dougdoepke

A nifty plot twist makes this an oddball Mesquitiers oater. So who's winning the fight: is it good guy Stony or bad guy Dude? Then too, who's winning the hard-riding run-down: is it Stony or Dude. Can't tell because they look and dress exactly alike. So what's a front-row geezer like me supposed to do. Suddenly, I'm realizing how handily simplfying the 'white hats' vs. 'black hats' of my front-row youth were. Anyway, it's an interesting twist served up by the plot with actor Livingston playing both roles. All in all, it's an unusual oater wih lots of hard-riding and good red-rock scenery, along with ventriloquist Terhune's comical dummy that adds a few well-woven laughs. So catch up with the rather provocative hour's entertainment when you can, especially if you're a front-row cowboy like me.

Oddball early entry in this popular series since there's no crime or criminal doings involved. Instead Friday tries to talk down a suicidal man from a ledge high above city streets. Friday's sweaty and so am I as the two perch there like two birds who can't fly. So how will it turn out since the wacko's pledged himself to dive in 15-minutes real time, our time. So now we can count down along with him - a good suspenseful touch. At the same time, nothing Friday or the ground crew seems to work at saving him. Instead he's dead set or is it set for dead. My one reservation: I wish the wife's humanizing reveal on why husband's gone wacko were inserted sooner. That way, he would be more sympathetic than the cruel angry man he comes across as, and maybe more worthy of police like Friday risking their lives. Anyway it's a 30-minute white-knuckler, so don't miss it.

( Note presence of actor Milburn Stone as what amounts to Friday's pardner. He would soon trade hats and go on to play Doc Adams in another enduring series Gunsmoke, {1955-75}.)

One thing this visually messy, uncensored docu captures is the spirit of domestic revolt from the early 1950's to the anti-Vietnam uprisings of the '60s. That early part with biker counter-culture (Aliens) is really more reflective of the '50s when some urban free-wheelers found motorcycles more fulfilling than the cultural conformity of the post-WWII years. (Check out Brando's The Wild One, 1952, for an early foreshadowing.) Then, after much visual cascading as the scenes flash by, the movie's setting moves into the more explicit anti-war movements of the '60s. At some murky point, the movie messaging slowly becomes more coherent amidst the general visual chaos, finally culminating in a rather eloquent read-over of an antiwar letter apparently penned by a young adult of the time. All in all, given what's gone before, it's an unexpectedly coherent summation of the radical 60's period.

Note the generally optimistic expectations of the 60's antiwar rebels that the flick conveys. It's as though their dissidence amounts to an irresistable wave of the future. Trouble is the docu was assembled in '69 at the rebellion's peak. But once the war in Vietnam ended in the mid-70's the fire burned out leaving the docu as a messy if mood-capturing record of the time. So, if you can manage the cascading visuals catch up with this genuine oddity.

Oddball cowboy programmer set in modern times, but with plenty hard-riding, fast-shooting, and forrest scenery. Plot's pretty complicated and at times hard to follow, but maybe that's just geezer me. Seems old guy Henry has rich, undeveloped land that a gang wants, but to get it they have to first get rid of him then marry his daughter to one of them (and what a bunch of ugly guys they are!). Meanwhile, stranger Maynard shows up and wants to join gang. But does he fit in. So what's gonna happen. Anyway, events may be crowded for the short run-time, but they're seldom predictable with only a few cowboy flick cliches. So you might give the 55-minutes a try.

(In passing - that's A-list actress Ann Sheridan as daughter Elizabeth, then on her way up the Hollywood ladder as the Oomph Girl though you'd never guess it from her virginal presence here. Then too, there's cowboy Maynard who taught me a whole new way of 'dotting an I'.)

To me, the entry best reflects the really early days of series TV, 1950. Note the limited scenes that are really only two, the sea cave and the apartment, thus reflecting a highly limited budget. After all, audience size was limited then by a transmission belt (Coaxial Cable) that had yet to span the country. (We in Colorado wouldn't get TV until late 1952, and even now as a geezer I remember that day well.) Then too, I expect the impressive sea cave was a studio left-over, a dramatic storyline choice, nonetheless.

Storywise, it's a pretty lame entry, with a heavy plot idea (international smugglers) that quickly crushes the weak production support; plus a small cast that pretty much walks through their roles. Donlevy especially seems uninterested and a long way from his usual movieland grit.

Anyway, a couple notes in passing. Note how often folks fondly light up a cigarette and puff away like there's no tomorrow. But then it's still a day when that was a 'cool' thing to do. And maybe it's just my old geezer hormones but I could swear actress Adams could double for 50's glamour girl Jane Russell, a good reason to otherwise tune in. But maybe the best reason is to catch TV limping along then in its earliest meagre stages. But fortunately it's not one that would last.

Plot briefly - daughter Jody is cruelly raped in city apartment, after which loving Mom moves them to supposed safety of upscale suburbia. But is it. We'll see.

What interested me was youthful Jodi's traumatized mental state after being raped by a stranger. Actress Stranahan does a good job in this early part expressing mental imbalance without going over the top. For example, her fascination with sneaky photography of neighbors could be traceable to that trauma, or her accusing boy Nick of the later murder crime without evidence could also be a result.

Too bad the screenplay soon returns her to normality through turn-around puppy love with neighbor Nick. Then too, suspense is undercut by a too-early reveal of the killer that removes the fun of a guessing game. Without these give-aways, we might even suspect Jodi as the killer, imbalanced as she initially is. That unknown would have considerably raised the movie's suspense level to a fascinating degree. Instead, the screenplay opts for a more conventional type suspense rather than exploring the rich potential of Jodi's lingering trauma.

Nonetheless, the flick has several notable touches - the real suburban neighborhood with its upscale homes; the unusual all-girl showdown, poorly done though it is; and good crisp eye-catching photography.

All in all, the suspenser strikes me as average at best, with a squandered potential at worst. Anyway, despite the downside, it's probably worth a quick look-see.

The oater's an incredible mish-mash except for Roy and Trigger discovering one another in roughhouse fashion. It's only a cowboy flick in a really extended sense. There's some good eastern Sierra scenery and plenty of hard-riding, but no flying-fists, fast-guns, bad-guy showdowns, or other cowboy trademarks. Instead, there's plenty of stagey singing and dancing, and a story-line with all the film editing coherence of broken glass. For me, the best feature was the leggy chorus girls in the last part. But that's just my old-guy hormones kicking in. Anyway, the flick's no favor to Roy, except for pairing him up with the Wonder Horse Trigger, a pairing that would last a lifetime. Together, they would go on to a memorable career as a team, one that happily leaves this mess in the dust.

One of the series's most powerful entries, at least in my little book. After all, who would snatch a new-born baby from its hospital crib and leave the mother crying and forlorn. It's an odd crime for TV, to say the least, the motive being as mysterious as the culprit. Fortunately, the series strong points are much in evidence as Friday and Smith track the missing child pursuing both dead-ends and a murky thread. But then actress Peggy Webber takes over with a heart-rending, carefully calibrated performance deserving of at least an Emmy nomination. It's a marvel of emotional strain without going over the top. At the same time, note how Friday and Smith recede into the background once the human interest takes over - always a series strong point. Then too, note the realistic touches with hospital personnel coming and going in the hallways of what's probably a studio set. Together they make up a movingly memorable entry and show why the series made a lasting TV mark, even down to today.

Catch those menacing clouds at beginning as Roy heads back to help his adoptive family catch up with sneaky cattle rustlers. But first Roy has to get past loving eye of his adoptive sister, the positively adorable Gale Storm. Actually, the three ladies play a big part in the plot, and thus are more than the usual break from ugly guys. And a salute to the statuesque Lynne Carver who makes a strong lordly impression as the lady rancher. Too bad she died young.

Overall, the oater's a departure from the usual cowboy flick, most of the action coming at the end, with more intrigue than gun play as Roy and family try to figure out who's who among the rustlers. Then too, don't expect usual clowning from Gabby who's instead a serious leader of the posse. Also, catch the nifty feminist version of a cowboy showdown as the girls pursue one another in their new 1941 car models. I imagine the writers had fun with that departure. Anyway, it's an entertaining hour with Roy and Trigger, and I'm not surprised our hero soon hooked up with lifetime partner Dale Evans having enjoyed the attention of her look-a-like, the sparkling Gale Storm otherwise known as TV's My Little Margie. So, git-em-up, cowboy! On to Cheyenne!

A really strange entry in an otherwise outstanding thriller series. It's like the filmic concoction was tossed together in a single day, with the writer, the director, and the actress, all confined in separate closets. So, check out how many dangling plot points go unaddressed, how actress Felicia seems blithely lost in another film (a soap opera), and how the director lets it all fall apart in uninvolved fashion. The end result is, I think, like nothing I've seen. Thank goodness for Boris Karloff and his hunchback Igor, both creepy as heck, making the weird concoction almost worth watching.

(In passing - the version I saw was poor filmic quality, fuzzy and sometimes ill-focused. For some reason this is unlike other Suspense entries that I've seen, suggesting that unlike other 1949 entries this one hasn't been restored. Could be that's because of the entry's generally poor story quality that didn't recommend it for revival. On that score, I could understand.

Being a conventional guy with teen years from the conformist 1950's, the movie was hard for me to engage with, particularly with Glover's showy over-acting. Anyway, here are a few of my impressions.

Looks like a main problem for the movie's youth was marijuana dependency that helped disengage them from broader social values other than approval from their equally dependent peers. So when John murders Jamie leaving her nude body to bake by river's edge, his peers laugh it off, apparently as just something John does. Contrast that indifference with the little girl's (I missed her name) heartfelt memorial to her beloved murdered doll. Looks like she already knows the kind of life awaiting within her family grouping. So, based on the selfless love shown her doll, maybe there's some hope of potential resistance to the peer group after all. Then too, Matt and Clarissa's budding romance may also establish a life-affirming bond propelling them beyond their former peer-narrowed bounds. Nonetheless, the movie only suggests but doesn't confirm these budding gestures of hope. Also combining against hope is a generational link between demonic little Tim and aging murderer Zeck who's also a pot seller. The connection suggests that the no-values dependency in fact crosses generations. Tellingly, however, the flick still draws no steadfast conclusions in these regards, or, in fact, any regards.

Now when I was a kid, we sat through the anti-pot scare flick Reefer Madness (1936), that equated pot use with murderous madness. Over time, that theme disproved itself, pot being more a relaxant than a hyper-stimulant. Here, however, pot appears more as part of a behavioral pattern that removes users from engaging in social values, which, in turn, helps them escape an ugly broader societal reality they don't want to join. It's an open question I think whether the movie should have dealt with the prevailing culture more openly than it does. That way we would have a clearer idea of what the peer group was reacting against. But then that would have shifted focus away from the self-defeating nihilism of the group onto what mght be causing it, important as this latter might be.

Anyway, it's an oddball flick in my little frame of reference, too chaotic to be entertaining, but upon some thought, too suggestive to lack depth. So I'll soon give it another look-see if I can just get past the distractive Glover.

Fans looking for lots of Hoppy action may be disappointed. The usual cowboy hard-riding and fast-shooting really don't pick up til the end. Then it's crash-bang buckboard style along the great rocky slopes of the eastern Sierras, along with an impressive herd of groaning cattle. In the meantime, there's entertaining byplay between Hoppy, his pals, and little Sonny Bupp, but Fuzzy's not as wacky as usual since he plays the town Marshal, that's right, the town Marshal. Then too, there's actress Wynters who's more than just eye-relief for us guys. Instead she's an integral part of the plot and sees a lot of action-I hope she got paid double. To me the real downside was the plot, mainly Wynters' ex-husband (Hopton) who schemes to rustle her cattle and undo her as Bupp's mother. Maybe it's just me, but I really tried to connect those underwritten dots. Anyway, there's always Hoppy with his easy smile, hardy guffaw, and fast gun. So you might give the scenic flick a try.

So what's with that weird family clan where blond good looks and incest appear to be inherited. Age-wise, there's god-crazed Grandmother (Fletcher) whose icy Hitler-like stare imprisons the pretty blond kids into a dismal mansion attic. So maybe she knows what's likely to happen if she bunches them up -- not exactly your usual grandmotherly type. Then there's Mother (Tennant), who despite her sweet exterior is something of a greedy psychopath. Now if only she can get dying Grand-dad interested in her again, a ton of inheritence money awaits. Looks like that's why she's taken the kids with her to Grand-dad's musty old palace. One thing for sure, this ain't the 1950's sweetness of Ozzie and Harriet.

I haven't read the book, so I can only respond to the flick itself, which kept me engrossed despite the often murky motivations and developments. Nonetheless, the plot suspense intensifies as we wonder how the four kids- two teens and two toddlers- will survive in that old mansion attic, kept there by mean old Grandma and a sneakily calculating Mother. Anyway, it's a tricky, controversial ending that also goes to show that even the prettiest flowers can bite back if you don't keep them reliably watered. So catch up with this weirdo if you can, especially, I gather, if you haven't read the book.

For a cowboy flick the 50-some minutes pretty much scrapes bottom. There's little action, while most time is spent indoors talking with Charlie Chan, and that's plus a wacko plot gimmick. Having McCoy trick the baddies by impersonating a Chinaman only minutes after he's confronted them as a cowboy really stretches the gimmick. It's like the film editor suddenly spliced together segments from two contrasting movies. Too bad that this mess follows a slam-bang robbery opening that really had my expectations up, along with a fine subtle turn from actress Lane clearly suited for better things. No need to go on. Had this now front-row geezer been back in my theater days, I would have gotten my dime back.

Plot - a vigilante father (Bronson) deals out pistol-shoot justice to youthful scalawags who've brutally raped and killed his daughter and house keeper.

The 90-minutes amounts to an almost unrelieved succession of blood, gore, grime, and sex. Then too it cashes in on Bronson's squinty-eyed tough guy even if he is nearing 60. Actually, for a Hollywood change, it's good to see an ugly-mug near-geezer in a starring role.

At bottom, the flick raises two important societal questions but slides over them at the same time. Looks like the producers couldn't resist depicting the brutal violence of rape without the distraction of tittilating nudity. That may just be my male hormones, but seems to me the often raw violence of rape could have been more effectively portrayed without the distracting Playboy shots.

Then too, vigilante justice goes seriously unquestioned since Kersey (Bronson) has no trouble picking out the true culprits from the crowds along LA's grimy skid row. Thus, he deals out a kind of justice when law enforcement can't. No problem here of mistaken identity for Kersey or the movie. Except there's a reason for legally enforced Due Process and that's to try to ensure that the innocent are not punished for a crime they didn't commit. Sure, the process is a sometimes messy bureaucratic affair, but at least the problem is acknowledged. But not so in the movie where Kersey implausibly has no problems picking out the guilty.

Had the movie dealt more seriously with these two gripping issues, I'd have some respect for it. As is, however, the flick's little more than an exploitative tough-guy showcase. Too bad.

The 56-minute narrative follows Castro's career as leader of Cuba's revolution in fairly objective fashion that favors no partisan side in the long stuggle against foes both domestic and foreign. Starting with the 1953 Castro-led gueriila revolt against the Batista regime, the narrative highlights major events up to and including his ill-health resignation in 2008. Among these events are his beginnings in the Sierra Maestra, the Bay of Pigs invasion, the nuclear missile crisis, the Mariel boat lift, and others, including relevant excerpts from foreign dignitaries such as Nixon, Kennedy, Reagan, and Kruschev. On the other hand, there's no real mention of Castro's personal life, nor are ideological issues of socialism and capitalism delved into. Thus, viewers seeking an analytic or partisan account are likely to be disappointed. Nonetheless, the narrative clips amount to an interesting sketch of one of the most important leaders of hemispheric affairs, one that even now remains view worthy .

So which rancher should have watering hole priorities for his cattle herd on an open range. Should it be the rancher whose herd stays closest to the hole (Davidson) or those herds who simply need the water (Ma Woods). That's the main plot point, namely a struggle between those wanting an "open range" and those wanting a "closed" one. Also, note how the storyline finesses the problem. Then too, It's a tricky problem reflecting the modern issue of balancing private property with community needs.

Anyhow, it's a spectacular Hoppy western. Those scenic Alabama Hills with their jutting hard rock spires are beautifully photographed in color. No wonder the hour uses them as a backdrop for all the hard riding that may not always make plot sense, but with all the spectacle who cares. Then too, it's hard at first to make out who the bad guy is, an unusual aspect for a matinee oater, but stay tuned.

All in all, Hoppy and his sidekicks don't get their ususal screentime, having to compete with the heavy plot and scenic Hills, but still remain their entertaining selves, especially with Hoppy's occasional happy guffaw. However, don't let Andy hook you into betting which pod is hiding the hidden pea, even though he can't seem to get his goofy scam right.

Anyhow, be sure to catch what may be Hoppy's most scenic action flick. So ride-em, cowboy, into those wonderland Hills.

An offbeat oater that shows some imaginative aspects but fails to produce much tension. The 3 Mesquiteers are trying to stop a conspiracy of counterfeiters from bilking good townsfolk and a wacky circus. Trouble for the 3Ms is it's sometimes hard to tell the good guys from the bad as they plow their way along.

Anyway, there's lots of hard-riding, but little fast-shooting, and no flying-fists. Still the general absence of cowboy cliches, along with a humorously versatile Lullaby (Terhune) hold interest. Besides, where else can you catch a cowboy ventriloqist and his goofy dummies, plus a guy who deals cards by spitting them out, and that's along with little girl Nancy (Bennett) who could pass for Shirley Temple's twin. Anyway, if you can manage the murky storyline and flat showdown, there's a number of novel touches to keep viewers like me riding along.

It's a slam-bang opening for the 1958 series. Mc Queen (Josh) shows his athletic skills and hard-eyed glare, though he does get knocked around too. So can he bring back the two robbers to the Las Tunas sheriff and prove his innocence in helping them escape jail. He better, otherwise future cowboy icons Michael Landon (Carl) and Nick Adams (Andy) will miss out on big careers in Bonanza and The Rebel, respectively. Wow, what an up-and-coming cast. And catch Josh's short-barreled rifle, a common type gimmick used to separate cowboy heroes from their many competitors of the time. Note too, how the baddie brothers are humanized in brotherly fashion, a good unexpected feaure. Anyway, Steve shows he's an ace with more than just fast cars and fast women. So do tune in to this hard charger now streaming on both two legs and four.

The first few goofy minutes I thought there was a real laugh-fest on hand. TV news-casts, commercials, and young love, all really take it in the ear, or should I say the crotch. But then the skits flatten out into an extended, uninspired and pointless half-hour of Bruce Lee judo chops. It's like the producers suddenly didn't know how to fill out the runtime except with a ton of wordless jumping around. Unfortunately, the remaining skits never pick up the satirical humor of that first part. Too bad.

Sure, the bluenoses can call the liberal uses of nudity, fornication, and swear words, tasteless and vulgar. But to me it just shows that taking the lid off the censorship can doesn't mean you can automatically fill it with goodies. So nutzoids, try again, maybe this time with a bigger budget.

The flick's got enough life and energy to light the football field where tomboy Billie lives. I really like that first half that shows how the girl athlete defeats boy track competitors by calling on an internal rhythymic beat. Those close-ups of her intensely engaged face are oddly appealing. But then she is a girl; so what's she doing competing comfortably against boys. ( I suspect her revealing short-shorts remind that despite all, Billie is a female.)

The second half deals somewhat with her trying to conform to gender stereotypes, but also takes on Dad's (Backus) run for city mayor which is hampered by his two daughters's skirting of social mores of the time. After all, Billie has her gender problem, while older sister Jean (Seaforth) is hiding her marriage and pregnancy from upwardly ambitious Dad. So what will Dad do. After all, he needs the appearance of an unconflicted family.

Needless to say, heavy gender issues underlie the flick's generally light approach, issues more reflective of our own time than theirs, 1965. Thus, in that sense, the screenplay casts shadows ahead of its time, though here they're more toyed with than dealt with.

Anyway, Duke carries the film in generally charming fashion in what amounts to a really tricky role, while the cast as a whole manages to deal well with a sometimes murky script.

All in all, the flick's an oddity for its time, but remains a generally entertaining and thought provoking package. So catch up with it if you can, that is, if you don't mind a little salt in your dessert.

It's an hour's comedic spotlight on roasts of celebrities such as Lucille Ball, Telly Savalas, Jackie Gleason, while the laughs are from a panel of around twenty humorists, such as Don Rickles, Milton Berle, Nipsey Russell, or non-humorists such as Ronald Reagan, Angie Dickinson. All, of course, are hosted in expert tipsy style by a bleary-eyed Dean Martin who blends in perfectly. But don't let his looks fool you, he knows exactly what he's doing despite that alcoholic facade.

The panel takes turns at the podium microphone with prepared comedic remarks mocking the evening's featured guest. The zingers are often hilarious which the guest takes in bemused fashion knowing it's all in fun. My only downside are the laughs sometimes spread on too thickly as though the guests are bent on supporting one another in a common infectious effort. But that's just a minor note.

Anyway, it's a good chance for nostalgia buffs to catch up with an array of celebrities circa-1976 for a fun filled evenng. So catch up with the delightful nonsense if you haven't already.

One of TV's longest lasting quiz shows, 1950-1967, which does surprise me somewhat. After all, there's a lot of sophisticated banter among New York panelists Kilgallen, Francis, and Cerf along with host Daly. The question is whether that learned humor would play well enough for popular ratings across the country. But apparently it did and for 17 seasons.

But then the real draw, I think, was the often wacky occupations of the guests that the panelists would try to track down by asking 'yes' or 'no' queries of the guest. For example, the guest might be an old lady who swallows swords in a carnival, or a demure young woman who guards sunken treasures; or, then again, the occupation might be a perfectly ordinary one, like a shoe salesman or a store cashier. Actually, you never knew what was coming with the next guest, unless, of course, it was the 'mystery guest' who was usually a well known show-biz celebrity. And over the years just about every Hollywood high-flyer showed up, making the show a real delight for nostalgic re-runs.

Anyway, kudoes to the quick-witted and quick-thinking panelists, and especially host Daly. He may never have mastered the short explanatory sentence, but he certainly knew how to coordinate the often roving byplay into the program's limited time frame. Then too, he was quite good at taking care of logical distinctions often contained in questions and answers, so as not to put panelists on the wrong track. Now if could only frame his distinctions in 200 ordinary words or less, it would help!

No doubt another big draw was the laughable innuendo that often occured with panelists' probing queries, such as whether a fertilizer salesman's product could be held in the hand or eaten. The audience would roar at the antic while panelists would look stumped at the reaction. Anyway, be sure to catch up with the series on You Tube. It's an entertaining treat for both new viewers and old.

From start to finish, it's an action filled Hoppy programmer. There's more flying fists among the scores of cowboys than any movie I think I've seen. So what if the combat's not too convincing, after all it is a matinee oater. I just hope the guys were well paid.

So can Hoppy save the deserving farm settlers from the greedy land barons who want the rich forrest area for their own. It's a more involved plot than most, what with all the land ownership technicalities in the background.

Happily, most filming is done in the scenic Sierras that furnishes a rugged backdrop to all the action. And catch goofus Andy Clyde's duking it out with the tough old broads - won't see anything like that in A-movies of the time.

All in all, Hoppy gets less screentime than usual but is his usual attention-getting self. And note actress Hall as the nervy Julie. Her demanding role as owner of the disputed land amounts to a lot more than the usual oater eye-candy. And she does so well, she could qualify for big-time flicks. Anyway, see what you think.

Lastly, looks to me like the producers popped for a bigger budget than usual, what with all the location shots and bigger cast of mainly good actors. So, catch up with Hoppy and funster Clyde if you can. Meanwhile, Ride 'em, cowboy!

I was expecting the usual East Side Kids comic knock-about. You know, Gorcey, Hall, and guys playfully pummeling each other while the plot only serves to advance these goofy antics. I get a kick out of the usual series entries which is what I expected here.

But there's none of that in Blitzkrieg. Instead it's second-rate drama where Gorcey tries to escape clutches of urban crime and maybe get back together with estranged buddy Jordan. As a result, the comedic gang is reduced to secondary on-lookers as the dramatics take over. Too bad, since the plot threads meander in not very involving fashion.

But at least the flick works in a pretty girl (Charlotte) for some relief from all the ugly guys. Then too, there's the neat little blood-donor twist that makes the flick's upshot less predictable as to who will win Gorcey's big boxing match. Too bad the movie's remainder doesn't show similar skills.

Anyway, it looks like the hour's mainly an effort at showing Gorcey as more than just a comic, which, in fact, the drama does. Now, I'm not against departures from a good series norm, (here East Side Kid antics), but the exception should be a good one. Unfortunately, this one ain't.