ROBERT MITCHUM AND JANE RUSSELL IN 'HIS KIND OF WOMAN'

<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/AVvXsEi-EJPrKLzaVooOX8W6aJEY0W-sq36IwpUnFOrgD7HQEdV6Cq9ebQpe-sItzEWyeRUUIKSYKNVatjTk9zXUWpjVi4PUUOCgzBkXhe7vi7qrLz_tziIrrILs6AKzZPw7mOP-VjyUx1ZwU8-vnaUgWAXwF2gaXRJq0C5fKFx5QsH2bboXKDvTQzHJxFjuOMNx/s2102/1.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1270" data-original-width="2102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-EJPrKLzaVooOX8W6aJEY0W-sq36IwpUnFOrgD7HQEdV6Cq9ebQpe-sItzEWyeRUUIKSYKNVatjTk9zXUWpjVi4PUUOCgzBkXhe7vi7qrLz_tziIrrILs6AKzZPw7mOP-VjyUx1ZwU8-vnaUgWAXwF2gaXRJq0C5fKFx5QsH2bboXKDvTQzHJxFjuOMNx/s16000/1.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell in HIS KIND OF WOMAN Year: 1951 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Legendary eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, after buying RKO Pictures, exploited discovered leading lady Jane Russell's ample bosom in THE OUTLAW while, almost a decade later, he put even more time and money into Robert Mitchum's handsome, slow-burn cool for HIS KIND OF WOMAN...<br><br>Despite Russell's character being part of the title, she really has little to do here but hang around a plush Mexican resort where Mitchum's affable gambling loser is sent so that chief mobster Raymond Burr... who replaced original director John Farrow's original villain Lee Van Cleef followed by Robert Wilke... to be able to immigrate back to America... or something...<span></span></p>

anthony caruso, charles mcgraw, fifties, film noir or melodrama, howard hughes, jane russell, paul frees, raymond burr, richard fleischer, robert mitchum, stacy harris, tim holt, vincent price

ROBERT MITCHUM AND JANE RUSSELL IN 'HIS KIND OF WOMAN'

Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell in HIS KIND OF WOMAN Year: 1951 Rating: ***1/2 Legendary eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes, after buying R...

CLINT WALKER WITH VINCENT PRICE IN 'MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE'

<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/AVvXsEg7DHXDTS-f721WGNysDhCx84BcOyh_p4gkBB4GrZvxKE06cnJ4s6sNK13-t-vqA1pTuQP_9u13fXp9mN3_uw9I3zTiO_7iQ2A1waAjGWPSBDOA37QuX6bekPztZIJKG4XOBY794SOOtyy_ZDaHMXwNxrJsNhYId9-BdeQA6p-iakpKfwywSmt2p3ZqskaB/s1772/Screen%20Shot%202026-02-21%20at%207.07.39%20PM%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="1772" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7DHXDTS-f721WGNysDhCx84BcOyh_p4gkBB4GrZvxKE06cnJ4s6sNK13-t-vqA1pTuQP_9u13fXp9mN3_uw9I3zTiO_7iQ2A1waAjGWPSBDOA37QuX6bekPztZIJKG4XOBY794SOOtyy_ZDaHMXwNxrJsNhYId9-BdeQA6p-iakpKfwywSmt2p3ZqskaB/s16000/Screen%20Shot%202026-02-21%20at%207.07.39%20PM%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Clint Walker in MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE Year: 1969 Rating: ***</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Opens with the kind of shoot-em-up gusto of the otherwise cliche Western, MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE stars gentle giant Clint Walker as a formerly infamous gunslinger who basically stands around inside a fort-like prison while his muscular doppelganger Mike Henry violently busts out his own gang...<br><br>What was needed in this extremely strange/offbeat 1969 Western was a prologue before the prologue: like how Clint Walker went to prison in the first place, since his character's brutal past means pretty much everything...</p><p><span></span></p>

anne francis, beverly powers, clint walker, emile meyer, harry lauter, mike henry, paul hampton, sixties, vincent price, western

CLINT WALKER WITH VINCENT PRICE IN 'MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE'

Clint Walker in MORE DEAD THAN ALIVE Year: 1969 Rating: *** Opens with the kind of shoot-em-up gusto of the otherwise cliche Western, MORE D...

DANA ANDREWS AND GENE TIERNEY IN OTTO PREMINGER'S 'LAURA'

<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/AVvXsEimd-Hf86aZKkNUPDYRjFrE9YcsaKCFHfoEmcjk94MGlr4L5d2eNFPD_H-O6g0TFh-yHnxwQqdmgtc8jzW2W4aywHTNBKimwKjuCy6Ig0z8Wp3_IAz-O5QUH7DAaVV4ieiYCwP0oXpmlqGiRmGizGrewO2nhti3iYbN7abBfaD4FdSHpbmL9dNpP2ntJI98/s1846/Screen%20Shot%202025-02-24%20at%2010.06.02%20PM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1364" data-original-width="1846" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimd-Hf86aZKkNUPDYRjFrE9YcsaKCFHfoEmcjk94MGlr4L5d2eNFPD_H-O6g0TFh-yHnxwQqdmgtc8jzW2W4aywHTNBKimwKjuCy6Ig0z8Wp3_IAz-O5QUH7DAaVV4ieiYCwP0oXpmlqGiRmGizGrewO2nhti3iYbN7abBfaD4FdSHpbmL9dNpP2ntJI98/w400-h295/Screen%20Shot%202025-02-24%20at%2010.06.02%20PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Year: 1944 Rating: *****</u></td></tr></tbody></table>Dana Andrews as Det. Lt. Mark McPherson has fallen in love with a ghost, kind of, and that's not to be spoiled for anyone who hasn't seen LAURA with its particular dreamlike camera panning from a sleeping McPherson, and we get the murderous yarn, spun all over again in a different fashion and with a twist that could be something else entirely as our hero deals with two creeps connected with the ingenue: especially a cerebral "sugar daddy" in a sophisticated Clifton Webb...<br> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <br> Word is the producer frowned on this important casting because of... well... what's pretty apparent about the futzy fella, and he can't shake that aspect from his character of a character, Waldo Lydecker. But Webb is perfect as LAURA seems to be the only girl who can rid the sophisticated and manipulative Lydecker from his daily uptight uptown lunch, all by himself with a contented life all mapped-out...<br>

classic, clifton webb, cop, crime, dana andrews, film noir, forties, gene tierney, mystery, otto preminger, vincent price

DANA ANDREWS AND GENE TIERNEY IN OTTO PREMINGER'S 'LAURA'

Year: 1944 Rating: ***** Dana Andrews as Det. Lt. Mark McPherson has fallen in love with a ghost, kind of, and that's not to be spoile...

CLASSIC HORROR VIBES REVIVING 'THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES'

<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/AVvXsEiObePtAJXoDJjFC2YKppkkqyxv26BMVieghj0LQm3SNIhilAESFzrnZUZ9rT79iWA7wR_lxS-EWDmvE9kR1K14bCK0N_bbnn3V75vg9PUTNQGnCdgdB6sk7_WBTKarYG6gm6rUq0-jiViTTsIO6hrVmi9vPwcpMEUHpWJrvYDPiTmWHJqt4b_1YiymLsf9/s1930/1%202%202.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1030" data-original-width="1930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiObePtAJXoDJjFC2YKppkkqyxv26BMVieghj0LQm3SNIhilAESFzrnZUZ9rT79iWA7wR_lxS-EWDmvE9kR1K14bCK0N_bbnn3V75vg9PUTNQGnCdgdB6sk7_WBTKarYG6gm6rUq0-jiViTTsIO6hrVmi9vPwcpMEUHpWJrvYDPiTmWHJqt4b_1YiymLsf9/s16000/1%202%202.jpeg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Virginia North in THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES Year: 1971 Rating: ****1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>For American International Pictures, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES was a hit, and for star Vincent Price, a comeback... despite the fact he never followed it up with anything quite as good and, for a comparably modern body count horror still holding onto the antique Victorian style within then present-day England, the titular Phibes gets severe revenge by killing off an assortment of who we later learn are fellow doctors that had...</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Well that's something that shouldn't be spoiled despite every summary doing so, particularly since the movie deliberately plays out with that very twist concealed... while each and every Biblical Plague death carried-out, from a man in a suffocating frog mask to killer bats to bloodletting and being frozen alive in an automobile, is unique and spellbinding... and a lot of bloody fun with the kind of class that Price, only able to speak through a contraption that makes the audience basically adhere to an expository narration, pulls off with ease...</p><p><span></span></p>

american international, amicus, body count, caroline munro, dark comedy, exploitation, horror, peter jeffrey, seventies, terry-thomas, vincent price, virginia north

CLASSIC HORROR VIBES REVIVING 'THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES'

Virginia North in THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES Year: 1971 Rating: ****1/2 For American International Pictures, THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES was a ...

FRITZ LANG DIRECTING DANA ANDREWS 'WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS'

<p></p><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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj05KOdd2289pTyLxt7moyYh-uGbFIRge14RxXraKFvfL9phUmTXRS2LjGzg8nn-pblpfnFCWK83DNVECw16__Mlh7M4oKXNTOpz7maY0jQVuXly6n-Ctja6djxAO1L12vKhD_ygoHiDU9MD9kVCbl_hlLTVgMZFKadjBi0Gpo0CYJ1uLD5V0CIgFZiUw=s1082" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1082" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj05KOdd2289pTyLxt7moyYh-uGbFIRge14RxXraKFvfL9phUmTXRS2LjGzg8nn-pblpfnFCWK83DNVECw16__Mlh7M4oKXNTOpz7maY0jQVuXly6n-Ctja6djxAO1L12vKhD_ygoHiDU9MD9kVCbl_hlLTVgMZFKadjBi0Gpo0CYJ1uLD5V0CIgFZiUw=w400-h300" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Title: WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS Year: 1956 Rating: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Imagine Orson Welles's Charles Foster Kane inheriting a news outlet instead of a goldmine to buy one, and there you have Vincent Price's not so kind Walter Kyne, who, after his powerful but honest father dies, takes over Kyne Enterprises — with a familiar "K" symbol ala CITIZEN KANE — and sets the employees against each other...<br> <br> The winner must name a violent serial killer killing single women, making WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS part Film Noir and occasional Horror... </p><p></p><p>And it needs more of the latter from perhaps having too much of the first, character-wise: the overcrowded Kyne Corporation office ensemble includes whiskey-drinking career-newsroom chief Thomas Mitchell; sharp/flirtatious wire-service runner George Saunders; beyond flirtatious one-woman-womanizer James Craig; and star Andrews, surprisingly the least interesting character as the central newscaster... Although his scenes collaborating with token cop Howard Duff from THE NAKED CITY makes for worthy B&W crime scene Noir elements while a young, gnarly-looking John Barrymore Jr. takes the villain role albeit lacking motivation save the usual mommy issues: and even that's not really clarified...</p><span></span>

dana andrews, ensemble, fifties, film noir or melodrama, fritz lang, howard duff, ida lupino, rhonda fleming, sally forrest, serial killer, thomas mitchell, thriller, vincent price

FRITZ LANG DIRECTING DANA ANDREWS 'WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS'

Title: WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS Year: 1956 Rating: ***1/2 Imagine Orson Welles's Charles Foster Kane inheriting a news outlet instead of a ...

CHARLES BRONSON SERVES VINCENT PRICE IN 'HOUSE OF WAX'

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqZ7W14IDxnjrmde6JPf3uEX83oxqgCi447wSeOqo_hBd6Wiu1BrTkuaeSutlXa5U2sJAnpN_FMPDlInQ10_JOymMBmrUqsyHEktWNWV5rEJzUBhODLilPITMQtYGvgZN_KohrMYwAeGp/s823/Screen+Shot+2021-07-05+at+7.42.09+PM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="730" data-original-width="823" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqZ7W14IDxnjrmde6JPf3uEX83oxqgCi447wSeOqo_hBd6Wiu1BrTkuaeSutlXa5U2sJAnpN_FMPDlInQ10_JOymMBmrUqsyHEktWNWV5rEJzUBhODLilPITMQtYGvgZN_KohrMYwAeGp/w400-h355/Screen+Shot+2021-07-05+at+7.42.09+PM.jpeg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Bronson carries HOUSE OF WAX Year: 1953 Rates: ***1/2</u></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The best part of HOUSE OF WAX is the drawn-out prologue setting up how Vincent Price adores his dramatically historical wax creations ranging from Joan of Arc to John Wilkes Booth to his prize, Marie Antoinette... </p><p>As he goes on and on about each piece and how much time and dedication was put in, the fire set by his greedy antagonist partner is not only heartbreaking but feels like the end of a brilliantly beautiful short film in itself: Which doesn't mean the rest of director André De Toth's visually stunning 3D classic completely falls short... </p><p>Although Price's transformation from a sophisticated artist into a crippled mask-wearing madman is a bit clumsy, and somewhat confusing, jammed with uninteresting would-be male heroes yet is eventually reignited by de Toth's previous year's <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/7777/03/CrimeWave.html">CRIME WAVE</a> ingenue Phyllis Kirk, missing her missing roommate Carolyn Jones... who ends up in wax and <i>she could</i> be next. But the most intense character is played by Charles Bronson in his character-actor days, also from CRIME WAVE, here as a borderline psychotic mute servant Igor, and not surprising, given his now legendary prowess — with Price on the sidelines he alone takes the action mantle; a genre that WAX molds into after the colorfully Gothic-horror catapult. But hey, it's 3D... where movement is a must. </p><p><span></span></p>

3D, andre de toth, body count, carolyn jones, charles bronson, cult, exploitation, fifties, horror, phyllis kirk, vincent price

CHARLES BRONSON SERVES VINCENT PRICE IN 'HOUSE OF WAX'

Bronson carries HOUSE OF WAX Year: 1953 Rates: ***1/2 The best part of HOUSE OF WAX is the drawn-out prologue setting up how Vincent Price a...

BURT REYNOLDS 'RIVERBOAT' COMMAND AND EXTERNAL TRIBUTE

<div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <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/AVvXsEgqooy49X_xfhPOvpOXySRGZk586rObXn-S7YIiY8iiliOBgd5oqOAG7N_g6Sqvfg63JR5evhKpS238G_DJZfnSDH8MzWs_u0My-m2OxpsDrcpS3BeJzm-M7iItaFxpdipcuCZ_DykDgIaYEzej7U1-b9_yhgYlWY9zyDsfGw7_lQL4lRbJ3LGZRWon8Q8i/s1286/Screen%20Shot%202023-08-15%20at%203.11.16%20AM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="936" data-original-width="1286" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqooy49X_xfhPOvpOXySRGZk586rObXn-S7YIiY8iiliOBgd5oqOAG7N_g6Sqvfg63JR5evhKpS238G_DJZfnSDH8MzWs_u0My-m2OxpsDrcpS3BeJzm-M7iItaFxpdipcuCZ_DykDgIaYEzej7U1-b9_yhgYlWY9zyDsfGw7_lQL4lRbJ3LGZRWon8Q8i/w400-h291/Screen%20Shot%202023-08-15%20at%203.11.16%20AM.png" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Burt Reynolds in RIVERBOAT season one circa 1959</u></td></tr></tbody></table>The late Burt Reynolds held a fine line between movie star and cult actor: Before he got really famous, he appeared in edgy movies like DELIVERANCE, THE LONGEST YARD, HUSTLE...<br> <br> After he skyrocketed in SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT and became a superstar, he'd been around the car movie block in more subtle vehicles like WHITE LIGHTNING and GATOR. And for some, his immense fame became a cult in itself. Following two Hal Needham directed BANDIT flicks was arguably his greatest "race car" movie (also directed by Needham), CANNONBALL RUN, and the entertaining stunt man tribute, HOOPER. Alas, like most big stars, a string of mediocre romantic comedies and sequels disintegrated these fun, frolicking romps that seemed made for everyone. Worse than even BANDIT 2 was the second CANNONBALL RUN, which hardly involved a race at all, and then... STROKER ACE provided the hammered nails in a coffin that'd already been pretty much closed...<br>

action, adventure, ape suit, burt reynolds, darren mcgavin, ensemble, fifties, heist, tribute, tv series, vincent price, western

BURT REYNOLDS 'RIVERBOAT' COMMAND AND EXTERNAL TRIBUTE

Burt Reynolds in RIVERBOAT season one circa 1959 The late Burt Reynolds held a fine line between movie star and cult actor: Before he got...

GENE TIERNEY COLORS THE FILM NOIR 'LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN'

<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkbFzqJqa7pIkgGwMlXjepsgA3p35c6b5RUBlBDDsB2RSYbOj58dqBdl6mm6_FX3DtaRwU6O4rte0lS28fNDPt0kRGmwyP2OBmQwHqt-2rxTwTBxyP9e9ZzLpMJ4KOhLeleWYNL6Mqx2p/s1600/010.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="458" data-original-width="613" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdkbFzqJqa7pIkgGwMlXjepsgA3p35c6b5RUBlBDDsB2RSYbOj58dqBdl6mm6_FX3DtaRwU6O4rte0lS28fNDPt0kRGmwyP2OBmQwHqt-2rxTwTBxyP9e9ZzLpMJ4KOhLeleWYNL6Mqx2p/s400/010.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Intentionally flowery artwork for LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN Year: 1945</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Surprisingly enough, given the Cult Film Freak spotlights from the last two months, this isn't a Film Noir review centered on either Dana Andrews or Otto Preminger...<br /> <br /> Although it<i> is</i> connected to both the actor and director: a partial LAURA reunion with Gene Tierney in the leading role and Vincent Price given an initial cameo with a stormy 11th hour courtroom monologue: in her favor... But most important are two beautiful actresses that appeared in over three or more films with <a href="http://www.cultfilmfreaks.com/search/label/dana%20andrews">Andrews</a>: the first is LAURA ingenue Tierney, who (for the most part) began with him in John Ford's TOBACCO ROAD and would continue together in several other projects — as well as his other starlet, Jeanne Crain, as Gene's younger cousin who's more of an adopted sister.<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZ0-CNtSdwyGUp68dQrh0x9w-TsHm8G1ZOON5Xuu7-azm7CsPL0ljr7BK5MU1T9_K9RCdMvPPQ4_BWYCTya7tegmqsGNxGzI9ekN4u7edJssuWvqnrd7Ox6nvpdkDIQ_1gz18RB0cwYvO/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-05-27+at+3.40.18+AM.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="921" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDZ0-CNtSdwyGUp68dQrh0x9w-TsHm8G1ZOON5Xuu7-azm7CsPL0ljr7BK5MU1T9_K9RCdMvPPQ4_BWYCTya7tegmqsGNxGzI9ekN4u7edJssuWvqnrd7Ox6nvpdkDIQ_1gz18RB0cwYvO/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-05-27+at+3.40.18+AM.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Just Wilde about Tierney</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> <div style="text-align: left;"> </div> Both are smitten with ROAD HOUSE stud Cornel Wilde, the true lead and overall vulnerable, deer-caught-in-headlights protagonist. Tierney, usually prone to sweet and lovely, delicate types, breaks out with venomous finesse as the manipulative heavy — a rural, weaponless, surreptitious Femme Fatale! In a movie that's one of "modern day" ultra-violent guru Martin Scorsese's personal favorites, she takes the proverbial spiked baton and runs with it, but not without an even-keeled, monotone, slow-burn buildup.<br /> <br /> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyhLf9dZoAJ9LSaJTLGSD-Jkv6cuuQ2hYiFUbBpygQyKJaDc_cnQLfDTdIx8HvEExgh8yGXOgYYYfVOsEUizkG7yvUEjhY5xm0q5cON97uQUr7rNLS46rk_aThXogUDAE2SKjIczJbYpL/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-05-27+at+3.45.45+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="608" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyhLf9dZoAJ9LSaJTLGSD-Jkv6cuuQ2hYiFUbBpygQyKJaDc_cnQLfDTdIx8HvEExgh8yGXOgYYYfVOsEUizkG7yvUEjhY5xm0q5cON97uQUr7rNLS46rk_aThXogUDAE2SKjIczJbYpL/s640/Screen+Shot+2020-05-27+at+3.45.45+AM.png" width="241" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Insert Poster</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <span id="goog_1022571722"></span><span id="goog_1022571723"></span>"If you lived in Salem a hundred years ago," Cornel Wilde says to this mysterious woman, "they would have burned you." And this ironical compliment would alter its meaning by the film's near-conclusion — a blazing stake would be getting off easy...<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDokZhSGeNti7a3w74EC406UKxGHlVszBOIMmAEGK__344DQuzBT-t1B5w4tob8DHe0b_oEtQij_szVjYGKaBAoXdBdpL0sIWIw-ZtMF7H0TCIZCkBP5CnJwpNpC9pue4lPMPlElCKta6/s1600/14666311_209722079456976_5109232453042059125_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsDokZhSGeNti7a3w74EC406UKxGHlVszBOIMmAEGK__344DQuzBT-t1B5w4tob8DHe0b_oEtQij_szVjYGKaBAoXdBdpL0sIWIw-ZtMF7H0TCIZCkBP5CnJwpNpC9pue4lPMPlElCKta6/s320/14666311_209722079456976_5109232453042059125_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Welcome to Camp Tierney... avoid the water sports</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> For what Tierney eventually does, or lets be done, is beyond awful, and while it's somewhat impossible to not — at the very least — divulge a hint or two about the wretched act itself, her literally overboard action shouldn't be spoiled completely. It's a shock such a lovely lass would become so wicked. Although, in re-watching (recommended) LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN, derived from a Shakespeare line — within the first few minutes of an introductory conversation between Tierney's classy, brooding Big City to New Mexico rich girl, Ellen Berent, and the man she sets her narrowed eyes on, it's the subtle expressions that count...<br /> <br /> First on a train on the way to where he's visiting and she lives (with his lawyer and her friend, played by a semi-narrating Ray Collins, in common) — look closely at not only the expressions but the haunted reactions and distractions on her porcelain-smooth face. Meanwhile, Cornel Wilde's Richard Harland, a smooth and successful author, is such a clean, naïve slate he's simply begging to be pushed to the limit. As usual in these kind of "Women Stalking Men" vehicles, the reality of how long it takes for the nice guy to start catching on almost becomes annoying, or at least, unrealistic — it seems intentional, though, since this is what yields the most palpable suspense...<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BbwZrDExRH0ZFqcRTjpQH8u5AXN0YPP9hb14MYCn2lQv61KI9lefSg2zCsugQGkgZDMRwvTniIuKoOVnydy-Yy7GgxIDZmruLc7g7or0DC2-z9UF79Rdu0QzbAceHaCTEFryzraNMbz2/s1600/22632938446.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="441" data-original-width="149" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7BbwZrDExRH0ZFqcRTjpQH8u5AXN0YPP9hb14MYCn2lQv61KI9lefSg2zCsugQGkgZDMRwvTniIuKoOVnydy-Yy7GgxIDZmruLc7g7or0DC2-z9UF79Rdu0QzbAceHaCTEFryzraNMbz2/s400/22632938446.jpeg" width="135" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>A fitting image here</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> <div style="text-align: right;"> </div> It's an all-out tour-de-force performance by Tierney — playing a psychotic woman in a subtle fashion, going beneath the usual overboard stereotypes, which, having been made in 1945, decades before popular vehicles like PLAY MISTY FOR ME, THE BABYSITTER or FATAL ATTRACTION, any comparison is like saying CITIZEN KANE's time-shifting, non-linear approach borrowed from PULP FICTION: She's one of the first otherwise docile, good girl starlets to break from a sweet and predictable rhythm to portray a woman seething with an under-current of monstrous jealousy. And, as an adored and (seemingly) adoring wife instead of the usual jilted lover or one-night-stand, her "stalking" is far more intriguing, bizarre, and meaningful...<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcRikI4FzkyRLbaAgmJPuebMQBScf-EwxovLr5_MFXwouGB15_3pc6vsfYK9TfWho6DbUkU7-dG5AiOgN5XdET-hZt3u7G2LbzT2utUt7KwNin-gNhSUpWBxYLM21I6X3Ub4PZ2gLtv4m/s1600/14590324_209719632790554_2486932142953643956_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBcRikI4FzkyRLbaAgmJPuebMQBScf-EwxovLr5_MFXwouGB15_3pc6vsfYK9TfWho6DbUkU7-dG5AiOgN5XdET-hZt3u7G2LbzT2utUt7KwNin-gNhSUpWBxYLM21I6X3Ub4PZ2gLtv4m/s320/14590324_209719632790554_2486932142953643956_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Tierney spreads dad's ashes in a melodramatic stride</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> As for the other tall and beautiful actress: Jeanne Crain doesn't do much but look pretty. She was a lot busier with her and Gene's reoccurring co-star, Dana Andrews, in STATE FAIR — the biggest difference is, she's a tomboy here, and looks even better dressed-down. The most important factor is how different she is in style and tone than Tierney, who, as both are equally attractive, through Crain we're able to see what really pulls Wilde in — to making the wrong choice...<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMZdUviQcechl6akLGHzJRdlohrnM7GaALiVLyN6sRZ_VKjaSrnTE2rmNeYTHVDo3rkAMSGxbTz2FteaGGG5TV_vvRLqy7sXtUmR2pfuDd7E1Tk8PvUds9gNosdIdYwbopUIp2jN9RUsV/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-10-20+at+12.59.49+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMZdUviQcechl6akLGHzJRdlohrnM7GaALiVLyN6sRZ_VKjaSrnTE2rmNeYTHVDo3rkAMSGxbTz2FteaGGG5TV_vvRLqy7sXtUmR2pfuDd7E1Tk8PvUds9gNosdIdYwbopUIp2jN9RUsV/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-10-20+at+12.59.49+PM.jpg" width="132" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>SCORE: ****</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> For in this hellish HEAVEN, whether she's holding back or letting go — it's about Tierney, fully backed by a roaring, melodramatic soundtrack extenuating her character above and beyond the scene it represents — in particular, an unintentionally funny moment as she, stone-faced yet fervent, rides a horse (obviously in a studio) while spreading her father's ashes: And throughout, Tierney absorbs the two important factors differentiating this particular melodrama from the usual Film Noir template...<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://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnV967w4DUrZekTIBf6ISZjR4dMSLXl8DwxAoPjde8s1n8MCuLjup6YZZ0gZv2Yj60JHOhMkWbViyr_OHS1y0wrCqXsuFc1aU94H9eTpu2MvhDqSkahtI529Bz2FAGWIBe0KkFxqT4fsy/s1600/38689603_541105452985302_6515955649958903808_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="756" data-original-width="938" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLnV967w4DUrZekTIBf6ISZjR4dMSLXl8DwxAoPjde8s1n8MCuLjup6YZZ0gZv2Yj60JHOhMkWbViyr_OHS1y0wrCqXsuFc1aU94H9eTpu2MvhDqSkahtI529Bz2FAGWIBe0KkFxqT4fsy/s320/38689603_541105452985302_6515955649958903808_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Vincent Price storms out to the storm outside</u></td></tr> </tbody></table> Not without a touch of corny camp value, this visually postcard-perfect <i>Fancy Film Noir</i> strays miles from the usual sparse B&W cinematography as every frame's splashed with rich, vibrant colors — a hybrid of a vintage fashion ad and a Norman Rockwell magazine cover: a delicate, dressed-up, intentionally borogue package harboring sinister contents...<br /> <br /> In-place of the typical shadowy alleyways and sizzling neon motel rooms, the amount of time spent under bright sunlight, in either the desert or forest/wilderness, accentuates the plush and organic, soap operatic spender that, for a motion picture adapted from a novel and, after the starting credits, opens up with a book cover followed by sporadic chapter titles, LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN is a delicious and vicious, pulpy, page-turning experience.<br /> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody> <tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gB61YWPhEpLb-9jr6gBqHS-zhmSM3esFHC2OXKMZQTx4mCiJKxcEkLvP4hM4LA1pKBRxxjiVqr9kC6eLmLmG3IKYylzhyGZjJ-PfRF0zlnPsrnxwL2_jOJNbx0VgXqCORstQ1fOT7TMU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-05-27+at+3.37.49+AM.jpeg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1451" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gB61YWPhEpLb-9jr6gBqHS-zhmSM3esFHC2OXKMZQTx4mCiJKxcEkLvP4hM4LA1pKBRxxjiVqr9kC6eLmLmG3IKYylzhyGZjJ-PfRF0zlnPsrnxwL2_jOJNbx0VgXqCORstQ1fOT7TMU/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-05-27+at+3.37.49+AM.jpeg" /></a></td></tr> <tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><u>Jeanne Crain eyes Cornel Wilde who's wild for Gene Tierney</u></td></tr> </tbody></table>

color noir, cornel wilde, film noir or melodrama, gene tierney, jeanne crain, ray collins, vincent price

GENE TIERNEY COLORS THE FILM NOIR 'LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN'

Intentionally flowery artwork for LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN Year: 1945 Surprisingly enough, given the Cult Film Freak spotlights from the last...