cult film freak: james francsiscus

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Written by James M. Tate / 8/10/2026 / No comments / airplane , disaster , edmund purdom , espionage , james francsiscus , joseph cotten , maria d'incoronato , mimsy farmer , ruggero deodato , seventies , thriller , van johnson , venantino venantini

MIMSY FARMER IN RUGGERO DEODATO'S 'CONCORDE AFFAIRE '79'

<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcMQZhiIuybr52zVWczuCfFvqSwviaeRvaWYGl4MQc4IN5XNfO9ZBCnhGzJgGmbM2S_Se26zCbm22Iuljo9mw3ZRYI87eSho1b4FB6jPhb4O8YDRXv-anHztcp3iIiTCl0fas_F03eE6CnGMj6vn99EIOglH5r_0wnpoHoWRb8qcABFY8254RBgOtcKlR/s1390/image_cf96a5c0.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="752" data-original-width="1390" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQcMQZhiIuybr52zVWczuCfFvqSwviaeRvaWYGl4MQc4IN5XNfO9ZBCnhGzJgGmbM2S_Se26zCbm22Iuljo9mw3ZRYI87eSho1b4FB6jPhb4O8YDRXv-anHztcp3iIiTCl0fas_F03eE6CnGMj6vn99EIOglH5r_0wnpoHoWRb8qcABFY8254RBgOtcKlR/s1600/image_cf96a5c0.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Mimsy Farmer in CONCORDE AFFAIRE '79 Year: 1979 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>A year before Italian auteur Ruggero Deodato invented the found-footage horror-genre with CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST, he directed the mainstream CONCORDE AFFAIRE '79, a slight-of-hand effort deliberately mirroring THE CONCORD: AIRPORT '79, the last AIRPORT outing before the blockbuster spoof AIRPLANE killed the franchise by spoofing it... <br><br>Both are basically crime-thrillers combining the usual airline disaster melodrama... but Deodato's Italian import spends the entire first two acts hardly involving the record-breaking passenger-jet-plane: other than an opening scene where it crashes into the ocean...</p><p><span></span></p>

airplane, disaster, edmund purdom, espionage, james francsiscus, joseph cotten, maria d'incoronato, mimsy farmer, ruggero deodato, seventies, thriller, van johnson, venantino venantini

MIMSY FARMER IN RUGGERO DEODATO'S 'CONCORDE AFFAIRE '79'

Mimsy Farmer in CONCORDE AFFAIRE '79 Year: 1979 Rating: ***1/2 A year before Italian auteur Ruggero Deodato invented the found-footage h...

BURT REYNOLDS ANTAGONIZES 'THE FBI: ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToHN_TxK60pp9w8W8L3LGpoLeRVjZKeUaX-oAC1j4EKafLVI7GAT0z23VjU48kU7YAU7j6AM7wxD6anKRCfSEd3sqYrkIfCOtRxeb0B8xOH-Cp9XewAxF_M1ajHrS3XQKiIAp2LoZ8N-ncyAKn38Kj99kUEwahbhztlL0kxzuwFNK6Z2c8ZD615mvsa4X/s1060/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-24%20at%209.14.23%20PM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="620" data-original-width="1060" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhToHN_TxK60pp9w8W8L3LGpoLeRVjZKeUaX-oAC1j4EKafLVI7GAT0z23VjU48kU7YAU7j6AM7wxD6anKRCfSEd3sqYrkIfCOtRxeb0B8xOH-Cp9XewAxF_M1ajHrS3XQKiIAp2LoZ8N-ncyAKn38Kj99kUEwahbhztlL0kxzuwFNK6Z2c8ZD615mvsa4X/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-08-24%20at%209.14.23%20PM.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Burt Reynolds on FBI: ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT Year: 1965 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's unlikely that Quentin Tarantino's fictional once-famous Rick Dalton from <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2019/07/in-hollywood.html">ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD</a>... played by Leonardo DiCaprio digitally altered to replace the villain role of Burt Reynolds from THE FBI episode ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT... would have even taken the part since it's not very big beyond a terrific opening, where Burt (along with offbeat weasel Rex Holman) follows an army jeep onto an open field marine base, killing two soldiers and taking their weapons... <br></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Yet the rest of the episode mostly entails Efrem Zimbalist Jr working on former boxer/current cabbie James Francsiscus who, with a melodramatic pregnant wife subplot, is reluctant to out the killers but eventually pulls through: leading to an intense tommygun fight to a courtroom hearing to a much too rushed finale and, ironically, three seasons later, for <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2024/08/burtFBI.html">ACT OF MURDER</a>, Burt returned as another gunman involved with a military outpost murder. <br></p><p><span></span></p>

burt reynolds, crime, efrem zimbalist jr., FBI, james francsiscus, joe maross, norman fell, rex holman, sixties, tv series, wesley addy

BURT REYNOLDS ANTAGONIZES 'THE FBI: ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT'

Burt Reynolds on FBI: ALL THE STREETS ARE SILENT Year: 1965 Rating: *** It's unlikely that Quentin Tarantino's fictional once-famous...

LAWRENCE TIERNEY VILLAINIZES 'NAKED CITY: ONE TO GET LOST'

<p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChIATj1cBKqk0FKdmJBg1XyqhC03M-mEhmUEeGOufq-bc_IxYD9X7qEyeU_jVQD5wgjBFBFXx_1DNmnbudliKXmC2QXNMurmMSODoRYSTFlGe9wj2Xa2DSrPh2L6t7Foq5UCj1T9V9XDn0HRKi_5VGuX8XRg3FIh9kMtqDG0_owNu-go3NU1OdO1BRMVy/s2058/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-29%20at%205.05.08%20PM%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1184" data-original-width="2058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjChIATj1cBKqk0FKdmJBg1XyqhC03M-mEhmUEeGOufq-bc_IxYD9X7qEyeU_jVQD5wgjBFBFXx_1DNmnbudliKXmC2QXNMurmMSODoRYSTFlGe9wj2Xa2DSrPh2L6t7Foq5UCj1T9V9XDn0HRKi_5VGuX8XRg3FIh9kMtqDG0_owNu-go3NU1OdO1BRMVy/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202024-02-29%20at%205.05.08%20PM%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Lawrence Tierney in Naked City: One To Get Lost Year: 1959 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>By the late 1950's, Lawrence Tierney, who was an RKO leading man ten years earlier, turned up mostly on television... and it was in-between his infamous drunken brawls that had ruined his career and, ironically, made those villainous small-screen guest spots a reality...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>But he's always good, like this episode of NAKED CITY titled ONE TO GET LOST in which mild-mannered businessman (and another former RKO contract actor) Kent Smith has cheated on his wife with a loose lover who turns up dead and, hours before, said admitted to be dating an elevator operator...</p><p><span></span></p>

fifties, film noir or melodrama, harry bellaver, james francsiscus, jeanette nolan, john mcintire, kent smith, lawrence tierney, TV

LAWRENCE TIERNEY VILLAINIZES 'NAKED CITY: ONE TO GET LOST'

Lawrence Tierney in Naked City: One To Get Lost Year: 1959 Rating: ***1/2 By the late 1950's, Lawrence Tierney, who was an RKO leading m...

LEE MAJORS, MARGAUX HEMINGWAY & KAREN BLACK IN 'KILLER FISH'

<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif"><table align="center" 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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgP6YLTe-d2h6vgYhpJFbjTkMfpIDJQHMN3d1-9ME-cUtuw6t9KYKvA4vmlZ2dI7eDChB2ht644z9J_AIipjSbZ_O0BUxNFzKkqS8HN-OpMDCvpZj6HS8VUhpulVx5vkEVWSZHYO_FC7ymfPcOnByRjKpjxKH7MRtIgvYGe7YLGQLBdqdYY5x7aJZfA/s2035/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-11%20at%204.54.18%20AM.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1387" data-original-width="2035" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgP6YLTe-d2h6vgYhpJFbjTkMfpIDJQHMN3d1-9ME-cUtuw6t9KYKvA4vmlZ2dI7eDChB2ht644z9J_AIipjSbZ_O0BUxNFzKkqS8HN-OpMDCvpZj6HS8VUhpulVx5vkEVWSZHYO_FC7ymfPcOnByRjKpjxKH7MRtIgvYGe7YLGQLBdqdYY5x7aJZfA/w400-h272/Screen%20Shot%202022-12-11%20at%204.54.18%20AM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: KILLER FISH Year: 1979 Rating: ****<br></u></td></tr></tbody></table>This infamous low-budget Brazilian import isn't so bad: Centering on a group of diamond thieves in South America who, after 
blowing up a big outpost during the opening credits and nabbing a cache 
of jewels, hide the goods in a lake they don't know's inhabited by killer 
fish i.e. piranha...</span><br>
<br>
<span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">All pets of millionaire James Franciscus (or more like his weapons, so they're not the central and/or focal point like Joe Dante's PIRANHA the previous year)... Deadly insurance to 
weed-out any takers, and </span><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">a
 couple of the thieves (including a scene-stealing Frank Pesce) are 
gobbled up attempting a 
premature recovery in the lake... Because of this, Lee Majors and Karen 
Black are pitted against each other in a double-crossing Film Noir 
fashion: Black joins with 
Fransiscus and beautiful Margaux Hemingway, as a model on a 
location-shoot, beds the Bionic Man.</span><br>

antonio margheriti, exploitation, frank pesce, heist, james francsiscus, karen black, karen black interviews, lee majors, margaux hemingway, marisa berenson, neo noir, piranha, post-heist, seventies

LEE MAJORS, MARGAUX HEMINGWAY & KAREN BLACK IN 'KILLER FISH'

Title: KILLER FISH Year: 1979 Rating: **** This infamous low-budget Brazilian import isn't so bad: Centering on a group of diamond thie...

CHUCK NORRIS IN 'GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK' W/ DANA ANDREWS

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dAQvp78WPgN-2kCKM5tN1rW8KXnE4mPYobrVx3AyAJc-gtyRomeffoSOUQmr5UyEFzDU0fH0Wyd6z8paUBl4z4dbmj6pttHS7RPuMU5Awdta2bj3mzESdRwhiJm7oIpcMF05TBkvCbs/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-dAQvp78WPgN-2kCKM5tN1rW8KXnE4mPYobrVx3AyAJc-gtyRomeffoSOUQmr5UyEFzDU0fH0Wyd6z8paUBl4z4dbmj6pttHS7RPuMU5Awdta2bj3mzESdRwhiJm7oIpcMF05TBkvCbs/s320/3.jpg" width="320"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Chuck reflects the film's best kick YEAR: 1978</u></td></tr>
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For an action star, compared to a Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and more befitting this particular fight-genre, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris isn't a great actor. Heck, he's not even half-decent when it comes down to it. But it never really <i>comes down </i>to anything short of his signature kicks: Those are what the audience will anticipate. He did get better throughout the years, peaking in the <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/2016/01/mary-louise-weller-FV.html">mid-to-late 1980's</a> as a far more energetic performer than this 1978 semi-exploitation titled GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK aka BLACK TIGERS, where his most natural moves occur about an hour into the movie: Relatively bad news for hardcore Norris fans – there are only about two real karate-fight scenes, not including a few quick wallops that get the job done in a flash – one in particular highlighted all the promotions – Norris's Secret Ops commando John T. Booker leaping forward and smashing foot-first into the windshield of a car, fully enraged, as he should be: While some awful special effects occur, a very important person is killed, and this character was way too good to be true.<br>

action, chuck norris, dana andrews, james francsiscus, war

CHUCK NORRIS IN 'GOOD GUYS WEAR BLACK' W/ DANA ANDREWS

Chuck reflects the film's best kick YEAR: 1978 For an action star, compared to a Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and more befitting t...

NEWMAN & HOLDEN DO ALLEN AGAIN IN 'WHEN TIME RAN OUT'

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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0r2L5V6d_Y8eM3pGyw4aY7UmttuhjOHvyWdOatIL5iwueczUm2E4onfxavfp4KypTL8ZrQTG5KHrq10qiVTFLHB5Hh9JGowmgnWr8vYN2kDAq7MnYeE-IkM-YVxZHiBBPvGel0Fpc5Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2015-09-12+at+2.54.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO0r2L5V6d_Y8eM3pGyw4aY7UmttuhjOHvyWdOatIL5iwueczUm2E4onfxavfp4KypTL8ZrQTG5KHrq10qiVTFLHB5Hh9JGowmgnWr8vYN2kDAq7MnYeE-IkM-YVxZHiBBPvGel0Fpc5Q/s1600/Screen+shot+2015-09-12+at+2.54.39+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;">rating: ***1/2</span></td></tr>
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In Irwin Allen’s classic THE TOWERING INFERNO, Paul Newman played the chief architect of an enormous building with many problems under the surface, and it was all Richard Chamberlain’s fault for not checking fire codes, or something of that expository/technological nature while William Holden ran the show and eventually sided with Newman, but everyone on board was in the same dire predicament. And a similar thing happens in WHEN TIME RAN OUT with two INFERNO veterans… actually three including producer Irwin Allen, master of disaster cinema. Once again, William Holden is financially in charge of things. His character, Shelby, adores Jacqueline Bisset’s Kay, madly in love with Hank Anderson, an oil foreman who realizes the deeper they drill, the more angry a near-distant volcano becomes.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbP-YZATsSD3OycSNnNez3zW5k-gtu7WhMi6U1SxVc19p3u4-V3HCSIWQzIfbleANN_ftFsqtk_WspmLCCOL6H_aKvpYPhej35bgsJJy3o3SqxRQ5L0EEvV9us74VnrhBk9IAwfThwwhm9/s1600/45254756_595272934235220_8528866779890450432_o.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1502" data-original-width="640" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbP-YZATsSD3OycSNnNez3zW5k-gtu7WhMi6U1SxVc19p3u4-V3HCSIWQzIfbleANN_ftFsqtk_WspmLCCOL6H_aKvpYPhej35bgsJJy3o3SqxRQ5L0EEvV9us74VnrhBk9IAwfThwwhm9/s400/45254756_595272934235220_8528866779890450432_o.jpeg" width="170" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Year: 1980</td></tr>
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Newman plays Hank, another Irwin Allen created self loathing millionaire who, being more cautious and hesitant than conceited by wealth, his the good while while his new Richard Chamberlain is James Franciscus as Bob Spangler, a greedy businessman, son of a sugar cane mogul seeking oil as gold who runs a plush hotel in a South Pacific Island: a sublime resort that, like all man-made devices in disaster films, is supposedly indestructible in this black sheep ensemble featuring Ernest Borgnine as a cop pestering Red Buttons as a bond scammer living in plush retirement...<br />
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The talent involved, also including Burgess Meredith, are somewhat wasted, seeming part of an extremely bland FANTASY ISLAND episode. Meanwhile the token young starlets include Veronica Hamel (who was in Allen's sequel to POSEIDON ADVENTURE, the original featuring this film's Borgnine and Buttons) and native beauty Barbara Carrera, eventually becoming pretty wallpaper compared to Bissett’s female lead although, other than her Faye Dunaway-style attraction for working class Newman, she really doesn't do very much but prove that gorgeous women can be smart and down to earth... around a man who deserves them, that is.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Off to get killed! Damn fools!"</td></tr>
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The story finally gets underway when the volcano erupts. The residents must choose a risky trek with Newman to the other side of the island, or staying put with Franciscus at the resort. It’s pretty obvious what the logical option is – at least from the audience perspective. Yet only a small group joins in on the mobile caravan and, while the stubborn hotel dwellers watch the volcano spit fireballs into the sky, Newman leads his herd on foot around a mountainous incline, and then to the place we'll spend the entire third act, and, alternative title for WHEN TIME RAN OUT could very well be A BRIDGE TOO FLIMY: Once the gang arrives at a makeshift native bridge with a gushing river of molten lava bumbling beneath, the dilapidated structure begins falling apart. Therefore the survivors must cross slowly, and cautiously, to the other side… Which does have suspenseful moments, yet we never got to know the characters well enough to really care about their success or demise. Still though, while not top of the shelf Irwin Allen, it's a nice little, swift and entertaining ride.<br />
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disaster, eighties, ernest borgnine, irwin allen, jacqueline bisset, james francsiscus, paul newman, red buttons, william holden

NEWMAN & HOLDEN DO ALLEN AGAIN IN 'WHEN TIME RAN OUT'

rating: ***1/2 In Irwin Allen’s classic THE TOWERING INFERNO, Paul Newman played the chief architect of an enormous building with many p...

Written by James M. Tate / 8/18/2013 / No comments / disaster , frank pesce , heist , horror , interview , james francsiscus , karen black , lee majors , marisa berenson , neo noir , seventies

LEE MAJORS IN 'KILLER FISH' AKA 'NAKED SUN' W/ KAREN BLACK

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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/search/label/karen%20black%20interviews"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-FRNl-IeB4JqvtFXcqMi7qtGAB2r3zNuXpHEsq1mUBi7jqY2HJOwPqUXD8dEPgkpB6AGW0JjVFzvBp-nwmUnljra1HK5mOE6BTr4h9IjPKcT82PBTO-TDp0kwtRhnP-62lGsJHRon-3GRw7TpBC63FSb9MvsivzFiuV0ECE6tcRYlAcklMDKAFpwGKL3/s1600/Screen%20Shot%202018-12-07%20at%206.40.16%20AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1025" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS-FRNl-IeB4JqvtFXcqMi7qtGAB2r3zNuXpHEsq1mUBi7jqY2HJOwPqUXD8dEPgkpB6AGW0JjVFzvBp-nwmUnljra1HK5mOE6BTr4h9IjPKcT82PBTO-TDp0kwtRhnP-62lGsJHRon-3GRw7TpBC63FSb9MvsivzFiuV0ECE6tcRYlAcklMDKAFpwGKL3/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202018-12-07%20at%206.40.16%20AM.jpeg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>TAKEN FROM A PHONE INTERVIEW WITH KAREN BLACK</u></td></tr></tbody></table>KAREN BLACK INTERVIEWS HAVE MOVED HERE</a></span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/search/label/karen%20black%20interviews">KAREN BLACK INTERVIEWS HAVE MOVED HERE</a></span><i><b><span face=""verdana" , sans-serif">
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disaster, frank pesce, heist, horror, interview, james francsiscus, karen black, lee majors, marisa berenson, neo noir, seventies

LEE MAJORS IN 'KILLER FISH' AKA 'NAKED SUN' W/ KAREN BLACK

TAKEN FROM A PHONE INTERVIEW WITH KAREN BLACK KAREN BLACK INTERVIEWS HAVE MOVED HERE KAREN BLACK INTERVIEWS HAVE MOVED HERE

Written by James M. Tate / 9/20/2012 / No comments / blaxploitation , james francsiscus , sixties , sonya wilde

I PASSED FOR WHITE

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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>year: </b>1960 <b>cast:</b> Sonya Wilde, James Franciscus, Patricia Michon <b>rating:</b> ***1/2</td></tr>
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I PASSED FOR WHITE, one of those title-says-it-all kinda movies, is much better than you’d think. Thanks to the gorgeous Sonya Wilde, who has wonderful acting skills... what a shame she only appeared in a handful of television guest spots thereafter, mostly playing Native Americans on Westerns. <br />
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Wilde plays Bernice Lee – her hip brother blows sax at a club and her grandmother has words of wisdom, but no real answers, for what’s really troubling Bernice. She can’t keep a job when the employers find out she’s part black… It was the early sixties, after all.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"I guess I should start reading READER'S DIGEST instead of VIBE."</td></tr>
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She decides to become Lila and, on a plane to another state and another life, she meets handsome businessman James Franciscus as Rick Leyton. After a windswept romance they get married. Of course he doesn’t realize her secret and the rest of the film has the John “Johnny” Williams's score blasting whenever anyone almost discovers her ruse: especially Rick’s pesky mother, continuously asking to meet Bernice's parents.<br />
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Wilde handles the melodrama perfectly and reaches for lies about her phantom family better than a lifelong politician. The tension builds nicely between the newlyweds, who make real sparks when times are good. Although Wilde looks so white, the audience won’t always share in the controversy of a mixed couple relationship. If it weren't for that pounding soundtrack you might forget what she's so worried about in the first place.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonya Wilde in I PASSED FOR WHITE</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Listen, brother, you don't know how dull white folks can be. Now, try resembling one."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Okay so this picture is merely to show Sonya's legs...</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I always dreamed of living in a tall tower, in a penthouse apartment, int he sky-high-high."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I'm slightly buzzed, but you are the most gorgeous white girl I've ever met."</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening Titles for I PASSED FOR WHITE</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/I-Passed-White-Isabelle-Cooley/dp/B000UYX4XG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348188075&sr=8-1&keywords=i+passed+for+white+dvd">BUY THE DVD ON AMAZON</a></td></tr>
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blaxploitation, james francsiscus, sixties, sonya wilde

I PASSED FOR WHITE

year: 1960 cast: Sonya Wilde, James Franciscus, Patricia Michon rating: ***1/2 I PASSED FOR WHITE, one of those title-says-it-all kind...

Written by James M. Tate / 8/15/2010 / No comments / creature , dinosaur , james francsiscus , ray harryhausen , sixties , stop-motion , western

THE VALLEY OF GWANGI

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMLaHPAmrQEtq7JnQwJR-jiiWVcijQQXJp14DyoieyeuqriwhLSALA9QVOEYCQVDhOMdhL-VRuGzf8IFnhgbDatV1bZtpiLIheRCEdNheuRm5ce9sG5AWvib1DmF5BqrHPazGkrxx9Fo/s1600/gwangi7.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505843812654901842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMLaHPAmrQEtq7JnQwJR-jiiWVcijQQXJp14DyoieyeuqriwhLSALA9QVOEYCQVDhOMdhL-VRuGzf8IFnhgbDatV1bZtpiLIheRCEdNheuRm5ce9sG5AWvib1DmF5BqrHPazGkrxx9Fo/s200/gwangi7.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 112px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">title:</span> THE VALLEY OF GWANGI<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">year: </span>1969<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">cast:</span> James Franciscus<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">effects: </span>Ray Harryhausen<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">rating:</span> ****1/2<br />
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This late sixties "Rexploitation" is Ray Harryhausen's best special effects film. The deliciously paced plot involves cowboys driven to find their "pot of gold" with a freak miniature horse led to the title valley where dwells a giant blue dinosaur named Gwangi, a prehistoric beast that isn't very friendly. Sure the last twenty minutes rips off "King Kong", the film Ray watched as a kid, causing him to follow in the footsteps of his mentor, Willis O'Brien (who conceptualized this film in the forties)... but that's like a son having his father's voice.

creature, dinosaur, james francsiscus, ray harryhausen, sixties, stop-motion, western