JOHN CARPENTER'S VERY OWN PRINCE OF DARKNESS

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hScmCZ5-I0/WDba5b5N_GI/AAAAAAAAvWw/P5pREQAmX0cZs8Q9ZjBq04kwlwVh0ADtgCLcB/s1600/prince_of_darkness_main.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/--hScmCZ5-I0/WDba5b5N_GI/AAAAAAAAvWw/P5pREQAmX0cZs8Q9ZjBq04kwlwVh0ADtgCLcB/s400/prince_of_darkness_main.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Slick New Artwork for the Shout Factory BluRay cover YEAR: 1987</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> While THE THING was arguably John Carpenter's greatest cinematic achievement, HALLOWEEN his most popular and groundbreaking, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK the downright coolest, THE FOG his most sparse and convenient, CHRISTINE his slickest, STARMAN his most mainstream and THEY LIVE wielding a barrage of timeless cult-flavored one-liners, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, at the cusp of The Master of Horror's peak, was his most personal, written by Martin Quartermass who, known now but wasn't then, was the man himself and, while sharing elements of his past features including a HALLOWEEN body count and THE THING science-fiction terror involving something from beyond able to alter human beings, PRINCE OF DARKNESS is different for several reasons including the lack of a genuine leading man hero, which would seem like the preppy half of TV's popular SIMON AND SIMON, Parker Jameson, who, along with leading lady Lisa Blount — who's even more reluctant to believe the Biblical theories driving the unexplained force they're monitoring — both lack the energy of young leads, and wind up serving more as beacons to herd what feels like way too many characters, doing paranormal experiments for USC extra credit within a large, closed-down Catholic Church where zombie-like homeless people stand guard outside including heavy metal icon Alice Cooper: pop culture fanatics seem to love the fact that Cooper slays the geek from another television show — Thom Bray from RIPTIDE...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SbDidLXu_wk/WDQqD690RDI/AAAAAAAAvWE/Vg8_vyQWZzsJ5ax34vo629QHPO6vP0xEwCLcB/s1600/15203380_229587764137074_2116837575031304292_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SbDidLXu_wk/WDQqD690RDI/AAAAAAAAvWE/Vg8_vyQWZzsJ5ax34vo629QHPO6vP0xEwCLcB/s200/15203380_229587764137074_2116837575031304292_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Anne Howard still very alive</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> There are a good number of death scenes or near-deaths wherein the bodies come alive again to stalk the shadowy corridors and keep survivors at an even tighter restraint of space: And not the kind of screaming and suspenseful pandemonium that usually occurs when people die, one after the other, as the formidable antagonist, who in this case is The Devil, trapped inside what looks like a lava lamp imitating a barber shop pole full of Gatorade (which could be CHRISTINE's anti freeze): spewing deathly liquid into the mouth of, first, one of four sexy ingenues, and our personal favorite lass, serving as the most palpable killer later on, and even outshining Cooper, who remains spooky and peripheral outside, mostly unseen past the first and second act.<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3aMVm3RiIRg/WDQpKJ4p9tI/AAAAAAAAvV4/ddtgZcBSnAAZBJJ6p4BLpk4BoVsWxkhAwCEw/s1600/15178083_229587760803741_9092071484374023371_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3aMVm3RiIRg/WDQpKJ4p9tI/AAAAAAAAvV4/ddtgZcBSnAAZBJJ6p4BLpk4BoVsWxkhAwCEw/s320/15178083_229587760803741_9092071484374023371_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>More Ann Howard, this time dead and loving it</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Anyone looking for a jolting horror experience, this might not work since the spookiest moments occur in a shared dream by anyone who falls into a nap. As for the antagonist... who's spoken of a lot and only viewed within the glimpse of each quick dream... perhaps having Lucifer himself as a horror flick heavy is aiming too high for mainstream audiences, or fans of HALLOWEEN and its myriad of clones. Symbolically speaking, this particular DARKNESS is more like scanning the blueprints of a haunted house than being frightfully lost and vulnerable inside one. Alice Cooper and the homeless zombie troupe aside, the real human villain is a she, who, like Satan in many a book and film, has a human name few can remember. This is a reoccurring bit of subtle Carpenter humor: "Have you seen Susan?" "Who?" "Susan, the Radiologist, with the glasses."<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-giIrDNl3iO4/WDQqO7catgI/AAAAAAAAvWI/eZ_6kUAeLq8BLMFChoRc9OAsHq4dRlg-ACEw/s1600/15170876_229587767470407_4492697562759247812_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-giIrDNl3iO4/WDQqO7catgI/AAAAAAAAvWI/eZ_6kUAeLq8BLMFChoRc9OAsHq4dRlg-ACEw/s400/15170876_229587767470407_4492697562759247812_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>John Carpenter's cinematography never disappointed... till later</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> </div> Anne Howard is the girl next door type who <i>does</i> wear glasses but only at first, until taking them off or getting them taken off in a very green, wet manner — then turning into a pale zombie that eventually snowballs a host of others to take care of the survivors, including an actor who was pretty much the main action-star of Carpenter's Kung Fu comedy BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA while Kurt Russell watched in amazement... But here, Dennis Dun is horribly miscast as the sarcastic and reluctant character i.e. our token comic relief... He seems to be reading lines, and his forced glib humor doesn't elevate the chaos or allow the audience to escape the bedlam, as intended. On the plus side: It seems that no matter how many deaths or gruesome bodily-takeovers occur, the movie remains as mellow and constant as the signature synthesizer music by the director himself, providing an even-keeled, foreboding pulse that rarely speeds up, making even the most gory deaths seem completely normal, and commonplace...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBktIHDb4R0/WDQpjZ5MAaI/AAAAAAAAvV8/bephKXkTd1sHwi7hA_x4sH4UnyMk6VNJACEw/s1600/15135924_229587644137086_4596483351520650210_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBktIHDb4R0/WDQpjZ5MAaI/AAAAAAAAvV8/bephKXkTd1sHwi7hA_x4sH4UnyMk6VNJACEw/s320/15135924_229587644137086_4596483351520650210_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Victor Wong and Anne Howard study the devil's details</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In this location, they are... For PRICE OF DARKNESS, according to Carpenter in a DVD/Blu Ray Commentary track with his stock actor/buddy Peter Jason... the latter who told us, personally, in a Cult Film Freak podcast, that his decision to become a crying zombie was an idea from his personal friend, actor extraordinaire David Warner (who loved Peter's interview but couldn't do one himself)... Carpenter revealed this film was actually more like Howard Hawk's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD than his own THE THING in that much of the story has a group of scientists roaming from one room into another...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nEyXizi__M/WDQqc2GJKbI/AAAAAAAAvWM/UE2zcR4zUJMH6hBEC_yXvU_xtVaZT6-XwCLcB/s1600/15107278_229591994136651_3769791538102164874_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_nEyXizi__M/WDQqc2GJKbI/AAAAAAAAvWM/UE2zcR4zUJMH6hBEC_yXvU_xtVaZT6-XwCLcB/s400/15107278_229591994136651_3769791538102164874_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>The Brotherhood of Dreams are at it again</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The differences between both THING flicks (of the 50's and 80's) are many, but there's one thing that makes DARKNESS superior to Hawks's science fiction chiller: the number of people dwindle as the film progresses, which means things actually occur in-between, and while the killings aren't extremely scary, there's a palpable sense of dread from the very on-set: cutting from a darkened corridor to the shiny exterior of U.S.C. where existential Philosophy professor Victor Wong teaches his class something about what's <i>actual</i> and what isn't... a theory he alters while aiding the Priest... And where cinematic Christianity and/or Catholicism usually has a temperamental knee-jerk reaction against scientific theories, because of the connection between our two polar opposite but equally wise old-timers, both religion and science is neatly hybrid, which makes Carpenter's script actually quite deep, thought-provoking, and refreshingly open-minded...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5IhbME0xywY/WDQqovpsDHI/AAAAAAAAvWQ/DAugpX8uppg4mUPD7tMdZUOfoSWbY8khQCLcB/s1600/15179126_229587774137073_3572529587857466741_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5IhbME0xywY/WDQqovpsDHI/AAAAAAAAvWQ/DAugpX8uppg4mUPD7tMdZUOfoSWbY8khQCLcB/s400/15179126_229587774137073_3572529587857466741_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>A death scene, but not really... no one really dies that quick...</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> But for those who stray from movies that may as well be Christian or Faith-based since, after-all, if centering on the Devil there must be a hero in God and Jesus Christ, don't fret: According to a scroll discovered inside the church, Christ was more of a paranormal researcher than a messiah, and, with an extra terrestrial origin, he was sent to Earth to, along with his disciples, simply keep Old Scratch at bay... So that's the backstory, and what a controversial prequel JESUS CHRIST: GHOST HUNTER would have been. But in all seriousness, this lends a touch of science-fiction to the ancient-curse-horror element...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iRYIK0NC8Oo/WDQq7mGe68I/AAAAAAAAvWU/PwqSp3v2Vcgai6iSKdz-6-SE3YKBJPhGgCLcB/s1600/15179000_229587647470419_5809887011989680745_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iRYIK0NC8Oo/WDQq7mGe68I/AAAAAAAAvWU/PwqSp3v2Vcgai6iSKdz-6-SE3YKBJPhGgCLcB/s400/15179000_229587647470419_5809887011989680745_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's John Carpenter, not wanting all to know it's all his own</td></tr> </tbody></table> Which fits Carpenter's wheelhouse, and this is definitely his labor of love that's fitfully murky, creepy and remains entertaining from beginning to end despite a few Second Act scenes that drag a bit: And towards the conclusion we go back to one of John's first movies — his own personal Modern-Urban-Western that he also wrote himself, titled ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 about a group of survivors trapped within a particular location and, because of nefarious elements outside (gang members trying to enter a closed-down but sparsely occupied police station), they can't get out: Herein, instead of gun-wielding hoods there's Satan controlling a different kind of zombie altogether, which leads to another realization: While maybe not that original a body count horror since it's fairly obvious, judging by the personalities, who will buy the farm — for a Zombie flick, PRINCE OF DARKNESS is a morbid, meticulous and contained one of a kind treat...

body count, dennis dunn, donald pleasence, eighties, horror, science-fiction, victor wong

JOHN CARPENTER'S VERY OWN PRINCE OF DARKNESS

Slick New Artwork for the Shout Factory BluRay cover YEAR: 1987 While THE THING was arguably John Carpenter's greatest cinematic ach...

MAURY DEXTER DIRECTS THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH

<div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rY4fEYgOtSQ/WCrIDK5AHrI/AAAAAAAAvQc/oONXBj-EPDIAGrygfzNYkcB0aii2HPK4gCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-11-15%2Bat%2B12.30.36%2BAM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rY4fEYgOtSQ/WCrIDK5AHrI/AAAAAAAAvQc/oONXBj-EPDIAGrygfzNYkcB0aii2HPK4gCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-11-15%2Bat%2B12.30.36%2BAM.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Poster Art for the Maury Dexter soft invasion Martian flick YEAR: 1963</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> A location scout's job is to discover places to shoot that fits within a script's description  — what the movie needs, they'll find. But in particular super-low budget drive-in flicks like THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH, as Maury Dexter took a break from jazzy crime and bikini flicks, it seems like the other way around...<br> <br> The Beverly Hills-shot mansion where Dr. David Fielding, played by Dexter's WALK TALL villain Kent Taylor, and his family are holed-up after he discovering a way to connect and/or receive messages with the planet Mars, is, to coin an often used phrase, like a character in itself  — and a starring role since much of Dexter's camera glides us through the endlessly elegant locale as if he'd found something amazing enough to write an entire motion picture around...<br>

betty beall, horror, kent taylor, marie windsor, maury dexter, science-fiction, sixties

MAURY DEXTER DIRECTS THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH

Poster Art for the Maury Dexter soft invasion Martian flick YEAR: 1963 A location scout's job is to discover places to shoot that ...

WHERE CREDIT'S DUE: LIST OF FIVE UNCREDITED ROLES

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2CDrFqkH2nc/WC1Lsdg9_cI/AAAAAAAAvSE/8dxIT5ggWFcamzW149kNDhgOGA7bcLcaQCLcB/s1600/999.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2CDrFqkH2nc/WC1Lsdg9_cI/AAAAAAAAvSE/8dxIT5ggWFcamzW149kNDhgOGA7bcLcaQCLcB/s400/999.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Ron Leibman hides his real name yet he's still Sgt. Vaughn Liceman</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Here you''ll discover five different types of Uncredited Roles that were caused either by an on-set rift, an intentional audience surprise, or a favor to the director — beginning with what was most likely due to the movie itself...<br> <br> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NOAElSniKxo/WCz1H_VD6JI/AAAAAAAAvRc/rtXtt2umcXk6SFrt1wE89nGmY8QH4NiNgCLcB/s1600/88.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NOAElSniKxo/WCz1H_VD6JI/AAAAAAAAvRc/rtXtt2umcXk6SFrt1wE89nGmY8QH4NiNgCLcB/s320/88.jpg" width="122"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Say it Agaaaain!"</td></tr> </tbody></table> 1) <u>RON LEIBMAN IN UP THE ACADEMY</u>: A friend had never seen NORMA RAE but did watch, on a particular Bad Movie Night long ago, UP THE ACADEMY, the abyssal, awkward clunker of a military school comedy, surprisingly created by an otherwise, at that time, brilliant and popular, long-running and downright iconic magazine called MAD, who was jumping on the National Lampoon bandwagon following the blockbuster of ANIMAL HOUSE...<br> <br> One thing MAD didn't take into account was that a funny script was needed. Perhaps for a bunch of guys who bagged on other movies, it was harder than they realized to create something original (after all, Don Martin and Sergio Aragonés weren't the scriptwriters). Also needed was a director who knew about comedy timing. Along with the horror genre, comedies are the hardest to make since they demand a particular reaction from their audience — beyond simply being entertained. And back to that buddy who was shocked after seeing Ron Lieberman's brilliant turn as an intrepid "New York Jew" Union man down South, who charms Sally Field's flaky single mom/factory worker NORMA RAE into being a diehard spokeswoman for The Union...<br>

list

WHERE CREDIT'S DUE: LIST OF FIVE UNCREDITED ROLES

Ron Leibman hides his real name yet he's still Sgt. Vaughn Liceman Here you''ll discover five different types of Uncredited ...

MERRY ANDERS CINEMA: SPEED KILLS IN DEATH IN SMALL DOSES

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxc1ouMWeGQ/WBxq14jXEVI/AAAAAAAAvIQ/A9D20wNQOdsI8BOQaI4UguLzDyu-XXD9QCLcB/s1600/14956492_220301228399061_2121285590571646895_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pxc1ouMWeGQ/WBxq14jXEVI/AAAAAAAAvIQ/A9D20wNQOdsI8BOQaI4UguLzDyu-XXD9QCLcB/s400/14956492_220301228399061_2121285590571646895_n.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Animated Image of Little Orphan Anders all strung-out YEAR: 1957</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> We finally have what seems to be — or at least what's described on the DVD cover — as a bonafide Film Noir featuring Merry Anders, our starlet-spotlight who appeared in a string of crime thrillers and semi-horrors that share particular traits of the famous genre but were never quite 'all there'...<br> <br> Centering on truckers who strategically stay awake for long hauls by use of amphetamines, you could say this seems written by A.I. Benzedrine... as opposed to THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT and THIEVE'S HIGHWAY scribe A.I. Bezzerides: And if you have to explain or in this case, repeat a joke it isn't funny — but the speedy shoe fits as DEATH pushes the pedal to the metal like the author's idealistic truck driving Noir films during the rudimentary stages of the genre, only kicking it up a few notches, and is more of yet another late 50's anti-drug crime melodrama the likes of PICKUP ALLEY and STAKEOUT ON DOPE STREET, and stars a man who's ultra-serious tone would eventually be parodied, by himself: Peter Graves, who fits the undercover Noir template pretty good despite seeming too much like The Man in whatever clothes he has on: a sort of b-side Charles McGraw here...<br>

crime, drug culture, fifties, film noir or melodrama, merry anders, peter graves

MERRY ANDERS CINEMA: SPEED KILLS IN DEATH IN SMALL DOSES

Animated Image of Little Orphan Anders all strung-out YEAR: 1957 We finally have what seems to be — or at least what's described on ...

FIRST OF TWO ROBERT VAUGHN TRIBUTES: THE LIEUTENANT

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i0cZknB2X_A/WClR_Um9DXI/AAAAAAAAvPY/XXaanxYyK6suVepzb2rpGx4fdzYOekUsACEw/s1600/14980778_225104161252101_9133984254379745923_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="293" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i0cZknB2X_A/WClR_Um9DXI/AAAAAAAAvPY/XXaanxYyK6suVepzb2rpGx4fdzYOekUsACEw/s400/14980778_225104161252101_9133984254379745923_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Robert Vaughn with Garry Lockwood on TV in 1963</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The Original STAR TREK series, created, co-written and produced by Gene Roddenberry, took the crew of The Enterprise WHERE NO MAN HAS GONE BEFORE, not only part of William Shatner's pre-credit narration but the title of one of the first episodes, which guest stars Gary Lockwood, best known as astronaut Dr. Frank Poole in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, and before that he worked with Roddenberry when TREK was just blasting off...<br /> <br /> THE LIEUTENANT, a fulfilling, character-driven, one-season series, centered on our man either helping, loving or fighting man or womankind; although, taking place after Korea and in the phantom heels of Vietnam, it didn't involve actual war (save a few episodes, if memory serves) as Lockwood, playing the young and ambitious Lt. Bill Rice, works, lives and breaths not exactly blood but there's enough sweat and tears to go around at the Southern California Marine base, Camp Pendleton, which becomes a sort of character in itself. Although more time's spent at taverns, hotels, motels, and wherever else he's needed for the service of duty and friendship — the latter that the first episode, A MILLION MILES FROM CLARY, is all about...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HFUCzsxrzxQ/WClRxVWKDRI/AAAAAAAAvPU/s2W4hX1aE9QegN4daufB4CKsKyrnZc6XACEw/s1600/15032763_225104157918768_3447400526728361212_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HFUCzsxrzxQ/WClRxVWKDRI/AAAAAAAAvPU/s2W4hX1aE9QegN4daufB4CKsKyrnZc6XACEw/s400/15032763_225104157918768_3447400526728361212_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Gary Lockwood and Robert Vaughn on THE LT.</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In films before and after, ranging from (our current favorite) CANYON PASSAGE to MEAN STREETS, the subject of two long-time friends, one responsible and the other incredibly flakey, has been a standard plot-line that keeps the viewer intrigued since it's no telling what kind of trouble the instigating wild card, in this case, Rice's buddy, Pvt. Stu Sallaway, played by Bill Bixby (who shared co-starring in Elvis Presley vehicles together), will get himself into — and guess who has to get him out? That's where some lightweight yet intriguing suspense occurs — Rice putting his reputation on the line in front of the men he <i>didn't </i>share a past kinship with. Bixby, as the kind of charming b.s. artist he'd portray on television years later in the miniseries RICH MAN, POOR MAN, wields the perfect combination of someone you want to party with, punch in the gut, or both. And it's an odd pilot episode, not exactly igniting the series with a bang, or providing any kind of expository introduction: A MILLION MILES FROM CLARY (their hometown in-common) feels more like part of a show that'd been on for a little while, and Lockwood's Bill Rice has very little backstory except what we learn in the process...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DWlP7W1GoN4/WClSUFy3gJI/AAAAAAAAvPc/Hna0WDCnlVEowd7vmvhCmOzMQqQcYKYrwCLcB/s1600/15032214_225104154585435_2352467395245922554_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DWlP7W1GoN4/WClSUFy3gJI/AAAAAAAAvPc/Hna0WDCnlVEowd7vmvhCmOzMQqQcYKYrwCLcB/s320/15032214_225104154585435_2352467395245922554_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bill Bixby, Robert Vaughn, Gary Lockwood GRADE: A</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> And now to unbury the lead: THE LIEUTENANT is eventually forced to bark orders at his friend — yet who's really in charge, and respectively feared by everyone, is an extremely mature young actor who, only a few years prior, starred in b-movies including and infamously bad caveman flick (riffed by Mystery Science Theater)...<br /> <br /> And another with our ongoing retrospective starlet, Merry Anders — as a twenty-something slacker in NO TIME TO BE YOUNG, covered here soon: Making this the first of two parenthetical tributes to an actor that could play either the hero, like his most famous role on TV's MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., as well as gentleman heavies like the snooty politician in Steve McQueen's best film (and performance), BULLITT, reuniting two MAGNIFICENT SEVEN stars (who have now all passed away). Vaughn was even talented enough to "replace" Gene Hackman as the human antagonist in the SUPERMAN franchise — and helped make the flawed part 3 a worthwhile experience.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bgX2aSYB6P0/WCfL-Hgbq2I/AAAAAAAAvOI/gAqUk1uwsYQFQ0GBA4V93ChmSjaHqWSgwCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-11-12%2Bat%2B6.11.30%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="115" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bgX2aSYB6P0/WCfL-Hgbq2I/AAAAAAAAvOI/gAqUk1uwsYQFQ0GBA4V93ChmSjaHqWSgwCLcB/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-11-12%2Bat%2B6.11.30%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>With MAGNIFICENT SEVEN co-star Steve McQueen in BULLITT</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Far more than just a talented, capable actor, he legitimized every role he played, and the projects along with them...<br /> <br /> Like anyone who makes a lifelong career of Hollywood, as time passed, he didn't always chose (or get handed) the best roles, but he kept working... And back to the pilot of THE LIEUTENANT: his Captain Raymond Rambridge, a relatively young man with the countenance of a fifty-five year old war vet, was not a special guest star like Bixby, but a semi-regular who, by his mere presence, kept the title character standing firm while Lt. Rice kept his men on their toes. PS What led to this obscure show being the first tribute for Vaughn: The day after he died, there was a feeling to, out of nowhere, re-watch this particular episode, having forgotten anyone besides guest star Bill Bixby, and, within moments, there he was, in all his subtle, cleft-chinned, pelican-regal glory... A very serious man who, whether shining in the forefront or placed slightly in the background, always made a difference.

bill bixby, gary lockwood, gene roddenberry, military, one season, robert vaughn, series, sixties, war

FIRST OF TWO ROBERT VAUGHN TRIBUTES: THE LIEUTENANT

Robert Vaughn with Garry Lockwood on TV in 1963 The Original STAR TREK series, created, co-written and produced by Gene Roddenberry, too...

VICTOR MATURE & LIZABETH SCOTT HAVE O'BALL IN EASY LIVING

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-705CP4qi2W0/WBwN7Zc2LxI/AAAAAAAAvGQ/MY9uyj4j0Ko3FzFKq_UtHjpcCeF_vDuMQCLcB/s1600/14907595_220025281759989_5777344355648912002_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="250" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-705CP4qi2W0/WBwN7Zc2LxI/AAAAAAAAvGQ/MY9uyj4j0Ko3FzFKq_UtHjpcCeF_vDuMQCLcB/s320/14907595_220025281759989_5777344355648912002_n.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>Great director in a solid-good film YEAR: 1949</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> A kind of Sports Noir given that the three main stars <i>and</i> director were staples of that particular genre...<br> <br> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_bNgrslU210/WRaVtTmuIWI/AAAAAAAAxxM/8mBwcRiBdKw63U6MLE-HxCg0Nl9Dp2tTACLcB/s1600/18342816_314445192317997_7055156372625329168_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_bNgrslU210/WRaVtTmuIWI/AAAAAAAAxxM/8mBwcRiBdKw63U6MLE-HxCg0Nl9Dp2tTACLcB/s200/18342816_314445192317997_7055156372625329168_n.jpg" width="198"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Lucy Loves Victor</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> And who knows, maybe, at that time, fans of director Jacques Tourneur, expecting another CAT PEOPLE, LEOPARD MAN, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE or OUT OF THE PAST, were letdown, surprised or both that their man, who usually thrived on dark subject matters or lavish, energetic Westerns, was behind a seemingly mundane picture about a quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams <i>almost </i>past his prime. But there's a lining in any and every cinematic rainbow <i>if </i>you admire a director enough to find their signature gold in an otherwise vacant mine — thanks especially to Tourneur, who helped a project that might've been a completely dull programmer instead of an entertaining, time-filling programmer that, though taking about fifteen minutes to take shape, flows together smoothly...<br>

drama, football, forties, jacques tourneur, lizbeth scott, lucille o'ball, sport, victor mature

VICTOR MATURE & LIZABETH SCOTT HAVE O'BALL IN EASY LIVING

Great director in a solid-good film YEAR: 1949 A kind of Sports Noir given that the three main stars and director were staples of that ...

RICHARD FLEISCHER DRIVES THE NOIR ARMORED CAR ROBBERY

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vnrGtm82Gw/WB0ZgyQ-ZII/AAAAAAAAvIg/1zbnikKlxGMTkPK6sROS7Elqm983JPLSQCLcB/s1600/acr1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9vnrGtm82Gw/WB0ZgyQ-ZII/AAAAAAAAvIg/1zbnikKlxGMTkPK6sROS7Elqm983JPLSQCLcB/s400/acr1.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Always Ultra Serious Charles McGraw Blasting Away YEAR: 1950</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> The same year John Huston brought us one of the greatest Film Noir offerings, THE ASPHALT JUNGLE... centering on a pivotal heist following a meticulous setup that turns into an inevitably violent aftermath... a comparably unknown director, Richard Fleischer, had his own heist to reveal, and with a title like ARMORED CAR ROBBERY, you know exactly what you're in for... Somewhat...<br /> <br /> With a title describing the entire plot, there's plenty to go right and wrong in the process — depending what side you're on, and how and when the tables turn. Equally balancing the story between cops and robbers, the good guys are led by Charles McGraw, who would work under Fleischer in both of their most famous Noir vehicles, THE NARROW MARGIN... But the real star is an actor who, before losing every case to PERRY MASON on television, was just beginning a decade-long path into the, at that point, unnamed crime genre... the French translation for Dark Film. Also, Talman would steal, just a year after this ROBBERY, a picture from two giants, Robert Mitchum and Robert Ryan, in a Law Noir titled THE RACKET as a overly idealistic young cop who jumps the gun a bit too soon...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-17cdbnB2ls8/WB0ZzMKilsI/AAAAAAAAvIk/e_v_vauDjtgLPYkz4hVZx63o7O3ps7iwACLcB/s1600/acr0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="296" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-17cdbnB2ls8/WB0ZzMKilsI/AAAAAAAAvIk/e_v_vauDjtgLPYkz4hVZx63o7O3ps7iwACLcB/s400/acr0.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>William Talman slips out of yet another bulwark</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> As heist leader Dave Purvis, Talman is more of the guy he'd bring to life in another future flick — that being Ida Lupino's THE HITCH-HIKER, where two men are held captive, under his menacing gun and venomous aura, for the entire picture...<br /> <br /> And for at least half of this one, the same thing occurs only in a more subtle fashion as Douglas Fowley, Steve Brodie (usually a villain and here a perfectly flakey low-rent convict) and one other fella are holed up under Talman's strict, narrowed eyes in a waterfront shack after — during the most suspenseful roadblock scenes following the ROBBERY — they elude the cops, and wind up killing Charles McGraw's beloved lifelong partner, played by former KING KONG and future IN COLD BLOOD veteran actor James Flavin....<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQjgTx0qe6o/WB0Z-scYvWI/AAAAAAAAvIo/b-YmIE1bbg4-Nh7X3K7ON9V6l2XA_mlBwCLcB/s1600/22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="345" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DQjgTx0qe6o/WB0Z-scYvWI/AAAAAAAAvIo/b-YmIE1bbg4-Nh7X3K7ON9V6l2XA_mlBwCLcB/s400/22.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Talman takes precautionary aim at McCraw behind his hideout</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> What's really important is the heist, which, unlike ASPHALT JUNGLE or Stanley Kubrick's pseudo-remake, THE KILLING, happens right off the bat...<br /> <br /> But that doesn't mean the most important, plot-igniting element is rushed: Taking place outside Wrigley Stadium, Los Angeles, where Talman's Purvis learns how quick the cops respond to a (his) false alarm, we hear the baseball game from a transistor radio — sort of:<br /> <br /> Actually, the sound of the crowd cheering to the game being described by a commentator takes the place of what's usually an edgy music score during this kind of high-octane suspense — almost as if the heist itself... involving the crooks dressed in workman's garb along with their vehicle, supposedly "broken down" and parked in front... is a game in itself. Meanwhile, during the moment of truth, the car ignites in a burst of smoke to blind a few curious cops and security guards... And although we knew something was about to happen, it's a thrilling moment and a fantastic visual...<br /> <br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j6ycNO81IhU/WB0aJJSSCWI/AAAAAAAAvIs/LO0ym0QI3nkLRUfgIawjy8ygRLJvQdX1wCLcB/s1600/23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="306" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j6ycNO81IhU/WB0aJJSSCWI/AAAAAAAAvIs/LO0ym0QI3nkLRUfgIawjy8ygRLJvQdX1wCLcB/s400/23.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Charles McGraw and James Flavin are the cops</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> In a sense, the rudimentary casing and heist is liken to its very own short film wherein the crescendo is a cop being conked over the head with a gas can...<br /> <br /> Fleischer, from his sparse Noir beginnings to edgy 1970's Neo Noir flicks, including MR. MAJESTYK, SEE NO EVIL and THE DON IS DEAD, keeps the action flowing with the aid of meticulous editing. His films have always had a grainy look, and play out like crime-based jigsaw puzzles — each piece taking their time to fit, and then, like ARMORED CAR ROBBERY, the pace picks up as the characters are narrowed into a desperate race to survive. Meanwhile, Talman, unlike ASPHALT's hired muscle, Sterling Hayden (or Hayden in THE KILLING), is anything but an ambiguous Noir leading man/crook, stealing cash for "understandable" reasons or, as repeated too many times by Noir historians, because of the "demise of the American Dream"...<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kt8Q2LjBJiM/WB4wVYOudkI/AAAAAAAAvJg/yhr8PIst4t8BWOBsMZxjwsWjQ-KFkXx1gCLcB/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-11-05%2Bat%2B12.17.11%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kt8Q2LjBJiM/WB4wVYOudkI/AAAAAAAAvJg/yhr8PIst4t8BWOBsMZxjwsWjQ-KFkXx1gCLcB/s320/Screen%2BShot%2B2016-11-05%2Bat%2B12.17.11%2BPM.png" width="238" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Score from the ROBBERY: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Although, as a determined killer and professional thinking-man's thief, there are particular moments where a glimpse of affinity shows within the square-jawed mug: Which means there's a sprinkling of soap operatic melodrama, like any a good Noir: The first guy he lets in on the score is a personal friend, married to our token ingenue/dame in Virginia Mayo-lookalike, Adele Jergens, playing a stripper with the heart of black ice. She loves her lover — that being Talman — and despises her husband, and if you compare the dame (a sultry Femme bordering on Fatale) with the coldblooded killer — watch closely and you may just find he has a slight edge on sympathy, or empathy, or something... humanlike...<br /> <br /> Not to forget our equally tough tough guy McCraw — as a cop he doesn't sit on the sidelines or mope in his car, waiting to strike...<br /> <br /> While the plot, as mentioned earlier, involves both straight and crooked characters in a perfect hybrid, the action keeps them equally busy, desperate, determined and, along with the director, it's a three-way match made in heaven, and more than just the average Noir programmer it's known (or mostly unknown) for being.<br /> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div>

adele jergens, charles mcgraw, fifties, film noir or melodrama, james flavin, richard fleischer, steve brodie, william talman

RICHARD FLEISCHER DRIVES THE NOIR ARMORED CAR ROBBERY

Always Ultra Serious Charles McGraw Blasting Away YEAR: 1950 The same year John Huston brought us one of the greatest Film Noir offering...

MERRY ANDERS CINEMA: HOUSE OF THE DAMNED

<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RajVLWgS7xg/WBpoTlPVNFI/AAAAAAAAvEY/nOVHK04cjI4e3UnUnM-3Cm_9BX3QqTRmQCLcB/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RajVLWgS7xg/WBpoTlPVNFI/AAAAAAAAvEY/nOVHK04cjI4e3UnUnM-3Cm_9BX3QqTRmQCLcB/s400/1.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Merry Anders at work for Maury Dexter two of three times YEAR: 1963</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Before becoming a second unit director on two famous television shows produced by Michael Landon in the seventies and eighties, Maury Dexter, during the wild and swinging sixties, was a b-movie filmmaker who tackled eclectic genres ranging from Crime to Western to Horror to Beach to Biker, and in HOUSE OF THE DAMNED he gets his genre wires crossed: For example, in one scene, the main couple are sleeping in two single guest room beds — an architect and his wife, played by Ron Foster and, wedged between two Dexter flicks, <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/08/AirPATROL.html">AIR PATROL</a> the year before and <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/07/merry-anders-cinema-raiders-from.html">RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA</a> after, the beautiful and underracted ingenue, Merry Anders, who wakes up right before seeing what the audience catches a few glimpses of: a bizarre, ghaustly silhouette of a legless man walking with his hands through the partial darkness of a Gothic mansion, which should be scary in its own right...<br>

horror, maury dexter, merry anders, sixties

MERRY ANDERS CINEMA: HOUSE OF THE DAMNED

Merry Anders at work for Maury Dexter two of three times YEAR: 1963 Before becoming a second unit director on two famous television show...