Deep In The Heart Of Texas

 

 (imdb)

PRELUDE TO HAPPINESS-1975-Nurse Susan (Rose Petra) and her fiancée are changing a flat when she is struck by a speeding car. She survives but her leg is mangle and has to be amputated. Just like that her hubby calls off the wedding and leaves her. She becomes depressed but with encouragement from Doctor Hartman (Gary Lee Davis), she breaks out of it and practices on crutches. Eventually, she comes out of her funk and works as a nurse in the hospital. She freezes when she sees an accident victim with bloodied legs but snaps out of it after a doctor slaps her! Later, Hartman helps her find a new apartment but his fiancée' gets jealous and gives him an ultimatum. Her or Susan. He and Susan admit they are in love but Susan turns down his proposal. Later he attends a swanky engagement party and tragedy follows but everything works out in the end. 

This filmed in Texas obscurity is the kind of movie I hate to review. Its message is sincere but it's done in by bad production values and bad acting. Lead actress Rose Petra was really missing her leg. This is the only film directed by Gidney Talley Jr., a theater owner from San Antonio.

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Chaney in Charge

 

 (imdb)

THE MONSTER-1925-When Dr. Bowman disappears (actually his car is caused to crash and his body is taken by two ghoulish figures), the town of Danburg is in an uproar. The constable (Charles Sellon) and his "daring detectives'' investigate. Local boy Johnny Goodlittle (Johnny Arthur) who has a book "How Be A Detective" is the only one who finds a clue but the Constable laughs at him. Johnny works under Amos Rugg (Hallam Cooley) at a general store. They are both sweet on Betty Watson (Gertude Olmstead). The insurance company sends detective Jennings (William H. Turner). Once again Johnny shows them the clue he's found, a card from nearby Edwards sanitarium with the word help written backwards on the reverse side. Still, nobody believes it, since the doc is away and his sanitarium is closed. At Betty's party, she throws Johnny over for the pompous Rugg. Leaving dejectedly, Johnny meets a loony looking man who smokes an invisible pipe. When he mentions Bowman, Johnny follows him. When Rugg and Betty go for a ride, they fall victim to a planned auto accident just like Bowman had. Meanwhile Johnny accidentally gets into the sanitarium and later meets Rugg and Betty who went there to use the phone. They find a dead body. Asshole Rugg accuses Johnny of murder. Odd things happen around them. Then 30 minutes into the story Dr. Ziska (Lon Chaney) appears, saying he's in charge when Dr. Edwards is away. The guy they think is dead was actually in a trance. Ziska also has a huge mute servant Caliban (Walter James). Of course, Ziska is really an insane surgeon, once a patient who now has Edwards, Bowman and another guy captive in a dungeon. Meanwhile Ziska plans to transfer Rugg's soul into Betty's body. Fortunately, Johnny overcomes his cowardice and uses his "ingenuity" to put a stop to Ziska's evil machinations. 

THE MONSTER is thought to be the first type of haunted house mystery ala "THE OLD DARK HOUSE”. There's lots of strange characters and spooky goings on (clutching hands, secret doors etc). Co-star Johnny Arthur was known for playing timid characters, sometimes described as “effeminate”. After the Production Code was implemented in 1934, he had uncredited roles in many movies. He also portrayed Darla Hood's father in several “Our Gang” shorts. Star Lon Chaney is quite over the top in this horror-comedy which he made the same year as PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and THE UNHOLY THREE. 

Director/co-writer Roland West went on to make THE BAT and THE BAT WHISPERS but retired from the movies and went into business with ill-fated actress Thelma Todd. Co-writer Crane Wilbur (who wrote the play THE MONSTER is based on) made the controversial THE UNBORN in 1934 but went on to write many more movies (WEST OF SHANGHAI, HOUSE OF WAX, MYSTERIOUS ISLAND).

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Voodoo Unto Others

 

 (themoviedb.org)

THE DISEMBODIED-1957-Dr. Carl Metz (John Wengraf) lives in the jungle with his younger, unhappy, bitchy native wife Tonda (Allison Hayes). Behind his back, she performs a type of voodoo to get rid of him. Enter two white men, Tom (Paul Burke) and Norm (Joe Marston), photo journalists with a wounded friend Joe (Robert Christopher). Tonda takes them to her husband but he can't save Joe. When they hear drums, the men decide to investigate despite the warnings from their native guide Gogi (Paul Thompson). They discover Tonda dancing erotically. She's the voodoo queen who uses servant Suba (Dean Fredericks: later the star of THE PHANTOM PLANET (1961)), a chicken and a doll to cure their friend Joe. Next day Suba is found with his heart cut out. Later Tonda tells Tom she's afraid of her husband and they embrace but a seemingly bewitched Joe attacks Tom. He says “kill the white man”. Tonda blames her husband but from the look on her face, she's probably lying. Tom confronts Metz at gunpoint and tells him to cure Joe. Tom is stopped but Metz suspects his wife. When Joe disappears, Metz warns Tom to leave. Tonda declares her love for Tom but he rejects her. He and Norm and Gogi plan to leave but they find Gogi dead, their jeep disabled and their guns missing. After Tonda stabs her husband and it's clear he's dying, Tom tries to trick Tonda into saving his life. It backfires but when Tonda is killed everything works out. 

This is just some standard jungle voodoo love triangle on a very low budget. Of course it's always nice to see Allison Hayes on any budget. This was director Walter Grauman's first job. He later went into TV (One of his early efforts was a color version of “Frankenstein” in 1957 with ex-boxer Primo Carnera as the monster!) and occasionally made a feature film (like LADY IN A CAGE (1964)). He also made some seldom seen entries into ABC's “Movie Of The Week” like THE OLD MAN WHO CRIED WOLF and CROWHAVEN FARM (both 1970).

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Anna May Wong

 (imdb)

 

DAUGHTER OF THE DRAGON-1931-We learn that the evil Fu Manchu went crazy after the accidental deaths of his wife and son during the Boxer Rebellion. He wrongfully blamed Gen. Petrie (Holmes Herbert). Scotland Yard defeated him and he is dead. Now his daughter Ling Moy (Anna May Wong) is an “Oriental dancer”, not knowing who her father is. But it turns out Fu (Warner Oland) is not dead and in fact he kills Petrie with poison tobacco in front of his wife (Nella Walker) and son Ron (Bramwell Fletcher), Sir Basil (Lawrence Grant) and Ah Kee (Sessue Hayakawa). 

Kee shoots Fu but he gets away with help of the butler. He dies but when Ling learns that Fu is her father, she vows to kill Ron, the last Petrie. “I will be your son!”, she declares. Fu makes it seem like Sir Basil and the police kill him while he's in the act of killing Ling so Ling can get close to Ron, whose girlfriend Joan (Francis Dade) doesn't like the fact that Ron is sweet on Ling but Kee also professes his love for Ling. When Ling has a chance to kill Ron, she hesitates having now fallen in love with him but later shows her true self, holding Joan captive and threatening to pour acid on her. 

Sometimes clumsy but well-done mystery drama with a great finale. It's based on the novel “The Daughter of Fu Manchu” by Sax Rohmer. One of 13 films directed by actor Lloyd Corrigan between 1930 & 1937. His penultimate film was NIGHT KEY (1937) with Boris Karloff.

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Not Really Horror

 

 (imdb)

THE EYES OF THE MUMMY-1918-A man, Albert Wendland (Harry Liedtke) becomes obsessed with visiting the tomb of Queen Ma, whose other visitors have had “terrible misfortune” after going there. Wendland can't get anyone to go with him so he goes alone. He meets local Radu (Emil Jannings), who leads him into the tomb and attacks him. Wendland knocks Radu out and investigates, finding a room where he meets a woman also named Ma (Pola Negri) who says she is Radu's prisoner. Wendland whisks her away to Europe and tries to teach her how to act like a European but Radu also goes (with the help of a professor who saved him in the desert) to find her. Wendland gives a party and the male guests are mesmerized by Ma's exotic dance. A variety show agent wants Ma in his show. 2 months later, Ma is a dancing sensation and the professor goes to see her. He brings Radu, now his servant. When Radu sees Ma, the trouble begins. 

 (imdb)

There is no mummy in this silent film production which is good on its own but not really a horror movie. This silent German production was directed by Ernst Lubitsch who later went to Hollywood and directed many famous comedies like NINOTCHKA (1939) and TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942). 

Star Pola Negri (from Poland) made 3 more movies with Lubitsch, after which she came to Hollywood where she was quite popular and successful in silent films for Paramount for a while. Co-star Jannings would go on to work for FW Murnau, eventually coming to the US and winning the first best actor Academy Award in 1929. His film work for Nazi propaganda films during WW 2 finished his career as an actor after Germany's defeat. Actor Harry Liedtke was killed by The Red Army in 1945.

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Silent Tong

 

 (imdb)

THE TONG MAN-1919-Louie Toy (Toyo Fujita), antiques and opium dealer is assisted by his daughter Sen Chee (non-Asian actress Helen Jerome Eddy). Sen Chee is in love with Luk Chen (co-producer Sessue Hayakawa), Tong leader Bo Sing's most feared hatchet man. Chee convinces dad to hide sailor Lucero (Yutaka Abe), who murdered a man. Chen plans to return to China as a wealthy man but rival Tong leader Ming Tai (Marc Robbins) decides Toy must die for not paying him tribute. The assassins draw lots. Guess who gets to eliminate Toy? Chen of course. He sets up Toy for the kill but his love for Chee stops him. Later, Taj tells Toy he will have Chen killed if Toy agrees to let him marry Chee. Chee tries to kill herself and Lucero warns Chan he's marked for death. He rescues Chee and fights Toy who has a change of heart about the marriage. After Tai kills Toy himself and has Chee kidnapped, Chan and Lucero go for revenge. With a rooftop shootout/chase, an ax in the face and an unexpected happy ending. 

THE TONG MAN was a big hit when first released help by the free publicity that came from lawsuits brought on by many Chinese American communities aiming to ban the film from playing. Star Hayakawa was the US's first Asian film star. He and director William Worthington also made THE DRAGON PAINTER the same year.

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More TV

 (imdb)

GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS-1968-Buz Nichols (Tom Pace), shady criminal type meets Michele (Leslie McRae), a waitress at a greasy spoon working with her drunk father (Victor Izay). They hit the road and go to Las Vegas where Buz says his dancer/sister Joanie (Bara Brynes) will get Michele a job. Along the way, they pick up Critter (Jody Daniels), a philosophical hippie, trying to escape the draft. A love triangle develops. Later they meet sis Joanie who works for the sleazy self-important club owner Leo McCabe (Mark Herron). He also supplies Joanie with pills and plans to replace her with Michele. Meanwhile, Buz pushes dope for McCabe and Critter washes floors. Buz gets involved in stealing drugs from a jail and then murder and Joanie has a breakdown. Critter brings all the sleazy thugs down, romances Michele and returns to be drafted while crooning a song. 

Funny low budget love story/crime drama from co-producer/director Ted V. Mikels who made the infamous ASTRO-ZOMBIES the same year (also with Pace). Mikels regular William Bagdad also has a role. Lead actress McRae was also in Mikels' BLOOD ORGY OF THE SHE DEVILS (1973) and HELL'S BLOODY DEVILS (1970) and THE FEMALE BUNCH (1971), both for Al Adamson, GUESS WHAT HAPPENED TO COUNT DRACULA (1971) and DEATHRACE 2000 (1975). Grimy bad guy Mark Herron was married to Judy Garland at the time.

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Gorilla Love

 

 (imdb)

BRIDE OF THE GORILLA-1951-Somewhere along the Amazon, Klaas Van Gilder (Paul Cavanaugh) and his unhappy wife Dina (Barbara Payton) are having troubles. Their doctor Viet (Tom Conway) tries to help but foreman Barney Chavez (pre-Godzilla & Perry Mason Raymond Burr) lusts after Dina. After Barney is fired, he kills Van Gilder by having a snake bite him. With hubby out of the way, Barney and Dina plan to run away. Law officer Taro (Lon Chaney) investigates. After Barney is exonerated of the murder, he and Dina get married but Van Gilder's servant Al-Long (Gisela Werbisek) puts a curse on him and he turns into a gorilla. Woody Strode is a policeman.

 It's pretty bad with a lot of talk. One of 9 movies directed by Curt Siodmak, better known as a writer and novelist (Donovan's Brain). He and Chaney would work again on the TV series 13 Demon Street (and the movie made from it, THE DEVIL'S MESSENGER). Star Payton had several scandals connected to her and later had several brushes with the law. She died in 1967 at the age of 39.

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Swimmer vs. Swimmer

 

 (imdb)

SWAMP FIRE-1946-Johnny Duval (Johnny Weissmuller) returns from the war to his home on the Louisiana delta. Everyone is very happy to see him, especially his girl Toni (Carol Thurston). One guy who doesn't like him is Mike (Buster Crabbe with a Cajun accent). Johnny can't return to his old job as a bat pilot though because during the war he commanded a ship that was lost. He blames himself (though nobody else does) and has lost his confidence as a pilot. He also meets Janet Hilton (Virginia Grey; see my "Dino-Men" entry), the spoiled rich daughter whose father (Pierre Watkin) Duval helps out. Later Janet and Toni have a fight at a dance. 

Then one foggy night Duval's ship is involved in a crash with another ship and Toni's father (Pedro de Cordoba) is killed. Duval hits the bottle. After he's hit by a truck, Janet takes him in, distancing him from Toni by forbidding her phone calls and tearing up her letters. Later, when Duval learns of Janet's treachery (she claims to be in love with him), he leaves her. When Mike sets the swamp on fire, he accidentally shoots Toni. Duval rescues her but there's a final watery fight between the two former Olympic swimmers. Guess who wins? 

Fairly standard love triangle drama with Buster Crabbe in a good villain role and Weissmuller unfortunately proving why this was his only lead movie role outside of Tarzan & Jungle Jim. David Janssen and I. Standford Jolley have uncredited roles. This was one of seven movies Crabbe made in 1946. All the rest were westerns. Director William Pine was better known as a producer (ONE BODY TOO MANY (1944) with Lugosi).

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Lon Clowns Around Again

 

 (imdb)

HE WHO GETS SLAPPED-1924-In Paris, scientist Paul Beaumont (Lon Chaney) proves his theories thanks in part to his wife Marie (Ruth King) and his rich benefactor The Baron (Marc McDermott) but the Baron steals not only Beaumont's discoveries but also his wife. Beaumont is disgraced and laughed at by an academy of old farts after The Baron calls him insane and slaps him. His wife insults and slaps him too. They are really an evil pair. 

Since his wife calls him a clown, he becomes one and 5 years later he's working at a circus as "He", a clown who makes the audience laugh by being slapped. Also there are daredevil rider Benzano (John Gilbert) who falls madly in love with Consuelo (Norma Shearer), the daughter of the shabby Count Mancini (Tully Marshall), who's to be his bareback rider. One night during his act, which despite having the audience in stitches, is rather cruel and morbid to me, “He” spies The Baron in the crowd. He also sees him talking to Consuelo, who He of course has now taken a shine to. Later, Benzano and Consuelo meet secretly. They are in love but Mancini convinces The Baron to marry her. When He declares his love for Consuelo she laughs thinking it a joke. He overhears the secret marriage proposal and sets up some deadly revenge. A scary clown with a globe shows up occasionally. 

This is another silent tragic revenge tale with Chaney once again giving his all in the sympathetic but vengeful lead role. Lead actress Shearer was married to MGM co-owner Irving Thalberg who co-produced the film with Swedish born director Victor Sjorstrom (THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE (1921)) who also co-adapted it from a Russian play. Co-star John Gilbert was on the verge of becoming one of the biggest stars of the silent era.

 (imdb)

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Back In The Bayou...

 

 (themoviedb.org)

THE LOUISIANA HUSSY-1959-Down in the Bayou, a dumb trapper named Jacques (Peter Coe) won't attend his brother Pierre's wedding because he's in love with the bride Lily (Betty Lynn). While out doing his thing, Jacques comes upon the mysterious Minette (Nan Peterson) who seems to have had a traumatic experience and says her rings were stolen. He takes her to town where the local doctor (Tyler McVey) kind of forces Pierre (Robert Richards) and new wife to take Minette in despite it being their honeymoon. Everyone thinks it's a big joke and laugh at him. Lily doesn't seem to understand Pierre's frustration. In fact, she seems more concerned about Minette's condition than her hubby's. The minute Minette wakes up, it's clear she's some home wrecking tramp. Within minutes of talking, she and Pierre are kissing passionately while Jacques watches from outside. Later she hooks up with Jacques. 

When Pierre & Lily visit Clay Lanier (Harry Lauter), they learn that Minette is really someone else. A flashback narrated by his manservant (Smoki Whitfield) tells how Lanier's wife Minette was driven to suicide by the fake Minette's antics. After Pierre prevents Lanier from killing fake Minette, the brothers reconcile and fake Minette gets away, looking for a new sucker. 

Dumb sleazy quickie with Coe miscast as the hot-headed Jacques. Director Lee Sholem had already made PHARAOH'S CURSE (1957), SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE PEOPLE (1951) and several “Jungle Jim” adventures.

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Which Witch?

 

 (imdb)

THE WITCH-1966-Sergio (Richard Johnson; in KHARTOUM the same year) meets old lady Consuelo Lorente (Sarah Ferrati) who wants him to catalogue the manuscripts her dead husband wrote about her. When she has some kind of fainting spell Sergio meets her daughter Aura (Rosanna Schiaffino; MINOTAUR, THE WILD BEAST OF CRETE) who he falls for immediately, but a dead cat spoils their first meeting. Just when it seems like Sergio and Aura are going to get it on, they are interrupted by Fabrizio (Gian Maria Volente; FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE), the guy who Sergio has replaced, who is madly in love with Aura, who then suddenly rebuffs Sergio and tells him to leave. He talks to a female neighbor who tells him Lorente has no daughter. He returns to the apartment and has a fight with Fabrizio who's killed accidentally. 

Sergio must figure out what's going on just like the viewer in this very arty, stylish supernatural tale from a book by Carlos Fuentes. This Italian production was directed and co-written by Damiano Damiani who went on to make AMITTYVILLE ll: THE POSSESSION (1982) and many Italian based crime dramas.

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Hopping Mad

 

 (hkcinema.ru)

ZOMBIE ATTACK-2017-Hopping zombie tale with two guys Tang Shun and Ding Xing accidentally releasing a zombie while robbing a tomb. Later they both fall in love with Liu Mei, a bar hostess. To battle the zombie, they get help from an older Taoist and his assistant Ping. Director Fang Yin-Hua made a sequel soon after.

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The Original Letter

 

 (wikipedia)

THE LETTER-1929-First version of the classic story, later filmed with Bette Davis in 1940. In Singapore, Leslie Crosbie (Jeanne Eagels) a plantation owner's wife shoots her lover (Herbert Marshall in his US film debut) in a jealous rage after being jilted. Her jolly English husband Robert (Reginald Owen) stands by her when she pleads self-defense but the Chinese assistant to the judge on the case (Peter Chong) finds a love letter in possession of the murdered man's “half caste” mistress (Lady Tsen Mei). Mr. Joyce (O.P. Heggie; later the blind hermit in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) defends her. 3 weird looking women do a kind of striptease and footage of a mongoose fighting a cobra is briefly shown (the crowd is supposed to be betting on the outcome). When Leslie goes to buy the letter back from the mistress, they exchange all sorts of hateful racist dialogue. After Leslie is acquitted, the judge spills the beans to the husband about the letter. He decides her punishment will be to remain in Singapore forever (since she wanted to go back to England). She tells her husband the truth: that she “still loves the man I killed”. The End.

THE LETTER was star Jeanne Eagels' last movie and she was Oscar nominated for her performance. Unfortunately, she died soon after completing the film at age 39 after several years of alcohol and heroin abuse. French director Jean De Limur may have also directed Eagels in a lost movie JEALOUSY the same year.

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Mantan Leads The Troops

 

DRUMS IN THE DESERT-Monogram-1940-Lt. Paul Dumont (Ralph Byrd; already doing the Dick Tracy series) meets Mme. LaRoche (Lorna Gray) on a ship headed for Algiers. They seem to fall in love but when they dock she disappears. He has to train the Senegalese army troop to be paratroopers whose Sgt. Williams is played by Mantan Moreland! 

Unfortunately for Paul, LaRoche is engaged to his best friend (George Lynn). A local named Abdullah (George Castello) gets very upset when his wimpy brother is executed for murder. 

There isn't much to this Monogram production except Moreland's role which has some serious overtones and the fact his troops are very eager to become paratroopers and not some racist stereotypical cowards. It was co-written and directed by the underrated George Waggner, a year or so before making THE WOLFMAN and MAN MADE MONSTER.

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Early Hammer

 

THE FOUR SIDED TRIANGLE-1953-Lena (Barbara Payton), Bill (Stephan Murray) & Robin (John Van Eyssen) are childhood friends in a small English village. Lena goes off to America while brainy Bill goes to Cambridge and Robin goes to head his Uncle's factory. Years later the disillusioned Lena returns to find the guys working on a secret scientific project. The story is narrated by local sawbones Dr. Harvey (James Hayter) who believes the guys are onto something and sells his practice to back them. After a lot of hard work the men finish and reveal their new invention to Harvey, a machine called "The Duplicator" which seems to be able to reproduce any object perfectly. They have great plans for humanity and Robin's father pitches it to the government. But all is not well. Bill is in love with Lena but doesn't know her feelings. He asks Doc to "probe" her. However before that can happen Robin & Lena get married! Shattered, Bill tries to keep his upper lip stiff but Lena suspects something. 

While Lena and Robin are honeymooning Bill experiments with guinea pigs to try and replicate a living being. After he succeeds it's obvious what he wants to do. When Lena comes back to set up house while Robin is still in London she agrees to be duplicated and it works. Bill gets his own version of Lena who he names Helen (also Payton). After frolicking in the country for a while it's clear Helen isn't in love with Bill and tries to drown herself. A fiery climax resolves this early Hammer production, directed by the great Terence Fisher a few years before his famous horror films. The acting, script and direction are first rate but the story despite it's sci-fi trappings is really just the usual love triangle.

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Transmissions From Planet Haas

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BAIT-1954-The devil disguised as Sir Cedric Hardwick introduces this tale of two gold prospectors Marko (director Hugo Haas) and Ray (John Agar) looking for a lost goldmine. Peggy (Cleo Moore) an unwed mother who works at a grocery comes between them. The religiously bent Marko thinks Peggy was sent by the devil. The duo find the mine and both get gold fever. While Ray stays behind, Marko romances Peggy and winds up marrying her. Dumbly, he takes her to the mine to live with him and Ray but he has his reasons. 

Pretty low grade even for Hugo Haas, king of the senseless low budget morality tale. Bruno Ve Sota is also in it.

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Hugo Haas Far To Go

  (imdb)

HIT AND RUN-1957-Rich gas station magnate Gus Hilmer (do it all director Hugo Haas) takes a liking to showgirl Julia (Cleo Moore) but Gus's mechanic/watchdog Frankie (Vince Edwards) doesn't like it. While trying to find Julia a car he mentions he was married once and will never marry again. Whammo! The next scene he and Julia are married. They seem relatively happy at first but Frankie doesn't like her, believing Julia married Gus for his money and gives his notice to Gus. Later, while Gus is at a party, Frankie puts the moves on Julia but she resists. Later Frankie confesses his love for Julia but she's not all that fired up to leave her husband and go away with a grease monkey . Eventually Julia gives in to his persistence. To show his love Frankie refurbishes an old car and takes Julia for a ride where he runs down Gus! After the funeral Julia says she sees Gus hanging around the house at night. 

Surprise! At the reading of Gus' will, his twin brother Dave (also Haas) shows up fresh from a stretch in San Quentin. This really gets on Julia 's nerves especially since he got half of his bro's estate and now lives in the same house. One night he tells Julia he knows about her and Frankie. He also knows Gus was killed but doesn't care. He hated his bro but it's obvious he has an ulterior motive. 

This triple threat little morality take from director/writer/producer Haas isn't the greatest but it kind of keeps you guessing till the conclusion. This was the seventh and last film the largely ignored Cleo Moore made with director Haas and also the last movie of her career. Despite looks and decent acting skills real fame seemed to eluded her so she quit show biz. In 1961 she married a millionaire land developer. She “died in her sleep” in 1973. She was 43. 

Czechoslovakian born Hugo Haas bummed around pictures beginning in 1925, even directing a few movies in his native land. In 1951 he caught the director's bug and began making his own movies. Most of his films are low budget moralistic dramas usually involving an older man with a younger woman and a story featuring a big plot twist. Almost completely forgotten today, his movies should be re-examined. HIT AND RUN also features Moore's sister Maria Lea and John Zaremba.

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Angel Angel

 

ANGEL, ANGEL DOWN WE GO-1969-Wacky hippie drug mess about Tara (folksinger Holly Near), the dumpy headcase daughter of decadent gay father (Charles Aidman) and self obsessed ex-porno actress mom (Jennifer Jones) who winds up taking drugs and having sex with weirdo rock star Bogart (Jordan Christopher) and freaky friends Joe (Lou Rawls), Santoro (Roddy McDowall) and Davey Davidson (Anna Livia). Bogart seduces mom and after she dies skydiving he whips dad to death with a chain. 

This movie is not very good and it's a shame to see Academy Award winning actress Jennifer Jones in such a sleazy production, one of the last produced by the legendary Sam Katzman and released through AIP. It's the only directing credit for screenwriter Robert Thom (it's based on an unproduced play he wrote) who was no stranger to off beat films previously writing WILD IN THE STREETS and THE LEGEND OF LYlAH CLARE. He later wrote DEATHRACE 2000 and CRAZY MAMA. Star Christopher had been the lead singer in "The Wild Ones" who after he left the band recorded the original version of "Wild Thing". 

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Ulmer

 

ISLAND OF FORGOTTEN SINS-1943-On a tropical island Marge (Gale Sondergaard) runs the brothel of the title. Her boyfriend Mike Clancy (John Carradine) has a fight with his friend/rival Jack (Frank Fenton) that practically wrecks the club. Then Mike has a plan to hunt for a cargo of sunken gold with Jack's help. Unfortunately for Marge, Olga (Betty Amann), one of her girls shoots and kills a customer. Marge and three of her girls join the guys to get away from the law. They go to an island where Capt. Grogan (Sidney Toler) and his piano playing sidekick Johnny Pacific (Rick Vallin) live with island girl Luana (Veda Ann Borg). They plot to steal the gold after Mike and Jack recover it. Double crosses follow and tropical storm messes up everything. 

Extremely low budget adventure brought up a notch or two by genius director Edgar Ulmer who worked with Carradine a year later on BLUEBEARD. 

By the way, this film has singing in it!

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