The Secret Word Is Holdout...

THE HOLDOUT-1962-This is an interesting find! I've read about it but never saw it till recently. It's a half an hour drama, part of The General Electric Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan.

 It's about two college students (Dennis Hooper and Brooke Hayward; married in real life at the time) who want to get married immediately and not wait for  graduation. Her mom (Dorothy Green) is all for it but dad (Groucho Marx in his only really non-comedy role) is opposed to it. Not the marriage but the timing. He believes they should wait, graduate and land jobs so they can live independently of their parents. His father (Fred Clark) disagrees which puts a strain on his friendship with Groucho, who plays it straight but delivers some funny "Groucho" type lines in a non "Groucho" way. 

Director Charles Haas was a busy TV director at the time. It was written by novelist Max Erlich.

Mad Dog -No Bite

MAD DOG COLL-1961-I've read that this low budget bio of the infamous gangster with the really cool name is inaccurate but what isn't?

It opens with scenes from the movie shown in negative over the credits after Coll (John Chandler in his film debut) machine guns the headstone on his father's grave! A stripper named Cleo (Kay Doubleday) narrates the story. Coll is an abused mamma's boy beaten up by other kids. He becomes a punk in a gang (with an "equalizer" monkey wrench). When a gang member says "You didn't have to hit him so hard", he replies "I'm practising to be a father". He organizes a real gang (with a young Jerry Orbach) and horns in on Dutch Schutz (Vincent Gardenia). Brooke Hayward plays his nominal love interest. Coll is a ruthless kill crazy thug who's trail is dogged by a Shakespeare reading detective (Telly Savalas). He kills some kids and a cop and during a kidnapping caper he rants about killing his father. He never really becomes the kingpin he dreams of being and at 23 he's gunned down in a drugstore. His last words are "...hate...I hate..."!

Director Burt Balaban also made MURDER INC and the seldom seen DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL rip-off STRANGER FROM VENUS.

Star Chandler had supporting roles in many films later on including PAT GARRETT AND BILLY THE KID, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, CHESTY ANDERSON,USN and PHANTASM 3. Hayward (the daughter of actress Margaret Sullavan) was married to Dennis Hopper at the time and late wrote the book "Haywire".



The real Mad Dog!

Thanks for reading!