PRIMITIVE SCREWHEADS

In Society 1944

After Lou Costello was finally over his illness the guys made a film for MGM, Lost In A Harem, then they made their 10th film for Universal Pictures. In Society was their only film for 1944. It was written by John Grant, Edmund Hartmann and Hal Fimberg. It was  directed by Jean Yarbrough, who'd go on to direct the next four of Abbott and Costello's pictures and all the episodes of their TV show. This film the guys are plumbers and they go on an emergency call to the mansion of a rich guy. He's just returned from a trip and wants to sleep. His wife is having a party on the main floor. That doesn't bother him but a leaky faucet in the bathroom next door does. The guys trash his bathroom, flood rooms, and generally ruin his night. Days later they get an invite to a society gala event. Of course it was a mistake, the rich man's wife sent her invite, instead of the complaint for their plumbing work, but they don't know that and go along to the party. There's some of the usual chaos that happens if you're near the guys. Marion Hutton plays their pal the cab driver. She has a bit of a romance with one of the society men at the costume party. He was dressed as a cabbie and he assumed that she was in costume too. Keep an eye out for Arthur Treacher, playing a butler. Once of the scenes in the film is the Susquehanna Hat skit. Lou has to deliver hats to the company. Every time he meets someone they have a grudge against the company, or the street it's on, and when they get mad, a hat dies. At the gala a painting is stolen and Bud and Lou are suspects. They go after the real thief to clear their name. I think that was the basic plot of the last film. They were on the run anyway. There's a big chase on a fire truck, part of which was taken from  W.C. Fields' Never Give a Sucker an Even Break. I got a few laughs and set the disc aside to watch the next film in a bit.

American Horror Story Season 1

I got less than half way through the second episode and turned off the program. There wasn't anyone I liked, there wasn't anything but horrible stuff happening and it was all some creepy psycho's being mean to each other. Some of the psycho's are ghosts. Ghost's who are dicks. Who needs to see that. Not me.

Science Fiction Sunday 356

I got tired of watching crappy SF movies on YouTube so I decided to watch the first couple of discs in the Johnny Sokko And His Giant Robot series. It's a Japanese production from Toei Company Ltd called Giant Robo, or ジャイアントロボ which translated is Jaianto Robo. There was only one season or series and the 26 episodes aired from October 11 1967 to April 1 1968. The Japanese series, and manga, were  created by Mitsuteru Yokoyama who also created Tetsujin 28-go, which was called Gigantor in the US.

The English version was developed by Reuben Guberman for the US under the title Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot. It was produced by American International Television. Salvatore Billitteri was the line producer and Manuel San Fernando director.

It's very typical of these TV shows, mostly aimed at the younger crowd, with a giant robot, a kid, some spies and a baddie of the week. There's a baddie overlord, in form of the alien Emperor Guillotine, who's head of The Gargoyle Gang. Johnny Sokko is the kid and because he spoke first into the control microphone for the Giant Robot he's now in charge of the robot. He gets recruited by Unicorn, a good guy spy group, and they battle the baddies.

Each week there's a new giant monster for the giant robot to fight. That's Tyrox above, they fight in the desert of Arabia. Tyrox is a robot that's also a mobile prison. One of the Unicorn agents gets caught and Johnny has to sneak in to get her out. In another show the monster is a giant plant, in the first episode the monster is an octopus like creature with tentacles, in the 5th episode the monster is a giant silver and red hand called the Claw. The monsters are about average for the TV production of the time, some are better than others, none are outstanding. The stories are fun enough, at lest they have some imagination, and there are plenty of goofy things happening. I'm enjoying them for the most part.

The Bridge 2013

I had read about the Danish-Swedish series Broen/Bron and put it on my library queue. I'm way down the list, several people were interested in it, so it's going to be a while. Hardly anyone was interested in the 2013 FX remake The Bridge and the library sent that right away. I watched it over the last few days and didn't much care for it. It's well made and all but there's hardly any light to the dark. It's pretty darn grim and bleak. I asked the guys at movie night if anyone had seen it and only Joe had. He'd stopped after a few episodes and didn't ever go back to finish the story. I had seen the first half of the 13 episodes by then and I knew what he was talking about. I had to wait a few days to get back to the other two discs and only made it to the end by blast-forwarding through the last half of the season. All the characters have so many problems that it makes me think it's a soap opera that just happens to have a serial killer as a character. I wouldn't bother seeing it again but I still plan to watch the Danish-Swedish show when it pops up. Like the original series the US remake has a second season. Then it was cancelled. The Danish-Swedish show's 3rd series is supposed to be starting to air tomorrow.

Friday Night Movies 547

Harlock: Space Pirate is our first selection. It's a 2013 computer generated anime reboot of the Captain Harlock series from the 1970s. I hadn't seen that series, except for snippets of video and some stills, but I don't feel I missed anything. The movie plot has Captain Harlock and the crew of his ship, the Arcadia, planting some special bombs. He wants to fix the state of the human race by destroying them all and sending the universe back in time. The Earth had been destroyed, by Harlock, one hundred years ago. He'd unleashed some dark matter and made the place unlivable. The ruling body in the universe, the Gaia Sanction, covers the planet with a hologram and does not allow anyone to live there. The dark mater also made Harlock immortal and his ship invincible. He's been running about the universe for the last 100 years planting the bombs he hopes to use to reverse time by destroying the time nodes. Now as the movie starts there's a secret Gaia Sanction spy among his crew and it might be the end of Harlock. It just goes on and on for what seems like forever. The space action and the fighting isn't too bad but the script is filled with yakkin' and backstory. That drags the whole thing down. The story has been changed from the older TV series and not everyone who commented on the various websites was appreciative. It's not something I would bother with again. I doubt that I'll bother with the original cartoon either. So many other things to watch as it is, so tossing one aside for better material just makes sense.

There's not too much sense going on in our second feature but at least The Neanderthal Man was more fun to watch. It's a 1953 low budget horror film written by Aubrey Wisberg and Jack Pollexfen. I didn't recognize either man but I see from the IMDb that Audrey wrote a bunch of films and a bit of TV. In the 40s he wrote some series films, a Boston Blackie, A Falcon and a Whistler. He wrote The Man From Planet X and others I haven't seen. His last feature was the 1969 Hercules In New York with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Arnold Stang. That's quite a film. Worth seeing but not because it's great or anything. Jack wrote a lot of the same films as Aubrey and together they produced a bunch more. The Neanderthal Man was directed by Ewald André Dupont. I didn't know anything about him but his bio on the IMDb is interesting to say the least.

German film director E.A. Dupont an influential critic and newspaper columnist before breaking into the film industry. He wrote several screenplays and worked as a story editor for Richard Oswald before turning to directing in 1917. Over the next eight years Dupont became a respected exponent of the German expressionist movement. He was particularly acclaimed for his film Jealousy (1925), which stood out for brilliant lighting effects and fluid camera work. Encouraged by his success, Dupont left Decla-Bioskop and joined Universal in Hollywood, but only completed one film. Crossing the Atlantic again, he signed with British National Pictures in 1928. He briefly became their leading director, again demonstrating his visual flair with two prestige productions: Moulin Rouge (1928) and Piccadilly (1929). The latter was BIP's most expensively made picture up to this time.

After the advent of sound Dupont's career began to falter. His first "talkie", the "Titanic" story Atlantic (1929)--shot in both English and French--was an expensive flop, due mainly to poor dialogue and stilted performances. His next two ventures, respectively in France and Germany, had an even worse critical reception. Dupont next tried his luck in Hollywood. After 1933 he worked at different times for Universal, Paramount and Warner Brothers. Critical success proved elusive, as almost all of his assignments were low-budget second features. After being fired from the set of Hell's Kitchen (1939) for slapping a junior member of the cast who had mocked his accent, Dupont spent most of the 1940s in Hollywood as a talent agent and publicist. He eventually resumed his directing career with an offbeat minor film noir, The Scarf (1951), and a watchable precursor to The Flight of the Phoenix (1965), The Steel Lady (1953). Among his last films was the notorious sci-fi stinker The Neanderthal Man (1953). He died of cancer in December 1956.

The Neanderthal Man is a bit of a stinker but we got a laugh. The story is set in a small town in northern California. A tourist sees what he thinks is a saber toothed tiger out on the mountain. No one believes him but a farmer has had some cattle killed and mauled by something pretty darn big. The local game warden finds a big foot print and a scientist identifies it as from the cat family. Another scientist has a home lab where he's been working on a serum that causes animals to revert to primitive versions of themselves. Now we know where the saber tooth tiger came from. He tries it on himself and that's the result above. Of course the primitive versions of the injected are prone to kill things and they become the hunted themselves. These type of science meddling stories often end in disaster for the experimenter and that's the case here. The cast was about average, keep an eye out for Beverley Garland in her first SF/Horror film. The only other people I recognized were Richard Crane and William Fawcett. The plot is simple, scientist invents a problem and people die, sadly there's some awful dialog to tell the story. There are scenes to marvel at. The outdoor locations aren't to bad but the sets are kind of sad. The make up effects were beyond sad, in fact, they made us happy, judging by the amount of laughter in the room. The saber tooth tiger is a normal tiger in most shots. In a close up they use an obvious fake head with tusks. We could only laugh. It's a short film, only 78 minutes, but there's plenty going on, even if it is kind of goofy. The YouTube version in the link in the title above is only 64 minutes. The Scream Factory release restores the movie to it's original 78 minute version and packs it with The Beast Of Hollow Mountain.

Death Comes To Pemberley 2013

I picked up Death Comes To Pemberley from the library without knowing anything about it. Now I know it's an adaptation of a  PD James novel of the same name and that it uses the same characters as Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. I'm not a PD James fan. I tried reading a couple of her books but didn't like the writing. I never tried again. I'm also not a Jane Austen fan so I've never read the book and don't know what happened.  As the story opens it's 6 years since the novel ended and two guys are travelling in a carriage with their wives. The men are arguing. They stop the carriage, disappear into the woods, two gun shots are heard. Next day Mr Darcy finds one man holding the dead body of the other. There's a trial and Mr Darcy and the man's wife work to save him from the gallows. It was ok but a bit slow. I liked the sets, costumes and locations. All the actors were good, especially Anna Maxwell Martin, Jenna Coleman and Trevor Eve. Now that I've seen it I wouldn't need to watch it again. And that's a good thing, means I wouldn't be thinking of wanting a copy. Saves me money and space.

Les Petits Meurtres d'Agatha Christie

I was looking for more Agatha Christie stuff at the library and I noticed Les Petits Meurtres D'Agatha Christie which is a set of 7 episodes of a French TV production. It's part of a larger group of shows, some 23 so far, that adapt the plots of Agatha Christie novels with different characters. The series started in 2009 and there were two sets of characters in the movie length shows.

In the first 11 episodes Antoine Duléry plays Commissaire Larosière and Marius Colucci plays Inspecteur Émile Lampion. They're an entertaining pair of police men in 1930's France. That's the two of them on the DVD cover. Their series was the first and it ran from 2009 to 2012. Only 6 episodes from that run are in the set.

That's Élodie Frenck as secrétaire Marlene, Samuel Labarthe as Inspecteur Swan Laurence and Blandine Bellavoir as journaliste Alice Avril. They are an unlikely trio who get thrown together. Swan and Alice get along like fire and gasoline. The series is set in the 1950s. They've had 12 episodes since 2013. The one episode in the DVD set is the first episode that aired.

The programs are as funny as they are beautiful to look at. There's great cars, clothes and sets. The French scenery is used to spectacular advantage and the characters are continuously surprising. There's good mysteries and a good bit of silliness mixed in with the murders. I really enjoyed just about everything about the series. Acorn Media put the set out and I hope like hell that they get the rest of them out here.

Les Meurtres ABC (The ABC Murders)

A serial killer is taunting Superintendent Larosire with increasingly savage murders. Even as he receives letters announcing the date of the next killing, the master crime solver feels powerless against this mysterious psychopath.

Am Stram Gram (Eeny Meeny Miney Mo based on Ordeal by Innocence)

The murder of a beloved philanthropist by one of her adopted children was one of Larosire's biggest cases and caused a sensation. But now the case is being reopened, and the family of the dead woman bristles at having their secrets disturbed.

La Maison du Péril (Peril at End House)

While on a seaside vacation, Larosire meets a beautiful young designer who needs his help after several close calls with death. As the case progresses, Larosire finds himself losing his heart to her and that could cost him his life.

Le Chat et Les Souris (The Cat and the Mice based on Cat Among the Pigeons)

Murder stalks the halls of a swanky boarding school. The case requires absolute discretion, but as Superintendent Larosire and Inspector Lampion dig deeper, disturbing facts come to light.

Je ne Suis pas Coupable (I am Not Guilty based on Sad Cypress)

A group of women are gathered for an exclusive weekend retreat devoted to political causes. When the wealthy hostess is threatened, Larosire must find a way to get inside. That requires Lampion to go undercover in a way he never expected.

Un Cadavre sur L'Oreiller (The Body on the Pillow based on The Body in the Library)

Larosire wakes up with a wicked hangover, a dead prostitute in his bed, and no memory of what happened the night before. Finding himself the prime suspect, the master detective goes on the run as he struggles to clear his name.

Jeux De Glaces (They Do It with Mirrors)

Super-suave commissioner Laurence investigates a grisly murder at a mental institution with a controversial history. But he's even more intrigued by the curious behavior of the family who runs the place especially as more bodies pile up.

Vikings Season 1

I didn't see Vikings when it aired on the History Channel a couple of years ago. It's a Canadian - Irish historical drama that was filmed in Ireland. Michael Hirst, the creator of Elizabeth and The Tudors, is the creator and writer. There are 9 episodes in the season and the story follows Ragnar Lothbrok on his path from farmer to Earl. He's the one that breaks the current Earl's hold over the village. First he sees the possibilities in a new navigational tool and second for funding Floki's new boat design, one that can cross the ocean. The Earl sends annual raids to the east, he doesn't believe that any lands exist to the west, and the ships they use for raiding all belong to him. Against the Earl's wishes, Ragnar gathers a group to go on a raid to the West. Ragnar's raid is successful, the men return with a lot of gold, silver and slaves from Lindisfarne. The Earl spares him for disobeying, takes all their loot, and makes Ragnar his enemy. Ragnar is ambitious, and the Earl thinking he's a danger, sends men to attack Ragnar's farm. After recovering Ragnar challenges the Earl to combat and becomes Earl. They build more ships and keep attacking England. There's plenty of gold and other nice things to bring home. King Aelle of Northumbria vows revenge.

While that story moves across the 9 episodes we have a bunch of other smaller bits and pieces that fill in the lives of the people in the village. The village looks good, lots of great sets and props and costumes. Most of the families seem to have farms, some live in the village. The Earl runs the town, there are laws to follow, and harsh punishments if you get convicted. Ragnar's brother Rollo is jealous of his brother and he doesn't make some good choices. Rollo gets some face cutting torture from the Earl when Ragnar escapes the Earl's men. There's plenty of fighting and slaughtering, both on raids and at home. Athelstan, a monk captured on the first raid, teaches Ragnar about the world to the west. That just fuels Ragnar's interest in seeing things for himself.

The Ragnar character is based on a legendary guy who might have indeed lived. Or been a bunch of other guys. In the legend King Aella catches him and kills him by throwing him into a pit filled with snakes. Ragnar's son's  Ivar the Boneless, Björn Ironside, Halfdan Ragnarsson, Sigurd Snake-in-the-Eye, and Ubba lead the Great Heathen Army to conqueror northern England. They took over various cities, or got bribed to stay away, for over a decade. Vikings, glad they aren't coming to my town.

I had mixed feelings about the show. It's seems mostly a mix of soap opera and fighting. I found myself fast forwarding through the fights, not because they were dull, they just went on and on sometimes. The Vikings just aren't a very pleasant people to be around. They plot and kill for power. I did like Ragnar's quest for knowledge, too bad he used it for raiding. I've got the second season in my library list but I might wait away to request it. I wouldn't need to watch the first season over.

A Time To Kill 1955

Here's a nice little British murder mystery from 1955. A Time To Kill is a short film, about 62 minutes, so there isn't much time to waste on anything but the murder and the detecting. The woman killed was poisoned and the finger is pointing at the man who was with her at the time. He was only partially poisoned, he never finished his drink, and he hated that woman. The cops are called in and a nosey reporter in involved. There's a sub plot about blackmail and a whole lot of romantic stuff too. It was written by Doreen Montgomery and directed by Charles Saunders. I didn't recognize the bulk of the cast but I did know Joan Hickson and John Le Mesurier. Joan I knew from the 1980s Miss Marple series and John from Dad's Army. A Time To Kill was about average and entertaining enough to keep me going until the end. It was another movie that was put on the Internet Archive while it was still in copyright. It got pulled down but not before I got a chance to download a copy. I probably wouldn't bother watching it again but you never know. I see there's a place you can download a copy. Not sure how it works but it's there.

Hit The Ice 1943

The 10th movie that Abbott and Costello made for Universal Pictures was Hit The Ice and it was their second picture in 1943. True Boardman, Robert Lees and Frederic I. Rinaldo wrote the movie and Charles Lamont takes the helm as director. Lou had problems with Erle C Kenton, who had started directing the picture, and Erle got let go. It was a bad year for Lou Costello. He got sick with rheumatic fever in March, after a two month long USO trip, and didn't work for most of the year. Bud and Lou returned to their radio show in November that year and  that same day Lou's son drowned in the family pool.

Bud and Lou are a couple of hapless photographers. Sheldon Leonard is a bank robber who's got a plan. He's pretending to be sick, he's got a doctor fronting for him, and he's in the hospital across the street from a bank he's got his eye on. His alibi is that he was sick in bed when the robbery happened and he's got the doctor to back him up. It's a pretty piss poor plan but he's so stupid he mistakenly thinks Bud and Lou are a couple hit men from Chicago. He wants them to guard the bank's entrance and the guys think he wants them to shoot pictures of the bank. Of course the police find out about Bud and Lou right away and their alibi is pretty piss poor too. They go on the run to try to clear their name. Sheldon finds out that they took pictures of him and his men so he needs to get that negative back before it gets to the police. Now the gangsters and the cops are after the guys. Things come to ahead in a ski resort where Leonard and his goons are camped out. Bud and Lou get jobs as waiters so they can investigate between the ice skating and the songs. There's all the usual antics and slap-foolery, but this time, much of it's on ice. Bud's brother, Pat, does some of the ice skating stunts. He's been Bud's stunt man in several of the team's films so far. I got my usual quota of giggles and laughs. I'll be getting back to the guy's movies before too long. Only 18 more to go.