More Spencer Williams

 

GO DOWN, DEATH!-1944-In this long forgotten “race” film, Big Jim Bottom (Spencer Williams who also directed) runs a gambling joint. He decides to frame the new reverend Jasper Jones (Samuel H. James) because he has too much influence on the town. His goons take an incriminating photo of Jones and a woman hired by Big Jim. Jim's adopted mother Caroline (Myra D. Hemmings) pleads with her son to end his bad ways but he refuses. She prays for guidance to a picture of her dead husband. His ghost/spirit comes back to help by taking the incriminating photos out of Jim's safe and giving them to Caroline. Jim tries to take them away from her. He pushes her to the floor and she hits her head. He pretends to not know anything when niece Betty Jean (Eddye Houston) comes into the room. Caroline lies in bed dying and a choir sings. Betty and Rev. Jones discuss the circumstances while Jim paces and drinks. When Caroline dies, the reverend gives a long sermon while images of heaven are shown. Jim's conscious gets the better of him and he drinks even more. He tries to run away but he can't escape the sinister accusing voice which shows him a vision of hell (from a foreign movie) where he'll “be with his own kind”. Later they find Jim dead in a canyon. 

Much like THE BLOOD OF JESUS it uses crude sfx, characters superimposed on other scenes and gospel singing. Sometimes there's dialogue but the actors' mouths don't move. The sermon the reverend gives is the poem “Go Down Death” by James W. Johnson. Although the acting and editing isn't very good it's nice to see this film rescued from obscurity. This is one of 14 movies actor Spencer Willimas directed between 1928 and 1949. Some were religious morality tales like this. Others were cool musicals. Williams later played Andy on the (now) controversial TV sit-com “The Amos 'n Andy Show”.

Thanks for reading!

Religious

THE BLOOD OF JESUS-1941-After a baptism ceremony Martha (Cathryn Caviness), a devout religious woman is accidentally shot by her “heathen” husband Razz (Spencer Williams). It's believed she won't survive and everyone prays for her. After she appears to die she is visited by an angel and her spirit leaves her body. The angel takes her on a tour of the spirit world where hooded figures walk around graves. The angel tells her to go to the crossroads to find her fate and almost immediately the devil (who laughs like a lunatic) sends a dapper guy named Judas to tempt her (“Ok Judas. Do your stuff”) and lead her off the road of righteousness with a nice dress and fancy shoes. He takes her to a nightclub in the city that features singers and some weird dancers. Unfortunately she becomes a prostitute but later runs away chased by some guys who think she stole a wallet. At the crossroads (a sign has “To Hell” pointing one way and “To Zion” pointing another) there's a flat bed truck with a jazz combo (the devil is the driver). Just when the men are about to stone Martha the Lord's thundering voice sends them running. A heavenly choir and the blood of Christ bring her back to the living and everyone sings (for some reason one guy faints). 

This “race film” was the brainchild of actor/director/writer Spencer Williams (who'd provided the screenplay for the notorious SON OF INGAGI a few years before). Said to have been made on a budget of $5,000 and I wouldn't doubt it as BLOOD's special effects are crude and the actors (most were amateurs) deliver their lines with little emotion. Yet there is something that makes this movie click (at least for me). Perhaps it's Williams' belief in his subject matter. Whatever the case it's a low budget winner in my book! 

 Williams directed 10 more films after this (at least one is lost) and after leaving the film business for a while played Andy on TV's “The Amos and Andy Show” from 1951-1955. He died in 1969.

Final note: IMDB lists no date for death for one of the actors in BLOOD, that of Juanita Riley who plays one of Martha's friends. If still alive she'd be 99 at the time of this writing!

Thanks for reading!

Space and The World

RIDERS TO THE STARS-1954-Scientist Herbert Marshall needs a meteor from outer space. He and a group of scientists set out to find three men to fly rocket ships (with wings) into space a get one. William Lunigan (a busy TV actor at the time) is the scientist most qualified. He’s also Marshall’s son. He falls in love with Martha Hyer while being trained. Richard Carlson (who was in THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON the same year) co-stars and directs as well. I’ve read “film doctor” Herbert Strock directed some scenes un-credited. It’s an early serious science fiction tale (based on a story by Ivan Tors) and it’s in color! Curt Siodmak wrote the screenplay.

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS-1944-Excellent but overlooked fantasy from Warner Brothers.

A group of people is killed during an air raid attack in London. They wind up on a mysterious ship along with a couple (Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker) that committed suicide. The ship’s steward (Edmund Gwenn) eventually informs them they are dead and on their way to meet The Examiner (Henreid’s CASABLANCA co-star Sydney Greenstreet) who will decide if they will go to heaven or hell (but it’s actually the same place). As The Examiner states “You see my son, you make your own heaven and hell for yourselves on Earth, you only bring it with you here”.

John Garfield headlines as a cynical reporter. George Coulouris is an industrialist who realizes too late money can’t buy everything. Faye Emerson is a fame hungry actress. George Tobias, Isobel Elsom, Dennis King and Sara Allgood are the others. The second half when the groups’ lives are “examined” is the best part. It’s based on the play OUTWARD BOUND first produced on Broadway in 1924 and revived in 1932. Director Edward A. Blatt was usually a dialogue director and directed only three films.

Thanks for reading!