Konga

 

 (imdb)

KONGA-1961-Missing botanist Dr. Charles Decker (Michael Gough) returns to England after spending a year in the jungle with a local tribe. He brings back a little chimp, Konga. This doesn't sit well with his assistant Margaret (Margo Johns) who thinks Decker should pay more attention to her. He's a real analytic clown who also brings back strange plants that he says are partly human. He raises a bunch of carnivorous plants and extracts a fluid from them that he injects into little Konga, who starts to grow quickly. At school, after Decker teaches a class, the Dean (Austin Trevor) calls him mad and wants him to take a rest. Decker is highly insulted. 

Soon Konga grows man size and Decker hypnotizes him to do his bidding. His first victim is the Dean. Later he has Konga kill a rival scientist. Decker is also sweet on student Sandra (Claire Gordon), although he's already promised to marry Margaret, which makes her boyfriend Bob (Jess Conrad) upset. They have a brief fight. Bob becomes Konga's third victim. After Decker puts the moves on Sharon and is rejected, Margret hypnotizes Konga, injects him with more serum and he grows giant size killing her and destroying the lab. The ever-persistent Decker is still molesting Sandra (who gets bitten by a carnivorous plant) when Konga (now Kong size) breaks in, grabs his former master and goes on a rampage. The army steps in and in front of Big Ben Konga is killed in a barrage of bullets and bazookas, after throwing Decker to his death. Konga reverts back to a chimp in death. Sharon's fate isn't told (eaten by the plant?). 

This crazy low budget horror is ok but mostly for its wackiness. It was produced and written by Aben Kandel and Herman Cohen. Both had worked with AIP (TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN & DRACULA, HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER) but Cohen relocated to England to make this and several other films, (a couple with his friend Joan Crawford). Director John Lemont worked mostly in TV.

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Hugo Your Way

 

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DEVIL DOLL-1964-Strange seemingly evil hypnotist/ventriloquist The Great Vorelli (Bryant Haliday) makes subjects react to imagined bad situations. He also has an act with Hugo, a scary dummy that talks and walks. Investigative reporter Mark English (William Sylvester) has his friend Marianne (Yvonne Romain) volunteer for one of the hypnotism acts. He makes her twist on stage. Marianne is very rich and when her aunt gives a charity benefit Mark convinces Marianne to invite Vorelli so he might examine Hugo. Meanwhile Vorelli puts Mary under his thrall and makes her his lover. Later Hugo goes to Mark's room and drops some hints about his origin. Before Mark can act, Mary's doctor says he should see her as she's acting strange. Vorelli's long suffering assistant Magda (Sandra Dorne) stirs up trouble. Enter Dr. Heller (Karel Stepanak) who says Vorelli is not to blame. Later after Vorelli and Magda have sex, Vorelli orders Hugo to kill Magda. Mark hires idiot Bob Garrett (Alan Gifford) to find out about Vorelli's past which he does. It seems Hugo was once a real person but through hypnotism he learned in Tibet, Vorelli made Hugo into his puppet-slave. It seems Vorelli wants to marry Mary, kill her to inherit her fortune and make her a companion for Hugo. In the finale the tables are turned. 

This is a kooky but creepy little horror film and was the directorial debut of Canadian Lindsey Shonteff, who went on to director another horror movie CURSE OF THE VOODOO (1965), also starring Haliday. American co-star Sylvester had been in GORGO (1961) and would play Heywood Floyd in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968). Romain had been the mute servant girl in Hammer's CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF in 1961.

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Alligator Time

 

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THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE-1959-Under hypnotism nurse Joyce Webster (Beverly Garland) tells the tale of how her husband Paul (Richard Crane) went missing on the first night of their honeymoon. Her search for him leads her to a plantation in The Bayou. The owner Mrs. Hawthorne (Frieda Inescort) says she's never heard of Paul but it's obvious she's hiding something. Her friend Dr. Sinclair (George Macready) is doing experiments on people. Trying to find a cure to regenerate limbs with hormones extracted from alligators, he accidentally turned Paul and his other patients into "alligator people". A risky experiment with a cobalt bomb might help but drunken alligator hating ex-worker Manon (Lon Chaney) with a hook hand messes it up and Paul turns into a full-grown alligator man (wearing pants and walking upright). Quicksand and an explosion wrap things up. 

Two shrinks (Bruce Bennett & Douglas Montgomery) who are recording her repressed memory debate whether to tell her or not. 

This crazy sci-fi horror film is fairly entertaining despite the cheap effects. Chaney gives a great performance as the crazed Manon. Beverly Garland once again portrays a strong-willed female intent on finding out the truth. 

Director Ray Del Ruth does a competent workman like job. He started out directing shorts for Mack Sennett and eventually made it to features directing the first version of THE MALTESE FALCON and BLONDE CRAZY (with James Cagney) in 1931. He directed all sorts of films and in 1948 made the notorious THE BABE RUTH STORY. He had directed one horror movie previously THE PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE in 1954.

 (imdb)

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Robot vs. Mummy!

 

THE ROBOT VS. THE AZTEC MUMMY-1958-The narrator tries to say it's based on a true story. Dr. Diaz and Dr. Estelle visit the home of Dr. Amalda (Ramon Gay) and his wife Flor (Rosita Arenas). Also there is Amalda's assistant Picante (Crox Alva-rado). Once settled Amalda relates the story of an Aztec breastplate and bracelet to his guests. He tells about the time he gave a lecture on regressing past lives through hypnotism that was not well received. Depressed he hypnotized Flor and learned her past life was as an Aztec queen named Xochtil. She and her warrior lover Popoca decide to elope but are caught by some priests and after a big singing and dancing ceremony Xochtil is sacrificed and Popoca is buried alive and cursed to watch over her tomb forever. 

Accompanying her are the breastplate and bracelet that tell where some ancient Aztec treasure is buried. It's also mentioned that a guy at Amalda's lecture Dr. Krupp (Luis Aceves Casteneda) has turned into a bad guy now called “The Bat” who knows all about the “regression experiment”. In another flashback Almalda and Flor and some others visit an ancient tomb where they find the breastplate on Xochtil's skeletal remains but without the bracelet they can't find the treasure. Undaunted by a warning they find, Almalda, Picante and Flor's father Dr. Sepulveda (Jorge Mondragon) go back to the tomb. Not so lucky this time, they run into the walking mummy that is now Popoca (Angel Di Stefani). They hold him at bay with their flashlights and escape. Later Popoca tries to sacrifice Flor but is stopped by Sepulveda who uses a cross to hold off the mummy. He then sacrifices his own life to save his friends and keep the mummy entombed. Dr. Krupp manages to kidnap poor Flor and her daughter and get the sacred items. He forces Almada to translate the hieroglyphics that will lead to the treasure. Just when Krupp is ready to kill the family Popoca bursts in. He knocks down Krupp's henchman Tierno (Arturo Martinez), (who winds up with an acid scarred face) and throws The Bat into a pit of snakes. However when Almalda returns the next day with the police they discover Krupp escaped through a hidden door! 

Then Krupp and Tierno once again kidnap Flor (she's under The Bat's hypnotism) and find the mummy. When Almada and Picante find a dead body, radium and that a large amount of metal has been stolen they suspect The Bat is back! After Almada and Picante are captured by Tierno and brought to Krupp, he introduces them to his great creation, a “human robot” (Aldolfo Rojas), a big clunky cartoonish metal thing with a human head inside the frame that can disintegrate with it's claws. Krupp wants the robot to kill Popoca, so they all go off to the cemetery. When the robot and the mummy go at it, it seems the robot is getting the better of Popoca. Almada arrives with the police and shoots the control box Krupp uses. After that the mummy trashes the robot and kills Krupp and Tierno. Flor gives the breastplate and bracelet back to Popoca who, screaming, goes back to his tomb. This third and final segment of the Aztec mummy trilogy is also a compilation of the entire series as all the flashbacks are scenes from the previous entries.

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Keep Your Eyes On Quintillas

 

CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN-1958-At a dig in Pompei, a worker discovers a box of jewels and a 2000 year old kind of mummified man. While being transported in the back of a truck it shows signs of life. Carlo Fiorillo (Luis Van Rooten), head of the Pompei museum calls in Dr. Paul Mallon (Richard Anderson) to examine the body. He's assisted by former lover Maria (Adele Mara), Fiorillo's daughter and her fiancee Enrico (Gar Moore). 

Meanwhile the body comes to life and kills the truck driver. The truck crashes but the body is found intact and un-moving. Another egghead Dr. Emmanuel (Felix Locher) translates a medallion found on the body. It seems there's a curse that caused Mt. Vesuvius to erupt. They also learn the body's name is Quintillas (Bob Bryant). Paul's fiancee Tina (Elaine Edwards), an artist, paints a picture that looks like the body after seeing it in a dream. After viewing the body Tina becomes obsessed-hypnotized by it and visits the museum at night to make a sketch (apparently no locks are employed; she walks right in through the front door). While she's drawing, the body gets up and she faints. A guard's bullets fail to stop it. The body puts the medallion on Tina and becomes immobile again. Paul, Carlo and Maria put the brooch near the prone body of Q and he gets up and clobbers Paul who tried to stop him with an ax. Quintillas goes after Tina and chases her before collapsing again. When Emmanuel regresses Tina they learn she is the reincarnation of Q's lost love. After killing En-rico, Q grabs Tina and heads for the sea. The confused monster thinks he's saving his love from Vesuvius' destruction. The water dissolves Quintillas and Paul rescues Tina. 

Slight Mummy inspired movie has a few nice touches by the great Edward L. Cahn and like many of Cahn's pictures a narrator gives the whole thing a kind of documentary type feel. In this case the narrator is the uncredited Morris Ankrum. The screenplay is by Jerome Bixby (who also penned IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE for Cahn a few years later).

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Chan Can Solve It!

CHARLIE CHAN IN RIO-1941-Detective Chan (Sidney Toler) and number 2 son Jimmy (Sen Yung) with the help of local police chief Souto (Harold Huber) plan to arrest singer Lola Dean for the murder of a man in Honolulu after tracking her to a club in Rio De Janeiro. Lola (Jacqueline Dalya) plans to elope with her fiance Carlos but first she visits a Hindu swami (Victor Jory) where she is kind of drugged and reveals that she did in fact kill a man in a jealous rage. I say kind of drugged as the swami only uses a herbal cigarette and a cup of coffee to achieve this. Anyway, her guests start to arrive when she returns to her place. When Chan arrives to make the arrest he finds Lola stabbed to death. Naturally all her party goers are suspects. They include jilted alcoholic (Mary Beth Hughes from I ACCUSE MY PARENTS), (future TV's Science Fiction Theater host Truman Bradley), the singer's secretary Grace (Cobina Wright), another disgruntled woman and a armchair detective. Jimmy actually has a fist fight with the butler who's trying to steal some jewels and comes  out on top! He even gets a love interest in the form of the singer's Asian maid Lili (Iris Wong). Fun outing but Jimmy is just a little to dumb at times... 

One of four Chan entries Harry Lachman directed. He also made OUR RELATIONS with Laurel and Hardy, DANTE'S INFERNO with Spencer Tracy and THE LOVES OF EDGAR ALLEN POE before retiring after 1942 to devote his life to being a full time artist.

Followed by CASTLE IN THE DESERT. Thanks for reading!

Charlie Chan Again

THE BLACK CAMEL-1931-In Hawaii, movie star Shelah Fane (Dorothy Revier) has doubts about marrying actor Allen Jaynes (William Post Jr.) She sends for mystic Tarneverro (Bela Lugosi; soon after DRACULA) to help her. Her friend Julie (Sally Eilers) doesn't like him but she’s too busy being wooed by real estate agent Jimmy Bradshaw (Robert Young). Later Charlie Chan (Warner Oland) makes his first appearance at the Royal Hawaiian hotel and confronts Tarneverro about his activities in Honolulu. He mentions the 3 year old Lenny Mayo murder case and maybe the fortune teller could help. Later Shelah visits the mystic and under duress admits she was in Mayo’s house the night he was killed. Later she receives an orchid from a guy named Bob Fyfe (Victor Vaconi). Her butler Jessop (unbilled Dwight Frye) is in love with her maid (though she says she’s not in love with him) and says he would do anything for her. After frolicking on the beach Julie and Jimmy find Shelah dead. Thus begins the scenario that was typical of so many Chan films to follow. A roomful of people, nearly each one a suspect.

Warner Oland debuted as Charlie Chan earlier in the year in CHARLIE CHAN CARRIES ON which unfortunately is now a "lost" film. In fact the next three entries are also lost. The next surviving picture with Oland is CHARLIE CHAN IN LONDON.

 I liked THE BLACK CAMEL because Bela has a large pivotal role but I dislike it because of the racist characterization of Chan’s dumb overzealous Japanese assistant Kashimo (Otto Yamaoka). Much more degrading and annoying than any of his sons ever were! For some reason director Hamilton MacFadden is un-credited.

“Death is a black camel that kneels unbidden at every gate. Tonight black camel has knelt here”

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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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Early Lom

THE DARK TOWER-1943-A failing English circus owned by American Phil Danton (Phil Lyon; a huge silent screen star also known as the co-star of Howard Hughes' early talkie HELL'S ANGELS) hires Torg (Herbert Lom in his first major starring role) a timid hypnotist to increase revenue. Torg can control lions and later helps trapeze artist Mary (Anne Crawford,, a popular screen and early English TV star who died in 1956 of leukemia) with her act. Almost immediately Torg changes into a over demanding egoist who wants to be a partner in the circus. Mary's boyfriend Tom (David Farrar) gets jealous but when Torg expresses his love for Mary she rebukes him and says Tom is her only love. So Torg hypnotizes Mary into sabotaging the act by having Tom fall to his death. It partially works but Tom doesn't die. Later Phil fires Torg but he threatens to take the hypnotized Mary with him. When Torg is killed, Phil seems to be the culprit but in the twist ending a different killer is revealed. 

Future Dr. Who William Hartnell plays Jim, the publicity agent. It's based on a play by George Kaufman and Alexander Woolcott which had been produced as a US feature in 1934 called THE MAN WITH TWO FACES featuring Edward G. Robinson, Louis Calhern and Mary Astor. This film noir-ish psychological thriller was directed by John Harlow. Future director Terence Fisher was the editor.

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Shout About It

THE SHOUT-1978-A weird guy named Crossely (Alan Bates) claims he can kill with a magical “shout” he learned while living with Aborigines. He comes between a married couple (Suzanna York and John Hurt) and seems to cast a spell on the wife. He rants a lot to a score keeper (Tim Curry) while watching a cricket game at an insane asylum. This ambiguous talky film leaves it to the viewer to decide what was really happening by the time the story ends. Also with Jim Broadbent in his film debut.

From Jerzy Skolimowski, the director of DEEP END it's based on a story by Robert Graves.

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Silent Magic

THE MAGICIAN-1926-Interesting and macabre silent film that seems to be a trendsetter for future films in the same genre. It’s based on a Somerset Maugham novel of the same name.

When a famous surgeon Dr. Burton (Ivan Petrovitch) saves the life of Margret (Alice Terry) with a spine operation, they end up falling in love. Enter Dr. Haddo (THE GOLEM’s Paul Wegener), a medical student (?; he seems kind of old!) who's searching for a way to create life in his laboratory. He finds an ancient book of magic that says he needs “the blood of a maiden” to succeed. Guess who he sets his sights on? He uses hypnotism to control Margret and shows her an incredible scene of hell (tinted red with a pan pipe playing Satan). Wegener is down right frightening as Haddo (said to be based on English occultist Alastair Crowley).

The film was adapted and directed by Rex Ingram who had had a very successful career in Hollywood with his versions of THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE, SCARAMOUCHE, BEN-HUR, THE PRISONER OF ZENDA and others. 12 of them co-starring his wife Alice Terry. He would make only 4 more and retire. He died in 1950. His wife would also retire at the advent of sound. Wegener returned to German and acted another 22 years and died in 1948. Director Ingram should not be confused with actor Rex Ingram from CABIN IN THE SKY and THE THIEF OF BAGDAD.

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The She Creature

THE SHE-CREATURE-1956-This AIP movie features one of the most recognizable monsters in ‘50’s horror history, thanks in part to Forrest J. Ackerman’s publishing many stills of it in FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND. The monster (created and played by Paul Blaisdell) is cool.

Unfortunately that can’t be said of the movie itself.

Sideshow hypnotist The Great Lombardi (Chester Morris in his last film role for many years) can regress his assistant (Marla English) to the 1600’s where she talks with an English accent. Through her he can also summon a giant clawed “prehistoric” monster to do his bidding. A psychologist (Lance Fuller who gives a very weird performance) tries to break the spell. Tom Conway (“The Falcon” and “The Saint” in better days) is the promoter who makes Lombardi a sensation. El Brendel (one of the stars of the strange ’30’s Sci-Fi flick JUST IMAGINE) is the comic relief Swedish butler. AIP regular Cathy Downs is Fuller’s fiancé and Mark Hudson (Harry in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN) is a drunk. Kenneth McDonald (from late period 3 Stooges shorts) plays a doctor in one scene.

Despite being directed by the great and underrated Edward L. Cahn THE SHE CREATURE is big disappointment. In between sporadic monster appearances it’s all talk! There’s lots of scientific mumbo jumbo about love, hypnotism and past life regression (which was in the news at the time) and Fuller seems to be under some kind of spell himself. What a bad actor!

Screenwriter Lou Rusoff (brother in law of AIP co-founder Samuel Z. Arkoff) wrote many of their productions including THE DAY THE WORLD ENDED and the England based CAT GIRL. Morris was a Oscar nominated actor best known for playing the title role in the Boston Blackie series. Although active in TV he would not make another feature film until 1970’s THE GREAT WHITE HOPE. Unfortunately he died soon after completing his role.

English, Conway, Fuller and the monster (with a different head) all appeared a year later in VOODOO WOMAN. Fuller was also in Cahn’s WOMEN IN PRISON the same year. Also with Ron Randall, Frank Jenks, Frieda Inescort and Paul Dubov.

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I'm pretty scary though!
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3 More!

COUNSELOR AT LAW-1933-This is often considered the legendary John Barrymore’s last great performance and he does live up to that claim. It’s also ahead of it’s time in it’s view on lawyers and the way they interpret the law.

“The Great Profile” plays a successful Jewish lawyer up to his neck in controversy. One case may get him disbarred and he tries defend a self proclaimed Communist who declares the US is “worst than Russia was under the Czar”. Although Barrymore would act another 7 years, good roles would be few a far between (20th CENTURY, ROMEO & JULIET and THE GREAT MAN VOTES would be exceptions). In an ironic twist his character says “I don’t even know how to get drunk”! Also with Bebe Daniels, Melvyn Douglas (he was in THE VAMPIRE BAT the same year), Onslow Stevens, Doris Kenyon, Thelma Todd, Mayo Methot and John Qualen. This would also put director William Wyler on the map.




UFO: THE TRUE STORY OF FLYING SAUCERS-1956 –Wow! This pseudo-documentary must have really shook up 1950’s moviegoers. It’s nothing like the stuff AIP was churning out at the time. It uses actually amateur shot color films (though the rest of the movie is black & white) and has interviews with real UFO (called “unknowns” here) eyewitnesses though the lead reporter is played by an actor (Tom Powers who a small roles in many Hollywood productions and died soon after this was made). There’s a lot of talk and some unintentionally funny parts but most for it remains serious and effective. Actors Harry Morgan and Les Tremayne provide the voices of the pilots who have a “close encounter”.


CHANDU THE MAGICIAN-1932-Edmund Lowe stars as Chandu, a yogi who uses hypnotism to battle the evil would ruler of the world named Roxor (Bela Lugosi, really hamming it up). Roxor wants the death ray a scientist has invented. 

This has great sets (Willaim Cameron Menzies was one of the directors) and some crude but fun SFX including stone statues coming to life and Chandu turning rifles into snakes. Like many ‘30’s movies a comic relief assistant bogs down the story.  

This pre-code action fantasy is fairly  crude but the weird things Chandu can do is a plus and Lugosi's Roxor is a hoot. It's based on a radio show. Strangely, the sequel starred Lugosi in the Chandu role!  But I think an opportunity was missed in not bringing back the Roxor character and have Bella playing both roles! Also with Irene Ware (who was later in THE RAVEN with Lugosi and Karloff).



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