Mala Powers

 

 (imdb)

FEAR NO MORE-1961-Sharon Carlin (Mala Powers; OUTRAGE), secretary to a rich guy named Seymour (John Harding), is framed for murder while on a train bound for San Francisco. She escapes the police officer who's arresting her and tries to make it back to LA. She meets an unhappy divorced French guy Paul Colbert (Jacques Bergerac; THE HYPNOTIC EYE) who's returning his son to his neurotic ex-wife. After having coffee with Paul, she discovers her friend Keith (John Baer) has been murdered by the same man who framed her. Paul comes to her rescue and she escapes. She later reveals to Paul that she was once in a mental institution. The next day she and Paul visit Seymour but he denies ever having sent her to San Francisco. Many more strange things pop up. Is Carol really a delusional insane woman? 

This interesting low budget black and white psychological mystery has a great performance by the underrated Mala Powers. It was the only feature length film directed by Bernard Weisen, who's other credits are all in TV.

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We're Doomed!

DOOMSDAY MACHINE-1972-In 1975 it's discovered that Red China has a "doomsday machine" are going to use it to destroy the world! Around the same time, Project Astra, a manned spaceship to Venus has it's own problems. At the last minute three of the male astronauts are replaced by women which for some reason doesn't fit in well with the other guys. Grant Williams (THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN) and TV actor Denny Miller are the two grouchy commanders and singer/dancer Bobby Van is the comedy relief. The philosophical older leader is played by Henry Wilcoxon who was Marc Anthony in Cecil B. DeMille's CLEOPATRA in 1931. Obviously things weren't going so well for the old guy if he had to be in this junk! TV actress Ruta Lee is the super serious doctor Turner and Mala Powers (OUTRAGE) is the Russian major Bronski. Lorri Scott is the flirty Lt. Carlson.

After the Earth is destroyed it becomes apparent that sending the women along was not for pure scientific purposes. It's up to the crew to make it to Venus and carry on the human lifeline! But radioactivity from the destroyed Earth threaten to sterilize the men! While most of the crew talk procreation Grant suddenly can't control his hormones and attacks Lt. Carlson. They wind up getting vaporized. Nothing much else happens until two of the space travelers almost get to Venus but are warned by the collective Venus psyche that because of the "destructive ways of earthlings" they are not allowed to land. The voice seems to suggest other adventures await the two but their spaceship seems to blow up. The End.


THE DOOMSDAY MACHINE first started filming in 1967 under the title ARMAGEDDON 1975 by director Herbert J. Leder (FIEND WITHOUT A FACE) but ran out of money and was never finished.

For some reason Harry Hope (who produced some Al Adamson movies) and Lee "Roll 'Em" Sholem (SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE MEN) saw a need to do it. They filmed an ending without any of the original cast or sets and finished and released it in 1972. The cheesy effects are some of the most ridiculous ever and their ship changes size and color several times. The spaceship scenes were shot on a very cheap set with multi-colored lighting. Stock footage from WIZARD OF MARS (directed by David Hewitt who had a hand in this) is thrown in.

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Colossus in The Big Apple!

THE COLOSSUS OF NEW YORK-1958-Just after winning a Nobel prize a brilliant scientist Jerry Spensser (Ross Martin) is hit and killed by a truck while chasing after his son's toy plane. His slightly demented but famous brain surgeon father (Otto Kruger) takes out Jerry's brain and hooks it up to a machine in his lab so that his genius mind won't be wasted. His kind of jealous brother Henry (TV actor John Baragrey who is top billed) helps Pop built an over-sized robot to house Jerry's brain. It's big and bald and has glowing eyes, mechanical hands and feet and for some reason wears a cloak. Needless to say Jerry's not to pleased with his new bod and promptly faints. Although once conscious Jerry pleads with his stupid dad to "destroy me", Pop Spensser convinces his brain revived son to continue his experiments. He also develops  ESP, mind control and laser beam eyes and puts dad under his control. Later when he decides to visit his own grave, Jerry meets his son Billy (Charles Herbert also in THE DAY THE WORLD STOOD STILL the same year). He gets very angry because he's not made of flesh and blood. He blows a circuit when he sees Henry put the moves on Anne. She faints and Henry runs away! Mala Powers plays Jerry's widow Anne who seems to favor another doctor John Carrington (Robert Hutton) but he thinks Anne is just hallucinating when she says she's seen a giant robot. After Jerry-bot does in his younger brother, the climax takes place at The United Nations where an out of control Jerry lasers many spectators until Billy stops his wanton destruction ala THE GOLEM.

I've seen many negative reviews with this (at one time) seldom seen Science Fiction movie but around the time there was much more junkier stuff being made. The story is pre-posterous and kind of rushed but the metallic "colossus" is impressive. 

Director Eugene Lourie (THE BEST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS) provides some nice eerie night scenes which are given an extra jolt from Van Cleave's staccato piano soundtrack (although it's a little overbearing in a few scenes). The Ukrainian born Lourie  would later get back into the giant monster genre with THE GIANT BEHEMOTH and GORGO and also edited several Sam Fuller films.

Though she had given good performances as Roxanne in CYRANO de BERGERAC and a rape victim in Ida Lupino's OUTRAGE, Mala Powers was doing mostly TV at this time. Otto Kruger's long flim career (begun in 1915) was coming to a close but he would act 5 more years. As the obsessed analytical father he's very unlikable but after being basically responsible for all of the robot's mayhem in the end he just admits he's wrong and walks away. Robert Hutton is all but wasted as the good guy scientist friend. And I'm at a loss to understand why TV actor John Baragrey is top billed. It would have seemed more logical to have Hutton in that role!

This was one of over two dozen films produced by former actor William Alland. He also produced the Jack Arnold directed THE SPACE CHILDREN  the same year.

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Outrage

OUTRAGE-1950-Do not miss this daring (for the time) drama concerning a rape victim (Mala Powers) and the consequences of her violation. Happy soon to be married Ann (Powers) is the victim of a “criminal assault” by a sleazy fast food worker. Her fiancé (future “Hideous Sun Demon” Robert Clarke) doesn’t care and still wants to marry her but Ann can’t bear to be touched by anyone. She runs away and winds up working at an orange packing plant. A minister, who everyone call “doctor” (Tod Andrews, later in FROM HELL IT CAME)) learns of her past and tries to help her after she viciously attacks a local guy (Jerry Paris) who tries to kiss her. This film is very moving, sad and serious and deserves to be seen a wider audience especially considering it’s subject matter which was quite taboo in 1950!

Powers heartfelt performance won her her next role that of Roxanne opposite Jose Ferrer in CYRANO DE BERGERAC. Actress Ida Lupino who was just about the only woman making movies in Hollywood at the time directed OUTRAGE. She made other interesting films in the early ‘50’s including HARD FAST & BEAUTIFUL ON DANGEROUS GROUND THE BIGAMIST and THE HITCHHIKER and then moved into television directing episodes of such diverse series as THE DONNA REED SHOW 77 SUNSET STRIP HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL THE RIFLEMAN THE FUGITIVE and THRILLER.