The Un-Lost Clown

 

 (imdb)

FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT-2024-This documentary looks into the stories surrounding the making of THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED with a long interview (shown in segments) with director Jerry Lewis. Besides concentrating on the movie it's part biography focusing on Martin & Lewis, his other movies, Jerry Lewis theaters, etc. He talks a lot and others praise the film (like Martin Scorsese who hasn't even seen it). Some dismiss it (like Harry Shearer who had seen it). Later Lewis condemns it. It puts to rest some main rumors. The film wasn't locked away in some vault in Berlin. It was not lost or even unfinished. Lewis had a complete unedited working copy in his own vault. Much of the movie is shown (including the ending) and there's even production films. You can see Anton Diffring as the camp captain. Many people clamber for its release but see this first before you take a side.

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Hammer Rival

THE BEAST MUST DIE-1974-In this Amicus production (at the the time Amicus was the chief rival to Hammer) an eccentric millionaire Tom Newcliffe (top billed Calvin Lockhart) gathers eight people to his estate (which is wired with cameras and overseen by Anton Diffring). He claims that one of them is a werewolf and plans to hunt it when one of the guests transforms during an anticipated full moon. His lover Caroline is played by Marlene Clark (who co-starred in GANJA AND HESS the year before). Peter Cushing is featured as one of the eight, a werewolf expert with a German accent. Charles Gray, Michael Gambon and Ciaran Madden are also featured. 

There's a lot of debating over who is the werewolf while Newcliffe waits for the chance to hunt down his prey. The werewolf this time however is an animal not the usual man in make-up wolf. Near the end a clock appears on the screen to give viewers the chance to decide who is the wolf. It's based on a novel by James Blish. 

Director Paul Arnett did mostly BBC TV before and after this.   

Cushing was in no less than 7 films in 1974 including MADHOUSE (with Vincent Price) and LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES. 

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TV Frankenstein

TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN-1958-This is the pilot for a series co-produced by Hammer Films and Columbia Pictures. German born actor Anton Diffring is Baron Frankenstein trying to create life in his laboratory. A dying artist (familiar TV actor Richard Bull) and his wife (Helen Wescott) want the Baron to help save his life but he refuses. When the artist dies Frankenstein steals his brain and uses it in his monster (stuntman-actor Don Megowan, in make-up resembling Universal's except he has no neck bolts).

When the monster awakes after his latest transplant he turns on the his creator and goes after his former wife. He dies by falling into an open grave after seeing his reflection. It's only 28 mins. long so it moves pretty fast but it's well done and an interesting look at an early TV horror tale. Ludwig Stossel and Peter Brocco are also in it. 

Hammer head honcho Michael Carrerras is listed as producer (TOF was made in between the first two Hammer Frankenstein movies). Director Curt Siodmak (who worked on several films in Universal's original Frankenstein series) does manage to give it a certain "classic" feel despite time and budget drawbacks. Siodmak also directed several episodes of the mysterious 13 DEMON STREET see:http://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2009/07/lon-is-messing-with-devil.html . It was written by Henry Kutter and his wife CL Moore, who later became successful Sci-Fi/fantasy authors. 

One story goes that the pilot never went anywhere because the two studios (I've also read Screen Gems not Columbia was the other studio) disagreed on the future of the series.

Thanks for reading (and Thanks again to my pal Tony for getting me this !)