THE THIRTEENTH CHAIR (1929)
Article #1058 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 2-6-2004
Posting Date: 7-5-2004
Directed by Tod Browning
Featuring Conrad Nagel, Leila Hyams, Margaret Wycherlie

A seance is held to discover the identity of a murderer. When the man seeking the identity is himself killed, an inspector tries to figure out both murders.

DRACULA fans might find this early pairing of Bela Lugosi (playing the inspector) and Tod Browning of interest. The story itself is not a bad one, and Margaret Wycherly’s medium character is well performed. Unfortunately, several factors turned this into a difficult watch for me; the stagey direction, the bad sound (both in terms of the movie itself and my copy of it as well), occasional fits of overacting (particularly at the end), the poor nth-generation dupe of my copy, and the lack of any real visual sense all combine to make this one a tough watch. In a sense, it’s like watching DRACULA without the first fifteen minutes of that movie, though the seance itself and a sequence involving a dead man are the only horror elements to this one. It’s not a total loss; you can definitely see why Lugosi became a star and he gives the best performance here. You’ll just need to keep in mind the time it was made when watching it.

DER TUNNEL (1933)
(a.k.a. THE TUNNEL)
Article #930 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 10-1-2003
Posting Date: 2-28-2004
Directed by Curtis Bernhardt
Featuring Paul Hartmann, Attila Horbiger, Olly von Flint

A massive construction plan is undertaken to build a tunnel from America to Europe underneath the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s been some time since I’ve seen the English language remake of this movie by Maurice Elvey in 1935, but I do remember enough of the ending of that one to say that it is rather different from the ending of this one. There are other differences as well, I am sure, but the fact that my print of this movie is (here we go again) in unsubtitled German severely damages my ability to make any serious comparison between the two movies. I can say that the spectacle of this one is quite entertaining, maybe even a hair more than the spectacle of the remake, and I do enjoy seeing Otto Wernicke as something other than Lohmann (from M and THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE), but all in all, watching this one was a fairly unnecessary experience without subtitles. Nonetheless, I did so for the sake of completeness, so here it is. And I’m sure I’ll have plenty of similar experiences in the future. Ah, the life of a completist.

TERROR (1924)
(a.k.a. TERREUR/PERILS OF PARIS)
Article #925 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-26-2003
Posting Date: 2-23-2004
Directed by Edward Jose
Featuring Pearl White, Robert Lee, Henry Bandin

Criminals attempt to get hold of an element known as Radiominium.

I don’t know a whole lot about this Pearl White thriller, but one source claims the movie runs 65 minutes; since my print runs only thirty-eight minutes, I would guess that this, like TERROR ISLAND, is a couple of reels short. This goes a ways toward explaining sudden breaks in the action that I encountered while watching it. It’s fun enough despite the confusion, and at least part of the reason is that Pearl White was a fun performer; instead of playing a helpless ingenue who keeps getting rescued, she herself is willing to tussle with the bad guys. Outside of the Radiominium, there is a strange looking car that adds to the science fiction elements in this obscure little movie. It definitely has an interesting twist at the end which plays up its theme of ‘Terror of Failure’, which seems a rather an odd choice for a theme of a thriller.

THAT’S THE SPIRIT (1945)
Article #912 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 9-13-2003
Posting Date: 2-10-2004
Directed by Charles Lamont
Featuring Jack Oakie, Peggy Ryan, June Vincent

The daughter of a stodgy banker marries an entertainer who dies on the day of the birth of their child. The entertainer returns to earth as a spirit twenty years later to save the child from the unhappiness of being dominated by her grandfather.

This is a pretty standard example of the typical Hollywood forces-of-happiness (represented here by spontaneity, dancing, jazz, romance and theatrical musical revues) vs. the forces-of-unhappiness (represented here by inflexible conservative stodginess, repression, depressing renditions of ‘Evening Star’ and withering butlers played by Arthur Treacher) with a wandering spirit as one of the plot contrivances. There are a few good funny lines here and there, some fine special effects (particularly a moment where Oakie as the spirit stands in the middle of the street while cars run through him), one great sequence in which the performance of the aforementioned musical piece is turned into a real party via the use of a magic flute played by Oakie (watching wealthy old dowagers and Arthur Treacher grooving to the music is fairly entertaining), and the movie has some entertaining performances. It’s always fun to see Andy Devine, and the movie also includes a relatively youngish Irene Ryan as the maid dominated by Treacher (though it did make me long for a moment when the maid would chase him out of the house with a shotgun), but Buster Keaton is wasted in a role that isn’t near as funny as it’s supposed to be, and the movie suffers somewhat from a lackluster stodginess of its own. Some of the musical numbers are entertaining but overlong, and despite the good elements, ultimately the movie seems a bit mannered and joyless.

TOWER OF LONDON (1962)
Article #891 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 8-23-2003
Posting Date: 1-20-2004
Directed by Roger Corman
Featuring Vincent Price, Bruce Gordon, Michael Pate

This movie tells the story of Richard III, and his rise to power.

Richard III seems to be another historical personage whose life story is often presented as horror. Part of it is probably the physical deformities that are attributed to him (hunched back and club foot), and part of it is the brutality of his rise, in which he does away with anyone who stands in his way. This version ups the horror content from the 1939 version of the story by having Richard being haunted by the ghosts of his victims, though these apparitions may merely be a part of Richard’s madness. Vincent Price appeared as Clarence in the original version, where he was drowned in a vat of malmsey; here, he is Richard and gets to do the dunking himself. Price isn’t the only thing borrowed from the 1939 movie; according to the accompanying documentary, the battle scenes at Bosworth are also lifted from that movie, probably for budgetary reasons. This could not have been done had the movie originally been done in color as planned, but a last minute decision was made to make the movie in black and white. Though it’s not entirely successful, the sets look beautiful, and Vincent Price is fun as always.

THINGS HAPPEN AT NIGHT (1947)
Article #862 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-25-2003
Posting Date: 12-22-2003
Directed by Francis Searle
Featuring Gerry Marsh, Olga Linda, Beatrice Campbell

A poltergeist takes possession of a young woman, and a psychic investigator tries to exorcise it.

Title check: Technically, many things do happen at night in this movie, so I can’t find any fault with the title.

I don’t know how many movies were made about poltergeists, but this appears to be one of the earlier ones. Since it’s largely a slapstick comedy, it’s certainly not one of the scarier ones, as this poltergeist’s particular trick seems to be to drop vases on people’s heads. The beginning is confusing, but after you sort out the characters, it settles down, and though it never really becomes hilarious, it’s congenial enough. All in all, a minor but fitfully enjoyable British ghost comedy.

TARZAN’S REVENGE (1938)
Article #860 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-23-2003
Posting Date: 12-20-2003
Directed by D. Ross Lederman
Featuring Glenn Morris, Eleanor Holm, George Barbier

An expedition out to trap a white alligator encounters a wild jungle man named Tarzan.

Title check: Except for picking up a man who tried to shoot him and throwing him on the ground, there is precious little vengeance going on here.

It’s tempting to write this movie off as a defanged and laundered take on the Weissmueller series, and for the most part the movie fulfills that function. The meeting between Tarzan and Eleanor here is far too reminiscent of the meeting between him and Jane in the Weissmuller films; they even go swimming together. However, the savagery of the Weissmuller films is not to be found here; this Tarzan is just one real nice animal-loving guy. Nonetheless, it is not without merit; the soundtrack was quite nice, and it does manage to add a touch of gentle lyricism to the mix that doesn’t appear to have been lifted from its inspiration; it’s a touch that this movie can definitely call its own. No, it’s not up to the Weissmuller series, but it’s not an embarassment, either, but I suspect that those who like the character of Tarzan for his violent savagery will find little to entertain them here.

THIS ISLAND EARTH (1955)
Article #848 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 7-11-2003
Posting Date: 12-8-2003
Directed by Joseph Newman
Featuring Rex Reason, Faith Domergue, Jeff Morrow

A scientist is recruited by a strange man to do nuclear research.

Title check: The title makes a certain amount of sense within the bounds of the story; furthermore, it is one of the more poetically evocative titles to be found in fifties science fiction.

The main thing that prevents me from placing this ambitious science fiction epic in the front line of fifties science fiction films is that the pacing feels somewhat awkward in the second half of the movie; certain important plot twists occur too abruptly and unexpectedly, and I really think we don’t see near enough of Metaluna and its culture. Nevertheless, this is one of the most interesting stories from that era, with a plot that has slight similarites to an alien invasion story but really is playing a much more complex game. The most interesting aspect of the story is that our primary alien character (given a strong performance by Jeff Morrow) is someone who is going against the grain of his culture by recognizing that earthlings should be allowed to preserve their sense of free will; many movies with aliens tend to make them less varied than this. The first half of the movie is excellent, and the building of the interociter is one of my very favorite sequences in science fiction movies of the era. And though I love the look of the Metalunan Mutant, it felt like a bit of a cop-out to toss a monster into a story that didn’t need one and could have worked better without one; I actually wish they had made a separate movie altogether using the Mutants.

THREE MISSING LINKS (1938)
Article #810 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 6-3-2003
Posting Date: 10-31-2003
Directed by Jules White
Featuring Curly Howard, Moe Howard, Larry Fine

The Three Stooges are hired to appear in a movie due to Curly’s resemblence to a gorilla.

Title check: The title is apt enough, though I do blanche at the thought that these guys may be distant ancestors of mine.

At their best, the Three Stooges were good enough that I have no trouble seeing why they have the cult following they do; at their worst, I can sympathize with those who find them terminally unfunny. But whether they were at their best or at their worst, they worked in pretty much the same slapstick mode; how good they were depended on how sharp their timing was. The timing is only so-so here, so it really didn’t catch them at their best. I think part of the reason is that this short puts so much emphasis on Curly that the other Stooges are kind of left in the dust, and though I will admit Curly was the funniest, it was Moe that really grounded the group, and here he recedes to the background. The funniest moment has Curly doing an imitation of a chicken with his head cut off, and even this is somewhat sloppy, loud and unfocused. Nevertheless, since the Stooges largely worked in shorts, at least they don’t outstay their welcome. The plot involves witch doctors, love candy, gorillas and Neanderthals (that’s how Moe and Larry were cast in the movie), so it does slip into fantastic territory. And it does indeed portray one solid rule; if a comic character dons a gorilla suit at one point, it’s almost sure money to bet that a real gorilla will show up sooner or later.

TWO WEEKS TO LIVE (1943)
Article #804 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 5-28-2003
Posting Date: 10-15-2003
Directed by Malcolm St. Clair
Featuring Chester Lauck, Norris Goff, Franklin Pangborn

A small-town grocer inherits a railroad, and takes his friend to the big city to claim it, but runs into problems.

Title check: Since the plot eventually starts to revolve around Abner Peabody’s mistaken belief that he will die in two weeks, the title is quite apt.

“Lum and Abner” were characters from a radio show who also appeared in a largely forgotten series of B films during the forties. This is a fun but minor outing that ends up rubbing up against the world of fantastic cinema several times during its running length. The basic premise that drives this is that Abner takes on dangerous jobs to help earn enough money to pay a debt; after all, if he’s going to die in a couple of weeks, he’s not risking much. So he ends up encountering Dr. Jekyll, who wants him to test a potion that could change him into an animal; a tame gorilla who is most likely played by Charlie Gemora, as it is clearly his costume (you know you’ve watched too many of these movies when you can start spotting the men in the gorilla outfits); a haunted house, and a rocketship to Mars. It never really completely enters the realm of the fantastic (they never even make it to the haunted house), but I’ve never seen a movie before get so close so often and still remain marginalia. By the way, after seeing this, I wouldn’t be surprised if I were to discover that Buddy Ebsen’s character of Jed Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies” was inspired somewhat by the character of Lum Edwards who, despite being more of an opportunist than Jed ever was, bears a remakable resemblance to that character. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit more than I expected, but I suspect that some of it was simply that I needed a good laugh after OLD MOTHER RILEY’S GHOSTS.