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Reviews
The Lone Ranger: Danger Ahead (1950)
Max Terhune: The first famous ventriloquist
This is a Lone Ranger western I love the most, because it is the ONLY one where the star of the episode is Max Terhune, the star of many of The Three Mesquiteers or The Range Busters.
I'll be honest with you, the story isn't as important as Max working along with Clayton Moore the ONLY man on this series who was right to play the man in the Mask of the Lone Ranger.
It even looks as though Clayton Moore and Jay Silverheels or truly enjoying themselves.
In fact, Terhune tries to teach Tonto how to be a ventriloquist but doesn't succeed.
It's ALMOST as good as the episode where our heroes play clowns and beat the bad guys.
Me and Orson Welles (2008)
Orson Welles that ends Orwellian
Oh my GOD, do I love this film! I've never been so enamored and moved by Richard Linklater's work and this fabulous production that makes you want to devour the work of the ultimate genius of an actor. producer and director, Mr. Orson Welles.
For those who hated the picture, they should never again to be allowed to review movies. Christian McKay was a phenomenal Orson Welles, with all the touches. From that great voice to his use of eyes, eyebrows and chutzpah. Just an amazing piece of work on his part.
The story of the making of "Julius Caesar" in a scary part of history with fascism becoming almost the norm, while making incredible acting work in the major parts of John Houseman, Joseph Cotten and others with impeccable performances by those who loved the period, and the people that went with the history.
Now, I have read most of these reviews, and I don't care about some of the seemingly petty mistakes made by writer and director about who did what history correctly. It doesn't matter.
I will let one thing bother me, making the wonderful Norman Lloyd out to be a not so nice husband to his then newly married bride. I don't see why the writer felt the need to ad such a unnecessary touch of insult to a good man, even for a motion picture.
But Mr. Lloyd did give McKay great compliments so richly deserved was a great thing.
This is a movie I want to see again and again, particularly because of the not so well-groomed actors who played Orson in other films that bothered me so much at the time.
Forgive me, but I really have a problem when a well known actor, President or other famous person doesn't even resemble said person. It's like telling people "You WILL believe Whoopi Goldberg is Ben Franklin" when she CAN'T be.
I look forward to my next watching of this super great film.
Li'l Abner (1959)
Cartoons come to life.
I remember being excited just seeing.the television ads for this movie. I just loved when cartoon characters were brought to life on the big screen. What I didn't expect at the time (I was not even 9 years old when it came out) was that.it was a musical, so as a kid, when the songs were played, I was a trifle bored UNTIL Stubby Kaye sang Jubilation T. Cornpone, then I was hooked.
The incredibly beautiful Leslie Parrish as Daisy Mae didn't hurt either.
The premise involved a military experiment that would turn the scraggly, skinny hillbillies into hulking he-men was fun too.
Remember, this was based on a comic strip created by Al Capp who was from my home town of Cambridge, Massachusetts which I found particularly cool as well.
All the best elements were there as well. Kickapoo Joy Juice, for one, and.or course, Sadie Hawkins Day.
And a great surprise cameo by both the AWESOME Julie Newmar as Stupefyin' Jones, and Jerry Lewis who at that time was my favorite, but that changed when I actually met him.
Anyway, needless to say, I loved it. A true classic that made.me a fan of musical comedies.
On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969)
Missing Connery makes this a tad disappointing
I loved the Sean Connery James Bond films so much that after seeing Goldfinger, I made a point of buying.the book Thunderball as soon as it came out,and then read.l every one of Fleming's originals. When I read the book On Her Majesty's Secret Service, I believed I had found the best James Bond thriller of all with a very human 007, so I wanted badly to see Sean Connery do this one. It almost happened.
Unfortunately, Connery bowed out at this point, so vague lookalike George Lazenby was hired to play the most coveted hero role of all time.This really.hampered.my.enjoyment of the film.
The fact that. Diana Riggs, TV's Mrs. Emma Peel was.the co-star made it all the more sad.to.me that Sean would not be there to make this the masterpiece it deserved to be.
I also felt that Telly Savalas was the most lackluster Blofeld ever.
The saving graces of this movie were the action sequences, the splendid John Barry score and Louis Armstrong doing what I feel to be the very best song of Armstrong's career and the very best of this series right up there with the title song of Goldfinger.
The story is a great one with what would have been a very touching ending (which I won't give away if you have not seen it) had a better actor played the lead.
The opening gag was a clever one and the great Richard Maibaum wrote an excellent script, yet every time Lazenby came on screen, I tried to imagine Sean Connery instead. That would have been spectacular.
So while it is perhaps one of the best screenplay in the series, I would have preferred that this is the one that made a swan song for Sean Connery than the less satisfying and downright silly Diamonds Are Forever that set the stage for many of the silly Roger Moore outings.
This is why it gets only seven out of ten from me.
Get on Up (2014)
James.Brown, Mr. Dynamite!!!
This is the story masterfully told about the Man known as the hardest working man in show business, and be was.that and.so much more.
As someone who didn't always "get" James Brown, I became a believer later in my life, and after this magnificent biopic . Agreed, it gets a tad confusing with the way it jumps back and forth, but it works like a soulful mosaic that weaves a tale that is truly the story of f the American dream. A black child who came into the world almost unwanted and jailed for a pretty crime with hard time still managed to rise above it all and became a music and entertainment legend
Not all is sweetness and light with the person of James Brown, but then no one is. Regardless of all the rough edges and the sometimes coldness and ruthlessness of the Man, there is no denying the power of the legend.
Other reviews called this cliché' but they are wrong. This is the way a great biopic is done. One said that breaking the fourth wall works against it, but again, not so. The very subtlety of a glance here and there packs power. Unlike The Jersey Boys, it never looks like a play on film or ever amateurish.
The performances of Chadwick Bozeman and all the others shows what truly great acting is. The hard work makes it all seem seamless. I could point out individual performers in this cinematic masterpiece, but I don't think I could type that long so I hope not to lessen the contributions of any of the other exceptional acting talents here.
Both Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis show exactly why they are always Oscar worthy.
I just loved it, and am now a bigger James Brown fan then ever before.
I must lastly say that I am glad that Boston was given (correctly) the credit for being the city in an historic moment following the assassination of. Dr. Martin Luther King when the Godfather of Soul quelled what could have been a race riot. Other films credited other cities and that was taking artistic license too far for me.
Also, credit must be given to Dan Ackroyd and Mick Jagger for their participation in this great tribute.
Not a perfect film, but a total joy!
Quantum Leap: Lee Harvey Oswald - October 5, 1957 - November 22, 1963: Part 1 (1992)
Going with. a. GRIM.FAIRY TALE
This is the only Quantum Leap episode I absolutely hated. Keep in mind that I'm from Massachusetts, and someone who not only followed the history of the Kennedy family but a part of it. On four different occasions, I met Ted Kennedy, even worked on his presidential campaign and etc members of his family. In addition to that, I have been educating myself for years about the Kennedy assassination, and I know that Mr. Bellasario wrote this in answer to the movie JFK which has more facts than this one does.
The whole cartoonish picture of Lee Harvey Oswald is ridiculous and it is even likely that Oswald wasn't even in the Texas School Book Depository when the shots were fired.
But this is not about a history lesson or even rehashing that horrible day. This is just substandard writing and acting and direction for this series. It's best to pretend it never happened.
I felt that it was a waste of my time as it further backs up the Warren Commission's grim fairy tale of a lone assassin.
And the fact that Oswald was killed before the full truth could be told.says volumes here.
Vig (1998)
Boston is not New York, but try telling Hollywood that. Falk makes it work.
OMG, I love this movie. In the first place, Peter Falk is in it and that makes any movie at least good. Second, there is Tyne Daly... same thing. Two absolutely natural actors who bring up the real estate wherever they are But what really impressed me was Freddie Prinze Jr. He played a character so despicable, I wanted to spit at the screen Anne hope he'd feel it. (I didn't) The only real Boston accent was from Steve Sweeney who after all is a Boston based comic as well as an actor. I lived around those accents so I'm sort of an expert.
The simple story is that Falk is an Irish guy who really is decent but has to make his way in a less than honorable profession. Now he is saddled with a tough punk (Prinze) There's slightly less cursing than a Scorcese flick but not more than a Tarrantino, but this doesn't hurt the story. It makes it just real enough.
Add a couple of Sopranos cast members and it's even more real. Lauren Holly and Timothy Hutton (doing a great Boston accent) as a couple with their own problems. A husband who's a drunk who would steal his wife's check to gamble and a woman who has to deal with him because she loves him, and he's l she's got.
Once again, Frank Vince.t plays his.usual tough guy character who saddled Falk with the punk in the first place.
Not a perfect movie, but a true slice of the underbelly of Boston life and with a "wow" finish.
I can't believe it had problems finding a distributor. There's magic here.
Cagney & Lacey: To Sir, with Love (1987)
CAgney & Lacey as Lucy and Ethel as cops.
Christine is asked by Inspector Knelman (Michael Fairman) to put together a dinner for Lt. Samuels but the Lieutenant is more concerned about paperwork and the 14th Precinct winning an long overdue award. But he us totally in the dark. The highlight of this episode is some great slapstick between the two principals whipping up some cannoli allegedly Samuels' favorite dessert. The punchline is worth the weight and Daly and La Gless make it all believable somehow, a true testament to their talents as first rate actors AND comedians. I loved this one. Can you tell?
There are.some other.highlights as the 14th crew are.lined up for some cheap entertainment as a talent show. A can't miss moment.
Cagney & Lacey: Conduct Unbecoming (1982)
When being gay was criminal
I saw this episode whole watching the shows in chronological order and was given a refresher course on the 70s when you could lose your job for being gay especially if you were a cop. While there are other things going on in the episode, the fact that a cop MAY have been outed could get him a "conduct unbecoming" charge and cost him his job. That term is one used regularly in.the military for a variety of reasons to get someone a less than honorable discharge. The main plot concerns a cache of illegal "Saturday night specials" sold around the city. One of my favorite things about watching these types of shows from the period is spotting. All the great character actors and there are no shortage of them here. The acting is as good as you would expect from this cast and they do not disappoint. It's just frustrating that to he characters, being gay was almost a crime in itself. A topic that is still timely.today, and this show is famous for that.
Groucho: A Life in Revue (2001)
Better.than the Kaplan version.
Gabe Kaplan was great at stand-up and a heck of a nice guy, but an actor he wasn't. Frank Ferrante nailed it with his interpretation of Groucho even doing perfect work in the physical aspects of the role so I don't know what is wrong with the reviewer.who said otherwise. While Kaplan knew Groycho in his later years, he wasn't able to pull off the younger or middle aged Groucho as Ferrannte did splendidly. Added.to this were the make-up changes on stage making the stage presentation all the more exciting.
Abrahmson.didn't look like Chico or Harpo, but he more than made up for it with his comic timing. I just wish he worked more on his Italian dialect. He.even played piano like Chico. It was also better to see both characters on stage unlike the Kaplan version.
I loved the work of the actress Marguerite Lowell who played several roles even doing a magnificent job on Margaret Dumont as well as Thelma Todd.
The set design was letter perfect and as much a star of the show as we're.the actors. Much more realistic than the sparse set on the : NO special.
I would recommend this highly... THEN watch the Gabe Kaplan version.
Groucho (1983)
Kaplan vs. Ferrante
I just watched a VHS of this play from HBO after watching Groucho:A Life In Revue starring Frank Ferrante.and BOTH have their pluses and minuses.For one thing, as one reviewer said on target, Gabe Kaplan is not a very.good actor, but in the scenes as the older Groucho, Kaplan is actually better than Ferrante in both voice and manner. Michael Tucci is perfectly cast as Chico. Unfortunately, Harpo is reduced to a horn offstage.and a harp with no harpist. The set on this HBO show is not as well dressed as the Ferrante set either.
Another thing that drove me a little nuts was how Kaplan get going back and forth on the pronunciation of Chico' s name often incorrectly pronouncing it Cheek-oh instead of Chick-oh!
The actress Connie Danese plays several roles and is quite good except as Margaret Dumont. The actress in the Ferrante production does better here.as well.
I like the way Ferrante captured many more of Groucho' s persona in terms of physical actions many times recreating perfectly all the usual trademarks from the classic Marx Brother movies. Kaplan does none of these save for the stooped Groucho walk. Just watching Frank Ferrante make the make-up changes on stage in front of your eyes is a delight as well as a revelation. Plus the actor playing Chico in that production, while not having as much a resemblance as did Michael Gucci,but he did all the business both Chico and Harpo did in character.
Overall, the HBO Kaplan version is somewhat inferior to the Ferrante presentation.
Both are worth viewing, but I recommend seeing the Ferrante DVD first.
The Godfather Part III (1990)
Eli Wallach and Joe Mantegna make this worth watching.
I was fortunate to have been given a copy of this film before its release so I knew the story beforehand. Like the two films that preceded it, the story is based on real events and people. In this case, the Vatican and the mysterious death of Pope John Paul I. At this point, Michael Corleone is striving for a clean life in business as a philanthropist but it seems that they pull him back in. Eli Wallach is a.competing Godfather who Connie wants to deal with personally, Michael suddenly gas a half brother with his own violent agenda who is the collegiate son of Sonny Corleone and just as hotheaded. On top of this, he has it in for Joey Zaza, played expertly by Joe Montegna. Unfortunately, Sofia Coppola is absolutely amateurish and dull as Michael's daughter.
The problems in this movie really.get in the way towards the end which.seems to go on forever. But, as I have mentioned, Eli Wallach (whom we just lost at 98) and Joe Mantegna make it all worth the price of admission. That, and a stunningly heartbreaking end scene are the high points of this epic.
Al Pacino actually gives a measured performance as well. So to those who say this film "sucked" your less than objective criticism is what sucks.
Stop! Look! and Laugh! (1960)
Stop, Look, Laugh and enjoy the time capsule!
I remember being very excited as a kid when I saw the promos for this first on. There even was a contest where some lucky boy or girl would be a featured player in the production which immediately made me fantasize about being the living, breathing embodiment of Jerry Mahoney. I was a huge fan of Paul Winchell and his figures (I always hated calling them dummies) Not to mention I ALWAYS LOVED the Stooges with Curly.
I must admit, I was a tad disappointed with seeing just clips of the zany trio but still thrilled to see lots of Winchell, Mahoney and Knucklehead Smiff. And the way the editors made it seem as though Winchell and Mahoney became victims of a pie throwing along with the Stooges was an extra cool plus.
One reviewer didn't seem to get that Paul Winchell did a children's show, but that wasn't always the case. In order to survive, he created a children's format and it was a huge success. Still the editing was amazing, not sloppy as one reviewer wrote. Now I DID like the Marquis Chimps in those days, but I could have done without them here. Still, the voice of the great June Foray was a welcome treat.
It is a shame I never got to meet my idol Paul Winchell, but I at least got to know ventriloquist Jerry Layne whom he mentored in the art. Anyway, this is a great time capsule as I see it and while I never lived in New York as a kid, so Officer Joe Bolton was not a big thing for me. Not too many years later, Boston legend Ed McConnell known to kids here in the Boston area as Major Mudd appeared in the Stooge feature The Outlaws Us Coming as a Curly like Bat Masterson.
This was in no way a classic, but a very entertaining walk down memory lane for kids like me.who chose to never completely grow up.
Mad Monster Party? (1967)
Mad is in the title but MAD is on the screen
Let me start by saying that I am a HUGE Boris Karloff and a cartoonist and animator as well'When I saw.the names of Harvey Kurtzman AS ND Jack Davis I knew I'm was in for a treat and was not disappointed. . You see, Harvey Kurtzman is co-creator of Mad in its comic book days and Jack Davis was one of their best artists. So when you look at the exceptional character design, you are looking at their work It is just as much fun as reading a Mad Magazine with its off-the-wall humor. Great fun and even my teenage son liked it which is AMAZING! My only complaint was the bizarre casting of Phylis Diller'
Fun for kids, classic horror fans and Boris Karloff.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1972)
a proposed mystery series...
I remember even the TV promo for this turkey. Not only did it feature a white haired Sherlock Holmes, but a boring over the top Dr. Watson.The mystery as handled badly and the most amazing part of it all was that was a pilot to a rotating series of detective characters including Ross Martin as Charlie Chan. I m glad that never happened and I am a hardcore Sherlock Holmes fan. For the record, Peter Crushing and Nigel Stock are the very best of Holmes and Watson ever... even better than Basil and Nigel, or Jeremy Brett and either of his Watsons. Just saying.
Having said all of that, I would Ike to own a DVD of the film just because I am a completist..Maybe even a bit of a glutton for punishment.
Thor (2011)
Marvel's original superhero Thor didn't have a beard.
Except for this, I loved this movie. But I can't say it doesn't make me crazy. The casting is right... the story fun and riveting and the special effects superb. But what makes me nuts is Marvel catering to later generations of fans by making a black Nick Fury and ignoring the Peter Parker/Betty Brant romance and skipping right ahead to Mary Jane. Noe there is another Spidery pic with changes I don 't like. I am referring to an absence if J. Jonah Jameson. WTF? I am a connosseur of Marvel Comics going back to its beginnings, mind you.
Still I did love the movie and look forward to seeing The Avengers movie.
Joe (1970)
Taxi Driver with a new set of victims,
The story is simple. A racist blue collar guy recruits a wealthy white man to kill hippies, This is also the first motion picture for Susan Sarandon and the flick that made Peter Boyle an actor who worked a lot and made his name.
This film I found greatly upsetting and I remember when it premiered at the Harvsrd Square theater in Cambridge, Mass. when I was still in high school. I never understood why such a movie would be popular with the very group it excoriates. Maybe it was a primer for those who wanted to avoid such psychotic baddies. When I first heard of the film, I had no idea that the composer of the music in it would become a close friend, supporter and benefactor. I also never envisioned being treated as something nasty on his shoe by the star, but these two things did occur.
But back to the film. It seems all too real and the rich man turned killer by the protagonist/antagonist played a racist in an episode of All In The Family as well.
I can't give away the finale of this movie except to say that it is rather abrupt and, unless you are a sociopath, unsettling to say the least.
The N word is one of the most offensive things in this films the swear words are mild compared to some other films. This was, I believe, the film that introduced the future director of Rocky.
But Bobby Scott's music as always is remarkable. Scott is a name that should be better known and I do hope people will try to find as much as they can about this Irish/Native American super talent, As for Peter Boyle, I wish I had told him of my friendship with Bobby and that he should not look at me as some sort of annoying gnat. After all, it is my friend's work that is the best thing in this film that gave Boyle his career. Talent is a wonderful thing, but humility should come along with it towards the people who made you a celebrity in the first place. Jerry Orbach thought that way. We could all learn from this.
Standing Room Only: Sherlock Holmes (1981)
Sherlock Holmes on stage...sort of!
Like another poster, I too have a huge collection of Sherlock Holmes on video in my personal collection, but I find Langella's portrayal of "The Master" to be stuffy and unlikeable. I saw the original Broadway production with John Wood in the lead and I think that it is a crying shame that he never got to assay the role on video of any kind. He not only looked like Holmes (while Langella decidedly did not) he was so close to the original character I loved in the Canon and other pastiches.
Donald Morfogen chose to play Moriarty like Richard Nixon which I found odd and distracting but that may have been the director's intent. As it was, the Gillette play was done in a tongue and cheek melodramatic style, and that may come across to viewers of the stage play as corny.
Still, Frank Langella is a marvelous actor and always fun to watch, I just don't see him as MY Holmes.
In the original HBO presentation, included were the curtain calls as each character bowed to the audience, (Actually, only the star came out n "character" as I remember it.
The Twilight Zone: The Chaser (1960)
A potion for all time!
This is a particularly memorable episode for me. Perhaps because I was a love-starved kid at time, but this is the one I remember the most and made George Grizzard a name I would remember eternally. To think that a love potion would only be a dollar purchase but a bottle of remover would cost a thousand. Yet, the twist of a Twilight Zone is the medicine that makes it all so palatable... or should I say potable? Whatever the case, Patricia Barry was one of my early TV crushes mainly due to this sweet treat from Rod Serling and the gang at CBS! And to think, it was the same network that premiered my other favorite show of that time,. The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis. Yet another story of a lovesick shlub of a teenager and his never-ending conquest of the elusive object of desire... the babe!
Medium: Me Without You (2011)
A rotten ending for a once great series.
As you may have already guessed by my episode title here, I was not at all pleased with the conclusion of this series. Let me just say that there are just so many plot flaws and really idiotic twists and turns in this particular show that it is not only a mess, but it makes you WANT to forget it all. The best thing about it was the closing where the entire crew has a chance to say goodbye and let you see them through the years. I don't want to give spoilers, but I do have to tell you that besides lazy "climactic" points that have become so cliché, the "solution" the writers (three of them it took to write this nonsense, including the creator of the show) gave the audience made you wonder if they just put the script in the blender and made a dreadful frappé that even a dog wouldn't digest. If anyone is interested and wants to write me, I would be more than happy to share with you my own version of what would have been a better script, because frankly, I've seen better writing in a Dick and Jane first grade primer than what we had here.
A waste of a good cast and a once great series that got sloppier in this last season. I can only think that the producers were so upset they weren't renewed that they just threw this together figuring "what's the point anyway?"
I gave it a two instead of a one only because I liked seeing Patricia Arquette and Sofia Vasilleva again looking so fine the both of them.
Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933)
Someone tell Mr. Maltin he's wrong...AGAIN!
I truly love this movie and it fits so well into the 1930s horror genre. Thrills and comic relief in just the right dosages. The use of German Expressionism in the individual shots as well as the lighting that made the horrific sufficiently creepy. Leonard Maltin in his usual dismissal of 30s films as "creaky" comes off as just a purist snob and it's as if he can't just go along for the fun ride. Unlike the remake "House of Wax" it doesn't come off as corny or a kind of "tongue and cheek" that is more like a thumbing of the nose. Glenda Farrell and Frank McHugh make their scenes a delight and move the story along as we get a true feel of the cinema of that time. Things that are sorely missing in the 1953 remake. The use of two strip Technicolor is not as vibrant as the later product. but it gives the charm of the silent picture period with it's use of color for atmosphere, with the blues of night scenes and all. It's so good that this film was rescued from Jack Warner's garage when it was so that we may all enjoy it.
The Phantom (2009)
Walk away from this Ghost...quickly!
If you want to wait an hour or more to see the main character in the suit only to see a bleached blonde in a bullet proof ski outfit, this picture is for you. If you want to see the Phantom, see either the Billy Zane film or the Tom Tyler serial.
I am so p.o'd I wasted any time with this turkey Syfy channel ought to be ashamed of themselves. If they thought the original costume was so "theatrical," then they should have not done it at all. The theatricality of it all is it's lure, The very first masked crime fighter deserves better than this.
Why do some producers think that new audiences want everything so updated to make it cool? Does anyone still know about story and excitement? Apparently, these guys want only to be high tech and now instead of good.
This Phantom should die a merciful death already instead of destroying tradition and quality.
The acting is as bad as the writing (or should I see REwriting) and making Isabella Rossellini unattractive is in itself an unforgivable crime.
Shame on them all!
Sherlock Holmes (1916)
A lost treasure one hopes will be one day be found.
This is the one and only film ever done by actor William Gillette and he was 60 years old at the time, a fact which shows particularly in photos of the photoplay. Also strange is the fact that those who conduct tours at the Gillette Castle in East Haddam, Connecticut don't even seem to know the film was ever made even though they display photos on the walls taken directly from the film.
William Gillette has an astounding record in terms of the role of Sherlock Holmes not only because he played the role over 1400 times in three mediums total, but also because he got permission from Conan Doyle himself to do things with the character that were never in print mainly because Doyle was so sickened of the stories that people did not seem to care about any of his other novels and publications. Gillette had no such problem since he relished playing the part particularly since it made him a rather wealthy man as well as a famous one.
Gillete also add bits of business that became so associated with the fictional detective that they exist to this day. Things such as the curved Meerchaum pipe and the dressing gown he so often wears in his digs at 221 B Baker Street. And in the last few serialized Sherlock Holmes stories in the American magazine Colliers, the illustrator intentionally made the detective hero look just like William Gillette.
Samuel French still prints the play and it was performed by no less than the Royal Shakespeare Company on Broadway as well as on the Wezt Coast. Still, when it was performed at the Williamsburg festival, there were changes made in the stage play making one wonder if there was more than one version of the play. Still these two things - the printed play and the videotaped production are all we have to go on in what this film may have been like since no print seems to exist.
Then there is the 1922 Sanuel Goldwyn film starring John Barrymore which tantalizes us further. While many here on this site have lambasted that version, it appears by all accounts to have been wildly successful.
SPOILER ALERT: Gillette in his version marries off Holmes to the character of Alice Faulkner who seems to have been based on the literary character known as "THE Woman" by Sherlock Holmes himself in a story in the Canon. Her name was Irene Adler.
Reportedly, when Gillette asked the creator Conan Doyle if he could marry him off, he was known to have said "You may damn well kill him off if you wish" As I have said in my summary title, I do hope that one day this film will resurface and be seen at all. One can only dream.
Charlie Chan's Chance (1932)
Chan's Chance recreation does exist, at least...
However grateful I am that there does exist a copy of the script and this recreation (on the third installment of Charlie Chan DVDs) I can't say much great about this one. Using mostly stills and ill cast "actors", this one entry doesn't strike me as a particularly good one, Earl Derr Biggers contributions or not. It is probably more faithful to the books and having struggled through reading those, I can tell you that I much prefer the celluloid Chan to the literary ones.
What really struck me as odd was that the actor doing the Warner Oland role sounded as though he was trying to sound like Sidney Toler whom I always found to be an inferior Chan with his "chopstick" delivery of lines and obvious makeup.
Still, it's kinda cool to have some sort of version existing at all.
The Killers (1964)
Make the time for this one!
The original story by Ernest Hemingway was quite simple really. The contract is put out on a man seems resigned to his fate causing the killers to wonder why this man was not afraid to die.
Pretty simple really. And in this, both film versions share a common thread, but that's where the resemblance ends.
In the Don Seigel version, there is a lot more grit and almost balletic presentation of the violence. Because this was a TV production as opposed to a cinematic one, the budget shows as just a little cheap. But that doesn't hurt the film since the emphasis seems to be on the character more than any other factor within screenplay. It's not surprising to me that this was considered too violent for television. It's always been a bit squeamish about the real world. When it comes to violence.
Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager are perfectly suited at the two hit men on a mission - find the mark and take it out. When I wasn't so crazy about was the whole John Cassavates as a race car driver in an affair with Angie Dickinson subplot.
POSSIBLE SPOILER!
Still, for my money any movie where Ronald Reagan gets taken out is all right with me. So long as didn't die in the presidency and become some kind of martyr, it is a plus for me when he gets offed on the screen.
This makes quite a great novelty that Reagan played a bad guy the last time, performing front of a camera (not counting presidential speeches.) Add to all of this mix, the deft hand of master director Don Siegel, the man who brought you "Dirty Harry" and what you get is a true gem that someone like Tarantino could only dream of topping or equaling.
And before I forget, the last line spoken by Lee Marvin is a gem. In a brilliantly conceived series of shots, Siegel, the director makes this one almost a classic. I say almost because of the slower parts in the film dealing with timing car races and silly love subplots.
While not the atmospheric film noir of the 1946 film, this one still delivers entertainment and then some.