Elam On The Prowl

 

 (imdb)

THE GIRL IN LOVERS LANE-1960-Runaway rich kid Danny Winslow (Lowell Brown) meets railroad bum Bix Dugan (Brett Halsey from THE RETURN OF THE FLY (1959)) on a train car, after he's unsuccessfully mugged. They team up as drifters and land in the sleepy town of Sherman, where they have lunch at a diner run by Carrie (Joyce Meadows; THE BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS (1957)) and her father (Emile Meyer). Bix and Carrie hit it off but Danny gets in trouble with local floozy Peggy (Selette Cole). Meanwhile, local weird guy Jessie (Jack Elam) leers at Carrie and gives her the creeps. Bix has to break his first date with Carrie however when he and Danny get into a fight with some local “toughs”. After their next date, Bix and Danny get jobs at the diner. When things get serious between Bix and Carrie, he wants to blow town. Unfortunately, Carrie runs into Jessie and he kills her. Bix is blamed and arrested. Carrie's drunken father and his crew get Bix and dad tries to beat him to death. Fortunately, Danny makes Jessie confess. 

Pretty depressing drama directed by Charles R. Rondeau (DEVIL'S PARTNER the same year) and written by Jo Helms who later wrote PLAY MISTY FOR ME (1971). Lead actress Joyce Meadows is still living at the time of this writing. So is Brett Halsey. Male co-star Lowell Brown, also in THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH (1962), may also still be with us...

Thanks for dreading!

Hail Atlantis

ATLANTIS THE LOST CONTINENT-1961-While out plying their trade a Greek fisherman Demetrius (Anthony Hall aka Sal Ponti)) and his father rescue Antilla (Joyce Meadows) a bitchy princess ( "Don't touch me. You smell of fish").

Eventually she convinces the superstitious and easily deceived young man to take her back to her home beyond "the pillars of Hercules" which of course turns out to be the legendary Atlantis before it became lost. Somehow they fall in love. After they are picked up by an Atlantean submarine Demetrius is made a slave. Edgar Stehli is Antilla's weak kneed father/king and Ed Platt is the high priest who knows that doomsday is near. Though technically and scientifically advanced (they have a death ray and make human slaves into animal people sort of like in ISLAND OF LOST SOULS) it's an evil and despotic empire. Demetrious battles a giant in the ridiculous ordeal of fire and water to win his freedom and is visited by a blue skinned Neptune in a dream sequence. The scheming Zaran (John Dall) plots with Sonoy the astrologer (Frank DeKova with eye patch and earring) to attack the rest of the world. Demetrious leads a slave uprising just as Atlantis is destroyed but he and his love get away. Berry Kroeger is a scientist ("Why do they always take my best specimens away?" ) and Gene Roth has an un-billed role (and if you had to wear the embarrassing head gear he wears you'd want to be un-billed too!).

William Smith, Jay Novello and Nestor Paiva are also in it with Paul Frees narrating. This George Pal directed fantasy is very entertaining and imaginative but not nearly on the budget of his previous effort THE TIME MACHINE. Some action scenes were lifted from Pal produced THE NAKED JUNGLE and QUO VADIS. It's based on an English play.

Thanks to my pal Tony for getting me this and thanks for reading!