They're Back!

THE GANG’S ALL HERE-1941-Once again Frankie Darro is “teamed” with Mantan Moreland, this time in the trucking business. Pop Wallace (Robert Homans) is finding it hard to get drivers. His mechanic Chick (Jackie Moran) hires Frankie (Darro) and Jeff (Moreland) to drive a rig to Fresno. Unbeknownst to them “Pop” has been in cahoots with a crooked lawyer to collect insurance money. The duo due a pretty good job but almost get fired anyway. Wallace's daughter Patsy (Marcia Mae Jones; also in LET'S GO COLLEGIATE with Darro & Moreland) pretends to be sweet on Frankie to make Chick jealous. In an unusual turn a green horn Asian American named George Lee (Keye Luke; also in LET'S GO COLLEGIATE) is actually an investigator for an insurance company. Although Frankie insults and bosses Jeff most of the time they do use teamwork at the climax. 

This was one of several Monogram programmers director Jean Yarbrough made featuring Darro who sometimes acts like a third rate Leo Gorcey and not very likable especially when teamed with the outrageously funny Moreland.

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More Darro and Moreland

LET'S GO COLLEGIATE-1941-A star athlete Bob Terry is supposed to arrive at Raleigh college and help the rowing team. Unfortunately he’s drafted. This puts a damper on the hope of having a championship and students Frankie Monahan (Frankie Darro), Tad (Jackie Moran) and Buck Wing (Keye Luke) are quite depressed. The girls on campus led by Bess (Marcia Mae Jones) and Midge (Gale Storm) are so excited that the losers are afraid to tell them. They get a guy named Herc (Frank Sully) to impersonate Terry. Then they can't get rid of him so they try to make him into a rower. There are several songs but Mantan Moreland as Jeff is wasted. Barton Yarbourough (I LOVE A MYSTERY) is their coach and Tristram Coffin is Slugger. 

Work horse director Jean Yarbrough made KING OF THE ZOMBIES (also with Moreland) the same year. Later he directed four Abbott & Costello movies (and all the episodes of their great TV series), Rondo Hatton in HOUSE OF HORRORS and THE BRUTE MAN, The Bowery Boys and many TV episodes.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4609335177952045780/6557514618581060655?hl=en

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Up There

UP IN THE AIR-1940-Comedy drama/murder mystery set in a radio studio. When the vain, pain in the ass Rita Wilson (Lorna Gray), star of a popular radio show is killed, Frankie, a page (Frankie Darro) and Jeff, a janitor (Mantan Moreland) team up to solve the murder. Some suspects include the show’s producer (Tris Coffin), cowboy Tex (Gordon Jones) and the radio company's boss RJ (Dick Elliot). At one point Frankie and Jeff perform a routine based on one that Moreland did with his real comedy team partner FE Miller, with Darro in black face. When their boss makes Darro clean his face, Moreland says “Don't touch me. I don't rub off.'' Rita's replacement is newcomer Anne (Marjorie Reynolds). When the killer is found out Moreland foils his plan of escape (though accidentally). 

This was one of several short movies Darro and Moreland starred in together. Director Howard Bretheton directed mostly westerns and the Charlie Chan mystery THE TRAP.

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Crazy Caper Spoof

THE MANCHU EAGLE MURDER MYSTERY CAPER-1975-Malcolm (Gabriel Dell who co-wrote the screenplay), a chicken farmer turned private investigator gets involved with something called “The Manchu Eagle” after Oscar (Dick Gautier), his milkman is killed by a bow and arrow. Malcolm talks in over serious cliched dialogue in this obvious take off on THE MALTESE FALCON. He and his assistant (Sorrell Brooke) encounter dopey Big Daddy (Vincent Gardenia) who keeps his daughter Arlevia (Anjanette Comer from THE BABY) in hiding. He has a hypochondriac wife (Joyce Van Patten) and a pill popping doctor (Will Geer). To top it all off Jackie Coogan and Huntz Hall (Dell's ex-Bowery Boys-Dead End Kids comrade)  are cops! It's not very funny. 

Director Dean Hargrove was later an executive producer of TV shows (DIAGNOSIS: MURDER, McBRIDE, JANE DOE). 

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Carnival

GIRL ON THE RUN-1953-Bill (Richard Coogan) and Janet (Rosemary Pettit) are hiding out in a seedy carnival after he’s been framed for murder. Janet hangs out with the show girls while Bill prowls around the grounds. A corrupt politician Reeves (Harry Bannister) framed Bill for the murder of his newspaper editor boss. Reeves also clashes with Blake (Charles Bolender), the little person cigar smoking carnival manager. 

The story isn't much in this low budget production but there's lots of exotic dancing and keep a sharp eye out for Steve McQueen in his first film appearance. The two credited directors Arthur J. Beckhard and Joseph Lee didn't do much else. 

Star Coogan had been the original Captain Video on TV before being replaced by Al Hodge the actor who became most known for the role. Coogan later starred in the TV western THE CALIFORNIANS.

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Back On Milligan's Island...

THE WEIRDO-1989-Quiet loner Donnie (Steve Burlingtopn) is bullied and beaten up by some redneck refugees from a Ted Nugent concert. He lives in a shed owned by the kindly elderly Mrs. Martins (Naomi Sherwood) who’s friend’s daughter Lisa (Lynee Angus) is staying with her. “Donnie’s alright. He’s just not all there”. He gets very excited watching Lisa take a bubble bath. Later he has a crazy conversation with a girl named Jenny (Jessica Straus) who walks with a limp. They start to hang out together. On his way to deliver some clothes to a church Donnie is once again beat up by white trash inc. but Jenny shows up to help him. At the church the perverted minister warns Jenny not to hang out with Donnie then puts a move on her but she rejects him and tells him off. While drinking milk the couple kiss but Donnie comes on too strong and Jenny runs. 

Later when she calms down she tells Donnie when she was 14 she was raped by a classmate. After they have sex, Donnie has to visit his mother an alcoholic floozy who insults him and winds up whipping him but Donnie turns the tables and chops off her head with meat cleaver. When a guy with a straitjacket comes to take Donnie away he’s killed by shovel. When the minister’s wife questions Donnie about sex with Jenny, he puts a large cross through her. He strangles and electrocutes the perverted minister. Even kindly Mrs. Martins turns against him and he burns her to death.

The funniest stupidest part is when one female character in a dinner explains about the killings. When a vigilante mob gets together it’s like some modern day inbred brain damaged version of a mob from a Universal horror film! Donnie also cuts the throat of one of his attackers and cuts off his hands. (It's not an Andy Milligan movie if someone doesn't lose a hand) The dysfunctional gang (young, old, a guy in a suit & tie) seem to beat Donnie to death. After finding his body Jenny asks “Why can't people be nice to each other?”. But upon bringing a cop to Donnie’s dead body they only discover his bloody jacket. With a strange smile on her face Jenny wanders off to look for her love.... 

This is by far the best looking of  Andy Milligan’s horror movies. The acting by the two leads is ok but it still suffers from the usual Milligan flaws: bad editing, bad acting, ludicrous script and of course gory but phony looking sfx. Filmed by director/writer Milligan in Los Angeles instead of his usual stomping ground Staten Island. The same year he made another movie SURGIKILL which would be his last. He passed away in 1991.

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Andy's Not Dandy

CARNAGE-1984-A newlywed couple, Carol (Leslie Den Dooven) and Jonathan (Michael Chiodo) move into their new house where three years before a husband killed his bride and himself on their wedding night. Weird things happen. A gas stove goes on by itself, kitchen utensils move around and a phone hangs itself up. There's useless scenes of a mother and daughter talking about marriage and pregnancy. Then Rose (Lola Ross), the new housekeeper is terrorized by the laughing ghost of the dead bride. She tells Rose to leave and begins to strangle her. Rose winds up comatose but wakes long enough to cut her own throat. 

After more useless talk about marriage, two would he burglars break into the basement and are confronted by the insane laughing blood smeared bride ghost. 

One burglar has his hand cut off (typical Andy Milligan cheesy sfx) and the other is strangled and disemboweled,although there's little blood. The next day (?) two couples come for a housewarming party. While one guy can't seem to take a shower, his wife is visited by the ghost bride. Later at the party a rug mysteriously moves causing one woman to fall and get glass in her arms. Then a guy is electrocuted in a bathtub and the next scene is his church funeral. When Jonathan's secretary stops by, her head is chopped off. Then a priest tries to help but gets a neat cleaver in his head. In the end the ghost couple make Carol and Jonathan commit murder/suicide the way they did. 

I don't mind low budget horror movies with bad acting and cheesy sfx but this movie has so much talk unrelated to the plot that it’s ridiculous and boring! Filmed in Staten Island by writer/ director Milligan.

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Nabonga!

NABONGA-1944-A crook named Stockton (Herbert Rawlinston) is fleeing the police with his young daughter Doreen (Jackie Newfield). During a storm they crash land in the jungle. Stockwell kills the pilot and Doreen finds a wounded gorilla (it was shot by the search party). Later in a jungle village, a mysterious guy named Ray Gorman (Buster Crabbe) is looking for a “white witch” said to live in some forbidden mountains. He and a local named Tobo (Prince Modupe) go off to find her. 

Meanwhile bad guy Karl (Barton McLane) and his moll Maria (Fifi D'Orsay) lead their own safari to find her. Of course the witch is the now grown up Doreen (Julie London) who has a gorilla (named Samson played by Crash Corrigan) for her protector and Gorman is looking for the money Stockton stole from his father's company causing his old man to commit suicide. Unfortunately when the duo find the plane, the gorilla kills Tobo and later traps Gorman in a cave but Doreen saves him. Despite the presence of the killer 'rilla the dialogue between Doreen and Gorman is intentionally humorous. Maria arrives on the scene making Doreen jealous and helping Gorman build a trap to cage Samson. When it works Gorman combs Doreen’s cave looking for the loot and Maria gets Karl. Later Karl gets his paws on the loot and leaves Gorman for dead (after they have a sped up fist fight). He dumps Maria when he meets Doreen. Dumb cluck Maria releases Samson from the trap and it kills her. It's then shot and killed by Karl but not before Samson kills him. This PRC production is very slow going and not much happens. 

Director Sam Newfield also made THE MONSTER MAKER and I ACCUSE MY PARENTS the same year (along with with 9 other features!). It's his young daughter who plays Doreen as a child. As was usual his brother Sigmund Neufeld was the producer.

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Cobra Chan

THE SHANGHAI COBRA-1945-Charlie Chan is called in by an old friend to help stop “The Cobra Killer” who uses snake venom. All three victims worked for the same bank. Chan relates a flashback at the bombing of Shanghai when he assisted in the arrest of a murderer named Jan Van Horn who's disfigured during the bombings. Unfortunately Van Horn escaped and has a new face. The president of the bank Fletcher (Ray Gordon) seems a likely subject because of a white streak in his hair (Van Horn had one too). Chan also checks up on a stock of radium the bank has. Later he investigates PI Ned Stewart (James Cardwell) who was hired by a mysterious Mr. Rodgers to shadow a woman, Paula Webb (Joan Barclay) who seems to have some connection to a bank guard (Addison Richards). Then a police detective posing as a janitor (Cyril Delavanti) disappears. Morgan (Gene Roth) and Taylor (Joe Devlin) are two suspicious characters hanging around. Tommy (Benson Fong) and Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) get into some trouble in the sewer beneath the bank but do help out a bit. After almost dying in a sewer cave-in Charlie exposes the ringleader. James Flavin and George Chandler have small roles.

Director Phil Karlson made DARK ALIBI the next year and later KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL and THE PHENIX CITY STORY, a TV movie ALEXANDER THE GREAT with William Shatner & Adam West, two Matt Helm/Dean Martin entries and WALKING TALL.

Next up: DARK ALIBI:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4609335177952045780/7392331601685477603?hl=en

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Chan On The Air

THE SCARLET CLUE-1945-This time Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is on the trail of spies who want to steal radar plans. While he and a local police Capt. Flynn (Robert Homans) find a spy they were tailing dead, it seems the murderer drove off in a stolen car belonging to radio actress Diana Hall (Helen Deveareaux) and her friend Gloria (Janet Shaw). A footprint leads Charlie to believe that the killer works at the radio station. He’s right! The manager Bret (I. Stanford Jolley) is the killer but he takes his orders from someone who communicates by a telegram machine. When Gloria tries to blackmail Bret she dies from poisoning. When Chan connects Bret to the murder the manager falls to his death from a trapdoor in an elevator! There's also a scientific contraption that simulates different types of weather. On an “experimental” TV program Jack Norton does a drunk routine but is poisoned before he can give Charlie any info. This story features a lot of science tech and talk about TV. 

THE SCARLET CLUE also features no. 3 son Tommy (Benson Fong) who messes up several times and Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) who does 2 routines with his real life vaudeville partner Ben Carter. (They also do this in DARK ALIBI). Phil Rosen was once again in the director's chair. Followed by THE SHANGHAI COBRA.

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More Chan!

THE JADE MASK-1945-A scientist named Harper (Frank Reicher) has a gas that can turn wood into metal. Naturally the US government is interested in it. So are its enemies. Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is called in by a local police chief (Henry Hall) to investigate when Harper goes missing. There's enough suspects. A loyal but abused butler Roth (Cyril Delevanti), Harper's assistant Meeker (Hardie Albright), sister Louise (Edith Evanson), housemaid Jean Kent (Janet Warren), Stella Graham (Dorothy Granger) who was assisting Harper on another project and mute handyman/chauffeur Michael Strong (Lester Dorr). Charlie's later joined by number 4 son Eddie (Edwin Luke; the real life brother of Keye) and Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland),who actually stops the murderer from escaping. 

Phil Rosen was back as director and keeps it moving. THE SCARLET CLUE followed.

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Chan's Magic

BLACK MAGIC aka MEETING AT MIDNIGHT-1944-With his boss Charlie Chan going back to Hawaii, Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland) gets a job as a domestic servant at the home of a medium named William Bonnar (Richard Gordon). During a seance in which Chan's daughter Frances (Frances Chan) is attending Bonnar is shot and killed after a mysterious voice asks him where he was on Oct. 5 1935. Police Sgt. Matthews (Joseph Crehan) arrives on the scene and soon the great detective (Sidney Toler) is involved. No gun can be found and there's no bullet in the body! While Charlie does his investigation, Frances and Birmingham do their own. 

Suspects include Nancy Wood (Helen Beverley) who's father was driven to suicide by Bonnar, his jealous wife Justine (Jacqueline deWit) who's in cahoots with a couple who provide effects for the seance, Edwards (Harry Depp) a guy who makes magic props, Hamlin (Paul Jacquet) also being blackmailed by Bonnar and jilted mistress Harriet Greene (Geraldine Wall). 

After Mrs. Bonnar in a trace state jumps off a building to her death Chan discovers she was under the influence of a powerful drug and hypnotized. Later he's drugged and hypnotized and almost commits suicide. Matthews more competent assistant Rafferty (Ralph Petters) helps out. Chan reveals the murderer and murder weapon at his own seance. 

A not bad mystery that again can't help but throw in some racist humor with Moreland but uses Chan's daughter to good effect and should have used her in future stories. Director Phil Rosen directed many more in the series. For it's re-release the title was changed to MEETING AT MIDNIGHT to avoid confusion with another film called “Black Magic” starring Orson Welles.

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Next in the series: THE JADE MASK

More Jungle Bungle

THE BEAST OF BORNEO-1934-On an expedition in Borneo to find the elusive “orang-utan”, explorer Bob Ward (John Preston) finds and adopts a baby ape. Back in London, “celebrated Anglo Russian” scientist Dr. Boris Borodoff (Eugene Sigaloff) needs an orange ape for an experiment. When he learns the expedition can't secure one, he goes himself with assistant Alma Thorne (Mae Stuart). In Borneo Borodoff meets Ward and wants to hire him to catch an “orang” but Ward refuses (he doesn't capture animals for science). Somehow he changes his mind and the three venture into hostile territory with a bunch of natives. Borndoff professes his love for Alma and is jealous when she and Ward become close.

 After 3 weeks they trap a huge orang in a tree. They lure him out with fruit spiked with Gordon's Gin (the label is prominently displayed). But one of the crew is killed and the natives desert the white people. When Ward learns the professor wants to cut open the ape’s brain (although he promised not to) he decides to free it so Borondoff knocks him out. The orang escapes and takes Ward. Borondoff tells Alma Ward is dead but she doesn't believe him. Her efforts to find him fail and she and her boss prepare to leave. But then Borondoff decides to do his operation on Ward's baby monkey Joe which Alma will have none of. She flees into the jungle, finds Ward alive and the evil professor is mauled to death by the adult orang. 

Later jungle drums say a rescue party is coming for the survivors. This thing moves at a snail's pace, could be missing a scene or two and the acting is pretty stiff. Especially annoying is actor Sigloff's heavy accent. Stock footage was left over from EAST OF BORNEO. The orang makes some weird noises. Director Harry Garson made many films in the silent era and continued into sound but developed heart trouble and died in 1938 making only one more film after THE BEAST OF BORNEO.

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In The Big Year Of 1931

EAST OF BORNEO-1931-In this early Carl Laemmle produced “talking picture”, a young woman Linda Randolph (Rose Hobart) comes to Borneo looking for her husband Dr. Allen Randolph (Charles Bickford). It turns out Randolph is now using a new name and 300 miles away. Since she's his wife she needs to make the journey despite the warnings that it's no trip for a white woman alone. Nevertheless she sets out with a kind of huge crew led by Hrang (Testu Komai) and sees stock footage of crocodiles, lions, hyena and an orangutan family. At night a giant python visits but does no harm. Then a leopard attacks and mauls one of the white crew. Hubby Dr. Randolph is a drunk chess playing companion to Hashim, the prince of Naruda. Randolph seems to be down on women and doesn't know his better half is searching for him. When Hashim (Georges Rentavent) learns a white woman is soon to arrive he decides to greet her even though Randolph asks him not to. Hashim welcomes Mrs. Randolph and invites her to dinner where she meets hubby who's plastered. 

Later the couple talk. Randolph doesn't want his wife because he believes she left him for another man, although she denies this saying that her relationship with this other man was merely platonic and only happened because of her husband's workaholic ways. Randolph has none of it and sends her away. Things don't go too well for the Mrs. after she sees a man eaten by crocodiles and a baby monkey killed by a tiger and she wants to leave. Then she accidentally ruins Randolph's experiment. He’s looking for an antitoxin for yellow fever. The prince seems desirous of the white woman and won't let her leave but in a fit of sober allegiance to his wife Randolph tries to help her escape. Of course they are recaptured and Randolph is set to become croc food but when the prince puts his moves on Linda she shoots him! He doesn't die and Randolph operates on him but the volcano erupts and Hashim is killed. The Randolphs get away. 

EAST OF BORNEO was made by Universal pictures the same year as the horror classics FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA but is forgotten today. There is a tenuous connection between this jungle romance and Dracula as Randolph's slave is played by Luptia Tovar (who died in 2016 at the age of 106!) who would play Mina in the Spanish language version of Dracula that was shot at night after Tod Browning’s version wrapped up for the day.

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Infra-Man!

THE SUPER INFRA-MAN-1975-In the future, a demonic princess Elzebub returns to wreak havoc on the Earth (particularly China; this is after all a Shaw Brothers production). After burning a few cities, she summons up some crazy monsters to do her bidding. She’s also assisted by some scantily clad cuties who have long fingers and eyeballs on their palms! Meanwhile a professor and his team find out about the invasion. The evil princess sends two strutting laughing monsters to capture one of the professor's men. The professor turns one of his guys into “Infra-Man” (Danny Lee), an “Ultra-Man” like superhero who arrives just in time to defeat a tentacled monster attacking the lab. The captured team member is turned into a green eyed human zombie who steals the Infra-Man plans. He has a fight with Bruce Le and then battle some monsters single-handedly. A crazy orange monster shoots cocoons. When it grows gigantic so does Infra Man! 

This is one crazy enjoyable live action superhero vs. monsters movie (whether you see it dubbed, sub-titled or even un-dubbed without subtitles, as I saw it recently) that delivers with cheesy anything goes effects. I wish they were still making movies like this. And why didn't The Shaw Bros. make a sequel?

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Pulgasari

PULGASARI-1985-In feudal Korea, a cruel governor makes all his subjects give up their iron so he can make weapons. An old metal worker is imprisoned and beaten for not cooperating. His future son in law Inde and his group of bandits fight back but are also imprisoned. Before he dies the old man creates a small statue of a creature and prays to the gods. After his death, his daughter Ami takes the figure home. While sewing she pricks her finger and some blood drops on the creature which immediately comes to life! It likes to eat metal and grows bigger as it does. It saves Inde from getting his head chopped off. Later after Inde’s mom and little bro are killed, he and bandits attack the governor's fortress. They win so the king orders General Fuan to crush them. 

The farmers flee to the hills for their last big encounter but Ami brings Pulgasari to help. The farmers give all their iron to it and it starts growing to Godzilla size. But Fuah has Ami captured and forces Pulgasari into a cage that's set a fire (it seems like an elaborate set up that they put together in no time). Pulgasari seems to die but reappears as a red hot monster that sends the army fleeing in terror. Later the farmers decide to attack first. The general comes up with another plan. Lure the monster into a giant hole (which the army dug again in no time!) and have an old priestess exorcise the monster (because the blacksmith’s spirit is in it). The exorcism features some colorfully dressed women dancers. Pulgasari falls into the hole and is buried under a hail of rocks. Inde is captured and hanged. However you can't keep a good monster down and Pulgasari escapes its rock prison to lead the farmers in an attack on the capital city. Despite making new weapons, Pulgasari destroys the enemy stronghold and crushes the king. Literally! 

With that out of the way, it turns its hunger for iron toward the farmers. “Our savior has become our enemy”. Ami seems to sacrifice her life to destroy the giant but in the end the spirit of the mini Pulgasari enters her body, though she doesn't appear to be alive. Fun giant monster film from Korea.

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