cult film freak: November 2016

Written by James M. Tate / 11/29/2016 / No comments / anne howard , body count , dennis dunn , donald pleasence , eighties , horror , lisa blount , science-fiction , victor wong

MARTIN QUATERMASS WRITES/DIRECTS 'PRINCE OF DARKNESS'

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<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="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><u>Between BIG TROUBLE and THEY LIVE Year Released: 1987</u></td></tr>
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While THE THING was arguably the greatest cinematic achievement of John Carpenter (here using the pulpy pseudonym Martin Quatermass, so we'll play along), HALLOWEEN his most popular and groundbreaking; ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK the downright coolest, edgiest; THE FOG his most sparse, economical and old school ghost story convenient; CHRISTINE his slickest; STARMAN his most sell-out mainstream; BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA his loopy loosest; and THEY LIVE, wielding a barrage of timeless cult-flavored one-liners and neatly edited fight scenes, is his most non-sellout, solid and cool action-flick mainstream; PRINCE OF DARKNESS, at the cusp of The Master of Horror's peak, is his most personal, comparable to the gritty Martin Scorsese MEAN STREETS (that both wrote themselves without help) verses the RAGING BULL and GOODFELLAS: Yet this cult curio is written by Martin Quatermass 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...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Shout Factory Blu Ray new artwork</u></td></tr>
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The lack of a genuine leading man hero, which would seem like the preppy half of TV's popular SIMON AND SIMON, is Parker Jameson along with leading lady Lisa Blount — who's even more reluctant to believe the Biblical theories driving the unexplained force they're monitoring...<br />
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Both without the energy of young leads, and wind up serving more as beacons to herd what feels like way too many characters (that Carpenter himself compared to the original THING, how a myriad of scientists walk in and out of rooms): they wind up 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 />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Anne Howard Prince of Darkness Anne Howard</u></td></tr>
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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...<br />
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And He's 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 />
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<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="235" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3aMVm3RiIRg/WDQpKJ4p9tI/AAAAAAAAvV4/ddtgZcBSnAAZBJJ6p4BLpk4BoVsWxkhAwCEw/s400/15178083_229587760803741_9092071484374023371_n.jpg" width="400" /></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>
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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...<br />
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Who knows, 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 />
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<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>
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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...<br />
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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 />
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<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="221" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UBktIHDb4R0/WDQpjZ5MAaI/AAAAAAAAvV8/bephKXkTd1sHwi7hA_x4sH4UnyMk6VNJACEw/s400/15135924_229587644137086_4596483351520650210_n.jpg" width="400" /></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>
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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...<br />
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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 />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l0J2REGa-zo/Wj9ciup1H9I/AAAAAAAA0Mc/RwfQ8_TGtscOM7LBPF9JeP5rGjKRNd45QCLcBGAs/s1600/25591941_412153305880518_2424714536141451863_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="355" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-l0J2REGa-zo/Wj9ciup1H9I/AAAAAAAA0Mc/RwfQ8_TGtscOM7LBPF9JeP5rGjKRNd45QCLcBGAs/s400/25591941_412153305880518_2424714536141451863_n.jpg" width="147" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>DarkScore: ***1/2</u></td></tr>
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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...<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yty2gyGm-KE/Wj9d9KZqqSI/AAAAAAAA0Mo/_Ov5Tsys5kgQ14KSnG9H7VB8w2ZiC7ikwCLcBGAs/s1600/25594028_412135992548916_956592917930198457_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="874" data-original-width="951" height="294" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yty2gyGm-KE/Wj9d9KZqqSI/AAAAAAAA0Mo/_Ov5Tsys5kgQ14KSnG9H7VB8w2ZiC7ikwCLcBGAs/s320/25594028_412135992548916_956592917930198457_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Where the Demons hang out near the water cooler</u></td></tr>
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And while the killings aren't extremely scary, there's a palpable sense of dread from the very on-set...<br />
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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 />
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<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>
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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...<br />
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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 />
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<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>
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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...<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Just from Prince of Darkness Anne Marie Howard is one of our fav scream queens (billed as Anne Howard)</u></td></tr>
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anne howard, body count, dennis dunn, donald pleasence, eighties, horror, lisa blount, science-fiction, victor wong

MARTIN QUATERMASS WRITES/DIRECTS 'PRINCE OF DARKNESS'

Between BIG TROUBLE and THEY LIVE Year Released: 1987 While THE THING was arguably the greatest cinematic achievement of John Carpenter ...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/23/2016 / No comments / betty beall , horror , jazz score , kent taylor , marie windsor , maury dexter , science-fiction , sixties

MAURY DEXTER'S 'THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH' W/ KENT TAYLOR

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<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>
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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>
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The Beverly Hills mansion where Dr. David Fielding, played by Dexter's WALK TALL villain and HARBOR LIGHTS hero Kent Taylor, and his family are holed-up after he discovering a way to connect or receive messages with the planet Mars, is 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, jazz score, kent taylor, marie windsor, maury dexter, science-fiction, sixties

MAURY DEXTER'S 'THE DAY MARS INVADED EARTH' W/ KENT TAYLOR

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

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<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>
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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>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Say it Agaaaain!"</td></tr>
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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>
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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>

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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

crime, drug culture, jazz score, merry anders, peter graves

MERRY ANDERS CINEMA: SPEED KILLS IN <b>DEATH IN SMALL DOSES</b>

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

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...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/09/2016 / No comments / art baker , drama , football , forties , jack paar , jacques tourneur , june bright , lizabeth scott , lucille ball , melodrama , richard erdman , sport , victor mature

MATURE & SCOTT HAVING A BALL IN TOURNEUR'S 'EASY LIVING'

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year of Release: 1949</u></td></tr>
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A kind of Sports Noir given that the three main stars <i>and</i> director were staples of that particular mostly black-and-white, dark and shadowy genre...<br>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Victor Mature and Lucille Ball</u></td></tr>
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And who knows, maybe, at that time, fans of director Jacques Tourneur, expecting another CAT PEOPLE, OUT OF THE PAST or even CANYON PASSAGE were letdown, surprised or both that their man...<br>
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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>

art baker, drama, football, forties, jack paar, jacques tourneur, june bright, lizabeth scott, lucille ball, melodrama, richard erdman, sport, victor mature

MATURE & SCOTT HAVING A BALL IN TOURNEUR'S 'EASY LIVING'

Year of Release: 1949 A kind of Sports Noir given that the three main stars and director were staples of that particular mostly black-a...

RICHARD FLEISCHER DRIVES THE NOIR 'ARMORED CAR ROBBERY'

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<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>
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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 />
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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 />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>William Talman slips out of yet another bulwark</u></td></tr>
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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 />
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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 />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Talman takes precautionary aim at McCraw behind his hideout</u></td></tr>
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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 />
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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 />
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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 />
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<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>
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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 />
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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 />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Score from the ROBBERY: ****</u></td></tr>
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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... 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 />
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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 />
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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...

Written by James M. Tate / 11/02/2016 / No comments / horror , maury dexter , merry anders , sixties

MERRY ANDERS CINEMA PRESENTS 'HOUSE OF THE DAMNED'

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<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>
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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