Hot rods and a haunted house: hijinks among the young. There’s silly fun in this unmemorable American International outing that is worth a look in spooky season. Mildly recommended. Otto judiciously thinks this movie is OK. Movie 563 for 2021.
Shaolin Temple: Seven Spirit Pagoda (1976)
The focus in this action movie, originally titled Xia nu bao ta jie, is on the skilled daughters of a loyal general, who must protect the rightful heir to the throne after he has been poisoned (and his father murdered). The women battle bad guys and also pursue the antidote for the poison (protected within …
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Monogram Monday: Oklahoma Blues (1948)
Singing cowboy Jimmy Wakely is thought to be a gun-slinging desperado, the Melody Kid, thanks to tales told by pal Cannonball (Dub Taylor). Wakely is persuaded to fill in for an injured lawman to put an end to a crime wave and thus secure a town’s bid to become the county seat. Matters get even …
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The Renegade Ranger (RKO, 1938)
Ranger Jack Steele (George O’Brien) goes undercover after accused killer Judith Alvarez (Rita Hayworth), who is leading a band of the dispossessed against the landgrabbers responsible, only to find his investigation revealing another likely culprit, and to have assorted complications arise — in the form of an ex-Ranger (Tim Holt) now with the Alvarez gang, …
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To the Ends of the Earth (Columbia, 1948)
A U.S. government agent (Dick Powell) travels around the globe in an effort to break up a vast international drug-smuggling conspiracy. Powell does an excellent job as usual, though the episodic plot isn’t particularly memorable. Recommended. Otto finds this one pleasing enough to relax. Movie 17 for 2022.
The Walking Dead (WB, 1936)
A man (Boris Karloff) is framed for murder by gangsters and then executed, but he is brought back to life through the efforts of a scientist (Edmund Gwenn) who seeks to learn what the man experienced while dead. The revivified fellow confronts those responsible for his demise, with fatal results. Solid performances (including Ricardo Cortez …
Monogram Monday: Hidden Valley (1932)
Likeable cowboy star Bob Steele is the lead in this unusual western, directed by his father, Robert N. Bradbury. It’s a lost-race tale in which Bob Harding (Steele) is framed for the murder of an archaeologist who possesses a map to the valley of the title, which supposedly contains gold, silver, turquoise, and opals. Harding …
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Gunsmoke Ranch(Republic, 1937)
It’s another land swindle, this time with refugees from a flood being duped into buying land already condemned to flooding by a planned dam. Can the Three Mesquiteers outwit the scheming Phineas T. Flagg (Kenneth Harlan)? And will Stony’s romance with a settler’s daughter (Julia Thayer) have a happy outcome? Lullaby and Elmer provide some …
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The Fighting Trooper (1934)
Stalwart Kermit Maynard has the lead role in this low-budget northern, as Trooper Burke, a Mountie in pursuit of a noted outlaw (LeRoy Mason) who apparently killed the first officer who tried to apprehend him. But more is going on than at first appears to be the case. Will the trooper get his man? Maynard …
The Son of Dr. Jekyll (Columbia, 1951)
When the son of the notorious Dr. Jekyll is inspired to undertake some experiments of his own along the same lines as those of his father, deadly happenings suggest that history may be repeating itself. But who in fact is responsible for the crimes? Louis Hayward does well in the lead, even if he is …
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