Footsteps in the Dark (1941)

“Gee Blondie, words come out of you just as beautiful as oil comes out of a derrick!” 24 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Unbeknownst to everyone in his life, a respected investment advisor is secretly a successful mystery writer.  But when he gets mixed up in a real murder, he finds out that murdereres aren’t as easy to catch when he’s not writring the story.

For whatever reason, I’ve never been much of a fan of Errol Flynn.  After watching Footsteps in the Dark, I may need to rethink that opinion.  He’s great here. Watching him frantically try to stay one step ahead of the police, avoid the baddies, and keep his secrets from his wife - it’s good stuff.  Director Lloyd Bacon keeps things moving at a quick, wonderful pace with little time to take a breath. The mystery is interesting enough with plenty of twists and turns.  The final solution may be a bit obvious, but who cares when it’s all so fun. Flynn is joined by a fantastic supporting cast, with Allen Jenkins, William Frawley, and Brenda Marshall standing out.  Overall, Footsteps in the Dark is a terrifically entertaining little film. It’s too bad there aren’t more of these movies. The adventures of F.X. Pettijohn would have made a great Thin Man type series.

8/10

Hit Lady (1974) (TV)

Too predictable, 24 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  A female killer-for-hire wants out of the business after one last hit.  But will those in power let her walk away?

It looks like I disagree with all of the other user comments on IMDb.  The idea of a female hit-man was most likely a novel one in 1974, but ultimately, HIt Lady is just too predictable for me to really enjoy.  The twist ending was telegraphed far in advance. I kept hoping for one last plot turn, but alas, it never came. I’ll give Yvette Mimieux credit - she gives it her all.  But she let herself down as an actor with the script she wrote. Tracy Keenan Wynn’s direction adds nothing and it’s easy to see why this is his only directing credit. Finally, the film’s repetitive score is more annoying than anything else.  Other than Mimieux, the lone highlight for me was Joseph Campanella in a supporting role. As for the rest of the acting, the less said the better.   

4/10

It Takes a Thief “A Sour Note” #2.2 (1968) (TV)

Suzanne Pleshette really shines, 23 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Mundy’s mission involves cracking a safe that is believed to contain information on a Nazi war criminal.  The safe is a type Mundy has never worked with before. In fact, he’s not even sure how it opens. His cover - act as the manager for an operatic diva, Angela Funello.

What fun!  A Sour Note is an excellent episode from start to finish.  While the plot is interesting enough, it’s the characters that make this one so special.  Co-stars Harvey Lembeck, Gino Conforti, and especially Suzanne Pleshette bring their considerable talents and make for a light-hearted and, at times, quite funny episode.  A special mention to costuming with Pleshette looking fabulous. As usual, Robert Wagner is in fine form and director Don Weis does his usual excellent job in the director’s chair.  The final solution to opening the safe is quite clever in that if you’re paying attention, you might figure it out. The safe opening also accomplishes two other things: Mundy gets his evidence and Ms Funello is hilariously interrupted during her performance.  My only complaint with A Sour Note is that this is Pleshette’s only appearance on the show. 

8/10

House of the Damned (1963)

A movie filled with filler, 22 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  An architect takes his wife along on a job to survey a huge, old, abandoned mansion.  But after the power mysteriously goes out, keys go missing, and they hear strange noises, the couple start to wonder if they’re really alone.   

For a film that runs just barely over an hour, there’s a shocking amount of filler to be found in House of the Damned.  From unnecessary scenes of driving to endless moments of key turning to a long phone call that leads absolutely nowhere, a goodly chunk of the movie’s runtime is devoted to things that do nothing to further the plot.  I’d estimate there are only about five minutes of screen-time that feature anything you’d consider remotely chilling. Merry Anders and Ron Foster make a likeable couple, but unfortunately, they have nothing to do. The ending is a complete disaster.  Suddenly and without warning, all of the characters come together and decide to (mercifully) end the thing. The biggest positive I can come up with is the cinematography. The movie looks much better than it has any right to. Overall, a real snoozer of a movie.

3/10

It Takes a Thief "One Night on Soledade" #2.1 (1968) (TV)

Season 2 gets off to a fine start, 21 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  When the son of Soledade’s dictator dies, Mundy is called in to steal his body.  The government fears that if it is discovered he was poisoned, it could start a war with Soledade’s neighbor.

One Night on Soledade is an interesting start to Season 2.  If you’re a fan of the more serious episodes with an intricate caper featuring drama and suspense around every corner, you’ll probably not care for this Mundy adventure.  One Night on Soeldade has a much lighter feel than a lot of what you’ll run across in most of Season 1. A recording of ghostly noises in the catacombs, a dead body moving on the slab, and emeralds being deposited one-by-one in a woman’s cleavage – not what you’ll find in a serious spy story.  Overall, I appreciated and enjoyed the change in tone and I’m interested to see which way the rest of Season 2 goes. I just hope this tonal shift doesn’t go too far. 

I’m sure I also noticed a change in Wagner’s portrayal of Alexander Mundy.  He seemed more relaxed and comfortable in the role. I think the lighter tone suited his personality.  Don Weis’ direction is equally relaxed, as this was Weis’ seventh turn in the director’s chair. The supporting cash is excellent with Thomas Gomez, Madlyn Rhue, and the gorgeous Nancy Kovack all giving very capable performances. 

7/10

Tamara (2005)

“Sorry Mrs. Natolly.  Tamara wants you dead.” 20 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  After being killed in prank gone wrong, wannabe witch Tamara returns from the grave to (1) seek revenge on those who bullied her and (2) find love with her English teacher. 

Watching Tamara, I was reminded of several other, better horror movies – specifically, Carrie, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Jennifer’s Body.  It’s not that Tamara is bad, but it’s not nearly as good as any of the other films I mentioned. It seems that for every good thing I could write about Tamara, there’s something equally bad.  I’ll cite three examples of what I’m talking about. First, take the acting – Jenna Dewan in the title role is quite good. She’s equally impressive as the meek, picked-on Tamara as she is the confident, sexy Tamara.  However, I can’t say the same about much of the rest of the cast. Some of the acting is downright painful to watch. 

Another example where good and bad aspects of the film negate each other is in the plot.  The revenge-from-the-grave storyline has been done to death. You can find examples going back to the earliest days of film.  Conversely, Tamara also features some really interesting plot elements. For example, using her new found powers, Tamara forces a girl who is obsessively concerned about her weight to actually gnaw on her own hands.  It’s pretty gross, but a nice touch. 

One last example I’ll cite are the death scenes.  There’s one death early on where Tamara forces a classmate to commit suicide on camera in front of the whole school.  If you’re squeamish, best look away. It’s difficult to watch. Compare that with the final death scene. I’m not going to go into detail and spoil the ending, but it’s pretty lame in comparison.

This is one of those cases where the good and bad pretty much balance each other out.  There are things I liked (some of the plot elements, some of the acting, and some of the death scenes – for example), but there were other things that didn’t really work for me (some of the plot elements, some of the acting, and some of the death scenes – for example).  As a result, a 5/10 seems about right.

5/10

Diamonds Are a Man's Best Friend (1966)

- Ray Master l'inafferrabile

I’m still shaking my head in disbelief, 19 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  A thief comes up with an elaborate scheme to rob a diamond valued at $1 billion from a heavily guarded museum in Thailand. 

Diamonds are a Man’s Best Friend is the kind of 60s heist movie I usually go for.  European and other exotic locations, a well-crafted scheme, reasonably good acting, a groovy 60s soundtrack, and plenty of twists and turns along the way – that’s what you find in a lot of my favorite heist movies.  And while you get a lot of that in Diamonds Are a Man’s Best Friend, what it lacks is believability. The movie features one of the most ridiculous looking robberies ever put on film. It all starts to go horribly wrong about half-way through the heist.  Earlier in the movie, the characters had mentioned something about a vacuum, but when I, as a viewer, saw exactly what the thieves were up to, I had to laugh in disbelief. I thought they planned to use a vacuum to extract the diamond from the room where it was kept.  I had no idea they intended to create / build a vacuum in the museum room so they could fly overhead and pluck the diamond from its resting spot. I’m not a scientist, but I’m confident this wouldn’t work the way it’s presented. What about gravity? And even if it would, watching the robber float about the room in what amounts to a spacesuit is mind-bogglingly stupid.  The movie does redeem itself in the last act, but the damage had already been done.

4/10

Maisie Was a Lady (1941)

My favorite so far, 19 August 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Thanks to a drunk millionaire, Maisie Ravier finds herself out of work once again.  To repay her, her hires her on as a maid. Maisie soon discovers that the family needs more attention than the house.

I’ve only see four of these movies, but Maisie Was a Lady might be my favorite so far.  This was Ann Sothern’s fourth Maisie film and director Edwin Marin’s third. By this point, they knew what they were doing.  They both understood what made Maisie work. Maisie Was a Lady features a very strong and capable supporting cast. I’m a bit shocked that actors like Lew Ayers and Marueen O’Sullivan appeared in secondary roles in a Maisie film. They were real pros.  Also in the cast is C Aubrey Smith. Some of his scenes with Sothern are the highlights of the movie. Whether arguing about Maisie’s jewelry or how to address the family, the two worked incredibly well together. The plot is a bit predictable. Has anyone ever watched Maisie Was a Lady and not predicted how things would end up for her?  Finally, the movie looks great. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but sets, lighting, and cinematography are all better than expected. Given the fact that these weren’t big budget affairs, MGM certainly got a lot of bang for their buck. 

My biggest gripe with Maisie Was a Lady has to be the serious tone of much of the movie.  I’ve come to think of Maisie as rather light-hearted, fluffy entertainment. Topics like alcoholism and suicide aren’t what I expect.  

7/10