MURDER FOR SALE 1968 (TUBI)

This is a very good spy film, at least in my opinion.

John Gavin stars as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath, a secret agent with the code name OSS 117.

Bath is assigned to investigate a series of political murders that local police have been unable to prevent. He assumes the name of William Chandler, who is a violent killer.

Bath then finds himself kidnapped by an organization run by a madman named Maggiore (Curd Jergens) who forces him to assassinate a world leader in order to start a war.

Bath races against time to stop this organization and stop a war as well as save his own skin. This is a very well made film and it features three of the sexiest women to ever grace the screen.

In the opening few minutes of the film we see Bath with Conchita Estaban (Rosalba Neri) and she is looking very, very fine here. After Bath is kidnapped by Maggiore his doctor is played by gorgeous Luciana Paluzzi and then Bath is left to swoon and win over a charming young woman named Aicha (Margaret Lee).

Besides these three gorgeous women we also have George Eastman, Robert Hossein and Piero Lulli. This isn't an action packed film, but it is fun, and Gavin is a good leading man in his one and only role as OSS 117.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Erin Andrews is 47.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Amy Hesketh is 46.

RIP RUTH BUZZI 1936-2025

The very funny lady has passed away.

Ruth Buzzi appeared in over 120 TV shows and movies in her long career.

She will always be remembered for her stint on Rowen and Martin's Laugh-In which lasted for 5 years and really introduced her to me any many my age. She was a true comedy genius.

Buzzi also appeared in episodes of "Night Gallery", "The Monkees", and "That Girl". She also appeared in many movies, but I think her most unusual role was in the 1980 sci-fi film "The Being".

Ruth Buzzi passed away on May 1, 2025 at the age of 88.

THE DOLL THAT TOOK THE TOWN 1957 (ALPHA)

Not too bad of a film.

A young and beautiful, but struggling model named Liliana (Virna Lisi) makes up a story about being raped and beaten by three men in an abandoned house.

This puts her in the spotlight where she wants to be and suddenly her career grows and so does her personal fortune. The trouble starts when the police arrest three men in connection with the crime.

One of the men, Mario Grimaldi (Serge Reggiani) pleads with Liliana to recant her story and tell the truth, but she refuses as she now has the life she wants. Mario's wife Anna (Haya Haraeet) sets out to make Liliana's life miserable until she tells the truth.

This movie was a suprise to find. It's very rare in that it seems to have fallen in between the cracks of the movie world. This Italian production isn't talked about too much online, but it's a great drama.

I really recommend this. Lisi is gorgeous and the movie is well acted and very topical, even today. Check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Amy Steel is 65, and Toni Naples is 73.

BOWERY BOMBSHELL 1946 (TUBI)

Director Phil Karlson cut his teeth on films like this.

To get money, Slip, Sach and the gang try to sell a car for a huge amount. They need the cash to save Louie's malt shop.

This gets them in a predicament when gangsters rob the bank the boys are in front of and Sach (Huntz Hall) is accused of the crime. Sach is then set up as a fall guy by gangster Ace Deuce (Sheldon Leonard).

The typical comedy ensues, but I have to admit the scene where Slip (Leo Gorcey) impersonates a gangster and meets Deuce and his gang is a great piece of comedy. It works well.

This was a good time waster and it's always fun to watch the Bowery Boys get into all kinds of trouble, and then get out again. The rest of the cast includes Bobby Jordan, William Benedict, David Gorcey, Teala Loring, James Burke and William "Wee Willie" Davis as well as Milton Parsons.

Nothing special, but fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Jo Ann Pflug is 85, Mitzi Kapture is 63, Pat Cardi is 73, and Engelbert Humperdinck is 89.

TRANFORMATIONS 1991 (KINO)

Now this is one odd little movie.

Rex Smith stars as Wolfgang Shadduck, a star pilot who is heading home. With no explanation at all a slimy monster appears on his ship in the form of a beautiful woman.

The creature has sex with Wolf and then disappears. Wolf thinks it was a dream, but before he really has time to think about things his ship is forced to land on a penal colony.

He wakes up in the hospital and finds he is very ill with something the doctors cannot understand. He is treated by a gorgeous doctor named Miranda (Lisa Langlois). Wolf becomes more and more of a monster after having been infected by the thing on the ship.

He goes on a killing spree. At the same time three crazed convicts on the colony are planning an escape. They kidnap Miranda and Wolf and force him to fly them off the planet.

Things get even more bizarre from here, and I won't give anything away, but what a movie!! Nothing is explained or answered, which is ok, but some of the characters really need fleshing out.

The movie does have a rather unexpected ending, again I'm not giving anything away. Just see it!!

The rest of the cast includes Patrick Macnee, Christopher Neame, Cec Verrell and Benito Stefanelli.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joy Harmon is 85, Tiffany Stratton is 26, and Rita Coolidge is 80.

THE OUTFIT 1973 (WARNER ARCHIVE)

An excellent movie!!

Robert Duvall stars as Earl Macklin, a man released from prison after robbing a bank owned by the mob. We see his brother being killed in the opening minutes of the movie, and from then on we know that there will be hell to pay.

Macklin isn't out of jail 24 hours before he starts his private war on the Mob and their boss named Mailer (Robert Ryan). Macklin is met when released by Bett Harrow (Karen Black). She is a former girlfriend and not too hot on what Macklin wants to do.

Macklin robs a private poker party by top mob bosses and soon starts small robberies everywhere mob money is involved. This enrages Mailer who demands that Macklin be killed no matter what.

One thing leads to another and before you know it Macklin is becoming more of a pain to the mob than they ever imagined. All of the performances in the movie are very, very good.

A cast of very familiar faces to movie fans and a great story makes this film just fly by. If you're a fan of crime movies, then this is for you.

The rest of the cast includes Joe Don Baker, Timothy Carey, Richard Jaeckel, Sheree North, Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr., Jane Greer, Henry Jones, Joanna Cassidy and Tom Reese.

One of the best casts for a 70's film noir. I thought Joanna Cassidy's performance as Mailer's wife was terrific, even if there wasn't much for her to do but look sexy. However the winning role in my opinion goes to Sheree North. North was always a very gorgeous woman, but this role is, well, unforgettable.

I won't give anything away, but just take my word for it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED CRIME FILM!!

BELATED HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Sarah French who turned 43 on April 22, 2025.

FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD 1947 (WARNER ARCHIVE)

Another fun entry in the series.

Ton Conway stars as Tom Lawrence, The Falcon. Lawrence is on vacation in Hollywood when he gets involved in the murder of an actor on a Hollywood movie set.

Lawrence is determined to find the killer, and along the way meets a perky taxi driver named Billie (Veda Annn Borg) who helps him in the investigation.

Two detectives, McBride (Emory Parnell) and Higgins (Frank Jenks) always seem to be one step behind Lawrence. It's a fast paced fun little murder yarn which was very typical of RKO thrillers and "B" films of the day.

The rest of the cast includes Barbara Hale, John Abbott, Sheldon Leonard, Jean Brooks, Paula Corday and Robert Clarke.

A top notch entry in the series, I always enjoy going back in time with these movies and seeing how things used to be. I really miss actor like Conway and actresses such as Borg and the very beautiful Corday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Michelle Pfeiffer is 67, Uma Thurman is 55, Candace Owens is 36, and Cheri Caffaro is 80.

RIP DAMIEN THOMAS 1942-2025

The British actor has died.

Damien Thomas may not be a familiar name to many, but his career spanned over 50 years.

He appeared in such TV fare as "Journey Into The Unknown", "Madigan" and "Special Branch", just to name a few.

His movie roles included "Journey Into Darkness", "Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger" and his most famous role as Count Karnstein in "Twins Of Evil".

Damien Thomas passed away on April 18, 2025 at the age of 83, just one week after his birthday.