Bolt

THAT MAN BOLT-1973-A Karate expert/professional courier Jefferson Bolt (Fred Williamson) locked up in a Macao prison is hired/blackmailed by a mysterious English man named Griffiths (Byron Webster) to deliver 1 million dollars from Hong Kong. When he lands in Las Vegas some mobsters try to kill him, so after a car chase he gets help from another mobster Connie (Jack Ging). At a casino he meets singer Samantha Nightingale (Teresa Graves) and after they have sex she's killed in an attempt on Bolt's life. He hightails it to Hong Kong where things get a little confusing when an Asian assassin is hired by Javanese merchant banker Kumata (Masatoshi Nakamura) to kill Bolt. 

The acting, dialogue and fights are sub-par but it also features appearances by Karate and kickboxing champions like Mike Stone, Kenji Kazama, Emil Farkus and David Chow. 

THAT MAN BOLT has two credited directors. One Henry Levin made his directing debut in 1944 with semi-horror movie CRY OF THE WEREWOLF. In the 1970's he directed several Matt Helm movies. BOLT was one of his last features. The other was David Lowell Rich who started in TV around 1950 and continuing till the mid '60's when he made some feature films like EYE OF THE CAT and THE PLAINSMAN. He went back to TV making many TV movies and in the early '80's returned to some feature film work including THE CONCORDE-AIRPORT '69. 

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Everyone Loves a Mystery

I LOVE A MYSTERY-1945-This murder mystery is based on a very popular radio show created by Carlton E. Morse. Jack Patton (Jim Bannon) and Doc Long (Barton Yarborough) investigate the murder of Jefferson Monk (George Macready) who rightly predicted his own decapitation death. His invalid wife (Nina Foch) says that earlier he'd been attacked by a scary faced peg-legged guy. In a flashback (which also features a flashback) it's learned Monk had an encounter with Mr. G (Lester Matthews), a (phony) Asian leader of the “oldest secret society”. Apparently Monk looked like the society's mummified “sacred one” and they offered him 10 thousand dollars for his head! It seems his wife was trying to drive him mad to inherit his money but she succeeded too well! 

This was the first of three low budget movies based on the radio show. Former dialogue director Henry Levin directed all of them and had worked with female lead Nina Foch earlier on the disappointing CRY OF THE WEREWOLF. 

Like I said before in my review of their second feature THE DEVIL'S MASK, Jack and Doc make a good team and the the story had some weird twists. Of course as usual I reviewed the second movie first!

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Who Doesn't Love a Mystery?

THE DEVIL'S MASK-1946-This murder mystery is based on the radio show I LOVE A MYSTERY (created by Carlton Morse) . Two cool investigators Jack (Jim Bannon) and Doc (Barton Yarborough) help Janet Mitchell (Anita Louise), the widow of a missing explorer who thinks she has been targeted for murder by her step-daughter (Mona Barrie) and her boyfriend. A panther, a shrunken head and a crazy taxidermist are all part of the part.

This was the second of three I LOVE A MYSTERY dramas produced, based on the popular radio show. It's short and to the point and Jack and Doc are a pretty good team. Director Henry Levin was busy in 1946 (he made 5 other movies) but later when he slowed down he made JOURNEY TO THE ENTER OF THE EARTH and THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM.

Barton Yarborough (Doc) also played the role on radio and in addition was featured on another radio show ONE MAN'S FAMILY for almost 20 years. He's the ill fated Dr. Kettering in THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. He died suddenly of a heart attack in the early '50's after filming a few episodes of Jack Webb's DRAGNET. 

Co-star Jim Bannon (Jack) was also a radio star who made many low budget films (some with no credit) and later went into TV. He was a regular on the series CASEY JONES in 1957 and died in 1973. Topped bill Anita Louise had been in THE GORILLA with The Ritz Brosthers and THE LITTLE PRINCESS with Shirley Temple. She made a lot more movies and in the '50's was a regular on TV's MY FRIEND FLICKA.

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Bond Take-Off

KISS THE GIRLS AND MAKE THEM DIE-1966-Mike Connors is Kelly, an international James Bond like CIA agent in this tongue in cheek spy drama with comedy overtones, a co-production between Columbia Pictures and Dino De Laurentiis.. 

Kelly is in Brazil tailing a rich industrialist named Ardonian (Raf Vallone) and his connection with some missing women. Ardonian is in league with Red China in a plot to sterilize the US but in actuality he wants to sterilize the whole world except for himself! The missing women are kept in suspended animation until he needs them. Dorothy Provine (THE 30 FOOT BRIDE OF CANDY ROCK) is Susan Fleming, Ardonian's bimbo girlfriend who wears some really weird outfits and has a Rolls Royce with Aston Martin like features. Terry Thomas is her chauffeur who beats up 5 guys. Later, after it's revealed she is with British Intelligence, she and Kelly team up. They wind up in an underground lab where Provine ends up on a rocket. There's some dumb humor (including a slip on a banana peel) but the real highlight of this movie is Ardonian's massive desk and multi-screen TV monitoring system in a couple of scenes. There's great shots of Rio though. 

Beverly Adams (HOW TO STUFF A WILD BIKINI, TORTURE GARDEN) is one of the victims. Connors would star in the long running TV series MANNIX the next year. Co-director Henry Levin made a similar secret agent satire the same year, MURDERER'S ROW with Dean Martin as Matt Helm (which according to Mike Connors he almost played). 

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Where's The Wolf?

CRY OF THE WEREWOLF-1944-In this Universal quickie Dr. Morris (Fritz Leiber), curator of a famous museum has discovered the secret of their top attraction the mysterious Marie Latour . Her daughter (Nina Foch who was in THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE with Lugosi the same year) lives with a band of gypsies and can turn into a werewolf whenever she seeks to silence anyone who knows the truth. Morris' son (Stephen Crane, a fairly catatonic actor. It doesn't surprise me he only made 3 movies!) and his girlfriend Elsa (Osa Massen) investigate while a police lieutenant (Barton McLane) refuses to believe the supernatural goings-on. Blanche Yurka is a mysterious gypsy leader and John Abbott has a small role as a tour guide who loses his mind ("Much to be seen, more to be heard and plenty to imagine"). It's mostly talk and the wolf is rarely seen but it's only 63 minutes long and McLane's wisecracking cop is a highlight. Milton Parsons has one scene as a talkative funeral director and Ray Teal is an (un-credited) cop.

CRY OF THE WEREWOLF was Henry Levin's directorial debut. He made other low budget quickies but later "graduated" to bigger things like JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM as well as two Matt Helm movies starring Dean Martin.

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Crying Wolf

CRY OF THE WEREWOLF-1944-Minor horror tale concerns an ancient curse and a gypsy tribe. A scientist (Stephen Crane) investigates the murder of a professor (Fritz Lieber), whose assistant (Osa Massen) helps out. Nina Foch plays a Gypsy Queen who can turn into a wolf. Director Henry Levin seemed to be trying copy the mood of a Val Lewton production but fails to follow through. Barton McLane is entertaining however as a loud police detective. John Abbott plays a museum guide who goes crazy. Also with Blanche Yurka, Milton Parsons and Ray Teal.

 It was the first film by the director Levin who went on to make JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM. Screenwriter Griffin Jay wrote most of the Chaney/Mummy series and THE DEVIL BAT’S DAUGHTER.

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