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 …
Read the full post →“<em>Zombies on Broadway</em> (RKO, 1945)”
Likeable Johnny Mack Brown stars as Jim Waters, who invests in a friend’s ranch only to find that someone seems to be framing the friend for rustling, as other ranchers are losing cattle even as the friend’s herd mysteriously grows. When a murder causes even more chaos and one of the victimized ranchers, Hamp Harvey …
Read the full post →“<em>Bar-Z Bad Men</em> (Republic, 1937)”
Rushed experimentation brings tragedy for a scientist (David Hedison) and his wife (Patricia Owens) in this well-crafted tale that begins with the discovery of a dead man. The story is largely recounted retrospectively, with the wife telling of the developments that led to the gruesome situation that kicks off the movie. Careful direction builds suspense, …
Read the full post →“<em>The Fly</em> (Twentieth Century Fox, 1958)”
Lash (Lash La Rue) and Fuzzy (Al St. John) tangle with smugglers and Lash’s long-lost brother in this fair outing. Of course, the brother, who is in cahoots with the bad guys, is Lash’s twin, so there’s an opportunity for substitution; the family tie complicates the confrontations, too. The movie is entertaining enough for fans, …
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.
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 …
Read the full post →“<em>Shaolin Temple: Seven Spirit Pagoda</em> (1976)”
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, …
Read the full post →“<em>The Renegade Ranger</em> (RKO, 1938)”
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 …
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 …
Read the full post →“<em>Gunsmoke Ranch</em>(Republic, 1937)”
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 …
