Price memorialized. “He was a great scholar, an accomplished dramatic actor and a masterful comedian. Peter liked to make pictures which entertained people, not critics. He didn’t have any pretensions about conveying messages to the world.”

AIP was doing very well, thank you, not making edgy soapbox pictures. So well, in fact, that in October of 1963, Nicholson and Arkoff announced that 1964 was going to be their biggest year ever. The two were feeling, justifiably, cocky. Two months earlier the national Theater Owners Association named the pair “Producers of the Year.” AIP was riding high and the company’s future plans were being readied to be put into aggressive motion. The producers planned for no fewer than twenty-three films to be put into production - with the caveat that only nine would actually be filmed in costly Hollywood. Their promised investment of twenty-five millions dollars into these twenty odd projects would mark a twenty-five percent increase in their budget expenditures of the previous year.

“In the field of Edgar Allan Poe, the teen-age appeal ‘beach’ pictures and in comedy-terror, AIP will continue to be the leaders with even bigger and better productions,” the partners promised via a crowing press release. Though they had definite designs on AIP’s future, they also thought it time to look back on what had been issued since their incorporation in 1955. To stoke interest in two new Poe adaptations scheduled for release in ’64 (The Masque of the Red Death and City in the Sea), the company also planned to reissue twin-bills of earlier efforts, pairing House of Usher with The Pit and the Pendulum and The Premature Burial with Tales of Terror.

One of the films that AIP had hoped would carry the day was The Comedy of Terrors, the title a jokey if macabre homage to the famous Shakespeare play. The title was the idea of screenwriter Richard Matheson. Nicholson wanted to title the film Graveside Story, a lampoon of the recent box-office musical smash West Side Story. Matheson conceded that Nicholson’s suggested moniker might have ultimately brought in more patrons to the cinema to see the film, but he believed that the insert of the word “comedy” into the title might possibly have alienated horror-film stalwarts. Though a non-Poe production, the film would share many of the same qualities – and technical crew - of that series. The movie would re-team the “Triumvirate of Terror” that made The Raven such a great success: Lorre, Karloff, and – of course – AIP’s number one ghoul Vincent Price.

One key member of the team that would be missing from the set was Roger Corman. The antsy director was interested in going off in another direction with such films as his Grand Prix drama The Young Racers (1963). The figure eventually chosen to replace Corman in the director’s chair was certainly no slouch. Matheson suggested that Jacques Tourneur, the French-born director of several of the greatest RKO horror-mystery films of the 1940s (Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, and The Leopard Man) would be well-suited to the task, the pair having recently worked together on an episode of The Twilight Zone.

The producers agreed and Tourneur was promptly signed. The pipe-smoking auteur had been working in the film industry since the late 1920s, but his fortunes and opportunities had reversed in the succeeding decade. He went from directing critically-acclaimed features in the 1940s to helming television dramas throughout most of the 1950s. The offer to direct The Comedy of Terrors would give the fifty-nine old director an opportunity to get back into the game.

One of the prizes that AIP dangled before him was an opportunity to direct one of the most ambitious films that they had on their schedule. In December of 1963, AIP signed the Frenchman to direct a lavish production of Genghis Kahn, a 70mm “Technirama” epic to be shot in Italy and Spain at a cost of some 4.5 million dollars. That film would, of course, never see production, so Tourneur had to settle on helming AIP’s succeeding Poe-project War Gods of the Deep, a very free adaptation of the author’s City by the Sea.

Matheson recalled that the role of John F. Black, eventually played by Basil Rathbone in The Comedy of Terrors, was originally designed with Karloff in mind. But the role was a hugely physical one, and Karloff’s mobility issues and emphysema precluded his accepting the part. Regardless, having Karloff’s name on the marquee of a horror film still carried a lot of value, so he was given the role – if little substantial screen time - as the doddering Amos Hinchley. Matheson would later sigh that the legendary actor wasn’t given the opportunity to “do too much of anything” in the film – though he would figure as a key player in the film’s dénouement.

Rathbone was actually a splendid replacement, appearing as a hoary poof who recites Shakespeare soliloquies and performs all manner of physical comedy. The problem he causes Price and Lorre, two perversely unethical morticians, is that the cataleptic-prone character he portrays steadfastly chooses to remain un-dead despite the pair’s devious machinations, an obvious detriment to their funeral business. Though the film’s box-office totals did not match that of The Raven, Matheson maintained The Comedy of Terrors still did OK when all was said and done. In his view, the penny-pinching producers of AIP were very box-office savvy and “didn’t spend enough money to lose money.”

The film did well enough that in September of ’63, just as shooting was near completion, there was some scuttlebutt that most of the assembled talent in the film – including actress Joyce Jameson who played Price’s frustrated wife – would be reunited on screen before long. Nicholson once again teased Graveside Story as the working title on the company’s next horror-comedy extravaganza. Matheson recalls that another actress, Tallulah Bankhead, was also in contention for a role in the projected film. The problem was that, similarly to Karloff, the aging actress’s health was also in decline. Bankhead’s recent plum role in the Hammer Films production Die! Die! My Darling (1964) was reportedly almost scrubbed due to her health issues, but the production of that film managed to soldier on regardless.

Matheson had even written the screenplay for the projected new film, a self-described comedy-thriller, now titled Sweethearts and Horror. Sadly, the passing of Lorre in early winter ’64 and the producer’s hesitancy of working with two cast members with day-to-day health issues effectively put the kibosh on the project. If film fans desire to learn what they missed due to this confluence of bad breaks and health-related caution, they need only check out Matheson’s Visions Deferred: Three Unfilmed Screenplays (Gauntlet Press, 2009). The book includes the screenwriter’s unproduced script for Sweethearts and Horror.

If The Comedy of Terrors was to serve as a template for producing Sweethearts and Horror, it might have been for the best. It’s not that the former is not a serviceable and entertaining film – it’s actually quite funny in moments - but its predecessor The Raven was certainly the better film. One might reasonably assume that had Sweethearts been made, that film might have reflected another step down on the pedestal.

I for one, would have loved to have seen it made regardless, even if Lorre was no longer around to once again take part in ghoulish revelry with friends Price and Karloff. I simply love all of these colorful ‘60s AIP horror films – produced tongue-in-cheek or otherwise. Should you share my enthusiasm, dim the lights, stretch out on the couch some late Saturday night, snack on a bowl of popcorn, relax and enjoy The Comedy of Terrors. You might not be enlightened, but you will be entertained.

This impressive Kino Lorber Studio Classics Blu-ray edition of The Comedy of Terrors is presented here in a 1920x1080p with an aspect ratio of 2.35:1 and dts sound. There are removable English subtitles and an attractive slipcase cover. The set also includes featurette Richard Matheson: Storyteller and an audio commentary track by film historian, author, and publisher Tim Lucas. The release rounds out with the film’s original theatrical trailer as well as an additional eight titles from Kino’s Vincent Price catalog.

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

In Cinema Retro's never-ending quest to analyze relatively inconsequential movies, the trail takes us to Dirty Dingus Magee, one of Frank Sinatra's last starring feature films. The movie shocked critics when it opened in 1970 due to the trivial of the production. Time has done nothing to enhance its reputation and one can only wonder what possessed Sinatra to star in this tepid Western comedy. In reality, Sinatra's passion for movie-making was also tepid. He always preferred to concentrate on his singing career and regarded acting as a time-consuming sideline. His penchant for rarely approving a second take became legendary. Nevertheless, he was undeniably one of the cinema's great icons. Prior to Dirty Dingus Magee, Sinatra had shown good judgment with the majority of the films he made during the mid-to-late Sixties. There were some misguided efforts but Von Ryan's Express, Tony Rome, Lady in Cement and The Detective were all quality productions in which he acquitted himself very well. All the more puzzling as to what attracted him to the MGM Western that seemed cursed from the start. 

Seldom has so much talent been squandered on one modestly-budgeted movie. The film was directed by Burt Kennedy, an old hand at bringing highly entertaining Westerns to the silver screen. (i.e The War Wagon, Support Your Local Sheriff, The Train Robbers, Hannie Caulder.) The screenplay was co-written by Catch-22 author Joseph Heller and the talented cast includes George Kennedy, Michele Carey, Anne Jackson, Jack Elam, Lois Nettleton and Harry Carey Jr. Yet it all adds up to a lively but inconsequential trifle that would have been designed for the bottom of double feature bills at drive-ins had it not been for Sinatra's name above the title. He plays the titular character, a low-rent outlaw who engages in an endless cat-and-mouse game with newly-appointed sheriff Hoke Birdsill (Kennedy). The two men relentlessly track each other down and alternately deceive and rob the other. The razor-thin plot has something to do with local madam Anne Jackson trying to start an Indian uprising to prevent the local U.S. Cavalry unit from relocating, thus ensuring the demise of her bordello.

It's unconscionable that as late as 1970 Native Americans could be portrayed in such a racist fashion on screen. The dialogue afforded them is of the "Me-Tarzan, You-Jane" variety and the tribe is presented as a bunch of childish imbeciles. Michele Carey is cast as Dingus's Indian maiden love interest but she is relegated to prancing around in a short buckskin outfit and enduring endless interrupted attempts to get it on with Dingus. The "palefaces" don't fare much better. Anne Jackson is channeling Shelly Winters as the obnoxious madam who spends more time screamin' than screwin'. Even old stalwart Jack Elam is completely wasted, as are a number of other generally reliable old coots who populated Westerns during this era. Sinatra seems uncomfortable throughout. Adorned by a distracting Beatle-type wig, he is constantly upstaged by George Kennedy, who provides whatever modest pleasures the film affords. Kennedy has a knack for playing broad, slapstick comedy that Sinatra never acquired.The movie's cheap production values extend to some of the worst rear screen projection I've ever seen in a major movie, and that includes Marnie.

At this point in his career Sinatra said he had grown bored with show business. He even went into self-imposed retirement for a couple of years before re-emerging and admitting that doing nothing was even more boring. He enjoyed remarkable success in the ensuing years and won a new generation of fans. Sadly, his work in films all but evaporated. After the poor reception accorded Dirty Dingus Magee, he only had one other starring role- ten years later in the underrated thriller The First Deadly Sin. His fine performance in that film stands as a stark reminder of what he could have accomplished in films in the latter part of his career had he concentrated on challenging projects. Dirty Dingus Magee is worth acquiring on DVD- but only to witness one of the most misguided ventures of Old Blue Eyes' career.

Them region-free DVD contains the original trailer.

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Powerhouse Films' Indicator label in the UK have just released a special edition  Region B Blu-ray of Universal's 1976 WWII movie Midway on their Indicator label, and when they say special they really mean it!

Limited to just 3000 copies, and with a booklet that includes the text from the Cinema Retro 'Film in Focus' in issue #49 (2021) written by Lee Pfeiffer and Dave Worrall, this amazing disc includes the following:

• High Definition remaster; original mono and 2.1 Sensurround audio tracks
• Alternative two-part television version (101 mins and 92 mins)
• the rarely seen extended television cut containing unique scenes, reframed to 4:3 and presented in standard definition, as originally broadcast
• Audio commentary with film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven Jay Rubin (2021)
• The Guardian interview with Robert Wagner (1983, 71 mins): archival audio recording of the film and TV star in conversation with Joan Bakewell at the National Film Theatre, London
• They Were There! (1976, 7 mins): Charlton Heston presents this archival documentary featuring interviews with three combatants who survived the battle
• The Making of Midway (2001, 39 mins): documentary looking at the film's production
• Sensurround: The Sounds of Midway (2001, 5 mins: a look at the film's use of the Sensurround audio system
• The Super 8mm consumer movie version of highlights from the film
  
• The Battle of Midway (1942, 18 minutes): award-winning documentary directed by John Ford relaying the battle with footage shot by Navy cameramen
• Original theatrical trailer, TV spots, radio spots, image gallery, promotional and publicity materia
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• A limited edition 36-page booklet featuring archival articles on the film and the event that inspired its screenplay, an overview of critical responses, and film credits.
  

An excellent release, and one that won't be around for long! (Please note: this release is in Region 2/B format. If you are not in the appropriate geographic region, you will need a region-free Blu-ray player.)

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(right to left) George Feltenstein poses with Michael Feinstein, and Roddy McDowall in front of a re-creation of Rick’s cafe for the 1992 VSDA trade show.

Many of our readers enjoyed listening to film historian Tim Millard's interview with George Feltenstein, who is a legend in the home video industry, on a previous episode of his podcast "The Extras". Now, Tim has conducted a second interview with George in which he discusses his career at Warner Home Video and the origins and launch of the popular Warner Archive catalog of classic and cult movies. Click here to listen.   

BY LEE PFEIFFER

Promoted for its psychedelic aspects (as seemingly all youth-driven films of the late 1960s were), the crime thriller "Cop-Out" also bears a completely meaningless title that was designed to bring the mod crowd into theaters. (Please do not confuse this "Cop-Out" with director Kevin Smith horrendous 2010 sleaze fest "Cop Out".) Yet, despite the emphasis on exploitation, the film is actually a tightly-scripted, highly intelligent drama that boasts an especially impressive performance by the generally impressive James Mason. He plays John Sawyer, a once-esteemed lawyer who has fallen on hard times. His vivacious wife has left him because of his sexual inattention to her, as well as his love affair with booze. With her departure, Sawyer putters around a decaying mansion that, like himself, was once quite impressive. Sawyer's house is also a home to his daughter Angela (Geraldine Chaplin), but the two are barely on speaking terms. She resents his disinterest in her well-being and he resents what he believes is her misspent youth. Angela hangs out with a group of upper crust, spoiled rotten modders who spend their time drinking, smoking and screwing with shameless abandon. The odd man out in the group is Jo (Paul Bertoya), a struggling Greek immigrant who is tolerated in the group of snobs primarily because Angela is his girlfriend. The restless modders end up surreptitiously boarding a docked freighter and wreaking havoc before they are caught out by a crew member, Barney Teale (Bobby Darrin), a fast-talking American hipster who befriends the group and sets about manipulating them. He moves into their motley secret hideaway in an abandoned local theater and begins to make use of the premises to indulge in doing drugs and entertaining strippers and prostitutes. He's got a Jekyll and Hyde-like personality: one minute he's charming and funny, the next he's cruel and violent. When Barney suffers injuries due to an accident, Angela allows him to recuperate in her room, safe in the assumption that her disengaged father would never find out about his presence. However, during the night, a gunshot rings out and Barney turns up dead in Angela's bed. The prime suspect is Jo, who is accused of being jealous of Angela's proximity to the sex-crazed Barney. However, Angela insists he's being framed. The question is: by who? She imposes upon her father to return to his profession and take up Jo's defense. He agrees to do so but his appearance before the court is a disaster, leading to Angela to believe that Jo will inevitably be convicted. However, her father rallies, lays off the bottle and begins to play detective. In Agatha Christie fashion, he confronts the man he suspects of being the real murderer at a posh dinner party where the suspect is being honored on his birthday. 

"Cop-Out" is rather striking for its blunt depiction of the open sexuality that was inherent in the youth revolution of the Sixties. There are few noble characters among the sleazebags but Sawyer's rise from the ash heap of humanity serves as a precursor for Paul Newman's character in "The Verdict" in that both men regain meaning in the lives by combating what they feel is a social injustice. The film was directed by Pierre Rouve, and it marks his only turn helming a film. (He major credits were as producer, including Antonioni's "Blow-Up".) Rouve is quite impressive, too, and doesn't allow the sexual and violent aspects of the film to overshadow the intelligent screenplay, which is based on the novel "Strangers in the House" by Georges Simenon. There's a very able supporting cast, with young Ian Ogilvy in what turns out to be a key role. The script deftly makes some biting observations about British class structure and delves into other areas such as sexual harassment, impotence and homosexuality (which was still an imprisonable offence at the time in England!).  Chaplin performs well, as does the supporting cast, with Bobby Darin somewhat mesmerizing in an off-the-wall performance. The main recommendation for seeing the movie, however, is Mason's outstanding performance as the world-weary, worn-out shadow of a man who still has the ability to slay his social adversaries with his rapier wit. There's also some good location scenery (it was filmed in Southampton) and retro movie lovers will enjoy Mason glimpsing at some skin magazines including one promoting Molly Peters in "Thunderball". As an added treat, there are occasional vocals by Eric Burden and the Animals. 

Kino Lorber has rescued yet another obscure gem of a film and given it a fine presentation on Blu-ray. The original trailer is included as are trailers from other KL releases including "Coming Home", "The Crucible" and others.  

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

Kino Lorber, in conjunction with Scorpion Films, has released  the offbeat WWII drama "Counterpoint" as a Blu-ray special edition. The film requires a bit of historical context before getting into the main plot. By December 1944, the Third Reich was crumbling rapidly. Allied forces were on the doorstep of Germany itself and victory was assumed to be only a matter of weeks away. However, Adolf Hitler had an ace up his sleeve. On December 16 he unleashed a massive secret reserve of tank forces in a surprise attack on Americans in Belgium. The Yanks were caught completely off guard as Panzers raced toward their goal of recapturing the port city of Antwerp. Hitler knew that if he succeeded in taking possession of this strategic city he could prolong the war indefinitely. Because German forces had to move at a lightning pace before Americans could regroup, they were given grim orders from the high command to execute prisoners because they could not spare the resources to imprison and care for them. This resulted in the infamous Malmedy Massacre in which dozens of American POW's were shot dead by German troops. The Americans retaliated with identical orders and there were instances of Germans who were shot dead after surrendering. Ultimately, Hitler's bold gamble, which became known as The Battle of the Bulge, failed. After strong initial success, due largely to the fact that the U.S. air corps was grounded because of poor weather, the tide turned. The weather improved and the Americans had mastery of the skies. They took a devastating toll on the Panzer corps, which itself was starved for fuel. Ultimately, the entire strategy was deemed one of the worst military blunders in history. Hitler had expended his last reserves that could have been used to defend Germany. Defeat followed and within six months, Hitler would commit suicide and his "Thousand Year Reich" would have lasted less than a decade.  

It is against this intriguing backdrop that the plot of "Counterpoint" (which was filmed under the title "Battle Horns") takes place. The movie opens immediately before the German counter-offensive. With victory in sight, complacent Americans feel comfortable inviting USO troupes into Belgium to entertain the G.Is. Among them is a world famous symphonic orchestra led by its larger-than-life conductor Lionel Evans (Charlton Heston). (This is one of the more fanciful aspects of the plot- the idea that battle-scarred G.I.s would be eager to see a classical music concert instead of Bob Hope or Glenn Miller.) The maestro is conducting a concert in the ruins of bombed out palace when a sudden German bombardment throws everything into chaos. As American troops rush to gather arms, the 70 member orchestra attempts to flee in a bus. They are captured within minutes and taken to an ancient cathedral that serves as the command HQ of German General Schiller (Maximilian Schell). His second-in-command, Col. Arndt (Anton Diffring) has already been executing American prisoners and intends to do the same with the members of the orchestra, despite Evans' protests that they are civilians. Before the execution can take place, their lives are spared by Schiller, who has an appreciation for classical music and who admires Evans, having seen him conduct before the war. Schiller proposes a deal to Evans: he will spare everyone's life if he agrees to stage a private concert for Schiller. Evans, a headstrong, arrogant man, refuses. He suspects that Schiller will kill the musicians anyway and does not want to give him the satisfaction of having them perform for him. A battle of wills begins between two equally stubborn men.

Complicating matters for Evans is the fact that two American soldiers are masquerading as members of the orchestra. Then there is the additional complication of Evans' relationship with cellist Anabelle Rice (Kathryn Hays). The two were once lovers but Annabelle left Evans to marry Victor Rice (Leslie Nielsen), who is Evans' assistant conductor. Evans is still carrying a torch for her and when the troupe is imprisoned in a dank basement within the cathedral, old tensions between the two arise once more. Schiller first tries to woo Evans by treating everyone humanely and ensuring they are comfortable and well-fed. However, he makes it clear that time is running out, as he must join forces at the front line. Ultimately, Evans relents due to pleas from his orchestra members who are on the verge of panic. However, he cautions that they will be killed as soon as the concert ends. He is correct, as Schiller has agreed to turn the orchestra over to Col. Arndt, who has already had a mass grave dug in anticipation of the executions. Evans buys as much time as possible by telling Schiller the troupe needs extensive rehearsals. During this period, he helps the two G.I.'s attempt to escape. He also secures access to a pistol and devises a plan in which the orchestra will resist their executioners and attempt to escape in the bus as soon as Schiller's concert has ended. They will be aided by a small group of Belgian partisans who will launch a diversionary attack. 

"Counterpoint" represented only one in a list of films in which Charlton Heston played characters who were arrogant, conceited and often self-absorbed. (i.e "The War Lord", "Khartoum", "Planet of the Apes", "Number One", "The Hawaiians" ). As Evans, he selfishly risks the lives of dozens of people rather than to lose face in his psychological war of wills with Schiller. Refreshingly, when the final shoot-out takes place, Evans doesn't transform into a typical Heston action hero and it's amusing to watch the future president of the NRA have to be coached in how to use a handgun. The film was shot on the cheap, as so many Universal productions were during this era. Literally every frame was filmed on the studio back lot, but because of the claustrophobic nature of the script, the overall impact isn't diminished by the penny-pinching. Heston gives a powerful performance as one of the more flawed characters he has played and he is quite convincing in scenes in which he conducts the orchestra. He is matched by Maximilan Schell, who is all superficial charm and charisma. Kathryn Hays is quite good as the woman caught between two lovers and Leslie Nielsen reminds us that he was once a good dramatic actor before going the "Naked Gun" route late in his career. Ralph Nelson directs the intelligent screenplay and milks a good deal of tension from certain scenarios and an additional pleasure is hearing classical music played so brilliantly. "Counterpoint" may not be a classic but the unusual nature of the story, combined with the talents of an inspired cast, make it a winner. 

The Blu-ray release boasts a beautiful transfer and an audio commentary by film historians Steve Mitchell and Steven J. Rubin, who seem to be on every WWII video release of recent years. As always, they provide an entertaining and highly informative commentary in terms of both historical events and the making of the film itself. (They reveal that Kathryn Hays was not Heston's choice for leading lady, as her preferred Jessica Walter or Anne Heywood.) The only other bonus feature is the original trailer and a trailer gallery of other KL/Scorpion releases. 

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BY JOHN M. WHALEN

We all know Roy Rogers, King of the Cowboys, as famous for his colorful fringed shirts and hand-tooled boots as he was for his ability with his fists, guitar and shooting iron. He was the epitome of Hollywood’s concept of a fantasy hero in a west that never was, as far from reality as director William Witney and writers like Sloan Nibley and Gerald Geraghty could make him. He made over 80 feature films basically playing himself, and became an icon that will live on beyond the memory of any of us. He stopped making feature films in 1952, but spent five more years turning out over 100 episodes of the Roy Rogers TV Show. He sort of retired after that, making occasional appearances on TV and at rodeo shows, but in 1975, at age 64, in what may have been an attempt at a comeback, he returned to movie making and turned out a film far removed from any of those he’d done before.

He said he wanted to make a movie in a modern setting with a more realistic character but one who lived by the same values he’d always upheld. The movie was called “Mackintosh and T.J,” and was a bold departure for Roy. No fancy shirts, no Trigger, the smartest horse in the movies, no more songs around the campfire with the Sons of the Pioneers. The title character, Mackintosh, is a 64-year-old former rodeo cowboy, a drifter, traveling the country in a broken down pickup truck, a loner looking for work of any kind wherever he can find it. He’s like Sam Peckinpah’s Junior Bonner (Steve McQueen), only older and with fewer options. He’s no longer able to work the rodeo circuit, but he’s not angry about it and doesn’t feel sorry for himself. He takes life as it comes and deals with it best he can, without bitterness or regret.

The action of the story begins when Mackintosh stops in the town of Dickens, Texas, pop. 300, to put water in his truck’s leaky radiator. He spots a 14-year-old boy being run out of town by a local cop. He later runs into him down the road in a market where a grocer is about to catch him trying to steal some apples. On an impulse he steps in, telling the grocer they’re together and pays for his groceries as well as the apples. Screenwriter Paul Savage doesn’t provide much background information at this point about Mackintosh to explain why he decides to protect the boy, but it’s apparent he sees something of himself in the lad. T.J. (Clay Obrien) tells him that he is on his own on his way to “see the Pacific Ocean.” Mackintosh offers to take him at least part of the way, if he wants a ride.

As they travel, we learn that T.J. has been pretty much on his own for most of his young life. He’s got a cocky attitude, and tells Macintosh he always pays his own way. He seems to have a pretty cynical view of life for a kid. Mackintosh tells him, “What you see depends on how you look at it.” When a truck honks at them while passing, T.J. tells Mackintosh he doesn’t like being passed by anybody. He wants to be number one. But Mackintosh tells him those who get there first usually spend a lot of time just waiting for the rest of us to catch up. “That’s what time does to you. Waters down the vinegar in your bite.”

They split up temporarily when Mackintosh’s truck has a breakdown in the middle of nowhere and T. J. accepts a ride from a passing stranger. They meet up a few days later in a bar, where Mackintosh stops for a steak, and is surprised to see T. J. working as a bus boy. “Making fifteen dollars washing a stack of dishes higher than your hat,” the boy tells him. There’s trouble when a tough, drunken cowboy named Cal (Luke Askew) accuses T.J. of stealing money he’d left on his table. When Cal tries to rough him up, and make him pull out his pockets to prove he didn’t take the money, Mackintosh steps in between them. He tells Cal to back off and asks T.J. if he didn’t take the money why doesn’t he prove it by doing what he asks.

“I don’t have to,” the boy says. “I told him I didn’t and that ought to be enough.” Cal grabs the boy but Mackintosh knocks him to the floor. The drunk pulls a switchblade, and the next thing you know Mack has a ketchup bottle in his hand and smashes it against the cowboy’s head!

Hold on a minute! Roy Rogers just got into a bar fight and smashed a drunk in the head with a ketchup bottle!!? What?? I told you this wasn’t your usual Roy Rogers movie. There are several other themes that are dealt with in “Mackintosh and T. J.” that must have raised the eyebrows of more than a few Roy Rogers fans back in 1975. The story also deals with Maggie (Joan Hackett) a battered wife. Mack’s concern for her turns her husband Luke (Billy Green Bush) into a jealous maniac, which becomes a plot element further on. Also in the mix is Coley (Andrew Robinson) one of the ranch hands where Mack and TJ find jobs. He’s a pervert, a Peeping Tom who gets his kicks climbing up the side of Maggie’s house at night and watching her undress. Robinson has played his share of weirdos in his career and is best known as the killer Scorpio in “Dirty Harry”. You take a jealous husband and a peeping Tom and throw Roy Rogers into the middle of it and you’ve got a set up for some real trouble.

Perhaps it’s the mix of these unusual story elements and casting choices that resulted in “Mackintosh and T.J.” never really being given decent distribution. It only played in a few theaters south of the Mason-Dixon Line. I doubt if many people reading this review have ever heard of this movie much less seen it. And actually it’s too bad. Because it’s a very good movie—one that should have been given a chance to find an audience. Rogers’ performance as Mackintosh is low key and solid, and you never doubt for a minute that he’s real. Clay O’Brien, who was only 14, grew up to be a ProRodeo Hall of Famer and had already starred in two John Wayne westerns, “The Cowboys,” (1972), and “Cahill: U.S. Marshall,” (1973). Askew and Green are the quintessential “gold ol’ boys” you’d find in any good western, and James Hampton (The Longest Yard) as Cotton is decidedly nasty as a ranch hand with a gossip’s tongue who spins the various plots elements together into a vicious web with Mackintosh caught in the middle. Perhaps the biggest surprise in the film is the appearance of Joan Hackett in the cast. Her part is not quite developed enough for her to do much with, but she adds a quiet dignity to the film.

Director Marvin Chomsky, best known for his work in television, particularly “Brotherhood of the Rose,” (1989) and “Holocaust,” (1978), made some excellent choices in the way he and director of photography Terry K. Meade shot “Mackintosh and T.J.” Filmed entirely on location around Guthrie, Texas and on the famous 6666 ranch, the camera really captured the wide expanse of the ranch and the surrounding country, while at the same time focusing in close on the characters and the drama that unfolds. Another plus is the soundtrack, written and played by Waylon Jennings with an assist on one tune by Willie Nelson.

MVD Entertainment Producer Steve Latshaw deserves credit for rescuing “Mackintosh and T.J.” from obscurity. The film is presented in a beautiful 4K restoration that does justice to the images as they were captured on film. The color is rich and textured. It’s a pleasure to watch.

“Mackintosh and T.J.” is a film worth seeing, and the Blu-ray disc, which is loaded with extras, including interviews with some of the cast members by C. Courtney Joiner, is a keeper. Too bad Roy never got to do another “realistic” western after this one. But at least it’s good that this one time we get to see the King of the Cowboys as he was in his later years. The same as he ever was. Highly recommended.

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BY DOUG OSWALD

Rock Hudson is a former World War II fighter pilot struggling with a crisis of conscious and faith in “Battle Hymn,” released on Blu-ray for the first time by Kino Lorber. Hudson is Lieutenant Colonel Dean Hess, a minister in a small town in Ohio haunted by his accidental bombing of an orphanage in Germany before the end of the war which killed dozens of children. He resigns as the church minister and returns to active duty at the start of the Korean War in 1950 as commander of a squadron training Korean pilots. There he believes he’ll find meaning in what he knows best, flying military aircraft, and perhaps make amends for the death of innocent children which has haunted him for the past five years. Deacon Edwards (Carl Benton Reid) tries to convince him he’s needed at the church. His wife, Mary (Martha Hyer) is not happy, but he assures her he’s only training Korean pilots, not fighting in the war.

Colonel Hess meets the members of his squadron and we get to meet familiar faces from movies and television starting with his cigar chomping First Sergeant, Master Sergeant Herman (Dan Duryea), who’s able to scrounge up anything they need to provide them with all the amenities starting with a road grater to prepare the old runway for the ten P-51 fighter planes about to arrive. Other members of the squadron include his WWII wing man, Captain Dan Skidmore (Dan DeFore), Major Frank Moore (Jock Mahoney who is probably best remembered as Tarzan in two films in the 1960s), Lieutenant Maples (James Edwards who may be most familiar to readers as General Patton’s military aid, Sergeant William George Meeks, in “Patton”) in the first portrayal in a movie of an African-American fighter pilot, Major Chong (James Hong as the leader of the Republic of Korea pilots and uncredited in the movie) and the Mess Sergeant played by Alan Hale Jr. (The Skipper on “Gilligan’s Island” in the 1960s).

While getting the squadron ready, Hess comes across a group of orphans being cared for by En Soon Yang (Anna Kashfi) in a bombed out building. Hess convinces Soon to continue to care for the orphans with the promise he and his men will help fix up the place and provide the with food and supplies. Hess also enlists the help of Lu Ahn (Philip Ahn), an old man on his way to the shop where he sells statues he creates. En Soon learns Hess is married and it’s clear she has feelings for him. The large number of orphans swell as the squadron moves from training to being drawn into the fight as the North Koreans advance on both the runway and the orphanage. This movie is about redemption and fighting personal demons. Hess deals with loss and is able to comfort the dying as well as relate to a pilot who accidently kills innocent people on the ground during a fire fight with the North Koreans. The redemption for everyone involved is the evacuation of over 400 orphans and refugees to a safe location. This real life event is known as Operation Kiddy Car when the United States Air Force provided airlift for the orphans to an island of the South Korean coast. In real life there is some controversy regarding just how much involvement Dean Hess had in this airlift, but it makes for a great story.

The movie was filmed with the cooperation of the United States Air Force with the use of the Texas Air National Guard’s P-51s for the flying sequences. It was shot on an Arizona Air National Guard base and in Hollywood with terrific aerial footage and close ups of the actors in sound stage cockpits. Today all of this would be recreated using CGI and be blended more realistically. Shot in CinemaScope, the movie makes great use of the wide screen. The orphans in the movie are the actual orphans from Operation Kiddy Car brought to the United States to play the orphans in the movie.

Based on the bestseller by Dean Hess, the movie was directed by Douglas Sirk with a screenplay by Charles Grayson and Vincent Evans. Sirk was a director who retired from Hollywood features in 1959 at the top of his game, having directed many movies now considered classics. Born in Germany, he became a popular director in the 1930s until he was forced to leave Germany in 1937 because his wife was Jewish. They came to America in 1941 and Sirk’s first movie for Hollywood was the anti-Nazi propaganda thriller, “Hitler’s Madman,” in 1943. However, he really came into his own in the 1950s with his high melodrama look at American life which he made for Universal, often collaborating with Rock Hudson and others behind the scenes. Some critics refer to his work high gloss soap operas, but I think they are much more than that. My favorite Sirk film is “The Tarnished Angels” from 1957, filmed in black & white and CinemaScope (and also available from Kino Lorber). All Sirk’s movies are entertaining and range from westerns to high drama, thrillers and comedy. He even dipped his toes into musical territory and swashbucklers. He and his wife moved to Switzerland in 1959 where he remained until his death in 1987.

Hudson is believable in his portrayal of a man torn in his attempts to make amends for a terrible accident of war. He was good in generally every movie he appeared in whether it be romantic comedy, heavy drama or military adventure. Hudson served in the Navy during WWII as an aircraft mechanic and he carries the role of military leader very well indeed. Dan Duryea nearly steals every scene he’s in as the cigar chomping sergeant and scrounger in a departure from his many tough guy roles. Dan DeFore rounds out the three main military members of the squadron as Skidmore, Hess’ former WWII wingman. The most interesting member of the cast is Anna Kashfi as the female lead, En Soon Yang. She had parts in this and three other movies between 1956 and 1959, but is probably best known as Marlon Brando’s first wife and the mother of their son Christian. She’s good in what would have ordinarily been the romantic lead, but Hess was a married man and this was the 1950s. Interestingly, the great James Hong is uncredited in a substantial supporting role as the commander of the Korean pilots. Oddly, character actor Philip Ahn has a substantial supporting role as Lu Ahn, Soon’s assistant at the orphanage, but gets credited as Old Man.

Released in February 1957, “Battle Hymn” is a rare example of a Korean War era movie. The movie clocks in at 108 minutes and is very entertaining. I first discovered “Battle Hymn” while visiting the United States Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio where there was an exhibit on Colonel Dean Hess and Operation Kiddy Car. The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is an improvement over the previous DVD releases in both picture quality and sound. Extras include an informative audio commentary by Nick Pinkerton which is filled with interesting anecdotes about the real life Dean Hess and trailers for this and other Kino Lorber releases. Highly recommended for fans of Rock Hudson, Douglas Sirk and military movies.

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BY LEE PFEIFFER

The old adage "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" is especially true in Hollywood, but it can be said it could be amended to "Imitation is the sincerest form of economic opportunism". Almost since the beginning of cinema, films that proved to be especially successful have immediately spawned a flood of imitators from rock 'n roll musicals to beach party comedies to secret agent films and "Star Wars"inspired sci-fi flicks. It's fair to say that studios are notoriously shameless about exploiting the success of competitor's products. In 1974, director Michael Winner released the screen version of author Brian Garfield's novel "Death Wish", which traced the path to vigilantism by a New Yorker whose wife and daughter have been ravaged by gang members. It was an especially dark period in terms of soaring crime rates and Americans looked to popular culture to mirror their frustrations with "the system", which was deemed to be too lenient on the bad guys. Director William Friedkin once told this writer that upon seeing "Death Wish" in a local movie theater, he found the audience's response to the vigilante's trail of vengeance to have elicited the most visceral reaction he had ever witnessed in regard to a motion picture. To be sure, "Death Wish" was far from a favorite with critics, but it was shrewdly made in terms of appealing to the emotions of everyday people who could not envision in 1974 that America would one day enjoy a sustained period of lower crime rates (the Covid pandemic period aside.) Sociologists found the advocacy of taking the law into one's hands to be a very dangerous message and even author Brian Garfield publicly distanced himself from the movie, stating it didn't resemble his novel in many key areas. Police officials were glad to have the public speak out about laws that were soft on criminals but feared a spike in real life vigilantism if everyday people tried to emulate star Charles Bronson's take-downs of celluloid bad guys.

The success of "Death Wish" immediately led to a flood of vengeance-themed dramas both as feature films and TV productions. The theme generally adhered closely to Winner's film: an everyday guy suffers a terrible fate at the hands of brutal criminals. The police are sympathetic but explain that they are understaffed and that the law often provides for a revolving door in terms of letting arrested suspects back into society. With no other options available, our protagonist takes matters into his own hands and initiates his own brand of brutal justice. One of the "Death Wish"-inspired crime thrillers was "Trackdown", a little-remembered 1976 production directed by Richard T. Heffron and starring Jim Mitchum in a rare leading role. Mitchum plays Montana rancher Jim Calhoun, whose 17 year-old sister Betsy (Karen Lamm) grows bored and desires to see the big city. While Jim is roping horses, she makes a getaway to Los Angeles, where the pretty blonde teenager immediately draws the attention of a local gang that spies her walking around Hollywood Boulevard. The gang enlists one of their members, Chucho (Erik Estrada) to help set her up for a robbery. The gang members escape with all her money and I.D. while guilt-plagued Chucho tries to help the desperate young girl in any way he can. She ends up moving into his small apartment where to no one's surprise she chooses to get it on with Chucho, probably because he looks like Erik Estrada. The two genuinely fall for each but tragedy is in the offing when the gang breaks in and brutally gang rapes Betsy. They then kidnap her and sell her into prostitution to a Jeffrey Epstein-like rich guy, Johnny Dee (Vince Cannon), who wants to add her to his stable of young hookers. He  assigns his mistress, Barbara (Anne Archer) to persuade Betsy to cooperate by showing her all the swag and posh surroundings she will get if she sleeps with some of Dee's clients. Betsy, who seems to have the ability to recuperate from the gang rape in record time, consents- although she soon learns the dark side of her new profession.

A parallel story forms in which Jim Calhoun arrives in L.A. desperate to find his sister. Jim, complete with cowboy hat, get the expected treatment Clint Eastwood received in New York in "Coogan's Bluff": he's treated like a naive hick by the cops, who explain the city is so awash with teen runaways that there is little hope of finding Betsy. Jim enlists the hope of local social activist Lynn Strong (Cathy Lee Crosby), who assists him in tracking down Chucho, who agrees to help them find Betsy, even though he will be endangering his own life by betraying his fellow gang members. Jim goes through the requisite attempts to save his sister through legal means before taking the traditional vigilante route and launching a violent campaign of revenge against Betsy's kidnappers. 

"Trackdown" benefits from being shot on location and eschewing studio scenes. Consequently, there's an abundance of footage of old Seventies L.A. that adds a degree of realism to the goings-on. While much of Jim Calhoun's crusade plays out in predictable fashion, there are some unexpected plot twists involving the cliched characters. Director Heffron does execute and excellent and suspenseful sequence in which Jim and Chucho battle the villains inside an elevator shaft. It's neatly staged and adds an element of originality to an otherwise well-worn scenario. Jim Mitchum gives a fine performance as the rancher whose seemingly inexhaustible patience is put to the test. His understated manner contrasts with his ability to carry off the action scenes. The rest of the cast is also rather good and you can see the future star power and charisma in Erik Estrada's performance. Vince Cannon makes an appropriately smarmy villain and Anne Archer is quite winning as his live-in glamor girl.  Cathy Lee Crosby seems inserted into the film simply to provide Jim with some opportunities to engage in some mild flirting. The film comes to a climax that is over-the-top but highly stylized.The movie also includes original songs sung by country music icons Del Reeves and Kenny Rogers.

Japanese 45RPM of Kenny Rogers' "Runaway Girl", which was written for the film.

The Kino Lorber Blu-ray is yet another welcome collaboration with Scorpion, which holds a catalog of worthy "B" titles. The film has a fine transfer and offers a gallery of trailers for other titles that are available. There are also some radio spot ads for the film and reversible sleeve artwork. "Trackdown"'s virtues shouldn't be overstated, but it is one of the better "Death Wish" imitators.

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BY DOUG OSWALD

Errol Flynn leads a group of American paratroopers into WWII Burma on a pre-invasion expedition in “Objective, Burma!” released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection. The mission for the paratroopers is to parachute into Burma behind enemy lines, destroy a Japanese radar station and meet up at an old British air strip to be picked up and returned to their base in India. Everything goes as planned and they succeed in destroying the radar installation with no casualties. Mission accomplished. There wouldn’t be much of a movie if things ended with a successful mission and rescue. Naturally, the Japanese are at the airfield ready to destroy the soon-to-arrive C-47 transport aircraft. Flynn orders the aircraft to leave them rather than risk their destruction and he takes his men to a more defendable position in the jungle.

Flynn is the leader of the expedition, Captain Nelson, who takes his men from one jungle location to another including a Burmese village and a mountain plateau where they hope to make contact with allied forces and be rescued. Attempts to air drop supplies for the expedition are futile as the Japanese are always one step behind them or waiting to ambush them. The casualties mount as the American soldiers succumb to wounds, illness, hunger and thirst.

Directed by Raoul Walsh with his usual gritty style, he is primarily known for his classic crime dramas such as “High Sierra” and “White Heat” as well as adventure yarns like “They Died with Their Boots On,” “Desperate Journey” and “Don Juan” (these last three featuring Flynn). “Objective, Burma” offers a terrific mid-career performance by Flynn,who is backed by a good supporting cast. The screenplay is by Ranald MacDougall and Lester Cole from a story by Alvah Bessie which may have been based on the real life Operation Loincloth, a 1943 British operation in Burma. According to IMDb, producer Jerry Wald said the screenplay for “Objective, Burma!” was partially lifted from “Northwest Passage,” a 1940 MGM release. Henry Hull is very good as American war correspondent Mark Williams who joins the operation as the “old man” who promises to tell their story. The cast is rounded out by several second tier stars and character actors, most notably George Tobias who offers comic relief as Corporal Gabby Gordon.

The main criticisms of this movie are the obvious use of Hollywood sound stages and California locations standing in for the jungles of Burma. The climax of the movie is clearly located in California and not in the jungle. The war was still raging when the movie was being made so the lack of jungle locations can be forgiven. The other criticism, and this was a big deal at the time of the film’s release in February 1945, is the Americans didn’t really have a huge role in the liberation of Burma. It was largely a British and Australian operation with the exception of General Merrill and his Marauders who were also advisers to this film. Their story would be told in “Merrill’s Marauders,” and released in 1962. The British were so incensed that they banned “Objective, Burma!” from release in the UK for seven years. Hollywood didn’t learn its lesson and made a similar switch in the 2000 release “U-571” about the operation to capture a Nazi Enigma cipher machine. The only problem with the all American Naval operation as depicted in the movie is that in real life this was an all British Royal Navy operation.

Flynn, like John Wayne, was criticized for not serving during WWII, but playing military heroes in movies. The Australian-born Flynn tried to enlist, but was rejected due to health issues which Warner Bros. kept secret as to not affect Flynn’s box office returns. Flynn, notorious for his drinking and “bad boy” persona, was on his best behavior during most of the war period in order to focus on home front morale and make amends for not serving in the military. Flynn acquits himself well here and I enjoyed this military drama. The movie clocks in at a whopping 142 minutes, but it feels shorter as the action keep things moving at a brisk pace. The Blu-ray looks and sounds terrific and includes the trailer as well as a couple of WWII era curiosities that some, including this writer, found fascinating. The first is “The Tanks are Coming,” a 1941 short featuring George Tobias, Richard Travis and Gig Young. The second is “The Rear Gunner” from 1943 featuring Burgess Meredith and Ronald Reagan. The movie is recommended for fans of Errol Flynn and military war dramas.

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"LIFE'S A BEACH"

BY LEE PFEIFFER

When it comes to defining cinematic guilty pleasures, one need not look any further than the lame-brained beach movies that were marketed to teenagers in the mid-1960s. The formula started in 1963 with "Beach Party", teaming Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon for the first time as loved-starved teens who are addicted to fun and sun in the surf. The film was such a hit that it spawned numerous sequels, delighting producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson and American International, which was mining gold by making big profits from low-budget productions. The beach series didn't vary much in terms of content and many of the most popular actors were utilized in each successive film. There were also simlarly-themed films starring Avalon in different geographical settings ("Pajama Party", "Ski Party"). But if the beach series burned brightly, its flame was short-lived. By 1965, the young audiences that initially craved this fare were moving on to more sophisticated movies. The  Beatles had made two movies by then and they defined what was hip. Suddenly, the perpetual horndog males and the virginal girls they were perpetually trying to seduce seemed about as cutting edge as an episode of "Leave It to Beaver". By the time the final entry in the series, "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" limped into theaters in 1965, the bloom was off the rose. This time around, even fans of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello were disappointed. The script has them in different parts of the globe and they are only seen together briefly at the conclusion. Making matters worse, their appearances in the film are abbreviated with most of the screen time going to supporting players. As was the norm in these films, well known mature character actors are cast in humorous roles apparently to ensure that any parents in the audience stay awake. In this case, we have the legendary Buster Keaton and Mickey Rooney along with the rather bizarre casting of Brian Donlevy. Go figure.

This time around Frankie (who is cleverly cast as a character named "Frankie") is in the U.S. Navy and assigned to Tahiti, where is he basking in the affections of the local beauties including lovely Irene Tsu. The implication is that the Tahitian girls are far more liberal in terms of sexual activities than their American counterparts and its hinted that monogamy isn't a high priority for them. Frankie is understandably intoxicated by having his own harem until he begins to fret that his fiancee, Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) might also be tempted to stray during his long absence. He seeks the advice of the local medicine man (Keaton), who comes up with a strategy: he will concoct a beautiful girl, Casandra, to suddenly appear in the midst of Frankie's beach crowd and prove to be so desirable that every guy in the group will spend their time trying to seduce her instead of pursuing Dee Dee. (This is somewhat of an insult to Dee Dee, implying she would no longer turn heads in the presence of the mystery woman, who is played by Beverly Adams.) The ploy doesn't work because there is indeed a potential suitor for Dee Dee- local playboy Ricky (Dwayne Hickman). Dee Dee plays along, nursing anger and broken heart when she learns that Frankie is not remaining chaste. There is a crazy subplot involving Rooney as a manic marketing executive working for greedy tycoon Donlevy. They scheme to woo Casandra to make her the national model for their brand of motorcycles. In the midst of all this are zany fights, humor that is juvenile enough to alienate the average 10 year-old and climactic (and seemingly) endless cycle race that is filmed in the Keystone Cops mode. One can only suspect that Avalon saw the script and demanded a reduced role. Funicello, who was pregnant at the time, is often relegated to sitting alone on the beach attired in beach wear that skillfully hides this fact. If all of this sounds awful, it plays out on the screen even worse. The only saving grace is some genuinely amusing bits from Keaton and a brief "Bewitched"-inspired cameo by Elizabeth Montgomery, whose presence here is attributed to the fact that she was married to the director/screenwriter William Asher. Even the rock group the Kingsmen aren't used strategically. Instead of playing their smash hit "Louie Louie",  they are relegated to performing an instantly forgettable tune. There is some estimable talent behind the scenes including the esteemed cinematographer Floyd Crosby and composer Lex Baxter, both slumming in search of a quick pay check. Watching the film from the standpoint of a more enlightened era, its astonishing how crass the treatment of the young actresses is. In some shots, they are filmed minus such unnecessary appendages as their heads, as the camera lingers on only the parts that jiggle.

One hates to be a curmudgeon about such simple fare and it is necessary to view it in the context of the era in which it was made. But there lies the rub: "How to Stuff a Wild Bikini" was considered awful even back in 1965 and time has not been kind to it. The Olive Blu-ray has a very nice transfer, though. An original trailer is the only bonus feature.

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BY DARREN ALLISON

I really didn’t know too much about Paul Guilfoyle’s 1955 film, A Life at Stake, although I have always had a fondness for stark film noir. Spoiled young Doris Hillman (played by the delightful Angela Lansbury) invites struggling architect Edward Shaw (Keith Andes) to come in as her husband's partner in a lucrative real estate deal. However, when Edward becomes romantically involved with Doris, he learns that something deadly is going on. There's a life at stake, and it could be his own.

As we progress deeper into the story immediate parallels begin to emerge such as Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity (1944). However, it’s evident that A Life at Stake wasn’t afforded the same budgetary benefits as Wilder’s classic movie. That said, A Life at Stake is a brilliant slice of entertainment which is more than capable of standing on its own two feet. Lansbury really shines and makes for a wonderfully devious femme fatale - who would have thought it? In fact, there is nothing wrong with the cast at all. A handsome Keith Andes (who seems to be shot with his shirt off at any given opportunity) appears confident and fully in control in front of the camera, while Claudia Barrett provides a nice supporting role as Madge, the younger sister of Doris. The look is also rather impressive thanks to the cinematography of Ted Allan and Les Baxter provides a score which often punches well above its weight. A Life at Stake is a genuine lost gem, a rediscovered treasure from the tail end of the film noir period which deserves to be seen.

Produced by The Filmakers, an independent film company formed with Ida Lupino (vice-president) in 1948, the company only made twelve feature films, six of which Lupino directed or co-directed, but were all received positively. A small featurette is also provided which presents an interesting look into the company.

I must also mention a superb commentary track by professor and film scholar Jason A. Ney, which I have to say is quite excellent, it’s both specific and highly informative throughout. The Film Detective has provided a truly beautiful presentation of the main feature, with some nice deep blacks and impressive contrast. There is a strange instance of some very minor ‘warping’ which appears in a few brief scenes, a rippling effect of sorts, but it is brief and doesn’t distract from the overall viewing pleasure. A Life at Stake is a movie that may have easily slipped through your fingers and previously escaped attention. Thanks to the efforts of The Film Detective, this is no longer the case and guarantees that it will be around for a whole new audience to appreciate.

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