THE ROAD BUILDER (1971)
(a.k.a. THE NIGHT DIGGER)
Article #1645 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-15-2005
Posting Date: 2-12-2006
Directed by Alastair Reid
Featuring Patricia Neal, Pamela Brown, Nicholas Clay

Two women living in the country (a blind elderly woman and her repressed middle-aged daughter) take on a handyman that arrives unexpectedly one day. What they don’t know is that the handyman has a secret…

The feelings of deja vu were pretty strong for me with this one, and if you’ve seen the 1937 movie NIGHT MUST FALL, you’ll have them as well. It will also clue you in on the handyman’s secret, which isn’t made explicit until the movie’s halfway point, but seeing as to how every plot description I’ve read of this one gives it away, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to find out that the handyman has racked up a body count over the years. Nonetheless, despite its strong similarities to NIGHT MUST FALL, it’s hardly a rip-off or a remake; as the story develops, the character relationships take on distinctly different forms than the ones in that movie (which, combined with the fact that this movie didn’t have to adhere to the rules of the Hays Office, makes it somewhat more unpredictable), and I actually think those who are fond of the earlier film might find this variant on the story rather interesting. Certainly, the fact that the script was written by Roald Dahl should give an idea of the darkness behind the story. Nevertheless, I’m not quite sure the movie really works; there are some rather awkward moments, and its overall effect is one of sheer oddness. Both of the titles of the movie refer to the handyman’s method of disposing of the bodies.

ROOGIE’S BUMP (1954)
Article #1635 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-5-2005
Posting Date: 2-2-2006
Directed by Harold Young
Featuring Robert Marriott, Ruth Warrick, Olive Blakeney

A young boy is rejected by his bullying peers who won’t play baseball with him. He then meets the ghost of a pitcher, who causes a bump to grow on his arm that gives him super-pitching power. This catches the attention of the manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and…

It would be so easy to chalk this one up as a ridiculous children’s movie and have done with it; the premise is certainly silly, some of the scenes of him using his pitching power are laughable, the dialogue is full of unintentional double entendres, and much of the story is pretty clichéd. In fact, having seen this one before, I was fully prepared to merely poke fun at it at this time. Instead, I found myself somewhat appreciating some of the things the movie does right. Sure, it’s silly, but it’s also unassuming and sincere. It also has a point, and the point is also something that may be too sophisticated for the children’s audience; if the movie is about anything, it’s about the way that publicity and exploitation has taken over the sport. No, the movie never becomes a satire, though the elements are there; it does remain a movie for the kids. But it does have its serious side, and in its way, the movie is quite true to itself. It’s also a movie that could be enjoyable to fans of the Dodgers, as it features several players from the team appearing as themselves. Best of all, the story does not include a storyline in which Roogie is kidnapped before the big game. Director Harold Young directed some minor Universal horrors from the forties, and William Harrigan (who plays the ghost of Red O’Malley) is probably best remembered for playing Kemp in THE INVISIBLE MAN.

RENEGADE SATELLITE (1956)
(a.k.a. THE TRIAL OF ROCKY JONES)
Article #1623 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 8-24-2005
Posting Date: 1-21-2006
Directed by Hollingsworth Morse
Featuring Richard Crane, Dayton Lummis, Sally Mansfield

When Rocky Jones lands on a neutral planet that doesn’t have extradition alliances with the other United Worlds, he finds himself framed for assault and piracy by old enemies.

Yes, it’s another feature film version of the Rocky Jones TV series, and I’m sure this was considered a ‘very special’ episode of the series in its day. One of the things I do like about the Rocky Jones series, though, is that certain non-regular characters reappear throughout the series, and this one features three-and-a-half old enemies of Rocky Jones; the half is the now-reformed space pirate Pinto Vortando from SILVER NEEDLE IN THE SKY. So what makes these episodes extra-special? When the trial begins, Ranger Biffen Cardoza (Rocky’s defense lawyer) discovers a law in the books that allows testimony about past events not directly connected to the issue at hand, and before you can say “clips episode”, we are treated to plenty of footage from previous Rocky Jones adventures—really, with an alternate title like THE TRIAL OF ROCKY JONES, I should have seen it coming. I’m sure I saw clips from at least four of the five movies I’ve covered so far. So, what does it say that I found this particularly entry in the Rocky Jones saga to be relatively fast-moving and fun, and consequently the most entertaining of the lot? I don’t know, but for me it was. On a side note, for those of you who like to shoot holes in old aphorisms, ask yourself how well the old saw “Crime Doesn’t Pay” holds up in this series when you consider that the formerly successful space pirate Pinto Vortando only becomes a penniless bum AFTER he gives up piracy and embraces law and order.

THE RETURN OF CHANDU (1934)
(Serial)
Article #1609 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 8-10-2005
Posting Date: 1-7-2006
Directed by Ray Taylor
Featuring Bela Lugosi, Maria Alba, Clara Kimball Young

A magician uses his powers to protect an Egyptian princess from being kidnapped and sacrificed by the dread cult of Ubasti.

The reputation of this serial precedes it; in fact, I’ve heard this one described as well nigh unwatchable. I think that all depends on your expectations; if you’re looking forward to Republic-style action, you’ll definitely fall asleep during this deliberately paced entry. Me, I appreciate the novelty value. Next to THE PHANTOM CREEPS, it’s the Lugosi serial with the most Lugosi in it, and that’s a good thing. I also like the fact that our hero is a magician rather than a fighter; the use of magic rather than fisticuffs adds a different dimension to the story. Unfortunately, the serial makes a mistake at the halfway point when it temporarily strips Chandu of his powers; he spends most of the second half of this serial wandering about a cave, talking to a white wizard, visiting the captive princess (though never rescuing her), and trying to save his family and himself from dying. Quite frankly, this gets pretty repetitive; the feature version of the last half of this serial actually did a good job of pruning the fat from it. Incidentally, the serial seemed to be designed to be broken up into feature versions; the first four episodes is set up almost like a self-contained story with a definite ending, and the other feature version of this serial used those episodes. Oddly enough, though the first half of the serial is more consistent, the cliffhangers are fairly lame; in the second half, the serial loses steam but the cliffhangers improve. Well, you can’t have everything.

ROAD TO ZANZIBAR (1941)
Article #1599 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-31-2005
Posting Date: 12-28-2005
Directed by Victor Schertzinger
Featuring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour

Two carnival performers find themselves on the run after setting fire to a carnival tent and trying to sell a fake diamond mine.

This is the second of the Road movies I’ve covered for this series, and the fantastic content this time is mostly limited to the appearance of certain jungle motifs; in particular, a tribe of cannibals and a wrestling match with a gorilla provide the main elements of fantastic content. Though I like the road movies, I’m a little disappointed with this one. I suspect it’s because it’s one of the earlier ones in the series; the series seemed to get weirder and more outlandish as it progressed, and that’s the way I like it. My favorite moments in this one occur towards the end, when Hope and Crosby become guests of cannibals who think they are white gods only to undergo a test to make sure that they are, which involves Hope wrestling a gorilla (Charles Gemora in a gorilla suit). It also includes my favorite variation on the patty-cake gag (it pops up twice in this movie, and it’s the second one that’s the favorite).

THE RIDERS OF THE WHISTLING SKULL (1937)
Article #1598 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-30-2005
Posting Date: 12-27-2005
Directed by Mack V. Wright
Featuring Robert Livingston, Ray Corrigan, Max Terhune

The 3 Mesquiteers help an archaelogical expedition search for a lost Indian city of gold.

A lot of fuss is made about the supernatural elements in this B-Western, especially the existence of a living and walking mummy. Well, the latter has about thirty seconds of screen time and is dispatched with such ease that those expected a more fully realized horror western will be disappointed. Still, it does have some mood to it; there’s a skull with writing on it and a large skull-shaped rock formation. Still, it never really rises out of its B-Western roots, and it’s best to keep this in mind. Incidentally, one of the heroes reads mystery stories, and another is a ventriloquist who has to fend off the advances of an avid female archaeologist, which only adds to the weirdness of the proceedings.

THE REINCARNATE (1971)
Article #1597 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-29-2005
Posting Date: 12-26-2005
Directed by Don Haldane
Featuring Jack Creley, Jay Reynolds, Trudy Young

A dying lawyer who is a member of the cult of Sarkana offers a struggling artist the chance to inherit his memories in order to aid his ambitions. However, the process involves a ritual, and that ritual requires a virgin…

**NOTE** Despite a major setback in my viewing of this movie, I have decided to go ahead an write my review. More about the setback shortly.

I’m always looking forward to a movie that goes somewhere new with its ideas, and this is one of those. It’s basically about reincarnation, but it seems to follow different rules than other movies of this ilk. Granted, it’s not for many people; the movie is rather slow and is full of philosophical discourse, and those with a low tolerance threshold for this sort of thing will be unsatisfied. I found it quite interesting, especially because I was never sure exactly where it would go. Is it a variation on the Faust/Mephistopheles story (with the artist in the Faust role) or an Omen-style horror story (there is a cat who causes the death of several people who stand in the way of the memory transference from taking place)? One thing you do know; there is a price to pay, and you’re not quite sure exactly what it is. It is this mystery that kept me interested for the length of the movie.

That is, for the amount of the movie I saw. The setback I suffered is that my print is missing the ending. I decided to go on and write this review anyway, as having spent the amount of time to watch as much as I did, I didn’t want to have to watch another movie just to get one in today. I will attempt to get another copy with a complete ending; if there is no addendum to this review, you’ll know I haven’t done it yet.

RED ALERT (1977)
Article #1595 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-27-2005
Posting Date: 12-24-2005
Directed by William Hale
Featuring David Hayward, M. Emmet Walsh, William Devane

A leak at a nuclear power plant in Minnesota causes an unexpected explosion in the containment area which may cause a meltdown. Investigators are called in to solve the problem and look for evidence of sabotage.

This movie brought up two memories. One is of having seen bits and pieces of it when it first aired; I didn’t remember the story, but I did remember William Devane’s face, the containment set, and the presence of Ralph Waite who I remembered as the father on “The Waltons”. I also remembered asking my mother why she never went to the movies, and her telling me she didn’t need to, because any interesting movie would eventually spawn a TV-Movie knockoff, and she could just watch that instead. There may be some truth to that assertion, but I can’t help but notice that this movie predated THE CHINA SYNDROME by two years. This one doesn’t have the impact of that one, but it didn’t have the fortuitous timing of that one, either. On the plus side, the story is interesting and moves at a good clip, and it does hold the attention throughout its running time. On the minus side, the acting is variable (there’s way too much yelling) and the climax itself is handled a little too sluggishly. I also wonder about the attitude towards computers in movies like this; though it is obvious at one point that the computer is malfunctioning, nobody calls out programmers and technicians to look into the problem; they just stand around dumbly as if computers were supposed to be perfect and/or fix themselves. If this is how people thought they worked, no wonder they were portrayed as things to be feared. The movie also features Adrienne Barbeau in a negligee, which would go under the plus column for many of us.

RADIO RANCH (1940)
(a.k.a. MEN WITH STEEL FACES)
Article #1594 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-26-2005
Posting Date: 12-23-2005
Directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason
Featuring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, Betsy King Ross

Gene Autry must contend with horsemen from a scientifically-advanced underground city and with crooks after radium while keeping his radio show on the air.

One advantage of watching a feature version of a serial (of THE PHANTOM EMPIRE, in this case) when you haven’t seen the serial itself is that you don’t have that air of redundancy of having been through the whole thing before. The disadvantage is that it makes it that much harder to figure out what’s going on. Like most feature versions of serials, this one flows badly and jumps around from scene to scene in a confusing manner. Still, there’s something innately fun about the combination of singing cowboys, radium smugglers, cowboy-hatted robots, death-ray guns and evil queens, and this somewhat compensates for the confusing mess as well as the fact that my copy of the movie has the worst sound in the world. Still, I bet I like the full serial better. Someday, I’ll know for sure…