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Cisco Kid and the Lady Review #122

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I knew that the Fox Movie Channel was good for SOMETHING! Here is a fun little western gem from that OTHER channel, you know, the one that vastly underuses it's classic library on it's own channel.

Date watched:5/7/2007
Title: Cisco Kid and the Lady Made: 1940
Genre: Western Studio: 20th Century Fox
Format: DVD-R Source: Fox Movie Channel
# of times viewed: First

Stars:
Ceasr Romero--Cisco Kid
Chris-Pin Martin--Gordito
Marjorie Weaver--Julie Lawson
George Montgomery--Tommy Bates
Robert Barrat--Jim Harbison
Virginia Field--Billie Graham
Harry Green--Teasdale
Gloria Ann White--Baby
John Beach--Stevens
Ward Bond--Walton
James Burke--Pop Saunders

Tagline: O. Henry's famous caballero faces deadly danger....in a senorita's eyes!

Plot: A single father is traveling in his wagon with a baby. Jim Harbison (Barrat) shoots him from a distance with a rifle. The man has in his possession a map to a wealthy mine and Harbison is determined to get it. His plot is derailed when the Cisco Kid (Romero) and his sidekick Gordito (Martin) hear the shot and ride to the wagon, arriving simultaneously with Harbison and his henchmen (who pretend to not know how the man was shot). The man is still alive and asks them to care for his baby and in return he'll give them the map to the mine. In three pieces. One piece to Harbison, one to Cisco and one to Gordito. Cisco wisely memorizes his part and roles it into a cigarrette to smoke. Gordito supposedly remembers his part and eats it. There remains an uneasy alliance between the three as they return to town with the baby. The rest of the movie involves Cisco outwitting Harbison at every turn as Harbison tries to get the mine for himself. Cisco also charms every senorita in sight.

This movie is one of those rare cases when the personality of the lead, Cesar Romero, is so charismatic that it overwhelms the "B" roots of the production. Romero is fabulous in every scene and you can just feel how much fun he is having as though winking at the audience. Romero's smiling personality sucked me in from the first frame on and never let go. Romero may have had the whitest teeth ever witnessed in a western and he knew how to flash them!

This is an enjoyable gallop through Cisco's world. Chris-Pin Martin as Gordito is the perfect heavy-set, slightly uncouth sidekick, to counterpoint the suave Cisco. One of the most entertaining "B" westerns that I have seen in ages.

7* (out of 10) A great western romp. Cesar carries the day and you'll enjoy the journey. Look for Ward Bond in a small but amusing role.

mrsl,
This has your name all over it! I hope you get the Fox Movie Channel so that you can catch it next time it plays.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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The Nutty Professor Review #123

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I may run hot and cold on the subject of Jerry Lewis, but this has always been a favorite of mine....

Date watched:5/8/2007
Title: The Nutty Professor Made: 1963
Genre:Comedy Studio:Paramount
Format: DVD Extras: Anamorphic WS, Commentary with Jerry Lewis, Featurette, Documantary, Archival Materials, Trailer.
# of times viewed: 8

Director: Jerry Lewis
Stars:
Jerry Lewis--Professor Julius Kelp/Buddy Love
Stella Stevens--Stella Purdy (she sure is!)
Del Moore--Dr. Hamus Warfield
Kathleen Freeman--Millie Lemmon
Howard Morris--Mr. Elmer Kelp
Elvia Allman--Edwina Kelp
Milton Frome--Dr. Sheppard Leevee
Buddy Lester--Purple Pit Bartender
Les Brown and his Band of Renown--themselves

Taglines: What does he become? What kind of monster?
Well, any scientist that makes a girl like this can't be all mad!

Plot: This is a comedic spin on the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde motif. Jerry plays meek scientist, Professor Julius Kelp, who gets goaded into finding a formula to make himself more of a man. As the Professor experiments he becomes his own guinea pig in sampling the concoction. The original transformation scene teases us about what type of monster he could be transforming into. Ultimately, it is the dreaded Lounge Lizard type, Buddy Love.

Buddy quickly becomes a favorite at the Purple Pit, a popular hangout for the college students. He demands the attention of beautiful co-ed, Stella Purdy (Stevens). Stella is swept up in the excitement and bad-boy image that is Buddy Love.

Stella talking to a friend about Buddy, "Sickening, isn't he? But he's got something. And I mean to find out what it is!"

Buddy isn't very dependable, and sometimes disappears without explanation. Stella's frustrations show, "I feel like the girl on her wedding night whose absent-minded husband goes home to his mother for dinner!"

When Buddy gets Stella alone in her car he is one smooth devil. Buddy, "Here you are, baby. Take this (a handkerchief), wipe the lipstick off, slide over here next to me, and let's get started!"

There are many hilarious moments in the movie, one of my favorites is when the ultra-cool Buddy is singing I'm In The Mood For Love and his voice keeps switching back to the nerdy nasal Professor's.

Buddy is constantly obnoxious and pushy. He's a fast talker that rarely let's anyone get a word in. An example of Buddy's humor, "A head shrinker? I went to them once, dig? Head shrinker. He told me that I had a dual personality, you know, split, schizo and all that jazz. Then he lays an $82 tab on me. So I gave him 41 bucks and I said get the other 41 from the other guy!"

There are several of Jerry's films that work themselves onto my last nerve. This isn't one of them. I'm in agreement with many that feel that this is Jerry's best work. Everything about the movie feels right and true to the situation. I wonder how much of Buddy's character was based on Jerry's former partner, Dean Martin? Or maybe it's the real Jerry that hides from the camera. Stella Stevens is uber-sexy as the vivacious co-ed that grabs both Buddy and the Professor's attention. Howard Morris and Elvia Allman are funny as Jerry's parents. Some of those college students sure look old!

8* (out of 10) Whether you love or hate Jerry, he does a fabulous job in this movie, both in front of and behind the camera. Highly recommended. A great movie to watch with the kids. The remake is not even in the same league.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sky Raiders Review #124

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This finishes my latest venture into serial-land. This one will never be the poster child for promoting interest in serials....

Date watched: 5/8/2007
Title: Sky Raiders--Chapters 9-12 Made: 1941
Genre: Adventure/Serial 12 chapters
Studio: Universal
Format: DVD Extras:none
# of times viewed: this is the first time I've seen this serial

Stars:
Donald Woods--Capt. Robert Dayton
Billy Halop--Tim Bryant
Robert Armstrong--Lt. Ed Carey
Edward Ciannelli--Felix Lynx
Kathryn Adams--Mary Blake
Jacqueline Dalya--Innis Clair
Jean Fenwick--Countess Irene
Reed Hadley--Caddens

Plot: Our story concerns Capt. Dayton (Woods), who heads Sky Raiders Inc. They work as part of our national defense. They currently are working on a "Miracle Pursuit Plane". Also interested in the plane is an international spy ring, lead locally by Felix Lynx (Ciannelli). Lead the games begin!

Chapter #9: Torturing Trails
After Dayton recovers his stolen plane he is arrested in a misunderstanding. While he straightens out the mess, Tim and Mary fly the plane back to Dayton's airstrip. On the way back they encounter a storm and Tim is knocked unconscious. The plane dives out of control.....

Chapter #10: Flash of Fate
Tim and Mary are once again flying a plane, this time in a dense fog. Tim has a dizzy spell and faints (why, oh why, does Mary continue to get in a plane with this loser?). Dayton has to explain to Mary how to land the plane over the radio. When she has the nose of the plane too low on entry the plane runs into some electrical wires....

Chapter #11: Terror of the Storm
General Fletcher invites Dayton and Mary to fly to Hawaii with him on a military clipper ship (airplane). They are going to test Dayton's new bombsight in action. Lynx and his henchmen have other designs on the bombsight. Their plane attacks the clipper ship and shoots it down over the Pacific Ocean....splash!

Chapter #12: Winning Warriors
Lynx and his crew make one final attempt to kill Dayton by running his car off of the road with their own vehicle. Suddenly a big delivery truck is racing towards the two cars from the other direction and there is not room for all of them. One of the two cars flies over the side of the road and crashes, bursting into flame. Which car is the Hibachi?

This is the end of this serial, it was an adequate entry. Trying to limit most of the cliffhangers to airplane related scenarios handcuffed the creativity. The model work was sub-par. There was a scene where a helicopter is landing on top of a building. The rotor blades are turning so slow that it's ridiculous, some of the cheesiest special effects that you'll see.

5* (out of 10) Fun in a goofy sort of way. The serial suffered from a lack of star-power (i.e. any visible charisma from any actor on the screen at any time) and amateurish model work. But at least it tries to be a little different from your average serial which gives it some appeal.

This one would only be of interest to serial-lovers like myself. And even then only as a point of comparison against the better of its ilk.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ride, Ranger, Ride Review #125

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Date watched:5/9/2007
Title: Ride, Ranger, Ride Made: 1937
Genre: Western Studio: Republic
Format: DVD-R Source: Western Channel
# of times viewed: First

Stars:
Gene Autry--Texas Ranger Gene Autry
Smiley Burnette--Frog Millhouse
Kay Hughes--Dixie Summerall
Monte Blue--Duval
George Lewis--Lt. Bob Cameron
Max Terhune--Rufe Jones
Robert E. Homans--Col. Summerall
Lloyd Whitlock--Major Crosby
Chief Thundercloud--Little Wolf
The Tennessee Ramblers--Texas Ranger Musicians

Tagline: Rip roarin'...hard ridin'...Texas Rangers. Singin'...fightin'...galloping to glory in the greatest saga of their famous history!

The plot involves the Texas Rangers being disbanded with the Army Cavalry taking over their former responsibilities. As Indian troubles mount in Texas the governor reinstates the Rangers, lead by Gene Autry to work with the Cavalry and solve the problems. Lt. Cameron (Lewis) of the Army doesn't trust the Rangers, thinking that they might be behind the Indian uprising as an excuse to be reinstated.

The most interesting part of the movie is the two-tiered side-kicks that are used. Normally Gene has one side-kick, most often it is Smiley Burnette as Frog Millhouse. Frog is around for comic relief and an occasional song. This is a format that Gene used in almost all of his 92 "B" westerns. But in this film Max Terhune gets as much screen time as Frog, and gets better lines. The triangle of heroes is reminiscent of Max's work in The Three Mesquiteer and Range Buster series.

Max's character Rufe Jones seems bent on tormenting Frog. There is an embarrassing running gag with Little Wolf (Chief Thundercloud) trying to scalp Frog because Rufe had bet Frog's scalp and lost to Little Wolf.

The ongoing banter between Rufe and Frog at least keeps things interesting, though most of the jokes fall flat. Typical wisecrack:
Autry, "Just saddle our horses and trot them by, in front of the guardhouse."
Frog, "Horses?"
Rufe, "Yeah, horses. You know, the things you fall off of!"

5* (out of 10) Max Terhune is the best thing in an otherwise routine oater.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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The Man Who Wouldn't Die Review #126

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Okay, it's time to go back to Michael Shayne for a second movie out of the box....

The Michael Shayne Mysteries Volume 1
Movies included:
Michael Shayne, Private Detective
The Man Who Wouldn't Die
Sleepers West
Blue, White and Perfect

The movies come on two flipper discs, with one movie on each side. The set includes 3 featurettes, a restoration comparison and an interactive trivia guide.

Date watched: 5/9/2007
Title: The Man Who Wouldn't Die Made: 1942
Genre: Detective Studio:20th Century Fox
Format: DVD Extras: see above
# of times viewed: First

Stars:
Lloyd Nolan--Michael Shayne
Marjorie Weaver--Catherine Wolff
Helene Reynolds--Anna Wolff
Henry Wilcoxon--Dr. Haggard
Richard Derr--Roger Blake
Paul Harvey--Dudley Wolff
Billy Bevan--Phillips, the butler
Olin Howlin--Chief Meek
Leroy Mason--Zorah Bey
Jeff Corey--Coroner Tim Larson

Plot: Michael Shayne (Nolan) once again finds himself helping a pretty young heiress, Catherine Wollf (Marjorie Weaver, who also played a different young heiress in Michael Shayne, Private Detective). He apparently has a history of helping Catherine, but isn't enthused about helping her with what she thinks is a ghost.
Shayne, "I've handled a lot of screwy scrapes for you. But not this one. No thanks."
Catherine, "Why not?"
Shayne, "For a very good reason. I don't believe in ghosts. Yet!"
Catherine, handing Shayne a wad of bills, "Now do you believe in ghosts, Mr. Shayne?"
Shayne, "For $200, I would believe in anything!"

The first mystery Shayne confronts is the possibility that someone may want to harm Miss Wolff.
Shayne, "What about that Balkan Prince you jilted last year? The one that made all the fuss!"
Catherine, "Oh, he only threatened to kill himself. Not me too."
Shayne, "Well, he's either very considerate or just plain lazy, huh?"

There is a man who is killed and buried, but he seems to come back to life. Not once but twice. Bodies disappear from the morgue right under the nose of the Coroner ((Corey) and the Police Chief (Howlin). Police Chief Meek is such a nincompoop milquetoast that he doesn't even live up to his name. He tries to investigate the strange happenings surrounding the Wolff estate but mostly just sucks up to the rich Mr. Wolff (Harvey). Shayne wraps Meek around his finger and makes him dance. The mysterious Zorah Bey (Mason) has an occult past, how does that figure into the activities?

There is a nice shot of a gunman walking up a staircase towards an unsuspecting Shayne. The gunman is engulfed in dark shadow, but there are two very accurate pin lights focused on each of the gunman's eyes. This causes his eyes to glow eerily, reminiscent of seeing a rat’s eyes in the dark. A very effective scene.

Nolan is once again allowed to fire off wisecracks and to look so much smarter than those around him. Wonderful vehicle for Nolan and his unique take on the detective genre.

7* (out of 10) Another winner in the series. I've seen two of the four in this set and am very impressed so far.

If you are a fan of these detective series this is looking like more and more of a bargain. These movies are from 20th Century Fox, so the odds of seeing them on TCM are pretty darn slim. The first two entries have been a complete joy. Again, I was able to pick up this set online, with shipping for under $18. I hope they are selling enough copies to warrant a Volume 2 to the set, because I'll be purchasing it.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Wild Wild West Review #127

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I'm in the mood for something fun, and that spells the Wild Wild West to me....

Date watched: 5/9/2007
Title: The Wild Wild West TV Show Made: 1966-67
Genre: Western/Spy Studio: CBS-Paramount
Format: DVD Extras-This is the complete Series 2--28 episodes
# of times viewed: 5

Season 2 Episode 9 Original Air Date: 11/11/66
The Night of the Watery Death

Stars:
Robert Conrad--James "Jim" West
Ross Martin--Artemus "Arte" Gordon
Guest stars:
John Van Dreelen--Marquis de LaMer
Jocelyn Lane--Dominque
John Ashley--Lt. Keighley
Forest Lewis--Captain Pratt
James Galante--Third Officer

Plot: Jim is in a bar down by the docks. There is a beautiful woman dressed as a mermaid as part of the decor. Her name is Dominique (Lane) and she catches Jim's eye, duh! There is a sighting of a Sea Dragon and a big explosion, the next thing Ji mremembers is waking up and trying to explain what he saw to Arte and Naval Lt. Keighley. When Jim and Arte return to the waterfront to try to find the mermaid bar, or any other evidence to back up what Jim saw, they are unsuccessful. Lt Keighley all but laughs at Jim, implying that perhaps he was just enjoying himself too much that evening. As he leaves Arte has his own opinion of the officer, "I bet that man furnishes enough wind to sail his own ship!"

Not willing to give up, Jim and Arte continue to investigate. Jim finds himself taken captive by a sea-faring gang. He wakes again to find himself confronted by the dazzling Dominique and her boss, the Marquis de LaMer (Van Dreelen). The Marquis fancies himself a variation on Captain Nemo, he plans to rule the sea's shipping lanes for profit. His plan involves blowing up the S.S. Virginia, the U.S. Navy's pride which will have their number one Admiral onboard. He uses a new invention to destroy ships, a torpedo. Only his torpedoes are disguised as Sea Dragons, complete with flaming nostrils, to strike fear into those able sailors. Jim gets him to reveal the details of his plan.
Jim, "Why practice on the U.S. fleet?'
LaMer, "Big new country. Poorly armed navy. Perfect situation! With you people out of the way, half the Pacific will be mine! And claiming the other half will be easy!"

The big climax rests on whether Jim can out-swim a Dragon torpedo. Arte gets to flourish as a drunken sailor. With swimming and injuries, Jim gets even more excuses than usual to show off his George Hamilton-tanned body We also get a disintegrating force-field, King Neptune throwing tridents, and plenty of gadgets to keep us amused.

9 (out of 10) For this incredibly fun series.
9 (out of 10) For this episode. They just keep the megalomaniacal villains coming, all accompanied by bodacious babes for Jim to flirt with. Wonderful sets and props, entertaining from start to finish. Have I mentioned that I love this series?

It's a beautiful day in Seattle today. Better yet, it's Friday already. The work week seemed to zip by this week amd now I can anticipate another fun night with the kids.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Magic of the Universe Review #128

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I enjoy exploring these strange, budgetless wonders from around the globe. Today's stop, the Philippines...

Date watched:5/10/2007
Title: Magic of the Universe Made: 1987
Genre:Fantasy/Horror/Foreign Studio:Aces Films (Deuces would be closer to the truth) DVD release: Deimos
Format: DVD Extras: Non-Anamorphic WS, English Dub version only
This is part of the Eastern Horror Double Feature series. Two movies on two discs in an attractive package. The co-feature is Counter Destroyer. These little gems are bargain priced and are available at some of the larger chainstores.
# of times viewed: First

Stars (in theory only):
Michael De Mesa--Professor Jamir/Lolo Omar
Tanya Gomez--Lovina
Tom Tom--Bojak
Sunshine--Freza
Armida Siguion Reyna--Mikula
Liza Lorena--Kleriga
Gina Alajar--Siddha
Odette Khan--Madera

Plot: As the story opens we see a traveling circus performing. A magician named Jamir (De Mesa) makes his young daughter, Freza (Sunshine), disappear in a puff of smoke before an astounded audience. The only problem is, she really did disappear and Jamir has no idea where she went. Jamir takes his wife, Lovina (Gomez) and son Tom Tom (Bojok) to consult a witch doctor about their daughter's disappearance. The doctor must call upon his black magic which requires the consumption of monkey brains (which might be the same ones that wrote this script). The doctor channels Freza'a voice, but all they hear is Freza calling for her Mom and Dad to help her.

Apparently the loss of a child is not enough to stop the show from going on. What troopers! In the next scene we see the traveling circus in a new location and Jamir is performing once again. This time Lovina disappears. We find Lovina and Freza together in a dungeon populated by guards that look like rejects from the Island of Dr. Moreau. The evil Princess Mikula (Reyna), who has more forehead than Frankenstein's creation, is behind this plot to punish Jamir. It seems that his great grandfather committed the offensive acts and the princess is just now getting around to payback.

The 85 minute runtime is filled with many loooooong soulful looks into the camera, or cast thoughtfully towards the stars. There is at least 20 minutes of absolutely blatant filler to pad this out to feature length. It's more like a few episodes of a bad children's show, stapled and taped together without much cohesion. On the positive side, you do get an assortment of colorful creatures that are hybrid animals and humans, pygmy tribes, snakes of all shapes and sizes and my favorite, monkey men! It's like a Muppets movie on drugs.

The print quality is about a 4 on a 10 scale. For some reason the letterboxed picture is centered with 80% of the black bar below the picture, but somehow this lack of attention seems to fit the movie perfectly.

2* (out of 10) So bad it's....just really bad. Entertaining like a nightmare that you can't wake-up to escape. Bizarre cinema from the Philippines, only for those that really need to see something they've never experienced before.

I think that only people that truly appreciate a strange celluloid journey would venture down this path. Sometimes these cheapies have a certain charm, this is a one-leaf clover.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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E.T. Review #129

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It's Friday night and I'm ready for family action! We ate in tonight since we are taking my Mom out for a big Mom's Day dinner Saturday night. Tonight was Tina's turn to choose the movie. She surprised me because this movie has been sitting on the shelf for over a year and neither of the kids expressed any desire to see it. But tonight was the night and it proved to be an excellent choice. Tina had seen is when she was very young and didn't remember it, Jeremy had never seen it....

Date watched:5/11/2007
Title: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Made: 1982
Genre:Fantasy/Sci-Fi Studio:Universal
Format: DVD Extras: 2-Disc set, the original 1982 version (115m) in anamorphic WS and the 2002 tweaked version (123m), but this version is only in standard screen (strange choice), The music of John Williams featurette, Designs, Photos and Original Advertising, Intro by Spielberg.
# of times viewed: 3

Director: Steven Spielberg
Stars:
Henry Thomas--Elliott
Dee Wallace--Mary
Robert MacNaughton--Michael
Drew Barrymore--Gertie
Peter Coyote--Keys
K.C. Martel--Greg
Sean Frye--Steve
C. Thomas Howell--Tyler
Richard Swingler--Science Teacher

Tagline: He is afraid. He is totally alone. He is three million light years from home.

Winner of 4 Oscars, including Original Score by John Williams

Plot: Let's assume that most people know this is about an adorable alien that gets stranded on Earth when his ship takes off without him to avoid detection. The story then chronicles how E.T. is found by a young boy, Elliott (Thomas), who takes him home and tries to hide him from the world. His siblings, older brother Michael (MacNaughton) and younger sister Gertie (the ever-so-young Drew Barrymore), get involved in protecting E.T.. Even their Mom (Wallace) isn't aware that an alien is living in her house. The always ominous government agencies eventually track down E.T. and try to study him as he seems to be dying.

Gertie, who spends much of the early scenes with E.T. screaming at brain-piercing decibels, has a couple of observations about E.T.:
"Is it a pig? It sure eats like one!"
"I don't like his feet!"


There are some wonderfully humorous and touching scenes. There is a link between Elliott and E.T. so that Elliott senses what E.T. is feeling. While the kids are at school and Mom is working E.T. has the run of the house to himself. He experiments with the contents of the frig, finding Coors beer to his liking. As E.T. staggers around the house in a drunken stupor, Elliott finds himself feeling light-headed at school which leads to some unacceptable behavior.

There are classic scenes, the E.T. phone home is one of them, as is the ouch scene when Elliott cuts his finger. This is tied in masterfully with the sad farewell at the end. And let us not forget the flying bicycle highlighted by the moon.

This is a classic family film, one that the entire family can enjoy on their own levels. There has always been some criticism that this is a very emotionally manipulative film, and it absolutely is! You know that you are being manipulated, but you don't care. This film is 25 years old (time passes way too quickly!), but still holds that emotional hook to tug at even the most jaded hearts. Is there too much saccharin? No doubt, but what a fabulous feel-good movie.

The children actors really have to carry the mail in this film, and they do so very credibly. Henry Thomas as Elliott is outstanding, little Drew is annoying but perfect for the part. Dee Wallace projects the right image as the single Mom trying to hold it all together. And you get that incredible John Williams score to help move your feelings in the appropriate direction.

8* (out of 10) Spielberg picks your heart-strings like a maestro. Even when you know the sentimental moments are coming, they still affect you.

For the record, Tina stayed awake and enjoyed every minute of the movie. Jeremy was tired from playing outside all evening and dozed off right after "phone home". A wonderful choice for the family to watch tonight. I had forgotten how much I would enjoy it again. A bit hokey, yeah, but solid entertainment all the way.
Last edited by cinemalover on April 24th, 2008, 2:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Michael Shayne, Detective

Post by moira finnie »

Chris,
Thanks so much for your detailed review of the first volume of the dvd of Michael Shayne, Detective. Since I've a big weakness for that friendly braggadocio manner that Lloyd Nolan adopts in certain parts, (i.e. in 1941's Johnny Apollo, in which it masks his inner ruthlessness and in Blues in the Night from the same period ), I'm pretty sure that this package would make me a happy girl & the price of under $18 is just right for my ever-small budget.

Ah, he's such a likable four-flusher and what a line of patter! Even though the dialogue and plots were often very thin indeed, he brought enough intelligence and skill to each part to invest it with something interesting and authentic. He's even better when he played a nice guy, such as the cop in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or the Marine in Guadacanal Diary or that truth-telling Doc in Peyton Place. Jeez, looking back, I'd never consciously realized how many times he played authority figures...Have you seen the Martin Kane programs that he made for tv in the early '50s as well?
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Post by cinemalover »

moirafinnie,
It's been my pleasure to talk about the set. I hope the last two entries don't let me down. Martin Kane is not ringing any bells in my noggin. A series that I've seen on his credits that I've long been curious about (and have never seen) is Special Agent 7. He did 24 episodes for the 1958-59 season. I wonder if you or any other of our faithful group remembers this show?
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Post by moira finnie »

Well, I'm afraid I'm not quite old enough to remember Secret Agent 7 firsthand and this is the first I've heard of it. If Lloyd's in it, it's probably mildly interesting. Are you aware if it is available on video or dvd?
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Thanks, Chris . . .

Post by CoffeeDan »

I really appreciated that review of The Wild Wild West. That was one of my favorite TV series when I was a wild, impressionable youngster -- I even got my parents to like it! Up till now, I've been afraid to revisit the series, fearing it might not be as good as I remember it. But now, I just might take a chance . . .

I don't know if it's been reissued on DVD yet, but one of my favorite episodes of WWW involved an early motion picture machine and how it was used to blackmail President Grant signing some incriminating papers. Jim West and Artemus Gordon had to find the blackmailers and get the film somehow. I don't remember a lot of the details, but somehow when the blackmailers show the film to some government officials, as President Grant signs the papers, his mustache falls off! It's Artie in disguise! Actually, the mustache falls off several times, and Artie repaces it each time! Then he gets up and walks out, but just before he exits the room, his pants fall down! He pulls them back up, and leaves. The lights come up, and the blackmailers are dumbfounded, shaking their heads at what they've just seen.

In the final scene on the train, Artie says, "You know, Jim, that was kinda fun. I wonder . . . do you think people would pay to see something like that?" Jim smiles and shakes his head. "No, Artie . . . not you!"

That particular episode has stayed with me for almost 40 years (think of that!). I'd love to know if you've seen it and what you think.
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Post by cinemalover »

moirafinnie,
Special Agent 7 is not on video anywhere that I can find. It was produced by Television Programs of America (TPA).

Here is the complete filmography for TPA:
"New York Confidential" (1959) ... Production Company
"Special Agent 7" (1958) ... Production Company
"The New Adventures of Charlie Chan" (1957) ... Production Company
"The Count of Monte Cristo" (1956) ... Production Company
"Fury" (1955) ... Production Company (1955-1959)
"The Halls of Ivy" (1954) ... Production Company
"Ramar of the Jungle" (1952) ... Production Company



I've never even seen Special Agent 7 in syndication. But here are a few brief plot summaries from IMDb:

Special Agent Conroy uses a Mexican bandit to lure an American tax dodger back to the United States.

To break up a gang committing robberies along the waterfront, Agent Conroy goes undercover as a longshoreman.

Conroy investigates a Las Vegas casino owner whom the IRS believes is running a national bookmaking ring.

Conroy investigates a bootlegging operation believed run by a woman racketeer from Kentucky.


Knowing Nolan's personality, and seeing that this looks like he might be playing a tough agent, I imagine it could be a fun little series. But I want to track down Martin Kane, now that you've brought that up.
Chris

The only bad movie is no movie at all.
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Post by cinemalover »

CoffeeDan,
I do seem to remember that plot from so many years ago, but not all the details. That episode is not in the Second Season, which is the one that I'm going through now. I looked at the capsule reviews for the remaining episodes and nothing seems to match your plot. I did get excited though, because the next episode that I'll be watching (#10 in Season 2) is another Dr. Loveless story! I am VERY biased towards this show, but I certainly think you would enjoy revisiting it.
Chris

The only bad movie is no movie at all.
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Post by cinemalover »

A big, happy, movie-filled Mother's Day to everyone!
Chris

The only bad movie is no movie at all.
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