Crime On a Budget

 

 (imdb)

THE WALKING TARGET-1960-Nick (Ron Foster; later in HOUSE OF THE DAMNED) gets out of jail after serving 5 years. The warden warns him he's a walking target because he knows where some hold up money is stashed. He meets girlfriend Suzy (Merry Anders; in THE HYPNOTIC EYE the same year) and friend Davy (Robert Christopher; in several Jerry Warren movies) but is still bitter over his jail time. A police Lt. (Harp McGuire) plans on arresting Nick when he goes for the loot.

 Of course, Suzy and Davy are lovers in cahoots to get all of the illicit dough. Meanwhile gangster businessman Arnie Huffman (familiar character actor Berry Kroeger) is also after the stolen loot. A flashback reveals how Nick convinced his honest hard working now dead friend Sammy (Norman Alden) to throw in with him despite the objections of his life Gail (Joan Evans; real life goddaughter of Joan Crawford). The swag is hidden in Gail's car and thanks to a homeless guy named Packy (William Fawcett) Nick learns Gail is in Arizona running a diner. After finding out about Davy & Suzy and upsetting Huffman's plan, Nick visits Gail. She is understandable angry at him even when he tells her she can have all the cash but she relents and lets him stay at her home. Later, he gets the money. Gail convinces him to give it back and go away with her. There's a shootout and a couple of people are killed. 

Screenwriter Stephen Kandel later became a TV producer/writer on “Mannix” and “MacGyver” and a few others. Director Edward L. Cahn directed this low budget thriller a year after making his last horror movie THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE.

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Crime Drama

 

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CAGE OF EVIL-1960-Inspector Melrose (John Maxwell) narrates the story of police detective Scott Harper (Ron Foster), a hot-headed jerk, disgruntled at being passed over as he investigates a robbery of diamonds that involves murder. (Robert Shayne plays the owner) His partner Murray Kerns (Harp McGuire) is a little better. Harper winds up falling in love with Holly (Patricia Blair from THE BLACK SLEEP (1956)), the girlfriend of Romack (Howard McLeod), the gangster who staged the robbery. Harper and Holly plot to kill him and keep the diamonds and Harper winds up killing his partner. It ends in Mexico where he finds out once again crime doesn't pay. 

Another crime drama that seems like an overlong TV show by the Robert Kent-Edward L. Cahn-Orville Hampton team after they stopped making horror movies. Several actors appear in un-billed small roles: Ted Knight, Greg Martell, Henry Darrow and Eve Brent.

Star Foster was in THE WALKING TARGET (directed by Edward L. Cahn) the same year. He made appearances in many TV shows and was later in THE HOUSE OF THE DAMNED (1965).

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Ulmer

 

ISLAND OF FORGOTTEN SINS-1943-On a tropical island Marge (Gale Sondergaard) runs the brothel of the title. Her boyfriend Mike Clancy (John Carradine) has a fight with his friend/rival Jack (Frank Fenton) that practically wrecks the club. Then Mike has a plan to hunt for a cargo of sunken gold with Jack's help. Unfortunately for Marge, Olga (Betty Amann), one of her girls shoots and kills a customer. Marge and three of her girls join the guys to get away from the law. They go to an island where Capt. Grogan (Sidney Toler) and his piano playing sidekick Johnny Pacific (Rick Vallin) live with island girl Luana (Veda Ann Borg). They plot to steal the gold after Mike and Jack recover it. Double crosses follow and tropical storm messes up everything. 

Extremely low budget adventure brought up a notch or two by genius director Edgar Ulmer who worked with Carradine a year later on BLUEBEARD. 

By the way, this film has singing in it!

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Pre-Perry Burr

PLEASE MURDER ME-1956-Interesting film noirish murder mystery. Attorney Craig Carlson (Raymond Burr) breaks some bad news to his best friend Joe Leeds (Dick Foran), a guy who even saved Carlson's life during WW2. He's is in love with Joe's wife Myra (Angela Landsbury) and she's going to divorce hubby and marry his best bud. Joe takes in all in stride. A few days later he seems to make a decision, writes a letter and asks a friend to mail it. He then goes and visits his wife. A shot rings out and the next morning hubby is dead and Myra is charged with his murder even though she claims self defense. Carlson defends her and she gets off but then he discovers the mysterious letter Joe wrote and Carlson begins to see the error of his ways. 

Clever film also features John Dehner as the prosecuting attorney and Denver Pyle as a detective. England born Director Peter Godfrey was a former actor and by this time was mostly directing for TV.

Burr became famous the next year when he starred in the long running TV show PERRY MASON.

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The Rifleman & Loose Girls

I was just watching some episodes of the 50's western THE RIFLEMAN with Chuck Connors in the title role, Lucas McCain, a widowed rancher who has a pretty impressive self made rifle. He's also raising his young son Mark, played by Johnny Crawford. Many of the episodes had McCain killing some desperado and then lecturing Mark on why "it had to happen this way". Paul Fix as the local sheriff was the only other regular. The best thing about the show was the guest stars. So far I've seen James (billed as Jim) Coburn, John Carradine, Lon Chaney, Robert Webber, Vic Morrow, Sidney Blackmer and Raymond Bailey (the future Mr. Drysdale on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES).



GIRLS ON THE LOOSE-1958-Night club owner Vera Parkinson (Mara Corday) and her girl gang rob a bank of 20 thousand dollars. They bury the loot and go back to working at the club. Unfortunately, Vera's younger sister (Barbara Bostock who sings) falls for the detective (Mark Richman) who's investigating the robbery. Double crossing and death follow as Vera goes to any means to protect her ill gotten gain. The climax features a cat fight at the site of the buried money.

GIRLS ON THE LOOSE reminded me a little of Ed Wood's THE VIOLENT YEARS (made two years before) but is not nearly as entertaining. Star Corday was also in the cheapies THE GIANT CLAW and TARANTULA around the same time. Also with Joyce Johanesson, Lita Milan, Abby Dalton and Fred Kruger. 
This low budget exploitation quickie was one of the half dozen films directed by actor Paul Henreid (he did much more TV).

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It's Snowing and I Have To Shovel...

....So this is the best I can do.....




MAN WITH A GUN-1994-Micheal Madsen stars as a hitman who narrates part of the story. He talks about "The Kingdom" and says: "The good die young but the bad die ugly". He works for crooked land developer Gary Busey who wants Madsen to kill his wife (Betty Boop voiced Jennifer Tilley) who is screwing up his transactions. "If you can kill a rattlesnake, you can kill my wife".

Trouble is Madsen and Tilley are already having an affair. Fortunately Tilley has a twin sister who Madsen kidnaps and plans on killing instead. Of course he winds up falling in love with her. Blah, blah, blah. Robert Loggia plays a mob boss.

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