Movie review - "Troubled Waters" (1964) **

 British B - "C" really - is a drama that probably would be more at home as a TV play. It gives Tab Hunter a decent chance as a criminal out of prison reconnecting with his wife and daughter. Wife has a new guy who is some British drip. It's not a conventional sort of gangster film - there's no one more job, which may have added to the film's appeal. Hunter is good as a person who is a bit of a psycho and there's solid tension in the scenes when he kidnaps his kid. Zena Walker is the wife.

It probably could've done with another subplot.

TV review - "Combat! Ep 1 Season 8 - The Celebrity" (1962) **1/2

 I don't think I've ever seen an episode of Combat! though I've heard of it. This wasn't directed by Robert Altman, but Burt Kennedy, and written by Art Wallace.

The series was famous for its relative realism at the time. It seemed to be to be a stock war story but I'm probably being unfair.

Look this was fine. Tab Hinter plays a baseball star who discovers bravey. I'm sure this was groundbreaking but it seemed like a regular show on the backlot.

Movie review - "The Loved One" (1965) **

 The success of Tom Jones made MGM open its chequebook for Tony Richardson who decided to film Evelyn Waugh's late 1940s novel. It's zany satire, kind of peak gay Hollywood at the time - along with Richardson there's Roddy McDowall, Charles Isherwood, Tab Hunter, John Gielgud. Liberace...  Look there's plenty of straights too. Heaps of people are in it and behind the camera - Hal Ashby was a director, Haskell Wexler shot it and co produced, John Calley co produced.

The plot has Robert Morse, going for stardom after How to Succeed in Business, arrive from England (James Coburn as immigation officer) to Los Angeles to visit his Uncle John Gielgud. Gielgud words for a Hollywood studio along with Jonathan Winters, Rod Steiger and Roddy McDowall.

Members of the British expat community include Robert Morley and Alan Napier. Funderl workers include Anajette Comer (big part), Liberace, Tab Hunter (one scene as  a funeral guide), Milton Berle and Margaret Leighton (customers).

Then the last act switches to become a film about military and launching rockets with people like Dana Andrews (officer), Winters (dual role) and a young Paul Williams.

The gears switch, the film has its head up its ass and it got more annoying as it went on. Too much screen time is devoted to people who aren't up to it, like Comer and Jonathan Winters (who plays multiple roles Peter Sellars style as Quentin Tarantino pointed out).

It's beautifully shot and I can see why it's a cult but I can also see why no one wanted to see it. Some people are spot on like Morse, Hunter, Gielgud.

Movie review - "War Gods of the Deep" (1965) **1/2 (re-watching)

 I'm watching most of Tab Hunter's oeuvre and sometimes that's a slog so I put this on again, one of his most fun films for me. I know it's not that good with silly Gill Man make up and too-long scenes of swimmimg under water, but it's entertaining. Charles Bennett movies generally have a decent structure and this one does. Its more Jules Verne than Poe. I liked the art design, the underwater world, Vincent Price hamming it up, Tab Hunter and Susan Hart as juveniles. I could've done without David Tomlinson and the duck but there's even something endearing that Louis Heyward added that.

Movie review - "Pleasure of His Company" (1961) **

 This should go down easy - widescreen, colour, nice settings and stars. But something about it is off.

Fred Astaire is fine, I guess, as the playboy who comes home to attend his daughter's wedding. And he becomes convinced that his daughte is wasting her life.

The dad is a deadbeat who hasn't been part of his daughter's life at all. This could have been easily covered - he sent her lots of presents, they were close, he'd been away for a year or so... As it is he's got no right to say a comment about his daughter. The film kind of acknowledges that. But still...

They've got Astaire's character talking in pidgin English to Palmer's Chinese servat which is awful.   Astaire clearly did some looping and his voice is all articulate and that got on my nerves.

Debbue Reynolds is too old for her part. She smiles and all that but she just seems like she's lived life.

Tab Hunter is fine. I like that he wasn't controlling just a bit of a hick.

There's no chemistry between Astaire and Reynolds, or Astair and Lili Palmer (his ex)... they never seem like Reynolds' parents. Imagine if Ginger Rogers had played the role!

One laugh. When Astair goes "sex isn't eveyrthing" and the old guy goes "so they keep telling me".

No one seems to work, not really. 

Maybe I was grumpy. But this was... oh whatever.

TV review - "Playhouse 90 - Portrait of a Murderer" (1958) ***

 Tab Hunter was doing excellent work on TV in the 50s while his films were mostly bland. He's very emphathetic and engaging as real killed Donald Bashor. This uses clips of the real guy including a taped interview which is creepy but effective. (Tab played another real dude who apeared in a show in Fear Strikes Out). 

Arthur Penn directs very well. Geraldine Page is excellent as Hunter's fiance.

TV review - "Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates" (1958) ***

 Really sweet ice skating musical based on a Dutch story that I'm unfamiliar with. Tab Hunter could sing and was a champion ice skater so he's a natural - well, a little too old, but it does work.

Basil Rathbone is in it and Sidney Lumet directs. There's some skaters and it's fun.

Warners should've made an ice skating film for Hunter. Disney did a version of this tale and it feels Disney like in a good way. Sweet.

TV movie review - "Meet Me in St Louis" (1959) ***

 CBS version of the famous musical has a cast of old MGM hands who you might've sworn were in the original - Walter Pidgeon as dad, Myrna Loy as mum, Jane Powell as daughter, Ed Wynn as grandad. There's also Tab Hunter and Jeanne Crain. And a young Patty Duke playing Margaret O'Brien.

Truth be told Hunter, Crain and Powell are a little old for their roles. But they are well cast - everyone is. There's song and dances and it's done quite well albeit on a TV scale.

The movie is better - and in colour - but it's interesting to watch other people have a go

Movie review - "That Kind of Woman" (1959) ***

 Fascinating. Because on one hand it's a good movie - Sidney Lumet directs with sensitivity, Tab Hunter has never been better (seriously), Sophia Loren is charismatic and terrific, Jack Warden offers a strong support part, George Sanders is accomplished as Loren's lover. The black and white photography works as does the location filming.

But the movie doesn't work. I didn't buy it. Didn't buy Loren falling for Hunter, and being reluctant to leave because of her lover. I buy his infatuation. But she's too mature, too gorgeous, she has too many options.

Maybe this would've worked in Italy, war torn Italy and she's a mistress to provide and she's never felt love before. I think that's it... Loren has clearly felt love before. Hunter isn't it for him. 

Maybe it would've worked Deep Blue Sea style with the lead girl being bland and dull with a dull boyfriend and this charismatic type whisks her away.

Movie review - "Return to Treasure Island" (1954) **

 A modern day updating of Treasure Island from the team of Pollexfen and Wisberg who wrote and produced many low budget films for Edward Small.

Dawn Addams is Jim Hawkins, Tab Hunter is Ben Gunn, Porter Hall is Long John Silver, I think... that's the film's big problem it doesn't have a strong Long John figure.

The film smells cheap. It's badly directed. Hunter narrates (was this added after he was casst in Battle Cry?). THere's too much of his weak high pitched voice. No chemistry between Addams and Hunter. No atmosphere.

Really Hunter should have played Hawkins with Addams as a sexy stowaway. Or maybe just done better.

The story on paper sounds exciting but it's plodding and amateurish like bad AIP.

Movie review - "Saturday Island" (1952) **

 The film that launched Tab Hunter as a leading man.  Its kind of a sexy story - a Blue Lagoon tale of a hunky young marine and older woman doctor who are in a ship that's sunk and wind up on a deserted island.

Hunter and Darnell should'e been ideal - a young good looking naive guy and a Woman of the World. But the film doesn't lean into this. He should've been in love with her from the start, she resists him... or vice versa... it just needed more sex.

Actually this film throws away drama chances wholesale. No threat no the island, no Japanese, no natives, no natural spookiness. It threatens to get interesting when Tab Hunter becomes pathologically jealous but then just as he goes nuts they all get rescued.

Lots of whining from Hunter. Oh, he's so poor... he looks terrific, he is the role but that high pitched voice. You can't help laughing at him.

Linda Darnell can be great but she needs to be energised. She's bored here, disconnected.  Donald Gray is better. He tries.

What a missed opportunity. Nice colour and location filming in Jamaica.

Movie review - "The Burning Hills" (1956) **

 Warners tried to jazz up their Westerns with their teen idols, Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood, which actually wasn't a bad idea but they didn't put them in teen roles ie misunderstood kids. It's just a stock Western played by younger than usual actors.

It was based on a novel by Louis L'Amour whose novels don't have the best track record of adapting to the big screen. I haven't seen that many I admit but they're not that well known. Hondo is the big exception - it had a major star, a strong co star, and character work and mood.

The Burning Hills could have had that maybe - L'Amour wnated John Wayne and Katy Juarando and that would've worked. Hunter and Wood don't work here - they are too light, the story doesn't give that much to do.

You could change it - they should've changed the material for them. Given Hunter a dad, Wood a dad, had them struggle against their parents. It would've been a nice parallel to the lead baddy, Skip Hoimer, who is working for his dad. 

Wood plays a Mexican. She's lovely and gorgeous and tries but it's silly. Hunter tries too.

It's nicely shot in colour - didn't expect that. Essentially lower budgeted though. Simple story, too simple I feel - Hunter gets revenge on person who killed his brother, and is chased. That level of simplicity you need character work. That's not here.

A few visual flourishes and scenes in caves. Stuart Heisler directed. He did The Glass Key and put Hunter in an early lead.

Warner Bros films that would've been better for Tab Hunter

 * The Searchers

*Helen of Troy (as Paris or someone)

*Giant (in Dennis Hopper role)

*Spirit of St Louis

*The Pajama Game

*Sayonara

*Marjorie Morningstar

*The LeftHanded Gun

*The Young Philadelphians

*A Summer Place

 

He avoided Bombers B52, Darby's Rangers, Up Periscope

Movie review - "Damn Yankees" (1958) ***1/2

 This and The Pajama Game were musicals basically transferrred to the screen lock stock and barrell. Nothing really wrong with that - better than dumb changes. I did feel this could've been cinema-ised a little more. And also that it had more stars/familiar faces.

I quite liked Tab Hunter as the reincarnated middle aged guy - but would've preferred a star to play the older version (like, I don't know, Edward G Robinson or something).and ditto his wife (some older 40s Warner star... like Joan Blondell). No diss on the actors. Ray Walston is fun as the devil... but imagine say Rex Harrison. And Gwen Verdon, I get she's a Broadway legend, but imagine Marilyn Monroe... (Mitzi Gaynor not so much. Maybe that's why they gave it to Vernon.)

Anyway it's sniping. This is fun. Decent tunes. Numbers. It also has a universal appeal: what if you could live you dream, be young and great at a spart?

Movie review - "The Girl He Left Behind" (1956) **

 Tab Hunter became a star (ish) supporting crusty older actors in Battle Cry, Sea Chase and Track of the Cat - Warners prompted him to main star with this service comedy, from the author of the books See Here Private Hargrove so it was a decent piece of IT and they team him with Natalie Wood.

The two stars are actually very well cast. The basic story idea isn't bad - rich kid grows up via army service. But it's done with remarkable ineptness.

It's not in colour. There's no jokes. No songs. It's played straight, as drama. But there's no war.

There's no real supporting characters.The only meaty part is Murray Hamilton as the sergeant, but even he's just a sergeant.

Hunter is a likable actor but his character is remarkably unlikeable. I kept waiting for him to show nice signs, turn a corner... but he sulks for most of the flm. Like, 80 minutes in, he's at some exercise and these kids run on to the field and I though oh he's going to be heroic... but no. He does nothing. Gets in trouble. David Janssen his officer suggests he be discharged. Hunter agrees. This is 85 minutes in! The one heroic thing he did is throw away a grenade. 

His other soldiers don't like him. Natalie Wood dumps him - that's why he drops out of college - and they meet each other and he tries to root her. But she says no.

Hamilton fights Hunter and beats him up. Hunter is a little bit heroic at the end but that's it.

Gosh this was odd. Why did they make it? I know why...  they thought Hunter plus Wood plus army was enough. But it's not.

They needed to tell the story of one or two other soldiers. Or add a war so it had a point and real stakes.

I had similar problems with Lafayette Escradille also with Hunter. That did have a war - but it felt like a film about what should've been one of three plots. Battle Cry showed how it should be done.  There's not even a final kiss between Hunter and Wood.

TV review - "Climax: Fear Strikes Out" (1955) ***

 Tab Hunter is very good in a meaty role, as baseball player Jimmy Piersal, who was apparently a decent player (major leaguer) if not a legend, but struggled with mental issues, being bipolar.

The film version of this in 1957 is a little famous as it helped launch Tony Perkins and was the feature debut of Robert Mulligan - it's become famous in a way too since Tab and Tony went out and Tony pinched Tab's role.

I was surprised how smal the role of the father was - he's barely in it, even if it's played by Robert Armstrong. Mona Freeman has a bigger part as Hunter's girlfriend and then wife.

The TV version was presumably closer to the truth. At the end we meet Piersall who has just played a game who is admirably upfront about his mental struggles and understanding for empathy.

Mona Freeman isn't very good and Armstrong doesn't have a character to play but Hunter is strong and the actors who play shrinks work well.

Movie review - "Gun Belt" (1953) **1/2

 Decent central situation - two brothers who were outlaws, George Montgomery and John Dehner, squabble over Dehner's son Tab Hunter - Dehner is still bad but Montgomery has gone straight.

The film makes a mistake killing Dehner 20 minutes in. William Bishop comes in as the new villain but it would've been stronger with Dehner who was Hunter's dad.

This is a pretty good little Western. Solid story, in colour, decent action, a support role from Wyaatt Earp, good actors. Helen Westacott doesn't have much to do as the girl (why no love triangle). Montgomery has that great voice - he should wear a moustache though. The cast is good. Hunter gets decent chances in this, whining about Dehner being killed and yelling at Montgomery but being a callow kid too. He's not bad.

Movie review - "The Golden Arrow" (1962) **

 The axing of his TV show saw Tab Hunter make his inevitable way to Italy, like so many faded stars of his era. He never got his groove back but he stayed in leads for the next decade.

This has great production values and gorgeous colour. The story is in fits and starts, never quite gets its tone - part fantasy, part Robin Hood. There's some comic genies, one would've done. Rosanna Podessta is pretty as the girl the rest of the cast is indistinguished.

It looks fantastic. Hunter is alright but not quite comfortable in this world. It's weird - Tony Curtis and Rock Hudson suited it more. In his defence he's dubbed. But also he was looking like an ageing juvenile now.

Movie review - "The Steel Lady" (1953) **1/2

 Low budget action adventure which benefits from a decent idea - four American oil men crash in the desert, dig up an old German tank from WW2 and drive it to a nearby French fort... unaware it contains jewels. But nearby Arabs are aware.

Rod Cameron, John Dehner and Leonard from Community are three tough guys, with Tab Hunter as the fourth. The combo works - Dehner is the dodgy one, going a litte Fred C Dobbs, but not dumb. Hunter is protected, mostly sitting and listening to the others. They should've given him a romance in the Arab tent. And they should've had them pick up an Arab in the village to complicate things. Maybe Leonard could've been a woman.

This was a pretty good movie though. The villains are smart. There's action. Decent actors.

Movie review - "Track of the Cat" (1954) **1/2

 Disappointing! It starts so well, with this great melodramatic missed up family in the 1900s and a panther on the loose. Bob Mitchum is causing trouble amongst his family, there's two brothers, William Hopper and Tab Hunter, and Hunter wants to marry the older Diana Lynn, and mum Beulah Bondi is a crone and dad's a boozer and sister Teresa Wright is bitter and it's all very William Inge. 

But the problem is Hopper and Mitchum go hunting for the cat then come back home and we're stuck at home with Bondi, Hunter and the others. It's all stagnant and there's too much Acting and the scenes don't progress. They needed to be all out there hunting for the cat, Mitchum messing with Hunter's head and so on... it dissipates the drama. Philip Tonge as the dad has endless scenes boozing and prattling. There neeed to be a gal hot for Mitchum.

Interesting use of colour and it is unconvientional. Hunter works in these callow torn youth roles, Mitchum is ideal, Bondi is fun... I just wish they'd knocked the story into shape.