Reformed Vampires

 

 (imdb)

SUNDOWN: THE VAMPIRE IN RETREAT-1989-A prologue tells us that a community of vampires (Purgatory) live somewhere out west, no longer drinking human blood, using sunblock and other modern devices so that someday they can live in harmony with humans. David Harrison (Jim Meltzer), his wife Sarah (Morgan Brittany) and their 2 monster loving daughters come to town to help make artificial blood for the vampires. The town is run by Mardulak (David Carradine). Meanwhile, Jefferson (John Ireland) is planning a revolt and is gathering a vampire army. Another vampire Shane (Maxwell Caulfield), a former rival of David's ìs in league with Jefferson and invents wooden bullets to kill Mardulak's followers. Another visitor is Robert Van Helsing (Bruce Campbell), who's helped by Sandy, a waitress vampire (Deborah Foreman). Of course, Mardulak is really Dracula and there's a huge shootout between the two factions as a finale. 

Dabbs Greer is a German vampire. John Hancock is the sheriff. Emmett Walsh is a gas station attendant who decapitates a punk and Bert Remsen is his brother. Buck Flower is impaled with an umbrella. 

The story is part horror parody and part serious horror and it doesn't always mesh but Carradine, Campbell & Ireland are good. “Town Without Pity” and “Earth Angel” are played over the closing credits. 

This was director Anthony Hickox's second feature (after WAXWORK in 1988). His dad, Douglas directed Vincent Price in THEATER OF BLOOD (1973).

Thanks for reading!

Who Doesn"t?

 

 (imdb)

I LOVE TROUBLE-1948-PI Stuart Bailey (Franchot Tone) investigates the past of the wife named Jane (Lyn Merrick) of a "public figure" (Tom Powers). It leads to a night club run by Keller (Stephan Geray) & Reno (John Ireland). After he's threatened and slugged, Bailey meets a woman (Janet Blair) who says she's Jane's sister. This leads Jim to Caprlllo (Eduardo Ciannelli) and young wife Ligia (Janis Carter) and their shady chauffeur Martin (Donald Curtis). Later he's beaten up by Reno and his henchman (Raymond Burr). Bailey escapes their clutches and suspects Jane of murdering an ex-con cook (Sid Tomack). Glenda Farrell is his secretary and Adele Jergens is a helpful showgirl. 

OK typical film noir with Tone giving a good performance as the cool PI. Screenwriter Roy Huggins later created the TV show “77 Sunset Strip”. This is one of the last movies made by director S. Sylvan Simon (ABBOTT & COSTELLO IN HOLLYWOOD (1945)) who died suddenly of a heart attack in 1951.

Thanks for reading!

Bushwhacked!

  (imdb)

THE BUSHWHACKERS-1951-After the Civil War ends Jefferson Waring (John Ireland) vows never to raise a gun against another man again. He heads west. Things aren't much better. He witnesses some homesteaders killed and their house burned down. Later he meets Peter Sharpe (Frank Marlowe), a newspaper publisher who let's him stay at his home but Sharpe's daughter (Dorothy Malone) has him arrested. The useless Marshall (Wayne Morris) and his dimwitted deputy (Norman Leavitt) lock him up. Sharpe clears him and gives him a job but Waring wants to leave town. He winds up in a fist fight with hired gun Tobin (Lawrence Tierney) and his thugs (one is Jack Elam). 

After he leaves, Waring runs afoul of arthritic wheelchair bound Artemis Taylor (Lon Chaney) and bitchy daughter Nora (Myrna Dell). They know the railroad is planning to buy up the surrounding land for a new line and Taylor wants to drive out the homesteaders before they find out it's valuable. Sharpe saw some surveyors and knows about it so Taylor orders his flunky Ding (William Holmes) to kill the rebel. Nora orders Tobin (who works for Taylor) to kill Ding too. There's a big botch up and Waring is wounded but not killed. He finds shelter with the homesteaders and tells them about the railroad. Nora plans to lead a gang to drive the settlers out once and for all. Sharpe prints an editorial that lays out Taylor's plan for everyone to see and is killed. Later when Nora leads her thugs to destroy the homesteaders they are caught in an ambush. Nora and her dad both die. 

This was the directorial debut for actor/stuntman Rod Amateau who went on to direct many TV shows (Burns & Allen, My Mother,The Car). This last movie was THE GARBAGE PAIL KIDS MOVIE in 1987. He co-wrote the screenplay with debuting writer Tom Gries who went on to write an early Bert I. Gordon movie KING DINOSAUR in 1955. 

Thanks for reading!

The Fix Is In

THE BASKETBALL FIX-1951-Alone in a bar, reporter Peter Ferreday (John Ireland) remembers how he helped high school basketball player Johnny Long (Marshall Thompson) get a scholarship with the help of coach Becker (Walter Sande). Mike Taft (William Bishop)), a sleazy bookmaker involves Johnny in a shaving points scheme. Johnny is in a money crunch taking care of his little brother and wants to buy an engagement ring for his girlfriend Pat (Vanessa Brown) (“Can you put glory in the bank?”). He gets in too deep, gets beat up and ruins his whole life. Nobody's learn a thing since....

This low budget film noirish quickie that's very serious and doesn't have a happy ending was directed by Felix E. Feist who a few years later made DONOVAN'S BRAIN and later moved to TV. A year earlier lead actress Vanessa Brown had played Jane to Lex Barker's Tarzan in TARZAN AND THE SLAVE GIRL.

Thanks for reading!

Crazy '70's Stuff!

HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES-1974-6 murders are shown in 6 portraits depicting the untimely end of all the members of The Beel family during the credits. A seventh frame is empty. Then a woman practices witchcraft. Something goes wrong and she about to commit suicide when we learn it is only the filming of a horror movie on The Beel estate. John Carradine is the the caretaker Mr. Price who spoils the scene and then relates the history of the Beel family to the film within a film's director Eric Hartman (John Ireland) and his crew members. Every person in the family came to a tragic death. After a lot of talk and the cast and crew filming scenes for the movie (based on the Tibetan of the Dead!) the lead actress Gayle (Faith Domergue from THIS ISLAND EARTH) finds the dead remains of her beloved cat. They all blame Price who is wondering around in the nearby graveyard. After more filming a corpse comes to life and kills Price. Then it kills a couple of technicians. Then while filming a scene Gayle accidentally shoots her leading man to death. The corpse then kills her by hanging. After the seemingly possessed co-director tries to kill Harman another corpse rises from the grave. Hartman cracks up when he discovers the dead bodies and his film stock exposed. ("my film! my film!"). Death by falling camera follows. It seems a curse (used in the film within a film) re-enacted the famous murders and the death of a young actress is the seventh...maybe???

HOUSE OF SEVEN CORPSES was the only feature film directed by Paul Harrison (he also co-wrote the screenplay). He mostly worked in TV writing many episodes of the Saturday morning kids' show HR PUFNSTUF.

Thanks for reading!

The Original

THE FAST & THE FURIOUS-1955-Roger Corman's second production (after THE MONSTER FROM THE OCEAN FLOOR) is a low budget hot rod crime drama.

John Ireland (who co-directed with the film's editor Edward Sampson) wrongly convicted of murder escapes from jail and is the subject of a state wide manhunt. At a diner run by Iris Adrian he meets Connie Adair (Dorothy Malone). He beats up Bruno Ve Sota and steals Malone's Jaguar (taking her as hostage in the process). After arguing and avoiding the police and roadblocks he realizes the only way he can escape to Mexico is by joining a hot rod race that ends south of the border. Unfortunately he knows nothing about racing. Fortunately his hostage does. Her "boyfriend" (Bruce Carlisle) is suspicious and Ireland strong arms Malone several times but eventually they fall in love. He locks her in an old shack and joins the race. He and b.f. duel it out and later the lovers are reunited and Ireland decides to give himself up. Former silent screen comedian Snub Pollard has a brief role. It's very shoddy and preposterous but lives up to half it's name and moves along fast enough. Corman and Jonathan Haze have cameos.

Thanks for reading!

Mann Noir

RAILROADED!-1947-is an interesting film noir directed by Anthony Mann. John Ireland stars as a gangster who frames an innocent man for robbery and murder. Hugh Beaumont (10 years before he became father of TV's Beaver Cleaver) plays the detective out to stop him. Sheila Ryan plays the innocent man's sister who tries to help out too. 

Jane Randolph (ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN) gives a nice performance as Ireland's drunken moll. Mann gives the film some great classic touches but the climax is a little too dark and quick for me.

Mann went on to make many more movies but has always been a little underrated in my book.

Thanks for reading!