George Sanders ably handles the opposition in this story of intrigue in Damascus in the early years of World War II, with Nazi agents seeking to bring the Arab tribes into the war on behalf of the Axis, and a journalist (Sanders), aided by an off-duty American diplomat (Robert Armstrong), seeking to stop them. Complicating …
Lawless Valley (1938)
Former silent film star George O’Brien made the transition to sound chiefly performing in westerns, and he appeared in a well-regarded string of westerns at RKO at the end of the 1930s. Lawless Valley was one of these: an efficient little B picture with a helping of humor. The plot is based on a story …
Cat People (1942)
Engineer Oliver Reed (Kent Smith) meets and marries Irena, a Serbian immigrant (Simone Simon), who is fascinated by the big cats at the zoo and who worries that she herself may be descended from the were-panthers of her homeland. Although Oliver tries to help her, Irena’s beliefs put a strain on their relationship, as does …
Zombies on Broadway (RKO, 1945)
Chills and chuckles, with an emphasis on the latter, are both provided by this little programmer, in which two comedians (Alan Carney and Wally Brown) promise to supply a gangster (Sheldon Leonard) with a real zombie for the opening of his new nightclub, the Zombie Hut. Their efforts bring the boys to the island of …
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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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Tarzan’s Savage Fury (RKO, 1952)
Tarzan (Lex Barker) finds a young boy (Tommy Carlton) and brings him home, while at the same time he and Jane (Dorothy Hart) receive a visit from a man purporting to be Tarzan’s cousin (Patric Knowles), though in fact one of two crooks (the other played by Charles Korvin) who have murdered the real cousin …
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Cry Danger (RKO, 1951)
Rocky Mulloy (Dick Powell) is back in town after five years in prison, freed because an old pal (Richard Erdman) has at last come forward to back up his alibi, though the viewer quickly learns that Rocky has never met this “old pal” before, and the guy is hoping to cash in on some hidden …
Murder, My Sweet (RKO, 1944)
Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe came to the screen for the first time in this RKO picture, which stars former boyish musical star crooner Dick Powell as the detective (indeed, the picture, based on Chandler’s Farewell, My Lovely, apparently was retitled so audiences would not expect a frothy musical). Powell is convincing as Marlowe, with a …
The Mysterians (1957)
Apparently friendly aliens arrive, seeking a small area of land for their use; at the same time, cities on Earth are suffering from giant robot attacks. Are the two connected? And how will Earth’s nations respond as they learn more about the mysterious visitors and their true goals? Well-crafted science fiction, originally titled Chikyû Bôeigun. …
Muss ’Em Up (RKO, 1936)
A grating private eye, Tippecanoe ‘Tip’ O’Neil (Preston ), is called in by Amy Hutchins (Margaret Callahan), the secretary of an old friend, Paul Harding (Alan Mowbray), to find out who isresponsible for some strange goings-on, including threatening letters and the killing of Mowbray’s dog. O’Neil, aided by his violence-prone assistant (Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams) …