Swimmer vs. Swimmer

 

 (imdb)

SWAMP FIRE-1946-Johnny Duval (Johnny Weissmuller) returns from the war to his home on the Louisiana delta. Everyone is very happy to see him, especially his girl Toni (Carol Thurston). One guy who doesn't like him is Mike (Buster Crabbe with a Cajun accent). Johnny can't return to his old job as a bat pilot though because during the war he commanded a ship that was lost. He blames himself (though nobody else does) and has lost his confidence as a pilot. He also meets Janet Hilton (Virginia Grey; see my "Dino-Men" entry), the spoiled rich daughter whose father (Pierre Watkin) Duval helps out. Later Janet and Toni have a fight at a dance. 

Then one foggy night Duval's ship is involved in a crash with another ship and Toni's father (Pedro de Cordoba) is killed. Duval hits the bottle. After he's hit by a truck, Janet takes him in, distancing him from Toni by forbidding her phone calls and tearing up her letters. Later, when Duval learns of Janet's treachery (she claims to be in love with him), he leaves her. When Mike sets the swamp on fire, he accidentally shoots Toni. Duval rescues her but there's a final watery fight between the two former Olympic swimmers. Guess who wins? 

Fairly standard love triangle drama with Buster Crabbe in a good villain role and Weissmuller unfortunately proving why this was his only lead movie role outside of Tarzan & Jungle Jim. David Janssen and I. Standford Jolley have uncredited roles. This was one of seven movies Crabbe made in 1946. All the rest were westerns. Director William Pine was better known as a producer (ONE BODY TOO MANY (1944) with Lugosi).

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Rondo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE OF HORRORS-1946-Universal's second outing featuring the famed Rondo Hatton as the murdering “Creeper” (after the Sherlock Holmes entry PEARL OF DEATH). He's rescued from a watery death by mad sculptor Marcel (Martin Kosleck; usually a Nazi in many films in the '40's) who wants him as a model for his greatest masterpiece. At night Rondo does his rounds (Virginia Christine plays his first victim), breaking the spines of women but he also takes time to kill a pompous art critic (Alan Napier) who ridiculed Marcel's work. A commercial artist Steve Morrow (Robert Lowery; future Caped Crusader in the BATMAN & ROBIN serial 3 years later)) comes under the suspicion of a deluded police lieutenant (Bill Goodwin). Morrow's girlfriend Joan (Virginia Grey, a busy actress in the '40's)) is another critic who discovers the secret alliance. When Rondo discovers Marcel might betray him it all goes down the drain. Rondo gets shot in the finale but doesn't seem to die (probably because Universal plan to use the character again). Joan Fulton (later Shawlee) appears as a doomed model and the great Byron Foulger is an almost buyer of one of Marcel's statues until dissuaded by Napier.

 

HOUSE OF HORRORS isn't seen much today and would probably totally forgotten if not for the presence of the Rondo Hatton who does an impressive job of trying to be sinister but in fact often comes off as a sorrowful guy done in by his natural appearance (of course in real life the actor was afflicted with acromegaly). Perhaps this was director Jean Yarbrough's intention but since the Creeper's pastime is coldly breaking the backs of innocent people I doubt it. The fast but fairly competent Yarbrough would also direct Hatton in his final feature THE BRUTE MAN later in the year. Universal had planned to exploit Hatton as a new horror star based on his affliction but he died later in 1946 before his final film was released.

 

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Jungle Jim Jumps In

JUNGLE JIM-Columbia-1948-After winning 5 Olympic gold medals as a swimmer Johnny Weissmuller played Tarzan in movies from 1932-1948.

Later in '48 he began the Jungle Jim series. It would mark his only other film appearances (not counting a cameo in 1976's WON TON TON: THE DOG THAT SAVED HOLLYWOOD). This one is the first and I'd say the best but basicly all Jungle Jim adventures were the same: Mystery surrounds some ancient tribe or temple. A woman photographer or reporter comes to investigate. Jim leads an expedition and saves the party two or three times. He also usually manages to expose a party member with an ulterior motive.

This one is also noteworthy as it features future TV "Superman" George Reeves as the party member with the ulterior motive. It also stars Virgina Grey as the female investigator. Grey had a pretty prolific and diverse acting career. She was in THE BIG STORE with The Marx Bros., HOUSE OF HORRORS with Rondo Hatton, MEXICAN HAYRIDE with Abbott and Costello, UNKNOWN ISLAND and TARGET EARTH among others! Later on in the series Jim had a chimp companion named Tama or Kama or something like that. Here however he has a smart but mischievous crow who is only a little less annoying...

Oh yeah, and I don't know where this African jungle is that Jim prowls around in but all the natives are white or Asian!

But then JJ was produced by Sam Katzman who was responsible for hundreds of Columbia cheapies, some good...some not so good...

Director William Berke made lots of B-movies including the first DICK TRACY feature. His last was THE LOST MISSILE in 1958.

For the last 3 movies the Jungle Jim persona was dropped and Weissmuller played himself! There was also a short lived TV series in 1955 but this may have only been a pilot.

Grant Withers starred in a 1936 serial also entitled Jungle Jim but I'm not sure if it was actually the same character.

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