Adventure Showcase "Brock Callahan" #1.1 (1959) (TV)

“If you put it all together, you couldn’t stuff an anchovy with it.”  17 July 2021

Retired football player and current P.I. Brock Callahan (Ken Clark) is hired to investigate the death of a designer.  The police think it’s a suicide, but Callahan’s not so sure.  

From what I can piece together, Brock Callahan was filmed as the pilot of a CBS television show for the 1959 season.  After watching, it’s little wonder it didn’t get picked up.  For a cop show, there’s just no excitement.  No real action, monotone line delivery, and characters that I had no real reason to care about - sounds like a winner, right?  The final solution to the murder is a bit interesting and saves the whole thing from being a complete disaster.

The only reason I watched Brock Callahan was that I noticed Ken Clark’s name.  I was hopeful as he made several movies I enjoy - specifically the Dick Malloy Agent 077 Eurospy films.  Admittedly, he doesn’t show much acting range in those movies, but here, his lack of animation reminded me of an appliance box with shoulder pads.   

There were a few interesting surprises in the cast and crew list.  First, this was directed by Don Siegel of Dirty Harry fame.  You wouldn’t know it from watching Brock Callahan.  Second, the supporting cast includes Richard Deacon and Brett Halsey.  Between them, they have 338 acting credits listed on IMDb.

  

3/10

Killer Dill (1947)

Immediately forgettable 16 July 2021

Salesman Johnny Dill (Stuart Erwin) gets confused for a mob boss.  Much alleged hilarity ensues.  

This will be short and sweet - I didn’t care for Killer Dill.  The main character and his supposed comic antics really annoyed me.  Very little of it worked. And, to make matters worse, I didn’t care for Erwin in the Dill role.  He doesn't have the physical presence necessary to play the heavy.  The writing is lame and childish with Dill going in and out of tough guy mode and none of the other characters seeming to notice.  Ugh!  There’s not much here to recommend.

The only real highlights for me were Mike Mazurki and Milburn Stone.  Both gentlemen acquitted themselves well and deserved to be in something better than this.

Overall, Killer Dill is an immediately forgettable film.  I think my rating is more than generous and based almost solely on Mazurki and Stone.  

4/10

The Avengers “The Murder Market” #4.7 (1966) (TV)

“Tried working once, it didn’t work out.  Too much like work.”  16 July 2021

Steed is investigating a series of 11 murders that, at first, appear to have nothing in common.  Steed, however, realizes that in each case, the most likely suspect has an airtight alibi.  He gets his first bread in the case when a photograph leads to a matchmaking service.  In no time at all, both Steed and Mrs Peel become clients of Togetherness Inc.

After the last two episodes, The Murder Market is something of a return to form.  The writing here is strong, featuring a lot of the quirky bits that make the series so special to me.  Whether it’s the over-the-top wedding themed business, complete with cake tastings and top hats, or a quick scene of Steed practicing a golf shot off the coffee table while Mrs Peel plays a tuba, the seeming randomness of some of the events in this episode is so much fun.  And I won’t spoil the bit near the end, but it’s classic Avengers.  I admit that some judicious editing might have made The Murder Market even better, but still, it’s really good stuff.

The acting in The Murder Market is first rate.  Patrick Cargill has to be one of the best baddies in the entire series.  The way he plays Mr Lovejoy with a polite and proper exterior with a hint of nefariousness under the surface is brilliant.  It’s just an amazing performance.  

Finally, I’ve read that even though this was the seventh episode aired, it was the first one that Diana Rigg filmed.  Her immediate chemistry with Patrick Macnee is undeniable and one of the keys to the series’ success during her time on the show.

8/10

Pillow of Death (1945)

“Silliest unmitigated tommyrot I ever heard.”  15 July 2021

Pillow of Death is the last of the six Inner Sanctum mystery / thriller films that Universal made in the 40s.  And, in my opinion, it’s one of the two best (Weird Woman being the other).  In this one, Lon Chaney Jr is Wayne Fletcher, a lawyer in love with his secretary.  The problem is, he’s got a wife at home.  So when she’s found dead under mysterious circumstances, Fletcher is the natural suspect.  

Despite what I consider to be a rather silly title, Pillow of Death is a solid little film.  The writing is excellent with a surprising (at least surprising to me - even on a repeat viewing) solution that works nicely.  The atmospheric “old dark house” trappings, complete with a seance, and plot twists keep things interesting.  The direction is crisp as the film moves along at a good pace.  And, like most of Universal’s B output from this time period, the sets and cinematography look better than they have any right.  It really is quite beautiful to look at.  Overall, Pillow of Death is a well made movie.

As for the acting, there’s very little to complain about.  Chaney is fine in the lead, but I admit the “tormented soul” routine he perfected in The Wolf Man gets a bit old.  Co-star Brenda Joyce, taking a break from playing Jane in the Tarzan series, is more than capable.  There are a number of notable performances in the supporting cast, but none quite like George Cleveland.  What a joy!

7/10

Mary Ryan, Detective (1949)

Marsha Hunt is excellent as Mary Ryan,  15 July 2021

The quick pitch: Policewoman Mary Ryan (Marsha Hunt) goes undercover to infiltrate a gang of thieves - first in prison, later as a member of the robbery crew.  

There’s nothing about Mary Ryan, Detective that will change your world.  Instead, it’s a mostly enjoyable little film with the immensely watchable Marsha Hunt as the titular Mary Ryan.  Cute, capable, and engaging are a few of the adjectives I’d use to describe Hunt in this film.  She has an undeniable screen presence (see the fur robbery set-piece for an example) that works for me.  I’m not sure I would have enjoyed the film half as much without Hunt. I’ve read where she ran afoul of the McCarthy-era anti-communist crowd and found her opportunities limited as a result.  How else do you explain the fact that she isn’t better known today?  

Other things I enjoyed about Mary Ryan, Detective include: snappy direction, good pacing, John Litel, and, thankfully, limited comic relief (I admit, however, that I did chuckle at smoked turkey bit).  

Finally, I got a kick out of the whole gang of thieves.  They come across about as cordial and polite as a group of Sunday school teachers.  Not very realistic, but kind of what I’d expect from a film like Mary Ryan, Detective.  

6/10

The Avengers “The Master Minds” #4.6 (1966) (TV)

“He’s just a pawn in the game. The man we’re after is the king.”  14 July 2021

A government minister is shot during a robbery of top secret documents.  However, he has no recollection of committing the crime.  Steed and Mrs Peel become suspicious of a Mensa-like organization called Ransack.  Is someone using the brilliant minds of the Ransack members to commit crimes?  

As I said the last time I wrote about The Avengers, I’m not sure there’s a bad Mrs Peel episode.  It’s just that I don’t find The Master Minds as good as most of others who’ve taken the time to rate it.  My biggest complaint is that it’s all too predictable.  It’s as easy to guess how the crimes are being committed as it is to guess the chief mastermind behind it all (hint: it’s the only person with a significant speaking role that we never see involved in anything nefarious).  More mystery would have gone a long way toward making a good episode a great episode.

Still, this is The Avengers so it’s not all bad.  There are plenty of scenes with Steed being witty - whether it’s with Mrs Peel or the game's mistress - that I particularly enjoyed.  And there’s a longer than usual fight scene near the end that’s a lot of fun.  Finally, the episode opens with a leering look at Mrs Peel from head-to-toe - what’s not to like about that?

6/10

The Golden Eye (1948)

My first Roland Winters’ Chan film, 13 July 2021

Charlie Chan (Roland Winters) agrees to investigate the strange happenings at an Arizona (or is it New Mexico - I really can’t be bothered to check) goldmine.  Along for the ride are son Tommy (Victor Sen Yung) and chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland).

I have seen all of the Sidney Toler and Warner Oland Chan films - most multiple times.  But oddly enough, this is my first experience with Roland Winters.  I’m not impressed.  Maybe it’s my personal bias, but he seems all wrong for the role.  Instead of the measured, deliberate Chan played by both Toler and Oland, Winters is too quick in both speech and action.  And, if it weren’t for the yellow-face, I’d swear Winters was trying to pull off some kind of European, maybe Italian, accent.  It was all so distracting.  

As for the film itself, you know you’re in trouble when the credits begin with the words Monogram Pictures and end with the name William Beaudine.  That pretty much says all you need to know.  Honestly, it’s just a bad movie and not really worth dwelling on.  

On a positive note, The Golden Eye doesn’t feature an overdose of Tommy and Birmingham.  Their comedy bits are limited.  And thank goodness because as much as I like Moreland, his Birmingham Brown schtick gets old pretty quick.

Finally, there were two things that bothered me while watching The Golden Eye and both are related to Victor Sen Yung.  First, why is he named Tommy in this movie?  If you’ve seen any of his previous Chan films, you know he’s Jimmy.  Second, in 1948, he was 33 years old - way too old to be playing the bumbling son.  In fact, he’s way too old to be playing Winters’ son.  Winters would have been 44 when this movie was made - a difference of only 11 years.  

3/10

Dracula (1931)

“This is very old wine.  I hope you like it.”  13 July 2021

Is there any reason to do a plot summary for Dracula?  Any person with even a passing interest in horror or classic films is aware of the basic story.  So instead, I’ll start this by saying I understand and fully appreciate Dracula’s place in film history.  Whether it’s the creepy castle, the sense of dread and death in the film’s atmosphere, or Lugosi’s most iconic role, Dracula is a special film and definitely worth seeing.

Having said all that, Dracula has never been a particular favorite of mine.  I find much of the film terribly stage-bound, complete with an overly exaggerated and dramatic acting style that doesn’t appeal to me.  Director Tod Browning’s “plant and shoot” method of filmmaking doesn’t help matters.  Things are horribly stagnant.  And much of the film moves at a snail’s pace.  Please note - I realize that most of my complaints are based on the film’s age and the technology and filming techniques used at the time.  Still, I can’t help it if I don’t find it as entertaining as other movies from the period (see Frankenstein, M, or even the Spanish language Dracula for examples of films from 1931 that I enjoy).  It may be blasphemous to some, but to me, Dracula is one of the best (or worst) examples of a dated film I can think of.  As for the Dracula character, I much prefer the noirish sequel Son of Dracula (1943) or Hammer’s Horror of Dracula (1958) with the decidedly more animated Christopher Lee in the title role.  

As I’ve said a number of times, entertainment is the primary driver behind my ratings.  Based on all of the issues I have with Dracula, I can’t in all honesty rate it higher than a very average 5/10.   

5/10

Point of No Return (1993)

“Why do you talk so dirty, Maggie?” 12 July 2021

Bridget Fonda is Maggie, a drug addict caught up in a pharmacy robbery.  She’s arrested, but gets something of a reprieve when a covert government agency takes notice and decides to train her for a life of secret, deadly missions.  Eventually, however, Maggie’s desire for a “normal” life complicates things and puts her in danger.

Even though I generally enjoy Point of No Return, much of what I’m about to write will sound just the opposite.  I find it much easier to discuss my issues with the film.  First, even though I always found Bridget Fonda an enjoyable, talented actress, I’m not sure she’s physically imposing enough to realistically pull off some of the stunts she’s asked to do in this movie.  Scenes of her taking down trained bodyguards or assassins twice her size don’t really ring true.  Second, the training sequences where Maggie goes from drug-addled to world-class super-spy aren’t nearly enough to explain the transformation.  Other than a lesson in table manners from Anne Bancroft, we don’t get much detail on Maggie’s conversion.  And third, the bits with Dermot Mulroney - ugh.  The “proposal” scene is the worst.  Mulroney’s character is so annoyingly written, it’s a real distraction to the rest of the film.  

Having said all that, Point of No Return isn’t without some nice moments.  The hotel fight sequence (as is the case with most of the movie) is beautifully filmed, ending with a nice jump to safety.  Fonda’s acting ability is another highlight.  There’s a small bit where she sheds a tear because of the predicament she’s in that’s a top-notch piece of acting.  Next, I’ve got to agree with most everyone else who has written about Point of No Return - Harvey Keitel is awesome.  It’s a small role, but few actors could make so much out of it.  Really good stuff.  

In the end, it’s not great, but Point of No Return features enough fun set-pieces, Keitel’s memorable character, and Fonda’s solid performance to make it better than average.  It’s no Nikita, but it’s a decent enough time-waster.  

6/10