THE WILD ANGELS (1966)

 

Three years before he starred in the iconic EASY RIDER (1969) Peter Fonda first tried his luck on a motorcycle in this innovative exploitation flick that was produced and directed by Roger Corman for American-International Pictures. With this film, Fonda abandoned his clean cut screen image (1963's TAMMY AND THE DOCTOR) and made the big plunge into the Counterculture. 

The real-life motorcycle gang, The Hell's Angels, lend their name to the fictional gang in the film. Fonda plays the gang leader, who is stuck with the unlikely name Heavenly Blues. (??) Along with his girlfriend, Mike (Nancy Sinatra), his best friend, Loser (Bruce Dern), and his girl, Gaysh (Diane Ladd, Dern's wife at the time), and some of the real-life Angels, they ride, fight, party, make out, etc., all to a soundtrack of innocuous rock music, similar to the music heard in other "hip" movies of the period. 

The plot has the gang setting out to retrieve a bike that was stolen from Loser. A brawl ensues. The cops show up. The gang flees, but Loser gets left behind. He steals a police motorcycle and is shot in the back during a getaway chase. His injuries are serious and he undergoes surgery. The gang springs him from the hospital and he dies soon afterward. They take Loser's body to his home town in the California mountains. The funeral in a small church turns into a drunken, violent orgy. When the gang tries to bury Loser's body in the local cemetery, some townspeople confront them. A brawl ensues. The cops show up. Everyone flees, except for Heavenly Blues, who laments to Mike: "There's nowhere to go." 

This unsavory little photoplay was the beginning of a long string of similar biker flicks to follow, some of them released by AIP. Roger Corman may have considered this film to be a kind of sequel or homage to the 1953 Marlon Brando classic THE WILD ONE. Or maybe he didn't. In either case, the two films have little in common, other than the central theme of a motorcycle gang. There are some good moments in THE WILD ANGELS, most of them involving Bruce Dern's excellent performance in a relatively small role. But the overall feeling is one of cheap sensationalism and an attempt to preach to the audience about the yearnings of young people caught up in the 60's culture. During the climactic funeral sequence, Heavenly Blues gets to passionately speak lines such as: "We want to ride our machines without getting hassled by The Man!" And: "We want to get loaded!!" Peter Fonda must have learned something valuable from this experience. In EASY RIDER, his character, Wyatt, is tight-lipped and doesn't say much of anything during the entire movie.

For American-International, THE WILD ANGELS marked the beginning of their next phase of film production. Having successfully made and marketed horror movies and beach party movies, they were ready to move into more adult content. In the next few years, the biker flicks would be released, along with other countercultural films such as THE TRIP, PSYCH OUT, and MARYJANE. Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello would step aside to make room for Jack Nicholson and Susan Strasberg.

Also featured in the cast are Buck Taylor, Gayle Hunnicutt, Joan Shawlee, Michael J. Pollard, Frank Maxwell, and a brief appearance by Corman regular Dick Miller, always a welcome presence in any movie.

LADY ON A TRAIN (1945)

 

A delightful combination of comedy, music and mystery, LADY ON A TRAIN was created primarily as a vehicle for Deanna Durbin, Universal Pictures' number one box office star from 1936 until her retirement in 1948. From her beginnings as a teenage operatic prodigy, Miss Durbin had matured into a beautiful and talented young woman in possession of more warmth and charisma than most female stars of her era. This is one of her best films. Directed by Charles David, who would later become Miss Durbin's husband, the film also stars David Bruce, Ralph Bellamy, Edward Everett Horton, Dan Duryea, Elizabeth Patterson, Patricia Morison, George Coulouris and Allen Jenkins. Based on an unpublished story by Leslie Charteris.

LADY ON A TRAIN is included in the book Film Noir: An Encyclopedic Reference To The American Style, edited by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward. It may be considered an odd choice for such a classification, given the overall lighthearted nature of the movie. However, there are many moments of Noir sensibility throughout the film, thanks in part to the striking cinematography of Woody Bredell, who shot the low budget classic PHANTOM LADY at Universal in 1944.

Nikki Collins (Durbin) is on a train pulling into Grand Central Station when she witnesses a man being murdered in a nearby office building. But she doesn't see the face of the killer. When she is unable to get the police to believe her, she enlists the help of mystery writer Wayne Morgan (Bruce). Nikki learns that the murder victim was a man named Waring, a shipping magnate. She goes to his mansion and meets his rather bizarre family, headed by crusty old Aunt Charlotte (Patterson). She also meets Waring's nephews, Jonathan (Bellamy) and Arnold (Duryea). The plot from there is a combination of mistaken identity, broad physical comedy, and three musical numbers performed by Miss Durbin, one of which is a stunning rendition of Cole Porter's Night and Day.

It shouldn't be surprising that the same studio that had produced so many marvelous, atmospheric horror films would be able to add convincingly dark sequences even into their best comedies. And that is the case with LADY ON A TRAIN, mainly at the beginning and toward the end of the film. The scene where Nikki looks out of her window and witnesses the murder, which occurs right after the opening credits, could easily have been the beginning of a serious Noir crime thriller. The fact that Nikki was reading a pulp crime novel, and her overstated reaction to the murder, add a comic veneer to the scene.

At the film's climax, however, when Nikki learns the identity of the murderer, the atmosphere turns exceedingly dark and serious. Trapped in the exact location of the murder, Nikki is confronted by both of the Waring brothers, played convincingly by Ralph Bellamy and Film Noir regular Dan Duryea. Which one is the killer? The revelation is expertly played out in the darkness of the deserted building. There is one memorable shot of Miss Durbin's face as a ghostly reflection in a glass door as she gazes in terror at the killer. And there is also a nice bit of psychological weirdness thrown in as the killer, addressing Nikki, alludes to a twisted, incestuous relationship between old Aunt Charlotte and himself that began in his childhood. Some pretty heavy stuff for a 1940's comedy with music!

A thoroughly engaging film on so many levels, LADY ON A TRAIN is highly recommended. And I dare you not to fall madly in love with Deanna Durbin!

A POVERTY ROW DOUBLE FEATURE

 

 

ONE FRIGHTENED NIGHT (1935)

This 66 minute programmer from Mascot Pictures follows the pattern of many similar "old dark house" mystery-comedies. Wealthy old guy Jasper White (Charlie Grapewin), who has one foot in the grave, gathers together a small group of family members and other associates, including the family housekeeper, to announce his plans to give each of them one million dollars. That is, of course, unless he is able to find his long lost granddaughter, Doris Waverly, in which case all of the money will go to her. Well, lo and behold, guess who shows up at the front door? The long lost granddaughter (Evelyn Knapp). While everyone in the house is trying to process this alarming development, another woman (Mary Carlisle) appears, also claiming to be the granddaughter. Mayhem ensues.

Christy Cabanne directed this movie with all of the appropriate dark-and-stormy-night atmosphere and creepy old mansion sets. The black and white cinematography is very good, especially in the opening moments. Also featured are Lucien Littlefield, Regis Toomey, Wallace Ford, Arthur Hohl, Hedda Hopper, Clarence Wilson and Rafaele Ottiano.

SWAMP WOMAN  (1941)

The woman inhabiting this particular swamp is burlesque queen Ann Corio, whose performance strongly suggests she would be better off concentrating on stripping in front of a live audience rather than emoting in front of a camera. The beautiful Miss Corio is joined in this cinematic swamp by perennial tough guy Jack La Rue, this time cast as a good guy and giving the best performance in this low budget programmer from PRC. Miss Corio plays, believe it or not, a burlesque queen who returns to her close knit backwoods community in the Deep South Swampland. While there, she gets involved with an escaped convict, an unsolved murder, and tries to entice her former boyfriend La Rue into some hot, swampy love. We get to see a few of her mildly suggestive dance moves as the film meanders to its eventual, and not terribly exciting, conclusion, whereupon life in the swamp is peaceful once again.

YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE (2017)

Sometimes we go to the movies and have a good time. And then sometimes we go to the movies and end up feeling like we've had our insides ripped out and stomped on by mutant gorillas. The latter description applies to my experience while watching Lynne Ramsay's YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE.

This dark, brooding, visceral film is like a fever dream with a linear story that weaves its way into your consciousness alongside relentlessly ugly, violent imagery. Joaquin Phoenix, in a powerful performance, plays a guy named Joe, a veteran with PTSD, who lives with and cares for his elderly mother. Joe is also a former FBI agent who works for a clandestine organization that rescues young girls who have been abducted into the world of sex trafficking. When he's called to do a job involving a politician who's trying to get his daughter back, Joe finds himself caught up in a conspiracy that threatens his life and the lives of those he cares about.

For those who have an aversion to violence and bloodletting, this film can be difficult to watch in some places. Be forewarned. However, the subject matter and the presence of Phoenix make it worthwhile. To be honest, the film could be much more violent than it is. But the director shoots many scenes in such a way that confrontations occur mostly off screen or are seen through a remote security camera. My sincere gratitude to Ms. Ramsay!

Trivial tidbit: Judith Roberts, the actress who plays Joe's mother, is the same woman who played the beautiful, mysterious prostitute living across the hall from Henry (Jack Nance) in David Lynch's ERASERHEAD (1977).

A STAR IS BORN (2018)

This fourth version of the venerable rags-to-riches-to-heartache-and-ending-in-outright-tragedy showbiz saga accomplishes what the title promises by successfully turning flamboyant entertainer Lady Gaga into a movie star. The fact that the whole force of the Hollywood glamour machine is deployed to deglamorize the outrageous Gaga image only adds to the fun of watching her and seeing what a good actress she is. As for Bradley Cooper, he's a major star already, and no glamour treatment is needed for him to deliver yet another heartfelt performance demonstrating his talent and versatility. He also makes a commendable debut as a director.

The first one-third of the film is pure magic as working class, aspiring singer Ally Campano and damaged rock star Jackson Maine meet, fall in love, and begin working together. The story seems to lose its way a little as Ally becomes famous overnight and soon begins to morph into something resembling a Jennifer Lopez blow-up fetish doll while Jackson declines almost too rapidly with each successive scene. But the film finds its way back toward the end and once again grabs the viewer's heart.

The music as performed by both of the stars is very impressive. The Oscar nominated song "Shallow" is a dramatic standout. Before I saw the movie, I watched Cooper and Gaga sing this song on the Oscar broadcast and I didn't find it to be at all moving or interesting. But when performed within the context of the story, it works beautifully.

Miss Gaga, having added the title of Screen Goddess to her list of professional conquests, will no doubt go on to make other movies. After all, once a star has been born she usually likes to keep her face in front of the cameras. But she may never be able to find a showcase role quite like this one.

The final shot of the film, a closeup of Ally's face, filled with emotion, connects this updated version of the story to its three predecessors. In the end, they're all about the same thing: a one man woman looking for the man that got away.

MIKE'S DRIVE-IN: ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES (1959) and THE RETURN OF DRACULA (1958)

Forget CITIZEN KANE. This is the movie magic you're really hungering for.

Shot in only eight days for $70,000, this enduring epic tells the story of giant mutant leeches causing mayhem in the Florida Everglades when they get over aggressive and start dragging innocent people into their underwater cave in order to suck their blood. One of the hapless victims is sleazy tart Liz Walker (Yvette Vickers), who is cheating on her sleazy husband, Dave (Bruno VeSota) with one of his sleazy friends, Cal Moulton (Michael Emmett). Stalwart game warden Steve Benton (Ken Clark) is called upon to find a way to defeat the slimy leech critters so as to make the Everglades safe once again for all manner of sleazy activiy. The handsome Clark's primary acting duties consist of posing with his shirt off and being generally heroic. His girlfriend, Nan Grayson, is portrayed by Jan Shepherd. Her function is to nag Steve incessantly and pour coffee for various cast members.

The leeches are portrayed by humans in badly fitted rubber suits (Or are they just trash bags? Hard to tell.) with suction cups attached. Fortunately for the costume designers' reputations, the slimy looking monsters are only partially visible at any given time. The film was directed by Bernard L. Kowalski. Produced by Roger and Gene Corman. Screenplay by Leo Gordon.

Yvette Vickers had appeared in another science fiction classic the year before, ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN, in which she also played a sleazy tart. Miss Vickers was always better than the material she was usually given and deserved much more of a chance in films. She is the main reason this low budget gem is remembered.

This interesting entry into the vampire genre used to show up on television quite frequently during the 1960's and 1970's and was always great fun to watch. In spite of its low budget and brief running time (77 minutes) it takes the subject matter very seriously and has many effective sequences.

The story, set in 1958, has Count Dracula emigrating from Eastern Europe to the United States in search of fresh blood. He does away with, and assumes the identity of, a fellow countryman named Belak who was coming to California to live with relatives. He moves in with Belak's cousin, a widow with a young son and a teenage daughter, Rachel. Dracula somehow manages to hide his coffin in a nearby cave and gets busy sampling the local feminine blood supply, while casting a cold, hungry eye on the nubile Rachel.

Dracula is portrayed by Francis Lederer, a Czech actor with a long film career going all the way back to the silent era. One of his notable roles was opposite Louise Brooks in the 1929 German classic PANDORA'S BOX. Lederer's dark features, expressive eyes and thick accent give him a commanding Lugosi-esque presence that makes his interpretation of the Count very impressive and mysterious. He wisely underplays the role, forgoing dramatic gestures and relying on a steady gaze and a quiet, controlled voice inflection.

The cinematography is in black & white. But there is a brief, rather shocking, moment in color when a vampire girl in a white shroud (Don't they always wear white shrouds?) geta a stake driven into her heart with blood spurting all over the place. The film is lacking in special photographic effects, but it does make good use of mist whenever Dracula makes a nocturnal entrance.

Rachel is played by a young, beautiful actress named Norma Eberhardt, who only made a handful of film and television appearances (notably LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG, also in 1958) before leaving show business. A real shame, too, as she was talented and distinctive. Also featuring Ray Striklyn, Virginia Vincent and Jimmie Baird. Directed by Paul Landers.

Add this one to your list of Halloween cinematic treats.

PLAY IT AS IT LAYS (1972)

If you're in a good mood when you decide to pop PLAY IT AS IT LAYS into the old DVD player and give it a watch, then prepare to be depressed when it's over. If you happen to be depressed to begin with, then get ready to go right over the edge into the pit of existential despair. Directed by Frank Perry, this is one of those early 1970's films that glory in showing us the emptiness and pointlessness of American life. And this particular story takes place in Hollywood/Los Angeles, which means emptiness is enthroned as a form of art. As if all of this weren't downbeat enough, the second most important location is Las Vegas. Need another Zoloft yet?

Tuesday Weld stars as Maria Wyeth, a B-Movie actress whose life has taken a dark turn. Her marriage to self-absorbed director Carter Lang (Adam Roarke) is crumbling. Their young daughter is mentally disturbed and institutionalized. Maria becomes pregnant from an adulterous affair, has an abortion, and gets a divorce. As her life spins out of control in a series of one night stands and increasingly erratic behavior, her only mainstay is her unhappy gay friend BZ Mendenhall (Anthony Perkins). BZ finally decides to kill himself and invites Maria to join him. She refuses, but does nothing to stop her friend from carrying out his suicide. After BZ's death, Maria is confined to a mental hospital.

The screenplay by Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne is based on Didion's novel of the same name. While the film is largely an endless talk fest populated by cliched, one dimensional characters, it does have many effective moments. Perry's directing style consists of jump cuts and very brief scenes that seem to reflect the disjointed mindsets of the characters, especially Maria. The film opens with Maria telling her story as she walks the grounds of the hospital. Everything we see depicted in the film is her point of view, the story as she remembers it. While the story is indeed dark, the relentless California sunshine provides a bizarre visual contrast, Maria spends much of her time driving her gorgeous yellow Corvette. The film is devoid of music, except for what we hear occasionally on her car radio.

Anthony Perkins is excellent as the tragic BZ. He and Miss Weld had worked together two years  previously in a low budget gem entitled PRETTY POISON and the two have marvelous chemistry between them. Also featured are Tammy Grimes, Ruth Ford, Eddie Firestone and Diana Ewing. Tyne Daly has a few lines as a journalist. And handsome, tough guy actor Tony Young appears as handsome, tough guy actor Johnny Waters, who has a fling with Maria.

The primary reason to appreciate this movie is its beautiful star. For those of us who revere Tuesday Weld not only as the most enigmatic of screen goddesses, but also a truly gifted actress, PLAY IT AS IT LAYS is almost the ultimate Weld experience. She is in practically every scene, with one lovely close-up after another allowing us to gaze at her expressive face. She gives a very good performance as the troubled movie star. It's tempting to believe that Miss Weld is acting out scenes from her own life. After all, she was pushed into a modelling career by her mother at the age of three and had a nervous breakdown when she was nine. She started in films when she was barely in her teens and lived a somewhat troubled life. And yet, she survived. My DVD edition of PLAY IT AS IT LAYS includes an interview Miss Weld did on The Dick Cavett Show in 1971. She speaks with honesty about her early life and the difficulties she experienced. She also exudes the same warmth and sincerity that she brought to so many of her performances. Tuesday Weld hasn't made a film since the early 2000's. I hope she has found peace in her life. And I hope she knows how many of us still love her.