Way Out West On A Budget

 

 (imdb)

LAST OF THE WILD HORSES-1948-A cowpoke Duke Barnum (James Ellison; I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943)), would be stage robber meets rancher Charles Cooper (Douglas Dumbrille) and his daughter Jane (Jane Frazee) who are involved in a dispute with small ranchers over a herd of wild horses. Unfortunately, Barnum is arrested by the sheriff (James Millican). In town, small ranch owner, Remedy (Olin Howland) and his daughter Carrie (Mary Beth Hughes from I ACCUSE MY PARENTS (1944)) for some reason provide an alibi for Barnum, keeping him out of jail. He goes to work for them. They have a comical cook named Curly (Grady Sutton). Unscrupulous ranch hand Reily Morgan (Reed Hadley; in Sam Fuller's I SHOT JESSE JAMES the next year) wants to take over the ranch and kills Cooper and frames Barnum. After the two have a fairly violent fight, justice prevails. 

This low budget run of the mill western was produced and directed by Robert Lippert (his only time in a director's chair). Albert Glasser did the music and the editor was future director Paul Landres (RETURN OF DRACULA (1958)). Despite its drawbacks, it's watchable.

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On Yer Marx

 

 (imdb)

A DAY AT THE RACES-1937-Judy (Maureen O'Sullivan) is having trouble running her sanitarium because it's in debt. Her chauffeur is Tony (Chico Marx). She gets really mad when her radio singer boyfriend Gil Stewart (Alan Jones) buys a racehorse. His jockey is Stuffy (Harpo Marx). Hypochondriac Mrs. Upjohn (Margaret Dumont) agrees to help out when she hears Dr. Hackenbush (Groucho Marx) is coming (he's actually a veterinarian). Mr. Morgan (Douglas Dumbrille; later in THE BIG STORE with the brothers) wants her place and has a corrupt business Mgr. Whitmore (Leonard Ceeley) try and get it. Later Hackenbush is pursued by floozy Flo (Esther Muir) who tries to get Hackenbush in trouble with Mrs. Upjohn but Tony & Stuffy save him with a hilarious wallpaper act. There's more outrageous comedy when Morgan brings in a specialist (Sig Ruman) to examine Upjohn. 

This seventh madcap Marx Brothers comedy was directed by Sam Wood who had already worked with the brothers on the classic A NIGHT AT THE OPERA in 1935 (which also featured Jones, Dumont and Ruman). He went on to direct many more films including GOODBYE MR. CHIPS (1939), KITTY FOYLE (1940) and THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (1942). Executive producer (and Marx Brothers supporter) Irving Thalberg died during production. Groucho (who didn't care much for director Wood) later said that with Thalberg's death he lost interest in making movies. 

DAY is also the only Marx Bros. film to get an Oscar nomination (for choreography!). 37 years later Groucho received a honorary Oscar. Despite having a lot of music, several songs were cut including Groucho's “Dr. Hackenbush”!

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Crime Drama

 

 (imdb)

AIR PATROL-1962-This is a little murder mystery that seems more like a condensed version of a TV show, a crazy whodunit about the theft of an expensive painting using a helicopter as a getaway car. 

Mona Whitney (Merry Anders) gets conked on the head but is also a suspect because she once hit a cop. Grouchy police Lt. Taylor (Williard Parker; THE EARTH DIES SCREAMING (1964)) and Sgt. Kurnitz (Russ Bender) investigate and call in Sgt. Bill Castle (Robert Dix) from the police air patrol, who also narrates. Murcott (John Holland), the owner of the painting, is mad and having financial troubles. Insurance investigator Howie Franklin (George Eldredge) helps out. A faded actor (Douglas Dumbrille) also figures into the plot. Mona is forced to be the drop off and Castle follows her by chopper. Ray Dannis (THE UNDERTAKER AND HIS PALS (1966)) is a security guard. 

AIR PATROL was directed Maury Dexter, who made THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH the same year. It's not very interesting but it's short!

Thanks for reading!  RIP Terry Funk....

The Bowery Boys

 

 (imdb)

SPOOK BUSTERS-1946-In the fourth installment of "The Bowery Boys" series, Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the boys (Bobby Jordan,Bill Bendict and David Gorcey) are exterminators who get a job in a haunted house. They are joined by their old pal Gabe (Gabriel Dell) just out of the navy, and his fiance Minon (Tanis Chandler). The house is actually being used by mad doctor Coslow (Douglas Dumbrille), his assistant Stiles (Charles Middleton) and a muscle head (Richard Alexander).

 He also has a Dr. Bender (Maurice Cass) as his assistant/captive. Coslow must really be mad 'cos he wants to put part of Sach's brain into that of a gorilla. There's a slow-motion fight and the gorilla (Art Miles) gets loose. Bernard Gorcey is Louie. 

Producer Jan Grippo was Leo Gorcey's agent while they made the series at Monogram. Busy William Beaudine must have taken a vacation in 1946 because he only director 5 movies! (Although he may have worked on 3 more...)

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Sayonara Mr. Moto

MR MOTO IN DANGER ISLAND-1939-While recovering in Puerto Rico from an appendectomy, Mr. Moto (Peter Lorre) investigates the smuggling of stolen diamonds. He gets help from pro wrestler Twister McGirk (Warren Hymer) who talks like Slip Mahoney. Suspects include a diamond merchant Sutter (Jean Hersholt), Col. Castle (Charles D. Brown), Commissioner Gordon (Richard Lane), Lt. Bentley (Robert Lowery), Commissioner Madera (Leon Ames) and La Costa (Douglas Dumbrille). Castle's daughter Joan (Amanda Duff) tries to help after her father is accused of murder. When Moto is accused of being an infamous Japanese criminal, he and Twister lam it. Later they are taken into the confidence of the crime gang. Renie Riano is a blond haired librarian and Willie Best is a frightened boat driver.]

This was the last of the 8 Mr. Moto movies made by 20^th Century Fox between 1937 & 1939. It is also the second Moto script to be rewritten from an unmade Charlie Chan script (because of Warner Oland's death). Herbert I. Leeds also directed the Charlie Chan mystery CITY IN DARKNESS (with Sidney Toler) the same year.

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Chan In The Desert

CASTLE IN THE DESERT-1942-After a murder at Manderley castle, a mysterious place in the desert with no electricity or telephone, Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) is contacted by a letter from Lucy Manderley (Lenita Lane) to investigate. A guest was poisoned and since she is a descendant of the infamous Lucretia Borgia  everyone thinks she did it. In the pest hole town he meets the locals who are all loonies. The stupid hotel owner (Oliver Blake) says Mrs. Manderley is a witch. When a castle car picks him up Charlie is joined by the snobbish Watson King (Henry Daniell). Once there he meets Mr. Manderley (Douglass Dumbrille), a historian with half a disfigured face he keeps covered, doing research on The Borgias. Manderley gets mad at his doctor Retling (Steve Geray) who says Manderley is perfectly fine. Still he does act rather nutty. Chan also meets Prof. Detheridge (Richard Derr) who once helped him on a case. Also present are Mr & Mrs Hartford (Edmund MacDonald and Arleen Whelan).

When Chan meets Mrs. M she says she never called for his services and the letter he received is a joke. Charlie is ready to depart but the castle car breaks down. Jimmy comes out to the place with an old town psychic (Ethel Griffies).  Before that though a private investigator Fletcher (Milton Parsons) shows up to ask about the poisoned victim. After he's poisoned, everyone tries to convince Manderley that Lucy is an insane murderer. Of course Chan thinks otherwise and later proves that when it seems three murders have been committed it's actually only one! Jimmy spends some time in a suit of armor. 

Harry Lachman directed this one. Thanks for reading!

Next up: CHARLIE CHAN IN THE SECRET SERVICE

Inner Sanctum #4

THE FROZEN GHOST-1945-Radio hypnotist Gregor the Great (Lon Chaney) believes he killed a man through his hypnotism act. After much soul searching he comes to believe he's losing his mind so his  manager George (Milburn Stone) suggests he take a job helping Madame Monet (Tala Birell) at her wax museum. Naturally trouble brews between Monet and Greg's girlfriend Maura (Evelyn Ankers) and then between Rudi (Martin Kosleck), the weird sculptor and Gregor over the affections of Monet's niece Nina (Elena Verdugo; Chaney's romantic lead in HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN the year before). Later Monet disappears and Greg thinks he killed her. A cynical Shakespeare loving police captain Brant (Douglas Dumbrille) investigates and at one point says "I'm not paid to think". When Nina discovers her aunt's corpse in a wax display she's chased by a knife packing Rudi but comes to suspect Greg when she sees him with aunt's scarf. Soon it's revealed that George and Rudi are in league to drive Greg crazy. Fortunately Gregor and Brant devise a plan and arrive just in time to save Nina from being burned alive. 

This was the fourth of six “Inner Sanctum” miseries, I mean mysteries. It's ok but the story and direction are kind of slipshod. Harold Young had directed Chaney earlier in 1942's THE MUMMY'S TOMB and later made THE JUNGLE CAPTIVE (the last of the Paula Duree/ape woman series). A drunk at the beginning of the film is played (un-billed) by Arthur Hohl (Montgomery from ISLAND OF LOST SOULS).

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Lost in a Harem

I like the comedy team of Abbott and Costello a lot. Their TV show is my favorite TV show of all time! Their movies are great too. Even their less than classic ones always have some funny bits. I wasn't sure where to start but I figured to skip over their most popular ones (for now) and concentrate on their later output.




LOST IN A HAREM-1944-"The boys" play Peter Johnson (Bud) and Harvey Garvey (Lou) two inept magicians in the Middle East who wind up in jail with a beggar (Murray Leonard) who goes crazy when he hears the word "Pokomoko" during their "Slowly I Turn" routine. Marilyn Maxwell (who'd been a singer on A & C's radio show) plays their assistant Hazel. The three of them get involved in helping a Prince Ramo (John Conte) who wants to overthrow the rule of his evil Uncle Nimativ (Douglas Dumbrille who's also the villain in A & C IN THE FOREIGN LEGION). They try to steal some rings he uses to hypnotize people but he winds up hypnotizing them into thinking they're termites! There's some funny routines ("Go in and outwit him") and exchanges (Nimativ: "Eyes bad?" Costello: "Dat so?"). Nimativ puts Hazel under his power and plans to marry her. Of course since this is an Abbott and Costello comedy some time is taken up by the blooming romance between Ramo and Hazel and Jimmy Dorsey and his orchestra play a few tunes (there's also a long useless dance number). Though most of that is kept at a minimum.  Lock Martin plays Bobo a huge guard who helps the team (they tell him they're Hollywood talent scouts) by hiding them in Nimativ's harem and lovable Tor Johnson is one of Nimativ's majordomos! When Nimativ throws them in a dungeon they meet up again with the beggar and his imaginary friend Mike. ("I shot him with a knife!") Later Bud dresses as Nimativ and Lou plays one of his wives. They also do short mirror bit similar to the one The Marx Bros. did in DUCK SOUP.

Bud and Lou made this at  MGM as a "loan out" from Universal. It was directed by Charles Reisner, veteran of silent movie shorts who'd directed the last Marx Brothers film THE BIG STORE in 1941.

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PS-I kind of screwed up again as I posted a review for ABBOTT AND COSTELLO IN THE FOREIGN LEGION a few days ago which was made after LOST IN A HAREM which should have been posted first. Sorry for the confusion....

Abbott & Costello in The Foreign Legion

ABBOTT & COSTELLO IN THE FOREIGN LEGION-1950-"The boys" play a pair of wrestling promoters. Bud writes the script and tries to co-ordinate a match between (real  wrestlers) Abdullah (Wee Willie Davis, the same year he played the guy who caused the racetrack ruckus in Kubrick's THE KILLING)) and Bertram (Sam Menacker). After the two wrestlers "practice" on Lou, Abdullah quits and keeps the five thousand a mobster (Marc Lawrence who's also in the team's HOLD THAT GHOST) gave them to fix the fight. The pair put on pith helmets and white suits and go to Algiers to find him. It turns out Abdullah is the cousin of Sheik Halmud El Khalid (Douglas Dumbrille; also the villain in the LOST IN A HAREM) who is in cahoots with the corrupted Foreign Legion Sgt. Axman (Walter Slezak) and Prince Josef (un-billed Dan Seymour) in a railroad scheme. Lou accidentally buys six slaves girls (including Nicole Dupree (Patricia Medina), a French intelligence agent) and since they can't pay they run away. Also a gang of the Sheik's men (including Henry Corden) are after them. To escape they take refugee with the Foreign Legion and wind up joining! Of course this leads to a lot of A & C antics as Lou has to evade a bayonet attack and Sgt. Axman. Later they are targeted for death. There's a lot of jokes involving the word "oui".

In one fairly gruesome scene (for an Abbott & Costello movie) the sheik's henchman kill a troop of legionnaires (while Bud & Lou are out looking for a runaway camel). Lost in the desert they have to contend with crazy mirages (including an old time ice cream shop) and a guy (David Gorcey) selling newspapers: "Can I help it if they gave me a bad corner?"). Later on they (and Nicole) are captured by the sheik. He puts them against two wrestlers intent on killing them but one turns out to be Abdullah. The other is played by Tor Johnson! Abdullah helps them escape. Lou commandeers Axman's jeep in a very funny scene (bit man and Costello's real life friend Bobby Barber appears too).

FOREIGN LEGION is done on a lower budget then some of the team's previous efforts but it's still fun especially for fans. It doesn't really contain any of their classic routines (except briefly at the end when Bud thinks Lou is dead). Years later Patrica Medina co-starred in THE 3 STOOGES MEET SNOW WHITE! Douglas Dumbrille had been the villain in 2 Marx Brothers movies. Director Charles Lamont (born in Russia) directed most of Bud & Lou's 50's output as well Francis the Talking Mule and Ma & Pa Kettle entries.

Initial filming had to be delayed while Costello had to have a gall bladder operation but he seemed to have recovered nicely....

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