Blu-Ray News #369: Film Noir – The Dark Side Of Cinema XVII (1955).

This latest volume in Kino Lorber’s terrific Blu-Ray series veers off in a great direction, stepping away from Universal International and adding a Republic and an Allied Artist picture to the mix. All three noirs here come from 1955.

City Of Shadows
Directed by William Witney
Starring Victor McLaglen, John Baer, Kathleen Crowley, Anthony Caruso, Frank Ferguson

A mid-50s Republic picture with Victor McLaglen as a hood running slot machines and Frank Ferguson as a DA — do movies get more perfect than this? Direction from William Witney and Reggie Lanning behind the camera help put it over the edge. 70 minutes of B-movie heaven.

Crashout
Directed by  Lewis R. Foster
Starring William Bendix, Arthur Kennedy, Luther Adler, William Talman, Gene Evans, Marshall Thompson, Gloria Talbott

This time we get William Bendix as the head of a group of convicts who pull off a big prison break, Arthur Kennedy as the only con with a semblance of morals and William Talman as a murderous religious fanatic. Russell Metty shot it a few years before he tackled Touch Of Evil (1958).

Finger Man
Directed by Harold Schuster
Starring Frank Lovejoy, Forrest Tucker, Peggie Castle, Timothy Carey

Who cares what this movie’s about — it’s got Peggie Castle and Timothy Carey in it! Frank Lovejoy’s a crook who accepts a deal with the cops to bring down Dutch Becker (Forrest Tucker), who’s moll is Castle and who’s creepiest thug is Carey. Director Harold Schuster made some great little movies, including the severely underrated Western The Dragoon Wells Massacre (1958).

Kino Lorber’s noir sets have been terrific so far, and this one gets my vote for the best so far. Highly, highly recommended!

The Olive Films, The Non-Westerns Checklist.

A few days ago, over on 50 Westerns From The 50s, I posted a list of the Westerns released on DVD and Blu-Rays by Olive Films. Turns out a number of us are looking to fill some gaps in our collections — before they’re either gone or going for crazy collectors’ prices. And now, here’s a list of some of their other titles. This is by no means everything — just the stuff that falls within the scope of this blog.

Some of these titles have already been re-issued (or are on the way) by other companies. But some may never see the light of day again, given the current state of physical media. From a couple of Republic serials to a handful of Regalscope pictures, there are some real jewels here.

As very special thanks (again) to Laura from Laura’s Miscellaneous Musings, who was a HUGE help with bringing this together. 

Betty Boop, Vols. 1-4
Sabotage (1939)
S.O.S. Tidal Wave (1939)
Lady From Louisiana (1941)
A Man Betrayed (1941)
One Of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942)
Flying Tigers (1942)
Lady For A Night (1942)
Johnny Come Lately (1943)
Strangers In The Night (1944)
Voodoo Man (1944)
Fighting Seabees (1944)

The Return Of The Ape Man (1944)
The Strange Affair Of Uncle Harry (1945)
Flame Of Barbary Coast (1945)
The Vampire’s Ghost (1945)
The Dark Mirror (1946)
The Private Affairs Of Bel Ami (1946)
Appointment With Crime (1946)
Copacabana (1947)
Ruthless (1948)
So This Is New York (1948)
Force Of Evil (1948)
Mr. Peabody And The Mermaid (1948)
Wake Of The Red Witch (1948)
Sands Of Iwo Jima (1949)
The Red Menace (1949)
The Kid From Cleveland (1949)
Love Happy (1949)
The File On Thelma Jordon (1950)
Appointment With Danger (1950)
No Man of Her Own (1950)
The Lawless (1950)
Captain Carey U.S.A. (1950)
Union Station (1950)
Three Secrets (1950)
Dark City (1950)

Flying Disc Man From Mars (1950, serial)
The Invisible Monster (1950)
Cry Danger (1951)
My Favorite Spy (1951)
Flat Top (1952)
Hoodlum Empire (1952)
The Atomic City (1952)
The Quiet Man (1952)
Retreat, Hell! (1952)
City That Never Sleeps (1953)
Commando Cody: Sky Marshal Of The Universe (1953, serial)
The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
Hell’s Half Acre (1954)
Private Hell 36 (1954)
Panther Girl Of The Kongo (1954, serial)
The Shanghai Story (1954)
Cry Vengeance (1954)
Dragonfly Squadron (1954)
Young At Heart (1955)
The Big Combo (1955)
Shack Out On 101 (1955)
The Eternal Sea (1955)
No Man’s Woman (1955)
The Americano (1955)
Strategic Air Command (1955)
The Weapon (1956)
Fire Maidens Of Outer Space (1956)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956)
China Gate (1957)
Plunder Road (1957)
She Devil (1957)

High School Confidential! (1958)
Indiscreet (1958)
Hell’s Five Hours (1958)
The Colossus Of New York (1958)
The Space Children (1958)
It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958)
The Return Of Dracula (1958)
The Beat Generation (1959)
Operation Petticoat (1959)
Pork Chop Hill (1959)
The Big Operator (1959)
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
The Monster Of Piedras Blancas (1959)
A Bucket Of Blood (1959)

The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962)
That Touch Of Mink (1962)
Father Goose (1964)
Muscle Beach Party (1964)
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965)
How To Stuff A Wild Bikini (1965)
Crack In The World (1965)
Dr. Terror’s House Of Horrors (1965)
The Wild Angels (1966)
The Trip (1967)
Cauldron Of Blood (1967)
The Spirit Is Willing (1967)
Project X (1968)
Little Fauss And Big Halsey (1970)
Badge 373 (1973)

Take a glance at this list. Olive Films put some terrific movies in our hot little hands. It’s a shame they didn’t make it. This proves the point that’s been made over and over on this blog — if we don’t support the companies that put these things out, they won’t be putting them out anymore. Okay, now I’ll climb down from my soapbox and put The Return Of Dracula back on.

Blu-Ray News #356: It! – The Terror From Beyond Space (1958).

Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Starring Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, Kim Spalding, Ray “Crash” Corrigan

Alien (1979) is a better movie than the picture that inspired it, It! – The Terror From Beyond Space (1958). But I don’t like it half as much. 

This is one of my favorite 50s sci-fi movies. So I’m overjoyed that Kino Lorber has a 65th Anniversary Blu-Ray on the way, with a new 2K master, three commentaries and a bunch of other stuff. (There was once a pretty bare-bones Blu-Ray from Olive Films.) Coming in October!

Blu-Ray News #316: It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958).

Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Starring Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, Kim Spalding, Dabbs Greer, Ray Corrigan

It! The Terror From Beyond Space (1958) provided a clear, if somewhat cheesy, inspiration for Alien (1979). It’s a cool little monster movie, not just an interesting footnote in the history of a blockbuster. It’s also quite effective, making much of what is decides not to show us. Ray “Crash” Corrigan, the B Western star and owner of Corriganville, plays the monster. United Artists sent it to theaters with Curse Of The Faceless Man, also directed by Edward L. Cahn.

Kino Lorber is bringing It! The Terror From Beyond Space to Blu-Ray, where its widescreen (vs. full-frame) framing will make some of that aforementioned cheesiness fall away. Highly recommended.

Blu-Ray News #299: Universal Horror Collection, Volume 6.

I’m really excited about this one, as Shout Factory’s Universal Horror Blu-Ray series moves into the 50s. This is announced for release on August 25.

The Black Castle (1952)
Directed by Nathan H. Juran
Starring Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, Stephen McNally, Rita Corday, Lon Chaney, Jr., John Hoyt, Michael Pate
You could say this was the last of the true Universal-type horror movies, with all the trapping and a few of the actors we associate with such things. It was Nathan Juran’s first time as director. He was on the film as art director, but was moved into the director’s chair when Joseph Pevney walked.

Cult Of The Cobra (1955)
Directed by Francis D. Lyon
Starring Faith Domergue, Richard Long, Kathleen Hughes, Marshall Thompson, Jack Kelly, William Reynolds, David Janssen
This story of a cult of snake worshippers, a deadly curse and the beautiful, deadly snake goddess (Faith Domergue) making their way to New York went out as the second feature behind Revenge Of The Creature (1955).

The Thing That Couldn’t Die (1958)
Directed by Will Cowan
Starring William Reynolds, Andra Martin, Jeffrey Stone, Carolyn Kearney
Running just 69 minutes, shot by the great Russell Metty and with terrific poster art from Reynold Brown (up top), this played with Hamer’s Horror Of Dracula (1958) in the States. It’s about a telepathic head that’s discovered in a box at a dude ranch.

The Shadow Of The Cat (1961)
Directed by John Gilling
Starring André Morell, Barbara Shelley, William Lucas, Fred Jackson
A cat witnesses a murder, then helps both solve it and bring the culprits to their just rewards. Shot in black & white by Hammer’s ace cameraman Arthur Grant.

Scream Factory has come up with some real gold in this one, and it’s good to see these more obscure Universal horror pictures get a chance to shine. They’ll be seen in their original widescreen aspect ratio, with the exception of The Black Castle, which predates the shift to widescreen. Highly recommended.

Blu-Ray Rumor: Fiend Without A Face (1958)

Directed by Arthur Crabtree
Starring Marshall Thompson, Kynaston Reeves, Michael Balfour,​ Kim Parker

The word on the street (thanks, John) is that someone is prepping Fiend Without A Face (1958) for Blu-Ray. This British sci-fi picture caused quite a stir upon its release, and it was cut quite a bit for the UK.

I’ve loved this one since I was a kid, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to study the stop-motion effects in hi-def. Will add more details as they turn up.