War Is Crazy

5 GATES TO HELL-1959-Vietnam (French Indo China) 1950 is the setting for this crazy little war film!

More exploitation than propaganda, it tells the tale of a international medical team that's captured by some Asian rebels who want the doctor (Ken Scott) of the group to "heal" their dying leader. Second in command Chen Pamok (Neville Brand speaking pidgin English but not made up to look Asian!) takes a fancy to nurse Athena (Dolores Michaels) while the rest of the women (including THE FLY's Patricia Owens, Nobu McCarthy, future BEVERLY HILLBILLIES co-star Nancy Kulp and nun Shirley Knight) are abused by the army. The group (there's one other "western" male played by John Morley) stages an uprising where it seems Chen is killed but so are the doctors. The women escape but Chen somehow survives and pursues them. The women eventually have to fight it out in the climax.

Benson Fong hangs around as Chen's leering assistant. Irish McCalla (same year as SHE DEMONS) has a small role as a nun who's crucified (basically shown off screen).

5 was written produced and directed by James Clavell who later became much more famous for his novels like SHOGUN. He had written the screenplay to THE FLY and later directed TO SIR WITH LOVE. Some close-ups seem out of place but where else are you going to see TV's Miss Hathaway wearing an army helmet and fooling around with a grenade?

Thanks once again to my pal Tony for getting this to me and thanks to anyone who reads this!

Hands!

"Now 75 years later in an abundant society where people have laptops, cell phones, iPods and minds like empty rooms, I still plod along with books"-Harper Lee





HANDS OF A STRANGER-Allied Artists-(1962)-Cheap, very boring rip-off of "The Hands Of Orlac"(filmed at least 3 times before) with a pianist (James Stapleton) receiving a "hands transplant" from a doctor (Paul Luklather) after his are mangled in a car crash. Unfortunately, the hands he gets are those of a killer. He can't seem to accept this and kills some people (including a child). He sets his girlfriend (Irish McCalla) on fire and just acts generally crazy. The story hints that his love for his over-protective sister (Joan Harvey) who falls for the doctor might be behind his problems. The investigating detective (Lawrence Haddon) is pretty funny but it's mostly just talk and bad acting.

Director Newt Arnold was mainly a career second unit or assistant director on many films (he died in 2000) and HANDS was the first of only three movies he would make. Strangely the next two would both have "blood" in the title. He'd make the Phillipines lensed BLOOD THIRST in 1971 and the early Jean-Claude Van Damme starrer BLOODSPORT in 1981. He even acted in a few movies.

Then unknown Sally Kellerman has a small role in HANDS but the only other "name star" is Irish McCalla who had gained fame in the '50's as TV's "Sheena Of The Jungle" (and the female lead in SHE DEMONS). She retired after this to become a successful artist despite battles with brain tumors. She died in 2000.

"There are many things in life that are more important than money. And they all cost money"-Fred Allen

Thanks for reading!