Cold War 50's

SHACK OUT ON 101-1955-A greasy spoon on the California coast is the setting for this cold war film noir drama and it's cast of characters: short tempered owner George (Keenan Wynn), sexy waitress Kotty (top billed Terry Moore from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG), sleazy cook Slob (Lee Marvin, who was in BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK the same year) and Sam (Frank Lovejoy from HOUSE OF WAX), a professor at the nuclear facility who's also Kotty boyfriend (talk about an odd couple!). Also featured is Whit Bissell as George's friend Eddie who has a fear of blood.

Between the characters talking about their problems and feelings some espionage goes on as Slob is passing micro film from the professor's facility (with the help of delivery man Len Lesser) to unknown agents. One night Kotty hears Sam and Slob talking and realizes her stuffed shirt of a lover is part of a spy ring. Frank DeKova shows up in one scene as a crooked professor who gets killed. Some comic scenes involving Wynn using barbells and scuba equipment are thrown in as well.

It's an ok low budget thriller with Marvin kind of stealing the show especially when he turns violent in the finale. Donald Murphy who later played the mad doctor in FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER has a small role as a federal agent posing as a truck driver.

Director Edward Dein went on to make the vampire western CURSE OF THE UNDEAD. Earlier he made SOUL OF A MONSTER.
http://moviemeltdown.blogspot.com/2010/03/not-that-much-soul.html

I could write another whole entry on co-star Frank Lovejoy, who as I have mentioned before seems to have none of his last name in any of his acting. His love scenes with Terry Moore are awkward at best!

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Seven

SEVEN MEN FROM NOW-1956-Great but overlooked Western by the underrated Budd Boetticher features Randolph Scott as a former sheriff out for revenge on the seven bank robbers who killed his wife. After killing 2 of them in the opening scene he meets up with a couple heading for California. Lee Marvin and Don Red Barry show up looking for the stolen gold the robbers are suppose to have. Meanwhile the remaining robbers wait in town for the seventh man to deliver the loot.

SMFN is one of several unusual westerns Boetticher made in the late ‘50’s (several of them produced by John Wayne and also featuring Scott). The directing and acting are very good and the script (by future director Burt Kennedy) features some good dialogue with touches of sarcastic humor (mostly from Marvin in a standout role) and sexual tension between Scott and leading lady Gail Russell as well several plot twists. John Wayne wanted to play the Scott role but was busy doing THE SEARCHERS (for John Ford who almost directed).

SMFN also features John Larch, Fred Graham (later the sheriff in THE GIANT GILA MONSTER), John Beradino, Pamela Duncan (ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS) and in one scene Stuart Whitman. After many years out of circulation TCM finally showed this and a very interesting documentary on Boetticher.

Now all TCM has to do is show THE TALL T, COMMANCHE STATION and the rest of his westerns!

Note: I just found out TCM has shown COMMANCHE STATION so I guess I screwd up!

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Point Blank

POINT BLANK-1967-Lee Marvin stars as Walker, a bank robber whose partner (John Vernon) double crosses him during a heist leaves him for dead and even steals his wife (Sharon Acker) in this violent action drama from British director John Boorman. Walker survives of course and seeks revenge plus his cut of the heist. Lloyd Bocher and Carroll O’Connor are mob bosses. Angie Dickenson is Walker’s sister in law who takes up with him after his wife commits suicide. It seems no matter how many people he kills or how much destruction he wreaks Walker just can’t get his money.

Keenan Wynn is a police officer that helps out. Sid Haig is seen briefly as a bodyguard. Also with Michael Strong James Sikking and Kathleen Freeman. Marvin starred in THE DIRTY DOZEN the same year and was in Boorman’s HELL IN THE PACIFIC the next year. Boorman made this two years after CATCH US IF YOU CAN. It’s based on a Donald Westlake novel.

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