THE PHANTOM SPEAKS 1945 (KINO) BLU-RAY

A greatb little 40's thriller from Republic.

I think it's fantastic that Kino turned this obscure gem out on Blu-ray. The story revolves around a mad killer named Harvey Bogardus (Tom Powers) who goes on a killing spree and is finally arrested and sentanced to death.

A kindly doctor named Paul Renwick (Stanley Ridges), who is doing research on life after death uses Bogardus in an experiment and the evil of Bogardus takes over the body of Renwick.

The now alive again Bogardus seeks revenge on the people who spoke out against him at his trial. This is basically just like the Universal film "Black Friday" which also starred Ridges.

Richard Arlan is Matt Frasier, a reporter on the soon to be sensational story of supernatural murder. Lynne Roberts is lovely as Joan Renwick, the daughter of the doomed Professor.

I liked this film a lot. It has both horror and fillm noir elements and everything comes together perfectly. This is another of the Republic horrors of the 40's that has finally been dug out of obscurity.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Kaley Cuoco is 39, Elisha Cuthbert is 42, Sandy Descher is 79, Dian Parkinson is 79, and Trinity Fatu is 37.

ROAD TO NASHVILLE 1966 (RHINO)

Now, I really enjoyed this piece of film history.

The plot is very simple . A Hollywood movie producer (Richard Arlen) send his flunky, Colonel Feetlebaum (Doodles Weaver) to Nashville to get things set up for a movie starring country music artists.

That's the plot. We do get close to 40 songs performed by the many great talents in the movie including Marty Robbins (who also produced), Johnny Cash, Connie Smith, The Stoneman Family, Porter Wagoner, Webb Pierce, Waylon Jennings, Kitty Wells, Faron Young and many more.

Not only am I a huge fan of Country Music from this era, there are many things in this film that reminded me of my youthful days during this time.

I really enjoyed this almost two hour movie filled with music from my youth and from a time when things were so much better all the way around.

If you're also a fan of early country music, check this one out. It will not disappoint.

THE CATMAN OF PARIS 1946 (KINO) BLU-RAY

I hadn't seen this since it ran on AMC decades ago.

This is a fun little B horror film directed by Leslie Selander.

A mysterious killer is loose in Paris during the year 1986 and the police are trying to solve the case of several murders. Inspector Severen (Gerald Mohr) suspects a writer of a book that the Government doesn't like, Charles Regnier (Carl Esmond) is the killer.

Regnier has a good friend named Henry Borchard (Douglass Dumbrille) who goes to great length to keep the police away from Regnier. The killer is a cat-like creature, but who is its human form?

This is a tight film that never fails to entertain, and it actually looks better than I ever remember it looking. A huge thanks to Kino for getting this onto Blu-ray.

If you love fast paced, low budget horror films, this should be right up you alley. The rest of the cast includes Lenore Aubert, Fritz Feld, Adele Mara and Francis Pierlot.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Ed Harris is 74, Joe Dante is 78, and Danielle Moinet is 41.

RIP DOUG HOBART 1927-2024

The Florida film legend has died.

Many of you may not have known who Doug Hobart was, but I do know you have seen movies he was associated with.

Hobart worked behind the scenes for many horror films shot in Florida. He did make-up on some, acted in some and held many other titles as well.

Some of the films he acted in and worked on include "Sting Of Death", "Impulse", "The Professor", and "Death Curse Of Tartu". He also hoseted a spook show that traveled around Ohio and Kentucky during the 1950's.

Doug Hobart passed away on November 25, 2024 at the age of 97.

DR. MABUSE VS. SCOTLAND YARD 1963 (SINISTER CINEMA)

This is an interesting entry in the long series of films about the master criminal.

The spirit of Dr. Mabuse has taken over the body of a scientist and continues his evil ways.

Mabuse, with the help of his henchmen steal a device that works like a camera, but immediately takes control of the human mind. Soon people are killing each other for no reason or killing themselves.

Scotland Yard is baffled by this and Major Bill Turn (Peter Van Eyck) refuses, for the time being to believe that Mabuse is back again and trying to take over the world.

The plot is an interesting one and sometimes the movie drags, but it's not too bad and does hold your interest. The rest of the cast includes Klaus Kinski, Sabine Bethmann, Dieter Borsche, Werner Peters, and Wolfgang Preiss.

I like the Mabuse films, so maybe I am a bit prejudiced, but I do recommend you give this one a shot and see if you like it. It's also streaming on TUBI as I write this.

The print from Sinister is very, very nice.

RIP JIM ABRAHAMS 1944-2024

The director of "Airplane" has died.

Jim Abrahams was the director of the all time comedy classic "Airplane" as well as the creator of "Police Squad", the very short live TV show starring Leslie Nielsen.

These two efforts alone made Abrahams a household name among movie fans, and there will never be anything better than the comedy these shows provided.

Jim Abrahams passed away on November 26, 2024 at the age of 80.

RIP EARL HOLLIMAN 1928-2024

A very talented and loved actor has died.

Holliman appeared in 99 TV shows and movies over his 48 year career.

I remember him from the very first Twilight Zone episode entitled "Where Is Everybody" as well as his stint as Lt. Bill Crowley on the television show "Police Woman" which starred Angie Dickinson.

I grew up watching him is such movies as "Forbidden Planet", "The Big Combo", "Cry Panic", "The Power" and many more.

Earl Holliman passed away on November 25 2024 at the age of 96.

LADY AND THE MONSTER 1944 (KINO) BLU-RAY

The first filmed version of the story entitled "Donovan's Brain".

Erich Von Stroheim stars as Dr. Franz Mueller who sends his assistant out after a plane crash. He has the bodies taken tohis lab where he finds that one of the dead men in W.H. Donovan, a very powerful billionaire.

Mueller forces his assistant, Dr. Patrick Corey (Richard Arlen) to help him extract the still living brain for further experiments. The brain never dies, but it only gets stronger and stronger, eventually taking over Corey's mind.

Mueller's other assistant is Janice Farrell (Vers Ralston) who happens to be in love with Corey, and this makes Mueller jealous. The brain makes Corey do a wide variety of things as it seeks vengeance on those that wronged it when it was in a human skull.

The acting is pretty damned good and Arlen handles the dual role very well. Ralston was given the lead because she was dating Republic Pictures studio head Herbert Yates at the time. She married Yates in 1952.

The filmis well done, but nothing we haven't all seen before. The rest of the cast includes Mary Nash and Sidney Blackmer. It hasn't been seen much and it was worth it to watch and see what they did with the original story.

Yes, I have written about this mvie many years ago when I saw it on streaming. This beautiful 4K restoration from Kino is the best the film will ever look, and it's a dandy.

This is one of 4 Republic horror films put out by Kino last year. More to follow soon.

NAKED YOU DIE 1968 (VINEGAR SYNDROME) BLU-RAY

This is a beautiful Italian Giallo that is also known as "The Young, the Evil and the Savage".

A mysterious trunk arrives at a girl school and then a string of mysterious murdrs starts occuring. We know that there is a dead body in the trunk as we see the killing in the opening minutes of the film, but how is it connected to the events we see unfolding?

The beautiful Lucille Moffat (Elenora Brown) seems to be the target of the killer, but others keep getting strangled as the killer mistakes some victims for her.

After a body is discovered, Inspector Durand (Michael Rennie) comes to the school to investigate and he finds he has his hands full with the killer as well as the girls. One of them is an amateur crime solver.

This film, thanks to the directing of Antonio Margheriti, moves along quickly. The acting is fine, the women a beautiful and the ending was a swerve I never saw coming, which I liked a lot.

This film was released in two version. The Italian version runs 98 minutes and the US version was cut to 78 minutes for double bill use. The version I saw was the US cut.

I really liied this movie and it comes highly recommended. The rest of the cast includes Mark Damon, Sally Smith, Patrizia Valturri, Betty Low, Luciano Pigozzi, Silvia Dionisio and Malisa Longo.

The Blu-ray is simply beautiful and this film should not be missed.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Beverly Washburn is 81, Terry Kilburn is 98, and Amy Grant is 64.

RIP CHUCK WOOLERY 1941-2024

One of the best game show hosts of the 70's and 80's has passed away.

Woolery was the original host for "Wheel Of Fortune" and also hosted a show called "Love Connection". I watched both of these during their heyday.

Woolery also appeared in several movies and TV shows. His movies include "Cold Feet", "Treasure Of The Jamaica Reef" and "Sonic Boom" which also starred his wife at the time Jo Ann Pflug.

Chuck Woolery passed away at the age of 83 on November 23, 2024.

CITY OF BAD MEN 1953 (FOX)

Top notch western from 20th Century Fox.

Dale Robertson stars as Brett Stanton who has spent the last six years in Mexico and is broke and looking to make a quick buck.

He and his gang arrive in Carson City, Nevada which is packed with people who have come from all corners of the country to witness the Boxing World Heaveyweight Championship fight.

Stanton figures that he and his gang should be able to get away with over $100,000. Things don't quite go as planned when he meets up with an old flame named Linda Culligan (Jeanne Crain).

This movie moves at a great pace and there are so many wonderful character actors in this movie it makes one start trying to spot as many as possible.

The color is rich and deep and director Harmon Jones makes everything come to life in a perfect way. The rest of the cast for this most enjoyable film includes Lloyd Bridges, Richard Boone, Leo Gordon, Carole Matthews, Carl Betz, Hugh Sanders, Mary Bayless, James Best, Tris Coffin, Richard Cutting, King Donovan, Frank Farnum, Frank Ferguson, Barbara Fuller and many more.

If you're a westerns fan you will have to check this out. It has everything...action, romance, gunfights, plot twists and a great ending.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Debra Lamb is 62, and Beth Phoenix is 44.

WEST OF THE LAW 1942 (ALPHA)

This is a fun little Monogram western.

This is one of the long line of Rough Rider movies to come out from Monogram. The riders are called in to investigate a gang of outlaws who are taking over cattle ranches and mines.

Marshal Buck Roberts (Buck Jones), Marshal Tim McCall (Tim McCoy) and Marshal Sandy Hopkins (Raymond Hatton) arrive undercover in a small Nevada town and seek to put an end to the terror the town is living in.

It seems a man named Jim Rand (Harry Woods) is in charge of a gang of hoodlums who are determined to take over the town.

There is a lot of action in this hour long western drama and it was the final Rough Riders oater from Monogram. The leads are all in top form as usual.

If you're a fan of the Rough Riders then you know what a treat it is to see them on screen and fighting the baddies. By the way, there are a couple of very well done fight scenes in this film.

It's a fun way to kill an hour and I recommend it highly. The rest of the cast includes Jack Daley, Malcolm McTaggert, Evelyn Cook, and Roy Barcroft.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Jeannie Bell is 81.

GODZILLA MINUS ONE 2023 (TOHO) BLU-RAY

I know everyone has probably seen this already.

Going into this film I didn't feel like I do when I see American movies made in this day and age. I knew it would be entertaining and I wasn't wrong.

The basic premise is that in very early post World War 2 Japan, a giant radioactive monster appears and starts to wipe out people by the thousands.

Around this story is wrapped another one about a man who was a kamakazi pilot and lived thru the war because he is afraid to die. After the war he must deal with the inner torment of being a coward to his fellow soldiers and himself.

All of this works very well and bringing both stories together and blending them together is done seemlessly. The effects in the film and I believe they are CGI, but it looks much better than anything America can do.

The scenes involving Godzilla, especially when he spits out his radioactive breath are amazing and it really hits home. These are probably the most destructive scenes in the movie. This Godzilla is so different from all the others we have ever seen. This creature is nothing but a killing machine.

The Blu-ray presentation is gorgeous and comes with two discs. One is the movie, the other is all of the bonus material, which I have yet to get thru. You can watch this in subtitled or dubbed versions.

I highly recommend this classic monster movie for two reasons. Number One it's great to see a Japanese made Godzilla movie again, and number Two, the human story is very, very compelling. The end will have an effect on you, I guarantee it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Scarlett Johansson is 40, and Margaret Markov is 76.

HIS BROTHERS GHOST 1946 (ALPHA)

It has been over 30 years sine I had a chance to watch this.

This little PRC western stars Buster Crabbe as Bill Carson, an undercover agent investigating a gang that is slowly wiping out the ranches in the area.

When Andy Jones (Al "Fuzzy" St. John) is killed, Bill gets the idea to use Andy's twin brother to make the gang believe they are seeing a ghost.

The plan works very well and the gang begins to fall apart. The movie runs little under an hour and so it moves very swiftly. I remember I first saw this on a Goodtimes VHS tape I bought from K Mart.

I like this low budget cheapie, and if you like "weird" westerns I would recommend this very much. The rest of the cast includes Charles King, Arch Hall Sr., Roy Brent and Ken Osborne.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Nicollette Sheridan is 62, Deborah Shelton is 76, Nikki Garcia is 41, and Brie Garcia is 41.

THE RESTLESS BREED 1957 (01 DISTRIBUTION)

It's sad that this very well done western is available only from Italian or british import DVDs.

Allen Dwan directed this Edward L. Alperson production. Scott Brady stars as Mitch, a young man who arrives in a small town called Mission, Texas in order to find the men who killed his father who was a secret service man.

Mitch meets the reverend Simmons (Rhys Williams) and is offered a room to stay in. He meets a lovely young woman named Angelita (Anne Bancroft).

Mitch does not let on as to who he really is and what is reasons are for being in town, but he does gun down a few baddies including Cherokee (Leo Gordon). Cherokee vows revenge.

This is a fast paced western that has a great cast and everyone involved in the film takes their roles and does the best they can with them.

The ending of the film is not a surprise, but the way it's handled is perfect. I really enjoyed this and the way it feels different from other westerns at the time.

The rest of the cast includes Jay C. Flippen, Jim Davis, Scott Marlowe, Myron Healey, Gerald Milton, Eddy Waller and Marilyn Winston.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Mie Hama is 81.

SAN ANTONIO KID 1944 (VCI)

This is a very entertaining western.

Bill Elliot again stars as Red Ryder.

In this outing Ryder is trying to stop Ace Hanlon (Glenn Strange) from buying all the ranches in the valley after having the former residents either burned or shot out.

Hanlon and his partner Walter Garfield (LeRoy Mason) have discovered that the valley is very rich in oil and want all of it to themselves.

Running about one hour this movie is very fast paced and it's all good fun. Of course for me it really helps that beautiful Linda Stirling is in it. What a woman!!

The rest of the cast includes Robert Blake, Alice Fleming, Duncan Renaldo, Tom London, Robert J. Wilke and Jack Kirk.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Lorna Maitland is 81.

BEHIND GREEN LIGHTS 1942 (ALPHA)

Very well made film noir.

20th Century Fox distrubuted this little and obscure thriller.

A police lieutenant named Sam Carson (William Gargan) is thrust into a case of political murder when a dead body is dumped onto the steps of a police station one rainy night.

Since this tale takes place in one night the action never seems to stop as there are plenty of suspects. One of the main suspects is Janet Bradley (Carole Landis) who was trying to pay the victim off in a blackmailing scheme.

Carson beings to see too many holes in the case and soon suspects someone else of the killing and not Janet. Who the killer is might surprise you, so I won't give it away.

If you're a mystery or film noir fan you'll want to see this fine little film. As I said, it's somewhat obscure but well worth checking out.

The rest of the cast includes Richard Crane, Mary Anderson, John Ireland, Charles Russell, Charles Tannen, Don Beddoe and Mabel Paige. I've always had a crush on gorgeous Landis and both she and Mary Anderson are very sexy in this movie.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Peta Wilson is 54, Shari Shattuck is 64, Ian McCulloch is 85, and Monica Randall 82.

MAYA 1989 (VINEGAR SYNDROME) BLU-RAY

Weird and confusing horror from Italy.

Director Marcello Avallone directed only two horror films, and this is the second. The other is "Specters" which I have already talked about here.

This film concerns an evil powr taking over a small Mexican village which kills many people in gruesome ways. A mystical doctor and a young man must try and stop the evil.

There are too many loose ends in this movie, and it seems like a bunch of short stories woven into one film. There are really no likable characters in this film except for the luscious Mariella Valentini as a young woman named Lisa who has arrived in the village after the death of her father played by William Berger.

It's not a well constructed film but there are a few interesting set pieces. However, this does not make for a good film. This movie kind of shows me that the Italian fim industry was really, really waning in this time.

It's an interesting film if you're not a crazed horror fan like I am. I LOVE Italian cinema and I expected so much more than this.

CHECKMATE 1935 (RENOWN)

Run of the mill crime caper.

Maurice Evans stars as Phillip Allen, a man boarding with another man and his daughters. Nobody is aware that Phillip is an undercover agent working for Scotland Yard.

He is trying to get the goods on diamond smugglers. The two daughters Jean Nicholls (Sally Gray) and Mary (Evelyn Foster) don't suspect that their father is also involved with the smuggling ring.

I was hoping for a little more from this film, but it was pedestrian as best. The acting is fine but they never do anything with the story but let it run its course.

The rest of the cast includes Donald Wolfit, Felix Aylmer, Wilfred Caithness and Ernest Jay. I was sorry they didn't make a better film out of this...it could have been so much more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...

Joanna Pettet is 82, Gemma Atkinson is 40, Steve Railsback is 79, and Barbara Leigh is 78.

JUNGLE GIRL 1941 (TUBI)

I caught this on streaming a while back and have to admit it's one of the best serials I have ever seen, and for numerous reasons.

I have never had the chance to catch this fine Republic serial until now. John English and William Whitney handled the directing chores on this fast and fun 15 chapter serial.

The story concerns Dr, Meridith (Trevor Bardette) who has come to the jungle to live with his daughter Nyoka (Frances Gifford) after the crimes of his twin brother has foreced him to leave. Nyoka does not know of her father's twin sibling however.

Years later a man named Jack Stanton (Tom Neal) flies another man called Slick Latimer (Gerald Mohr) into the jungle. Latimer has his eyes set on a huge cache of diamonds owned by the Masamba tribe.

The action is non stop as is usual with Republic serials. I loved "Nyoka and The Tigermen" and think the lead, Kay Aldridge as Nyoka was sexy as hell. I have to say Frances Gifford is stunningly gorgeous as Nyoka in this one, the first.

A somewhat tragic figure in real life, Gifford makes the perfect comic book translation to the screen of a jungle woman. Man, they just don't make women like Gifford anymore.

The rest of the cast include Eddie Acuff, Tommy Cook, Frank Lackteen, Kenneth Terrell and Al Kikume. This is one that shouldn't be missed. It's nothing but fun from start to finish. Oh and did I say Frances Gifford is stunning.