Showing posts with label victor buono. Show all posts
Showing posts with label victor buono. Show all posts

Monday, October 27, 2025

I Don't Think He Ever Got Old

 

 (imdb)

YOUNG DILLINGER-1965-John Dillinger's (Nick Adams) girlfriend Elaine (Mary Ann Mobley) convinces him to rob her father so they can get married. John beats up the justice of the peace (Gene Roth) and they lam it. He's arrested later on. Elaine's father (Ted Knight) convinces him to plead guilty and not involve Elaine. Despite dad's promises, the judge (Walter Sande) gives John the maximum sentence. In jail, he meets Pretty Boy Floyd (Robert Conrad), Babyface Nelson (John Ashley) and Homer van Meter (Dan Terranova). They help John become a model prisoner so he can help them from the outside. When he's transferred to a state work farm, Elaine helps him escape. Outside, John meets Floyd's friend, mob boss Joe Rocco (Anthony Caruso) and gets beat up. He kills Rocco and his goons, then breaks his pals out of jail. Prof. Hoffman (Victor Buono) gets them an armored car to rob. That's fairly successful though John gets shot. He gets plastic surgery but the sleazy surgeon (John Hoyt) tries to rape Elaine. For some reason the surgery doesn't work so John drowns the doc. When the gang goes to the professor again he's being used by a federal agent (Reed Hadley) to set a trap. Joy Harmon plays Nelson's moll and Art Baker, Emile Meyer and Frank Gerstle are in it. 

Violent, mostly fictional crime drama directed by Terry Morse whose was mostly a film editor but did make some interesting movies like BRITISH INTELLIGENCE (1939) with Boris Karloff, TEAR GAS SQUAD (1940) co-starring George Reeves, 2 Sidney Toler Charlie Chan mysteries and was credited with the US filmed scenes in GODZILLA-KING OF MONSTERS (1956).

Thanks for reading!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Ring of Fire/The Strangler



RING OF FIRE-(1961)-David Janssen (2 years before THE FUGITIVE TV show) stars as a sheriff kidnapped by three bank robbers (future "Riddler" Frank Gorshin, Joyce Taylor, James Johnson) and forced to lead them through the Oregon forest. It's ok at this point. One of the thugs falls off a cliff and Gorshin and Taylor are captured by a huge posse but an errant cigarette sets the woods ablaze. Janssen has to save the day and romance Taylor.

The forest fire SFX are very well done and bring the movie up an notch.

RING OF FIRE was produced by the husband and wife team of Andrew and Virginia Stone. Andrew directed and Virginia edited (a key to the whole climax). Their previous film had been a disaster epic THE LAST VOYAGE where they actually sank a real ocean liner!




THE STRANGLER-1963-This black & white thriller stars Victor Buono as a lab technician driven to strangling young nurses by his nagging, domineering wheelchair bound mother (future Grandma Walton Ellen Corby). A milk drinking detective trys to catch him while Russ Bender portraying a psychiatrist explains what a fetish is. 

Buono (an underrated actor) gives an intense performance as the cool headed killer. Also with Wally Campos and James B. Sikking. Director Burt Topper later made SOUL HUSTER with Nai Bonet and Fabian.

Thanks for reading!