One Step into The New Year!

ONE STEP BEYOND (original title: ALCOA PRESENTS ONE STEP BEYOND) was an anthology series that ran on ABC TV from 1959 to 1961. It debuted a few months before CBS's THE TWILIGHT ZONE. Self assured, almost cocky host John Newland directed all 96 epsidodes of a three season run. All the stories were suppose to have been based on real events. One episode in the third season “The Sacred Mushroom” dealt with hallucinogenic fungi and it's said Newland actually ingested several which was filmed for the episode. I haven't seen it yet but it's on Youtube.

THE BRIDE POSSESSED-Episode 1-1959-A new bride (Virgina Leith;THE THING THAT COULDN'T DIE) driving with her husband (Skip Homeier) on their honeymoon takes on the characteristics of a woman who committed suicide in a nearby town. It seems she's come back to prove her suicide was actually murder. Harry Townes plays a doctor who tries to help. Co-scripter Larry Marcus wrote for several TV shows and penned some TV movies. He was later nominated for an Academy Award for writing THE STUNT MAN (1980)

NIGHT OF APRIL 14th-Episode-2-1959-A new bride (Barbara Lord) has strange dreams about a ship at sea. Later her husband (Patrick MacNee) books passage on the Titanic. A minister also paints a prophetic picture. You know how it ends. Marjorie Eaton plays a housekeeper. After it ends Newland explains the similarities between the real Titanic incident and a fictional novel “The Wreck of The Titan: Or Futility” by Morgan Robinson written 15 years before. Writer Collier Young (who later also produced the series) was once married to actress/director Ida Lupino and wrote the screenplays for 4 of her films

EMERGENCY ONLY-Episode 3-1959-At a cocktail party a woman (Jocelyn Brando) reads the palm of a skeptical man (Lin McCarthey). Her prediction seems to say that he will be murdered by a woman on a train. Most of what she says comes true except for the twist ending conclusion. Paula Raymond THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS), Bill Quinn and Ross Elliot are also featured.

THE DEAD PART OF THE HOUSE-Episode 9-1959-A man (Phillip Abbott) who hasn't gotten over the death of his wife takes his neglected daughter (Mimi Gibson) to live with his sister (Joanne Linville). Three dolls and a haunted room help the man to love his daughter again. Phillip Ahn plays their servant. Scriptwriter Michael Plant also wrote the Jack the Ripper film that was part of the unsold THE VEIL TV series (hosted by Boris Karloff).

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!!!!

Tombstone

TOMBSTONE TERRITORY-Another TV western that ran from 1957 to 1960 . It took place in Tombstone, Arizona, "the town too tough to die" and was supposedly based on actual stories taken from The Epitaph, the real town newspaper. Pat Conway starred as the swaggering smirking sheriff Clay Hollister who has his hands full keeping law and order while occasionally feeling bad about killing someone. Robert Eastham played Harris Claibourne, the owner of the newspaper and narrator of each episode. The catchy theme song was composed and sung by Richard Backer. Most of the stories aren't too special but of course there are enough guest stars to keep it interesting. They include John Carradine, Lon Chaney Jr., John Anderson, Anthony Caruso, James Coburn, Jack Elam, Michael Landon, Leonard Nimoy, Angie Dickerson and Elisha Cook.

Thanks fo readin', partner!

Three Into One

RED LINE-2013-Survivors of a terrorist attack on a subway in LA try to find a way to escape but mostly fight with each other, emote personal stories and torture a guy the others think is a terrorist. It turns out one of them is. But who? (As in “who cares?”) It was directed by Robert Kirbyson and the only actor I really knew in the cast was John Billinsley.

PERFECT CREATURE-2006-This horror film about a human cop and a vampire cop teaming up to fight vampires in New Zealand. Dougray Scott (who almost played Wolverine in the original X-Men movie) is the vampire fuzz. It sucks..really...not good...

THE COOL ONES-1967-Unhip musical comedy about an eccentric English millionaire Tony Crumb (Roddy McDowell) who promotes a young female singer (Debbie Watson) and a washed up rock and roller(Gil Petersen). Phil Harris, Nita Talbot, Mrs. Miller and Glen Campbell are also in it as well bands like The Leaves and The Bantams. It's very dumb. Busy TV director Gene Nelson (also an actor) made this a couple of years after directing Elvis in HARUM SCARUM.

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Savage Shaw Brothers

THE SAVAGE FIVE-1974-Shaw Bros martial arts period piece (directed by Chen Chang) obviously inspired by The Magnificent Seven. When bandits take over a peaceful town three locals (David Chiang, Ti Lung and Chen Kuang-tai) and a thief (Danny Lee) band together to fight them. They do alright at first but then the bandits' boss arrives with a revolver and it's a little harder. Eventually they kill all the bandits but die in the process.

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More Shaw

ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN-1967-After his father is killed, Kang (Yu Wang) is taken in by a master swordsman and trains at his school. Years pass and he becomes the master's best student much to the chagrin of the other students including the master's daughter Pei (Yin-Tze Pan). In a fit of rage she chops off Kang's arm. He wanders away and is found by Xiao Man (Lisa Chiao Chiao) who nurses him back to health.. At first he's bitter but later he trains with his father's broken sword and goes about his business. Rival master swordsmen Smiling Face (Tang Ti) and Old Long Arm (Yeung Chi-hing) want to wipe out the master swordsman's school using a new weapon called a sword lock. When Pei is kidnapped, Kang saves her. This unfortunately causes some problems for Xiao Man and Kang but then he professes his love for her. Long Arm's forces attack the school and kill many of his students (one guy commits suicide). Just when things look bad Kang shows up (after killing Smiling Face with the help this dad's short sword) and kills Long Arm.. He goes back to Xiao Man leaving Pei angry and broken hearted. 

Thanks to veteran director Chang Chen it has excellent sword fights and some gore. Star Yu Wang was known in the US as Jimmy Wang. ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN was a box office winner for The Shaw Brothers and the first Hong Kong film to gross 1 million dollars! Followed by a great sequel RETURN OF THE ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN and a third unrelated entry THE NEW ONE ARMED SWORDSMAN. All three are highly recommended!

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Semi-Silent

THE IRON MASK-1929-This is a 1950's re-release of the famous (mostly) silent sequel to The Three Musketeers starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr as D'Artagnan. It features new music and narration by Douglas Fairbanks Jr. The two sound sequences are part of the original print. It features great camera work and stunts and the last scene (which also seems to be bidding good bye to the silent era) is memorable. Director Allan Dwan was already a seasoned pro in 1929 as he began his career in 1911! He and Fairbanks also contributed to the screenplay credited to Lotta Woods (who worked on previous films with Fairbanks).

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Inner Sanctum #4

THE FROZEN GHOST-1945-Radio hypnotist Gregor the Great (Lon Chaney) believes he killed a man through his hypnotism act. After much soul searching he comes to believe he's losing his mind so his  manager George (Milburn Stone) suggests he take a job helping Madame Monet (Tala Birell) at her wax museum. Naturally trouble brews between Monet and Greg's girlfriend Maura (Evelyn Ankers) and then between Rudi (Martin Kosleck), the weird sculptor and Gregor over the affections of Monet's niece Nina (Elena Verdugo; Chaney's romantic lead in HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN the year before). Later Monet disappears and Greg thinks he killed her. A cynical Shakespeare loving police captain Brant (Douglas Dumbrille) investigates and at one point says "I'm not paid to think". When Nina discovers her aunt's corpse in a wax display she's chased by a knife packing Rudi but comes to suspect Greg when she sees him with aunt's scarf. Soon it's revealed that George and Rudi are in league to drive Greg crazy. Fortunately Gregor and Brant devise a plan and arrive just in time to save Nina from being burned alive. 

This was the fourth of six “Inner Sanctum” miseries, I mean mysteries. It's ok but the story and direction are kind of slipshod. Harold Young had directed Chaney earlier in 1942's THE MUMMY'S TOMB and later made THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE (the last of the Paula Duree/ape woman series). A drunk at the beginning of the film is played (un-billed) by Arthur Hohl (Montgomery from ISLAND OF LOST SOULS).

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