Sunday, August 30, 2020

Allison Hayes




ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN-1958-Wealthy alcoholic Nancy Archer (Allison Hayes), a socialite fresh out of a mental hospital has a close encounter with a giant alien. No one believes her of course. Her husband Harry (William Hudson) carries on with floozy Honey Parker (Yvette Vickers) and is only around for her money and would like to send her back to the hospital and take possession of her famous “Star of India” necklace. Later Nancy and Harry go out into the desert and at first find nothing. Nancy is ready to commit herself until the UFO shows up and a rubbery giant alien hand terrorizes her. Harry hops in the car and abandons her! The sheriff (George Douglas) and his stupid deputy (Frank Chase) investigate and arrest Harry when he and Honey try to skip town. Nancy is found on  the roof of the bath house exonerating Harry. 

Later on Nancy grows to an enormous size and two doctors Cushing (Roy Gordon) and Loeb (Otto Waldis) think it's due to radiation. The sheriff finds huge footprints in the garden and he and Jess, Nancy's faithful butler (Ken Terrell) follow them. The duo find the spacecraft, enter it and find a collection of jewels including Nancy's “Star of India”. They are chased away by the same giant giant Nancy encountered and he wrecks their car and flies away in his ship. Eventually Nancy breaks free and combs the town for hubby yelling “Harry! Harry!” She finds and kills him just before being electrocuted herself. 

Although this a fun low budget Sci-Fi movie it's really hampered by terrible SFX. Director Nathan Juran didn't like it and is credited as Nathan Hertz (he made THE  7th VOYAGE OF SINBAD the same year). Screenwriter Mark Hanna had written THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN for Burt I. Gordon the year before!

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Saturday, August 29, 2020

Air Farce

 


THE STARFIGHTERS-1964-In this cold war documentary like yawn inducer, seasoned Air Force major Stevens trains three newbies on refueling planes in the mid-air including Lt. John Witkowski (Robert Dornan), a senator's son. This movie is excruciating in it's boredom. The lead actor later became a controversial racist senator. Director Will Zens made a handful of other movies like CAPTURE THAT CAPSULE and HOT SUMMER IN BAREFOOT COUNTY. Even MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000's version couldn't save this thing!

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Thursday, August 27, 2020

Nazi Manhunt

 

OPERATION EICHMANN-1961-Nazi Adolf Eichmann (Werner Klemperer) is in charge of the “ Final Solution”. His assistant is Hoss (John Banner) who talks about extermination around the dinner table with his wife and children. Eichmann berates the captain of Dachau (Theodore Marcuse) for his killing quota being down. He keeps his wife in Munich while he romances his mistress Anna (Ruta Lee) in Berlin. After orchestrating many atrocities he escapes with Anna. A guy named David (Donald Buka) who'd watched his parents gassed at Auschwitz forms a group that hunts Nazis. They discover Eichmann in Madrid. He flees to Kuwait branded a Jew (a story made up by David's group) but an official (Oscar Beregi) helps him escape. He winds up in Argentina but nobody likes him there. It ends with him captured, being taken back to Israel to stand trial. 

Though obviously produced on a low budget this little docu-drama is very well made by director R.G. Springsteen, who's greatest output was westerns. It's also weird to see Klemperer along side Banner in such serious roles as a few years later they would play comic Nazis in TV's “Hogan's Heroes”. The real Eichmann was executed in 1962.

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“Rotten Stinking Mouthpiece”

 


THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN-1956-A police officer Dick Chasen (Casey Adams aka Max Showalter) relates the story of Butcher Benton (Lon Chaney Jr.), a criminal double crossed by his partners and sentenced to death. He's also the only one who knows where the 6 hundred thousand dollar haul is. His lawyer Paul Lowe (Ross Elliot) is behind the whole thing. After vowing revenge, Benton is executed but two scientists (Robert Shayne and Joe Flynn) accidentally bring him back to life. Unable to talk anymore he becomes a mute revenge seeking monster impervious to bullets. He goes after Lowe and his pals Squeamy Ellis (Marvin Press) and Joe Marcellia (Ken Terrell) but first stops off to see his Burlesque dancer girlfriend Eva (Marion Carr). After getting even with most of them Benton meets his demise in a sewer where he's burned to death. 

This fast moving low budget horror crime drama also features intense close ups of Chaney's eyes. Director Jack Pollexfen produced and wrote many low budget features including THE NEANDERTHAL MAN, DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL and THE ATOMIC BRAIN.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2020

William Whitney

 




THE CAT BURGLAR-1961-Jack Coley (Jack Hogan, later in the TV series “Combat!”) is a cat burglar who steals a suitcase with valuable papers from Nan Baker (June Kenney from EARTH VS. THE SPIDER). She gets help from a wino (Bruno VeSota) and a pawnbroker (Gene Roth) to get it back but an important notebook is missing. Since Jack threw away the plans he tries to forge a new copy. The guys who want the papers Reed (Gregg Palmer) and Leo (Will White) beat Jack up. Nan's boyfriend Alan (John Baer; NIGHT OF THE BLOOD BEAST) is mixed up in a spy ring. Everyone but Nan dies in the final shootout. 

A seldom seen little crime drama directed by veteran William Whitney who was doing lots of TV at this time but also made MASTER OF THE WORLD the same year. Actor Leo Gordon wrote it.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Based on The Truth

 


39 STRIPES-1979-Director/co-writer Ron Ormond presents this dramatization of the real life preacher Ed Martin (Tim Ormond who wrote the script with dad), a former chain gang convict who found Jesus and was born again. Boring with too much talk. The acting and direction suck.

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I Am The God of Hell Fire!

 

BURNING HELL-1974-A preacher tries to convince everyone that the Bible says there is a real Hell and sinners will burn there forever if they do not repent and accept Jesus. He's mocked by 2 bikers but when one of them is decapitated the other goes to hear the preacher's sermon which tells the story of a king of Babylon who goes to Hell where sinners are a burnt bloody mess. Maggots eat up Herod in another scene. Then there's the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. The greedy rich man winds up frying in Hell while the beggar Lazarus ascends to heaven and sits with Abraham (who looks like Rip Van Winkle). "The Bible says" is his favorite term. 

This Christian scare film is badly made and acted and co-written and directed by Ron Ormond who along with his wife June and son Tim (who plays the surviving biker in this) made many more religiously twisted exploitation films.

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