Movie review - "The Flying Fontaines" (1959) **

 Michael Callan given a lead role in this trapeze drama which references the Burt Lancaster Trapeze  a few times. There's a love triangle, talk of a triple. Callan is the only one of the young Columbia contract players to have much individuality. Bright colour. George Sherman directed. Bigger budget than a "B" it feels - "A minus" maybe. Not much of a story. Lacks a murder or something. Nice production values. Callan dances at a night club.

Movie review - "The Tyrant Years" (1950) **

 Odd Sam Katzman movie. His films often fleeced through history and this was apparently once a tale of Captain Bligh then was fictionalised. It's about a tyrant in the British navy in 1803 - a captain, played by Rhys Williams, who I was vaguely familiar with, given a showy part. Williams isn't bad at all. The capain is basically turfed into retirement because he's brutal then brought back by Admiral Nelson (neat!) because he's brutal to go oon a special mission to wreck ships of the French. Ron Randell, in an awkward accent, is a lieutenant who falls for Williams' daughter.

The film is odd because Williams is a tyrant, an unfair tyrant - who abuses his crew, plays mind games... but the film never makes him a villain. He's victorious at the end, but wants to court martial Randell. Randell gets away with it because he's done his job. Then there's some cutesy stuff with Williams' wife who teases that they're going to have Randell as a son in law. This is played comically. But Wiliams has been shown to be a vicious commander, needlessly cruel. It feels as though the film might've been greatly rewritten. I could be wrong.

Not that much action except the battle at the end which is well done. It's in black and white not colour.

It's of interest mostly because of its ambiguous hero.

George Hamilton Top Ten

 1. Light in the Piazza (1962)

2. Love at First Bite (1979)

3. Godfather Part 3 (1990)

4. Doc Hollywood (1993)

4. Your Cheatin' Heart (1965)

5. Evil Knievel (1971)

6. Death Car on the Freeway (1979)

7. Rough Riders (1997)

8. Where the Boys Are (1960)

9 Home from the Hill (1959)

10.The Victors (1963)

Movie review - "The Tijuana Story" (1957) **1/2

 Sam Katzman ripped from the headlines effort with the novelty that it's set in Tijuana and the hero is a Mexican - a crusading newspaper editor. He's shot in the film, as he was in real life - towards the end of the running time.

There's other subplots like Robert Blake as his son, an American night club manager who used to be a musician, James Darren as an American tourist who romances/sleezes on the editor's daughter and who has a ridiculous death, running from police who want to arrest him for driving while stoned and drowning in the ocean.

The Tijuana setting and Mexican hero make this worth watching as does effective appearances from Blake and Darren.

Movie review - "Mission Over Korea" (1953) **1/2 (warning: spoilers)

 A film that kept surprising me. On one hand there's a lot of rah-rah ness - unfunny military comedy, talk about sacrifice, Maureen O'Sullivan winsome and tired looking as John Hodiak's wife, John Derek being lecherous with women, Korean orphans, much of it feels rewritten/recut/made up as it goes along.

And yet... the fact it focuses on spotter planes is different, there's plenty of documentary style footage, the consistent action in the middle is fairly gripping, scenes like the arrival of a base that has been wiped out are tense.

There's camp (Derek talking about wanting to napalm the commies), surprisingly interesting characterisation (Audrey Trotter's tired, traumatised nurse), emotional ending (Hodiak dies), some 50s novelty (Harvey Lembeck and Richard Erdman reteaming from Stalag 17, a black soldier sings a song), Rex Reason has this random deep voice.

The film was so much better than I thought it would be.

Hodiak and the director, Fred Sears, would both be dead within a few years.

Movie review - "Prince of Pirates" (1953) ***

 I watched this right after Thunderbirds and it was so much better - lively, full of colour, a very good Sam Katzman swashbuckler. John Derek is fine as a prince of some random country fighting Spain - he's a prince and the baddy is his elder brother who has inherited the throne. 

Barbara Rush has a decent part as the woman who goes along and takes part in the fighting.

Maybe it was a reaction to Thunderbirds but I really had a good time - animated, colourful, the cast are commiting, a tough enemy (there's a cut to a shot with two legs from a hanging corpse), Derek is animated, Rush is heaps of fun.

Movie review - "Last Train from Bombay" (1952) **1/2

 Jon Hall's last film for Sam Katzman sees him looking a little chunky and puffy - the lithe days were long gone. He wears a suit most of the time, he just doesn't seem as active as before.

The best thing about this movie is its setting - it takes place in India post-Independence during clashes with Pakistan. Hall is a diplomatic ("the vice counsel at Lucknow") tracking down an old friend who turns up dead and involved in an assassination attempt against a noble.

The piece doesn't quite work - it's very start stop - but it has novelty in its setting (albeit this means plenty of brownface). But when the action moves it's enjoyable. There's fistfights and assassinations and Hall steals a plane and parachutes out, pulls over a car, escapes from a guard house... it's got a serial feel. It's quite fun in the second half apart from puffy Hall. Decent support cast.

Movie review - "Brave Warrior" (1952) **

 Some Sam Katzman fun, with a Robert E. Kent script, Jon Hall in the lead, Columbia colour and a slightly random time period for a Western: the War of 1812. Jay Silverheels is Chief Tecumsah, Michael Ansara as the Prophet, and James Seay as William Harrison - all real people.

History is distorted but it at least provides some novelty. It borrows from the Broken Arrow playbook by having a contrast between peaceful Silverheels and bloodthirsty Ansara, and Jon Hall as an Indian agent who has to battle corrupt whites.

It's got a sluggard pace and is hard to care. I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong. I think it was just dull. Lacked vivid characters. The colour is lovely.

The most memorable character is Tecumsah. He's in love with a white woman who throws him over for Hall, he has to fight against his brother who dies, the whites kill his people, he's left alone... But, er, he feels good about it because Hall and the girl are good. I think. It's unexpectedly moving and complex - far more so than the film.

Movie review - "Hurricane Island" (1951) **1/2

 I love it how Sam Katzman tried to make his Westerns a little different. I mean, he still has Indians attacking white men, but this one is about Spanish Conquisators in Florida. It was written by David Matthews, who clearly liked to throw in a bit of history... this has a real character, Jose Ponce de Leon (played by Egar Barrier), on a real search, the Fountain of Youth.  (I wonder if "David Matthews" was a pseudonym for Robert E. Kent.)

Jon Hall is a Spanish officer - not entirely well cast, but he ambles upon in his Jon Hall way. The reason they're after the Fountain of Youth is because de Leon has been injured by Indians. The local withdoctor says they need to go to the land where he's wounded - it sounds like this story was an African set tale.

Marie Windsor is a female pirate which is awesome. She goes on board a ship with a lot of other women (hookers). There's cat fights, a wise old Indian woman who ages when she gets away from the Fountain, a hurricane. It's all bonkers mad fun.

Movie review - "When the Redskins Rode" (1951) **1/2

 Colourful Sam Katzman French-Indian War movie, presumably cranked out because he'd had success with a version of Last of the Mohicans. This has Jon Hall as an Indian sympathetic to the British and the story revolves around the 1753 Battle of Fort Necessity, which the Americans-British actually lost.

Mary Castle is a French spy. James Seay is George Washington, who has a big role. There's also historical figures like Christopher Gist - I always enjoy how Robert E. Kent flicked through the old encyclopedia for his films.

It doesn't break much new ground but it's in colour, there's some action, the setting is novel. Hall isn't amazing but he has a character to play.

Movie review - "The Pathfinder" (1952) **1/2

 Cheerful Sam Katzman Western set during the French Indian Wars based on James Fenimore Cooper's prequel to The Last of the Mohicans. George Montgomery plays the Hawkeye role, Jay Silverheels is Chicganook. Uncas is a baby, and Helena Carter is the girl they escort across the forest.

There's not much escorting - the last act is mostly indoors. Carter is helping Montgomery spy for the French. There's a bit of bickering before they fall in love. Carter has a decent subplot - a guy she was engaged to has become a drunken bum married to an Indian. The French officer develops a crush on Carter and Montgomery which is cute.Carter has more to do in this than in most of her films and was only seven years younger than her co-star which is pretty good for Carter.

Unpretentious programmer fun.This was the last film of Carter's I had to see so it's nice that it's ticked off the list.

Movie review - Jungle Jim #16 - "Devil Goddess" (1956) **

 The last in the series. It was about time. I did enjoy the second last one but this one felt tired. Another blonde. Another expedition to find a missing [insert thing]. Comic chimps.

I did like the white bearded scientist becoming this sort of Merlin figure. The acting was of decent quality. Too much stock footage. It struck me with this how much Weismuller was protected/hidden in these movies.

Movie review - Jungle Jim#15 - "Jungle Moon Men" (1955) **1/2

 The second "Johnny Weismuller" Jungle Jim again has a very good story, one of the strongest in the series, though the handling isn't up to it.

This gleefully pillages from H Rider Haggard's She as Johnny goes on an expedition with Jean Byron to the interior to rescue some random dude who has been kidnapped by little people. They work for an immortal queen (Helen Stanton). Bill Henry is also along for the ride - the queen falls for him and tries to marry him but Weismuller does a swap, offering himself in his place.

The film really should have made more of Stanton and Weismuller - Stanton seems very free and easy about who she'll hook up with. There are some villainous diamond hunters as well.

The handling isn't that good but I love Haggard so enjoyed the story and it was different. This is when Jungle Jim stories were best: outlandish fantasies.

Movie review - Jungle Jim#14 - "Cannibal Attack" (1954) ** (warning: spoilers)

 From this point on in the Jungle Jim series, Jim was called "Johnny" instead of "Jim". Actually it would have been fun had they gone full meta and had Weismuller play a lecherous, fattening, aging former swimmer trying to prolong his fame.

The Maguffin is cobalt, which is mentioned a lot in the script. Like, a lot.

This actually has a decent story: solid conflict with two duelling brothers, a manipulative colonial official, I didn't spot the twist that the girl was bad (maybe I should have twigged when it was specified she was half black... an attitude typical of the time). 

Yet somehow it doesn't hit earlier heights. Not enough action. Too much stock footage. Too much use of the word "cobalt".

Movie reviews - Jungle Jim#13 - "Jungle Man Eaters" (1954) **

 Some diamond smugglers want to get their hands on diamonds so cause troubles between the tribes - who seem to be played by more actually black actors than usual instead of white actors in blackface.

Karin Booth is the girl. Lester Matthews is Kingston. There seems to be more stock footage in this one. Tamba the Chimp goes up in a  plane. The second male lead seems to do more action that Jim.

There's not too many man eaters. This entry felt a little tired and over done with stock footage. Or maybe it's just me.

Movie review - Jungle Jim #12 - "Killer Ape" (1953) **1/2

 Jim wanders into Bela Lugosi territory, coming across a scientist who tests drugs on animals. It's silly and fun. A non white female lead - a native played by a white actor in brownface. Nestor Paiva is a trusty villain, Tamba the chimp has fun (getting his friends involved in overcoming the Ape), the Ape is a tragic figure in a way though that doesn't stop Jim burning him alive.

Done with polish and energy. I do wish Bela Lugosi had been involved!

Movie review - Jungle Jim#11 - "Valley of the Headhunters" (1953) **1/2

 Jim's boss, Kingston, wants Jim to help a government agent attain mineral rights to a tribal land, but the baddies want oil. What is the difference? Old Jim/Tarzan would have wanted to protect the land. This one is very pro development.

There's decent acting, some fake headhunters, dicey racial politics, Tamba the chimp gets drunk. A solid entry.

Movie review - Jungle Jim #10 - "Savage Mutiny" (1952) **1/2

 One of the more hawkish Cold War entries with a fascinating set up - Jim is asked to help some African islanders move off their island so the Allies can test atomic bombs, "but don't worry they'll be able to move back". And some pesky foreign agents presumably commies try to persuade the locals opposed it.

There is a blonde doctor trying to inoculate the locals, a doctor who is forced to work for the baddies, a divide among the blacks of pro Jim elders and younger leaders more open to the others (the corruptible young was a trope of post colonial filmmaking).

The plot is clear, the fact it is set on an African island gives it novelty, there is decent action (Jim does hand to hand combat to earn the local's respect) and effective acting - I really liked the guy who played the main baddie.

A very joyously pro nuclear testing film.

Movie review - Jungle Jim#9 - "Voodoo Tiger" (1952) **1/2

 This adventure feels more crowded than usual - there's lots of characters in the movie, many of them Jim's allies which makes it seem easier for him.

The script writer throws in a bunch of stuff: Jean Byron on an expedition, a former Nazi, an opening sacrifice sequence, Commissioner Kingston again, a valley of headhunters, a nasty hunter, a heroic major to hook up with Byron.

Weismuller was trimmer in the earlier JJ movies it seems. It's bright enough, done with energy. Weismuller looks like  a sexual harrasser but I may be doing the man a disservice.

Movie review - Jungle Jim #8 - "Jungle Jim in the Forbidden Land" (1952) **1/2

 I wish the Jungle Jim movies pushed the fantastical elements more -the best bits about this one are when he gets involved with these half ape creatures. They live in the Land of the Giants, which Jim is protecting, which is fun.

There's some nasty ivory traders, a Good Woman and a Bad Woman, a chimp, a killer Zulu, lots of stock footage, Commissioner Kingston.

It's done with pace and high spirits.