MYSTERIOUS ISLAND 1961 (TUBI)

It's hard to believe that I have never talked about this classic film on this blog.

Cy Endfield directed this fine film with great Ray Harryhausen effects.

The story revolves around a group of POW's who steal a hot air balloon during the American Civil War. During a violent storm, they crash on an island and find it inhabited by giant animals and plants.

Soon the men are joined by two shipwreck survivors Lady Mary Fairchild (Joan Greenwood) and Elena Fairchild (Beth Rogen). The 7 survivors struggle to survive, and are attacked by giant crabs, giant chickens and bees plus pirates.

They also discover that Captain Nemo (Herbert Lom) is also on the island and that it is about to be destroyed by volcanic activity.

This is a grand adventure in the Jules Verne style and Columbia studios brings it to the screen in a great film with a top notch cast. This is one of my fondest childhood memories.

The rest of the cast includes Michael Callan, Michael Craig, Percy Herbert, Gary Merrill and Dan Jackson. This has been on TUBI for a while, but will soon be gone so if you haven't seen this cinematic gem do so soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Carrera is 78.

THE AMBUSHERS 1967 (TUBI)

This is the first Matt Helm film I ever saw.

Dean Martin stars as Helm in this fun little spy spoof.

The story is very simple as Helm is assigned to a case involving foreign spies and the exiled ruler of a country who has hijacked an experimental flying saucer.

There are a lot of people who accuse these films of being rip offs of James Bond, but that isn't quite true. The four Helm movies are intended as spoofs, and they do a damn good job of it.

Martin is very good in he role and what I like most about these movies is there is not an unattractive woamn to be found. I prefer my women without tats and body piercings, and modern actresses cannot hold a candle to any of these women from the 60's.

This is the third of the four films, and I really think you shuld check it out. The music, clothes and everything else screams 60's coolness.

The rest of the cast includes Janice Rule, Senta Berger, James Gregory, Albert Salmi, Kurt Kasznar, Beverly Adams, Linda Foster, Karin Feddersen, Marilyn Tindall, Terri Hughes, Roy Jensen and David Mauro.

Colorful, funny and very good entertainment.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Eliza Dushku is 43, Russ Tamblyn is 89, Kelli Maroney is 58, and Jeff Lynn is 76.

DARKER THAN NIGHT 1975 (TUBI)

Very interesting and well done Spanish horror.

The story revolves around an elderly woman who dies and leaves her estate to a relative named Ofelia Escudero (Claudia Islas). She gets the entire mansion as long as she takes care of a cat named Bequer.

Ofelia and three of her friends, Aurora (Susana Dosamantes), Marta (Lucia Mendez) and Pilar (Helena Rojo) move into the house and then the trouble soon starts.

They start seeing ghosts of the dead, elderly owner, hearing ghostly moans and much more. This is a standard old dark house thriller that turns into so much more by the final 20 minutes.

There are a lot of different things about this film. One of the big differences is that the film only has four main characters, and they are all beautiful women, which is highly unusual for a film from the mid 1970's.

Some of these women do not live thru the film, but I won't say which ones or how they die. I think you should watch it and find out. I loved the colors and the 70's fashions in this film, and it brings back some good memories.

This is actually a rare film to see, but it is popular enough to have a reamke done in 2014, which I haven't seen.

If you get the time and you like Spanish horror, you miht want to check this out. It's not a fast moving film, but it's a good one, and hey, you have four sexy women to watch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Steele is 86, and Yvonne Elliman is 72.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Crampton is 65, Bill Goldberg is 57. Charles Band is 72, Melissa Moore is 60, and Thea Trinidad is 33.

AGENT FOR H.A.R.M. 1966 (INTERNET ARCHIVE)

I hadn't seen this for years and finally found out it was on the IA, so I gave it another look after about 30 years.

The print looks fantastic on the IA. I don't really know why this movie is so low rated as far as film fans go.

Peter Mark Richman stars as government agent Adam Chance who is assigned to protect a professor named Stefanik (Carl Esmond) from being captured by agents who want his secret formula.

This particular formula is an antidote to a hideous spore-like fungus that can be shot out of a gun and eat the human body from the inside out. These set pieces of people who have been shot and turned to fungus are quite shocking, and I think they still hold up well today.

Barbara Bouchet is sexy as ever playing a young woman who claims to be the neice of the professor, but later we find out she is an enemy agent working for Basil Malko (Martin Kosleck) who wants the formula no matter who gets killed.

This was originally a pilot for a proposed spy series for TV, but was never sold so it was expanded and released to theaters.

I really enjoyed this and have often wondered why this has never been available on and home entertainment format. Well maybe someday it will be. Don't be fooled by all the negative things you will see written about this film, check it out and decide for yourself.

The rest of the cast includes Robert Quarry, Wendell Corey, Donna Michelle, Aliza Gur, Rafael Campos and Robert Donner.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Barbara Mandrell is 75.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Donna Martell is 96.

DON'T TURN EM LOOSE 1936 (TCM)

Very interesting film and one I had never heard of before.

Bruce Cabot stars as Robert Webster, a notorious gangster who uses many other names as well. In the opening scene we see him as he stands before the parole board as his crying wife holds their infant daughter and pleads for mercy.

He is granted parole, and then we find out that the woman really isn't his wife and that the woman rented the infant as a prop!! No sooner than he is released does Webster plan other robberies.

He and his gang make a major theft from a bank and everyone goes on the lamb. Webster has his entire familty fooled into believing that he is an upstanding person who has been overseas doing business work. He is highly respected and admired.

His father, John Webster (Lewis Stone), sister Mildred (Berry Grable) and mother Helen (Nella Walker) all believe the lie and everything seems to be going ok until Robert decides to pull another job and he is caught and sent to jail. His partners in crime Pete (Frank Jenks) and Vic (Harry Jans) make it appear that Robert has left for a location overseas on business.

While Robert is in prison, his father is appointed to the parole board and when Robert once again appears in front of them John is shocked and then he's blackmailed into granting parole to Robert.

As you can see the plot is very intricate, and there are plenty more twists and turns before the climax. I enjoyed this a lot and it did help entertain me thru this very difficult time in my life.

Cabot is in top notch form and if you get a chance you might want to catch this unsung gem.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Edwige Fenech is 75.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joan Severence is 65.

THE HUNTED 1948 (TCM)

Good little film noir.

A young woman named Laura (Belita) who proclaimes her innocents in a jewel theft is arrested by her boyfriend cop (Preston Foster).

After her release from prison, Laura is still hounded by Fosters character of John Saxon. Saxon still loves her, but he wants to solve the case no matter what.

Saxon runs into some strange characters during his investigation and as he draws closer to the truth and some of the missing diamonds Laura gets farther away from him.

After much chasing around Saxon discovers that Laura really was framed by a group of men and he has to catch them. However, Laura is again framed for something, this time a murder and she takes it on the run with Saxon in pursuit,

Saxon has the job of finding her as well as arresting the thugs who framed her.

This is a forgotten film noir that really should be seen more. Foster does an excellent job and Belita, a former Ice Skater turned actrerss does as good as she can. Her sometime stilyed dialogue fits the flavor of the film perfectly.

Check it out if you get a chance.

52 PICKUP 1987 (TUBI)

This was a great little movie that I have always overlooked in the past.

Roy Scheider stars as Harry Mitchell, a very successful businessman whose wife is thinking of running for political office. Harry is having an affair with a much younger woman named Cini (Kelly Preston) who works in a strip club.

When he goes to her apartment he is blindsided by three men who have been video taping his movements so they can blackmail him. Harry is finally forced to tell his wife Barbara (Ann-Margret) about his little affair and it does some bad damage to their alreadt fragila marriage.

Harry refuses to give in to the demands of the three blackmailers and everyone gets involved ina game of cat and mouse. Hary slowly turns the three on each other in a very clever way,

This is a fast moving thriller that has some startling violence and great set pieces. Vanity is sexy as hell in the role of Doreen, the friend of Cini and girlfriend of one of the blackmailers. She stands out in every scene.

The rest of the cast is excellent and includes John Glover (in an outstanding performance as a psycho), Robert Trebor, Lonny Chapman, Doug McClure, Clarence Williams III and Amber Lynn.

There is no doubt this film will hold your attention. It's not for everyone, but I would recommend that if you haven't seen it you should.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Angel Tompkins is 81, and Pamela Austin is 82.

NIGHTFALL 1956 (TUBI)

One of the best 50's film noir and directed by Jacques Tourneur to boot!

Aldo Ray stars as James Banning, an artist, who thru a bizarre set of circumstances is accused of bank robbery and murder.

Banning finds himself pursued by the law and the real killers. It all starts when two criminals, John (Brian Keith) and Red (Rudy Bond) misp;lace a huge amount of money they have stolen. They did this when they attempted to kill James and his doctor friend Edward Gurston (Frank Albertson) at their hunting camp.

Edward is killed but James lives and finds the money. He barely manages to get away. Hot on his trail is a detectove named Ben Fraser (James Gregory) who does not totally believe that James is a killer, or anything else.

James meets Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft) in a bar and she gets pulled into the chase as well. This is a very well told tale that is told mostly in flashbacks from James' point of view as he tries to explain to the thungs and to the police that he is innocent while trying to keep the money hidden from John and Red at the same time.

It's a very in depth film that has plenty of twists and turns, but what really drives the story is the way Ray portrays Banning. He's an everyday guy who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Any fan of film noir will enjoy this fast moving but bleak film. The rest of the cast includes Jocelyn Brando, Arline Anderson and Robert Cherry. Check it out as I highly Recommend it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Kristy Swanson is 54, and Elaine Joyce is 78.

SANDOKAN AND THE PIRATES OF MALAYSIA 1964 (SINISTER CINEMA)

I had heard a lot about this film and finally sat down to watch it.

Steve Reeves is the title character Sadokan, a Malaysian rebel who hires a group of renegades to help him defeat a British General who is attempting to overthrow a kingdom.

This Italian film was filmed in Singapore and directed by Umberto Lenzi. I really didn't mind the movie, but I wasn't too impressed by it either. I'm not sure why I felt this way.

It might be that I simply expected more out of Steve Reeves since I have only seen him in muscle poppers, and this is a very different kind of movie.

There is some action, but not enough to save the entire running time. For some reason this just did not click with me, but if you're a fan of Reeves you might want to check it out.

The rest of the cast includes Jacqueline Sassard, Mimmo Palarma and Andrea Bosic.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Victoria Pratt is 53, Trish Stratus is 48, and Steve Austin is 59.

RAMBLINGS...

Things have been kind of tough lately.

I have been having another life transition which doesn't allow me a lot of time right now to do anything, but something interesting passed my way the other day.

I had someone discover an old VHS copy of my first shot on video movie called "Experiment Of Death" and it is an ORIGINAL with the original lables on the tape.

It has never been used before, but it does not have the original box with it. It was discovered in a basment in a box of old things in a home in Livingston, Montana where the movie was shot.

I have had a lot of people contact me asking if any were still around, and I have discovered one.

If anyone would like to own this, contact me via email at the address on the bottom of the blog, and make an offer. I don't think it will last long.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lorena Velasquez turned 86 on December 15th.

DRIVE A CROOKED ROAD 1954 (TUBI)

Mickey Rooney stars in this film noir.

Rooney is Eddie Shannon, a very shy mechanic who keeps to himself and is trying to earn enough money to race in Europe.

One day a beautiful woman comes into the shop and asks for Eddie. Her car is having troubles and he manages to fix it for her. Eddie is struck by her beauty and is rather suprised when she calls the shop and wants him to again help her with her car, but at her home.

Barbara Matthews (Dianne Foster) is her name and she slowly seduces Eddie. Barbara is actually the girlfriend of a slimy gangster named Steve Norris (Kevin McCarthy) who has seen Eddie race at a local track and wants him to drive a speedy getaway car after a robbery he has planned.

Barbara introduces Steve to Eddie and Steve pretends to be interested in Eddie's future plans. Thise sets forth a string of events that eventually trap Eddie into the planned heist. By this time Eddie is so in love with Barbara that he cannot think straight.

The robbery goes off as planned with Eddie at the wheel and Steve, Eddie and Steve's partner Harold Baker (Jack Kelly) make it away clean. A few days later Eddie learns the truth about how Barbara has used him.

Eddie then seeks revenge on Steve and Harold. This movie moves along very well, and Rooney makes a good stooge for the gangsters. He is sen as so innocent the viewer hopes he gets his revenge.

Richard Quine directed this film which hasn't been seen much for some reason. The cast also includes Harry Landers, Jerry Paris, Richard Cutting, Paul Picerni and Peggy Maley.

This movie will no doubt remind you of another Rooney film noir entitled "Quicksand".

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Milla Jovovich is 48.

JOHNNY ALLEGRO 1949 (TUBI)

Dark and brooding film noir.

George Raft stars as the title character Johnny Allegro. He is a florist in Los Angeles with a dark secret.

A treasury agent named Schultzy (Will Geer) visits him one day at his shop. He knows Allegro's past and offers him a deal if he will work for the US Government on a project.

Being an escaped con, Johnny agrees. His assignment is to infiltrate a counterfeit money ring that is flooding the US with phoney currency. He meets a beautiful blonde called Glenda Chapman (Nina Foch) who pleads for help in fleeing the country. Allegro helps her and in the process he kills a policeman.

This is all part of the plan, but Allegro convinces Glenda he has to accompany her now as he is wanted for murder. Keeping the location a secret, Glenda introduces Johnny to a man named Morgan Vallin (George Macready).

Vallin doesn't trust Johnny, but allows him to stay as he might be useful. Allegro takes some very big chances while trying to expose Morgan.

This is a very tight and well made film that is a perfect example of the noir film style of the late 40's. Raft is perfect for the role and he makes it look so easy.

The rest of the great cast includes Gloria Henry, Thomas B. Henry, Ivan Triesault, Eddie Acuff and William Phillips.

GUERRILLA GIRL 1953 (TUBI)

An odd film that I really think could have been much better.

Helmut Dantine stars as Demetri Alexander, a man who poses as a Nazi officer during World War 2. Actually he is working for the Greek underground.

He meets a beautiful underground agent named Zaira (Marianna) nd they fall in love. After the war they are again separated due to the Greek civil war against the communist threat.

This is the story in a nutshell and I liked the film a bit, but I found the direction to be rather lackluster and it failed to bring out the characters very much.

There is a lot of good material in a pot like this, but not much really gets shown or talked about. I hate to see movies with such potential fall flat, but this is one of them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Donna Mills is 83, and Lynda Day George is 79.

PUSHOVER 1954 (TUBI)

Top notch film noir with one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen.

The opening three minutes with the silent bank robbery is almost cinema perfection. There are quick cuts, good camera angles and great lighting which all come together very well.

The robbery ends in a killing and that brings Paul Sheridan (Fred MacMurray) into the case. He and his partner Rick McAllistar (Phil Carey) are ordered to watch Lona McLane (Kim Novak), who is the bank robber moll. They believe that he will contact her eventually with the money.

Sheridan quickly falls for the gorgeous Lona and they both decide to get the money and run away together for what they think will be a better life than what they have now.

Needless to say things get very complicated when their plan starts to fall apart. Sheridan kills the lead gangster and attempts to get the money and when that does not work it also has him kill a fellow cop in order to cover up his plans.

Lona is under constant watch and this makes things even worse as Sheridan makes many mistakes including being seen at Lona apartment by a neighbor named Ann Stewart (Dorothy Malone).

This leads to the final down fall of Paul and Lona. Kim Novak is simply gorgeous in this film and it must be noted this is her first starring role, and she olays the femme fatale perfectly.

If you're a Noir fan you know this film already, if not then I suggest you see this and find out how good a noir can be. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

BUSHWACKERS 1952 (TUBI)

Not too shabby of a western.

John Ireland stars as Jefferson Waring, an ex-confederate soldier who does not wear a gun after the war.

Making his way across country to California he witnesses a squatter family being killed by two men named Cree (Jack Elam) and Sam Tobin (Lawrence Tierney). They chase after Jeff, but he loses them as well as his horse.

Jeff is very brooding about what the war has done to the country as he enters a small town and gets a job with a local newspaper. He meets the owners daughter Cathy (Dorothy Malone) and they become good friends.

Jeff soon finds himself in the middle of a range war between squatters and a cattle baron played by Lon Chaney, Jr., whose character of Artemus Taylor is determined not to let anyone on his land because he knows the railroad is going to buy all the land and he wants it all.

This is a much better than average western with fine performances from everyone involved. The film moves along very quickly and it should please any fan of westerns.

The rest of the cast includes Myrna Dell, Frank Marlowe, William Holmes and Wayne Morris is a very good role as the corrupt sheriff that is not really what he appears to be.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Teri Hatcher is 59, Kim Basinger is 70, Mary Waronov is 80, and Belinda Belaski is 76.

THE SAVAGE BEES 1976 (TUBI)

Another great example of small screen horror I grew up with in the 1970's.

This 1976 made for TV thriller is pretty darn good. A foreign freighter sails into a harbor near New Orleans with a crew that is all dead.

After a young child and dog are discovered to have been stung to death, it become obvious to several people that a strain of killer bees have come to the USA.

Sheriff Donald McKew (Ben Johnson) and Dr. Jeff DuRand try in vain to tell the government what is going on, but as usual there is political play involved and so nothing gets done.

The two men and various others get together and try to stop a full scale invasion of New Orleans. This is still one of, if not the best killer bee movie ever made.

It has a made for TV budget, but it delivers the goods very well. Having the young child killed (off camera) is still very startling and has a real impact.

I also think the cast has something to do with the greatness of the film. Ben Johnson is simply top notch all the way as is Michael Parks as DuRand. The rest of the cast includes Gretchen Corbett, Paul Hecht, Horst Buchholz and James Best.

I was pleased to find this on TUBI and finally see it again. I wish they had more TV terror from the 70's. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

SHELL SHOCK 1964 (TUBI)

Obscure WW2 film with a different tone.

Beach Dickerson has a rare starring role as Rance, a soldier during WW2 that is looking for a promotion.

He is outraged that a young man has been given the medal of bravery while he has been overlooked once again for his long awaited promotion. Carl Crow is Johnny Wade, the young man in question.

He soon suffers from shell shock and Rance takes every chance he can to taunt him and plans on killing him as well. This is a side of Dickerson we haven't seen in any of the movies he made with Roger Corman.

The film moves really slow after the first 20 minutes, but does pick up again at the conclusion. I was really suprised to see the beautiful Dolores Faith in a small role as an American women living in war torn Italy with her little sister.

I have read that this is an uncredited role, but she does indeed receive credit at the end of the film. Dolores always makes any movie worth while.

If you like "B" pictures like I do, I think you might enjoy this little war film. It's different and just give it a chance. Once again I have to say Beach Dickerson does an excellent job.

The rest of the cast includes Frank Leo, Pamela Grey, William Guhl and William Roblin.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Christina Lindberg is 73.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Morgan Brittany is 72.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Jeff Bridges is 74, Max Baer, Jr. is 86, Tyra Banks is 50, Jimmy Hunt is 84, and Brooke Adams is 39.