Seven

SEVEN MEN FROM NOW-1956-Great but overlooked Western by the underrated Budd Boetticher features Randolph Scott as a former sheriff out for revenge on the seven bank robbers who killed his wife. After killing 2 of them in the opening scene he meets up with a couple heading for California. Lee Marvin and Don Red Barry show up looking for the stolen gold the robbers are suppose to have. Meanwhile the remaining robbers wait in town for the seventh man to deliver the loot.

SMFN is one of several unusual westerns Boetticher made in the late ‘50’s (several of them produced by John Wayne and also featuring Scott). The directing and acting are very good and the script (by future director Burt Kennedy) features some good dialogue with touches of sarcastic humor (mostly from Marvin in a standout role) and sexual tension between Scott and leading lady Gail Russell as well several plot twists. John Wayne wanted to play the Scott role but was busy doing THE SEARCHERS (for John Ford who almost directed).

SMFN also features John Larch, Fred Graham (later the sheriff in THE GIANT GILA MONSTER), John Beradino, Pamela Duncan (ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS) and in one scene Stuart Whitman. After many years out of circulation TCM finally showed this and a very interesting documentary on Boetticher.

Now all TCM has to do is show THE TALL T, COMMANCHE STATION and the rest of his westerns!

Note: I just found out TCM has shown COMMANCHE STATION so I guess I screwd up!

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Bats and Rains

VAMPIRE BAT-1933-is a creaky low budget horror film from the early 30's but despite it's obvious restrictions and drawbacks it's fairly entertaining.

The great Lionel Atwill stars as Dr. Von Neimann, the local doctor in a village where vampire like murders are taking place. Whenever giant bats appear at night, some unfortunate local dies, the body drained of blood. Melvyn Douglas (who was in James Whale's THE OLD DARK HOUSE the year before) is the investigating police constable. Fay Wray (the same year as KING KONG) is his love interest.

The best performence though is by Dwight Frye, essaying another village idiot role (it would type-cast his career) as Herman, a bat loving red herring (who meets his demise at the famous Bronson Canyon).

Familiar '30's character actor Lionel Belmore (2 Lionels for the price of one! What a movie!) also appears. The photography is a little too dark at times and there's a lot of talk but it's short running time makes it enjoyable.

Screenwriter Edward T. Lowe had been writing movies since the '20's (including HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME with Lon Chaney). He later penned HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, HOUSE OF DRACULA, several Charlie Chan and Bulldog Drummond mysteries and other stuff.

Director Frank Strayer made several unusual movies in the '30's (THE MONSTER WALKS, THE GHOST WALKS and CONDEMNED TO LIVE) before devoting most of his time to the movie series based on the "Blondie" comic strip in the '40's.



I also recently saw THE CLAIRVOYANT (aka THE EVIL MIND)-1934-made one year later and also featuring Fay Wray.

The always entertaining Claude Rains (one year after his film debut in THE INVISIBLE MAN) stars as a phony mind reader named Maximus who's predictions start to come true whenever he's around a certain woman (English actress Jane Baxter). Wray is his assistant-wife who fears his new power. Rains' trance states are very eerie (especially his last!). It's ok and probably influenced a few future films.

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Crazy Marshall

DAIL 1119-1959-Usually good guy Marshall Thompson is great as a psychotic killer out for revenge on a psychiatrist (Sam Levene; the same year he created the role of Nathan Detroit in the original Broadway production of GUYS AND DOLLS) who he believes is the cause of all his trouble. In reality it was the shrink’s testimony that saved him from death row!


Thompson holds some customers of a gin mill bar hostage while he negotiates with the police. The customers include Keefe Braselle, Leon Ames, Virginia Fields and Andrea King. William Conrad is Chuckles the bartender.

Director Gerald Mayer made a few more movies than moved over to TV directing episodes of THRILLER, MANNIX, THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN and many others. He died in 2001.

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The Tide Should Have Stayed Out

BLOOD TIDE-1982-Awful bore fest filmed in Greece. Martin Kove and his wife come looking for his sister (Deborah Shelton) on an island full of superstitious villagers. Jose Ferrer is their doomsayer matriarch. In ancient times a ceremony was performed there that required a human sacrifice to ward off evil. James Earl Jones is a strange talking scuba diver who awakens the evil. Shelton is to be the next real sacrifice. A phony looking monster shows up once in a while and munches some swimmers and the local nuns.

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Not That Much Soul...

SOUL OF A MONSTER-1944 –This seldom scene psychological horror story begins with a world famous doctor (George Macready) on his deathbed. His wife (Jeanne Bates) sends out a prayer to either good or evil to save him. Guess what? Evil answers the call in the form of a mysterious woman named Lilyan (Rose Hobart). Somehow she saves the doc but he becomes a detached hot head who can make flowers die and control thunder and lightening. He has no pulse and when cut he doesn’t bleed. The woman makes him kill his best friend and there’s a lot of talk. In the end good triumphs. This also seems to be attempt to copy one of Val Lewton’s RKO “specialties”. Screenwriter Edward Dein had worked on THE LEOPARD MAN.

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Crying Wolf

CRY OF THE WEREWOLF-1944-Minor horror tale concerns an ancient curse and a gypsy tribe. A scientist (Stephen Crane) investigates the murder of a professor (Fritz Lieber), whose assistant (Osa Massen) helps out. Nina Foch plays a Gypsy Queen who can turn into a wolf. Director Henry Levin seemed to be trying copy the mood of a Val Lewton production but fails to follow through. 

Barton McLane is entertaining however as a loud police detective. John Abbott plays a museum guide who goes crazy. Also with Blanche Yurka, Milton Parsons and Ray Teal.

 It was the first film by the director Levin who went on to make JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF THE BROTHERS GRIMM. Screenwriter Griffin Jay wrote most of the Chaney/Mummy series and THE DEVIL BAT’S DAUGHTER.

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Basil Before Sherlock

THE BISHOP MURDER CASE-1930-Basil Rathbone portrays detective Philo Vance in this early talkie. It involves several mysterious murders (one by bow and arrow). Vance uses a lot of analytical theorizing and there’s a comic know it all sergeant who helps out. I wonder if anyway remembered this when Rathbone was picked to first play Sherlock Holmes (in 1939) ?

Co-Star Leila Hyams was later in FREAKS and ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. She was a popular actress in the early ‘30’s but her screen career lasted only around ten years. Other co-star Roland Young later played “Topper” in a series of films and future director Delmer Daves has a small role.

Director Nick Grinde’s career began in the 1920’s. He was a fast competent worker but mostly his output remains undistinguished except for three of Boris Karloff’s “mad doctor” films. He uses several nice techniques in TBMC and keeps it from being more than just a filmed play as many early talkies were.

The Philo Vance character was created in 1926 by S.S. Van Dine (real name: Willard Huntington Vance) and was featured in 11 novels. TBMC was the fourth adaptation of a Dine novel to feature the Vance character. William Powell played him in the first three (and would play him once more in 1933) but this was the only time Rathbone portrayed him.

Warren William Paul Lukas Edmund Lowe and others would play him in the future but the last film
featuring the character would be in 1947.



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