Lions In Central Park

 

(imdb)

CENTRAL PARK-1932-Unemployed Rick (Wallace Ford; he was in FREAKS the same year) meets would be actress Dot (Joan Blondell) in Central Park. Meanwhile, Smiley (John Wray), the ex-zookeeper who went crazy and was committed, escapes from the insane asylum and feeds his replacement to a lion. The lion escapes. Charlie (Guy Kibbee), a police officer with bad vision is blamed. Dot gets involved with what she thinks is a police operation but it's actually gangsters posing as cops to steal some charity money. Rick discovers the scam but can't get the police to believe him. All the wrong people get arrested but in the end, all 4 story lines are wrapped up. 

Director John G. Adolfi was known for his collaborations with actor George Arliss.

Pre-Wolfman Lon

 

 (imdb)

A SCREAM IN THE NIGHT-1935-Jack Wilson (Lon Chaney Jr.) is in Singapore planning on arresting thief Johnny Fly (Manuel Lopez) with the help of local guy Wu Ting (Phillip Ahn). He meets old friend Edith (Shelia Terry) and her Uncle Joe (John Ince), who subsequently becomes a victim of Fly and is robbed. Fortunately, the robbers don't get his most valuable ruby, so Wilson and Inspector Green (Richard Cramer) expect Fly to strike again. Wu Ting goes undercover as a peddler but is killed by Butch Curtain (also played by Chaney), one eyed henchman to Fly and his moll, Mora (Zara Tazil). Fly finally gets the ruby by kidnapping Edith. Of course, Mora is jealous of her. Meanwhile, Jack arrests Butch and impersonates him. After a lot of static talk and some fights, good triumphs over evil. 

This musty low budget Astor production has some too dark scenes and bad acting but Chaney is good taking a page out of dad's playbook playing the dual role. It seems this wasn't released until 1943 when Lon had hit the big time. It's one of his 6 movies appearances in 1935.

 Co-Star Richard Cramer made over 200 movie appearances (he's in the WC Fields short A FATAL GLASS OF BEER) but may be more to familiar to some having menaced Laurel & Hardy in several films. John Ince, brother of the ill-fated Thomas, was a director during the silent era. Female lead Shelia Terry left the motion pictures by 1938. She committed suicide in 1957. Director Fred C. Newmeyer (also an actor) made SAFETY LAST! with Harold Lloyd and “Our Gang” shorts.

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Pre-Super Man Reeves

CHAMPAGNE FOR TWO-1947-A nightclub owner (George Reeves) and his dancing singer wife (Lita Baron) plan a second honeymoon in Havana but a charwoman (Ida Moore) informs him that she heard two men talking about robbing his club. He invites the woman and her husband (Griff Barnett) to the club so she can identify the men while the police stake out the joint. It turns out to be a false alarm. 

This 19-minute color short has a distinct Latino beat. Director Mel Epstein was mostly an assistant director and later a producer. Lead actress Lita Baron was in the first JUNGLE JIM movie the next year (also with George Reeves who began playing Superman in the 1951 movie SUPERMAN AND THE MOLE-MEN).

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Vaughn's Debut

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NO TIME TO BE YOUNG-1957-Three immature losers can't face reality. Robert Vaughn (screen debut) is Buddy, a wise ass mamma's boy who wants to run away because he's afraid when he's drafted. He's also dating one of his college teachers Mrs. Dexter (Dorothy Green). Bob (Roger Smith) works in a grocery store and wants to marry waitress Gloria (Merry Anders) but he's partially responsible for her broken back. Stu (Tom Pittman) is a failed writer who lied to marry his wife. After much drama and Freudian plot twists they decide to rob Bob's place of business. Despite some reluctance on Bob and Stu's part, they go through with it but Buddy shoots the store manager. The trio fracture and Bob and Stuff are arrested. Buddy loses the money (while dancing…) and crashes a stolen truck. It's unclear whether he dies or not.1940's Superman Kirk Alyn has an unbilled role. 

Director David Lowell Rich later directed the 3 Stooges in HAVE ROCKET-WILL TRAVEL. He did a lot of TV later but occasionally did a big screen film (MADAME X (1966), THE CONCORDE: AIRPORT '79 (1979)). Vaughn starred in TEENAGE CAVEMAN the following year.

 (imdb)

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Sheriff Billy The Kid

 

 (wikipedia)

SHERIFF OF SAGE VALLEY-1942-Billy the Kid (Buster Crabbe) and his two cohorts Fuzzy (Al St. John) and Jeff (Dave O'Brien; REEFER MADNESS; CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT) become the law in Sage Valley when they save a stagecoach from being robbed and the sheriff is murdered. They take on Sloane (Charles King), who runs the local crooked casino and his gang but the real boss is Kansas Ed, Billy's twin brother (also Crabbe) who kidnaps Billy and impersonates him for a while. Billy's buddies save him and they stop Kansas but are almost hanged anyway. 

This PRC western quickie was directed by...who else but the speed demon himself Sam Newfield using his frequent alias, Sherman Scott. His brother Sigmund Neufeld produced. According to my (not so reliable) calculations Buster Crabbe played a character called Billy the Kid in 36 westerns!

Read about the real outlaw: Billy the Kid | Biography, Death, & Facts | Britannica

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"One Of You Has Got To Die"

 

 (wikipedia)

FOUR BOYS AND A GUN-1957-4 "boys" rob the box office of a boxing arena. In the melee a cop (un-billed Joseph Campanella) is shot and killed. 

They are all arrested and flashbacks reveal what led up to their predicament. Asshole Eddie (Tarry Greene) is dumped by his girlfriend who likes her boss better. Ollie (Frank Sutton) who's having an affair with Eddie's sister gets in trouble with the boss he runs numbers for. Stanley (William Hinnant) is a nice wimp from a decent family but is corrupted by Eddie and Ollie. Amateur boxer Johnny (James Franciscus) has a pregnant wife but is told by his manager (J. Pat O'Reilly) that he doesn't have what it takes to be a pro. They throw a party to raise the money but a gangster spoils it. The abrupt ending seems to say they will all go to electric chair. 

Director William Berke was working mostly in TV at the time but in the '30's and '40's directed tons of low budget films (Jungle Jim, Dick Tracy, westerns). Screenwriters Phillip Yordan (Bogart's last film THE HARDER THEY FALL) and Leo Townsend (who later wrote several AIP “Beach” movies) adapted the story from a novel by Willard Wiener.

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Wood Bait

 

 (imdb)

JAILBAIT-1954-Weird guitar & piano music is the only soundtrack. Police arrest Don Gregor (Clancy Malone, a former delivery boy in his one and only movie) for carrying an unlicensed gun. His sister Marilyn (Dolores Fuller) bails him out and defends him against the warnings of Inspector Johns (Lyle Talbot) and Lt. Lawrence (Steve Reeves). "How can a great doctor have such a jerk for a son?". Their father is Dr. Gregor (Herbert Rawlinson), a famous plastic surgeon, who doesn't seem too concerned despite knowing sonny is involved with gangster Vic Brady (Timothy Farrell). He does get upset when he finds Don has taken his gun. Later Don and Brady rob a movie theater for its payroll and Don kills the night watchman (Bud Osbourne) while Brady shoots a female employee (Mona McKinnon). Later the dumb but deadly duo hideout at the home of Loretta (Tedi Thurman), Brady's girlfriend. Don's conscience gets the best of him and he confesses everything to dad and promises to give himself up. After Brady kills Don he sort of forces the doctor to give him a new face which he does. One that ensures he'll be captured by the police. 

Wood regulars Don Nagel and Conrad Brooks have small roles but Timothy Farrell steals the show as the sleazy Brady who says thing like “You're a dumb dame” and “Shut up you”. Herbert Rawlinson was suffering from advanced lung cancer during the production and died just a few days after it's completion. The flamenco guitar and piano soundtrack was taken from MESA OF LOST WOMEN (1953). Some versions feature a black face routine dance number also from another film.

Ed Wood's next film would be BRIDE OF THE MONSTER!

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Girls with Guns

 

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GUN GIRLS-1957-Girl gangs are the trouble this time. Nice girls from decent families committing armed robbery for kicks. Con artist Joe (Timothy Farrell;his role is identical to the one in GIRL GANG)) sells guns to two girls, Teddy (Jeanne Ferguson) and Dora (Jacqueline Park) deal in larceny and stolen goods. He romances semi-innocent Joy Jenkins (top billed Eve Brent) to set up a robbery in the warehouse where she works. The girls rob the place, conk a guard and leave behind some clues and only get 14 dollars for their trouble! Deciding to leave town they steal Joe's money then Joy drops a bombshell. She's pregnant with Joe's kid! Joe of course rejects her and she shoots him. Teddy and Dora wreck their getaway car. Dora has a long scene on her deathbed and the story ends with a police lineup of tough girls and the narrator asking if one of them could be yours. 

Harry Keaton (also on GIRL GANG) plays Joe's henchman Luke and Barbara Weeks (from Wood's THE VIOLENT YEARS) plays Teddy's mother. More low budget sleazy crime drama morality from director Robert C. Dertano (it was his last movie}. A year after making this movie lead actress Eve Brent was cast as Jane to Gordon Scott's Tarzan in TARZAN'S FIGHT FOR LIFE.

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