UP POPS THE DEVIL

 

This is another early Paramount film starring Carole Lombard, released in 1931. It reunites Lombard with Norman Foster and Skeets Gallagher, her co-stars from IT PAYS TO ADVERTISE--but that fact is nothing to get excited about. 

Norman Foster is Steve Merrick, a regular guy who has aspirations to be a writer. Carole Lombard is Steve's girlfriend Anne. Steve wants to marry Anne, but she believes their fun-loving lifestyle will prevent him from focusing on his writing. The couple marry, and Anne gets a job as a dancer, so Steve can stay home and write. Steve isn't happy about stuck at home, and the idea that Anne is the breadwinner. The two break up, but reunite with the news that Anne is going to have a baby. 

UP POPS THE DEVIL was based on a stage play, and it shows. It's a static, talky film, and even a comedy specialist like its director, Edward Sutherland, can't do much with it. Throughout much of the running time various eccentric characters randomly pop in and out of Steve and Anne's apartment. (I thought this element of the story was the basis of the title, but that comes from a line of dialogue.) The uninvited guests are played by Skeets Gallagher, Stuart Erwin, Lilyan Tashman, Joyce Compton, Willie Best, and others, Their collective antics are supposed to be funny, but they just get in the way of main plot. 

Norman Foster gives another whiny, annoying performance as Steve. In the actor's defense, the character isn't very appealing. At first Steve complains that he doesn't have enough time to write (mainly due to his own partying), but when he is given plenty of time to work, he whines about being stuck at home and is embarrassed about his wife being the "man" of the house. With roles like these, it's no wonder that Foster quit acting to become a movie director. 

Carole Lombard once again is stuck with a weak leading man character, and once again I have to state that one wonders what her character sees in such an underwhelming guy. The only surprise there is in Anne leaving Steve is that it didn't happen sooner. Being that this is a classic Hollywood studio film, you know that the couple will be reunited at the end, but one wishes the sensible, responsible (and very attractive) Anne find someone way better. 

It would take a while for Lombard to find her stride as an actress, and for Hollywood studios to figure out how to use her best. UP POPS THE DEVIL is not on the list as one of Lombard's career high points. 

NO ONE MAN

 

NO ONE MAN is a 1932 comedy-drama from Paramount starring Carole Lombard. It is not to be confused with NO MAN OF HER OWN, a much more famous 1932 Paramount-Lombard entry that co-starred Clark Gable. It is one of the many movies that Lombard appeared in during the early 1930s that did not take full advantage of her talents. 

Carole plays Penelope Newbold, the fun-loving daughter of a rich businessman. The young Penelope has already been through one marriage, and she has her sights set on playboy Bill Hanaway (Ricardo Cortez). Bill also desires Penelope, but he still enjoys having fun with maneater Sue (Juliette Compton). Penelope becomes fascinated with Karl Bemis (Paul Lukas), an older, decent, hard-working doctor, and agrees to marry him....but she literally ditches Karl at the last minute to wed Bill. Penelope realizes that picking the irresponsible Bill was a mistake, while Dr. Bemis still has feelings for her, despite what happened between them. 

NO ONE MAN is a talky tale, with plenty of soap-opera aspects to it. The big problem is that most of the main characters belong to the idle rich, and it's hard to be all that concerned over their relationship problems. Carole Lombard is stuck with a thankless role of a woman who doesn't know what she wants, and doesn't have to face any real consequences when she makes a mistake. Lombard is gorgeous as always, getting to wear dozens of outfits (although I have to say at this point in her acting career she was wearing way too much eye makeup and lipstick). All her character Penelope has, however, is beauty and money--there doesn't seem to be much to her other than that. 

Ricardo Cortez gets to do one of his many untrustworthy bad boy roles, while Paul Lukas provides the counterpoint as the honest and caring doctor. One wishes that Lukas' character had more passion to him--there needed to be a scene where Karl loudly tells all the smarmy rich folk where to go and how to get there, but the good doctor has too much manners to do that. George Barbier steals plenty of scenes as Penelope's sarcastic father. 

Paul Lukas and Carole Lombard

One very Pre-code element concerning NO ONE MAN is a subplot involving Penelope's maid, who has a baby out of wedlock. The maid, with Penelope's backing, goes to a sanitarium run by Dr. Bemis, who "takes care" of women who have such problems. The subplot is tastefully handled, but the message implied seems to be that it's okay for a rich girl like Penelope to live a free lifestyle, but women who actually work for a living should know their limits. 

What ultimately makes NO ONE MAN disappointing is a very late plot contrivance that unexpectedly comes out of left field, and also allows Penelope to have a happy ending (which she really doesn't deserve). It's the type of climax that gives Hollywood movies made during this period a bad reputation among those who are not familiar with them. 

NO ONE MAN allowed me to cross off another movie starring my favorite actress that I had not seen, but other than Carole Lombard, there's nothing else to recommend about it. 

MURDER STORY On Blu-ray From Severin

 

Included in Severin's THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION 2 Blu-ray box set is the very obscure--and very generically titled--MURDER STORY (1988). 

American teenager Tony (Alexis Denisof) lives in the Netherlands (his father is stationed on a U.S. Air Force base there). Tony is an aspiring writer, and he encounters mystery novelist Willard Hope (Christopher Lee). While coming up with story ideas, Tony and Willard stumble across a murderous plot involving an alternate energy source. 

MURDER STORY was written and directed by Eddie Arno & Markus Innocenti, who gained noticed by working on several famous music videos in the 1980s. This was the duo's first feature film, and it's capably done....but it feels very much like an episode of an American mystery/adventure TV show that goes on too long. This movie is rated PG, and it could easily play unedited on prime time television. The story is focused on Tony and his girlfriend Marty (Stacia Burton), and they're very clean cut. MURDER STORY is much more like a modern-day Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew tale than a engaging mystery thriller. 

It's surprising that the film is so tame, considering it was made at the height of the hone video rental era, when low-budget independent filmmakers would go out of their way to get their products any sort of attention. Despite Arno & Innocenti's music video background, there's no over-the-top camera or editing tricks used here. 

The decision to set the story in Holland was the idea of the producers, apparently to save money. This results in the movie getting a bit of a different look than similar projects made around the same time. But it's a bit strange that a story that takes place in the Netherlands does not have any major characters who are natives of that country. 

MURDER STORY does give Christopher Lee a chance to play a "normal" character for change. It appears that Lee enjoyed this opportunity. Lee could have taken the easy road and portrayed Willard Hope as a crusty curmudgeon, but his Hope is a kindly (if a bit formal) fellow who doesn't look down on Tony and Marty. Lee has an easy rapport with the young actors he shares most of his scenes with, and the movie sorely misses his presence when he's no longer around. The mid-to-late 1980s was not the best period for Lee when it came to the type of projects he was working on. Willard Hope is actually one of the better roles for Lee around this time. 

Alexis Denisof and Stacia Burton are likable (if somewhat bland) as the young leads, and Bruce Boa is a decent villain. Boa played Rebel General Rieekan in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, and MURDER STORY has another STAR WARS connection, other than Lee--Garrick Hagon plays the part of Tony's dad. Hagon was Biggs in the original STAR WARS. 

MURDER STORY is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and the picture and sound quality are excellent. The extras include a trailer, and a short talk with producer Tom Reeve, who discusses why the movie was made in Holland and his relationship with Christopher Lee. 

There's also a new audio commentary with writer-directors Eddie Arno and Markus Innocenti, moderated by Severin's David Gregory. The duo give out all the background info you could want on the film, while going over their own careers in the entertainment industry. Christopher Lee is not the focus of this talk, but the two men do share some stories about him (they both enjoyed working with Lee). 

Also included on this multi-region (A,B, and C) disc is a bonus feature: 1985's MASK OF MURDER. I'll cover that in a separate blog post. 

MURDER STORY isn't a major highlight of Christopher Lee's acting career, but it's much more watchable--and likable--than most of the other work he was involved in during the 1980s. I have a feeling that most Lee fans have never even heard of it, let alone seen it. Despite its rarity, Severin gives it a high-class presentation. 

DRACULA AND SON On Blu-ray From Severin

 

The main highlight of Severin's THE EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE COLLECTION 2 Blu-ray box set is its 3-disc presentation of the 1976 French comedy DRACULA AND SON (originally titled DRACULA PERE ET FILS). The film is not only shown in a restored, uncut condition, it is also the recipient of several worthy extras. The notorious American re-edit of the film is also included, along with a CD of the original soundtrack. 

DRACULA AND SON begins in Transylvania, 1784, where a stately vampire, referred to as The Count (Lee of course) kidnaps a young beauty (Catherine Breilliat) in order for the woman to bear his child. The new wife and mother's lack of experience as a vampire soon causes his death, while the Count grows frustrated over trying to bring up his milquetoast son, named Ferdinand, as a proper vampire over the many decades. In the late 20th Century, the Count and son (Bernard Menez) are forced out of their ancestral castle by Romanian communists. The Count winds up in England, where he becomes a star of vampire movies, while Ferdinand struggles to make a life for himself as a poor immigrant in France. Father and son are reunited, but they both fall for the same woman (Marie-Helene Breilliat), who happens to resemble the Count's long-ago wife. The two men begin to quarrel, as Ferdinand starts to question his "life" as one of the undead. 

The first thing I need to point out about DRACULA AND SON is that not once during the original version of this film is Lee's character ever referred to as the Dracula. Lee maintained over the years that he most assuredly was not playing Dracula in this film...but in the extras on this Blu-ray those associated with the production speak as if Lee was portraying Stoker's famed vampire. It's up to the individual viewer whether Lee is Dracula here (I personally think he isn't). 

I also don't think that it really affects the film whether Lee is Dracula or not. Either way, he's playing a very different kind of vampire than his Hammer Dracula, with a very different look and approach. Lee's vampire in DRACULA AND SON is an Old World romantic, charming and aristocratic. Lee looks magnificent in this film (this Count is a very sharp dresser, whether it be the 18th or 20th Century). He handles the comedic aspects of the story wonderfully, especially the more subtle ones--but Lee is also still able to pull off a "walking into a doorway" gag that would make Moe Howard proud. Despite the funny business, Lee effectively uses his commanding presence when he has to. DRACULA AND SON has to be considered one of Lee's best performances and showcases, especially in the context of what he was doing in the late 1970s, when he got very few chances to present his true worth as an actor. 

I had never seen DRACULA AND SON in any version before this Blu-ray, and it turned out much better than I expected (this is the original uncut version of the film I'm referring to). It's not a Mel Brooks-like gag-fest--the humor is more witty than obvious. Ar times the comedy doesn't work, especially for an English-speaking audience. The movie flattens out when it focuses on the hapless Ferdinand, and it loses steam toward the end--it feels as if it has run out of things for the Count and his son to do. The beginning of the story, set in 18th Century Transylvania, is actually as atmospheric as any "serious" Hammer vampire film. DRACULA AND SON was directed by Edourd Molinaro, who is best known for LA CAGE AUX FOLLES.

Bernard Menez does a decent job as Ferdinand, but the script makes his character such a dweeb it's hard to be very interested in him (and it also doesn't give him much of a chance to make any impression when appearing in the same scene as the majestic Lee). Ironically Menez was in another French vampire farce, the absolutely horrible TENDRE DRACULA, starring Peter Cushing. Having sisters Catherine and Marie-Helene Breilliat play the two loves of the Count's existence was a clever casting decision. 

Severin gives the original uncut restored version of DRACULA AND SON its own disc, with a 1.66:1 aspect ratio. The visual & sound quality is superb. The original French dialogue track is included, with Lee effectively speaking that language, along with English subtitles. There's also an English track, with Lee's voice. The problem with the English track is that everyone else in the cast wind up with plain, flat American voices. I believe the best way to appreciate the film is through the French dialogue track. 

A second disc includes the American re-edited version of DRACULA AND SON. This version is one of the most egregious examples of a movie being butchered for English-speaking audiences. The American version is twenty minutes shorter, and several scenes have been moved around or reworked...but worst of all, this cut features a truly terrible dub track that is filled with all sorts of ridiculous corny dialogue and "jokes". Needless to say, Lee's voice is not featured on this version. Whoever provided the voice for Bernard Menez in the American re-edit seems to be doing a Don Adams impression, for whatever reason. The disc with the American version also has a German credit sequence as an extra, and a TV spot for the re-edit which sums up how silly this version is. One may wonder why Severin even bothered to include the American version of DRACULA AND SON, but it shows that the company went all out to add as much material on the film as possible--and, experiencing the American version at least once makes you realize just how awful it actually is. 

The third disc is a CD of Vladimir Cosma's quirky music score for the film, and a track listing is included in the disc case. 

The first disc of this DRACULA AND SON Blu-ray contains a ton of extras. There are two new audio commentaries. One features Jonathan Rigby and Kevin Lyons. They both appreciate DRACULA AND SON, but they also point out the film's deficiencies, while discussing the state of Christopher Lee's acting career at the time. I have to point out that Rigby uses several French names, titles and phrases during the talk, so much so that maybe the commentary should have come with subtitles for ordinary guys like me. The second commentary is by Kat Ellinger. 

The extras also have a new interview with Bernard Menez (who enjoyed his experience with DRACULA AND SON) and a talk with filmmaker Patrice Leconte, who discusses his relationship with Claude Klotz, the man who wrote the novel on which DRACULA AND SON is based. Leconte barely mentions the film, except toward the end when he states that he doesn't like the vampire genre. 

There's also a 1976 interview with Claude Klotz, and a 1979 audio-only talk with Edourd Molinaro. Ironically both men seem unimpressed with DRACULA AND SON. A trailer for the original French version is also included. Finally there's a very short talk with Christopher Lee, in costume, on the set of DRACULA AND SON. Lee tries to convince the interviewer that he's been in very few horror films (yeah, sure). Both Blu-rays in this set are Region A. 

Severin's Blu-ray release of DRACULA AND SON is a must-see for Christopher Lee fans. It gives a proper showcase for one of Lee's best overall performances, and it also provides plenty of extras to give context to it. If you are only familiar with DRACULA AND SON through its pathetic American version, this Blu-ray is a must-see as well--the uncut French version is the true way to experience this film. 

AFTER THE DANCE

 

AFTER THE DANCE, a 1935 Columbia film, is one of the most weirdly constructed movies I've ever seen. 

Nightclub entertainer Jerry Davis (George Murphy) is implicated in an accidental death. Jerry accepts a manslaughter conviction after he learns that the partner in his act, Mabel King (Thelma Todd) will not testify in his behalf. While in prison Jerry is forced to take part in an ill-fated escape attempt. Jerry gets away from the authorities, and while on the run, he befriends Anne Taylor (Nancy Carroll), who just so happens to be a nightclub entertainer herself. Jerry teams up with Anne on-and-off stage, while hiding his real identity. Mabel happens to get a job at the club Anne and Jerry perform at, and she starts to blackmail Jerry. Mabel then demands that Jerry let her take Anne's place, or she'll inform the police on him. 

The first half of AFTER THE DANCE is a mini-prison melodrama, with Jerry trying to get along in the Big House, and then becoming an unshaven transient while on the run. After his incredibly lucky break in getting help from Anne, Jerry gets to show off his singing and dancing talents, while wearing a Lone Ranger-style mask on stage. (One would think that appearing this way would just attract even more unwanted attention on him.) 

The return of Mabel complicates matters, and the viewer expects a climatic blowup of some kind--but it never happens. AFTER THE DANCE ends in such an abrupt, unsatisfactory manner that one wonders if there was another ending that for some reason didn't make the final cut. 

Actually, one wonders if there were several sequences that were originally supposed to be in AFTER THE DANCE, since the movie clocks in at only an hour long. The incident of the accidental death that gets Jerry in trouble is never shown, and we never find out why Mabel refuses to give testimony that would help Jerry out. (In the movie the prosecutor tells Jerry that Mabel is a "bad" girl, but it's never explained why she is, or what she has done to make her so.) There's also a number of montage sequences that cover certain passages of time. My theory is that the original script might have been written during the Pre-Code era, and that a number of adjustments were made on it to conform to post-1934 standards. 

George Murphy is a likable, if lightweight personality, but he seems much more comfortable performing song & dance routines instead of being stuck in the Crossbar Hotel or appearing as a desperate guy on the run. Nancy Carroll gets to sing and dance as well, but her nice girl role doesn't give her much to work with, and you have to wonder why her character would take such a chance in helping out Jerry. 

Thelma Todd is very vindictive here as Mabel--so much so that even though she doesn't have a lot of screen time, she's still able to overshadow Nancy Carroll. At the beginning of the film Thelma is dark-haired, but she's her beloved blonde self when she reappears toward the end. 

AFTER THE DANCE was directed by the Russian-born Leo Bulgakov. With such a strange plot construction, I don't think it wouldn't have made a difference who directed it. It's a uneasy mixture of hard-boiled prison drama and backstage theatrics, and it feels as if a number of scenes were left out of it. While looking for an appropriate image from the movie to go with this blog post, I noticed that none of the posters and advertising material for AFTER THE DANCE refer to the prison subplot--it was sold as an apparent musical comedy. I can only imagine what moviegoers must have thought after seeing it. 

SITTING PRETTY

 

SITTING PRETTY is a 1933 musical from Paramount, directed by Harry Joe Brown, and starring Jack Oakie, Jack Haley, Ginger Rogers, and Thelma Todd. 

Chick Parker (Jack Oakie) and Pete Pendleton (Jack Haley) are songwriters who travel to Hollywood, hoping to break into the movies. While there they befriend an aspiring hoofer named Dorothy (Ginger Rogers), and they get hired to write songs for a film starring egotistical actress Gloria Duval (Thelma Todd). Gloria gets her hooks into Chick, and gives him a swelled head, which causes him to break away from Pete and Dorothy. A chance encounter with a drunken movie director winds up bringing everyone back together for a happy ending. 

SITTING PRETTY appears to be an attempt by Paramount to copy the Warner Bros. musicals of the early 1930s, but it has nowhere near the pizzazz or spunk of a 42ND STREET or FOOTLIGHT PARADE. Jack Oakie and Jack Haley are all right in the lead roles, but the plot involving their characters is very thin. Oakie as Chick is fast-talking and brash, while Haley's Pete is the decent nice guy who has to deal with all the problems Chick causes (at least Haley winds up with Ginger Rogers at the end). If this movie had, say, James Cagney and Dick Powell playing Oakie and Haley's roles, then we might have had something. 

Ginger Rogers is cute and perky as Dorothy, but she really doesn't have much to do (she does gets to dance a little). Thelma Todd plays a variation on one of her "other woman" roles, and she even gets to sing a little. The movie would have been much improved if there was more of Ginger and Thelma and less of Oakie and Haley. Mention needs to be made of young Jerry Tucker as Buzz, Dorothy's sarcastic kid brother, who steals every scene he's in. 

Thelma Todd and Jack Oakie

The songs featured in SITTING PRETTY were written by Mack Gordon & Harry Revel (who both have cameos in the film). The tunes are pleasant enough, but the only one that is memorable is "Did You Ever See A Dream Walking?", which is used for the finale. This climatic number tries to be a Busby Berkeley-style spectacular, with a troupe of dancing girls dressed in suggestive costumes and overhead camera angles, but it lacks the grandiose go-for-broke sensibility that permeates Berkeley's work. 

SITTING PRETTY is a decent, if lightweight film that would have been better if it had given Ginger Rogers and Thelma Todd more to do. 

THE GREEN GIRL

 

THE GREEN GIRL is a 2014 documentary on actress Susan Oliver, best known for her prolific work on American network television from the 1960s through the 1980s. The film was directed and produced by George A. Pappy Jr., and I viewed it on the Tubi streaming channel. 

The title THE GREEN GIRL refers to a sequence in the first pilot for the original STAR TREK TV series, called "The Cage". In that sequence Susan Oliver's character takes on the persona of a seductive green-skinned Orion slave dancer. Footage from "The Cage" was used for a two-part STAR TREK episode called "The Menagerie", enabling Oliver's performance to become a part of pop culture history. 

The title of the documentary is somewhat misleading, however. Coverage of Oliver's work for STAR TREK takes up only a small part of this film. Susan Oliver's overall life and acting career was far more fascinating than just one cult TV appearance. 

The blonde, blue-eyed Oliver guested on dozens of network shows during the classic period of American TV, quite often appearing on a particular show more than once, playing different characters. There were several attractive women who showed up nightly during the classic TV era, but Oliver had an indefinable quality about her that made her unique. The characters she portrayed were not just eye candy--they usually were complicated and troubled, and she often stole whatever episode she was in from the regulars of the series. 

THE GREEN GIRL features dozens of clips from Oliver's TV work that attest to her talent and versatility. (Obviously Oliver must have been highly dependable as well, or she never would have gotten so much work in the hectic world of network TV.) 

Oliver could have had an extensive big screen movie career, or at least have starred in her own TV series, but THE GREEN GIRL shows she was far too independent for that. Oliver didn't want to be controlled by a major studio, or tied down to just one TV show. She also had no interest in the Hollywood social scene. She was a multifaceted individual who was also a record-breaking aviator. When her acting career started to slow down in the late 1970s, she trained to become a director, and she eventually helmed single episodes of M*A*S*H and TRAPPER JOHN M.D. (The documentary puts forth the idea that Oliver's directing credits would have been more extensive if not for a "Boy's Club" mentality in the entertainment industry.)

Susan Oliver

Many of Oliver's friends and relatives are interviewed here, along with fellow actors such as Lee Meriwether, David Hedison, Gary Conway, and Roy Thinnes. Coverage is also given to Oliver's financial and health struggles toward the climax of her too short life. 

THE GREEN GIRL presents a thorough look at Susan Oliver's life, but at the end the actress remains a bit of an enigma. Despite dating several movie stars, and famous baseball players, she never married or had any children. One gets the feeling after watching this film that even those who felt they were close to her never really knew her completely. There was much, much more to Susan Oliver than just playing a famous Star Trek role, and one wonders if she accomplished all that she wanted to. 

THE GREEN GIRL is very well done, and it's perfect for retro TV fans. It shines a light on one of the best performers of the classic TV period and details what it was like to work as an actor during that era.