moonspinner55

Marvelous mystery from screenwriters David D. Osborn and Charles Sinclair has Anne Baxter coming home from a party one night to find a man in her mountaintop villa; he claims to be her brother, whom Baxter says perished in a car accident the year before. She calls the police but the stranger has evidence that makes Anne look like the imposter. The next day, his entourage moves in, taking control of the villa and Baxter's life. What initially appears to be a woman-in-jeopardy thriller is revealed to be much more with a twist ending I didn't see coming. The location and sets are memorable; Baxter heads solid cast with a wonderful performance. ***1/2 from ****

In 1958 Brooklyn, leather jacket-wearing hoods--goofballs who constantly break up over each other's jokes--cause classroom chaos during the day and make out with girls (willing and at least one unwilling) at night. Notable for early appearances by Sylvester Stallone, Perry King (who replaced Richard Gere during production), Henry Winkler, Susan Blakely, Armand Assante, future disco songwriter Paul Jabara, Ray Sharkey and an uncredited Brooke Adams. Screenplay by the three credited writers--Stephen Verona, Gayle Gleckler and Martin Davidson--probably read much fresher in '74 than it plays today. For his part, Stallone rewrote his scenes and dialogue and used this picture as his calling card with executives backing "Rocky". *1/2 from ****

Robert Young as a womanizing stockbroker who marries a society dame for the money--and cheats on her every chance he can get. At the start of the picture, he's on trial for murder, and soon all is revealed: Young hopes to run off with guilt-ridden working girl Jane Greer, but wife Rita Johnson tightens the purse strings and, instead, the couple relocates from New York to California. At his new office, Young flirts with Susan Hayward, his partner's sexy, conniving assistant, but his wife finds out about that affair too. Jonathan Latimer's screenplay, adapted from a story by Gordon McDonell, is quite brazen and incredible. Young is a chronic philanderer, but he isn't nasty or spiteful; he actually loves these women and is chasing some kind of happiness and freedom for reasons which are left to our imagination. The picture is wildly entertaining for about two-thirds of its length but unravels in the stretch, with a ridiculous sequence of events once the police are called in. Until then, an enjoyable drama. For years, the RKO reissue print (with 15mns cut) was the one sold to TV and cable stations; in 2021, the full-version was restored. *** from ****