cinemalover: Confessions of a Video Junkie

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 4/14/2007
Title: Dr. Kildare's Crisis Made: 1940
Genre: Drama Studio: MGM/Lowe's
Format: DVD-R Source: TCM
Number of times viewed: First

The 7th of 16 movies featuring Dr. Kildare.

Stars:
Lew Ayres--Dr. Jimmy Kildare
Laraine Day--Mary Lamont
Robert Young--Doug Lamont
Nat Pendleton--Joe Wayman
Walter Kingsford--Dr. Walter Carew
Alma Kruger--Nurse Molly Byrd

Plot: Nurse Mary Lamont (Day) is anxious and excited that her brother Doug (Robert Young, shades of Marcus Welby!) is coming to visit. Mary is Dr. Jimmy Kildare's fiancee.

Doug, upon meeting Jimmy, "From Mary's letters I expected Dr. James Kildare to be a combination of Abe Lincoln and Flash Gordon!"

Jimmy's mentor is the cranky Dr. Gillespie (Barrymore). Dr. Gillespie has a thing for Nurse Molly Byrd, who has a soft spot for the old geezer. She mothers him, including arranging his meals.

Nurse Byrd to Dr. Gillespie, "Now you eat. I've ordered your luncheon, nice raw carrots and lettuce."
The Dr.'s response, "Well that's fine....now order me a rabbit to eat it!"

Mary and Jimmy meet at their usual restaurant and await Doug joining them. The waiter takes their order, "I'll be glad when you two get married. All the good dinners you're missing because you won't eat anything with onions!"

The rest of the story concerns Doug's unexplained behavior and mysteriousness. Jimmy is concerned that Doug might be suffering from epilepsy, but hopes he's wrong. Should he tell Mary? The soap suds start to fizzle.

4* (out of 10) Mediocre medical melodrama (say that 10 times quickly!). Worth watching if you've got a supply of mustard and rye bread. Barrymore supplies the ham.

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Date watched: 4/14/2007
Title: Sky Raiders--Chapters 1-4 Made: 1941
Genre: Adventure/Serial 12 chapters
Studio: Universal
Format: DVD Extras:none
Number 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", and will be test flying it for the military interests. Also interested in the plane is an international spy ring, lead locally by Felix Lynx (Ciannelli). Oh, the intrigue!

#1 Wings of Disaster
Captain Dayton is test flying his prototype plane for military observers. His plane appears to go down just beyond the horizon. Everyone fears a crash. Then, suddenly, the plane appears again but is wobbling through the air. As the plane heads back to the airfield it loses control and crashes with in a fiery explosion on the airstrip. Is Capt. Dayton toast?

#2 Death Rides The Storm
Innis Clair (Dalya) lies to Capt. Dayton, insisting that she needs a plane ride to see her dying mother. Dayton, being the gullible All-American good guy gives her a ride. Miss Clair is really conspiring with Lynx to steal the plans for the prototype. She learns that the plans only exist in Dayton's head, there are no blueprints. As the plane passes through a storm it loses power and crashes to the earth. This Dayton guy must be tough to insure.

#3 The Toll of Treachery
Dayton is driving Miss Clair in his car. One of Lynx's henchmen appears from the backseat with a gun and tells Dayton where to drive to. Dayton starts speeding in an attempt to attract police attention. As he zooms around a curve the car can't stay on the road and smashes through the railing and over a hill.

#4 Battle in the Clouds
Another decoy agent, Countess Irene (Fenwick) is sent to Dayton by the spy ring. She persuades Dayton to pilot an exhibition flight in her plane. Of course one of Lynx's henchmen is hiding in side the plane. Once they're in the air he knocks Dayton out and attempts to fly the plane himself. The goal is to get Dayton back to their headquarters and force the plans from him. Apparently, he didn't hit Dayton hard enough as Dayton wakes up and attacks the pilot. They grapple and no one is at the controls, this causes the plane to crash in yet another huge explosion.

I've got a stack of about a dozen serials that I've yet to watch, so I try to watch a few chapters a week. This one doesn't have much star power, except it is interesting to watch Robert Armstrong (King Kong) as a copper.

5* (out of 10) At this rate Capt. Dayton is gonna go through a whole lot of aircraft. My advice, don't fly with the guy.

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Date watched: 4/14/2007
Title: The Final Cut Made: 2004
Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller Studio: Lion's Gate
Format: DVD Extras:Loaded
Number of times viewed:First

Tagline: Every moment of your life recorded. Would you live it differently?

Stars:
Robin Williams--Alan Hakman
Mira Sorvino--Delila
Jim Caviezel--Fletcher
Mimi Kuzyk--Thelma
Stephaine Romanov--Jennifer Bannister
Genevieve Buechner--Isabel Bannister

Plot: Sometime in the not-to-distant future people can choose to have memory chips (called Zoe) implanted into new-borns' heads that will record every moment of their lives. A company called Eye Tech makes the chips and employs the "Cutters" for their clients to use when the person with the memory chip dies. The Cutters take all the footage from that individual's life and edit it into a movie for the friends and family to view at a "Rememory" (a new form of memorial service).

Cutters have rules that they must follow to be part of this very unique job group:
The Cutter's Code:
I. A Cutter cannot sell or give away Zoe footage.
II. A Cutter cannot have a Zoe implant (themselves)
III. A Cutter cannot mix Zoe footage from different lives for a rememory.

Alan Hakman (a perfect name for someone that will be Hacking" through a lifetime of memories to give a lasting impression) is a very successful Cutter. He is so successful that he seems to live through the lives of the memories he edits and has no life himself. Hakman is played by Robin Williams in a very serious and somber role. Cutter's have the ability to make almost anyone's life look like a saint with the proper negatives edited and the positives emphasized.

Hakman's latest project is a Mr. Bannister, who was a lawyer for the Eye Tech Corporation. There is a large faction of the population that opposes the use of implants and protests against the Eye Tech company. They believe that people who get the implants live their lives differently because of them and therefore it alters free thought. The protesters are lead by a former Cutter, Fletcher (Caviezel). Fletcher wants to get the Bannister memory chip from Hakman and use the information in Bannister's life to put Eye Tech out of commission. Fletcher tries to buy the chip from Hakman who refuses. That would violate the Cutter's code. So Fletcher must resort to sterner methods.

This is a very thought-provoking film. It asks if people would change the way they live their lives if they knew that their life was being recorded 24/7. Would you do something evil if you know that years later your friends and family may find out about it? There are several surprising paths the film follows, including reactions of individuals that didn't know that they have implants.

One aspect that wasn't explored that came to mind for me: was it possible for police or government agencies to preview the footage while the implantee was still alive? This might be used to prove their innocence or guilt of crimes, etc... That could really be a case of Big Brother watching you.

6* (out of 10) Serious and introspective. I enjoyed the concepts, though thought they could have been explored in greater depth. Tina watched this with me and she had trouble staying with all the plot details. I'm glad I watched it, but I wouldn't need to see it again.

[cinemalover]

Pardon my archiving, I'm done. I just wanted to compile all the previous reviews I had posted at TCM onto this thread so I would have them all together. All the old stuff is in green so you can skip though it when you're looking for recent posts. Goodbye TCM site, you've never recovered from your "upgrading". That mess must of scared a lot of people away.

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

[cinemalover]

Karie had an urge to watch The Wizard of Oz. Amazingly, she had never seen the complete film in one sitting. It's time to rectify that mistake...

Date watched: 10/8/2007
Title: The Wizard of OZ Made: 1939
Genre: Fantasy Studio: MGM
Format: DVD Extras:2 disc Special Edition, Commentary, Restoration Featurette, Documentaries (includes the TCM produced Doc.), Outtakes, Deleted scenes, Trailers, Stills Gallery, 6 hours of audio only material, etc...
Number of times viewed:18

Stars:
Judy Garland--Dorothy Gale
Frank Morgan--Professor Marvel/Wizard of Oz/ and others
Ray Bolger--Hunk/The Scarecrow
Bert Lahr--Zeke/The Cowardly Lion
Jack Haley--Hickory/The Tin Man
Billie Burke--Glinda the Good Witch
Margaret Hamilton--Miss Gulch/The Wicked Witch
Charlie Grapewin--Uncle Henry
Clara Blandick--Auntie Em
Terry the dog--Toto
The Munchkins--The Singer Midgets

Taglines:
Mighty miracle show of 1,000 delights!

Biggest screen sensation since Snow White!

I can't imagine that I would have to recap this fantastic movie adventure for any readers of this site. So here are a few of my favorite quotes from the movie:

Zeke (Lahr) talking to pigs, "Get in there before I make a dime bank out of you!"

Dorothy (Garland) upon arriving in a foreign land, "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in a Kansas anymore!"

And, "We must be over the rainbow." Which ties in perfectly to Dorothy singing Somewhere Over The Rainbow earlier.

Dorothy, "Do you think there could be animals in here?"
Tin Man (Haley), "Perhaps..."
Scarecrow (Bolger), "Even ones that eat....straw?"
Tin Man, "Some, but mostly lions and tigers and bears."
Dorothy, "Lions?"
Scarecrow, "And tigers?"
Tin Man, "And bears."

Dorothy to the Wizard, "Weren't you frightened?"
Wizard of Oz (Morgan), "Frightened? Child you're talking to a man who's laughed in the face of death, sneered at doom, and chuckled at catastrophe.....I was petrified!"

I think the cast is as close to perfection as you could get (though it is interesting to ponder what difference Buddy Ebsen would have made as the Tin Man). A movie that captures your imagination and refuses to give it back until the closing notes. The choice of sepia colored Kansas scenes was inspired. The bright technicolor images glare at you, defying you to catch all the details of each frame. The witch scared the stuffing out of me as a child. The print is stunning, I was able to notice detail that had previously escaped me. One example of that is the texture on Scarecrow's face. I had never noticed the cloth texture to the cheeks of his face, amazing.

Normally I don't spend a ton of time with the extras (because it takes time away from other films I could be watching) but these extras are worth the investment of time. The documentaries are very interesting and include the Scarecrow dance scene that was cut from the film. Buddy Ebsen is interviewed, and tells his story of how the aluminum dust from the Tin Man makeup sent him to the hospital. They discuss the wardrobe department (what an undertaking!) and just about every detail of the film.

Karie 9* (out of 10) She loved the movie from beginning to end and had a whole new appreciation of it.

10* (out of 10) I almost never hand out a 10, but if this isn't perfect cinema, what is? Creative use of color, set and costume make this a once in a lifetime experience. And I haven't even mentioned the wonderful songs that all advance the story. My only regret is that I have never seen this on the big screen.

[cinemalover]

Karie and I had the chance to sit down and enjoy a classic RKO flick...

Date watched: 10/9/2007
Title: Macao Made: 1952
Genre: Drama Studio: RKO
Format: DVD Extras:Commentary, Private Screenings w/ Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell.
Number of times viewed:2

Stars:
Robert Mitchum--Nick Cochrane
Jane Russell--Julie Benson
William Bendix--Lawrence C. Trumble
Thomas Gomez--Lt. Sebastian
Gloria Grahme--Margie
Brad Dexter--Vincent Halloran
Edward Ashley--Martin Stewart
Philip Ahn--Itzumi
Vladimir Sokoloff--Kwan Sum Tang
Everett Glass--Garcia

Tagline: A sultry chanteuse, a hunk on the lam and a fortune in stolen gems.

Plot: Nick Cochrane (Mitchum), Julie Benson (Russell) and Lawrence C. Trumble (Bendix) all meet on a boat trip from Hong Kong to Macao.

Nick, walking up the ship's staircase oogles Julie's legs as she's adjusting her nylons.
Julie, "Enjoying the view?"
Nick, "Well, it's not the Taj Mahal or the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but it's not bad!"

Later when they're getting to know each other:
Nick, "Why don't you take that chip off your shoulder?"
Julie, "Because every time I do, somebody hits me with it!"

Nick is running from the law in America, Julie is just trying to survive and prosper and Lawrence purports to be a traveling salesman. All of their fates get tied to the gangster Vincent Halloran (Dexter), who runs the Macao nightclub and specializes in a wide array of illegal activities, including stolen gems.

Halloran has paid off officials throughout Macao, which gives him free reign to indulge in the crimes of his choice. His primary spy and enforcer is Lt. Sebastian (Gomez) of the Macao Police Force. Sebastian keeps Halloran informed of all strangers entering Macao. As long as Halloran stays within the three-mile limit on the waters surrounding Macao the authorities from other countries can't touch him.

Sebastian describes Julie to Halloran upon her arrival, "Besides her obvious talents, she also sings!"

Halloran's intel tells him that a New York City copper has been dispatched to Macao to bring him to justice, one way or another. When Nick arrives, Halloran believes that he is that cop. Halloran also has hired Julie to sing for him.

Halloran negotiating her salary, "Shall we say $100 a week?"
Julie, "I sing better for $150!"

Halloran wants Julie for himself but he can see that she is attracted to Nick. This gives him one more reason to get rid of Nick. Halloran's blatant lust for Julie ticks off his girlfriend, Margie (Grahme). He apparently forgot the dangers of a woman scorned. Margie will remind him.

Marge will help nick, but not before the two exchange insults.
Margie to Nick, "You're up early for a loser!"

Nick to Margie, "You know, you remind me of an old Egyptian girlfriend of mine, the Sphinx!"
Margie snaps back, "Are you partial to females made of stone?"

A movie that's easy on the take, an 81 minute Sunday drive. Pretty to look at but little depth beyond the surface. This one is worth watching for the stars and some witty dialogue. Russell and Mitchum have great chemistry. Bendix plays a bit of a buffoon which is clever cover for the tiger underneath.

Karie 6* (out of 10) Karie is developing a soft spot for classic cinema which I am feeding at every opportunity.

7* (out of 10) Fairly ordinary, set-bound drama that works solely due to the wonderful interaction of the cast. We also watched the Private Screenings interview with Mitchum and Russell by Mr. Osborne that was included. It was brief but entertaining and was the perfect cap for this film.

[cinemalover]

Our Friday Family Night had a televison flavor to it once again. We enjoyed a beautiful sun-filled day in the great northwest which made soccer practice a pleasure. After practice and a delicious dinner the kids once again craved the action and excitement that is Smallville. We watched the final three episodes from the third season and were left to ponder a variety of cliff-hanger endings. Since we don't yet own any of the seaons past #3 we'll be through with Smallville for now. I suspect that someone may be seeing future seaons in their Christmas stockings since we all enjoyed it so very much.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 10/11/2007
Title: The Public Enemy Made: 1931
Genre: Crime Drama Studio: WB
Format: DVD Extras:Commentary, Intro by Leonard Maltin, Warner Night at the Movies 1931 (a feature that includes shorts and newsreels from 1931 to make you feel like you were going to a theatre circa 1931), Featurette.Number of times viewed:6

Stars:
James Cagney--Tom Powers
Jean Harlow--Gwen Allen
Edward Woods--Matt Doyle
Joan Blondell--Mamie
Donald Cook--Mike Powers
Leslie Fenton--Nails Nathan
Beryl Mercer--Ma Powers
Robert Emmett O'Connor--Paddy Ryan
Murray Kinnell--Putty Nose
Mae Clarke--Kitty (aka Grapefruit Face)

Tagline: There is no tagline for this movie, just Cagney's image and his threatening stare as he's being held back by Harlow's character. It totally works, but would have been a tough sell on radio ads!

This is the movie that made James Cagney a star, and it is easy to see why. He is an eye magnet anytime he's on screen, which is a good portion of the time.

Plot: The Powers boys and their different life choices are contrasted in this film. Mike (Cook) has a good job and goes to night school to prepare for an even better one. Tom thinks hard work is for suckers and is always looking for the easy buck, regardless of how many laws he may disregard in the process. Tom and his boyhood chum Matt Doyle (Woods) have long since crossed to the other side of the law-abiding tracks to follow a life of crime and progress up the food chain. As Tom and Matt's exploits continue they develop a rep, which a valuable asset in the crime business. They both go to work for crime boss Nails Nathan (Fenton) when their former small time boss, Putty Nose (Kinnell, with a character name that sounds like it was stolen from a Dick Tracy comic strip), crosses them up and hangs them out to dry. This is an action that poor Putty will live to regret, but not for long.

Tom has a short fuse and is tiring of his nagging girlfriend Kitty (Clarke). When she feels his lack of attention she asks, "Maybe you found someone you like better!?"
Tom's response is to force feed Kitty's face with half a grapefruit in a scene that reveals how cruel Tom can be. (Tom has also been living with Kitty, pretty racy stuff!) Kitty is officially history once Tom falls for the big eyes and excessive make-up of Gwen Allen (Harlow). (I know she was considered a sex symbol, but her make-up makes her look like a cheap floozy in this one).

While Tom and Matt are getting rich forcefully selling beer kegs during prohibition brother Mike joins the Marines to fight for his country in WWI. One son a hero, one a psychotic thug, yet Ma Powers (Mercer) can see only the good in her two boys.

**********Spoilers***********

Nails Nathan is accidentally killed while riding a horse. Tom shows another angle of his psychotic personality when he goes to the stable, buys the horse just so he can walk into the stall and fire a couple of rounds into the horses' head. Revenge for a fallen friend in a sadistic manor. With Nails out of the picture the rival gangs are circling like sharks who covet nails' territory. Tom and Matt go into hiding, but Tom's temper draws them into the streets and into the crosshair of mob assassins. Matt is gunned down in the street as Tom manages to get away. Tom, never one to turn his cheek, sails towards revenge and self-destruction. He has a gun in each hand as he enters the restaurant that the rival gang is dining in. The camera stays on the restaurant facade, never venturing into the violence that is left to our imagination as multiple gunshots and screams are heard. Tom comes staggering though the front door and into the street, guns still in hand but he's obviously seriously wounded.

Tom manages to speak, "I ain't so tough!", as he stumbles and falls into the gutter, symbolic of his life and his value as a person.

A wheelbarrow of seduction and sin. Even Nail's ex-girlfriend seduces Tom once she loses her sugar-daddy Nails. The different paths chosen by the two brothers is played up and exaggerated to make lasting points. Mike can do no wrong and Tom never met a law he wouldn't break. Cagney is electrifying and the support cast never lets him down. The floorboards of the story are starting to creak and show signs of age, so it doesn't hold up as well as I remembered, but this is the Cagney show, and it's still worth the price of admission.

6* (out of 10) Better as a historical look back at the birth of a star than as an entertaining vehicle, but still enough to hold your interest.

[cinemalover]

Critical soccer update:
Jeremy and his Crossfire mates battled to a toughly contested tie, 4-4, against the appropriately named Blue Crushers. Jeremy is finally back to his upper tier level of play as he propelled 3 of Crossfire's goals past the opposing goalie. Nice job, Crossfire. I'm very proud of all you boys!

[cinemalover]

This weekend Karie and I decided to watch a film that has been sitting on my shelf for a couple of months. Our interest was renewed after watching some of Ken Burns' new documentary, The War....

Date watched: 10/13/2007
Title: Flags of Our Fathers Made: 2006
Genre: War Drama Studio: Dreamworks/WB
Format: DVD Extras:Anamorphic WS
Number of times viewed: First

Director--Clint Eastwood

Stars:
Ryan Phillipe--John "Doc" Bradley
Jesse Bradford--Rene Gagnon
Adam Beach--Ira Hayes
John Benjamin Hickey--Keyes Beech
John Slattery--Bud Gerber
Barry Pepper--Mike Strank
Jamie Bell--Ralph "Iggy" Ignatowski
Paul Walker--Hank Hansen
Robert Patrick--Col. Chandler Johnson
Neal McDonough--Capt. Severance
Melanie Lynskey--Pauline Harnois
Thomas McCarthy--James Bradley

Taglines:
A single shot can end the war.

Every soldier stands beside a hero!

All it takes to win is the right picture!

This is the story of the six men who raised the flag over Iwo Jima after a blood-filled battle where many of their companions sacrificed their lives. The picture taken of that event (which we are informed was actually a second flag raised to replace the first one that an officer wanted for a keepsake) helped rally a nation that was wearying of depressing results.

The story cuts from the preparation and assault on Iwo Jima to scenes on the homefront.

Colonel Johnson (Patrick) speaks to the men as they prepare to go to battle, "Our target, Island X, is an ugly, smelly, dirty little scab of a rock called Iwo Jima. It means "sulfur island" which accounts for the smell. Looks sort of like a burnt pork chop if you ask me. After twenty straight days of bombing, you won't find a blade of grass or a twig on it. It wasn't that pretty to begin with."

The battle scenes are intense and on a par with Saving Private Ryan, which set a new bar for realistic grit in battle. Danger is around every corner and any soldier that relaxes fro a second generally ends up as a set of dog tags.

Once the picture of the flag raising hits the papers back home the military realizes that they have a unique opportunity to raise morale, but more importantly, to raise War Bond sales to fund the depleted war chest. They order the surviving three soldiers who raised the flag to return to the states to go on a major War Bond sales sojourn. The three soldiers are John "Doc" Bradley (Phillipe), Rene Gagnon (Bradford) and the Indian Ira Hayes (Beach). I only mention the fact that Ira is an Indian because he must suffer through endless Indian slurs and insults.

Earlier we learned that Rene's level of dedication wasn't top level.
Soldier, "You actually chose the Marines because they had the best uniforms?"
Rene, "No sense being a hero if you don't look like one!"

Rene's commanding officer had such little confidence in him that he made him a "runner" (messenger) instead of trusting him in actual battle conditions. A situation that Ira continues to remind him of as the three are being celebrated as national heroes back home. The luxury that the boys enjoy on their tour is contrasted with the daily conditions that their fellow soldiers on still enduring in the Pacific. The boys, especially Ira, feel doubt and shame about their celebrity living, understanding that the true heroes like dead on foreign soil.

The movie was not quite what I was expecting, though it was constructing in a very moving manner to best highlight the injustices of random circumstance. The photographer happened to be in the right place at the right time, as did the boys. So many others were in the wrong place at the wrong time and lost their lives because of it. A psychological drama peering into the mindset of the ongoing aftermath of war.

This film was not in the same class as such recent WW II dramas as the previously mentioned Saving Private Ryan and the incredible HBO mini-series Band of Brothers, but it is a tale worth seeing for yourself.

Eastwood has molded himself from a western actor known for very limited dialogue to one of the best working American directors. With such films under his belt as Million Dollar Baby, The Bridges of Madison County, Mystic River, The Pale Rider and Unforgiven he is no one-trick pony. He can handle a variety of genres and consistently turn out interesting product. I look forward to seeing the companion film, Letters From Iwo Jima, which I've heard is better than this one.

Karie meter 5* (out of 10) She was disappointed that so much of the picture was spent on the homefront. She was more fascinated with the camaraderie and conditions of war and came away somewhat let down.

7* (out of 10) I enjoyed it, but it wasn't a home run. A good story with solid acting by some relatively fresh faces.

[cinemalover]

Date watched: 10/14/2007
Title: The Cowboy and the Senorita Made: 1944
Genre: Western Studio: Republic
Format: DVD-R Source--Western Channel
Number of times viewed: First

Stars:
Roy Rogers--Roy
Trigger--Trigger
Dale Evans--Ysobel Martinez
Mary lee--Chip Williams
Guinn "Big Boy" Williams--Teddy Bear
John Hubbard--Craig Allen
Fuzzy Knight--Fuzzy
Dorothy Christie--Lulubelle
Lucien Littlefield--Judge Loomis
Kirk (Superman) Alyn (uncredited)--Lulubelle's beau
George "Spanky" McFarland (uncredited)--Kid who torments Teddy Bear
Bob Allen and the Sons of the Pioneers--Singing ranch hands
Wally Wiles--Matt Ferguson

Taglines:
Romance! Rhythm! Revelry!...with Roy Rogers!

A fun-filled fiesta of thrills and action!

Brimming with romance...flooded with melody...bursting with action...it's Roy's most zestful musical adventure!

The young Chip Williams (Mary Lee) runs away from home to find a buried treasure that her father had hid in his mine before he died. The clock is ticking on finding the treasure because the mine is about to be sold to the unscrupulous Craig Allen. Roy and his partner, Teddy Bear (Guinn) meet Chip when she tries to steal their food from the campfire. Instead of being angry, Roy and Teddy feel sorry for the girl and offer to help (isn't Roy always riding into new towns and offering to help?).

Chip (in disbelief), "You're going to help me?"
Roy, "My partner's a mining fool, and I'm...I'm just a fool!"

Through some confusion the sheriff comes to the conclusion that Roy and Teddy kidnapped Chip which puts them on the run from the law. The sheriff is firmly in Craig Allen's hip pocket, Allen doesn't want anything interfering with his acquisition of the mine. Allen is romancing Ysobel Martinez (Evans), who is executor of the estate until Chip reaches adulthood. Allen pretends to be doing Ysobel and Chip a huge "favor" by taking the worthless mine off of their hands. Roy suspects that something isn't kosher and a bracelet that was given to Chip by her father may hold the key to the true value of the mine. Before Roy can bring out the truth about the mine and Allen's deceitfulness, he must clear his and Teddy's name of any wrong doing.

To further muddy the waters Allen accuses Roy of robbing his office safe. Teddy Bear uses his ham-sized fists to convince Matt Ferguson (Wiles), Allen's accounts manager, to reveal the truth about Allen's lies and Roy's innocence.

Teddy drags the unwilling Ferguson to Judge Loomis (Littlefield) while Roy and Allen are present.
Teddy, "Mr. Ferguson has a statement to make, folks. haven't you Buster?"
Ferguson (wilting under the glare of Allen), "Well....I did have....but I'm kind of forgetful."
Teddy begins to drag him into the back room....
Roy, "Where are you takin' him?"
Teddy (with a big grin on his face), "To the MEMORY room!"
Ferguson (in pants-wetting panic mode), "Wait a minute! It's coming back to me...I'm starting to remember!"

A classic moment, and a prime example of why "Big Boy" Guinn should have been a much more prominent sidekick in upper tier B-Westerns. No singin', no clownin', he just roles up his sleeves and does the dirty work so Roy doesn't have to soil his fancy duds.

The film whips past you like a mustang in an economic 51 minutes. This is mid-level Roy, made more interesting with the inclusion of Guinn. Another interesting choice was to have Dale as a second-fiddle character. The draw-back of that decision was that the film fails to capitalize on the homegrown romantic chemistry between Roy and his wife, Dale. Trigger also avoids the spotlight in this one.

6* (out of 10) Guinn and Roy make a great pair and a wonderful contrast to Roy's normal partners, Gabby Hayes or Smiley Burnette. There are many interesting faces in the background, including Kirk (Superman) Alyn in a minor part, and Spanky McFarland as a tot who likes to tease the Teddy Bear.

[cinemalover]

I am a fan of many of the shorts that TCM sandwiches between features. One comedian that I had never been exposed to before I saw him on TCM was Charley Chase. When I first heard his name I assumed he was a cheap Chaplin imitator, this isn't the case. I won't say that he's the funniest guy on the map, but several of his shorts elicit chuckles from me. The shorts of his that I have watched have been from the early sound era, and that's the extent of my experience with him. TCM recently ran this one...

Date watched: 10/16/2007
Title: Rough Seas Made: 1931
Genre: Short--Comedy Studio: MGM/Hal Roach Studios
Format: DVD-R Source--TCM
Number of times viewed: First

Director: James Parrott

Stars:
Charley Chase--Charley
Thelma Todd--Antoinette
Carleton Griffin--Lieutenant
Harry Bernard--Officer on deck
Frank Brownlee--Ship's Captain
Charlie Hall--Doughboy
The Ranch Boys (Jimmie Adams, Frank Gage, Marvin Hatley)--Singing Doughboys

The opening title cards:
A great month in the lives of American Dough Boys---The war was over! They were going home!---and several second lieutenants had fallen overboard!

Charley is one of the doughboys loading on to the troop transport trip in France for the voyage back to the States. He has acquired a pet Organ Grinder's monkey, named Napoleon, while overseas. When he prepares to go on board the Lieutenant (Griffin) informs him that he must get rid of the monkey. It's a tear-filled goodbye between Napoleon and Charley, the type that would normally be on display when one leaves their wife or children behind. Charley marches up the ramp to join his fellow doughboys. Napoleon uses his superior climbing skills to sneak on board behind the Lieutenant.

Once Charley has boarded he remembers that there was one more thing he neglected to smuggle aboard, his future wife, Antoinette (Todd). He uses the excuse of needing to collect the dirty laundry to return to the dock and secretly meet with Antoinette. He decides that the only way to get her on the ship is to put her in the dirty laundry bag.
Soldier checking the soldiers in at the plank, "Hey!"
Charley (innocently), "What?"
Soldier, "That's pretty heavy for laundry!"
Charley (thinking quickly, if not cleverly), "Well...look how dirty it is!"

As Charley carries the laundry bag up the plank Antoinette's stiletto heel cuts through the bag, leaving one shapely leg dangling in his wake.

Charley stashes Antoinette below decks only to be confronted with his buddy, Napoleon. Charley has Napoleon sneak into various cabins to steal parts of uniforms to disguise Antoinette in.

Charley hands the clothes to Antoinette, telling her to look like a soldier.
Antoinette (in a thick French accent), "But Charley, what should I do to act like a soldier?"
Charley, "Just act dumb...and do this once in awhile..." (He emphatically gives his belly a two hand scratch).

The hi-jinks continue as a fire drill gets everyone together and the efforts Charley must make to keep his two guests a secret really cause him to feel like he’s in "Rough Seas".

5* (out of 10) A mid-level Chase entry. The talented Thelma Todd is given very little to do other than spout a poor French accent. A 27 minute journey that runs out of steam after 20.

[cinemalover]

I have a confession to make, I can't go more than a couple of weeks without watching some really poor cinema. It's a sickness that causes my wife to give me the "look" and roll her eyes. The "I can't believe you can sit there and watch that garbage" look. It's penetrating and painful, but I forge on regardless. This week's exploitation fare is...

Date watched: 10/17/2007
Title: The Doll Squad Made: 1973
Genre: Exploitation Action Studio: Genini Distribution
Format: DVD Extras: Commentary with Mikels, Featurette, Trailer.
Number of times viewed: First

Written, produced, directed and edited by exploitation mogul Ted. V. Mikels

Stars:
Michael Ansara--Eamon O'Reilly
Francine York--Sabrina Kincaid
Anthony Eisley--Victor Connolly
Tura Satana--Lavelle Sumara
John Carter--Senator Stockwell
Lisa Todd--Maria
Sherri Vernon--Cat
Judy McConnell--Elizabeth White
Leigh Christian--Sharon O'Connor
Jean London--Kim Luval
Rafael Lampos--Rafael
Carol Terry--Carol Pierce
Bret Zeller--Cherisse

Taglines:
A diabolical maniac threatens mass destruction!

An elite band of sexy assassins....our only hope!

An elite team of beautiful special agents with license to kill...and kill again!

Ted V. Mikels was a man who thrived on churning out drive-in product up to the dying days of the outdoor theatres. I have heard and read about his films, but I had never seen one until now.

The movie opens with stock footage of a rocket launch. The screen titles tell us that this is the launching of StarFlight XII at Cape Kennedy. Then we see an incredible hokey superimposed flash of light that represents an explosion, supposedly obliterating the rocket. Scene cuts to a very tight shot of Senator Stockwell (Carter) sitting in an office with Government Agent Victor Connolly (Eisley) watching the disaster on a small television. One of the sure signs of an ultra low-budget production is these very claustrophobic office shots where the two actors are practically sitting in each other's laps. This tells you that the shot is so tight so that it doesn't reveal that the "set" ends about 3 inches off frame.

It is revealed that the Senator had been warned that some disaster was going to occur if he didn't meet the demands of an unknown terrorist. The note that the senator had received:
I need microfilm plans of the annaballistic missile with K-Bomb Warhead. Messenger will arrive Thursday. If I do not receive microfilm there will be a National Disaster on the following Tuesday.

Well, this is Tuesday and that must have been your standard National Disaster. In times of National trouble and security it would be foolish to involve the trained government agencies that are assigned to deal with such disasters. Instead, let's hire ourselves a rag-tag band of female killers that look really hot in skin-tight jumpsuits to deal with the matter. So that's what the Senator does.

They contact Sabrina Kincaid (York) a former commando and current soldier of fortune. Sabrina has contacts with several other females with similar skill sets and goes about rounding them up. As she leaves the meeting with the Senator she is followed by a couple of goons, unbeknownst to her. She meets her first two agents in their workplace (a karate school, and a receptionist) and they both agree to meet her at the Fire & Flame lounge for a strategic planning session. I've had a few strategic sessions at dives like that, they never quite pan out the way you intended.

Immediately after Sabrina leaves to make some more contacts the goons murder the first two would-be members of the Doll Squad. Cut to the Fire & Flame lounge where Sabrina is patiently awaiting the arrival of her troops. Instead a goon sits down at the table with her and holds a gun on her under the table.
Sabrina, "Split little man, I have a date!"
When he insists that she will be coming with him, she innocently asks if she can have a cigarette. As she's lighting it her lighter becomes a full-blown flame thrower and torches the thug's mug. What was he expecting at the appropriately named Fire & Flame?

Sabrina assembles the remaining Dolls and has an army of six to save our country from sure destruction. Through a series of clues gathered from the goons Sabrina deduces that the criminal mastermind is none other than the diabolical Eamon O'Reilly (Ansara, really slumming). Sabrina and Eamon have a romantic link in their past which may confuse the issues. Never fear, the Doll Squad dons their vacuum packed hunter green jumpsuits (think Emma Peel, but not as attractive) and their white patent-leather boots with four inch heels. The perfect combat attire!

Eamon's lair is a compound in the middle of a generic desert. The Doll Squad splits into two factions to penetrate the heavily guarded headquarters. Two of the squad take the direct approach and pretend to be two lost party girls while engaging the guards at the front gate. Tempting them into swigging from a vodka bottle, the guards find themselves in immediate pain. They double over holding their guts. And then they spontaneously combust, using the same quality effects that made the rocket disappear. Momma warned them about holding their liquor!

The other four members of the squad are captured, leaving their rescue and the salvation of the world in the hands of two Dolls. Eamon, as do all classic villains, cannot resist bragging about how clever his plan is to his captives. They learn that his ultimate goal is to spread the bubonic plague throughout the world by the relaese of infected rats in strategic locations. This will kill 90% of the world's population and allow Eamon and his followers to recreate the world as they see fit. Megalomaniacs always go down hard, so it so reassuring that those two Doll Squad members stand between him and his goal! The violence level gets notched way up as the finale is one big gunfest. These Dolls have no qualms about killing, and actually seem to feed on it. But will they be enough to save the planet?

With dialogue and logic right out of low-rent comic books the movie's target audience is in question. On one hand most of it would have played to the Saturday matinee's boy crowd, but there is just enough violence and titillation to tip in into the drive-in crowd. Either way, it's more silly than deadly, and I'm not sure how successful it was.

Michael Ansara looks dashing in a satin smoking jacket as he alternates between thoughts of world domination and reigniting the flame with Sabrina. The rest of the cast looks like they're reading right off of the cue cards, so the less dialogue the better. The movie features the worst explosion effects ever, but they ease that pain by repeating them so many times.

3* (out of 10) Bizarre but not boring. You'll walk away repeating such sweet lines as the one Eamon used while romancing Sabrina, "My sweet...my love....I wish I could trust you enough to let you live." Poetry in motion. Sabrina saves herself from further lines by gassing Eamon with her special gas-emitting ring!

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Dear Cinemalover,
I've had a few moments to myself , read some more of your thread, and I am absolutely amazed at your energy, ideas, and choices. Thanks for creating this entertaining place.

[jdb1]

They contact Sabrina Kincaid (York) a former commando and current soldier of fortune

Chris, that line bespeaks a movie so ludicrous that I just have to see it! Is Sabrina one of those high-fashion commandos? Are her sodier of fortune colleagues all former Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders (or Hooters Girls)?

Say, are you familiar with the Eurotrash filmaking characters from "Kids in the Hall," Francesca Fiore and Bruno Puntz Jones? This sounds like one of their movies.

How this one never ended up on Mystery Science Theater, I'll never know. (Or did it?)