The Rat Patrol “The Moment of Truce Raid” #1.10 (1966) (TV)

Solid entertainment,  24 July 2021

Troy and Company find themselves seeking shelter in the middle of the desert as an army of angry Arabs attack.  But they’re not alone.  Deitrich and Company are held-up in the same place.  Troy and Deitrich form an uneasy alliance against a company enemy.  But will it hold?

The Moment of Truce Raid is as good an episode as I’ve seen so far.  The script is especially strong with plenty of tension - both from within and without.  This episode, however, would have definitely benefited from another 30 minutes to tell the story.  The half-hour format does this one no favors.  The acting is as good as I’ve seen in the series.  Christopher George and Eric Braeden do a fantastic job of showing distrust mixed with admiration.  And I especially enjoyed the scene where Hitchcock teaches a German soldier how to blow bubbles.  It’s a very humanizing moment in the midst of war.

One of the oddest things about the episode is the presence of Marc Lawrence.  How  does an actor from the Bronx who normally played a heavy in everything from Charlie Chan in the Wax Museum to Diamonds Are Forever find himself playing an Arab named Abu Hassan working for the Nazis in the middle of the North African desert?  What amazing casting!

7/10

Hollywood Story (1951)

Another good one from William Castle,  23 July 2021

Supposedly based on a real unsolved Hollywood murder, Hollywood Story tells the story of film director Larry O’Brien (Richard Conte), who’s leases on old, abandoned studio for his next movie.  The studio was the scene of an unsolved murder and O’Brien decides the story would make a good film.  As he starts poking around and asking questions about the murder, it becomes apparent that someone doesn’t want the film made.  After a couple of attempts on his life, O’Brien realizes that he’s on the right track to actually unmasking a killer.

Overall, I found Hollywood Story to be an entertaining film with an interesting plot, good acting, and nice production values.  More of a mystery than a true film noir, there are plenty of plot twists to keep things interesting throughout the 77 minute runtime.  The “old” Hollywood locations are a nice touch and add to the film’s authentic feel.  As expected, Richard Conte is rock solid in the lead.  It was great seeing him play the good guy for a change.  It was also nice seeing Julie Adams in a film where she’s not being stalked underwater.  As much as I love her in Creature from the Black Lagoon, it’s odd I can’t remember seeing Adams in much else.  The supporting cast (Jim Backus, Richard Egan, Fred Clark) add a lot to the experience. And special mention to the cast, particularly cinematographer Carl Guthrie.  I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but these Universal films from the 1940s look so good. Absolutely beautiful.

Finally, I need to mention director William Castle.  Until just recently, I only knew Castle from his 1960s era horror output.  I really enjoy many of these movies like House on Haunted Hill, Homicidal, and I Saw What You Did.  But, as I'm learning after watching Hollywood Story and Undertow, there’s so much more to Castle than I imagined.  He made a load of films prior to the 60s just waiting for me to discover.  How fun is that!

7/10

Framed (1947)

“You’ll get a big reward for this.”  22 July 2021

From the moment Paula Craig (Janis Carter) lays her eyes on newcomer Mike Lambert (Glenn Ford), she knows she’s found her mark and starts to work on him.  Lambert is smitten almost immediately.  But why does Craig need Lambert?  It might have something to do with $250,000 in a safe deposit box.

Framed is one of those films that deserves a wider audience.  Much like Double Indemnity, Framed features everything you could hope to find in a good, enjoyable film noir.  You have the sap, the femme fatale, a worthwhile McGuffin, plenty of backstabbing and double crossing, an incredibly engaging plot, and an ending where every character comes out damaged.  Ben Maddow’s screenplay is full of dark twists and turns that keep you guessing.  The direction here is near perfect.  Richard Wallace expertly brings the story to life.  Most of the acting is first rate.  Glenn Ford makes it all look so easy.  And I really enjoyed Barry Sullivan and Edgar Buchanan in their supporting roles.  Good stuff.

Having said all that, the film is not without its faults.  There are a couple of things I could list as weaknesses, but my main gripe is with the female lead, Janis Carter.  Reading reviews all over the internet, I see I may be alone in this, but Carter doesn’t work for me.  In fact, I thought her performance was pretty weak.  She never felt real or convincing. She always seemed like an actress playing a part.  I know they can’t all be Barbara Stanwyck or Ida Lupino, but Carter isn’t close.  

7/10

The Fake (1953)

An enjoyable watch,  21 July 2021

A security expert, Paul Mitchell (Dennis O’Keefe), working for the Tate Gallery in London, is concerned about the possible theft of a priceless Da Vinci painting.  Two other Da Vinci’s were recently stolen from galleries in Florence and New York.  In both cases, the original was replaced by a near-perfect forgery.  When the Tate Da Vinci is ultimately stolen, Mitchell sets out to catch a thief.

Overall, I enjoyed The Fake.  Sure, it’s never going to be on anyone’s Top 10 list, but it had enough going on that I had fun with it.  I’m a sucker for a stolen art plot line, so this one naturally appealed to me.  From the opening scenes on the crowded dock to the finale as the art thief is revealed, The Fake moves at a nice, but leisurely pace.  Having the actual Tate Gallery as a shooting location really helped the “feel” of the film.   I’ve got no complaints with respect to the film’s two main leads, O’Keefe and Colleen Gray.  There’s some definite chemistry between the two - the dinner scene, complete with playful banter, being a good example.  The supporting cast is made up of a bunch of British actors that, while not familiar to me, really give the film some color.  Finally, the solution to the mystery was satisfactory.  We, as viewers, get the chance to figure things out right along (or even quicker) than our hero, Mitchell.

One thing that really bothered me was the security set-up at the Tate.  I realize (or hope) that the actual security is different, but as pictured here, anyone could have stolen the painting.  From unlocked doors in the basement to open windows to the lack of any alarm system, the painting was practically begging to be stolen.

Finally, IMDb lists The Fake as a crime / drama / film noir. I agree with the first two, crime and drama.  And you can even add Mystery.  But what about film noir?  No way.  If you’re watching The Fake for the darker elements associated with a noir, you’ll be disappointed.

6/10

Undertow (1949)

A very nice surprise,  20 July 2021

Having returned to Chicago, Tony Reagan (Scott Brady) is accused of murdering a wealthy, powerful man who happens to be his fiance’s uncle.  Injured and with the police hot on his trail, Reagan has few places to turn.  He eventually seeks the assistance of a woman he hardly knows.  He met her the previous day on the flight to Chicago.  With her help, Reagan’s out to clear his name.

Undertow is a neat little film noir that, until last night, I had never heard of.  I was shocked at how much I enjoyed it.  The story has a lot of suspense that builds throughout.  There may have been a few predictable bits in the plot (like the murderer’s ID) and some big coincidences (like a friendly cop who agrees to help), but the journey is so much fun it hardly mattered.  Director William Castle (yes, that William Castle) proves that he could do more than churn out sensational schlock.  His pacing in Undertow is about perfect.  The film also looks phenomenal.  Cinematographer Irving Glassberg lensed a movie that looks far better than it has a right to.  But, then again, I seem to say that about a lot of the Universal B picture output from the 40s.  Finally, I enjoyed the exterior 40s-era footage.  Whether it was the airport, the plane, or downtown Chicago,  it was awesome stuff. 

I have no complaints as far as the acting goes.  Generally, I'm not much of a fan of Scott Brady.  There’s just something about him that puts me off.  Here, however, I thought his performance was more than adequate.  As for co-star Peggy Dow - what a revelation!  Considering this was her first film role, she was amazing.  Dow plays the sweet, innocent, cute, trusting, fresh-faced, all-American girl about as well as anyone I’ve ever seen.  Looking over her filmography, I’m saddened to see she only made nine films.  I’m going to make it my mission to see as many of these as I can.  The rest of the supporting cast - John Russell, Dorothy Hart, Bruce Bennett - are equally strong.  Finally, the film features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it moment from a fresh-faced Roc (with no k) Hudson.  

Overall, a nice little film that I’m happy to have stumbled upon.  Undertow gives me hope as I continue my journey through some of these smaller, lesser known film noirs.

7/10

Shannon “The Embezzler’s Daughter” #1.2 (1961) (TV)

Well . . . that wasn’t very good,  19 July 2021

Insurance investigator Joe Shannon (George Nader) is transporting a 16 year-old girl to Los Angeles.  Shannon hopes to use the girl, Donna (Candy Moore), to help find her father.  It seems he’s responsible for stealing a large sum of cash the insurance company hopes to recover.  However, there are a couple of hoods on Shannon’s tail who would also like to get their hands on the cash.

Oh my, this is about as dull as you can find.  The 30 minute runtime felt more like 130 minutes.  It’s excruciating.  The uneventful car trip takes up at least half of the show.   Nader and Moore drone on and on about absolutely nothing.  To make matters worse, Moore is uber-annoying. The finale offers little suspense, only a merciful end.  There’s nothing here to recommend.  I sincerely doubt I’ll seek out any other episodes of Shannon.

So why would I watch a random episode of a television show I’d never heard of?  Two reasons:  First, I usually enjoy Nader.  He appeared in some quirky, but enjoyable stuff in the 60s.  Two, the screenplay was written by Gene Roddenberry.  It’s amazing that the same person responsible for Star Trek wrote this garbage.  .  

2/10

The Avengers “A Surfeit of H2O” #4.8 (1965) (TV)

“Yes, well I’ve put a down payment on a canoe.”  18 July 2021

Steed and Mrs Peel set out to investigate a mysterious death.  The odd thing is that the man drowned in the middle of a field.  Shortly, our intrepid pair find themselves battling wits with a scientist out to control the weather for nefarious purposes.

Controlling the weather - sounds a bit like the disastrous The Avengers (1998) movie.  In contrast to that overblown mess of a film, A Surfeit of H2O proves that very often less is more.  Instead of an overblown, over-produced, almost unwatchable film, this episode (like most of the series) keeps things simple and understated.  Death caused by heavy rain - what could be more simple (regardless of how unlikely).  And the writing here is so much better.  The dialogue in the scene with Diana Rigg and Talfryn Thomas or the one with Patrick Macnee and Sue Lloyd are delightfully witty.  I could watch these scenes all day they’re so enjoyable.  In fact, the whole episode is enjoyable and would have deserved a higher rating had it not been for Noel Purcell’s  overacting.  His performance would have been more at home in the movie.

I admit I looked up the word “surfeit”.  Seems it means “an excessive amount of something”.  I’ll have to remember that.

7/10

Naked Alibi (1954)

One of the most disappointing films I've ever seen,  18 July 2021

Police Chief Joe Conroy (Sterling Hayden) is convinced that a man named Al Willis (Gene Barry) is a cop killer  But Conroy’s police methods cross the line and he’s removed from his position.  Still convinced he’s right, Conroy starts to tail Willis on his own, even on an out of town trip to the Mexican border.  Is Conroy right or is Willis a wrongly blamed man?

Naked Alibi has to be one of the most disappointing films I’ve ever seen.  A film noir with Sterling Hayden, Gloria Grahame, a cop killer, a seedy border bar, wonderful Universal production values (including some extremely nice cinematography), and just about every other noir trope you could name - what could go wrong?.  Sadly, the movie fails consistently throughout the entire 85 minute runtime.  Why?  I’ll list my two biggest issues:

First, the writing is horrible.  The film relies on a series of coincidences that boggle the imagination.  The logical hoops Naked Alibi asks the viewer to jump through are far too numerous.  It’s contrived nonsense.  Also, I wrote that the film includes just about every noir trope you could mention.  Well, that’s another issue I have with the writing.  We’ve seen almost everything the movie has to offer.  There are no surprises.  For example, I love Gloria Grahame, but here she plays essentially the same role we’ve seen her play before.  There’s nothing new.  Another example would be the ending.  Dictionaries should cite Naked Alibi’s finale as the definition of cliched - complete with Conroy walking off into the night.  Ugh.  I realize that by 1954 it was difficult to come up with completely original ideas for these movies, but this is color-by-numbers film noir and it’s lazy.

Second, I have some major issues with the acting.  I admit that I’m not much of a Gene Barry fan.  In fact, I pretty much dislike him in most everything I’ve seen.  His performances never feel real to me.  He’s always “acting”.  Here, he’s terrible.  He’s so wrong for the role.  His overacting is such a huge distraction it was almost comical.  For example, anytime he shoots a gun, he does that thing kids do - sort of jab the gun forward each time they “fire”.  I could just imagine Barry muttering “pew pew pew” with each unrealistic pull of the trigger.  To be fair to Barry, Hayden is almost as bad in Naked Alibi.  If Barry is overacting, Hayden is underacting.  He undersells just about everything.  

Overall, I had high hopes for this one and it failed to deliver.  I should probably rate it lower, but Grahame saves Naked Alibi from being a complete disaster.  Her dancehall number is worth a point on its own.

4/10