Plumber Lou

 

 (imdb)

GE THEATER PRESENTS "BLAZE OF GLORY"-1958-Plumber Carl Andrews (Lou Costello) is forced by jewel thief boss Favier (Jonathan Harris) to retrieve some stolen diamonds that were accidentally dropped down a hotel sink. Andrews outwits them with the help of Harris' female assistant (Joyce Jameson) and a blow torch. 

It's a so-so comedy but Costello's performance brings it up a notch and shows he probably would have succeeded as a solo performer (unfortunately, he died the next year). Lurene Tuttle (MA BARKER'S KILLER BROOD) is his wife and Olan Soule is a desk clerk. Future president Ronald Reagan is the host. 

Director Don Weis worked in TV almost his entire career doing everything from “The Jack Benny Program” and “The Andy Griffith Show” to “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “The Twilight Zone”, only occasionally stepping out to do a feature film (THE GENE KRUPA STORY, THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI). Costello's ex-partner Bud Abbott would also appear on GE Theater (but in a dramatic role) in 1961. 

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Jack Town

 JACK TOWN-1962-In Michigan lay about dullard thug Frankie (Richard Meade) lives with his parents, won't get a job and pulls petty crimes with his dimwit juvenile delinquent friend Vince (Russ Paquette). His mom thinks he's "a good boy" but doesn't like him listening to that "awful rock and roll". After he has sex with a fourteen year old waitress he's convicted of statutory rape and sent to prison even though Vince made a threatening phone call to the girl's mother and got the charge dropped. He's sent to the state's largest prison nicknamed "Jack Town". Suddenly the film turns into a into a documentary about the 1952 Jack Town prison uprising. When it gets back to Frankie he's being harassed by some inmates because he's a rapist. Meanwhile his buddy Vince is shot and killed by the police after he robs a grocery store. 

The warden takes pity on Frankie and gives him a job as a gardener at his house. There he meets Margaret (Patty McCormick), the warden's daughter who takes a liking to him. The warden (Douglas Rutherford) doesn't appreciate it and gives him another job as a driver. When Frankie and a guard accompany a wounded prisoner to get medical help, the prisoner tries to escape. They two have an awkward tussle and the prisoner is shot. Frankie steals a car and hightails it. Surprise! Frankie is now a kidnapper too. There's a four year old in the back seat! He reports it to the cops and goes to Margaret's place. She tries to get him to give himself up but he's an insincere creep who only cares about himself. Eventually she talks him into going back and after serving his time becomes a model citizen (well, that's what the narrator says as anyway….). 

This is typical misunderstood youth type crime drama and rather outdated by 1962 (despite the rape angle). It was written and directed by William Martin.

Are They?

 

ARE THESE OUR CHILDREN?-1931-An early talky exploitation mortally tale about Eddie (Eric Linden), a too self confident high school student who lives with his grandmother (Beryl Mercer) and younger brother (Billy Butts) and has a nice girlfriend Mary (Rochelle Hudson). But after he's humiliated at school he falls into a life of crime while romancing a floozy (Arline Judge). He shoots and kills his grandma's deli owner friend over a bottle of "hooch". When he and his cronies are arrested Eddie likes the publicity. When his ego driven idea of being his own lawyer backfires he's convicted and sentenced to death. 

Director Wesley Ruggles (brother of actor Charlie) had made comedy shorts in the silent era. He later directed Mae West in I'M NO ANGEL. 

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Accept No Substitutes...

ALONE IN THE DARK-1982-Dr. Daniel Potter (Dwight Schultz) comes to work at a clinic for mental cases run by the eccentric pot smoking Dr. Leo Bain (Donald Pleasence). His star patients are Ronald Elster (Erland Van Lidth), a child molester, the paranoid Col. Hawkes (Jack Palance), ex-preacher Byron Sutcliff (Martin Landau), an arsonist and John Skaggs who strangles people when he gets a nose bleed. Hawkes believes Potter killed their former doctor and wants revenge (“There are no crazy people, doctor. We're all on vacation”). 

 At a club The Sic F*cks do “Chop Up Your Mother”. A blackout allows the nutty gang to escape. During a riot of stealing they get weapons. Skaggs leaves them but the rest go looking for Potter, whose sister meets a guy named Tom (Phillips Clark) at a “no nukes” rally and invites him to dinner at her brother's house. Tom helps fight off the loonies when they attack. Bain comes to help but Sutcliff cuts off his ear. (Bain is never seen again but I suppose he's killed) Despite helping the family (and killing Elster) Tom turns out to be “the bleeder” Skaggs but they kill him. 

When Hawkes closes in for the kill the electricity comes back on and a timely news report confirms the previous doctor is still alive. Hawkes evades the police, beats up a bouncer at a club and meets a weird woman while The Sic F*cks play. Hawkes pulls out his gun and points it at the woman. She just laughs. So does Hawkes. 

This was director Jack Sholder's first feature film and it's a great debut but after making NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE and THE HIDDEN he seemed to drift into TV movies. Both Palance and Landau went on to win Academy Awards.

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Tierney Returns

THE HOODLUM-1951-Vincent Lubeck (Lawrence Tierney) is released on parole thanks to the pleas of his mother (Lisa Glom) even though the warden (Gene Roth) was against it. He goes to work in the gas station owned by his brother Johnny (Edward Tierney; real life brother of Lawrence). Unfortunately it's right across the street from a bank! He finds the armored car in front very enticing. Also the bank's secretary who comes in to get her car fixed. It's clear Lubeck has other things on his mind. When Rosa (Allene Roberts), Johnny's girlfriend tries to talk to him, he puts some unwanted moves on her. He runs into old pal Marty (John DeSimone) and convinces him to join his plan to steal the armored car. He has an affair with Rosa, then wines and dines the secretary (Marjorie Riordan) to get info. When Rosa becomes pregnant, Vince dumps her and she commits suicide. He figures out a plan and his newly acquired gang execute it. One of them dies as do two guards. They use a funeral procession as a cover but when they go to divvy up the loot Vince gets too greedy and the others knock him out and take the swag. Newspaper headlines tell us that the gang is captured and finger Lubeck as the ringleader. He goes to the secretary but she makes him leave at gunpoint. Then he visits his mother who tells him off, regretting all the times she defended him. Then she dies. Johnny wants to kill him but can't and Vince is fatally shot by a police Lt. (Stuart Randall) in the city garbage dump. 

This gritty forgotten film noir crime drama should have been called "Women and mothers are stupid. Wardens and brothers are smart". This was the third film German born director Max Nosseck made with the infamous star Lawrence Tierney. DILLINGER and KILL OR BE KILLED are the two other must see thrillers. THE HOODLUM may also be the first American film to have a character use the word “pregnant”.

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Strike!

CHINA STRIKE FORCE-2000-This Hong Kong action crime drama has two security officers (Aaron Kwok & Leehom Wang) battling two drug smugglers (Mark Dacascos & Coolio). There's a lot of martial arts and violent fighting but the story slows down when one of the officers meets an undercover Japanese Interpol agent (Norika Fujiwara) but the finale is great! 

Director Stanley Tong made several movies with Jackie Chan and the big screen version of MR. MAGOO.  

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Serious but Funny...??

JIANG HU-THE TRIAD ZONE-2000-Tony Leung plays a Hong Kong Triad boss in this kind of unusual but entertaining action film. It’s a comedy/drama satire with some seriously violent overtones. Leung is Jim Yam, a mob boss who’s frequently shot at. He has a wife (Sandra Ng) and mistress (San-san Lee) and most of the situations are played for laughs despite the violence. Things take a weird turn though when Anthony Wong shows up playing Master Kwan, an ancient god who saves Jim’s life! Though at times the story becomes very serious it always returns to comedy. Eric Tsang plays Jim’s jailed ex-bodyguard in a poignant scene. Director Dante Lam somehow makes it work and provides a very good shoot-out in a flower shop.

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It's A Crime!

TEENAGE CRIME WAVE-1955-Two punks (Tommy Cook & Molly McCart) drag an innocent girl (Sue England) into their life of crime. After a botched robbery the girls go to prison but are sprung by the hoodlum boyfriend. They wind up holding an old couple and their college age son (James Griffin) hostage and get very excited when they see their mug shots on TV. A police shoot out puts an end to their “crime spree”. Although this is a pretty standard drama the prolific director Fred F. Sears throws in a few interesting touches. Cook co-starred in MISSLE TO THE MOON the next year.

"To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk"-Thomas Edison

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