horn-5 Reviews

Trouble in Texas (1937)

For the Experts who can't remember 'who stole from who'

[5 August 2017]

"Trouble in Texas (1937) with Tex Ritter was a virtual remake of "The Man from Utah (1934)" with John Wayne and used again for "Mesquite Buckaroo(1939) with Bob Steele and again in "The Utah Kid (1944)with Bob Steele and Hoot Gibson essaying the roles of John Wayne and George Hayes from the 1934 film...and yet again in 1951 as "Lawless Cowboys" starring Whip Wilson. And Tex Ritter's 1938 "Frontier Town"was more that just a version of the origin film. And all the "rodeo footage" in the remakes came from the 1934 film.

You are welcome.

Wells Fargo Days (1944)

Wells Fargo Days (1944) was all archive footage

[25 July 2017]

The only exception was the narrator (voice) added by Warner Bros in 1944. This film (short) was produced by Cinecolor, Inc. (2809 South Olive Avenue, Burbank, California), in order to get more theatrical exposure for their color process Cinecolor. It was shown and distributed to theatres in the U.S. by the film exchanges of Monogram Pictures Corporation. The original, country of origin title was "The Man from Tascosa" in 1939. For whatever reason the Warner Brothers shorts department acquired this film in 1944 and changed the title to "Wells Fargo Days." Most likely because they didn't have the raw film (World War Two shortages) and needed to fulfill their obligations to exhibitors to deliver a certain amount of color shorts for that production season...and they had already edited into a short all the feature Technicolor westerns they owned. And, yes, the reason that some reviewers of the Warner 1944 version thought the "Technicolor was a bit washed out was because it wasn't in Technicolor to begin with...it was in Cinecolor and pale green dominated. The cast and crew credits alone should have tipped the film experts that "Wells Fargo Days" was not produced by Warner Brothers; Dennis Moore, Louise Stanley, Lafe McKee, Mack Wright and Bennett Cohen were not starring in nor directing and writing 1944 Warner Bros. productions...features nor shorts. What Warners did do was have some in-house editors chop some footage from the original and hire Art Baker to narrate the gaps in the plot. And, because there was no new footage shot, the correct attribute for every actor---credited or uncredited--- is and always will be (archive footage), with one single exception...Art Baker's (voice) narration.

King of the Bandits (1947)

The reason why the names are changed and dubbed

[25 July 2017]

When Monogram Pictures Corporation sold their Cisco Kid series of films to television in 1949, United Artists had acquired and now held the rights to the O'Henry characters, and the company was forced to dub-over and pronounce another name in every reference to Cisco, Cisco Kid and Pancho. Perhaps the speculator and guesser might want to go back and edit his review.

Bad Lands (1939)

Sorry, film reviewers, John Payne is not in this one.

[14 July 2017]

One would think that if a reviewer that knows the name and face of an actor in a film (when he is seen), then such reviewers would not go to great lengths in adding little tidbits about that actor, in their review, when that actor...John Payne...is not in the film. John Payne did not play "Apache Jack" in this film. That role was played by a one-and-done actor named Jack Payne. Perhaps those reviewers that pointed out the fabrication John Payne is in this film would go back and edit their reviews. But, the chances are very high that, rather than delete/correct their reviews, they will just mark this with a 'don't like'. Be my guest.

Cheyenne: Fury at Rio Hondo (1956) Season 1, Episode 12

There is no issue of plagiarism here.

[15 June 2017]

Warner Brothers owned the property (the screenplay of "To Have and Have Not") and if Roy Huggins wanted to make a western version of that, he, and the studio, were free to do so. They were also free to use archive footage from other Warner Bros. feature films (which they did many, many times in this TV series) and a lot of footage from "Juarez"is used in this "Cheyenne" episode. And for what it is worth, regrading the reviewer who thinks Hoagy Carmichael played the piano player in this episode, the piano player called 'Professor" was played by Tim Grahame.Yes, the 'Star Dust' man did play the piano in "To Have and Have Not."

Newly Rich (1931)

Time to get the title confusion sorted out.

[11 May 2017]

This film was released in the USA on June 6, 1931 as "Forbidden Adventure", hence the source of the on-site lobby cards under using that title. Paramount, for whatever reason, called back the "Forbidden Adventure" prints and printed material from their film exchanges (some of which had already been sent to theatres and escaped the call-back) and sent out changed-title prints on June 20, 1932 as "Newly Rich."

Voices Across the Sea (1928)

Comment

[9 May 2017]

Voices Across the Sea was a Metro-Movietone short featuring the cast in clips from their first sound(talkie)film, and was part of a Gala Harvest Special when shown, in 1928, at the Empire Theatre in London, England, with "Alias Jimmy Valentine" starring William Haines as the feature film, and a live vaudeville act. The theatre called it a Special Personal Appearance Film.

What Price Vengeance (1937)

The Brit Quota rule gets out-sourced

[29 November 2015]

This film was part of the British Quota Law that existed in the 1930's that basically said in order for films produced in the U.S. by U.S. producers and companies to be shown in Great Britain or any of the colonies, a certain number of films shot somewhere in the British Empire, with the majority of the cast and crew British subjects, had to be shown in the U.S.A. This posed no problems for the major studios who either had production facilities in England or working agreements with the major British producers, but Columbia had neither. In order to comply with the British Quota, so Columbia films could be shown in England and its far-flung outposts, Columbia entered into an agreement with Commonwealth Studios, headed by Canadian-producer Kenneth J. Bishop, in Willows Park, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to finance and shoot films there for distribution through Columbia's film exchanges. Most of these films starred imported Columbia contract players such as Rita Hayworth, Charles Quigley, Rosalind Keith, Charles Starrett and others, but the vast majority of cast and crew was made up of subjects of the Crown. As such, there were a couple of dozen B-features or westerns shot in Canada with the cast filled with names such as Finis Barton, Robert Rideout, Arthur Kerr, Reginald Hincks, Edgar Edwards, others, directed or written by people such as Del Lord (Canadian-born), J. P. McGowan (Australian-born) or Kenneth/Kenne Duncan (Canadian born). There were a couple of Charles Starrett westerns filmed there and the only American citizens on either side of the camera were Starrett and his double/stunt man Ted Mapes. "Vengeance, 1937" (Canada title) and "What Price Vengeance?,1937" (U.S. title), and there is no re-issue title in 1937 in spite of some source that thinks so (but some uninformed sources also show re-issue titles as being used in the same year the film was originally released, which may have happened only twice in the history of films), has "Dynamite" Hogan as a young policeman who is a crack pistol shot on the firing range, but lets some bank robbers get away because he hasn't the nerve to fire at human targets. Following a fake resignation from the force, he poses as a crook and gets himself accepted as a member of the gang. Before long, with time out for romancing Polly Moore, he soon engages the entire mob in a gun battle. - Written by Les Adams

I'm Still Alive (1940)

It was an easy case to prove.

[17 July 2014]

Over in Trivia there is this little note: Actress Helen Twelvetrees sued, claiming that the film was based on her life story. She won her case.

It would have taken a really bad lawyer to lose the case. RKO was on record of making the claim. On page six of the pressbook sent to the theatre exhibitors, there was a long publicity story , for use in local newspapers when the film was showing in their towns. It told of the many stunt men who were involved (in actual roles and stunts) on "I'm Still Alive." Mentioned were Allen Pomeroy. George Magrill, Cliff Bergere, Art Dupuis, Cy Slocom and several others. And, about half-way through the long ready-to-be printed (and it was) story was this paragraph from RKO's publicity department: "Strangely enough, every one of them is married, and most of them own their own homes. It is a fetish with these men who lead such hazardous lives to run no bills, to pay cash for everything they buy. They had fun on the picture which, they say, is based on a true story of one of their number, the romance a few years ago between the former star, Helen Twelvetrees, and stuntman Jack Woody."

She might have overlooked it. if they hadn't called her a former star.

Hunting Trouble (1938)

If it was good enough for Laurel and Hardy....

[2 July 2014]

...it was good enough to steal for Prouty and Lane; Jed Prouty and his pal, Dick Lane, have attended secretly the annual convention of the Sons of Hawaii. they having told their wives they were going on a hunting trip. After the final wild closing night, Jed doesn't remember much of what happened, but on the way home the next day Dick tells him some strange woman was chasing on the way to the train. Jed arrives home to find his wife gone but a beautiful young waiting for him and calling him "Daddy." He does not know she is the wife of his son, they having eloped suddenly. The problem begins when his wife returns and he, with a guilty conscience, tries to keep the girl out of her sight.

Dawn Rider (2012)

Nothing to review beyond petty larceny

[25 June 2014]

Using most of the character names as was used in the original Tom Tyler film (Monogram) and the remakes starring John Wayne (Lone Star-Monogram) and Bob Baker (Uinversal), it would appear that such an outright theft should have also been noted when the writing credits appear on this film...but try as I may I fail to find one line on any frame of this film that mention this film was base on an original story and screenplay by Wellyn Totman, and also on subsequent screenplays by Robert N. Bradbury and George Waggner. Evidently, the use of previously-written copyrighted material, without crediting any of the original story or screenplay writers is no problem in Canada. A simple based-upon-by nod would have been honest, at least.

If I Forget You (1940)

The plot is an appeal to donate money

[31 October 2013]

Starting in 1936, most of the the major film studios in Hollywood, on a rotating basis,and at no charge, would make an annual theatrical short to be shown country-wide and, following the showing, the lights would come up and ushers, employees and owners would then pass buckets (mostly) from front-to-back and down each aisle for the patrons to drop money in for the support of the Will Rogers Memorial Hospital (tuberculosis sanatorium) located at Saranac Lake in Essex County, New York.

It was not a let's-make-a-salute short to Will Rogers per se (albeit archive footage of Wil Rogers was used in every one of these)...it was a funds appeal to support the hospital.

The studio that produced it would primarily use performers under contract to that studio, but the film itself was distributed through the hundreds of film exchanges throughout America of all of the major studios(and not just that year's producing studio), plus it was distributed via National Screen Service.

THe suggestion here is before so-called "reviewers" start their "expert" critiques of the Will Rogers Memorial Funds annual shorts, they should at least have a bit of film knowledge in their Critics Kit and know exactly why the short was made.

The Caravan Trail (1946)

Robert Tansey's Plot No 4 Rides Again

[27 July 2013]

While Frances Kavanaugh received the only on-film writing credit, screenplay, this is yet another remake of Tanseys original story for "Stars Over Arizona (1937)", with Jack Randall, and "Blazing Guns (1943)", starring Ken Maynard and Hoot Gibson. This non-original by Miss Kavanaugh...follow this trail...to get to where this story had been before: Eddie Dean ('Eddie Dean (I)'(qv)) and his friend Ezra ('Emmett Lynn' (qv)), while acting as trail guides for a wagon-train for homesteaders, stop a hold-up attempt by a gang led by Cherokee ('Lash La Rue' (qv)). When the settlers reach their destination, Eddie learns that unscrupulous land-grabbers, led by a saloon-owner and a crooked judge, have killed the sheriff, Eddie's friend, and taken control of all the available land. Eddie is appointed Sheriff and persuades the outlaws, who attempted the holdup, to join him in his fight against the land-grabbers and they will get a pardon from the state governor.

Bait (1954)

Hugo and Cleo

[26 July 2013]

Another in the long line of the Trials-and-Tribulations (compounded by Misery and Irony) offerings from Hugo Haas. This time out his character, Marko, is searching for a lost gold mine with his young partner Ray Brighton and, despite the fact that Haas appears no more at home playing a prospector than Raymond Hatton would playing a Bulgarian diplomat, they find the mine. But Marko decides he doesn't want to share with his partner and figures out a devious and complicated scheme to get rid of him. (Shooting him in the head and burying him in the desert is far too simple a solution in a Haas film.) So, Marko ups and marries buxom young Peggy as a marriage of convenience, even though past experience would indicate any involvement with a character played by Cleo Moore would not be described as anything close to convenience. Rikor figures that after the three of them spend the winter together in a shack far from civilization, he will sooner or later catch them in adultery, and he can use the "unwritten law" to kill Brighton and thus escape punishment from the law. But "Murphy's Law" rears its ugly head.

Kentucky Jubilee (1951)

Florida-type talent on display

[30 June 2013]

A Hollywood film-director has been sent to Hickory Kentucky to find material and acts for a hill-billy picture.He is kidnapped by henchmen of a big-town city slicker who has taken over the operation of the town's annual jubilee..mostly using bottom-of-the-barrel acts from the swamps of Florida. A Hollywood trade-paper reporter, sent to cover the event, finally thwarts the gang's plans to loot the civic coffers and the local bank. Jerry Colonna, between the 15 stagings of acts, from it appears Florida, of the type that killed vaudeville, flits in and out as a hired emcee, who also gets kidnapped. As for the singers, there are LOTS of them--as if you were watching a no-talent talent-show in Florida...and the losers were cast in this film. The exception is a former winner of a Texas talent show, Jean Porter from Cisco Texas.

Women in the Night (1948)

A quirky little Poverty Row diversion

[1 September 2012]

"Women in the Night" begins by saying it is "based on case histories from the files of the United Nations Information Offices." It also promised to depict the heroism's and courage of the women of the countries occupied by the Nazis and Japanese during WW II. It takes place over a period of 36 hours, or 90 minutes that seems like 36 hours, in a German Officers' Club in Shanghai. It seems that these Nazis have developed a cosmic death ray that is 100 times more deadly than the Atomic bomb. But they evidently overlooked telling Hitler and the boys in Berlin about it, and Adolph and his henchmen are now history. But the Japanese want the secret to ensure they won't face the same fate as the Germans. The war in Europe is over but this group of Germans are not only hanging on in Shanghai, they have the funds to manage the upkeep of a club that would rival a Vegas night spot, or will in the future when Vegas begins to flower. Anyway, the Japanese guys want this secret real bad, and the Germans tell them to come on over to the Club and they will give it to them. But the German commandant of the Club has no intentions of demonstrating the "weapon" and has some distracting-diversion tactic planned for the Japanese honchos, and he has the club Maitre'd-slash-torture chamber guy bring in a group of captive women, and his instructions to them is to get out there and "entertain" the Japanese guys, and the way he says "entertain" it is real clear that he means total "entertainment". What his plans are when the Japanese recover from being "entertained" aren't real clear and aren't cleared up later either because one of his officers, (William Henry, the only male in the cast that isn't Asian or speaks with a German accent) is actually an American O.S.S. officer-slash-spy. And one of the "entertainers" is his wife (Tala Birell),a Shanghai version of Mata Hari. Then the plot gets kind of outlandish.

Then Came the Yawn (1932)

Not the same short...by a long ways.

[4 December 2011]

"Then Came the Dawn (1932)", produced by Vitaphone and distributed by Warner Bros. is a 15 minute two-reeler (# 7502) in which Jack Haley plays a man with a sleeping affliction, who falls asleep at odd times and places, including at the altar while getting married to Christine Maple. She leaves him sleeping at the altar and she sails for England with her father, played by John Hamilton. Meawhile, Jack has followed her to the pier and manages to fall asleep in a car that is hoisted aboard the ship. In London, he encounters a gang of anti-capitalists who are plotting to kill Hamilton. Yes, it's a comedy. No, it is not the 1934 short from Educational that runs eight minutes, and is a parody of Universal horror films. Alas, the latter is not on site. It should be because there is a review on it on this page. But that review is not for "Then Came the Yawn(1932)"

Hollywood Round-Up (1937)

Best of the "Hollywood" westerns.

[2 August 2011]

One of three films made by Columbia circa 1936-37 based on behind-the-scenes film making with a "western" setting ("The Cowboy Star", "Hollywood Roundup" and "It Happened in Hollywood"), plus RKO weighed in the same year with George O'Brien's "Hollywood Cowboy." It had been done before, RKO's 1933 "Scarlet River", and would be done again, "Shooting High" from 20th Century-Fox and Republic's "Bells of Rosarita", among others with a western setting, but this Coronet production with Buck Jones may well be the best of the lot as it devotes more footage to actual film-making both on studio sets and locations. One out-of-the norm plot incident has the studio head Lew Wallace offering a job to a fading star Carol Stevens, with a semi-apology for casting her in what he calls an "outdoor special" and she calls a "horse opry", and this scene in a B-western leaves no doubt that the B-western and it people were near the bottom of Hollywood's pecking order. The stereotypes are there, with Shemp Howard's over-zealous "assistant director" (who does calm down and gets more real when he loses his whistle), the ego-ridden "star" in Grant Drexel, and the deserving-to-be-the-star relegated to stand-in and stunts Buck Kennedy, but the remaining crew and player roles are realistic (especially the real stuntmen playing stuntmen). Buck Kennedy is the stand-in and double for star Grant Drexel and is fired when he has a fight with the bullying Drexel over Drexel's treatment of leading lady Carol Stephens. The movie company is on location, and a group of gangsters led by Eddie Kane and Lester Dorr, posing as another movie company, come to the location town and talk the banker into letting them film a fake holdup in his bank, but the holdup is real and the out-of-work Buck, whom they hire as the fall guy to cover their getaway, is left holding the bag and jailed by town sheriff Slim Whitaker. Things get worse for Buck before they get better. A mid-point sequence has hotel clerk George R. Beranger, who dreams of being a western star, performing a twittering, ballet-slippering audition for the checking-in film company by quoting lines from a western and asking them to identify the film. Shemp Howard guesses "Little Women."

The Hard-Boiled Canary (1941)

Paramount prepared-newspaper review-March, 1941

[13 February 2010]

From the Original press book For "The Hard-Boiled Canary(1941)" "Great Musical Talent Cast in "Canary"... Film Bringing together one of the most impressive casts ever assembled for a motion picture, Paramount's new comedy musical, "The Hard-Boiled Canary," which opens..(Day) at the...(Theatre Name)....where it will be shown through...(Day).

Featured in the gay story of a young burlesque queen who goes operatic, are Susanna Foster, who plays the title role, and Allan Jones, Margaret Lindsay, Lynne Overman and Grace Bradley. Cast in prominent roles, brilliant Metropolitan Opera stars Richard Bonelli, Irra Petine and Tandy MacKenzie make their screen debuts in the picture. In addition to these musical luminaries, five of the most noted teen age youngsters in the world of music display their extraordinary talents which have brought them the plaudits of music-lovers throughout the country.

The five youngsters are Haimo Haitto, sixteen-year-old Finnish violinist; Patricia Travers, thirteen, considered by music authorities one of the finest young violinists in this country; Dolly Loehr, fourteen, a pianist frequently acclaimed in the concert halls, Kaye Connor, fifteen, well-known young violinist and singer, and William Chapman, a baritone of exceptional attainments.

The story is told against the background of Interlochen, the world-famous music camp in Michigan. There, it is not unusual for the dance-stirring notes of a swing version of "The Beer-Barrel Polka" to mingle with the sedate strains of music by Bach and Beethoven" End of review intended for newspaper use in towns where "The Hard-Boiled Canary" was playing in 1941. The Ames Daily Tribune used it on Saturday, March 22, 1941 where "The Hard-Boiled Canary" was booked to open on Sunday at the New Ames Theatre.

Daredevils of the West (1943)

It isn't lost anymore

[15 December 2009]

Republic's "Daredevils of the West" is a 1943 twelve chapter serial once considered lost. This action-filled cliffhanger starred Allan Lane and Kay Aldridge. It's only been publicly screened in the U.S. twice in recent years.

Through special arrangement with Brigham Young University, Paramount Pictures, and Swank Films it was first shown at SerialFest in Newtown, PA, in the Spring of 2008. This past October it was run a second time at the Lone Pine Film Festival in Lone Pine, CA.

Now this exciting serial is coming to America's heartland for the first time. It can be seen at the Memphis Film Festival in Olive Branch, Mississippi June 3-5 of 2010. It will be personally projected by BYU archivist James D'Arc.

So, why doesn't BYU make it available on a DVD for all serial fans to enjoy?

Edit: Question answered by Boyd Magers of "Western Clippings." BYU has the print donated to them by the late Jack (Valley of the Cliffhangers) Mathis. Paramount has the rights to the film, and they have deemed the negative flawed and unacceptable and, as such, unmarkable.

Flashing Guns (1947)

Brown made better westerns -Spoiler

[9 December 2009]

Quite possibly the dullest of all the films in the Monogram series with Johnny Mack Brown and Raymond Hatton, with Hatton in a role normally played by the likes of character actors Steve Clark or Frank LaRue, and excessive footage given to Riley Hill, always capable of bringing a scene to a grinding halt. Rancher Amos Shelby (Raymond Hatton)has one day left to pay off a loan on his ranch, and sends son Freddie (Riley Hill) to tell banker Ainsworth (James E. Logan)that it will be paid on time. Freddie is forced to reveal to gambler Ripley (Ted Adams), to whom he is in debt, that his sister Ann (Jan Bryant)is bringing the money from Silana. Ripley's henchmen waylay the girl and she is rescued by Johnny Mack (Johnny Mack Brown). Ainsworth has Longden (Douglas Evans)forge old man Shelby's signature to predated papers. Johnny gets Shelby's money back from Ripley and kills the gambler gambler when he attempts to take it away from Freddie. Ainsworth informs Amos he is too late to pay his loan and shows him the forged papers. Amos kills one of Longden's henchmen when the gang tries to take over the ranch. Judge Pool (Frank LaRue) sets him free of the murder charge but gives him three days to clear the ranch. Johnny discovers that Ainsworth is after ore he knows is on the ranch property. Henchman Sagebrush (Jack O'Shea) is captured by a ruse, and reveals Ainsworth's plot to Johnny. Freddie is saved from a posse after he robs the bank of a poster revealing Longdon to be a forger. Ainsworth and the gang is captured by Johnny, and Amos recovers his ranch. Written by Les Adams {[e-mail]}

Inside Nazi Germany (1938)

What 1938 voices were saying about "Inside Nazi German."

[16 November 2009]

SENATOR CLAUDE PEPPER OF Florida: "The new March of Time picture awakens us to thing we do not know and should know. It should be shown in every theatre in the land";-- SENATOR KEY PITTMAN,Chairman-Senate Foreign Relations Committee: "'Inside Nazi Germany'shows exactly what happens when a dictator takes control of a nation. I think it highly desirable that this picture be seen by every American."--CHICAGO POLICE COMMISSIONER ALLMAN: "The film is not censorable--I lifted the ban." -- MELVIN M. FAGEN, Exec.Secy.---Conference on Jewish Relations, Inc: "March of Time has performed a notable public service...volumes have been written about Nazi Germany, but I doubt whether any or all of them together have been able to portray the problem in so stirring and in so complete terms." ---ERIC VON SCHROEDER, Chairman German-American League for Culture: "A thoroughly objective film which should everywhere because it represents the truth." -- PENNYSLVANIA BOARD OF CENSORS: "Showing of this film would have a healthy influence, "Inside Nazi German" should be shown throughout the country." -- RABBI STEPHEN S. WISE: "A truthful portraiture of the march of time in Nazi German. As an American, I congratulate 'Time" for defending the Democratic Ideal---by telling the truth about Regimentation in Nazi German."

Harmon of Michigan (1941)

No, he didn't play "Himself."

[4 September 2009]

Tom Harmon (ol' # 98 for the Michigan Wolverines, husband of actress Elyse Knox and father of Mark Harmon and Kelly Harmon)took a back seat to no one on the football field (except the Minnesota Gophers) or, later, in the broadcast booth, but, on film, he managed to find himself in two of the all-time bad sports movies..."The Spirit of West Point" and "Harmon of Michigan." The latter, if it had been a true-life biography of Tom Harmon, might have made a passable film but after a short prologue, narrated by sports writer Bill Henry who is not the same as actor William Henry, that semi-recaps Harmon's football-playing days at the University of Michigan, it quickly develops into a mess that indicates the director and writers used the technical adviser, Coach Jeff Cravath, only to put plays on the blackboard. Once Harmon,(supposedly playing himself but the character he plays here has more character flaws than the law allows), graduates from Michigan, he marries his college sweetheart Peggy Adams (Anita Louise), turns up his nose at the prospect of playing professional football---a poor-paying and not-that-well respected job in 1941---and starts a vagabond tour of coaching tank-water colleges. Authenicity went out the window when the narration ended, as did any kind of time tracking, as everything that follows seems to happen in a single football season. Tom takes an assistant coach job at a cow-pasture college under Jimmy Wayburn (William Hall) and lasts one day before Wayburn fires him. Then he signs to play for a College All-Star team doing exhibition games against pro teams, but his team-mates, hacked because Tom gets star billing, lay down on him and he gets smacked down hard on every play. One of the leaders willing to let Harmon get slaughtered is old Michigan teammate Forrest Evashevski (also not playing himself since this is a fictional film), a life-long friend in real life and Godfather to Mark Harmon and a long-time respected coach at the University of Iowa. Harmon wins the game by himself, but decides this isn't his cup of tea. He hangs around the house a few weeks, then gets a job as an assistant under old-time coach Pop Branch at a college that has three buildings on campus and a football stadium seating 100,000 fans. He helps Pop win a few games (still ticking along in what appears to be the same fall football season), but the alumni at Webster College are tired of losing, fire their coach and hire Harmon away from Pop. Harmon takes over the Webster team in mid-season and becomes the all-time example of a hard-ass coach willing to win at any cost, including installing a screen-pass play that depends on an illegal blocking scheme---the Flying Wedge---to make it work. His Webster team begins to thump their opponents by large scores, usually leaving the other team battered and bloodied by the use of the illegal blocking scheme. They win four or five games which, based on the writers time scheme, would have them playing 20 games a season in what was then a nine-and-ten game season. Plus, the press and other coaches around and about, are up in arms about Harmon's tactics, but the jerks refereeing the games evidently haven't read the rule book nor the newspapers and throw no penalty flags against his team. Well, one referee does once, but he never officiated nor had lunch in that town again. It, by any reasonable calendar must now be July of the next year in a season that should have ended in December, and hard-case Harmon's team is going up against Pop's team (where Harmon coached earlier in this never-ending season) and Pop drops by and tells Tom he ain't all that fond of Tom's coaching methods, but Tom poo-pahs him off, and then sends his team out and they gleefully dismantle Pop's fair-playing team by 109-0. But Webster's quarterback Freddie Davis (Stanley Brown) suffers a concussion running a play Harmon calls just to run up the score even higher---Harmon evidently didn't read the script because nobody using their own name would want this character perceived as Himself---and it's nip-and-tuck whether Freddie will get out of the hospital alive. It gets even stickier when Freddie parents drop their hospital vigil long enough to tell Tom they are right proud that he is Freddie's coach. Say what? Tom sees the light and reverts back to the good old boy he started out as. Written by Les Adams {[e-mail]}

Jesse James' Women (1954)

The South falls again

[13 August 2009]

A couple of southern theatre exhibitors decided they could make a western (or, in this case, a Southeastern) just as bad as the worse of those coming from Hollywood and proceeded to prove they could be not only as bad, they could be much worse. They ensured their success at obtaining this goal by hiring Don Barry as the director. Barry was the best choice, as only the egotistical-and-sad Barry could direct (or believe) a film in which he starred as a lady-killer whose charms women could not resist.(The Susan Hayward real-life swimming-pool incident not withstanding.) Jesse James (Don Barry), leaves Missouri for Mississippi, and immediately charms all the women in the cast out of their bloomers and garters, even though three of them towered over him. His first conquest is the banker's daughter who helps him loot the bank in exchange for a promise of marriage; he wanders over to the saloon and runs the crooked partner of the proprietress out of town, takes all of his-and-her money and leaves her, between kisses, hounding him for her share; the third one, the saloon singer, actually makes a mark out of him as she cons him into a boxing match against a professional fighter and he loses the fight and his money, but he holds the singer and the fighter up as they leave town and gets his money back; and then he romances and swindles Cattle Kate, a replay of what he had done somewhere before to Kate and the "gotcha-again" Kate even ends up behind bars. But no film that contains a cat-fight between Peggie Castle and Lita Baron can be called a complete waste of time

Hintertreppe (1921)

The man liked stairs

[18 November 2008]

Aside from Reinhardt, Leopold Jessner was considered the most-advanced director in the German theater. The hallmark of his stage productions was the use of stairs, and his critics coined the word, "Jessnertreppin", as a short-club to beat him with in their newspaper reviews. In his only film, "Hintertreppe", he uses stairs to dramatize both the social status of the characters and their emotional relationships. For the greater part of the film, only three people are seen, and the lighting, described by Carl Vincent as "seeming to come from within the characters," is used to convey the sense of isolation. Based on the comments on this site page, most of them missed whatever it was Carl Vincent was so taken with. So did I while watching the USA 16mm under the title of "Backstairs."