ONE MILLION B.C.

 

My birthday was a couple days ago, and my good buddy Josh Kennedy usually gets me a present. This year he gifted me the VCI Blu-ray of Hal Roach's ONE MILLION B.C., the 1940 prehistoric adventure that was famously remade by Hammer Films in the mid 1960s as ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. with Raquel Welch. 

I was going to state that I had never seen ONE MILLION B.C., but that technically isn't true. I've seen FX footage from it several times--those scenes have been reused over and over again in numerous different movies and TV shows (there's probably someone using that footage for a YouTube video right now). Because of the familiarity of the footage, and its use in so many mediocre productions, I had always assumed the film itself wasn't all that impressive. 

Having now viewed it, I have to say that it comes off rather well. One major surprise for me was how close Hammer stuck to the main storyline--both versions have basically the same plot, with the same character names. The 1940 version opens in contemporary times, as a group of hikers take shelter in a cave, where they discover a scientist (Conrad Nagel) examining the artifacts and carvings within. The scientist proceeds to tell a story to the travelers, a story he bases on the cave drawings he has discovered. The scientist suggests that the man and the woman featured in the story look much like two of the hikers, this duo being played by Victor Mature and Carol Landis. As the movie goes way, way back in time, Mature and Landis also play the prehistoric leads, two young people from different tribes, who go through various trials and tribulations before they can find a sort of peace for themselves. 

When one thinks of either of the versions of ONE MILLION, Raquel Welch automatically comes to mind. It must be pointed out that Carole Landis in her day was as much of a pin-up star as Welch was. If anything, Landis and Victor Mature are more glamorous than Welch and John Richardson were in the remake. Both are conspicuously absent of body hair, and their facial profiles are constantly kept squeaky clean. Mature and Landis could have both wound up looking ridiculous, but they give very good performances under the circumstances. 

Carole Landis and Victor Mature in ONE MILLION B.C.

The best performance in the film is by Lon Chaney Jr. as Mature's father, the leader of their tribe. In the first part of the film Lon Jr. is brutal and tyrannical, ruling everyone around him with an iron fist and ignoring those he considers beneath him. Later, after he is grievously wounded in a fight with a wild beast, Chaney is a pathetic wreck of a being. In this role Lon Jr. showed he could be as skillful at pantomime as his famous father, and you'd never believe that the younger Chaney was only seven years older than his "son" Mature. Lon Jr. had just played Lennie in Hal Roach's production of the esteemed novel OF MICE AND MEN, and one wonders what could have happened if Chaney had stuck with Roach instead of going to Universal. 

If ONE MILLION B.C. is known for anything, it is using real animals to stand in for prehistoric monsters. Unfortunately, a number of these animals were forced to fight one another, or used as throwaway props--creatures were harmed during the production of this film. That would certainly put off plenty of folks from seeing it. 

The use of real animals also takes away from the fine effects work that was created for ONE MILLION. The various process shots, background plates, and unique sets are all done very well, and the climatic volcano eruption is spectacular. There's nothing historically accurate about this film whatsoever, but it's meant to be an epic adventure, and it is that. While watching ONE MILLION B.C. I noticed plenty of shot set-ups and compositions that reminded me of the original KING KONG--even if it wasn't intentional it shows how the big ape's shadow would loom large over fantastic cinema. 

There's something else that needs to be discussed about ONE MILLION B.C.--that is the involvement (or lack thereof) that pioneer director D.W. Griffith had on the project. Apparently Hal Roach asked Griffith to help out on pre-production for the film, and Griffith even wrote a script, but before actual filming began the legendary silent-film maker left the production (several sources give various versions why). There's a debate on whether Hal Roach seriously wanted Griffith's input, or he was just using him for publicity--but when one considers that ONE MILLION B.C. is essentially a movie without understandable dialogue, it would make sense to have the knowledge of a filmmaker from the silent era. 

Is ONE MILLION B.C. better than the Hammer remake? The latter film is in color, it has Raquel Welch (and Martine Beswicke), and it features the superb stop-motion animation of Ray Harryhausen. The original does have a fun charm of its own, and at only about 80 minutes, it doesn't overstay its welcome. If you are into off-beat cult movies, ONE MILLION B.C. is a title that needs to be seen at least once. 

THE RACETRACK MURDERS On Blu-ray From Eureka

 

The final film in Eureka's TERROR IN THE FOG Blu-ray set of 1960s German Krimis is THE RACETRACK MURDERS, also known as THE SEVENTH VICTIM (DAS SIEBENTE OPFER). 

This movie stands out from the other entries in the set due to its many Agatha Christie-style elements. The story revolves around a top racehorse named (ironically) Satan, and the family that owns him. There's deceit, race-fixing and horse-doping, secret identities, bizarre murders, and plenty of eccentric suspects. Much of the film takes place in the daytime and in outdoor rural settings, unusual for a Krimi. 

The male lead is not a Scotland Yard detective this time around--he's Peter Brooks (Hansjorg Felmy), an insurance agent posing as a silly aristocrat. The motive for all the mayhem is a plot of revenge for the execution of a criminal years before. 

THE RACETRACK MURDERS (1964) was written & directed by F.J. Gottlieb, and this time it really was based on an actual novel by Bryan Edgar Wallace (although it appears not much of that book made it up on the screen). The movie was surprisingly shot in a 1.37:1 aspect ratio, making it seem more like a traditional mystery story instead of a Krimi. Perhaps to compensate for this, director Gottlieb uses many weird shot compositions, and the story has plenty of light comedic moments. The movie benefits from having Ann Smyrner as one of the better Krimi female leads--she even gets to competitively ride Satan at the climax, and it is actually her on the horse. (Smyrner also appeared in the notorious giant monster flick REPTILICUS.) 

Once again Eureka provides an excellent-looking black & white uncut version of the film, with its original color main titles, and once again German and English voice tracks are provided, with English subtitles. 

The extras include a German trailer for the film, and another of Tim Lucas' fine introductions. This time Lucas focuses on what makes THE RACETRACK MURDERS stand out from the other films in this set. The brand new audio commentary by Kevin Lyons and Jonathan Rigby also points out the unusual aspects of the feature, and the duo discuss the novel that the story is supposedly based on. 

One other extra given to THE RACETRACK MURDERS (which gets its own disc in the TERROR IN THE FOG set) is a 84 minute talk with Tim Lucas & Stephen Bissette. (When you access the talk, it plays over the film). Lucas & Bissette discuss each movie in this set, one by one, and they also go into the history of the Krimi genre in general. The talk is a fitting epilogue to the overall set, and any viewers should listen to it after they have seen all the films contained in TERROR IN THE FOG, since Lucas & Bissette reveal several plot details for each feature. 

I can't say enough positive things about this set from Eureka. It has plenty of value, with six films, plenty of extras, and an informative booklet. It also includes a set of features that very few people in North America have seen, especially in their original cuts. In other words, it's not a reissue of material that the average film geek has purchased over and over again. I sincerely hope Eureka has more Krimi delights in store for English-speaking audiences. 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING

 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING is a 1956 Western, released by RKO in Technicolor and Superscope. It was directed by Jacques Tourneur, better known for his work for producer Val Lewton and other thrillers and film noirs. 

Tourneur actually made a number of Westerns, and despite his expertise in black & white atmospherics, he was quite proficient when it came to colorful outdoor adventures. GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING stars Robert Stack as Owen Pentacost, a devil-may-care loner who has just arrived in Denver during the early part of 1861. Owen has heard of a fortune in gold mined by Southerners in the area, and he proposes a deal with them--he'll help escort the treasure down South (it's meant for the Confederacy) in exchange for a cut of it. Before he can get the gold out Pentacost wins a saloon in a card game, gets involved with two different women, earns the distrust of both Union and Confederate sympathizers, and eventually learns he's not as selfish as he thinks he is. 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING has plenty of things going on in it--maybe too many. There's the main plot, dealing with the gold horde meant for the Confederacy. There's the tension between those for the Union and those for the South (Fort Sumter is captured about halfway through the story). There's Owen's romantic entanglements with shopkeeper Ann (Virginia Mayo) and saloon girl (Ruth Roman). Another subplot deals with Owen bonding with the young son of a man Pentacost killed in a gunfight, and there's a Union agent (Alex Nichol) who wants to make sure the gold doesn't get to the South. 

All the subplots tend to get in the way of each other, and there's also the fact that Owen Pentacost isn't a particularly likable character. He's cocky and conniving, and he's constantly reminding everyone that the only side that he's on is his own. It's the type of role that actors like Clark Gable and Errol Flynn could have made work, but Robert Stack seems uncomfortable playing it. 

One also wonders why someone with Pentacost's attitude would get the devotion of two different gorgeous women. Virginia Mayo gets first billing as the "nice" girl, but it's Ruth Roman who gets the better part as saloon gal Boston. The resolution of the love triangle is rather surprising. (By the way, we do get a brief glimpse of Virginia Mayo taking a bath.)

Robert Stack and Ruth Roman in GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING

Raymond Burr plays another of his pre-Perry Mason villains, and this one is very nasty. Long-time bad guy Leo Gordon is Burr's main henchman, and the two of them belong to a gang of Union sympathizers (those citizens of Denver who are for the North in this story are belligerent troublemakers). 

Most of the outdoor scenes for this film were actually shot in Colorado, and Jacques Tourneur makes excellent use of them. He also reminds the viewer of his Val Lewton days with a sequence that deals with the unexpected killing of a major character in a darkened saloon. There isn't much he can do with the abrupt ending, which seems to have been designed to tie up as many loose ends as simply as possible. 

GREAT DAY IN THE MORNING is a decent adventure story, but it reminded me of several other Westerns. The main plot resembles VIRGINIA CITY, Ruth Roman plays about the same type of role she did in THE FAR COUNTRY, and Raymond Burr plays a similar character to the one he essayed in HORIZONS WEST. 

FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR On Blu-ray From Kino

 

I first saw FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR about forty years ago, when it was presented by Svengoolie, during his "Son Of" days. My much younger self wasn't all that impressed with the film--mainly due to the fact that it had nothing to do with Frankenstein whatsoever. 

Nevertheless, FBT has a place in Gothic horror films history, with it being the first feature written & starring Paul Naschy, Spain's premier monster movie fanatic/actor. Kino Lorber gives FBT the deluxe treatment, with a 2-D version of the American release of the film, a stereoscopic version (which can only be properly viewed with a 3-D Blu-ray player and monitor) and a anaglyphic version, with a pair of 3-D glasses included in the disc case. 

The saga of Paul Naschy's (birth name Jacinto Molina) werewolf Waldemar Daninsky begins here, as the Polish nobleman is bitten by another lycanthrope in a vague European location. A beautiful young aristocrat falls in love with Waldemar, and she and her former boyfriend try to find a cure for Daninsky's affliction. They wind up seeking the help of a mysterious Dr. Mikhelov and his sultry wife....but the couple are vampires, who have nefarious plans for Daninsky and his friends. 

FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR is the American version of a Spanish/German film titled LA MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO. Independent producer Sam Sherman picked up the movie, cut out some scenes, and added a cheesy prologue explaining how the Frankenstein family was cursed to be known as "Wolfstein". (Sherman owed a movie to distributors with Frankenstein in the title, and he saw this as an easy way to deal with the problem.) 

The actual movie itself is a bizarre mishmash of classic monster concepts and Euro Gothic luridness. The movie is most assuredly set in the late 1960s, but it has wandering gypsies, superstitious villagers, and plenty of atmospheric locales. Paul Naschy's Waldemar certainly has some Lawrence Talbot-like traits, but he's also an energetic cuss, snarling and thrashing about with abandon. It's Julian Ugarte and Aurora de Alba who grab the viewer's attention the most as the creepy Mikhelovs (De Alba's cleavage, especially in 3-D, is a wonder to behold.) Naschy might have been better served if he wrote more scripts about them. 

It must be pointed out that this Kino release only features the American version of FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR, which is about 15 minutes shorter than the original cut. (That cut, by the way, can be found on a DVD released by Media Blasters earlier this century--if you have that disc, you should hold on to it, as I'll explain later.) The 2-D version of FBT, presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio on this Blu-ray is very soft-looking and fuzzy at times (I'd even say the Media Blasters release looks better). 

As for the 3-D version....I need to mention that I am not a big 3-D fan, which means of course that I don't own a 3-D disc player. Watching movies in 3-D usually gives me headaches, and I find the format distracting. I must say, though, that the anaglyphic 3-D in this release comes off very well. The 3-D is used as an enhancement, not just a gimmick. Instead of contrived attempts to thrust objects at the audience, the 3-D provides depth and extra perception to the scenes. Director Enrique Lopez Eguiluz did an excellent job setting up the shots for the format (or at least someone did). I would even state that the anaglyphic version of FBT has much better visual quality than the 2-D version. (The only voice track provided on this disc is the dubbed English version.) 

Along with 2-D and 3-D versions of the film, Kino has provided a bunch of extras, including the scenes not used in the U.S release, an alternate main title sequence, and a theatrical trailer and radio spots. There's also a short program in which Tim Lucas details the amount of work that went into making the 3-D version of FBT finally available to Region A home audiences. 

Lucas also provides a brand new audio commentary, where he proclaims his unabashed love for FBT. He also gives out plenty of info on the life of Paul Naschy (at one point comparing him to Quentin Tarantino), and he mentions the original sources of various parts of the cobbled-together music score. There's also another new commentary featuring Troy Howarth, Troy Guinn, and Rodney Barnett. The trio are all Paul Naschy experts and fans, and their talk is a fun and lively one, as they discuss how important FBT was to the genre of Euro Gothic overall. Troy Howarth states that FBT has a "effortless weirdness", and that's about as apt of a summation as any when it comes to defining the cinematic legacy of Paul Naschy. Both commentaries add a lot to a viewer's knowledge and enjoyment of the film. 

The disc cover sleeve is reversible, with the over-the-top American poster for the film on one side. As mentioned, a pair of 3-D glasses are included. If you want to watch this film in anaglyphic 3-D, with friends or a significant other, I guess you....just have to share?? 

(By the way, if you do own the Media Blasters DVD of FBT, as I do, another reason to hang on to it is that it has even more deleted scenes and trims, and it also contains a fascinating audio commentary from Sam Sherman himself.) 

I mentioned at the beginning of this blog how unimpressed I was on my first viewing of FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR. Finally seeing it in 3-D has upped my appreciation of it. I wouldn't call it a great film, but it is an important one, as it kick-started the Spanish horror film boom of the early 1970s and it began the monster movie career of cult legend Paul Naschy. Kino has gone all out on this Blu-ray, and their efforts are vastly appreciated on my part.....especially the fact that they have enabled those who don't own a 3-D player a way to still view the movie in that format. 

INTERNATIONAL SECRET POLICE: A KEG OF POWDER

 

Another entry in Japan's Toho Studios series of 1960s spy adventures, parts of this feature were used and re-dubbed for Woody Allen's spoof WHAT'S UP, TIGER LILY? 

Tatsuya Mihashi once again plays the devil-may-care Agent Kitami of Interpol. This time he's tracking down a kidnapped scientist named Dr. Tatsuno (Jun Tazaki). The Doctor has been experimenting on what are called "Zeta Rays", hoping to be able to use them to destroy all nuclear weapons and supposedly bring peace to the world. Of course, Tatsuno's work would be catastrophic if it falls in the wrong hands, and it does. An organization called the World Unification Alliance wants to control the planet, and it's up to Kitami and an acerbic Metropolitan Police Inspector named Yagyu (Makoto Sato) to save the day. 

A KEG OF POWDER is a fairly entertaining movie, with some decently staged action sequences and a lighthearted vibe that prevents it from being an all-out hard-edged thriller. As one would expect, Dr. Tatsuno has a beautiful daughter (played by Yuriko Hoshi) who gets extra attention from both Kitami and Yagyu, but it is Kumi Mizuno who gets the better part as a seductive operative of the Alliance, known as #6. Mizuno literally has a kiss of death, and she spends almost an entire sequence of the film wearing nothing but a towel. She also winds up helping Kitami during the climax--the character of #6 gets to be more than just the typical femme fatale. It's a great role for Mizuno, who also appeared in two other entries of the International Secret Police series. 

Being that this is a Toho film, Kaiju fans will notice plenty of veterans from the company's many monster and sci-fi movies. Yuriko Hoshi appeared in MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA, while Jun Tazaki had several dealings with Kaiju over his acting career, most notably in DESTROY ALL MONSTERS. Kumi Mizuno's Toho legacy is well known, and Akiko Wakabayashi (GHIDORAH, THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER) has a cameo as another of Agent Kitami's love interests. The screenwriter for A KEG OF POWDER, Shinichi Sekizawa, wrote a number of Toho's fantasy features. 

I happened to discover A KEG OF POWDER on the Internet Archive, and it was uncut, in widescreen, and available with English subtitles. I wish the International Secret Police series was much more widely available, and much better known among film geeks. I've now seen three of the films in the group, and they are all fine 007 influenced adventures that avoid excessive violence and lurid elements. They also are a big discovery for Kumi Mizuno fans--she certainly could have been the star of a spy franchise of her own. 

The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog Talks!

 

Recently I've been granted the privilege of being a guest on two different excellent podcasts. Earlier this summer (July 4th to be exact), I was interviewed by Steve Turek for episode #305 of his DieCast Movie Podcast. The subject was THE ROCKETEER (1991), a movie I believe has not gotten the credit that it has deserved. I've also guested on Steve's podcast two other times: Episode 212, where we discussed the documentary HOOP DREAMS, and episode 84, where we talked about the David Lynch version of DUNE. 

A few weeks ago I also had a chat with Bruce Markusen and Tracy Asteria for their The Ghostly Gallery Podcast, where the topic was great horror films from the 1940s. We covered such titles as THE MAD GHOUL and THE BODY SNATCHER. I've been on The Ghostly Gallery a couple of other times as well, talking about Hammer Films (big surprise there) and horror classics from the 1930s. 

I love chatting with Steve and Bruce (who are both friends of mine), and I'm honored that they would have me on their shows. They both have featured many other people who are way more talented and articulate than I am. I highly recommend both The DieCast Movie Podcast and The Ghostly Gallery, and if you scroll down each of their episode lists, you'll find plenty of informative and interesting subjects to listen to if you have the time. 

If anyone else out there would like me as a guest on a movie-themed podcast, feel free to contact me through the comments section of this blog (although I'm astounded that anyone would want to listen to me talk about anything). 

The DieCast Movie Podcast:  anchor.fm/steven-turek

The Ghostly Gallery Podcast: bmarkusen.podbean.com

JEFF TORBORG: A WONDERFUL BASEBALL LIFE

 

LAST COMISKEY director Matt Flesch's latest production is an examination of a true baseball lifer, a man who had several connections to the greats--and the great moments--of the game. 

JEFF TORBORG: A WONDERFUL BASEBALL LIFE covers a decades-long MLB career that involved stints as a player, coach, manager, and broadcaster. In only his second season as a backup catcher in 1965, Jeff Torborg would be behind the dish during Sandy Koufax's perfect game. In his very last season as an active MLB player, Torborg would be on the receiving end of Nolan Ryan's very first no-hitter. Those are only a couple of exceptional moments that this documentary details. 

Torborg played and managed in both the American and National League, and that enabled him to gain an incredible amount of inside knowledge and lasting friendships as he moved from team to team and job to job. Torborg managed five different franchises, and he also spent an amazing ten years as a New York Yankee coach in the 1980s (amazing due to the fact that he was never fired by George Steinbrenner). 

There's plenty of great baseball stories and rare footage in this film, but the real heart of the project deals with Torborg's life off the field. Married to the same woman for over 60 years, Torborg's beliefs and family were more important to him than the game. The world of Major League Baseball could be rather wild & wooly during the Seventies and Eighties, but through it all Torborg never compromised when it came to his convictions, and despite managing in two of the biggest media markets in the country (Chicago and New York), he never changed his attitude or his personality. 

A major part of this film deals with Torborg's time as manager of the Chicago White Sox (in some ways this is a bit of a semi-sequel to LAST COMISKEY). Torborg made a major impact on that team and its players--Ozzie Guillen (who would go on to be a World Series manager) states that Torborg was the best dugout boss he ever played for. A number of former players, coaches, and broadcasters appear in this documentary, attesting to Torborg's strengths as a baseball expert and as a man. 

I'm a huge lifelong baseball fan, and I certainly knew the basics about Jeff Torborg's life and career--but this documentary gave me a true complete picture of the man. Torborg was involved in MLB in one way or another for most of my time as a baseball fan, so I have to admit I never really appreciated what his overall career entailed. Jeff Torborg wasn't a Hall of Farmer, but he certainly had a wonderful baseball life, and this film celebrates a time of the game when on-field experience and one-on-one interactions were considered more important than analytics and statistical theories. 

HE WAS HER MAN

 

HE WAS HER MAN is the seventh and final Warner Bros. film in which both James Cagney and Joan Blondell appeared. It is an unusual farewell to their partnership, since both performers go against their expected wisecracking personas. 

James Cagney plays Flicker Hayes, a safecracker who has just gotten out of prison. A couple of his old underworld comrades want Flicker to do a job for them, and after some haggling, he accepts--but Hayes is convinced that these men were the reason why he wound up in the stir, so he turns informer and tells the police about the plot. The cops arrive right before the burglary takes place, and Flicker gets away--but a police officer is killed in an ensuing shootout. The cop killer gets the chair, and his confederates decide to track Flicker down in order to get revenge. Flicker takes off to San Francisco, where he encounters down-on-her-luck Rose (Joan Blondell). The young woman has a marriage proposal from an immigrant fisherman named Nick Gardella (Victor Jory), but she doesn't have the money to go down the coast to meet up with him. Flicker enables her to take the trip, and he accompanies her after he finds out that Nick lives in a remote small town. Flicker and Rose grow more attracted to each other, much to the consternation of the latter, who feels guilty for having promised Nick that she will be his wife. As Flicker and Rose try to figure out how to deal with their situation, a couple of hoods have discovered where Hayes is, and are wasting no time getting to him. 

Despite the criminal subplot of HE WAS HER MAN, the movie has very little in common with the typical snappy, fast-paced urban based Warner Pre-Codes. Much of the action takes place in the small fishing village where Nick Gardella lives, and James Cagney and Joan Blondell are much more subdued and restrained here. It's as if Warners were giving two of their biggest stars a chance to do something different. Cagney's Flicker still has some cockiness about him, but he's less brash, and the actor even speaks slower than normal. Joan Blondell doesn't get to use her normal sarcastic comebacks or tough dame attitude--her Rose is sad and thoughtful, constantly worried about whether she should take off with Flicker or keep her promise to the kindhearted Nick. (Cinematographer George Barnes gives Blondell several soulful closeups, as well he should, as he and the actress were married at the time this film was made.) 

Earlier this summer I wrote a blog post on the film THEY KNEW WHAT THEY WANTED, and while watching HE WAS HER MAN it became obvious both movies have much in common. Both stories deal with a woman searching for a better life who agrees to move to rural California and marry a kind immigrant who she barely knows. Both movies even share a pre-wedding festival. HE WAS HER MAN has the advantage of having James Cagney, but he constantly defies expectations in it. He wears a small mustache, and when he goes on the run, the viewer assumes he will shave it off--but he doesn't. (Was the mustache a symbol that this isn't the typical Cagney characterization?) One is so used to Cagney taking the bull by the horns and getting what he wants due to the force of his personality that it's off-putting to see how Flicker deals with things. The ending is very surprising--I'm sure Cagney fans who saw this movie back in 1934 were probably shaking their heads. 

Nearly every time I've seen Victor Jory in a film he's a bad guy, so it's somewhat hard to see him as the earnest, hard-working and well-meaning Nick. (Nick is supposed to be Portuguese, but Jory's affected broken English makes the man seem Italian.) Harold Huber and Russell Hopton are the hard-boiled types who track down Nick, and Frank Craven plays a sneaky informer. Veteran Warners director Lloyd Bacon gets a lot of the rural village setting. 

HE WAS HER MAN gives James Cagney and Joan Blondell a chance to show off their acting range--out of all the movies the two both appeared in, this one definitely sticks out. The question is--is this the type of picture Cagney and Blondell fans really want to see them in?