shazam1950

I enjoyed this forgotten 6 episode sitcom because of the cast, chemistry, and the different path it took. Tim and Geoffrey added a different nuance for their characters. Where Conway and Knots had their cowardly and blundering shtick; Lewis and Thomerson conveyed a bit of menace along with their chemistry of comedy. The plots focused less on the orphans and more on the rest of the cast. I never cared for the movies (APPLE DUMPLING GANG and sequels). I only saw 3 episodes, but I am looking for the whole series on some format to watch and covet. There are several very short TV shows (LEG MEN) forgotten by the world, but cherished by me. Barry Van Dyke and Janis Paige helped to make this show memorable! On the IMDb site very little information is found. On WIKIPEDIA the show is barely mentioned. I do remain hopeful that all 6 episodes will see the light of day in some delivery system.

Just for your information the plot is lifted from the RKO film WALKING ON AIR with Gene Raymond and Ann Southern from 1936. I liked both versions. Cheech recaptured the charisma and talent of his stand up routine. Emma showed more than just a beautiful ornamental piece of furniture. Though low budget the Australian setting was refreshing and I always enjoy the opposites attract 'cute' meet. Like the more contemporary SHE'S OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE or the very under rated THE BIRDS AND THE BEES with George Gobel and Mitzi Gaynor the physical mismatch of ugly guy and pretty girl regardless of the machinations contrived by the plot never fails to bring a smile of satisfaction for me.

For me it was a good movie. A realistic look through at least 4 perspectives of marriage, relations. divorce. custody, court issues. infidelity, adultery, jealousy, bureaucratic mistakes, red tape, and and human foibles involved in out of control hormones and personal agendas. I know those are a lot of issues jammed into a low budget straight for DVD movie. It uses racial disparity to show that these topics are not limited to just one narrow spectrum. The film starts off with a woman's criteria (passed from her mother) of a man's worth as a husband - a job, a car, and a home. The second story line concerns a Latino mother with 3 kids having an affair (her husband is in prison). Third storyline is a successful business man finds his wife cheating on him. the fourth plot line is the divorce judge having a clandestine tryst with his clerk. The characters are a racially mixed batch which is good representation of the demographic of L.A. IMDb does not have very many details about this production. It reminds me of the gradual tone of the movie WAR OF THE ROSES. It started like a typical low brow comedy with sex driven parodies but with character development and the down to earth casting of mostly unknown but realistic looking actors it seemed to have a documentary feel that impressed me.

Though not the pilot episode which was on the other Four Star series TRACKDOWN with Robert Culp. this first episode was a good start to a great series. With young actors like Nick Adams, Mike Landon and old veterans like Dabs Greer the course and character of the show was quickly found. Adams is underrated. See his performance in NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS. As an actor. Landon was stuck in teenage delinquent roles. McQueen was asserting himself as the king of cool. For me the template was set. Josh Randell would have sparse lines and and a vulnerability that was different with other western heroes on television at the time. At the end of the show when he explains his aloofness the music cue complements the manner and tone perfectly.'

I used to watch this movie in the early sixties in LA when I was a little boy. The above reviews are on point with the comments about it being a bad movie. However I always watched it because of the love story. Dane Clark and Carole Mathews always portrayed real tough customers in their own movies . So to see them interact in this one was a real treat. The old saying about the consequences of a meeting between an irresistible force and a immovable object is played out in human terms with both actor and actress. Of course with all of the clashing and arguing sparks are bound to fly. If I remember they never kiss but she does slap him and I know that he wants to slug her. It was just nice to see adults behaving like school kids when trying to express love for each other. This pattern of hate - love has been a part of my ,modus vivendi, way of living and love for a long time. That probably explains why I like and miss such a terribly bad movie I used to visit San Pedro when I was growing up and I agree that most of the scenes are on the harbor.

Though I rated it a 6 I watch it more than some of my other favorite choices. When the plot goes to the music hall theater the song that Helene Cordet ,the magician's assistant, sings while doing the act just knocks me out. Her french accent and slight lisp somehow combine with the music arrangement to just make the movie better for me. Maybe it injects a bit of light humor in a suspense drama. In fact I enjoyed the next musical act about dancing on a big piano keyboard MORE THAN 3 DECADES Before THE MOVIE 'big". But then I always pay attention to musical interludes in movies even though they are suppose to be incidental. I agree with other reviewers about the early cameo bits by Jean Marsh, Rachel Roberts and the Lockeed Constellation. But I frequently find myself putting the movie and going to scene 5 just to hear her sing 'Hey Presto' again. In fact similar music interludes from B movies like MAN FROM CAIRO, CARRY ON SPYING,THE RAWHIDE YEARS,GIRLS AT SEA, make me wish that the soundtracks for audio use were available.

Down memory lane with me. In LA around the 60's on the independent TV channel KTTV 11 after the Saturday morning cartoons a western block comprising of 4 to 6 hours of programing took place. From the ages of ten to 16 I would enjoy FRONTIER FURY, BEST OF THE WEST, and THE BIG WESTERN MOVIE. The movie with the US title Guns of Nevada was shown repeatedly. Now I have not seen it since about 1969. It is a West German production but the majority of the actors seem to be Italian or Spanish. Regardless I enjoyed the movie and hope I can obtain on DVD. George Martin is Nevada Joe Dexter a swaggering Shane like hombre who gets involved with 2 women in this town. Like the principals in Johnny Guitar a subtle triangle develops with Joe and the heroines Laura, the head of a ranch hiring him as the ramrod and Mary who is either a saloon gal or owner. My memory may be faulty so bear with me. There is a lot more action in this oater, fist fights gun fights. roping and romance. The ranch owner wears the same sexy black outfit Jane Russell sported in Son of Paleface. She was not pretty like Jane,but her character playing the bossy whip slinging allowed Adrianna Amdesi to make a smoldering impression on me. The nice girl was actually Mary the saloon girl played by Katia Lortiz. I hope that I have the right actresses for the right character. A good foreign entry in to the Western cannon for me with a small twist and a more than satisfactory end. Despite the dubbing and locale I rate this movie as good or better than the first Sergio Leone - Eastwood outing. Maybe because I'm nostalgic or that I still Like old fashion westerns it a little more bit of modern romance.

It's on one of my Beta tapes and I still watch it now and then. To see Ed O'Brien so young and not portraying his usual overbearing character types is so refreshing. He really sold the absent minded professor act. Victor MacLagen was his terrific blustering strong and goodhearted self. But my hat and eyes go to June Havoc, the sister of Gypsy Rose Lee. She looks so shapely and sexy whether in a dress or those hot pants and blouse. that she overshadows Dorothy Lovett the love interest of O'Brien]. Some of the action stunts looks as though NO stunt doubles were used. Yes. a small well done B entry that had a simple plot with several themes from romance, comedy sci-fi,action and more than a touch of whimsy. For me it is right up there with Q PLANES with Ralph Richardson and Larry Olivier as unsung films that should be praised more. I hope that both of these films see the light of DVD before my VHS tapes wear out.

This episode was reworked on the Zucker brothers' parody of the short lived TV show POLICE SQUAD. I saw this episode after the POLICE SQUAD episode so it was wonderful to watch the same story played straight for a change. Ruta Lee is a favorite actress of mine and to see her as a cold blooded killer and manipulative female was exciting and funny at the same time. The original story had Lee Marvin as cool as always get a hunch and collaborate with his lab techs to solve the crime and stop Ruta Lee BEFORE SHE KILLS HIM. Of course I enjoy every minute of M SQUAD. AS always the soundtrack by Benny Carter, Count Basie, and supervised by Stanley Wilson has good atmospheric tension for a grittier show.

This is one of my favorite westerns. Critics have rated it awful and I understand their reasons why. For me however I have it on a Beta tape which lets you know how long ago that I saw it and it has not been shown since the early 1980's and is not on any VHS or DVD reproduction. The story was lifted from an old Tim Holt film in the early forties before he went in the service. Skip Homeier always played a young headstrong .often weak character. He was always a bad guy regardless of the setting or the picture. This is the only film I have seen that Homeier is the HERO and kind of cool at that. All of the Republic stock company seems to fill out the rest of the cast. Kristine Miller appears to have gained a few pounds which fills out her look as a frontier woman quite well.

the plot goes like this. The Warrens, a family consisting of 3 brothers one sister and a father own a gold mine that the unscrupulous mayor George Macready devises plans to obtain. The mayor sends for Shotgun Kelly a hired gun to affect his machinations. Mallory, played by Skip, having killed Shotgun in a fair fight comes into town, is mistaken for Kelly and obtains the confidence of the mayor. Mallory rides out to warn the Warren family but is captured by the Warren boys 'the best rifle shots in the county'. Mallory plays along with the mayor and his gang foiling several traps set for him. The good guys outsmart the bad guys and Mallory who wasn't a lawman just a nice guy looking to prospect makes his strike with the Warren girl and the gold.

Now I loved the music soundtrack, the dialog- Mayor Plummer "whatever happens in life good or bad. Use it" and just the fact that it was an ordinary old time horse opera that had a very low budget and modern feel to it just appealed to me. I scour the internet and all movie sites looking for someone that has the title available but so far no luck.I am sure that all of the Republic movie series like the Estilita Rodriguiez series,the Red Ryder westerns and serials are in public domain so maybe the film will be available some day. FEBRUARY 9 2013 Epilog: My movie is now on AMAZON video library. I have just watched it for free and i hoe to transfer it to a disc. Talk about happy endings.

This is more of a recollection than a review. I first read about this movie in one of Forrest J. Ackerman's magazines A still from The movie was accompanied by a very short synopsis. The spoiler ending was revealed in one of the publications either FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILM LAND or SPACEMEN I think I was 15 when I caught the last half on the Color Movie Thriller on KABC channel 7 in L.A. after midnight. Just like the plot summary The scientist happens upon a formula to shrink organic objects down to tiny figurines. From elephants to the girl of the film's title. If I remember correctly to restore the individual back to the correct size a body of water salt? or regular in proportion to the mass of the object. While the object is shrunk it is also in suspended animation with the body weight reduced. Now about the movie itself. A comedy with the girl who may be his assistant or just an innocent caught up in the farce. The scientist has a jealous fianceé getting the wrong idea and causing situations that actually draw the two principals together. In the movie I believe the jealous fianceé finally gets wind of the experiment's true nature and in a rage she picks up the girl friend a small figurine now and throws her into a fountain or the ocean beach front. She transforms back to her life and actual size and she and the scientist are together for the end credits. In the original story the fianceé threw the statue of the girl out of a window and it/she broke in pieces. I remember the pace of the movie being fast and the characters very animated like many foreign comedies of the sixties. Of course to hide her he would put her in his pocket at least once during the film. Now I only saw it that one time and then only the last half of the movie around 1965 or 1968. Don't know why it sticks out for me but forty five years later I am looking forward to seeing the whole movie again. Sooner or later.

This is the 3rd movie that starred Gordon Scott as the celebrated Ape Man. Besides the excellent production values, location scenes, and music by Lou Levy with real performances by an authentic African dance troupe, the acting is good all round. Gordon brings this version of Tarzan way up from the previous portrayals of the screen incarnations. Tarzan is clever and more intelligent than seen before. The fact that he is a loner and therefore not hampered by a romantic interest turns him into even a more serious action hero. The movie does have the same racial failings as in past Tarzan movies. The sets and lighting give the dark suspenseful mood and the music increases the dangerous atmosphere. Gordon and Bette St. John swim just as well as the pair in Tarzan and His Mate. In fact the script allows more dialog with better articulation from Tarzan and the men of Opar. I hope all of the Gordon Scott movies finally see the light of DVD day. Post script 6/26/2010.... all of the Sy Weintraub produced Tarzan films are now available through WARNER BROS HOME VIDEO ARCHIVE section. My wishes have been fulfilled

A much better remake than it has a right to be. The improvements over the original includes a much better musical score, the advent of color.and the addition of the 2 leads Mitzi Gaynor and George Gobel. Hank Fonda and Barbara Stanwyck are physically well matched so it is hard to swallow her character not being attracted to his character. For the remake because Mitzi and George are so mismatched physically, and there seems to be chemistry between the two principals the romance works. The screen play trims some of the fat off the supporting characters Fred Clark always shines with the brunt of the story focused on the main leads. The casting of George Gobel using his television alter ego as an innocent over an obvious ploy by what should be another fortune hunter is delicious for me. The supporting cast rounds out a formula musical comedy. I look forward to a DVD copy of this movie.

Zasu Pitts holds her own in this entry to the Stuart Palmer mystery series that spawned a movie entry. Hildegarde Winters and Oscar Piper solved murder mysteries in RKO's B movie cannon. Younger than Helen Broadrick and prettier than Edna May Olvier Zasu's Hildegarde seems to have a more social relationship with James Gleason's Oscar Piper. In this movie she has a golf date with Oscar. And in the movie 40 Naughty Girls they are attending a musical when murder rears its ugly head. Regardless of the different actress the movies as whole are very enjoyable. I hope to see them on DVD like Nancy Drew or Mike Shayne. The movies always had interesting locations that are no longer with us. From the New York Aquarium in The Penguin Pool Murders to the public school building in Murder on a Blackboard and out to sea on Catalina Island for Murder on a Honeymoon. A viewer gets a glimpse of history and living, of life and entertainment from a bygone era in Hollywood a viewer is given a look at life and living in a bygone age. p.s. I love to see old time telegram pages splashed on the screen. A Post Script: it is now 2014 and I have The Hildegarde / Oscar Movie set from WARNER ARCHIVES. I now firmly attest Zasu Pitts is the more comfortable 'Miss Withers for me. She sheds the spinster cast transforming the character into a crimebuster (with official police credentials)and masters the'Colombo' guise of detective misdirection by her mannerisms and appearance. She exhibits skills (using a hair pin to unlock handcuffs). Her mannerism of not seeming to pay attention makes suspects underestimate her very keen analytical mind. Miss Pitts also brought more emotion to the role. She shows enthusiasm for the thrill of solving a case.