Friday the 13th, Full Moon, My Birthday...

It's time for comedy!!


THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH-1948-This was Abbott & Costello's first foray into independent film making (for Eagle-Lion). "The boys" play Ted (Bud) and Tommy (Lou) who work for the Speedy Window Washing Service. A bookie named Nick Craig, (Joseph Calleia) mistakes them for a delivery service and sends them to pick up $50,000 from a guy named Stewart (Ben Weldon). When Stewart sends two of his men to get the money back Tommy puts the money in an envelope and mails it to the Craig. Of course he gets the envelopes mixed up and the money winds up with a rich woman's secretary (Cathy Downs) who promptly spends most of it. They have ten hours to raise the money so that Craig can pay off the mysterious J C McBride (Leon Errol), a gambler who "never loses". Mike Mazurki plays one of Craig's henchman. One highlight of the story is a pool game between Costello and Errol (which features the routine "Mudder and Fodder"). Although Bud and Lou do many of their famous routines, Costello and Errol have a few funny bits together too.

THE NOOSE HANGS HIGH was probably an unusual name for this comedy. It was one of 8 Abbott and Costello movies Charles Barton directed. He made their classic ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN the same year. (Earlier Barton was assistant director on the Marx brothers' DUCK SOUP).  Cathy Downs later was in many low budget horror-Sci-Fi movies of the fifties like THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN and MISSILE TO THE MOON. NOOSE also features bits by Fritz Feld, Herb Vigran, Isabel Randolph and A & C's old pals Murray Leonard and Joe Kirk.

Thanks for reading!

Early AIP

THE PHANTOM FROM 10,000 LEAGUES-1955-A weird (man in a suit) sea monster with fins, fangs and big eyes terrorizes some a coastal fishing village. Dr. Stevens (Kent Taylor) investigates when one of the victims has radiation burns. He meets Prof. King (Michael Whalen, later in MISSILE TO THE MOON) who's conducting secretive experiments. Stevens becomes sweet on King's daughter (Cathy Downs) and worries about her safety after a meeting with the monster who is guarding a strange shaft of light.

Meanwhile the Prof.'s secretary (Vivi Janiss) blames King for the death of her son. Phil Pine plays the Prof.'s assistant who's actually working for a spy ring and tries to kill Stevens with a spear gun. This a good low budget horror time waster.

PHANTOM was released by American Releasing Corporation just before they changed their name to American International Pictures. Screenwriter Lou Rusoff wrote many great "B" movies in the '50's including THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED which played on a double bill with PHANTOM.

Director Dan Milner was mostly a film editor but also made FROM HELL IT CAME (with his brother Jack who was PHANTOM's producer) two years later. Music is by the great Roland Stein.

Thanks for reading!

The She Creature

THE SHE-CREATURE-1956-This AIP movie features one of the most recognizable monsters in ‘50’s horror history, thanks in part to Forrest J. Ackerman’s publishing many stills of it in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. The monster (created and played by Paul Blaisdell) is cool.

Unfortunately that can’t be said of the movie itself.

Sideshow hypnotist The Great Lombardi (Chester Morris in his last film role for many years) can regress his assistant (Marla English) to the 1600’s where she talks with an English accent. Through her he can also summon a giant clawed “prehistoric” monster to do his bidding. A psychologist (Lance Fuller who gives a very weird performance) tries to break the spell. Tom Conway (“The Falcon” and “The Saint” in better days) is the promoter who makes Lombardi a sensation. El Brendel (one of the stars of the strange ’30’s Sci-Fi flick JUST IMAGINE) is the comic relief Swedish butler. AIP regular Cathy Downs is Fuller’s fiancé and Mark Hudson (Harry in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN) is a drunk. Kenneth McDonald (from late period 3 Stooges shorts) plays a doctor in one scene.

Despite being directed by the great and underrated Edward L. Cahn THE SHE CREATURE is big disappointment. In between sporadic monster appearances it’s all talk! There’s lots of scientific mumbo jumbo about love, hypnotism and past life regression (which was in the news at the time) and Fuller seems to be under some kind of spell himself. What a bad actor!

Screenwriter Lou Rusoff (brother in law of AIP co-founder Samuel Z. Arkoff) wrote many of their productions including THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED and the England based CAT GIRL. Morris was a Oscar nominated actor best known for playing the title role in the Boston Blackie series. Although active in TV he would not make another feature film until 1970’s THE GREAT WHITE HOPE. Unfortunately he died soon after completing his role.

English, Conway, Fuller and the monster (with a different head) all appeared a year later in VOODOO WOMAN. Fuller was also in Cahn’s WOMEN IN PRISON the same year. Also with Ron Randall, Frank Jenks, Frieda Inescort and Paul Dubov.

Thanks for reading!
I'm pretty scary though!
Thanks for reading!