The Rifleman & Loose Girls

I was just watching some episodes of the 50's western THE RIFLEMAN with Chuck Connors in the title role, Lucas McCain, a widowed rancher who has a pretty impressive self made rifle. He's also raising his young son Mark, played by Johnny Crawford. Many of the episodes had McCain killing some desperado and then lecturing Mark on why "it had to happen this way". Paul Fix as the local sheriff was the only other regular. The best thing about the show was the guest stars. So far I've seen James (billed as Jim) Coburn, John Carradine, Lon Chaney, Robert Webber, Vic Morrow, Sidney Blackmer and Raymond Bailey (the future Mr. Drysdale on THE BEVERLY HILLBILLIES).



GIRLS ON THE LOOSE-1958-Night club owner Vera Parkinson (Mara Corday) and her girl gang rob a bank of 20 thousand dollars. They bury the loot and go back to working at the club. Unfortunately, Vera's younger sister (Barbara Bostock who sings) falls for the detective (Mark Richman) who's investigating the robbery. Double crossing and death follow as Vera goes to any means to protect her ill gotten gain. The climax features a cat fight at the site of the buried money.

GIRLS ON THE LOOSE reminded me a little of Ed Wood's THE VIOLENT YEARS (made two years before) but is not nearly as entertaining. Star Corday was also in the cheapies THE GIANT CLAW and TARANTULA around the same time. Also with Joyce Johanesson, Lita Milan, Abby Dalton and Fred Kruger. 
This low budget exploitation quickie was one of the half dozen films directed by actor Paul Henreid (he did much more TV).

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Bad Girls

SO YOUNG SO BAD-1950-CASABLANCA's Paul Henreid stars as Dr. Jason, a psychiatrist sent to a girls reform school to help out. He runs into a lot of bureaucracy and is hindered in his progress to help the troubled girls by the uncaring staff. Catherine McLeod plays Ruth, a social worker who resents Jason's presence. He and Ruth have a heated debate on a moving merry go round! Mike Kellin has a few brief shots as the operator and some seem to think a guy selling balloons looks a lot like Phil Silvers! Jason tries to expose the sweat shop like conditions and ignorance of Mr. Riggs, the idiot who’s in charge. At one point, the girls sneak a rabbit into the school and a matron stomps it to death! The girls then riot and set fire to the school. As punishment some of the girls are hosed down like Charlton Heston in PLANET OF THE APES! Later Jason kind of blackmails Riggs into letting him run the school his way. He does do a lot of good but when the evil matron punishes one of the girls by cutting her hair, suicide, deception and an inquiry that could lead to Jason's dismissal follow.

It’s an earnest low budget little movie but the most interesting thing about it really is that it introduces three actresses who went on to famous careers: Anne Jackson, Ann Francis and Rita Moreno! Director Bernard Vorhaus also made THE AMAZING DR. X.

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One Good, One Bad

HOLLOW TRIUMPH (1948) is a neglected film noir (also called THE SCAR) by Hungerian born director Steve Sekely who also helmed other underrated low budget minor classics like REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIES, WOMEN IN BONDAGE and BLOND SAVAGE. (Well, maybe not real classics but they are pretty good!)

 In this dark drama Paul Henried (late of CASABLANCA who was also the producer) stars as a career criminal who hatches a plot to impersonate a look alike psychiatrist after he steals the gambling winnings from a bunch of gangsters (led by B movie vet Thomas B. Henry). He romances the doc's sectratary (Joan Bennet) to get what he wants. Although he eventually is able to copy the Doc's signature and mimic his voice, a scar and a photograph cause him problems. With Edouard Franz (who 11 years later would play the lead in the classic low budget horror film THE 4 SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE) as Henried's brother, Leslie Brooks as the real doctor's gambling girlfriend and nice ironic twist ending.

Many well known character actors appear in HT credited and uncredited including Herb Rudley, John Qualen, Sid Tomack, Robert Bice, Henry Brandon, Lucien Littlefield, Vera Marshe, Benny Rubin and in one scene future Sgt. Frday, Jack Webb!!



A movie that should be neglected is THE GRANNY. (Really! That's the title!) Stella Stevens stars in this 1995 production written & directed by B-movie actor Luca Bercovici. She plays a crabby old rich lady who says things like "Beauty is having a healthy bowel movement once a day". She has a bunch of greedy relatives except for one illegitamite granddaughter Kelly (Shannon Whirry) who takes care of her. Stevens dies but thanks to a screwed up elixir she comes back to life as a revenge seeking zombie grandma with a dubbed "Exorcist" voice. She kills the stupid relatives in various disgusting and violent ways but the best scene is when she beats up and kills her obnoxious nephew with pro wrestling moves! Unfortunately for Kelly she gets trapped in the house with granny and some resurrected ghouls (who have a dinner party where the main course is a talking head!). She's almost rescued by a mystic (director Bercovici) but he's killed! All the ghouls wind up exploding in the end though. Also with Brant Von Hoffman, director Anthony Hickox, some nudity and a not very good heavy metal end theme. Stevens' son Andrew became a direct to video actor/director for a while....

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Space and The World

RIDERS TO THE STARS-1954-Scientist Herbert Marshall needs a meteor from outer space. He and a group of scientists set out to find three men to fly rocket ships (with wings) into space a get one. William Lunigan (a busy TV actor at the time) is the scientist most qualified. He’s also Marshall’s son. He falls in love with Martha Hyer while being trained. Richard Carlson (who was in THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON the same year) co-stars and directs as well. I’ve read “film doctor” Herbert Strock directed some scenes un-credited. It’s an early serious science fiction tale (based on a story by Ivan Tors) and it’s in color! Curt Siodmak wrote the screenplay.

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS-1944-Excellent but overlooked fantasy from Warner Brothers.

A group of people is killed during an air raid attack in London. They wind up on a mysterious ship along with a couple (Paul Henreid and Eleanor Parker) that committed suicide. The ship’s steward (Edmund Gwenn) eventually informs them they are dead and on their way to meet The Examiner (Henreid’s CASABLANCA co-star Sydney Greenstreet) who will decide if they will go to heaven or hell (but it’s actually the same place). As The Examiner states “You see my son, you make your own heaven and hell for yourselves on Earth, you only bring it with you here”.

John Garfield headlines as a cynical reporter. George Coulouris is an industrialist who realizes too late money can’t buy everything. Faye Emerson is a fame hungry actress. George Tobias, Isobel Elsom, Dennis King and Sara Allgood are the others. The second half when the groups’ lives are “examined” is the best part. It’s based on the play OUTWARD BOUND first produced on Broadway in 1924 and revived in 1932. Director Edward A. Blatt was usually a dialogue director and directed only three films.

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