Blu-Ray News #385: Dick Tracy RKO Pictures Collection (1945-47).

RKO’s four Dick Tracy films are just wonderful. Produced between 1945 and ’47, the first two star Morgan Conway as the detective, while the second two saw the return of Ralph Byrd, who’d starred in four Dick Tracy serials at Republic. They’re more faithful to the comic strip than the serials, and they do a great job of bringing common Tracy characters to the screen. In some ways they seem geared to kids, but the violence and darker themes will make you wonder. A friend calls them “kid noir.”

While these Tracy pictures have been languishing in PD Hell for years, VCI had the best-looking set by far. And now they’re bringing them to Blu-Ray, which is a reason to celebrate. (I absolutely adore these movies.)

Dick Tracy (1945)
Directed by William A. Berke
Starring Morgan Conway, Anne Jeffreys, Mike Mazurki, Lyle Latell

Morgan Conway is Dick Tracy and Mike Mazurki is an escaped convict, Splitface, who’s out for revenge. He ends up kidnapping Tracy’s girl, Tess (Anne Jeffreys).

Dick Tracy Vs. Cueball (1946)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
Starring Morgan Conway, Anne Jeffreys, Lyle Latell, Rita Corday, Ian Keith

Cueball (Dick Wessel) starts taking out some of his partners in crime, then figures it might be a good idea to get rid of Dick Tracy, too. Gordon Douglas’s direction is typically solid and economical.

Dick Tracy’s Dilemma (1947)
Directed by John Rawlins
Starring Ralph Byrd, Kay Christopher, Lyle Latell, Jack Lambert, Ian Keith

The Claw (Jack Lambert) is part of a gang responsible for stealing a fortune in furs from a warehouse and killing the night watchman. Dick Tracy (Ralph Byrd) and his partner Pat Patton (Lyle Latell) go from suspecting insurance fraud to wondering if there’s a serial killer on the loose. The Claw is creepy, the killings are pretty brutal and the film has a more shadowy, noir-ish look than the other three. Probably the best of the series.

Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947)
Directed by John Rawlins
Starring Boris Karloff, Ralph Byrd, Anne Gwynne, Lyle Latell, Skelton Knaggs 

While Dick’s Tracy’s Dilemma might be the best, Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome boasts he most star power. Here, Byrd takes second billing behind the great Boris Karloff. This time, Gruesome (Karloff, naturally) uses a paralyzing gas to pull off a bank heist, while Tess Truehart (Anne Gwynne) is there! Karloff looks like he’s having a good time making this one.

From introductions to galleries to commentaries, there are all sorts of extras on the way for this new Blu-Ray set. I’m doing commentaries for the two Byrd films. Judging from the work-in-progress files I was sent to work with, this is going to be quite nice. Highly recommended.

 

Blu-Ray Review: Blazing Saddles (1974).

Directed by Mel Brooks
Produced by Michael Hertzberg
Screenplay by Mel Brooks, Norman Steinberg, Andrew Bergman, Richard Pryor, Alan Uger
Story by Andrew Bergman
Director Of Photography: Joseph Biroc
Film Editors: Danford Greene & John C. Howard
Music by John Morris

Cast: Cleavon Little (Sheriff Bart), Gene Wilder (The Waco Kid), Slim Pickens (Taggart), Harvey Korman (Hedley Lamarr), Madeline Kahn (Lili Von Shtupp), Mel Brooks (Governor William J. Le Petomane, etc.), Burton Gilliam (Lyle), Alex Karras (Mongo), David Huddleston (Olson Johnson), Liam Dunn (Rev. Johnson), John Hillerman (Howard Johnson), George Furth (Van Johnson), Claude Ennis Starrett, Jr. (Gabby Johnson), Carol Arthur (Harriett Johnson), Richard Collier (Dr. Sam Johnson), Charles McGregor (Charlie), Robyn Hilton (Miss Stein), Don Megowan, Dom DeLuise, Count Basie

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From The Producers (1968) and The Twelve Chairs (1971) through Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein (both 1974), Mel Brooks was on one helluva roll. You can’t go wrong with any of them (though The Twelve Chairs doesn’t get as much love as the others). What’s impressive is how well these pictures hold up after all these years.

Blazing Saddles offended people back in 1974, long before political correctness and cancel culture threatened to completely destroy comedy. It’s brilliant satire, a genuinely funny movie — and something no one seems to notice, a clearly affectionate spoof of Hollywood Westerns. (“You’d do it for Randolph Scott.”)

I’m not going to waste your time with quotes and a synopsis. If you know the movie, you know where the funny parts are. Chances are, you’re smiling or out-and-out laughing just thinking about it.

Much has been made of Young Frankenstein‘s spot-on recreation of the Universal 1930’s B&W monster movie aesthetic. Equally impressive (to these Western-loving eyes, at least) is the look of Blazing Saddles, shot by Joseph Biroc, who gave us Westerns like Roughshod (1948), Forty Guns (1957), Ulzana’s Raid (1972) and Cahill, US Marshall (1973). Biroc knew how to shoot a cowboy picture and he gave Blazing Saddles the ‘Scope and Technicolor look it needed. It was sharp, bright and saturated in the theater, something that’s been missing till the Blu-Ray came along.

Turns out Blazing Saddles is a real jewel on Blu-Ray, a huge improvement over the DVD (which was certainly serviceable) and an accurate representation of what it was supposed to look like all along. The disc also offers up the supplemental stuff from the DVD: Brooks’ commentary, a couple of documentaries (Back In The Saddle and Intimate Portrait: Madeline Kahn), the unsuccessful TV pilot Black Bart, additional scenes and the theatrical trailer. And it’s got that terrific poster on the front (by John Alvin).

As a film, Blazing Saddles is funny, it’s considered a classic and it’s certainly worthwhile. As a Blu-Ray, this disc is an upgrade worthy of another dip into your wallet. Highly recommended.

Blu-Ray News #384: Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973).

Directed by Sam Peckinpah
Written by Rudy Wurlitzer
Starring James Coburn, Kris Kristofferson, Richard Jaeckel, Katy Jurado, Chill Wills, Barry Sullivan, Jason Robards, Slim Pickens, Bob Dylan

Criterion is bringing out Sam Peckinpah’s Pat Garrett And Billy The Kid (1973) on 4K and Blu-Ray in July. And since Peckinpah’s last Western was such a mutilated mess by the time MGM got done with it, Criterion is packing all three existing version into the set —
• 50th Anniversary Release, supervised by editors Paul Seydor & Roger Spottiswoode
• Sam Peckinpah’s Final Preview Cut
• Original Theatrical Release

Opinions on the film (no matter which cut you’re looking it) are all over the place. It’s brilliant in some places, other places not. It does, however, contain what I consider the saddest single scene in all of cinema — the great Katy Jurado sitting down beside the gut-shot Slim Pickens as he dies (with “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door” on the soundtrack).

Of course, there will be all sorts of extras. This is gonna be a nice set, something us Peckinpah nuts have been hollering for for years. I’m really looking forward to messing around with this thing.

Talking Up The Gauntlet On The Forgotten Filmcast.

I’ve always loved talking about movies with Todd Liebenow at The Forgotten Filmcast. It’s a great podcast. 

The current episode (#215!) has “frequent guest Toby Roan” concerns Clint Eastwood’s The Gauntlet (1977), “a film he loves so much, [he] just wrote a whole book about it.” I had a blast, as I always do when Todd has me over. Click on the Frazetta half sheet to listen in.

DVD News #383: Bombs Over Burma (1942).

Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Starring Anna May Wong, Noel Madison, Leslie Denison, Nedrick Young, Dan Seymour, Dennis Moore

Here we go! Another PRC picture gets a little respect. Film Masters is bringing Joseph H. Lewis’ Bombs Over Burma (1942, AKA The Devil’s Sister) to DVD later this month. It’s a WWII story of a school teacher (Anna May Wong) helping stop the destruction of a crucial bridge by the Japanese and an English spy.

4K News #382: Hatari (1962).

Directed by Howard Hawks
Starring John Wayne, Hardy Krüger, Elsa Martinelli, Red Buttons, Gérard Blain, Bruce Cabot

With its incredible Technicolor location scenes in Africa — such as John Wayne strapped to the front of a truck actually trying to catch a rhinoceros, Howard Hawks’ Hatari! (1962) is the kind of film you’d think Blu-Ray was made for.

But when it was released on Blu-Ray a few years ago, word quickly spread that it looked terrible — and many of us decided to stick with our old DVDs and hope something better would come along. Well, it looks like some better has come along — Kino Lorber has announced an upcoming 4K release. The announcement does not mention a Blu-Ray disc being included.

Hatari! is a cool movie, Hawks’ usual “group of people doing a difficult job thing.” Recommending it comes down to transfer and format, not the film itself.

Blu-Ray Review: The Creeping Flesh (1973).

Directed by Freddie Francis
Produced by Michael P. Redbourn
Original Screenplay by Peter Spenceley & Jonathan Rumbold
Director Of Photography: Norman Warwick, BSC
Film Editor: Oswald Hafenrichter
Music by Paul Ferris

Cast: Christopher Lee (Dr. James Hildern), Peter Cushing (Professor Emmanuel Hildern), Lorna Heilbron (Penelope Hildern), Jenny Runacre (Marguerite Hildern), George Benson (Professor Waterlow), Kenneth J. Warren (Charles Lenny), Duncan Lamont (Inspector), Harry Locke (Barman), Hedger Wallace (Dr. Perry), Michael Ripper (Carter), Catherine Finn (Emily), Robert Swann (Young Aristocrat), David Bailie (Young Doctor), Maurice Bush (Karl), Tony Wright (Sailor), Marianne Stone (Assistant), Alexandra Dane (Whore), Larry Taylor (Warder), Martin Carroll (Warder), Dan Meaden (Lunatic), Sue Bond

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My junior year in high school, on the last day before the Christmas break, there were all sorts of activities going on around the school. The one I remember, since it’s what I chose to do, was The Creeping Flesh (1973) running in the auditorium. The girl I was sweet on at the time was not near as excited about it as I was!*

Of course, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are some of the biggest names in horror movies of the 60s and early 70s, thanks largely to their terrific work for Hammer Films. Pairing them had been a cinematic sure thing since 1957’s Curse Of Frankenstein, and Tigon signed them both for The Creeping Flesh. They also put one of the UK’s best horror directors at the helm, former cinematographer Freddie Francis.

In Victorian England, anthropologist Emmanuel Hildern (Peter Cushing) comes home from Papua New Guinea with one hell of a souvenir — the ancient skeleton of a giant humanoid (delivered by Michael Ripper). He learns that while he was away, his wife passed away in a mental institution run by his psychiatrist half-brother (Christopher Lee). Cushing’s daughter (Lorna Heilbron) had been told her mother died long ago.

One evening, Cushing gets a bit of water and begins to clean the skeleton, first washing off its hand. Almost immediately, flesh begins to form on a finger, which Cushing quickly chops off.

Playing his typical obsessed, absent-minded, well-meaning scientist, Cushing wonders if evil is a disease — and if these cells can point to a cure for evil in the world. Soon, a serum is prepared using blood from the regenerated flesh and the tests go drastically wrong.

Of course, we’re all waiting for the skeleton to get wet and go on a rampage. But not so fast, there’s all kinds of other stuff going on. Maybe Cushing’s daughter is inheriting her mother’s madness (she was really a drunk and a harlot). The conniving Lee is chasing after money and notoriety — which he thinks he can have, if he can just get ahold of his brother’s giant skeleton. Naturally, Lee has it stolen — during a rainstorm.

If all this sounds like The Creeping Flesh is uneven, it is. Its plot goes all over the place, making for a very fun ride.

Peter Cushing is terrific in a part that must’ve been a lot of fun to play. Lee has a smaller part (why is he billed first?), but he’s always great as pompous, elitist swine like this.

Peter Cushing and Freddie Francis

Freddie Francis seems to be having a lot of fun stylistically here. POV shots from inside the skeleton’s head are cool — repeating a technique he used in another Cushing-Lee picture, The Skull (1965). He does a great job of keeping the narrative working as it zigs and zags from one weird plot point to the next (with the help of editor Oswald Hafenrichter). Francis’ films are often handicapped by lackluster scripts, and The Creeping Flesh shows what he could do with something better.

Here in the States, The Creeping Flesh is part of a Mill Creek Blu-Ray set called Psycho Circus that also includes Francis’ Torture Garden (1967), an Amicus anthology film with Cushing in it, and Brotherhood Of Satan (1971) with Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones and Ahna Capri. All three pictures are pressed onto a single disc, which seems fine. They were distributed by Columbia back in the day, so they have the typically top-notch transfers that the studio licenses to Mill Creek. I love the 70s-era film grain so perfectly presented here in The Creeping Flesh.

There are no extras, except for a reversible cover. I really like the cover (above) that makes use of each film’s original poster art (also used for the disc’s menu).

The Creeping Flesh is a lot of fun, and in my case it’s slathered with a heavy layer of nostalgia. The disc here is quite nice, and since it gives you another Francis-Cushing picture looking just as good, turns out to be a bargain. It’s certainly recommended for fans of such stuff. 

*My English teacher was in charge of picking the movie. He showed me a short list and asked what he should go with. Completely selfishly, I encouraged him to go with The Creeping Flesh. This is still the closest I’ve come to one of my goals — curating some sort of retrospective or festival!

4K/Blu-Ray News #381: Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors (1965).

Directed by Freddie Francis
Starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Bernard Lee, Jeremy Kemp, Michael Gough, Donald Sutherland

I’ve been on a bit of a Peter Cushing – Freddie Francis kick of late (watch for some upcoming posts on ’em), so I was really excited to hear about Vineger Syndrome’s upcoming 4K/Blu-Ray release of Cushing in Francis’ Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors (1965). Packed with extras and transferred from the 35mm (Technicolor and Techniscope) camera negative, the set will include both a Blu-Ray and 4K disc.

It was shot by Alan Hume, who’d go on to do a few things you might’ve heard of — Eye Of The Needle (1981), For Your Eyes Only (1981) and Return Of The Jedi (1983).

Dr. Terror was the first of Amicus’ run of anthology horror pictures. Francis would direct a couple more, Torture Garden (1967) and Tales From The Crypt (1972), while Cushing would appear in almost all of them. This is maybe the best of the bunch, though I’m quite fond of Tales From The Crypt, so it’s easy to recommend this one very, very highly.

Note in the ad up top that it was sent out with Antonio Margheriti’s Horror Castle (1963) or George Pal’s War Of The Worlds (1953). Wow.

Blu-Ray News #380: Bluebeard (1944).

Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer
Starring John Carradine, Jean Parker, Nils Asther, Ludwig Stössel

You could probably count the PRC pictures available on Blu-Ray on one hand, with a few fingers left over. Well, here’s one, and it’s a good one — Edgar G. Ulmer’s Bluebeard (1944). It’s on the way from Kino Lorber.

Set in 19th-century Paris, John Carradine is Gaston, a painter and puppeteer. The models he uses keep turning up in the Seine River. Lucille (Jean Parker) doesn’t want to meet a similar fate, so she sets out to bring Carradine to justice.

This was an ideal picture to put in the hands of director Edgar G. Ulmer, who was a master of the creepy — and of the cheap. Proof: take a look at The Black Cat (1934), Detour (1945) or The Man From Planet X (1951). And Carradine is terrific.

If you’ve seen Bluebeard, chances are good that it looked terrible, since it’s been languishing in PD Hell for decades. Can’t wait to see what Kino Lorber does with it. Highly, highly recommended.

DVD Review: The Las Vegas Story (1952).

Directed by Robert Stevenson
Produced by Robert Sparks
Executive Producer: Samuel Bischoff
Screen Play by Earl Felton & Harry Essex (& Paul Jarrico)
Based on a story by Jay Dratler
Director Of Photography: Harry J. Wild, ASC
Film Editors: George Shrader & Frederic Knudtson
Music by Leigh Harline

Cast: Jane Russell (Linda Rollins), Victor Mature (Dave Andrews), Vincent Price (Lloyd Rollins), Hoagy Carmichael (Happy), Brad Dexter (Tom Hubler), Gordon Oliver (Mr. Drucker), Jay C. Flippen (Captain Harris), Will Wright (Mike Fogarty), Bill Welsh (Mr. Martin), Ray Montgomery (Desk Clerk), Colleen Miller (Mary), Robert Wilke (Clayton), Paul Frees (DA)

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Miss Jennifer and I marked the anniversary of our Las Vegas nuptials by taking a look at the Warner Archive DVD of The Las Vegas Story (1952). I’m a sucker for movies shot in Las Vegas, from this one to Ocean’s 11 (1960) to The Gauntlet (1977).

The picture was originally going to be The Miami Story starring Robert Ryan. Moving the locale to Las Vegas and incorporating the casino/gambling backdrop must’ve required a huge amount of work (0r re-work) — but that kind of tampering was a fairly common occurrence at Howard Hughes’ RKO. Of course, by the time shooting started in Vegas, Ryan was out and Victor Mature and Jane Russell were in.

The Las Vegas Story was shot in the Spring of 1951, with plenty of location work around Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam, Union Station, McCarran Field, the Naval Air base and the desert outside town. The Flamingo Hotel (where Jennifer and I stayed when we got hitched) doubles as The Fabulous here, where much of the action takes place. (The Flamingo’s full name back then was The Fabulous Flamingo.) Of course, they find a way to get Jane Russell in a bathing suit by the Flamingo pool. 

Linda Rollins (Jane Russell) and her husband Lloyd (Vincent Price) get off the train in Las Vegas, a town where she once lived.

A few things quickly become obvious: Lloyd is in financial trouble, an insurance agent (Brad Dexter) is keeping an eye on Linda’s Cartier necklace, and Linda has a real history in Vegas — much of it centered around her old flame Dave Andrews (Victor Mature), who’s now a cop. You also wonder why in the world Price and Russell are married in the first place (something Price had trouble with during shooting).

Lloyd thinks he’s gonna get himself out of hot water at the dice table, and Linda’s necklace is quickly hocked to Clayton (Robert J. Wilke), owner of the casino where Linda once sang (accompanied by Hoagy Carmichael).

The next morning, Price is still broke, Wilke is dead and Russell’s diamond necklace is gone.

As things play out, there are a few songs, some terrific locations (Mature’s apartment is awesome), Jane Russell in an ultra-swank shower and a terrific supporting cast: Jay C. Flippen, Will Wright, Milton Kibbee, Paul Frees and Colleen Miller in her first film.

It’s all capped off with a crazy chase involving a helicopter and a 1941 Ford De Luxe station wagon (with the wood on the side). There’ve been several such sequences over the years (Shaft’s Big Score!, for instance), but this one was the first — and it must’ve been really something back in ’52. I’m sure Howard Hughes was really stoked about it.

RKO got maximum publicity out of the $150,000 Cartier diamond necklace. According to RKO’s PR folks,  it had 500 diamonds, weighed 200 carats and cost the studio $100 a day to insure. It was watched over by Sheriff Glen Jones.

The world premier of The Las Vegas Story was held at the Fremont Theater (on Fremont, naturally). Almost a decade later, Ocean’s 11 would have its premier in the same spot.

During Hollywood’s “Red Scare,” writer Paul Jarrico refused to testify before the HUAC (The House Un-American Activities Committee) gang, so Howard Hughes had Jarrico’s name dropped from the credits of The Las Vegas Story. Jarrico sued (a civil suit), but because of the morals clause in his contract, he lost. Jarrico eventually headed to Europe, and Hollywood started hiring blacklisted writers without giving them credit for their work.

The Las Vegas Story is a cool movie — a bit mystery, a bit noir. The Vegas locales are a treat — the city looks nothing like this now. It moves at a quick pace and looks terrific thanks to DP Harry J. Wild.

Warner Archive’s DVD looks good. Not great, but I had no complaints with it. It’s easy to recommend a movie like this, and I wish there were a hundred more just like it.