Crime

THE LINEUP-1958-Strange little crime drama about 2 psychotic hitmen Dancer (Eli Wallach) and Julian (Robert Keith) trying to retrieve a cache of heroin from some innocent tourist with the help of their alcoholic driver (Richard Jaeckel). Meanwhile two cops (Warner Anderson and Emile Meyer) track him down. This film noir-ish crime film directed by Don Siegel and written by Stirling Stilliphant was actually based on a TV (and radio) series that ran from 1954 til 1960 and also features future Mr. Dysdale (on TV's THE BEVERLY HILLBILLES) Raymond Bailey and familiar character actor Vaughan Taylor as “The Man”. 

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Americans In Japan (and underwater)

LATITUDE ZERO-1969-This Toho production much like the previous year's THE GREEN SLIME was made in Japan but used several American actors in the lead roles. An American reporter Perry Lawton (Richard Jaeckel; also in GREEN SLIME) and two Japanese scientists Dr. Ken Tashiro (Akira Takarada; from the original GODZILLA) and Dr. Jules Masson (Masumi Okada) are trapped in a diving belt after an horrendous explosion. They are rescued by the crew of the atomic submarine Alpha, under the leadership Captain MacKenzie (Joseph Cotton), a Capt. Nemo-ish guy in an open silk shirt and gold chain who claims his sub is 160 years old! Which is nothing since he's 204! His assistant is Dr. Barton (Linda Haynes), a cutie in a very revealing outfit. He has to abort his mission of studying underwater volcanoes (which caused the diving belt to crash) and rush home because of Masson's head injury. Cesar Romero is the evil Dr. Malic who has one of his subs attack the Alpha. ("How bloody inventive that MacKenzie is") His “companion” is Lucretia (Patricia Medina; Mrs. Joseph Cotton in real life). 

It seems that Malic would have taken over the surface world long ago if not for the efforts of MacKenzie and “Latitude Zero” an underwater paradise/kingdom with a sun, waterfalls and agents all over the world. A new recruit, Dr. Okada (Tetsu Nakamura) who has invented a secret formula, is kidnapped (along with his daughter) by Malic who threatens them with some whacky furry man-bats. He acts very crazy while putting a woman's brain into the body of a lion (man in a suit) he's crossed with a vulture. ("You're a monster!" "No, I'm a genius!") MacKenzie (and his servant Kobo) joins forces with the three land lubbers to invade Malic's island and rescue the doctor. They wear gold jumpsuits with gloves that have flame throwers and lasers built in the fingers. Along the way they are terrorized by a landslide, giant rats and small bats. Eventually Malic is defeated (by his own creature) and Lawton returns to the surface where no one believes his story.

I wonder if Joseph Cotton while making movies like CITIZEN KANE & THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS with Orson Welles ever thought he'd be fighting flying man-bats while shooting a laser from his finger? Probably not, but that's show biz! Cotton doesn't look too happy most of the time despite being protector of the Earth. Romero steals the show as the insane bad guy who really loses it in the end. Medina seemed to be enjoying her role too. There's of course a lot of GODZILLA connections here. GORJIRA star Takarada (who's voice isn't dubbed in this film. He's actually speaking English for a change), special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya (who died soon after this), composer Akira Ifukube and as Malic's winged lion Haruo Nakajima who played Godzilla many times! 

LATITUDE ZERO was directed by the legendary Ishiro Honda who also made the disappointing GODZILLA'S REVENGE the same year. It's a lot like STARMAN with a little of TV's VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA thrown in but the ending makes no sense!

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Grizzly (not Adams)

GRIZZLY-1976-A 2000 lb. killer grizzly bear preys on campers in a state park. The ranger in charge (Christopher George) must find the murderous hirsute mammal. He also has to contend with drunken hunters, an idiot park supervisor and his would girlfriend photographer (Joan McCall who later wrote a sequel GRIZZLY II: THE CONCERT). A bear expert (Richard Jaeckel) says it's a hold over from the prehistoric era. Andrew Prine is a helicopter operator. It's rather gory for the time but sometimes the actors talk too softly.

This "Jaws on land" horror film (which was a big hit) was made by director William Girdler who made only 9 films in his brief career. He was killed in a helicopter accident at age 30 in 1978. He re-teamed with George the next year to make DAY OF THE ANIMALS.

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What's That Crawling Across Your Mind?

THE GREEN SLIME-1968-A giant asteroid is on a collusion course with Earth. Members of a crew aboard space station Gamma are sent to investigate. Robert Horton is Jack Rankin the kind of egotistical, hard edged commander who is sent to the satellite to over see things. Richard Jaeckel is Vince Elliot the commander in charge of Gamma who also happens to been a rival of Rankin's. Elliot's fiancée(Luciana Paluzzi ) was also once sweet on Rankin. It seems Vince once made a mistake that cost some crewmen their lives, blah, blah.. The asteroid is destroyed but not before a living green fungus is brought aboard ship.

Although this was made at Toei Studios in Japan and has a Japanese director none of the cast members are Asian (it was a co-production with MGM) but seeing some of the cheesy sets and effects makes you think Star-Man or Rhodan might pop up! The tentacle monsters the slime grows into looks like Syd & Marty Kroft rejects! It's hilarious!

And it doesn't help that the male crew wear toy motorcycle helmets. It's funny to see Horton being a hard ass while wearing one. A briefly seen nurse is played by Linda Miller (Jackie Gleason's daughter). Co-screenwriter Bill Finger was a comic book writer who helped Bob Kane develop the original Batman character. Director Kinji Fukasaku was a busy film maker right up until his death in 2007. His other films include the whacky MESSAGE FROM SPACE, GRAVEYARD OF HONOR and BATTLE ROYALE 1 and 2. It seems the one thing everyone really remembers about this movie is the awesome theme song!

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RIP Irene Kaelin