RAMBLINGS....

The time has come once again.

I will be going away for a while and there will be several days of no entries.

Thanks for the support and I'll be back as soon as I can.

PHANTOM OF THE RANGE 1936 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Interesting and fun western from Victory Pictures.

Tom Tyler stars as Jerry Lane.

A man dies and leaves a fortune hidden on his ranch. Everyone believes the clue to the hidden money is kept in an old picture frame. When the dead man's belongings go up for auction, a mysterious man named Jerry Lane out bids everyone for the picture.

This outrages Brandon (Forrest Taylor) and his thugs so they decide to take care of things their way.

Before you know it Jerry is framed for murder, and must not only prove his innocence, but he has to help the young female owner of the ranch find the hidden money.

This is a very enjoyable western/mystery film from poverty row. I enjoyed it a lot. The print from Sinister is beautiful, and if you're a fan of poverty westerns, this is one you need to see.

The rest of the cast includes Beth Marion, Sammy Cohen and Soledad Jimenez.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Gary Busey is 75.

RIP TADAO TAKASHIMA 1930-2019

A famous Japanese actor has died.

If you love Japanese horror and sci-fi films you know who Takashima was.

He appeared in such films as "King Kong Vs. Godzilla", "Atragon", "Frankenstein Conquers The World" and "Godzilla Vs. Mecha Godzilla 2 " and many more.

He passed away in Japan at the age of 88 on June 26th, 2019.

A FACE ON THE FOG 1936 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Strange and fun little thriller from poverty row.

Victory Pictures was one of many small film companies during the 1930's and they churned out a few interesting little films, and this is one of them.

The actors in a stage play are being stalked and killed by a deranged killer known as "The Fiend".

He is a hunchbacked killer who uses from poison bullets which kill people very effectively and quietly. When two murders occur everyone begins to panic as the police investigate and turn up nothing.

Without giving too much plot away, I can tell you it has a small twist ending. The cast includes June Collier, Lloyd Hughes, Al St. John and Forrest Taylor.

Not too shabby for a poverty row picture. If you get a chance you might want to check it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Bruce Davison is 73, and Pamela Rodgers is 76.

RIP SUSAN BERNARD 1948-2019

One of the most beautiful actresses I have ever known has died.

Bernard had a career in films that was one wild trip and was also a Playboy Playmate.

Some of the great films she appeared in include "Witchmaker", "Necromancy" and "The Killing Kind". However, there is one film that she will ALWAYS be remembered for.

In 1965 she starred in the Russ Meyer classic "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill" and that is where she won over my heart. The luscious captive of three psychotic females is something that once seen, is never forgotten.

RIP beautiful lady. She died on June 21st, 2019 at the age of 71.

CURSE OF BIGFOOT 1972 (SINISTER CINEMA)

Yes I have reviewed this before.

I mention it again here as Sinister Cinema has turned out the best print of this film you are ever going to see from a stunning 35mm print and it really looks great.

The movie was originally made in 1958 as "Teenagers Battle The Thing" which was actually released on VHS many years ago and which I owned but have long since lost.

In 1972 Bigfoot mania was sweeping America and they took this film and shot other scenes and added another 30 minutes to it. The story is very simple. A group of archaeologists from a local school unearth a mummy which comes to life and goes on a mini rampage.

I used to see this on TV almost every other weekend during the 70's and I am not sure it ever had a theatrical release. Yes as I get older I enjoy the film much more than I did when I was younger.

Nope, it's not a well made film, but it is fun and the print from Sinister is well worth the money. This has been out from almost every PD company and all of the prints leave a lot to be desired, so again, check out this is you want the best version out there.

RIP BRYAN MARSHALL 1938-2019

A fine British actor has died.

He had uncredited roles in such films as "Rasputin The Mad Monk", and "The Witches" but he made his mark with a renown sci-fi classic.

His role as Captain Potter in the 1967 gem entitled "Quatermass And The Pit" made him world famous among fans of the genre. He also starred in "The Spy Who Loved Me" and many other films as well.

He died on June 25th in England at the age of 81.

RIP EDITH SCOB 1937-2019

The French actress has died.

Her career started in 1959, but she became popular worldwide when she appeared in the 1960 film "Eyes With A Face" which has since become a classic foreign horror film.

Her other well known films outside of France include "The Burning Court" and "Judex". Her film career lasted until earlier this year. However, fans will ALWAYS remember "Eyes Without A Face".

She passed away in France on June 26th, 2019 at the age of 81.

THE LAST REUNION 1955 (SINISTER CINEMA)

A fine British TV film with a nifty twist ending.

Extremely rare and obscure British TV film from the mid 1950's. The bizarre story revolves around 8 men who reunite every year since the end of WW2 for a dinner and friendly chat.

Their former leader's ghost joins them in spirit as well. All seems to be going well until they begin their reenactment of their final flight, which was a suicide mission.

During this we find out that all of the men are actually dead, but there is one final twist that I won't spoil here. It really packs a wallop and isn't soon forgotten.

There isn't much written about this on the internet and it is quite rare as I mentioned earlier. I first saw this on A Sinister VHS tape years ago and it was nice to revisit it on DVD.

I really recommend you check it out if you like good ghost stories. It's really too bad this isn't better known.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Robert Davi is 68, and Terri Nunn is 58.

HIGH SCHOOL HELLCATS 1958 (MGM)

Fun little 50's JD film.

Yvonne Lime stars as Joyce Martin, a young woman in high school that is forced to join a dangerous gang of females called "The Hellcats".

The group is run by Connie Harris (Jana Lund) and she forces Joyce into a robbery and other illegal activities as well as destroying some people's lives.

One night at a wild party Connie is pushed down the stairs and killed and the group makes everyone swear to silence. The new leader of the group is a demented young woman named Dolly (Susanne Sidney) who doesn't like Joyce anyway and plots to kill her.

A young man, Mike Landers (Brett Halsey) is in love wit Joyce and tries to get her out of the Hellcats. Everything comes to a head when Dolly attempts to kill Joyce and it's revealed that she killed Connie out of jealousy.

Edward Bernds directed this classic little JD film that holds your attention well. The rest of the cast includes Heather Ames, Nancy Kilgas and Don Shelton as a very over protective father.

This AIP production is a good effort and well worth a look.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO,..

June Lockhart is 94, Carly Simon is 74, Norman J. Warren is 77, and Layla El is 42.

AMERICAN SCARY 2006 (POOB PRODUCTIONS)

A whimsical and fun look at a part of truly American history.

This documentary focuses on the sub-culture phenomenon known as the "local horror movie host" which many of us grew up on when we were much younger.

Starting in the 1950's local TV stations had movie packages consisting of the old Universal horror films in a presentation called "Shock Theater". Stations didn't know what to do with them and thus popped up many horror hosts from coast to coast.

Many of the personalities interviewed here are now gone, but their legacies live on. Some of the interviewees include Maila Nurmi (Vampira), Bob Wilkins, John Stanley, Bill Cardille (Chilly Billy), Richard Dyszel (Count Gore DeVol), John Zacherle (Zacherley), Karen Scioli (Stella), Jim Hendricks (Commander USA), and so many more.

Most people don't know what watching movies hosted by weird characters is really like given the cesspool TV is today, but back in the 50's, 60's and 70's, even into the 80's it was a sub culture that entertained many of us.

I recommend this DVD to any fan of horror and especially people my age who fondly remember this bygone era of entertainment.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Michele Lee is 77, and Georg Stanford Brown is 76.

RIP BOB DORIAN ?-2019

The former host of AMC when it first began running old movies has died.

Dorian began hosting movies on AMC in 1984 and was always a very welcome person into my home.

Dorian was a part time actor and a huge movie buff. He wasn't an expert like others, but he was a fan who knew things about the films and was a very congenial host.

I miss people like Bob Dorian, because he and Robert Osborne were the two best hosts of older films on TV. Dorian died on June 15th, 2019 and I have no record of the year he was born. He will always be remembered by movie fans, however before AMC changed from American Movie Classics to All Movies Cut.

RIP EDDIE GARCIA 1929-2019

One of the most prolific actors in the world has died.

Eddie Garcia was considered the greatest Filipino actor of all time having appeared in over 600 roles during a career that lasted from 1949 until 2019.

Garcia is most widely known in the USA for his roles in classic Filipino horror films such as "Beast Of Blood", "Beast Of The Yellow Night", "The Twilight People", "The Living Dead" and much, much more.

Garcia never gave a bad performance and worked right up until an accident on the set last week put him in the hospital. He died on June 20th, 2019 at the age of 90.

RAMBLINGS...

Well June is in full swing and that means my time is becoming very limited.

I am going to take a VERY well deserved vacation for a while so there will be no new entries for a few days, plus I am moving.

Lots of cool stuff lined up for review and some pretty interesting things coming to Blu-ray, which I will touch upon when I get back. Thanks for all of your support and I will return shortly.

THAT GUY DICK MILLER 2014 (AMAZON PRIME)

A very wonderful documentary on the career of perhaps the greatest character actor to ever appear in movies.

Financed by Kickstarter, this is a look at the career of Dick Miller who made over 200 appearances in various movies and TV shows in his very long career.

There is no excuse for anyone reading this not to know who Miller is. Directed by Elijah Drenner over a period of 3 years, this affectionate film looks at the entire career of Mr. Miller as well as his home life.

Almost everyone he has ever worked with is interviewed here including Joe Dante, Fred Dekker, Roger Corman, Jonathan Haze, Mary Woronov and many, many more. Miller has been in hundreds of films of every genre and you have seen him in something.

Just some of the films he is in are "Bucket Of Blood" in which he had the lead role of Walter Paisley which is a moniker that stuck with him for many years and roles to come, "War Of The Satellites" also a lead role, "Piranha", "Hollywood Boulevard", "Gremlins", "Night Of The Creeps", "Big Bad Mama", "The Wild Angels", "Not Of This Earth", and that is just a very few.

This film tells the story of his rise to cult icon after many years of struggling in Hollywood. He and his wife Lainie overcame huge odds and kept a strong marriage under the pressures of acting.

If you're a fan of films period, then you should see this gem. It's a touching tribute to a man who I grew up with and who made movie watching fun, no matter what the film.

Dick Miller was born on Christmas Day in 1928 and sadly passed away on January 30th of 2019 shortly after he turned 90. His legacy is brilliantly captured in this wonderful and highly recommended feature.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Candy Clark is 72, and Brett Halsey is 86.

HOT CARS 1956 (MGM)

Obscure little crime drama that should be better known.

John Bromfield stars in this Bel-Air Production as a used car salesman named Nick Dunn. Nick is a happily married man who happens to have an infant that is ill and needs an operation.

Nick and his wife Jane (Carol Shannon) struggle with the fact they don't have enough money for the operation. Nick gets fired for not selling enough cars and he finds himself looking for other work.

Along comes a man named Arthur Markel (Ralph Clanton) who offers Nick a selling job at one of his lots, which he gladly accepts. Nick discovers that the dealership he works for is in the car stealing business and then re-selling them.

Nick is so desperate for cash that he puts blinders on and ignores things until a cop is killed and he is framed for the murder by the people he is working for.

The little low budget gem was directed by Don McDougall who handle the directing chores well. The rest of the cast includes Mark Dana, the incredibly sexy Joi Lansing, and Dabbs Greer.

I liked this film a lot. It only runs 60 minutes so it's a fast mover, and Lansing is ALWAYS nice to look at. RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Paula Abdul is 57, Rosalba Neri is 81, and Daria Nicolodi is 69.

CARNIVAL ROCK 1957 (AMAZON PRIME)

An early Roger Corman film I had never seen until now.

David J. Stewart stars as Christy, the owner of a rock n' roll club on a small pier. Christy is obsessed with his beautiful, young singer named Natalie Cook (Susan Cabot).

Natalie actually love a young man named Stanley (Brian Hutton) and wants nothing to do with Christy except be friends. This, of course does not sit well with the carnival owner.

Christy's best friend and business partner Benny (Dick Miller) tries to help and to explain that Christy has been so obsessed, that he has let his business slide into uncontrollable debt.

Christy gets more and more obsessed and it finally culminates in a disastrous fire. This is a great little low budget film from Howco International and it is often overlooked by Corman fans and film fans alike.

Stewart does an excellent job at playing Christy and his wild obsession is fine against the quiet tones of Hutton's Stanley. Susan Cabot looks gorgeous as always and I feel she really carries this film.

There are a lot of familiar faces in here including Ed Nelson, Bruno VeSota, Iria Adrian, Jonathan Haze, Frankie Ray, Dorothy Neumann, Abby Dalton and the Platters who do a couple of numbers.

This is a film that should be released on DVD or Blu-ray, but for now you can see it on Amazon Prime. I recommend this movie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Linda Thorson is 72, and A.J. Khan is 42.

THE DALTON GIRLS 1957 (AMAZON PRIME)

Reginald Le Borg directed this entertaining western with a twist.

This western is about the four daughters of the infamous Dalton Gang members who are tired of being treated as criminals simply because of their late relatives.

The women are forced into a life of crime and they find that they actually enjoy it. Lovely Merry Anders stars as Holly Dalton, Lisa Davis is Rose Dalton, Penny Edwards is Columbine Dalton and Sue George is Marigold Dalton.

These women begin a campaign of robbery and terror across the plains of the west. Holly is the gang leader as she is the oldest and she clashes with Rose who is clearly a cold blooded killer. Columbine falls for a shady gambler named W.T. Grey (John Russell) and she really wants out of this life of crime the women have developed.

Say what you want about this movie, it's not a bad film and it is unique in the fact that four women carry a western, which even today is very rare. The performances by all the leads are good and as I have said before, I love Merry Anders work and watch anything she is in.

This is available on Amazon Prime and DVD, so if you like westerns, especially those with a twist, you might want to check this out. Le Borg directed some great 50's horror films including "The Black Sleep".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Peter Lupus is 87, and Barry Manilow is 76.

RIP ALLENE ROBERTS 1928-2019

One of the last Hollywood ingenue actresses has passed away.

Roberts started her acting career in 1947 at the age of 19 in the film noir classic "The Red House" with Edward G. Robinson.

She moved on to other movies such as "Bomba On Panther Island", the film noir gem "Knock On Any Door", "Santa Fe", "The Hoodlum" and "Union Station" and then into television such as "Adventures Of Superman" and many more.

She retired at the age of 29 in 1957 to become a wife and mother. She passed away on May 19th, 2019 at the age of 90.

NABONGA 1944 (SINISTER CINEMA)

I remember first seeing this in the mid 80's on CBN!!

The movie opens with a man and his daughter flying over Africa in a terrible rain storm. The plane goes down but all live including the pilot.

After the pilot discovers that the man is carrying money and jewels that his passenger stole, the man kills him. Meanwhile his daughter has befriended a huge gorilla that has been shot and wounded.

Flash forward to many years later as we have a young man named Ray Gorman (Buster Crabbe) who is looking for the missing plane and it's cargo. Gorman, in turn is being followed by Carl Hurst (Barton MacLane) and Marie (Fifi D'Orsay), both of whom want to so called "treasure" Gorman is looking for.

After a long trek thru the jungle, Gorman finds the plane as well as a beautiful white girl living in the jungle that the natives call a "white witch". Her name is Doreen (Julie London) and she is protected by a huge gorilla called Sampson (Ray Corrigan).

This is pure escapist entertainment and is your usual PRC production. It's harmless fun and I have always enjoyed this neglected little gem. Julie London looks magnificent as Doreen in her screen debut.

If you haven't seen this you might want to check it out. As I said, harmless fun.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joan Van Ark is 76, and Dagmar Lassander is 76.

BLACK GUNN 1972 (MILL CREEK) BLU-RAY

Excellent action film starring Jim Brown.

Brown is a nightclub owner named Gunn and he has a very successful business. His younger brother, who works for him is involved with a militant black group that has planned a robbery.

The robbery goes off as planned but it's the Mafia they hit and this leads to a world of trouble. The Mafia wants it's $10,000 back, but more importantly they want the three books back that were also stolen.

Capelli (Martin Landau) is put in charge of getting the books back. He has his thugs (William Campbell and Tim Brown) put some heavy pressure on people in the ghetto and they eventually discover, with the help of a psycho named Ray Kriley (Bruce Glover) that Gunn's brother is behind the crime.

When they kill him, Gunn vows revenge no matter what. Thus sets up a great action films that is handled very well by director Robert Hartford-Davis who also handled the film entitled "The Take" with Billie Dee Williams.

I love the action sequences in this film and it is full of beautiful women including leading lady Brenda Sykes as Gunn's girlfriend and the luscious Luciana Paluzzi. Paluzzi's role is sadly small as Toni, a beautiful woman who tries to kill Gunn because she too is tied to the mob as well as her politician friend, Adams (Gary Conway).

The Blu-ray presentation is beautiful and flawless from Mill Creek, and if you're a fan of black action films, this is a must see. The rest of the cast includes Bernie Casey, Vida Blue, Stephen McNally, and Chuck Daniel.

RECOMMENDED!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Judy Pace is 77, Joy Bang is 74, Anthony Carbone is 94, and Pamela Martinez is 30.

THE TAKE 1974 (MILL CREEK) BLU-RAY

An interesting film that keeps your attention.

Billy Dee Williams stars as detective Terry Sneed who arrives in a small town in New Mexico to help the local police department fight a huge organized crime ring.

Upon arriving he meets the police chief, a man named Berrigan (Eddie Albert) and his right hand man, Dolek (Albert Salmi) who fill him in on the situation. After learning what is going on, Sneed then visits a children's hospital to see an old flame named Nancy (Tracy Reed).

She spurns him as a worthless crook on the take, and soon the viewer learns that as well. It seems that Sneed is also in the pocket of the local crime syndicate run by Manso (Vic Morrow). Much to Sneed's surprise Dolek is also on the mob payroll.

Sneed plays both ends up the middle until things get way out of control and his life is in danger from everyone around him. This film does have a made for TV look to it, but that never detracts from it's being a good movie.

The movie moves along quickly and one has to pay attention to keep track of all the twists and turns. Robert Hartford-Davis directed and does the job well. The rest of the cast includes Frankie Avalon, Sorrell Brooke, A Martinez, John David Chandler, Kathleen Hughes and William Sargent.

The Blu-ray presentation from Mill Creek is excellent and fans of action films shouldn't be disappointed. This movie doesn't really fit into the "black action" genre but it makes for good entertainment anyway.

THE BLACK GODFATHER 1976 (MILL CREEK)

Now this film caught my attention.

Rod Perry stars as J.J. a man rising fast in the crime scene and hungry for power.

J.J. wants to consolidate crime syndicates and he wants to take over the white heroine cartel as well. This does not sit well with the cartel, but J.J. is persistent.

Even J.J.'s mentor, a man who rescued him from the streets and helped groom him into the man he is now is reluctant to start a violent mob war over heroine.

When he oversteps his bounds the Mafia strikes back and kills several close friends of J.J.'s and then all out warfare stars between the black crime syndicate and the white heroine dealers.

This is an unusual film in that even though the plot is about a very violent situation, it's played low key. I liked this movie a lot, but then again I am a huge fan of black cinema anyway, so maybe I am a bit prejudiced in favor of them.

However, this is another fast paced film that does have a few surprises and a great performance from Perry. It also features a great soundtrack, as do most of these kinds of movies.

The rest of the cast includes Damu King, Don Chastain, Jimmy Witherspoon and the beautiful Diane Sommerfield. If you haven't seen this and you're a fan of action films you might want to check it out. Again, this is paert of thr Mill Creek set called "Soul Team Six".

BLACK FIST 1974 (MILL CREEK)

Richard Lawson stars in this well made action film.

Lawson is Leroy Fisk, a man who has struggled his entire life to make ends meet. One day he comes across a man who makes him one of the best street fighters in Los Angeles.

When the money starts coming in his life gets a little better until a crooked and scummy cop named Heineken (Dabney Coleman) starts putting the squeeze on him.

The man who made Fisk into a street fighter in the first place, Logan (Robert Burr) has Heineken on the payroll, but he wants more than Logan can offer so he makes life miserable for Fisk.

Fisk finally snaps and everyone gets paid back very brutally.

I have read a lot of bad reviews about this "Blaxploitation" gem but I enjoyed it. Lawson gives a very good performance as does Phillip Michael Thomas, Joseph Ruskin and the beautiful Annazette Chase as the woman Fisk loves.

The movie moves along at a good pace and action fans should enjoy it. The print is very watchable, but as I have said before I wish someone would remaster these onto Blu-ray. This is included on the set from Mill Creek called "Soul Team Six".

DOOMED 2016 (AMAZON PRIME)

This is the very sad and anger inducing story of a film that got made and never shown.

OK, I'm gonna piss a lot of people off but, Stan Lee of Marvel was a fraud and a very convincing liar. I never cared for the man and I still care very little about Marvel Comics or their stupid movies.

Back in 1994 a small little film was made called "The Fantastic Four" long before the disaster that came out in 2005. This is the true story of why the film was made back in 1994 and never released.

We hear from all four lead actors who played the Fantastic Four , Alex Hyde-White (Dr. Reed Richards), Jay Underwood (Johnny Storm), Rebecca Staab (Susan Storm) and Michael Bailey Smith (Ben Grimm) as well as Joseph Culp (Dr. Strange) and you can tell some of these people are a little miffed about the entire production.

Well they should be...it was nothing but a sham by Stan Lee and Avi Arad to jack up the cost of the movie rights. I have seen this kind of crap first hand and it always leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

If you want to see how the movie community really is, check this stunning documentary out. It's sad, bittersweet and a bit depressing when you learn that everyone's hard work was for the benefit of an idiot like Stan Lee.

It's a good learning experience however and one everybody should see. I caught this on Amazon Prime when I discovered it by accident. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Adrienne Barbeau is 74, and Dawn Wildsmith is 56.