Month: November 2015

The Luck of the Irish (1948)

THE LUCK OF THE IRISH (1948)
Article #1010 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-20-2003
Posting Date: 5-18-2003
Directed by Henry Koster
Featuring Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter, Cecil Kellaway

A journalist sells his talents to an aspiring politician because of his engagement to the man’s daughter. However, a leprachaun shows up and tries to match the journalist up with an Irish girl who loves him.

This odd little mixture of drama, comedy and fantasy is a little slow-moving out of the gate, but in general it works all right and is entertaining enough. The performances are very good throughout, particularly from Tyrone Power (as the journalist) and Cecil Kellaway (as the leprachaun); the latter would get nominated for a best-supporting Oscar for his performance. It’s a bit uneven; the comedic, dramatic and fantastic elements don’t quite mesh as smoothly as they could, but the movie does work up a fair amount of charm, particularly towards the end. Keep your eyes open for Lee J. Cobb, and keep your ears open for “Greensleeves”.

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Jassy (1947)

JASSY (1947)
Article #1009 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-19-2003
Posting Date: 5-17-2003
Directed by Bernard Knowles
Featuring Margaret Lockwood, Patricia Roc, Dennis Price

A gypsy girl loses her father when he’s killed by the drunken lord of an estate, and then, when she falls in love with the son of the former owner of the estate, is sent away to serve as a servant at a girl’s school.

The thumbnail plot description above certainly doesn’t tell you much, but that’s because this is one of those movies that goes on for quite a bit before the various story threads come together and you can see the actual direction of the plot. It’s essentially a period drama / soap opera, and if you have a fondness for that sort of thing, this might fit the bill for you; the story itself is pretty ordinary, but it’s in lovely technicolor, is well-acted throughout, features Dennis Price and Ernest Thesiger, and does manage to have a few affecting scenes. On the other hand, since this review is part of a survey of fantastic films, you would be entitled to ask just why I’m including this one in the mix. The reason is that the gypsy womans exhibits a psychic power on occasion to see events that are taking place away from her eyes. Its main function appears to be twofold; a) to occasionally allow her to know certain pieces of information she wouldn’t otherwise know, and b) to play a role in the final trial scene. In truth, it would have been simple enough to write this story without the psychic power, so I’m afraid this one really gets consigned to the realms of marginalia.

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International House (1933)

INTERNATIONAL HOUSE (1933)
Article #1008 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-18-2003
Posting Date: 5-16-2004
Directed by A. Edward Sutherland
Featuring Peggy Hopkins Joyce, W.C. Fields, Stuart Erwin

Several people converge on a hotel to bid for rights to a new invention.

W. C. Fields, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Rudy Vallee, Bela Lugosi, Franklin Pangborn, Cab Calloway; what do all these performers have in common? The answer is twofold; first of all, they’re all performers fully capable of stealing any movie they’re in, and secondly, they’re all in this movie. It’s a comedy-musical, fast-moving and outlandish, with energetic musical numbers, a plethora of great comic moments, and no real plot to speak of. The invention is an early form of television; the inventor keeps trying to tune in on the six-day bicycle race, but ends up zeroing in on, among other things, a talking cow, an invention display by Colenel Stoopnagle, and Cab Calloway and his band performing ‘Reefer Man’. Bela Lugosi is the jealous villain who thinks Fields is sleeping with his ex-wife, and Franklin Pangborn is stuck with the endless task of sorting keys. Fields and Allen have the best comic moments, and even have a scene together. They don’t make them like this anymore, so if it comes around, you may well want to catch it before you’re stuck with a litter of kittens.

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What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968)

WHAT’S SO BAD ABOUT FEELING GOOD? (1968)
Article #1007 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-17-2003
Posting Date: 5-15-2004
Directed by George Seaton
Featuring George Peppard, Mary Tyler Moore, Don Stroud

A toucan carrying a virus gets loose in New York City. The virus has only one symptom; it leaves its victim in a state of euphoria.

This is one of those curious little movies that really could have only been made during the late sixties. It’s subject matter is definitely summer of love / hippie material, and I found it a little curious that it chooses as its primary focus not the effect it would have on the class of corporate conformists that would be the expected target, but rather its effect on a group of doom-and-gloom obsessed beatniks, a social group that must certainly have been passe at this time. This decision has an unfortunate effect; it strips the concept of some of its satirical clout, though not completely; the satirical aspects of the movie are too strong to be ignored, and mostly manifest themselves in the scenes in the bunker, with Dom DeLuise as a government man sent to the scene to combat the plague. The satire is also weakened by the movie’s incessant cuteness, in particular by the decision to give the bird dialogue (by means of comic strip-like word balloons) and it’s reliance on slapstick setpieces on occasion (the main couple tries to smuggle the bird past the police by disguising it as the woman’s pregnancy). Nevertheless, the movie still has its moments, and I particularly enjoyed George Furth’s performance as DeLuise’s “administrative assistant” and a cameo by Thelma Ritter.

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Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945)

MADONNA OF THE SEVEN MOONS (1945)
Article #1006 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-16-2003
Posting Date: 5-14-2004
Directed by Arthur Crabtree
Featuring Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger, Patricia Roc

A free-spirited woman returns home to see if she can brighten the life of her somewhat repressed mother. She discovers that her mother has been suffering from some mysterious illness that is being kept a mystery. Then when her mother disappears one night, she decides to find the truth for herself.

Without giving too much away, the fantastic aspects of this movie are tied to the nature of the mother’s illness, that the illness is mental in nature, and that it really remains on the marginal side as far as fantastic movies are concerned. The exact nature of the illness is kept secret for a goodly portion of the first part of the movie, and up to this point, the movie is a talky drama; things don’t really begin to move until the mother disappears, and the movie becomes more of a melodrama/thriller. It’s quite effective at times, though it occasionally flirts with campiness; even though certain individual reactions come across as more comic than dramatic, it never really becomes a parody of itself. Also, at an hour and forty-five minutes, it runs on a bit too long, but the ending is effective, and it’s a satisfying movie for those patient enough to endure the talky first third.

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Johnny Doesn’t Live Here Any More (1944)

JOHNNY DOESN’T LIVE HERE ANY MORE (1944)
Article #1005 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-15-2003
Posting Date: 5-13-2004
Directed by Joe May
Featuring Simone Simon, James Ellison, William Terry

A woman spills salt on a train and ends up being plagued by a gremlin who plays tricks with her love life.

You know, at heart the basic premise of this movie isn’t too bad, but it has major problems in execution. However, it’s somewhat difficult to say exactly what the problem is. The performances are all right, and it is fun to see Simone Simon play a comic role after having been only familiar with her work in the Val Lewton films. But the comic rhythm of the movie seems off, it never really focuses itself on the main conflicts, and it’s very difficult to figure out just what the gremlin is trying to do in most of his scenes. The movie also clutters up its storyline with a subplot about the woman occupying an apartment whose previous resident had given out duplicate keys to any number of people, so the first half of the movie consists of a succession of gags about people unexpectedly walking in on her; this gets tiresome very quickly. But I think the worst problem is that everyone is so intent on playing for laughs that they fail to give the characters any sense of central reality; they don’t seem to react consistently to anything, and their every action comes out of left field. It’s not an awful movie; it’s just badly muddled and unfocused. However, it is fun to see a young Robert Mitchum giving one of the better performances in the movie, and those with sharp eyes will want to keep them open for a cameo from Rondo Hatton.

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One Frightened Night (1935)

ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT (1935)
Article #1004 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-14-2003
Posting Date: 5-12-2004
Directed by Christy Cabanne
Featuring Charley Grapewin, Mary Carlisle, Arthur Hohl

A crusty millionaire is on the verge of giving a number of potential heirs a million dollars each when his long lost granddaughter shows up, and he decides to make her the sole heir. And then another woman shows up also claiming to be his granddaughter…

Here we are back in the world of Forgotten Horrors in the Old Dark House subgenre, and it’s a fine place to be. This one is one of the best, by the way. One of the reasons is that the movie has more than its share of fun performances, with Charley Grapewin having a field day as the crusty millionaire who is perceptive enough to be cynical about the motives of his potential heirs, outspoken enough to say his thoughts out loud, but good-humored enough not to be bitter about the situation. Also having the a great time is Wallace Ford (billed here as Wally Ford), cast not as a wisecracking reporter, but rather as a wisecracking magician ; it’s a good role for him and he makes the most of it. It’s also helped by energetic direction, a fun plot, and the fact that the characters are well-differentiated enough that you can tell them apart. I also like the clever opening credits which appear on window shades. For those thinking of delving into the world of Forgotten Horror, here’s a very good place to start.

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Journey Beneath the Desert (1961)

JOURNEY BENEATH THE DESERT (1961)
(a.k.a. L’ATLANTIDE)
Article #1003 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-13-2003
Posting Date: 5-11-2004
Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Featuring Jean-Louis Trintignant, Haya Harareet, Georges Riviere

Several mineral experts make a forced landing during a storm and end up in the underground city of Atlantis.

This makes the fourth adaptation of the Pierre Benoit novel that I’ve encountered, and it’s also the one that departs most consistently from the basic story (as far as I can tell; the other three adaptations are fairly similar). Edgar G. Ulmer’s script makes a definite attempt to update the story, tossing out the foreign legion
background and giving us helicoptors, machine guns and atomic bombs to fill out the story. The end result is not unlike a sword-and-sandal movie in some ways (didn’t we just encounter Atlantis in one of those?), except for the absence of a muscle-bound hero to round out the proceedings. All in all, it’s not too bad; it looks like Ulmer had a better budget than usual to work with on this one. It lacks the lyrical sense that pervaded the very early adaptations of the story, though, and except for the odd ending, it’s a fairly ordinary foray into exotic fantasy / adventure.

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Man in the Mirror (1936)

MAN IN THE MIRROR (1936)
Article #1002 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-12-2003
Posting Date: 5-10-2004
Directed by Maurice Elvey
Featuring Edward Everett Horton, Renee Gadd, Stafford Hilliard

A meek business partner finds his life complicated when his reflection walks out of a mirror and meddles with his life.

This obscure and somewhat minor British comedy is fairly well acted, and it holds the attention well enough, though I did find it somewhat short on laughs. The most interesting thing about it is that it gives Edward Everett Horton a chance to play two roles. Actually, this isn’t strictly true, because he and his reflection are the same person; however, they are opposite halfs of the same person, and are different enough in character that they could be thought of as different people, and there’s certainly no problem throughout in differentiating them. The special effects are also very good indeed; the scenes of the man and the reflection talking together are some of the most convincing of that sort I’ve seen. I just wish the movie were a little more amusing, though it is nice to see Horton play someone a little different from his usual persona.

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Hercules and the Captive Women (1961)

HERCULES AND THE CAPTIVE WOMEN (1961)
Article #1001 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 12-11-2003
Posting Date: 5-9-2004
Directed by Vittorio Cottafavi
Featuring Reg Park, Fay Spain, Ettore Manni

Hercules accompanies Androcles on an expedition to discover the source of a threat to the safety of Greece, and ends up in Atlantis, the domain of Uranus.

If you think about it, the attraction that Hercules seems to have for evil queens makes it only logical that he would eventually end up in Atlantis and deal with Antinea, that most evil of queens. This is actually one of the best of the non-Steve Reeves Hercules movies, with some great sets and an exciting (if sometimes strange and confusing) story. Of course, there are a number of distractions here; the occasional use of stock music from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON calls undue attention to itself (and it does so no matter which movie they use it in), the movie is packed with bizarre, dreamlike sequences that leave you scratching your head, the constant reference to the god Uranus conjures up punny visions that makes you wish they worshipped Neptune instead, and Reg Park’s neck. Especially Reg Park’s neck. In fact, Reg Park would be a lot of fun to watch if it weren’t for that neck. And it all goes to show that when it comes to body-building, there are some muscles that should just be ignored.

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