Radio review – Lux – “They Drive By Night” (1941) ***1/2

Highly enjoyable adaptation of the Warners film. The first third is the weakest, dealing with the brothers - George Raft returns but Humphrey Bogart doesn’t. However, the writers (or producers or whoever) seemed to realise they didn’t have enough plot for a whole film, so they added this second bit (two thirds of it) where Raft goes to work for another trucker and has the wife of the trucker fall in lust with him. 

Lucille Ball is highly effective in a dramatic role with some great hysteria scenes. Lana Turner steps in for Ann Sheridan - while she would have been decent enough on screen with her stunning looks, she's not much of a radio actor.

Radio review – Lux – “Manpower” (1941) **1/2

George Raft and Edward G Robinson may have come to blows on the set of this film but they managed to reunite for the radio version, along with Marlene Dietrich. It remains tough, slangy entertainment with a predictable plot. It does lack a little something without those powerline visuals – you’re left to contemplate the story a bit too much – but barrels along.

Radio review – BP#3 – “Angel Street” (1952) **1/2

Thrillers didn’t always enjoy the best success on Broadway; this was a rare exception – indeed it remains one of the longest-running non-musicals on the Great White Way. It’s a decent enough melodrama with a great concept - driving someone insane (it was much copied) - plus Vincent Price and Judith Evelyn reprising their stage roles.

I always thought though that Price’s character seems to go to an awful lot of convoluted trouble in order to retrieve jewels – surely there were other ways to search for jewels other than marrying someone? Also not being visual you don't get all the little clues of how he drives his wife mad, eg dimming lights. There is a great ending where she tricks him. Melville C Cooper plays the detective.

Radio review – Lux - "After the Thin Man" (1940) **

Myrna Loy and William Powell are good value as ever but its hard to tell the other characters apart. It’s hard enough to do this in detective films with its archetypes played by non-descript character actors – married woman, drunk doctor – but radio it’s particularly tricky.

Movie review – “The Cotton Club” (1984) ***

An utter mess of a movie which is nonetheless oddly likeable – there’s so many good things in it. One of the main problem is that the script is structured like the book for a musical – characters come and go, only loosely connect. Movies tend to do better when focused around one or two protagonists. An ensemble piece might have been okay had it centered around say the one location and all the characters had something in common, but they don’t here, really. Sure there’s the Cotton Club, but we keep cutting away to other night clubs – Richard Gere plays trumpet at another club, Diane Lane sets up at another club (it’s as though these characters needed to be black or something).

The frustrating thing is all the stories have plenty of meat on them – Gere in love with a gangster’s moll (though she should have been established as a moll before the film began – having her meet Gere and Dutch Schultz at the same time makes her seem like a real whore); Nicolas Cage as Gere’s brother who becomes a vile gangster; the lovely relationship between Fred Gwynne and Bob Hoskins; Gregory Hines having professional fights with his brother (never quite clear); Hines romancing a black girl who can pass for white; the emergence of black gangsters.

Richard Gere is a bit weak, especially when called upon to do something emotional. Diane Lane doesn’t have the nicest character but she manages to be quite sweet and has some enjoyable love scenes with Gere, helped by a memorable John Barry theme song. (NB the music is great).

The film has a lovely texture (as David Shipman pointed out); the dialogue has this tang, the production design is great. It just has this unique feel about it – especially when it goes non-naturalistic (eg introduction of creepy Saul, the final music number). A mess but a glorious one.

Movie review – “Election” (1999) ****

Holds up incredibly well over the years with this wonderful jaundiced semi-cynical sense of humour. But it never forgets the humanity of its characters. Tracey Flick is scary but it’s clear she’s lonely, the first scene involving the lesbian sister she gets this big close up of her heart breaking. Matthew Broderick is spot on as the chubby, upbeat teacher; Reese Witherspoon is stunning as Tracey Flick (love that pronunciation); Chris Klein hilarious. I remembered the girl playing a lesbian as being good but she’s not that great; it’s just a good character.

Radio review – “Julius Caesar” (1938) ***

Mercury did a series of 90 minute Shakespeare productions. It’s unshowy compared to the one done on Mercury Theatre of the Air but is still entertaining; Orson Welles plays Cassius. American accents seem to suit this play more than any other Shakespeare; maybe because the plot is like a boardroom fight.

Movie review – “Starhops” (1978) *1/2

Late entry in the 70s "three girls" cycle is set at a fast food restaurant with the three girls working for a drive in. (There are only two initially – they are waitresses working for Dick Miller who sells his business - but a third one joins.) There's lots of skimpy outfits but little nudity (or sex come to think of it), a lot of silliness and high spirits - including a car chase and some dopey gangsters - but little wit.

I found it hard to tell the three girls apart - the actors try but aren't that good. Their male love interests were more distinguishable (hunky architect, dopey son of evil businessman who wants to buy out the restaurant, random weird guy). The villain looks like Fred Clark but isn't; Dick Miller's the only actor in the cast you are likely to recognise, but it was edited by Steve Zaillian, who later became a major screenwriter. The director was Barbara Peeters who made the similar, but better, Summer School Teachers. Apparently this was based on a script written by Stephanie Rothman, Carhops (the credit here is given to "Dallas Meredith").

Play review – “Avenue Q” (2009) ****

Controversial because it involves puppets having sex and songs about everyone being a little bit racist but in it’s way this is as sweet and wholesome as Sesame Street. It’s about family, helping others, community, tolerance, etc. It’s also extremely clever and funny, being particularly well directed – the choreography of it was very subtle with using the puppets, etc. I’m guessing this hasn’t travelled as well as other musicals because you can’t take grandma to it (cf Mama Mia) – also all the characters are in the 20s-30s range, it’s not multi-generational.

Radio review – NBC Short Stories – “The Lottery” (1951) **1/2

Adaptation of a famous short story which surely influenced Steven King. It’s about a lottery in a small town that happens every year. Losers (or is that winners?) of the lottery are sacrificed for the harvest. It’s quite chilling, with the contrast between normal everyday country life and their act – but I didn’t quite believe it. I know that’s kind of the point but the version here didn’t quite sell it to me; too much family dialogue at the beginning with the wife all for it (irony) plus too much spelling out of the point at the end (“why can’t we stop?” and stuff).

Movie review – “Dark Age” (1987) **1/2

A “lost” film for many years, despite its eminently exploitable subject matter (I remember seeing a TV show segment on its filming which made it sound terrific) – apparently because of troubles caused when RKO bought it for world distribution. I know Arch Nicholson died tragically young but his handling is very TV, and he misses opportunities wholesale to scare the audience or create any sort of atmosphere (the music doesn’t help). The photography is stunning, as are the locations and production design.

John Jarratt and Nikki Coghill are very attractive as the young lead couple – how pretty was Coghill! She is the attractive girl next door, very engaging, with terrific legs and genuine acting ability - look at her expression in her farewell scene to Jarratt when he goes off to fight the croc. Jarratt does his boy next door thing and is winning as the park ranger trying to keep the peace - protecting a crocodile which is eating people. They even have a corny late 80s nude love scene to boot, which feels thrown in, but it is part of the movie's charm.

The script is a bit of a mess in places (eg one minute Coghill is angry at Jarratt, the next she’s fine), and low on croc action. It is however surprisingly PC – the film does this switch half way through and becomes about saving the crocodile rather than killing it, with Max Phipps being the villain and all these aboriginals dying to save the croc. (This is after the crocodile has eaten an aboriginal kid!)

Quentin Tarantino brought this film back – I saw him present it at a Popcorn Taxi Q and A, which was very entertaining despite Quentin’s cold. However he had Jarratt and Coghill up on stage, and Anthony Ginnane in the audience; they needed Ginnane up there because Jarratt and Coghill didn’t know much about the making of the film. Ray Meagher is in the film too, playing a role that could best be described as “Alf Stewart gone evil”, worried about Japanese property developers and the like. He does this hilarious thing where after every line he takes a puff on his cigarette.

 

(In Brian Trechard Smith's memoirs he says he was offered to direct it. He should've done it!)

TV series – “Law and Order Season 2” (1991-92) *****

Paul Sorvino is a great actor but he’s not quite right as George Dzunda’s replacement (Dzunda is killed off in long shot in episode one). His energy is a bit too low and laid back, which is great for his villainous roles but he simply doesn’t work here. Chris Noth is fine as long as he’s being a smug prick, but he struggles when he has to express some other emotion, like indignation or anguish. I really like Michael Moriarty’s sort of intense laid-backness – if that makes sense. Richard Brooks again mostly sighs instead of acting, but Carolyn McCormack is always good value as a shrink and I love the ballistics expert who adores her job.

Incredibly tense episode about a killer mother. I love the legal twists of the severance episode, the chilling teenage killer, the evil slum lords. Actually all of them were good – although I was surprised William Macy get convicted for rape in his one because surely he could just deny he ever threatened the girl to go out on the street.

As in season one there is great joy from watching future stars in guest appearances, including Jerry Orbach (soon to become a regular), a young and pretty Maura Tierney, Tony Roberts, the governor from Benson (as a judge – you keep expecting him to do something comic), Luis Guzman, Colonel Klink, Alison Janey (a very small role), William Macey, the grandma out of the Sopranos (playing another matriarch), the female nurse out of Scrubs, Sam Rockwell, Jerry Stiller, George Costanza’s mother out of Seinfeld, Eli Wallach.

Love special feature about the cast, which in true Law and Order style doesn’t pull any punches about the cast. You think the actors would be happy being on such a good show, but no – full of primma donnas and antics. Dann Florek is obviously lovely; George Dzunda quit because he hated New York and wanted to make movies; Paul Sorvino had trouble accepting the limitations of his role (not in the whole thing, not getting the ending, the emphasis on procedural dialogue as opposed to character; he would warm up singing opera). Jerry Orbach was clearly a nice guy – but Chris Noth whined because he wanted to have a younger partner. (They don’t talk about the challenges of working with Michael Moriarty – maybe that comes in a later on.)

Radio review – Lux – “Casablanca” (1944) ***

Part of the myth of Casablanca is the possible other casts the film could have had – Ronald Reagan, George Raft, etc. Well here’s a chance to listen to the story with a different cast: Alan Ladd, Hedy Lamarr, John Loder and Edgar Barrier. Ladd subs for Bogie and actually doesn’t do too badly – he can’t do the tormented stuff that well (he struggles during the drunk scene – mind you Bogart wasn’t that great at it either), but at least the role is within his persona. Lamarr isn’t as effective; she’s OK and she would have looked good, but she doesn’t quite get Bergman’s “oh I’m just a slave to my emotions” thing (Lamarr always had more drive about her persona).

 Still, I reckon Casablanca would have still been a classic with those two playing Rick and Isla– but not with the rest of the cast, none of whom are up to Rains, Lorre, Greenstreet, Veidt, Henreid, etc. John Loder (Lamarr’s real life husband at the time) is awful and the others pale imitators of the originals. It’s still an exciting fast paced story – but you realise why they call Casablanca the happiest of happy accidents.

Movie review – “The Full Monty” (1997) ****

This holds up very well. The humour and warmth haven’t dated a jot, nor has what it says about masculinity. Maybe I also relate to it more as I’ve gotten older with it’s concerns of aging, finding work and being a man. The final dance is a delight – it’s like watching good friends do it. (It helps that the song is ‘You Can Leave Your Hat On’.) Tom Wilkinson and Mark Addy are stand outs especially.

Radio review – Lord Haw Haw

Not appropriate to rate, it’s fascinating to hear the odd voiced propagandist talk of German victories across Europe and bag England – the anti-British comments (eg their dodgy history, dodgy Churchill) are similar criticism people keep making today. (That’s not to defend them or criticise them or whatever just to point it out.) The most interesting one is at the end of the war when Germany was collapsing and Haw Haw sounds drunk.

Radio review – “Fred Allen” – “Bela Lugosi” (1943) **1/2

I’m not familiar with Fred Allen – he had a great voice, raspy like William Demarest, and he was great with a joke. But in this one he kind of sulks when he doesn’t get a laugh with his material – not as bad as Steve Vizard but along the same lines. Still this picks up when Bela Lugosi comes along as a mad scientist (surprise) who wants to operate on Fred Allen to steal his nerve. That’s quite a funny concept – reminiscent of Bela wanting to operate on Lou Costello in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Comics are normally good against mad scientists (easy sources of gags, strong stakes) and this is no exception. Bela is a good straight man, and gets in some laughs himself.

Radio review – Crime Does Not Pay – “Gasoline Cocktail” (1949) **1/2

Radio version of the popular series of short films made by MGM. Bela Lugosi gives a restrained yet still charismatic performance as a pyromaniac who is busted by some just-doing-our-duty cops. Fascinating fun for Lugosi fans.

Movie review – “Summer School Teachers” (1974) ***

Fun, bright, "three girls" film, produced by Julie Corman, who carved out a niche making these in the early 70s. (You can imagine Roger going "you're a woman Julie - you can do the TNA feminism epics".) It’s a variation of Student Nurses, with the three girls here teaching over summer, and is one of the best in the genre, if not the best.

This has the advantage of perhaps the prettiest, most likeable 70s exploitation star: girl next door Candice Rialson stars as a PE teacher who wants the girls to play football and comes up against a sexist male coach (Dick Miller, lending some wattage to the support cast). There are two other girls: Rhonda Leigh Fleming who has an affair with a student, a juvenile delinquent; and an art teacher (Pat Anderson, my other favourite 70s exploitation lead) who gets involved with another teacher and has a debate on pornography.

It’s high spirited and fun, a bit wonky in places (make that very wonky - you can see the boom in shot in one scene) but it flies along, with a lot of social comment (corruption, women sport, opportunity for women, etc) and a fun, climactic near-anarchic football game. The three leads are all very good looking and engaging, especially Rialson and Anderson.

I think it helps that the writer-director was a woman, Barbara Peeters, so the film feels like a screwball comedy rather than something sleazy. There is nudity – Rialson seduces a nerd teacher by a lake (and falls in), there is a more stylised sex scene involving Fleming which involves strobe lighting and ice cubes on the nipples (there's always a stylised sex scene in these films - there was an LSD one in The Student Nurses and a triply one in Candy Strip Nurses), and Anderson is nude a few times being photographed or lying in bed. But the women are in control, they do most of the seducing, stick up for each other, etc. - Anderson and Rialson seduce their guys, all three are confident and in control.

The messages are mostly positive – girls should be able to do whatever boys can do, physical fitness is good, corruption is bad. This is the best character Rialson ever played – she’s spunky, full of energy, fights for girl sports, encourages her fat neighbour to exercise, seduces the nerdy teacher because she likes him (Peeters isn’t afraid to show Rialson’s gut in this love scene), she loves her boisterous dumb brothers. Good fun - much better than The Student Teachers.

Radio review - Lux – “Captain Carey” (1953) ***

Charlton Heston replaces Alan Ladd and does very well, in his tormented Charlton mode. The story also works strongly on radio, because it’s about an event in the past (the War stuff is in flashback) and an investigation. No ‘Mona Lisa’ and the convenience of the villain is a bit irritating but it clips along at a strong pace.

Radio review – Mystery House – “A Thirsty Death” (1949) **1/2

Bela Lugosi was meant to star in a regular anthology horror series which took its inspiration from Grand Guignol stories; it didn’t pan out apart from this episode (there was a Mystery House series but without Bela). It’s a shame because this isn’t bad. The story concerns that Grand Guignol favourite – an attack of rabies. Bela is a jealous husband in Africa whose wife strikes up a friendship with John Carradine (whose performance is an added bonus for horror fans). The story is ok but not particularly well put together; it is however interesting.

Radio review – CP#37 – Garden of Allah (1939) **

Orson Welles as another romantic lover – this time a former monk who runs off to the desert where he romances Madeleine Carroll. But he’s got some secret recipe so eventually he has to go back. What the…? This sort of stuff was popular in the 30s, I guess – Orson suits his part and it is enjoyable in a junky desert romance sort of way, with the foreign legion hanging around.

Radio review - Lux – “Lost Horizon” (1941) **

James Hilton’s novel has one of the great central ideas – the lost paradise of Shangri La. I’ve always had problems with the story – it’s a bit mean of the lama to kidnap a planeload of people to secure themselves a leader, who anyway proves not really up to it by bailing on the place.

Also if Shangri La is so great then why does that girl want to leave?

I’m not a massive fan of oh-so-sincere Ronald Colman either, who reprises his film role. (Incidentally I think this adaptation is similar to the book in some ways than the film – Colman’s troublesome off sider is no longer his brother, which was the case in the book, Colman gets no love interest of his own, and his fellow passengers are closer to the book than the film.)

Radio review – CP#38 - “Dodsworth” (1939) **1/2

Sometimes you wish Orson Welles didn’t insist on acting in every production in his radio show. He’s ok as Dodsworth but not really up to the role; if Walter Huston couldn’t do it then Joe Cotten would have made a better fist. That aside this is a sensitive adaptation; the story works well on radio because it’s intimate drama. It’s also clear that the wife character has a good case – why shouldn’t she have some fun after being stuck in a dreary mid-western town with a husband who keeps referring to himself as a hick? She’s a little silly sure but she’s understandable; and also that divorcee woman could easily be a gold digger. Fay Bainter is very good as the wife – a lot better than Orson. This is yet another tale about mid-Westerners from him but at least this one isn’t nostalgic.

Radio review - Lux – “My Darling Clementine” (1949) **

Henry Fonda is back as Wyatt Earp but unfortunately not Victor Mature as Doc Holliday – I never thought I’d write those words but it’s a fact; Holliday is a little undercast here. Unlike She Wore a Yellow Ribbon this doesn’t capture the film, and you can’t help laugh at the word Chihuahua, it’s repeated too many times. A decent story – the variations from historical fact are all dramatically justifiable – but not particularly well done.

Radio review - Lux – "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" (1951) ****

Excellent adaptation which really captures the flavour of the film. It’s helped by the fact that John Wayne narrates in first person, highly effective in radio. The whole story just seems to work – passing of time, emergence of new generation, the fact that the heroes are trying to stop war, etc. Some of the flaws have been trimmed (the excessive scenes of people saying farewell to Wayne, and the Irish drunk scenes) and Wayne gives a strong performance. Mel Ferrer plays the John Agar role and 50s sci fi fave Mala Powers steps in for Joanne Dru – so the support cast is better! (Of course a lot of the action is handed by the Ben Johnson character.)

Radio review - Suspense – "Portrait without a Face" (1944) **

A plan to trap a killer in WW2 France. It’s a little confusing as you don’t know who is on who’s side. There is as usual in Suspense stories, a treacherous husband and a twist at the end. Michele Morgan plays the lead against some guy who sounds like Paul Lukas but isn’t.

Move review - “The Working Girls” (1974) **1/2

Silly, very cheap but fun “three girls” film, a sort of throwback by Stephanie Rothman to her biggest success, The Student Nurses. It lacks the dramatic unity of that film - here the girls just sort of know each other and don’t have that much in common apart from being young, single and struggling (they should have all been from the same town or work at the same place, or something). But it has a similar sort of theme - three different girls having adventures with their career and romance in the big city; a bit of social commentary, some sex, a lot of comedy.

One girl is a sort of Marilyn Monroe ditz who is actually a genius, another is an artist who pinches Marilyn's casual root (a muso), a third goes to work as a stripper but because this is a Rothman film she winds up managing the place and standing up to (then romancing) a low level mafioso - but breaks up with him because she wants to be a judge! It's a sort of insane film, lots of fun. There is as much if not more male nudity (i.e. bare arses) on display than female (there are two strip tease routines), and it's the girls who run the show and make the decision. On the down side it's a bit ramshackle; there's even a boom in shot. The acting is a bit iffy but the three leads are very attractive. Stephanie Rothman’s last film (to date) as director.

Radio review – “Michael Shayne” **

Audio version of the popular detective. He’s just another tough-talking gumshoe here without the humour that Lloyd Nolan brought to the role. Not very memorable.

DVD review – “Phantom of the Opera” (1943) ***

Another in Universal's excellent series of special edition DVDs. This has an Informative, enthusiastic audio commentary by Scott MacQueen which gives a detailed bio of Arthur Lubin, saying of the director “He had a talent for story-telling and tremendous craft” – the most concise description of this director I have heard.

I didn’t know Nelson Eddy died of a stroke in Australia, or that Claude Rains turned down Son of Frankenstein and a sequel to Phantom; Susannah Foster turned down National Velvet when under contract to MGM; Claude Rains was meant to play Susannah Foster’s father but this was cut – a bad decision, I reckon, but maybe it was coming across too incestuous; Lon Chaney Jnr wanted to play the Phantom but Universal wanted Charles Laughton before winding up with Rains; the film was intended to re-team Deanna Durbin and Charles Laughton from It Started with a Kiss – but Durbin rejected it (I can understand why but part of me would have still loved to seen her in it); Lon Chaney Jnr lobbied for the role, Broderick Crawford was seriously considered; the rivalry between Edgar Barrie and Nelson Eddy was Lubin’s idea; Leo Carrillo’s family once owned great slabs of California.

A documentary shows the troubles of the original film – it was shot, then after a disastrous preview 60% was reshot, then it was recut again. It’s perhaps a bit kind to the 1962 Hammer version (several clips of this are shown – it looks so cheap compared to the earlier versions). I had no idea how many other films had used the set – they include Thoroughly Modern Millie and The Glen Miller Story. Lots of fun.

Movie review – “The Count of Monte Cristo” (1934) ***

Producer Edward Small had a great fondness for swashbuckling tales, presumably dating from this effort, which gave him an early success and kicked off the 30s swashbuckling cycle. For the first hour this is a very good version of the classic tale – the script is very strong, making it clear why the baddies wanted to do ill by Dantes, and how he remained in gaol for so long despite having so many people think well of him.

The second half, which concentrates on the revenge, is less good. It drags on and on, and is less fun, focusing on some particularly wet young lovers, with a rather bland courtroom climax when you want there to be swashbuckling. The whole movie feels as though it goes on for too long as well and the romance between Donat and Elissa Landi feels bland.

There's a full on moment where one of the baddies puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger! Robert Donat is very good in the lead - he had Hollywood at his feet after making this but didn't chase it up.

TV series – “Entourage – Season 6” (2009) ***

Vinnie Chase’s career has been restored by playing Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby – I’m sorry, Scorsese or not, Nick Carraway is a nothing part that is not going to reignite your career (think of great Nick Carraways – Macdonald Carey, Sam Waterston, Rod Taylor…). But it’s not so surprising for this season, which seems to ignore Vincent Chase film stories for soapy stuff with E and Turtle’s love life. A season full of good ideas (a stalker, E in a bad relationship, E thinks he's got a STD, Lloyd quits the agency) that never really catch fire in the way you think it will. This is when the series jumped the shark.

Movie review – “The Man in the Iron Mask” (1939) ***

Louis Hayward made a large number of second-tier swashbucklers during this career; this was probably is sole first-rate one (although Son of Monte Cristo was pretty fun). He’s very good in a challenging role and it’s a handsome production with a strong story. The supporting cast is good too, including Warren William and Alan Hale as former musketeers and Joan Bennett as the love interest.

Producer Edward Small was presumably inspired by the success of Prisoner of Zenda, with which this shares similarities: a good commoner swaps places with his evil lookalike, and falls in love with the evil lookalike’s betrothed, the villain has a nasty sidekick, there is lots of talk of loyalty and duty.

There is a surprising lack of action – there's only really a decent amount at the end. The director was James Whale; this was his last significant credit in what is an atypical genre for his career (although the dungeon scenes and the big shadows in the palace could have easily slotted into his Universal films). The deaths of the musketeers at the end are dealt with kind of perfunctorily – only two of them get closeup!

Movie review – “MacBeth” (1948) ***1/2

This version of the famous play isn’t that highly regarded – actually, no film version of this play is – even among Welles fans, but I really enjoyed it. Maybe because of all the films Welles made it’s the closest to a horror film, a genre I wish he’d worked in. It’s a dream like expressionistic world – utterly non naturalistic – full of bold images, great action, interesting camera angles.

I don’t classify MacBeth as a proper tragedy since he’s such a greedy idiot – at bottom, he’s just another ruthless little general, without Richard III’s sense of humour but with an extra dollop of guilt. To be fair, maybe that’s the way Welles plays him – guilt-ridden from the outset. (Actors who play MacBeth never quite get him right – they tend to go for the brooding action hero, rather than the neurotic jittery person, which I think you need to do to make it a tragedy.) At least Welles looks handsome and dashing in the role – he soon moved to Europe and porked up permanently.

Radio review – SDP – “The Paleface” (1949) **

Bob Hope and Jane Russell are good fun in this version of their popular Western comedy, although you miss the visual of Hope and Russell with guns. Again, Hope ad-libs a fair bit.

Radio review –MT#5 – “Three Stories” (1938) **

Mercury varies their repertoire with an anthology instead of one. The first is a racehorse story by Sherwood Anderson with Orson playing a gee whiz aw shucks type, unlike almost anything he did in his career (for good reason but still interesting to hear). The second one concerns Agnes Moorehead. The third is about a father and his young son; it isn’t that interesting

Radio review – Cavalcade - “In the Best Traditions” (1942) *1/2

Orson Welles pays tribute to the navy. Not very interesting at all. Yawn, snore. You wish they'd given this to someone with more genuine enthusiasm for this branch of the service.

Movie review – “Unholy Rollers” (1972) **1/2

An early starring role for 70s cult fave Claudia Jennings, an attractive, leggy red head who enlivened several drive in classics before dying in a car crash. Here she plays a cannery worker who quits her job to become a roller derby star – but she gets a big head and won’t fit into the team (years before Top Gun). Only her team do celebrate her first game by ripping off her clothes which is a bit off. Also off is Jennings’ Wayne Newtown-look-a-like love interest, who is going out with one of her teammates, and roughs Jennings up.

There are some great scenes – Jennings strutting around defiantly while topless in a bar; the full-blooded sport sequences (like the finale with Jennings skating outside the rink), Jennings doing a strip in a roller derby rink late at night (with a little more attention this could have been a classic). Jennings is tough and fearless, loyal and supportive to her best friend (a stripper with a thief boyfriend).

However the filmmakers never seem to focus on the drama i.e. the conflicts within Jennings’ character. She never really gets a chance to interact with anyone or show why the way she is – they set up characters (best friend, mother, false love interest, rival) and never really develop them or do anything interesting with them. In particular, Roberta Collins is shamefully wasted, and there are too many repetitive scenes of Jennings’ teammates thumping her.

As a web reviewer of this pointed out, the film manages both to be accidentally funny (crummy acting, over the top scenes) and intentionally funny (bright satire of the roller derby industry). 

Martin Scorsese was “supervising editor”.

Radio review – “Ceiling Unlimited” (1944) **

Odd radio show sponsored by Lockheed which glorified air production. It was made by Orson Welles and as a result the episodes are imaginative and unusual – tales of gremlins, great villains in history discuss airpower (Louis XIV, Kaiser Willhem, etc), a mockumentary about a visit to the factory. As Simon Callow pointed out, Welles’ populism was always sincere but often patronising as it is here (eg talking to average folks on the production line).

Script review – “The Hustler” by Robert Rossen

I’ve actually never seen this film but it’s a wonderful screenplay with some great characters. The central romance between Eddie and Susan is wonderful and powerful – as if it would have lasted but they were happy and the other guy didn’t have to be so cruel. (Although I think the script is a bit harsh on him.) The dialogue has that sort of Clifford Odets flowery feel, but it's powerful drama.

Jerry Lewis at Popcorn Taxi (September 2009)

A lot of fun. The guy who asked the questions was very good, supportive and encouraging. There was so much affection for Lewis you could feel it. Lewis showed his age, but he was still Jerry Lewis. He’d nod off, forget questions, be unable to hear, start telling stories and forget how they started, tell corny jokes… but he didn’t want to leave. Occasionally he woke up and told a funny joke. It was like a family dinner if your grandad was Jerry Lewis. I asked him a question – “what films do you like to watch at home, comedies or dramas” but he misheard and gave an answer about comedy and drama combined. Lewis was tired but he sure as hell didn’t want to leave.

Radio review – “Burns and Allen – Alan Ladd” (1945) ***

Never heard a Burns and Allen show before – they are hilarious, scatter-brained Gracie pairing brilliantly with raspy voiced George. The plot of this has Gracie panting over Alan Ladd at a screening of And Now Tomorrow (so the film has some fans!) and George getting jealous so Gracie invites the real life Ladd around so Gracie can repulse him. Very funny about wives who get crushes on film stars and Ladd is a lot of fun playing an expert foil.

Movie review – “District 9” (2009) ****

Excellent sci fi film warmly recommended to all who enjoyed the recent Battlestar Galactica. It’s got the same combination of sci-fi, politics, action, flawed characters and an insane world. Only a South African filmmaker could have made this – with it’s leading public servant hero nerd, who loves his wife and regulations, living in an insane world full of violence, petty triumph, greed, etc. In an American film the government organisations and army tend to be ruthlessly efficient; in South Africa they’re gung-ho and incompetent (after being infected by an alien virus they don't go see a doctor but keep working and even stop off at a fast food place).

Some gripes – sometimes the action gets over the top (eg hero flying a plane) and sometimes it seems illogical (eg tracking the car that leaves the building and turns up in District 9). Also the acting is a bit iffy (eg the over the top baddy mercenary) but the South African accents and unfamiliar faces put it over the line. Very smart and enthralling – a real roller coaster ride that stimulates the brain as well as the senses.

Interesting enough the film reminds me a lot of Bad Taste, with its nerd hero who gets infected and has bits falling off him as he turns into an alien.