"I'm a simple thief. Killing has no place in my book of rules, especially when it applies to me.", 19 September 2017
Mundy is tasked with retrieving a microdot that contains weapons' plans. The microdot is in the possession of a fashion photographer. Mundy goes undercover as a Texas oil millionaire to infiltrate this world of high fashion and beautiful models. What a tough job!
A Spot of Trouble might not be the best episode I've seen so far, but I still had a decent amount of fun with it. The problem I have with the episode is the theft Mundy pulls off. The intricate heist I so love is totally missing. Instead, it's a relatively simple breaking and entering job. The rest of the episode, however, is really good. The models actually look the part and William Campbell is exactly what I'd picture as a 60s photographer. The hired muscle, played by Cliff Osmond, comes across as especially menacing. Osmond would have made a great Bond heavy. He's big and believable in a fight. Finally, I didn't think I would care, but I enjoyed seeing Katherine Crawford in a return performance. Here, her contribution is vital to Mundy's success. Finally, I got a real kick out of the microdot's hiding place. What a clever idea!
6/10
Not unentertaining in its own modest way, 19 September 2017
The body of a private investigator, who also dabbled in a bit of blackmail, is literally dumped on the police department's doorstep. The case becomes politically charged when the prime suspect is determined to be one of the mayoral candidate's daughter. And to complicate things further, one of the city's newspapers may also be involved. Lt Sam Carson (William Gargan) has to get to the bottom of things. Problem is, he's fallen for his #1 suspect.
I really enjoyed this little movie much more than I could have imagined. Behind Green Lights will never be confused with a noir heavyweight like Double Indemnity, but it's not unentertaining in its own modest way. The story is compelling enough and director Otto Brower keeps things moving throughout the film's (too) brief 64 minute runtime. Budgetary restrictions can be seen in the limited number of sets (there are really only two or three that matter), yet the film never feels confined or stagey as I've seen before with similar films. Again, a tribute to Director Brower. The film has the benefit of a nice cast. Gargan might not be the most engaging lead, but he's solid and gives a real workmanlike performance. His character falling for the main female character, Janet Bradley (Carole Landis), is certainly believable. Speaking of Landis, she also gives a nice performance. I'm not overly familiar with Ms Landis, but what a tragic figure. Supporting players, including Richard Crane of Rocky Jones "fame", Mary Anderson, and a very young John Ireland, are all strong. My only real complaint is with the doctor character. I'm not sure how this man, who could so easily be tempted to basically break the law, kept his job as a police medical examiner. It's just doesn't make sense.
So, to summarize my thoughts, Behind Green Lights is an engaging little film that's aided tremendously by a nice cast.
6/10
A&C's first screen appearance, 18 September 2017
Like a lot of 1930s-era romantic comedies, One Night in the Tropics has a central plot gimmick it employs in an attempt to differentiate it from the plethora of similar fare. Here, the plot device is something called "love insurance". In this case, Steve Harper (Robert Cummings) buys a policy from Jim "Lucky" Moore (Allan Jones) to insure he will marry Cynthia (Nancy Kelly) or collect on the policy. Problem is that Steve is really in love with another woman, Mickey Fitzgerald (Peggy Moran), and Cynthia falls for Lucky shortly after meeting him. That's the basic set-up – so let the comedy begin!
One Night in the Tropics will forever be remembered as Abbott and Costello's introduction to American movie screens. They've got a few funny bits (I particularly like the $1 a Day gag), but they aren't the central figures in the film Instead, A&C play second fiddle to the rather predictable melodrama I've briefly described above. It's all harmless enough entertainment, but it's really not that clever and never funny enough on its own to be much more than mediocre. No real attempt is made to incorporate A&C into the script. Their routines, regardless of how good they might be, never fit into the rest of the movie. It's 15 minutes of movie followed by 5 minutes of A&C. This pattern is repeated throughout. Another real negative for me is the singing. One song by Allan Jones is one song too many. And he has something like four or five numbers in the film. I couldn't have taken much more.
To summarize, One Night in the Tropics is harmless enough, but not great. A&C have some funny bits, but it's not an A&C movie. And, though I'm sure he has a good voice, Allan Jones sings far too much for my liking. I'll give this one a very average 5/10.
5/10
"Or is it less familiar to call you Beelzebub?", 16 September 2017
A metal band rents an old farmhouse to use as a recording studio for their new album. It doesn't take long, however, for things to go horribly wrong. Creatures begin to appear and people start to go missing. Soon, only lead singer John Triton (Jon Mikl Thor) is left to do battle with the devil and his many minions. But Triton is not who he seems and is ready for this battle.
A plot summary really can't do Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare justice. There's more here than seems to be at first glance. It's a fairly ambitious plot for a reported $53,000 budget. Speaking of the budget, with limited funds like that, it's amazing how watchable the end product actually is. You can tell that there's a lot of unpaid work by family and friends, not to mention Jon Mikl Thor's music, that were key to making this thing work. And, given the budget, the special effects end up looking "special". No, they won't compete with today's CGI effects or anything from big a big practical effects company, but for what they are, I enjoyed them. And then there's that final fight scene. What a total blast!
Even though I had fun watching most of Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare, there were a few things that kept me from fully embracing the film and lowered my overall rating. The main problem comes from the long stretches of the movie where nothing happens. Maybe I"m just getting too old, but endless shower scenes and PG-rated sex scenes do nothing for me. A little more variety might have really helped.
Overall, I'm impressed with what these people were able to do. I say "these people" because it's apparent Rock 'n' Roll Nightmare was a group effort. The final product is good, but not great. My slightly above average 6/10 rating seems appropriate.
6/10
A cleverly written, humorous, entertaining film, 15 September 2017
Henry Clitterburn is in charge of running an old, crumbling estate. His problem – he doesn't have the funds he needs. Enter a rich old uncle from America. Henry believes that if the uncle were to pass, his money troubles will be solved. Surely Henry can come up with a foolproof plan to do away with his doddering old uncle, right?
What a cleverly written, humorous, entertaining film! Even though How to Murder a Rich Uncle only bears passing resemblances, for whatever reason, I was reminded of Ten Little Indians mixed with Arsenic and Old Lace. The comedy in How to Murder a Rich Uncle is incredibly dark. Much of the humor is derived from death being treated in a matter-of- fact manner. Each attempted murder of Uncle George is more elaborate than the next. Sure, all are doomed to failure (well, they don't kill their intended victim), only adding to the humor. The final one is so ridiculously complicated that it reminded me of something out of Wile E. Coyote's twisted brain. And with each attempt on his life, the unaware Uncle George manages to stumble his way out of trouble. Very funny stuff.
The cast in How to Murder a Rich Uncle is superb. Nigel Patrick, Charles Coburn, Wendy Hiller, and Anthony Newly all give very fine performances. All, however, are upstaged by Katie Johnson. In what would sadly prove to be her last role, she steals the scene every time she's on-screen. Finally, there's the impossibly young Michael Caine in one of his very first roles. He's okay in his small part, but there's nothing to indicate he'd go on to the long, distinguished career he's enjoyed.
8/10
The return of Charlie Brown, 8 September 2017
Admittedly, the plot in When Thieves Fall In leaves a lot to be desired. To put it bluntly, it's ridiculous. Mundy is asked to steal a fur coat from a Baltic country that, for reasons known only to script writer, has Soviet missile plans sown into the lining. For some bizarre reason that I can't begin to explain, a fantastic ceremony is planned where the coat will be presented to a London fashion model (Like I said, it's ridiculous). Mundy needs a female operative and realizes his old friend Charlie Brown (Susan Saint James) is quite naturally the spitting image for the model (Wasn't she the spitting image of Princess Astride in Episode 2?). He convinces Noah to get her out of prison so they can work together.
Despite how ridiculous the whole thing is, When Thieves Fall In is still a lot of fun. You can thank Robert Wagner and Susan Saint James. They had real on-screen chemistry that was a joy to watch. I was able to go along with much of the crazy plot simply because I believed their relationship. I see that Charlie Brown appears in a couple more episodes. I look forward to both and wish she had appeared in a dozen more.
7/10
I love the rabbit, 6 September 2017
The leader of a small Middle Eastern country has been diverting the funds from agricultural assistance provided by the West and plans to use it to purchase military aircraft. The money is squirreled away in a foreign bank. If Mundy can get his hands on the account book, the West might get their money back and preserve the peace. Mundy hopes to use his cover as a fashion designer to get close to the country's First Lady. After gaining her confidence, he'll have access to the leader's home and the account book.
Overall, Totally by Design isn't one of the best episodes, but it's still fun enough. The heist is enjoyable, but, other than one detail, it isn't particularly memorable. That detail is the clever use of a small rabbit to assist in the theft. Mundy's fashion designer cover is a facet of the episode that worked for me. He's quite good, though I'm not sure how believable he is. I think he needed to do more than drape fabric over his client's shoulder. Finally, I enjoyed the little twist at the end. Without some unexpected assistance, Mundy would have surely been caught.
Another real plus for Totally by Design is the supporting cast. It's exceptionally strong. While the names John Van Dreelen, Oscar Beregi, and Ron Soble may not be overly familiar, their faces certainly are. All were rock solid character actors. The usual pattern in It Takes a Thief is for Mundy to woo a Woman of the Week. Here, it's Tina Louise of Gilligan's Island fame. Unfortunately, she's not very good and is upstaged at every turn and in every way imaginable (acting, poise, beauty, etc.) by the older Mari Blanchard. This, unfortunately, was Ms Blanchard's last role. She gives a very engaging performance and is unquestionably the highlight of the episode.
6/10
