711 Ocean Drive (1950)

Due to his technical acumen, a telephone repairman (Edmond O'Brien) becomes involved with a local bookie syndicate. The money he receives fuels his greed and he ruthlessly climbs the criminal ladder of success (which includes murdering his girlfriend's husband) to the national level where he meets his match in a crime syndicate boss (Otto Kruger). Shot by director Joseph M. Newman (THIS ISLAND EARTH) in a gritty faux documentary style (narrated by a police Lieutenant played by Howard St. John), one isn't sure how to take O'Brien's character. He's our "hero" yet he's clearly morally reprehensible though the film seems to attempt to elicit some sympathy for him. With no other character for us to latch on to, Joanne Dru as the alcoholic wife of a syndicate mobster (Don Porter) who falls for O'Brien is our only point of moral reference. As far as crime thrillers go, this one is bookended by some proselytizing about how seemingly innocent betting with bookies supports organized crime (the film's prologue boasts the film was shot under police protection after threats of reprisals by organized crime), but other than that, it's moderately enjoyable middlebrow entertainment. With Barry Kelley, Dorothy Patrick and Bert Freed.

The Flim Flam Man (1967)

Folksy rustic comedy about an old con man (George C. Scott) who takes a young man (Michael Sarrazin, THEY SHOOT HORSES DON'T THEY?), AWOL from the Army, under his wing and teaches him the tricks to con greedy people out of their money. But when he falls for a pretty Southern belle (Sue Lyon at her loveliest), he begins to rethink the association. Directed by Irvin Kershner (THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK), the film is a rather sweet tale about the bonding between the old scamming rascal and the friendless and lonely boy who become almost like a father and son. Only once does the movie sink to an indefensible level and that's when there's a tiresome car chase as Scott wrecks a small town with his crazy driving. Scott is too young at this stage of his career to play the old geezer but there's such an actor's pleasure in his own performance that you can't help but enjoy. The Kentucky locations are picturesque and the homespun score is by Jerry Goldsmith. With Jack Albertson, Harry Morgan, Albert Salmi, Alice Ghostley, Strother Martin and Slim Pickens.

Woman's World (1954)

The owner (Clifton Webb) of a major automobile company invites three candidates (Cornel Wilde, Fred MacMurray, Van Heflin), along with their wives (June Allyson, Lauren Bacall, Arlene Dahl), to New York in order to evaluate the men for the position of general manager of the company. But he feels a wife can be a major asset (or liability) so the wives are scrutinized too. Jean Negulesco (THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN) directs this sophisticated CinemaScope entertainment and it's a treat to see that an intelligent script doesn't get lost in the glossy wide screen glamour. It's like EXECUTIVE SUITE, another corporate themed drama released the same year (1954), but in a lighter though no less thoughtful vein. Allyson (coincidentally one of the stars of EXECUTIVE SUITE) gives what may be her best performance as the gauche Kansas City housewife pitifully unprepared for the cosmopolitan lifestyle of the New York corporate environment. With Elliott Reid and Margalo Gillmore.

Crash Landing (1958)

A poverty row version of THE HIGH AND THE MIGHTY courtesy of quickie producer Sam Katzman who brought us ZOMBIES OF MORA TAU and TWIST AROUND THE CLOCK. After two propellers fail, an airline flying from Lisbon to New York prepares to make a crash landing into the Atlantic ocean but not before crew and passengers reflect on their lives. The film is full of bad actors spouting off even worse dialogue. Unlike its superior brethren like AIRPORT and HIGH AND THE MIGHTY, we couldn't care less about these nonentities played by uncharismatic actors. As the plane's pilot, Gary Merrill (ALL ABOUT EVE) plays the role so crankily that we're never quite sure if it's the character or Merrill realizes the mediocrity of the project. With Nancy Davis (aka Nancy Reagan) in her final movie role, Irene Hervey and Roger Smith and a bunch of people you never heard of.

Wuthering Heights (1950)

No more than a Cliffs Notes live television version of the Emily Bronte novel that can never hope to approximate the beloved 1939 William Wyler film (which itself used only a portion of the Bronte book). Still, the two strong central performances contain enough vinegar to question the authenticity of the 1939's Heathcliff and Cathy. A young, still unpolished Charlton Heston as Heathcliff suggests the dirty stable boy who turns into the brutish and cruel master of Wuthering Heights in a way that the innate elegance of the impossibly handsome Laurence Olivier couldn't and as Cathy, Mary Sinclair displays a sexual passion that the ladylike Merle Oberon couldn't muster up. There's a sexual tension and a heat in this Heathcliff and Cathy that conjures up the crazy, unrestrained fire of Jennifer Jones and Gregory Peck in DUEL IN THE SUN. With Una O'Connor as Nellie, June Dayton (very good) as Isabella, Lloyd Bochner as Edgar and Richard Waring as Hindley.

Marnie (1964)

Alfred Hitchcock's last authentic masterpiece. A disturbed young woman (Tippi Hedren) who is sexually frigid, a pathological liar and a thief finds her match in a wealthy widower (Sean Connery) who becomes obsessed with her despite her robbing his company. He attempts to decipher the causes of her psychosis. Poorly received upon its initial release (at least here in America) and made during Hitchcock's most fertile creative period beginning with REAR WINDOW in 1954 and culminating in MARNIE ten years later, only VERTIGO offers the complex riches and layers that MARNIE contains. Visually, with its roots in German expressionism beautifully rendered by Robert Burks, the excellent Jay Presson Allen script (not a line is wasted) and the stunning Bernard Herrmann score (one of his greatest) culminate in a powerful and intricate cinematic puzzles that yields movie gold with each subsequent viewing. Hedren's performance is even more remarkable when you realize this was only her second acting role. The range of emotions would have been, under the best of circumstances, exhausting for the most trained actresses. With Diane Baker, Louise Latham, Martin Gabel, Bruce Dern, Mariette Hartley, Alan Napier and Carmen Phillips.

簪 (aka Ornamental Hairpin) (1941)

During an extended stay at a mountain resort, a young man (Chishu Ryu) cuts his foot on a hairpin while soaking in the springs. He romanticizes the incident as well as the owner of the hairpin. When the young lady (Kinuyo Tanaka) comes from Tokyo to apologize for her carelessness with the hairpin, a tentative romance begins. Based on the short story THE FOUR BATHTUBS by Masuji Ibuse and directed by Hiroshi Shimizu (JAPANESE GIRLS AT THE HARBOR). This is a graceful but bittersweet romance that is a delicate piece with both comedic, even satirical, and painful layers. Ryu is a bit naive, a born romantic while Tanaka is fleeing the harsh realities of an unhappy relationship with her lover in Tokyo. It's a bit disconcerting seeing Ryu as a young man in a romantic role in contrast to his older character roles in some of the most famous Japanese films like TOKYO STORY and RED BEARD but he's immensely likable. The film's other characters provide a family nest for the blossoming lovebirds and as well as providing a reacting board. With Tatsuo Saito as the film's cynical curmudgeon, Shinichi Himori, Hideko Mimura and Hiroko Kawasaki.

One Spy Too Many (1966)

An egocentric super criminal (Rip Torn) has ambitions of becoming a contemporary Alexander The Great and ruling the world. With the assistance of his ex-wife (Dorothy Provine), two secret agents (Robert Vaughn, David McCallum) attempt to bring his empire down. Cobbled together from a couple of episodes of the television series THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. into a feature film by deleting footage (Torn's parents, for example, are eliminated from the film) and padding it out with newly filmed footage including Yvonne Craig as a Miss Moneypenny like character engaged in bantering with Vaughn. The film's low budget restrictions and television look hardly help for a smooth transition from the small screen to the big screen. Vaughn, in particular, seems to confuse charm with smarm. With David Opatoshu, James Hong and Leo G. Carroll.

Where Love Has Gone (1964)

Directed by Edward Dmytryk and based on the trashy potboiler by Harold Robbins (THE CARPETBAGGERS) which shamelessly exploited the Lana Turner/Johnny Stompanato scandal. When a 15 year old girl (Joey Heatherton) kills the lover of her promiscuous socialite mother (Susan Hayward), the girl's father (Mike Connors) returns to try and pick up the pieces of the dysfunctional family, which includes a domineering matriarch (Bette Davis), in an attempt to save his daughter. The film moves forth in a deadly earnest, stolid manner with none of the lurid fun of Dmytrk's film of Robbins' THE CARPETBAGGERS. Davis brings some much needed elegance and class to the project while the other actors (Heatherton in particular) flounder in the morass of John Michael Hayes' delirious dialogue. Edith Head did the stylish costumes, Jack Jones croons the Oscar nominated title song while Walter Scharf gets the blame for the anemic score. With Jane Greer, DeForest Kelley, George Macready, Anne Seymour, Whit Bissell, Anthony Caruso and Ann Doran.

Anne Of The Indies (1951)

A protege of Blackbeard The Pirate (Thomas Gomez), Captain Anne Providence (Jean Peters) ruthlessly pillages the British fleet in the Caribbean. On one such ship, she discovers a Frenchman (Louis Jourdan) in chains and cautiously takes him under her wing despite the misgivings of her right hand man (James Robertson Justice). Based on the short story by Herbert Sass and directed by Jacques Tourneur (I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE). This rousing pirate adventure has a twist. The pirate is a lady! There's a revelation mid film however that renders Jourdan rather unsympathetic. The screenplay by Philip Dunne and Arthur Caesar allows Peters to flesh out a fully realized character rather than just a gender switch. Her drive to get her revenge on the British, her determination to receive the respect she feels she deserves conflict with her very human emotions, both romantic and psychological. The lively score is by Franz Waxman. With Debra Paget, Herbert Marshall and Sean McClory.

Goodbye Again (1961)

Based on the novel AIMEZ VOUS BRAHMS? by Francoise Sagan (BONJOUR TRISTESSE), Anatole Litvak directs this story of a May-December romance set in Paris. A 40ish interior decorator (Ingrid Bergman) has been in a five year relationship with a businessman (Yves Montand) who not only doesn't want to commit but continues to have girls on the side. When she meets the young son (Anthony Perkins) of a client (Jessie Royce Landis), he pursues her romantically until she succumbs. Not well received, at least in America, when it was first released, it plays very well today. Litvak directed Bergman to a best actress Oscar win with ANASTASIA and she does very well under his direction here as the conflicted Paula, unfulfilled in her relationship with the roving Montand yet unable to get what she needs from the boyish, irresponsible Perkins. Perkins (who won the Cannes film festival best actor award for his performance here) is a problem. He overdoes the immaturity of the character, so much so that it's hard to believe Bergman would capitulate to such a childish youth. The film doesn't romanticize the age difference and the film's cynically downbeat ending leaves its mark. With Diahann Carroll, Jocelyn Lane, Lee Patrick and Michele Mercier.

Taza, Son Of Cochise (1954)

A highly fabricated account of Taza (Rock Hudson), the eldest son of the famed Apache known as Cochise. After his father Cochise (Jeff Chandler) dies, his son attempts to fulfill his father's commitment to peace between the white men and the Apache. However, this peace is sabotaged by the renegade Geronimo (Ian MacDonald). Not surprisingly, the Douglas Sirk film is sympathetic to the plight of the Native Americans who attempt to retain their dignity while still being subjugated by the encroaching white men. Originally shot in 3D, Sirk gives only the slightest concession to the format by the occasional arrow coming at you or the tree branches in the foreground. The gorgeous landscapes as shot by Russell Metty on location in Utah's Arches National Park are as beautiful as any landscape in John Ford's western canon. The film has a nice lyrical feel for Indian life and Sirk's use of actual Indians (outside of the white actors playing Indians) in non speaking roles gives an authenticity that many a similar western lacks. Acting isn't a strong point for the film but with the exception of MacDonald's Geronimo, none of it is bad. The score by the undervalued Frank Skinner is not without interest. With Barbara Rush (who has precious little to do), Rex Reason, Gregg Palmer, Morris Ankrum and Joe Sawyer.