Another Quickie By Corman

THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH-1960-In Puerto Rico Harold Gern (Anthony Carbone) hides out with his unhappy wife Evelyn (Betsy Jones-Moreland) because he’s been indicated. At a cock fight they are joined by his lawyer Martin Joyce (Edward Wain better known as Robert Towne who also wrote the screenplay). After they go scuba diving they find it hard to breathe. Then they discover their boat driver dead. 

They head back to town and see lots of dead bodies. It becomes apparent that the trio has survived the apocalypse. They hightail it to a secluded villa near a beach and tensions rise due to the two men one woman situation. There's a lot of talk in this 3 day wonder producer/ director Roger Corman made quickly after wrapping CREATURE FROM THE HAUNTED SEA (also with Cardone) and THE BATTLE OF BLOOD ISLAND. Strange tragic yet hopeful ending. 

Music by Ronald Stein. It was released on a double bill with THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS. Most copies are in black and white but a faded color version exists at The Internet Archive.

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War! What Is It Good For?

SUICIDE BATTALION-AIP-1958 -B-movie genius Edward L. Cahn stikes again with this strange comedy drama set in the Pacific during WW2.

Hardnose Mike Conners leads the title squad which includes John Ashley and Russ Bender. Much of the film concerns the exploits of the troop while partying at a local watering hole (including Ashley courting a native girl). War is fun!!

Stock footage (of both US and Japanese armies, some of it quite graphic) abounds. When the mission finally gets underway the squad has a woman reporter (Jewell Lain) with them too! A lot of the usual soul searching ensues before they must destroy a captured base and retrieve some secret files. Connors (who starred in his first TV show TIGHTROPE the next year) even has time to fight a rival Lieutenant (Bing “Father Of Kurt” Russell) for the reporter’s affections. It’s fairly violent for the time and of course nearly everyone (except the leads) dies.

A narrator tells of a “cunning and savage enemy” and “the power crazed Japanese”, so obviously by ’58, the wounds of WW 2 still hadn’t closed.

SB was written by AIP vet Lou Rusoff (see CAT GIRL entry) and produced by Samuel Z. Arkoff. Music by Ronald Stein. Also starring Scott Peters, Walter Maslow, John McNamara and Sammee Tong.
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