Movie review – “The Snorkel” (1958) **

Tense little thriller from Hammer and writer Jimmy Sangster - an early version of his psycho thrillers which he later made to such great effect in the 60s. Peter van Eyck is very good in the lead, playing a smooth-talking man who kills his wife and sets it up as suicide (a terrific opening sequence) - but the woman's daughter (Mandy Miller) is convinced it was murder. Miller is dreadful - although something of a name at the time (due to her appearance in 1952's Mandy) here she's incredibly annoying; you keep hoping van Eyck will bump her off, and get frustrated when he doesn't. Occasionally it feels padded too (I've seen the 90 minute British version - apparently there's a shorter US version which might work better). Still, an enjoyable thriller.

Movie review – “The Mermaids of Tiburon” (1962) *

A scientist (George Rowe) is looking for a type of pearls. He has a rival (Timothy Carey) and gets involved with various mermaids well, topless women who swim under water. That’s in the later “nude edition” of this film. In the original 1962 edition there was less nudity – flashes of bare back mostly, plus shell bras.

The underwater photography is top quality and the woman attractive. This could be the best-shot film ever released by Roger Corman’s Filmgroup. At first it’s like “this is pretty hot, all these gorgeous women frolicking”. They frolic and frolic some more… and then after a while you start to wish something would happen. Carey turns up to be evil but he’s not that evil and it’s not exciting. None of the mermaids speak (there’s very little dialogue – most of it is done via narration.) The hero doesn’t even have a romance with a mermaid which I’m sorry is just crap. (In the original version – the one issued by Filmgroup, focuses on one mermaid, who has a fin and everything. But the director made a new edition where he added a bunch of topless swimmers without fins.)

Movie review – “The Magic Voyage of Sinbad” (1962) **

Having arranged for a Soviet Science fiction film to be re-cut into Battle Beyond the Sun, Roger Corman tried his luck again re-working another big budget Soviet production, in this case the 1953 opera Sadko. He again used Francis Ford Coppola to do his work for him, changing the hero’s name to “Sinbad”, cutting out the songs, and making the film about the search for the Blue Bird of happiness. There's plenty of production value – big ships, a fighting bear, great costumes and colour - and it should be liked by kids who enjoy fantasy films and don't mind dubbing.

Book review - "Running Wild" by David Stenn

Excellent biography of Clara Bow, who typified the 20s more than any other star, with her gum chewing and lively personality. Few movie stars seem to have been more likeable - crews loved her, she had a natural gift for the screen, she backed her family even though they ripped her off. 

Few had a tougher upbringing - her mum went mad and tried to kill her, she was born into extreme poverty, people were constantly mean, her studio exploited her. Mind you, she still got to make a lot of money, have a great time and sleep with heaps of famous, good looking men (Gary Cooper, Victor Fleming, Rex Bell, etc). She married a really nice guy who seems perfect for her - but mental illness made life with him impossible. No happy endings. 

Stenn partly rehabilitates the reputation of Bow's secretary who sued her - but the secretary still comes across as a bitch. Superbly researched and written - very moving.

Movie review – “Shutter Island” (2010) ***1/2

The story is silly, really, but Martin Scorsese's full-blown operatic directorial style suits silly stories (eg The Departed) and it's the big attraction here. Leo di Caprio is pretty good as the federal marshall who goes to an island which houses a lunatic asylum. 

There's plenty of spookiness and shocks - all those years of asthmatic Marty watching Hammer and Universal clearly pay off. He finally made a horror movie - for that's what this is, basically. The story doesn't really make sense when you think about it - would they go to this much trouble? - and is overlong but is done with total conviction and I enjoyed it.

Movie review – “Girl 27” (2007) ***

Documentary on a shocking, surprisingly unknown Hollywood scandal - an extra who was raped at an MGM party, tried to complain but was defeated by the system - unearthed by David Stenn, who wrote excellent biographies on Jean Harlow and Clara Bow. 

The story isn't quite big enough to justify a feature, though - so Stenn has to introduce himself as a character, and deal with his relationship with the girl, and talk about her life and family, and talk about another rape victim (Eloise Spann) and Loretta Young's daughter to Clark Gable. 

There are some great moments; the girl is excellent talent (I know it's strange to talk of a rape victim that way, but it's true, she is), there's some wonderful footage, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Movie review – “Frenzy” (1972) **

Hailed as a comeback for Hitchcock by some critics after Torn Curtain and Topaz and it was definitely more profitable than either of those - but I've got to admit, I didn't like it. It’s set in modern London with some nudity and sex (even some black people) but shot as if it was in the 30s – look at that opening head turning scene when the corpse is discovered; the broad character actors are as if they come out of 1935.

Jon Finch is perhaps the least likeable Hitchcock hero ever, even worse than Frederick Stafford -snarly and bad tempered, he's not good looking, charming or even funny. The murderer, Barry Foster, is more engaging. The two most likeable people in the film – Finch’s ex wife and girlfriend – are killed horribly.

 

Sometimes the film comes alive – the murder sequences in particular seem to be made by someone who cares (as were the murder sequences in Topaz and Torn Curtain). It’s too long and repetitive – in interviews Hitchcock used to show off how clever he was livening up exposition with a police detective by adding comedy with his horrible cook of a wife – but those scenes aren't even needed! And there's a horrible finale with the police acting too slowly to prevent another murder (I think they did this solely to have the end gag line “You’re not wearing your tie”) and Finch bashing a corpse (he thinks its Foster but it’s a dead girl – is it okay for it to be Foster?).

 

This film has its fans but honestly I think it's really people just feeling bad about bagging Hitchcock for his previous two films.

Movie review – “Edge of Darkness” (2010) **

A disgraceful bowdlerisation of the brilliant mini series, which replaces excellent ideas, scenes and characters with dumb ones. For example they reduce the great "discovery of the dildo scene" - one of the most skilled moments of screenwriting in history for my money (Bob Peck looking at a hope chest, discovering something childish, then discovering a dildo, then a Geiger counter, turning it on and finding everything is radioactivity) - to simply discovering a Geiger counter. They cut out the pro-environmental message of the mini series (all the stuff about Gaia) and have Mel Gibson beat up an environmentalist; they pull back on Jedburgh's involvement and remove the love interest and those two brilliant government spies; add a whole lot of stupid cliched ideas: the friend of the hero who turns out to be corrupt; getting a baddy to yell "Craven" before he's killed by Mel; giving all the information to a journalist at the end (this plot idea should be banned from Hollywood films for ten years). The only thing the film seems interested in his having scenes where angry middle aged men shoot other people with handguns. Mel Gibson is ideal casting but I blame him for a lot of these stupid changes (director Martin Campbell too); Ray Winstone is a good substitute for Joe Don Baker.

Movie review – “Step Brothers” (2008) **1/2

Funny, with moments of brilliance. The lead characters are basically retarded – I had trouble wrapping my head around it, I mean they're forty years old. Maybe if they had been sons of a rich cloistered family, like the Kennedys, or European royalty or something. Couldn't Mary Steenburgen have made the effort to look a little bit older? Maybe also I would have liked it a bit more if the relationship between the brothers had been a bit closer to the one I had with mine.

Movie review – “Cash on Demand” (1959) **1/2

Intriguing little B film from Hammer, very obviously adapted from a play, which starts out as A Christmas Carol - mean bank manager Peter Cushing is horrible to all his employees - then turns into a sort of Petrified Forest with Andre Morrell turning up pretending to be a bank dude then trying to rob the bank. For the first two-thirds this is tense stuff, very well acted from Cushing and Morrell - but it doesn't have a third act and ends with a bit of a damp squib. Morrell gives himself up very easily and you keep expecting Richard Vernon (as a bank employee) to do something interesting, but it never happens.

Radio review – Lux – "The Fighting 69th" (1942)**

Irish-Americanism Hollywood style, with Robert Preston as a cocky kid who grows up in the army during World War One with the help of his tough but loving CO, Colonel Donovan (the famous Wild Bill Donovan who people are always going to make a movie about but never get around to) and a loveable priest (yes you guessed it - Pat O'Brien). Good if you like that sort of thing.

Movie review – “Beautiful Boy” (2010) **1/2

An intriguing topic matter - what if you son was one of those nutters who go on a shooting rampage - with some excellent acting from Maria Bello and Michael Sheen (is she required to be nude in every film she makes?) but there's no real story. It's a series of incidents and bits which could have been done in any old order. The kid who plays their dead son is brilliant. Meat Loaf pops up in the support cast.

Movie review – “Rear Window” (1954) ****

Not as perfect as some claim, but it remains marvellous entertainment. It's a terrific idea of course, and John Michael Hayes' script expertly juggles subplots and provides some great dialogue. A wonderful cast - Grace Kelly is beautiful but what's with that massive dress that makes her look like a wedding case. It's also quite bloodthirsty when you think about it - it's about a guy who chops up his wife and buries her around the place. Some things irritate - why doesn't Stewart scream when Kelly is about to be attacked (I had a hard time forgiving him for this) and it feels long in spots.

Radio – Suspense – “The Pasteboard Box” (1946) **

Decent work with Joe Cotten as twins who gets up to - you guessed it - no good. And a box is involved. I enjoyed it, though I wasn't a massive fan - but some Suspense aficianados really love it (see here). Cotten is an excellent radio actor.

Movie review – “Me and Orson Welles” (2009) ***1/2

Sweet film which feels like it’s directed by Woody Allen rather than Richard Linklater. Zac Effron is likeable as the school student who gets involved in Orson Welles' production of Julius Caesar - although it would have been a better movie if we had more of a sense of Effron's character (where he came from, etc). Christian Mackay's Orson Welles is brilliant - very hard to do, but he pulls it off. Clare Danes is a bit of a nothing in her part (an easy one to play); excellent support cast, including Eddie Marsden as John Houseman and James Tupper (a real find) as Joe Cotten. The re-production of Caesar is excellent.

Movie review – “Man Made Monster” (1941) **1/2

Never quite as much fun as you think it’s going to be, this is nonetheless entertaining Universal horror stuff, particularly if you’re a Lon Chaney Jnr fan. This was his first horror film for Universal, and its an interesting precursor to The Wolfman - like that, Chaney is nice guy who tragically becomes a killer due to circumstances beyond his control (although the inspiration would have been Frankenstein). Chaney did great tragedy, with his big sad eyes and depressed air; Lionel Atwill is terrific fun as a mad scientist who turns Chaney into an electricity killing machine. There is weak support from the juveniles, and Chaney's rampage isn't quite satisfying: the first half of this is stronger than the second.

Movie review – “The Black Cat” (1941) **

Bela Lugosi gives another in his long, long, long (long, long) line of red herring performances – he’s a caretaker at a dark old house where a bunch of people have gathered for, you guessed it, a will reading. Attempts at Cat and the Canary style laughs are somewhat thwarted by having Broderick Crawford (!!) play a comic lead. He's not very funny; neither is Hugh Herbert as Crawford's constantly drunk sidekick. 

There’s stylish Universal photography -courtesy of Stanley Cortez - and a starry cast: in addition to Lugosi and Crawford there’s also Gale Sondegaard, Basil Rathbone, Gladys Cooper and a very young Alan Ladd, all wasted in this film (except for Cooper who gets some good scenes). Far too much time is spent on Crawford and Herbert.

Radio review – Lux – “Ride the Pink Horse” (1947) **

Dull mystery with Robert Montgomery south of the border seeking to avenge a friend’s death and doing some post war loss of idealism. Good thing a cute little Mexican comes along to restore his faith in humanity, or whatever. Yawn, snore – not a good story, at least not as adapted here. At the end Montgomery talks about recently visiting London for the royal wedding.

Radio review – Lux - “It Happened Every Spring” (1949) **

Silly fantasy about baseball which might mean more if you grew up loving baseball. Ray Milland is a professor who inventors a formula that makes him a top pitcher. I’m sorry, but that’s cheating.

Radio review – Lux – “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1955) **1/2

Dorothy McGruire and Ray Milland stepping in for Gregory Peck – no John Garfield or Celeste Holm, though. An okay adaptation of a piece of it's time.

Movie review – "Boytown" (2006) **1/2

A terrific idea - Glenn Robbins, Mick Molloy as a boy band making a comeback in middle age by making songs that appeal to middle aged women - but that's a situation, not a story. As a result this gets progressively more frustrating as it goes along. There's some conflict in the relationship between Robbins and Molloy, but it deals too much with stuff in the past (i.e. Robbins leaving the band originally) and is shunted too much to the side, instead of being dead centre, where it should have a la Spinal Tap. Sally Phillips, that girl who kept smiling in the Bridget Jones films, pops up as Robbins' wife - and she keeps smiling in this film too. Apparently they could have cast Jason Donovan - they should have, to give it more weight, instead of the same old Melbourne comic mates club we keep seeing in Melbourne comedies. And what's with the downer ending? Still, some very hilarious scenes.

Radio review – Lux – “The Web” (1947) ***

Little known noir with Edmond O'Brien, a weird kind of chunky star who played a surprising number of leads in the late 40s and early 50s, as a lawyer who goes to work for rich Vincent Price as a bodyguard and winds up being a witness in a murder. Good, solid stuff

Movie review - "Easy A" (2010) ***

A sensational idea - a good girl decides cultivate a reputation as a bad one out of boredom and a desire to help a friend - plus a brilliant star making performance from Emma Stone. It doesn't quite exploit the potentials of the idea - the sexual politics are skimmed, the Christians are all caricatures, the handling often broad. I kept thinking maybe this would have been better as a play where it could have more time to develop characters and themes. But it's energetic and lively and well acted on the whole; Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson are lovely as Stone's parents (there are some great family scenes).

Radio review – Suspense – “Smiley” (1947) ***

Donald O'Connor never quite got his due - too many crappy films at Universal, too close an association with Francis the Talking mule - but he was over-flowing with talent, something never more obvious than in this drama, where he plays a dish-washer who develops a grudge against women after being falsely convicted of a crime. O'Connor gives a superb, creepy performance in a very strong mystery.

Radio review – Lux – “Devotion” (1947) **1/2

Silly but fun version of the love lives of the Bronte sisters, in particular Charlotte and Emily (Jane Wyman and Virginia Bruce), who of course squabble over a man (Vincent Price). Supporting turns from Bramwell Bronte, and Thackeray. Fascinating fictionalised stuff.

Radio review – Lux - “I Walk Alone” (1948) ***

Tough, no-nonsense film noir with Burt Lancaster as a crim out of gaol determined to get revenge, falling in love, etc. Lancaster gives a strong performance as does Lizabeth Scott as the girl.

Radio review – Lux - “High Wall” (1948) ***

A tormented crim who could be a murderer and the shrink determined to get to the truth - it's Spellbound redux. I hadn't seen the film, so when I heard Van Heflin cast as the possible killer, I thought he could actually be the killer, giving the piece genuine suspense... More so than the film, where Robert Taylor played the role - and you know he never could have done it. So this improves on the film, even if you don't quite believe Heflin hooking up with Janet Leigh, not very convincing as the shrink. Good, solid story though.

Radio review – Lux – “The Naked Jungle” (1954) ***1/2

Very silly and lots of fun with Charlton Heston in fine glowering form as the plantation owner who buys himself a wife (here played by Donna Reed, not Eleanor Parker) and is upset to find out she's been married before. Then killer ants come and threaten to devour everything. This story had it's origin as a radio tale so it adapts very well - you can let your imagination run riot at the thought of these ants eating their way across the jungle. I enjoyed the melodrama of the married couple at the beginning too.

Radio review – Lux – “Stairway to Heaven” (1946) **

It's a famous movie but doesn't translate too well to radio, without that great set design and photography. Indeed, here the story comes across as plain silly, to be honest. At least David Niven is on hand to repeat his role; Barbara Rush plays the girl.

Movie review – “Gone with the Wind” (1939) *****

This film ages so well. Not just the quality that went into it's making - the stunning art design, costumes, colour photography, cast - but the relationship between Scarlett and Rhett. He's a creature out of romantic fiction but with a modern neurotic twist: he loves Scarlett but can't let her know because she'll crush him, which she ends up doing anyway; and she's so selfish and self-involved, chasing after a guy who doesn't want her. It's Edward Albee territory in a way, and remains powerful drama. The film has appalling racist depiction of blacks (although Hattie McDaniel's Mammy has spirit), but is a true epic, and Scarlett O'Hara is one of the great unsympathetic protagonists of all time. Perfectly cast: Vivien Leigh is so good, as is Clark Gable and Olivia de Havilland (wonderful in an impossible role). I liked Leslie Howard too as the wishy-washy Ashley. A huge tribute to the studio system.

Movie review – “Gone Baby Gone” (2009) ***1/2

Impressive directorial debut from Ben Affleck, with a strong, satisfying story (good characters and twists), strong tension, well handled bouts of violence, very good cast. I'm not a fan of Casey Affleck - his voice is so grating and he feels so lightweight - but everyone else is good: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris (actually he's really good), old friend John Ashton (I wondered if he was still alive), Amy Madigan, Michele Monaghan (surely Jennifer Garner was considered for this?), and most of all, all those wonderful old Boston faces. It goes on a bit too long but is pretty impressive overall.

Movie review – “The Wolfman” (2010) ***

It took me a while to warm up to this remake of the 1941 classic, but once I did, I started to enjoy it. Benicio del Toro isn't quite as moving or tragic as Lon Chaney Jnr, Anthony Hopkins is mean spirited in the Claude Rains role and Emily Blunt very pretty in a not-much part. Impressive production design and special effects: the wolf man really cuts loose in this one, running riot through the fields and in London. He takes out a fair few innocent people - the death toll is high - so he does lack sympathy. The expressionistic, trippy sequences work well.

Movie review – “Field of Dreams” (1989) ***

Schmaltzy and silly - and the second and third acts basically repeat the first (i.e. man hears voices and does something crazy) but done with conviction and enthusiasm. It also benefits from the aw shucks charm of Kevin Costner in the lead role - could any other actor have pulled this off? Maybe Paul Newman. (Costner made so many interesting choices when he was a star; as a star he got puffy and went off the boil.) James Earl Jones and Burt Lancaster offer gravitas, and Amy Madigan is sparky in what is an under-written role, really. 

No matter how corny the film is I still got tingles up my spine in some scenes: "If you build it he will come", "well played played rookie", "do you want to play catch", etc.

Movie review – “Bullitt” (1968) ***1/2

I'm surprised I'd never seen this film until now. It's very cool and groovy, very late 60s Steve McQueen, who is in excellent form in the title role. The plot is a bit familiar now we've had all these cop shows, but McQueen and Peter Yates' flashy direction remain enjoyable. The famous car chase also impresses, mostly because it's done in a different style to those done today, i.e. it takes its time, uses long takes and doesn't go overboard with the stunts. Jacqueline Bisset is very pretty and sexy in a thankless part. You'll recognise the support cast from heaps of TV but good luck trying to recall their names, except for Bisset and Robert Vaughan. The climax at the airport surely influenced Michael Mann's Heat.

Movie review – “The Ward” (2010) **1/2

John Carpenter's return to the big screen shows he's lost none of his flair for visuals, mood or atmosphere. There's lots of great tracking shots, and spooky music, and night scenes. And this has a great central presence, about a spirited teen girl (Amanda Heard) who winds up in a psychiatric ward. Unfortunately the movie gets more confusing as it goes on; it's also repetitive, with too many scenes of Heard escaping then being recaptured, and a final reveal which doesn't really make sense (not to mention feels like a retread of Shutter Island). The quality of the acting is poor, except Jared Hess, who is perfect as a head shrink. Heard is adequate, no more - but she's better than the girls who play her fellow inmates, who are really bad. The 60s setting could have been used more.

Movie review – “Amigos” (2010) ***

John Sayles turns his considerable talents to a war about which I confess I didn't even know existed - the American-Philippine War which followed the Spanish-American War, where the Yanks kicked out the Spaniards but decided to stay. The parallels to Vietnam are astonishing: you have a troop of Americans taking over a village, where the locals are torn between loyalties to insurrectionists, the Catholic church, the attractions of the newcomers (democracy, money), desire for independence. There's even an IT techno geek amongst the Americans (played by DJ Qualls - only he's a whiz with the telegraph rather than computers).

Sayles is careful to paint things in shades of grey as opposed to black and white: the Americans introduce democracy... at the point of the gun and under their supervision; the Catholic Church offers great solace to the people... and rips off the locals; the rebels in the hills are brave and tough... and so ruthless they kill innocent victims to mess with the Americans' heads; the tough colonel (Chris Cooper) is ruthless... but out of a desire to end the war quickly; there's a real bad ass rebel who seems to be invincible... but he's not.

Strong performances from a very good cast. Joel Torres impresses as the head of the village, kind of a bank manager figure, a decent guy caught up in circumstances beyond his control, the poor bastard. The bald guy who plays the bass ass is also great - he could easily be an action hero. Production value is high as well.

My main criticism of the film is it could have been a bit more exciting... The central story is full of opportunities for a little more of that old New World pizazz - lonely sentries at night guarding an outpost surrounded by an infested jungle, late night raids, a race against the clock, romance, etc. Sayles could have kept all his story and political points, just thrown in some thrills as well. Maybe the effort to get this made meant he ran out of puff.

Radio review – Lux – “Spellbound” (1948) ***

Joseph Cotten is a good substitute for Gregory Peck (after all he played a mental patient in I'll Be Seeing You) but his Third Man co-star Alida Valli is a poor swap for Ingrid Bergman – as David O Selznick soon found out. The mystery and romance translate reasonably well, although it misses out on the visual stuff with the dreams, etc.

Radio review – Suspense – “Out of Control” (1946) **

Dull entry with Brian Donlevy as a cop who gets involved with a husband-murdering femme fetale. Most noticeable for the violent death of a dog at the end.

Movie review – “The Runaways” (2010) **1/2

A film with style to spare – terrific production design, camera angles, “feel”, etc. Not a super duper amount of story: band forms, have success, squabble, break up. There is a twist when Kirsten Stewart and Dakota Fanning have sex – I can’t imagine Richards and Jagger doing that! Stewart plays Joan Jett in a gauche, awkward style, very reminiscent of Bella in Twilight; Fanning does her best but is simply too mature and sensible to catch fire in the role (I watched some You Tube footage of the girl she plays – the real life edition had much more life and fire). As a result, the film lacks something (apart from a fully fleshed story).

Stewart Granger Box Office

Recently went through some MGM box office figures at the Margaret Herrick Library in LA - fascinating to read what made money and what didn't. Had a look at Stewart Granger's career.

King Solomon’s Mines (1950) - cost $2,258,000, revenue $10,050,000 (domestic $5,050,000, foreign $5,000,000) – profit $4,122,000. A massive, massive hit, although (to me at least) it doesn't hold up well today.

Soldiers Three (1951) - cost $1,429,000, revenue $2,248,000 (domestic $1,018,000, foreign $1,230,000) – profit $32,000. Granger used to bag this film but it still made a small profit.

The Light Touch (1951) - cost $1,163,000, revenue $1,290,000 (domestic $440,000, $850,000 foreign, including

£104,608 of receipts in the UK

) – loss of $398,000. MGM tried Granger in different roles, this one being a light comedy, but the public didn't like it (although he did play comedy well in Scaramouche). He can't have been helped by the fact that Richard Brooks wasn't exactly a renowned comedy director.

Scaramouche (1952) - cost $3,005,000, revenue $6,790,000 (domestic $2,740,000, foreign $4,050,000) – profit $1,094,000. A simply marvellous film that deserved every cent it made.

The Wild North (1952) - cost $1,282,000, revenue $4,032,000 (domestic $2,112,000 foreign $1,920,000) – profit $825,000. A real surprise that this did so well since it isn't that good, with Granger acting in a French accent. But it's bright and colourful and is an action film I suppose.

Prisoner of Zenda (1952) - cost $1,708,000, revenue $5,628,000 (domestic $2,078,000, foreign $3,550,000) – profit $1,759,000. This version of the famous tale is always mentioned as inferior to the 1937 one - which it copied - but was clearly still popular.

Young Bess (1953) - cost $2,423,000, revenue $4,095,000 (domestic $1,645,000, foreign $2,450,000) – lost $272,000. I thought this would have done better; I guess it actually made alright money, it just cost a lot.

Salome (1953) - made over at Columbia so I don't have the costs, but it was a big hit (Rita Hayworth starred), earning $4.75 million domestically.

All the Brothers Were Valiant (1954) - cost $1,816,000, revenue $4,710,000 (domestic $2,010,000 foreign $2,700,000) - profit $1019,000. A massive success - Granger at his box office height and Robert Taylor still potent.

Beau Brummel (1954) - cost $1,762,000, revenue $2,850,000 (domestic $1,050,000, foreign $1,800,000) – loss $383,000. Never seen this movie and to be honest have no real desire to; I have the feeling it would have done better in the 30s. Granger was better in tough guy roles.

Green Fire (1954) - cost $1,768,000, revenue $4,590,000 (domestic $1,840,000, foreign $2,750,000) - profit $834,000. I had thought this was a flop and it's certainly Grace Kelly's least well known film as a star but I guess she had too much potency at the box office - plus Granger in adventure mode.

Moonfleet (1955) - cost $1,955,000, revenue $1,680,000 (domestic $580,000, foreign $1,100,000) – loss $1,203,000. Definitely a film which deserved a bigger audience - but what a money loser!

The Last Hunt (1956) - cost $2,121,000, revenue $3,360,000 (domestic $1,610,000, foreign $1,750,000, including

£135,706 of receipts in the UK

) – loss $323,000. Another surprise, especially considering it co-starred Robert Taylor, was from Richard Brooks and was a Western. Surely the box office performance of this would have made MGM wary of keeping Granger.

Bhowani Junction (1956) - cost $3,637,000, revenue $4,875,000 (domestic $2,075,000, foreign $2,800,000) – lost $933,000. Not so surprised, as this was a badly cut-about film, but it's a real shame since this had the potential to be a classic.

The Little Hut (1957) - cost $1,662,000, made $3,600,000 (domestic $2,085000, foreign $1,515,000) – profit $340,000. I was surprised this made money - no one seems to say anything nice about the film - but then it had a strong cast, popular play source and racy subject matter.

Gun Glory (1957) - cost $1,707,000, made $2,550,000 (domestic $1,125,000, foreign $1,425,000) – loss of $265,000. Westerns were normally a surer bet than this but I guess (a) it wasn't a very good film and (b) by the late 50s Westerns were everywhere on the small screen.

North to Alaska (1960) - cost $3.8 million, made $5 million (NB this was a 20th Century Fox film. A really fun movie but I don't think you could put the strong box office performance down to Granger; he's not really in the movie that much. It's definitely a John Wayne film.)

Swordsmen of Sienna (1961) - cost $

1,065,000, revenue $2,250,000 (domestic $1,500,000, foreign $2,250,000) – loss of $100,000. A minor swashbuckler that nonetheless still performed okay.

Radio review - Lux - "I'll Be Yours" (1950) ***

Silly but fun version of a Deanna Durbin musical, which was a remake of a Margaret Sullivan vehicle written by Preston Sturges. When listening to this I thought Norman Krasna must have had a hand in the script since it felt similar to many Krasna scripts: a variation on the Cinderella story, use of mistaken identity, a dreamy female heroine, rich person saves the day. But no - although regular Krasna collaborator Bob Cummings is on hand to play the rather thankless part of the principled lawyer helped by the girl (Ann Blyth steps in for Deanna Durbin); Cummings would have been better value playing the rich old guy. William Bendix reprises his film role as Blyth/Durbin's good hearted friend.

(NB on the edition of this I heard, there's an interview with an older Bob Cummings who talks about how he was the godson of Orville Wright. He sounds like he has one foot in the grave but still has all his marbles.)

Radio review - Lux - "The Sisters" (1939) ***

David Niven once famously shared a house with Errol Flynn was well as making a couple of films with him, so it's interesting to hear Niven take over a role played by his old housemate. He plays the wastrel, weak writer husband of Irene Dunne (taking over for Bette Davis). 

Dunne is a good substitute for Davis as I always felt Davis was a bit too strong and sensible for her character; Niven is fine, although Flynn was better casting. Niven tells a joke at the end of the production with Cecil B de Mille.

Movie review – “Robin Hood” (2009) **1/2

Originally this was to be called Nottingham and have the Sheriff as the hero – which totally went against the DNA of what is one of the all time popular stories in the English language. Then they replaced it with a new story which also goes against that DNA.

 

I think why Robin Hood always works is that every little boy (and girl) at some stage dreamed of living in the forest with your mates, robbing from the rich to give to the poor, and fighting in a good cause. Here Robin is an archer, getting on a bit in years, fighting for Richard in Europe – who pretends to be a knight in order to get home (shades of A Knight’s Tale, also written by Brian Hegeland), including hooking up with the dead knight’s wife (Cate Blanchett, who gives a good performance – but honestly who cares if Maid Marian is played by a good actor, it’s a waste). There’s only one incident of robbing from the rich to give to the poor – he doesn’t get outlawed until the very end. Richard I dies at the beginning so Robin isn’t fighting for restoration of the monarchy, but rather a bill of rights – the Magna Carta (used in Bandit of Sherwood Forest); as presented here it feels a bit tacked on. 

 

It’s hard to tell some of the support cast apart, although the quality of acting is strong (William Hurt makes a surprisingly effective decent noble). Mark Strong, a bald Andy Garcia look a like, is a good villain. Plenty of action including a brilliant final battle and Rusty is a great tough guy hero but it never quite comes alive.

Movie review – “Going the Distance” (2010) **1/2

Not much of an idea for a rom com – a couple try a long distance relationship – but Drew Barrymore and Justin Long are very winning. The drama is very undercooked; they have these potential rival love interests who don’t deliver, plus there’s a promising sounding subplot about a Jonas Brothers-like band that is raised and ignored. Much of it feels improvised, which sometimes works, sometimes doesn’t.

Play review – “Gideon” by Paddy Chayefsky

Entertaining version of the famous Biblical story - not as highly regarded as The Tenth Man, apparently, but I enjoyed it more, mostly because there's more story. Fun dialogues between Gideon and God, plenty of spectacle and interesting characters.

Radio review – Lux – “Lady in the Dark” (1945) **

The Moss Hart play was a hit at the time, and much acclaimed – it’s hard to tell why from this radio adaptation of the film. Ginger Rogers is a magazine editor in love with a married man; she has a session with a shrink which leads to a number of musical fantasies and blah blah blah. Rogers is ordinary as is Ray Milland who plays the snarly guy at the magazine.

Movie review – “Track of the Vampire” (1965) *1/2

An early collaboration between two directors who later became cult favourites – Jack Hill and Stephanie Rothman, both working for Roger Corman. It starts with a sort of Bucket of Blood flavour, with a bunch of beatniks and artists (including Sid Haig, so you know Jack Hill directed that bit) hanging out in a café.

The film gets progressively weirder, as befits its reputation. Basically it’s about an artist vampire who kills his models and dips them in wax. But you’re more likely to remember the disjointed feel and shocking continuity. There’s a long sequence where a girl dances on the beach; a hot bit where William Campbell paints a topless model while he does this monologue about an insane artist; an attractive woman changes into a bikini, walks into the water then straight out again to be menaced; weird dream sequences; another actor to help flesh out William Campbell’s role; Patrick Magee badly dubbed; a laughable bit where a vampire jumps in a pool after a victim.

Still, there are some spooky bits – deserted streets at night, an okay finale with Campbell’s creatures rebelling against him; attractive women in the cast; the novelty of Sid Haig and Jonathan Haze as beatniks.

There five versions of this movie – the original part-Roger Corman-financed Yugoslavian film, Operation: Titian, starring Campbell and Patrick Magee (on which Francis Ford Coppola apparently worked); a version for this adapted for TV as Portrait in Terror; the Jack Hill version, Blood Bath, where Hill did some extra work in the US (why Sid Haig and Jonathan Haze are in the film); the Stephanie Rothman version, also called Blood Bath, which turned Campbell into a vampire (only with a different actor playing Campbell’s part); the extended Rothman version, known as Track of the Vampire, with additional footage inserted to make up the TV running time. Of interest for fans of Hill and Rotham, which is why I saw it, but for the most part this is a mess.

Movie review – “T Bird Gang” (1959) *

Undercover stories are normally sure fire and this one has a strong, basic plot – teen kid goes undercover as a member of a gang to find out who killed his dad. There’s all the familiar elements – ruthless cop who forces him to play for their side, concerned girlfriend, clashes in the gang – but it’s all done incredibly dully. I had trouble watching it all the way through. Roger Corman had some money in it, but the film could have done with more of his editing notes.

Radio review – Lux - “For Whom The Bell Tolls” (1943) **

I have to admit it - I just don't like Gary Cooper. He's meant to be tough and stoic but he always plays these whimps who whinge. Compare him to say Bogart or Lee Marvin or Bob Mitchum. This is one of his most famous roles, partnered with Ingrid Bergman and Akim Tamaroff, running around the mountains fighting the fascists. It was a massive film at the time, but this comes across as a run of the mill adventure tale - the finale however is moving.

Movie review – “Date Night” (2010) ***

Starts brilliantly - Steve Carrell and Tina Fey are a marvelous duo, and their teaming as a married couple is easily enough to sustain a film. The first half hour is great, but when the North by Northwest stuff happens it's less good and eventually things become tired. For instance, Mark Wahlberg's initial appearance is fantastic - but we go back to him far too often (literally; they keep popping back to his place). James Franco and Mila Kunis are funny in their bit too - I expected to see more of them. A good hearted film.

Play review – “The Tenth Man” by Paddy Chayefsky

This has a great idea – a modern-day exorcism of a girl by some Jews in New York city – and memorable characters and lines, particularly the suicidal lawyer. But there’s not enough story – it needed a reversal or something (although I did like the ending where the lawyer turns out to be exorcised.) Would look good on stage with all the rituals being done.

Radio review – Lux - “Blood on the Sun” (1945) **

Jimmy Cagney repeating his film role as a brave journalist uncovering Japanese treachery before World War Two. Well, the Japanese government was treacherous - General Tojo is a character here. The macguffin - a document detailing Japan's plan for world domination - is based on a real one.

Movie review – “Still Waiting” (2008) *1/2

The original had heart and a sense of reality, both lacking here. It splits focus by concentrating on two restaurants – the original and a Hooters type bar. That would have been okay but the Hooters one (which potentially could have been really interesting - what do the staff talk about in such places) is mostly done without insight. (There's a nice moment towards the end about when to draw the line - but it's too little too late; far too much caricatures and boobs). Some of the cast from the original return but we don’t really get to know them in much more depth – the angry girl is still angry, the hot girl at the front is still hot. The exception is Justin Long, who returns with a terrific cameo. A misfire.