The Spider's Web (1960)

Outstanding performance form Glynis Johns, 6 September 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Having discovered a dead body in her drawing room, Clarissa Hailsham-Brown is more concerned with how it will look to a visiting diplomat than she is with who committed the murder.  She convinces three friends to help her not only hide the body, but also hide the truth from the police.

Based on an Agatha Christie play, The Spider’s Web is a light, airy, mystery/comedy that’s less concerned with who-did-it and more concerned with how-do-we hide-it.  The film succeeds thanks in large part to the efforts of Glynis Johns. She’s bright, funny, quirky, and, above all else, supremely entertaining. Her character, Clarissa, is the energy behind the film.  She’s a non-stop whirlwind of plots and schemes that are a joy to watch unfold. Johns is joined by a strong supporting cast, including Cicely Courtneidge, Ferdy Mayne, and Peter Butterworth (so good as the befuddled police inspector).  All of the performances are helped along by some cleverly written dialogue. I’m not sure, however, who to credit – Christie or screenwriters Eldon Howard and Albert G Miller – but it’s a solid script. And the whole production benefits from an appropriately jazzy, bouncy score.  It fits nicely with the action on screen. My only complaint is with the film’s pacing. While I’ll give director Godfrey Grayson a big chunk of credit for the overall finished product, the film dragged a bit for me in the first act. But once the dead body turns up, The Spider’s Web becomes an incredibly enjoyable experience. 

7/10

The Misadventures of Merlin Jones (1964)

Safe (perhaps too safe) Disney fare.  5 September 2019

It’s difficult to write one of the normal pithy little plot summaries I come up with.  I have no firsthand knowledge, but The Misadventures of Merlin Jones smells suspiciously of two different television episodes (perhaps from The Wide World of Disney) cobbled together to create a feature length movie.  In the first half, brainiac Merlin Jones accidentally develops the ability to read minds and almost immediately suspects the local judge of being a criminal mastermind. In the second half, Merlin uses hypnosis to force the same judge to actually commit a criminal act.  None of it rises much above average as far as entertainment goes. I grew up on live action Disney movies like The Love Bug and The Snowball Express. The Misadventures of Merlin Jones pales in comparison. It’s neither written as cleverly as it needs to be nor are Merlin's antics madcap enough to generate laughs.  It’s all safe (perhaps too safe) Disney fare. 

Some of the supporting cast deserves mention.  I always enjoy watching Leon Ames. Here, he does the most with what he’s given to work with.  Ames is easily the best actor in the bunch. I also got a kick out of seeing (and hearing) Dal McKennon. The name might not be overly familiar, but if you grew up watching cartoons in the 70s like I did, you’ll definitely recognize the voice. 

5/10

Tarzan’s Desert Mystery (1943)

“Cut it out!  You’re queerin’ my pitch!” 4 September 2019

The Quick Pitch:  Tarzan sets out across the desert in search of medicinal plants.  Along the way, he’s accused of stealing a horse, meets a woman accused of murder, gets tangled up with Nazis, and runs into some rather large, menacing creatures.

It’s not that Tarzan’s Desert Mystery is a bad, unwatchable movie, it’s just that it’s not a very good movie and below the standard of the usual Tarzan effort.  The desert town Tarzan visits feels all wrong. It’s inhabited by too many “white” faces. I’m not buying Joe Sawyer, Lloyd Corrigan, and Robert Lowery as desert sheiks and princes.  There’s also too much of an emphasis placed of comedy. Whether it’s Cheetah stealing turbans or camel porters pulling faces, it makes for a rather silly movie – not what I’m looking for in a Tarzan film.  While I did get a kick out of the giant spider, the lizard fight sequences are out of place. I know they came from a cheap sci-fi film I’ve seen before, I can’t remember which, though. Nancy Kelly’s Connie Bryce is another unwelcome distraction.  I generally don’t like to call anything “outdated”, but her 1940s shtick is beyond annoying. Look at the quote I used as a title for this as proof. I won’t go further, but I could easily cite several other issues I had with Tarzan’s Desert Mystery.

Before I end this, I think it’s worth mentioning Otto Kruger as the film’s main baddie.  He’s a real bright spot in what is otherwise a lackluster affair.

5/10

The Disembodied (1957)

Dull and unbelievable, 3 September 2019

The Quick Pitch:  A three-man film crew seeks out the only white doctor in the jungle when one of their party is savagely attacked by a lion.  But when the injured man is all but healed the next day, is it some sort of new medicine or something else more sinister like voodoo? 

Two problems quickly reared their head while I watched The Disembodied.  First, it’s as dull as dishwater. Not even Allison Hayes’ voodoo inspired gyrations could save the film.  With a runtime of about 66 minutes it overstays its welcome by about an hour. Second, it’s all so horribly unbelievable.  Here’s a quick list of five examples:

- The notion of Hayes being a voodoo priestess in the middle of an African jungle.
- The plastic, stage-bound jungle sets.
- The African tribe made up of individuals from at least three different ethnicities. 
- The voodoo ceremony - Hayes dances, someone throws a chicken at her feet, - and voila – magic.
- The unconvincing acting and ever-changing character motivations.  

I know The Disembodied has a few fans around the internet, but as should be obvious, I’m not one.

2/10

It Takes a Thief “The Bill Is in Committee” #2.3 (1968) (TV)

Mundy doesn’t get the girl – he gets two girls, 30 August 2019

Mundy’s mission is the steal compromising negatives from a ruthless dictator’s personal safe.  He goes undercover is a famous magician. The problem, though, is that Mundy doesn’t know any magic.

The Bill is in Committee is another solid, entertaining episode that features a lot of what I enjoy about It Takes a Thief.  The episode includes a good amount of Mundy doing thief/spy type stuff – something I always enjoy. Mundy is faced with more real danger than usual.  Paz, the dictator, takes great pleasure in personally dispatching an anti-government threat. However, on the whole, I was little put-off by Roger Carmel as Paz.  He played him a little too broadly and with a touch too much humor. Carmel just didn’t seem right for the part. Still, it wasn’t enough to ruin the episode. While we’re accustomed to seeing Mundy get the girl, here, he gets two.  Yvonne Craig as Roxanne, the magician’s assistant, was a real treat. Craig had an infectious personality that really comes out in her scenes. How can one person be so cute and bubbly? The finale, with the mix of magic and safecracking, was well done.  It actually made for an anxious moment or two as I watched.  

7/10