Billy Dee Williams

 

THE TAKE-1974-Billy Dee Williams is Lt. Terence Sneed a San Francisco cop sent to Polima, New Mexico to investigate organized crime. He's met by Captain Dolek (Albert Salmi) and no sooner are they involved in a bloody shootout. His boss Chief Berrigan (Eddie Albert) seems frustrated. He visits his ex, Nancy (Tracy Reed) and she's not happy to see him. He meets Manso (Vic Morrow), a mobster with a bad heart and accepts his bribe. Dolek is also on his payroll. Manso also has a lawyer (Sorrell Brooke) who helps with his "investments". Sneed and Dolek investigate James (Frankie Avalon) a small time hood who cries because a cop beat him up when he was a kid. Another cop Tallbear (A. Martinez) helps Sneed out. When Sneed disobeys Manso's orders he's beaten up. 

Despite a long chase and shootout this crime action drama isn't very interesting with Sneed's actions not always making sense and a blah ending. John Chandler (MAD DOG COLL) and Kathleen Hughes (IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE) have small roles. Another “all star” action drama from director Robert Hartford-Davies (see last entry).

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Horror House

HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORROR-1969-In this British production from Hammer rival Tigon, a group of mod young people in London get bored with their party and decide to go out in a deserted mansion in the countryside.

The group includes their nominal leader Chris (American Frankie Avalon), his girlfriend Sheila (Jill Haworth),two timing hipster Gary (Mark Wynter) and the women he's two timing with Dorothy (Carol Dilworth) and Sylvia (Gina Warwick). Creeping around outside is Inspector Bradley (Dennis Price), the older jilted lover of Sylvia's who still wants them to be a couple. When the group arrives, Richard (Julian Barnes) tells a story of why a ghost haunts the place but they can't decide whether to have coffee, booze, an orgy or a seance'. After Sylvia leaves, Gary is bloodily hacked to death. The murder seems to point at the Inspector (who the rest of the group is unaware of) but Chris convinces the others it could be one of them and they should dispose of the body.

 Hmmmm...?? Suspicious behavoir..no? 

Three days later the police are investigating and the group acts nervous and paranoid. When the inspector goes back to the old house he's killed.The group decides to go back and find clues 
themselves as to who might be the murderer and much time is spend with Chris and Richard debating why a person might kill until it's revealed that Richard is the killer (he's afraid of the dark) 
and poor Beach Blanket Frankie gets stabbed in the crotch! 

This dumb, talky run of the mill horror story was made by writer/director Michael Armstrong who one year later made the more infamous MARK OF THE DEVIL. Avalon had been in the Otto Preminger bomb SKIDOO the year before. Haworth had 
made her film debut in EXODUS and had been in the original Broadway cast of CABERET but by '69 her career was in decline. 

I've always read that the Price role was suppose to be played by Boris Karloff but he became ill (he died in Feb. of '69). Price was 54 at the time (he died in '73 at 58) and I found the older man/younger woman relationship a little strained but Karloff would have been 80 around that time! Obviously (I hope) the role had been re-written! 

Also known as HORROR HOUSE and THE DARK.

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Dr. Goldfoot Rings The Bell

DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE-1965-This dated and dumb take-off is kind of like an off-shoot of AIP’s long running “Beach Movies” but is really only worth watching because of Vincent Price’s fun performance as the top billed villain. He’s invented an army of bikini-clad robots and sends one (Susan Hart) to seduce and marry a rich dork (Dwayne Hickman). His stupid assistant Igor (familiar and annoying 60’s character actor Jack Mullaney) ruins many of his other plans (and scenes!). Frankie Avalon is a secret agent who tries to help. Fred Clark plays his grouchy boss/uncle. Despite a lot of silliness and car chases Price, in smoking jacket and Abdullah The Butcher type slippers manages to be entertaining enough to save the whole thing. The Supremes do the theme song!

Director Norman Taurog’s career started in 1920! He directed most of Elvis’ ‘60’s movies. Price made WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP (also with Hart) the same year and starred in a worse sequel in 1966 DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS (directed by Mario Bava!).

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Panic!

PANIC IN THE YEAR ZERO!-1962-Ray Milland (who also directed) goes on vacation with his family just as a nuclear bomb is dropped on LA. He decides the best thing to do is to head for the hills (literally!). He lectures his wife (Jean Hagen) about how he doesn’t want to be part of the breakdown of society and vows to return when order is restored. He likes to order his son (pre-Beach Party Teen idol Frankie Avalon) around and he steals some guns from a dealer (ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS hero Richard Garland) when he runs out of money. In a scene that’s quite ironic today Ray punches out a gas station attendant who has the unmitigated gall to charge 3 dollars a gallon for gas! Along the way they meet greasy thug Richard Balakyan and his two punks. They also pick up Joan Freeman and live in a cave for a while. When his daughter (Mary Mitchel; she was later in SPIDER BABY) is raped he seeks revenge.



Despite the minimal cast and unbelievable plot twists it’s more low budget entertainment from AIP. Also with Willis Bouchey, Rex Holman, Oz Whitehead and Russ Bender.

Academy Award winner Milland also starred in THE PREMATURE BURIAL for Roger Corman the same year and would star in Corman’s X-THE MAN WITH THE X-RAY EYES the next!


"It’s only when the tide goes out that you learn who’s been swimming naked"-Warren Buffett

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Early Kubrick, Later Price and Anime!

KILLER’S KISS-1955-Before KILLER’S KISS Stanley Kubrick had made only one other feature (his other efforts were all shorts). His first film FEAR & DESIRE in 1953 is never seen. Some say Kubrick destroyed the negative because he hated it. Bootleg copies do exist however. KK was also rarely shown until the 1990’s when it played in revival theaters and now can even be seen on TCM (the greatest TV movie station in the world!) occasionally.

Jamie Smith (a TV actor with very few film credits) is Davy Gordon, a washed up boxer who gets involved with Gloria (Irene Kane who also used the name Chris Chase), a dancer and kind of mistress to her sleazy thug boss (top billed Frank Silvera; also in FEAR & DESIRE). The acting and script aren’t that great and the sound and editing are kind of choppy but Kubrick puts his mark on several scenes including a flashback featuring a ballerina and a finale that takes place in a warehouse full of mannequins.

Frank Silvera had an interesting career. He was a black actor born in Jamaica but raised in New York. He occasionally played Latinos and even white characters in movies and TV. He was also a producer and director and was once nominated for a Tony. He died in 1970, a victim of a freak electrocution accident.

A year later Kubrick would make THE KILLING, then PATHS OF GLORY. In 1960 Kirk Douglas would hire him to complete SPARTACUS (replacing Anthony Mann) and well, you know the rest of the story!



DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE BIKINI MACHINE-1965-This dated and dumb take-off is kind of like an off-shoot of AIP’s long running “Beach Movies” but is really only worth watching because of Vincent Price’s fun performance as the top billed villain. He’s invented an army of bikini-clad robots and sends one (Susan Hart) to seduce and marry a rich dork (Dwayne Hickman). His stupid assistant Igor (familiar and annoying 60’s character actor Jack Mullaney) ruins many of his other plans (and scenes!). Frankie Avalon is a secret agent who tries to help. Fred Clark plays his grouchy boss/uncle. Despite a lot of silliness and car chases Price, in smoking jacket and Abdullah The Butcher type slippers manages to be entertaining enough to save the whole thing. The Supremes do the theme song!

Director Norman Taurog’s career started in 1920! He directed most of Elvis’ ‘60’s movies. Price made WAR-GODS OF THE DEEP (also with Hart) the same year and starred in a worse sequel in 1966 DR. GOLDFOOT AND THE GIRL BOMBS (directed by Mario Bava!




ESCAFLOWNE-(2000)-This is a feature version of the popular Japanese TV anime. It’s actually more of a retelling with much darker overtones. Hitomi, an average high school student is transported to the fantasy world of Gaea where she helps survivors of “The Black Dragon” prepare for the final battle to save their world. There’s the usual love story, a lot of action but not much story. Still the animation is excellent as well as the music.

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