Seven Obscure Movies That I Curiously Remember (Volume 5)

The guy at the top doesn't look like Caine.

1.  The Destructors (1974) - As a teenager, I watched this French-British crime thriller at the tiny Club Haven Cinema in Winston-Salem, NC. (How small was it? One person could sell tickets and then swivel around to serve popcorn.) I assume the film's attraction was its cast of Michael Caine, Anthony Quinn, and James Mason. Made in the wake of The French Connection, Quinn plays an intelligence agent who hires an assassin (Caine) to kill a drug kingpin (Mason). It was originally titled The Marseille Contract--which is much less exciting than The Destructors. I don't recall it being anywhere as good as Burt Lancaster's international thriller Scorpio (1973).

Alan Bates as the "hero."

2.  Nothing But the Best (1964) - This black comedy stars Alan Bates as a young man willing to do anything to climb the corporate ladder--and that includes murder. It's a darker, funnier version of Room at the Top. Despite playing on network television in the 1970s, I don't think it has ever been released on video in the U.S. I keep waiting for someone to post the complete movie on YouTube.

3. Trader Horn (1973) - I'm not sure what inspired MGM to remake W.S. Van Dyke's 1931 African adventure as a low-budget programmer. All I can say is that I felt sorry for poor Rod Taylor, who deserved so much better than to be engulfed in cliches and mismatched stock footage. In the opening scene, we see Rod guiding some amateur hunters in what looks like a park in California. He points at a tribe of elephants--which turns out to be much lighter (stock?) footage of some pachyderms. It only gets worse from there!

Sultry Cleo Moore.

4. Bait (1954) - We've written about "B" movie auteur Hugo Haas in this blog before. Bait is one of his better efforts, featuring director Haas as a conniving prospector who tries to force his beautiful younger wife (Haas regular Cleo Moore) into the arms of his partner (John Agar). He figures that adultery will be sufficient justification for a little homicide! You would think this movie would be in the public domain on YouTube, but, no, it'll cost you $2.99 to watch it.

5. Daddy's Gone A-Hunting (1969) - When a young woman (Carol White) realizes her lover is a psycho, she dumps him and aborts their unborn child. Years later, she marries a nice guy and has a baby--naturally, that's when the ex-boyfriend shows up again. I haven't seen this one since its theatrical release and was surprised to learn it was written by old pros Larry Cohen (It's Alive) and Lorenzo Semple, Jr. (the Batman TV series).

Peter Lorre as the title character.

6. Stranger on the Third Floor (1940) - This film noir isn't as obscure as it used to be. In fact, it probably doesn't belong on this list anymore after being "rediscovered" by noir fans a few years back. John McGuire stars as a reporter whose testimony helps convict a potentially innocent man. When he tries to find the real killer, the reporter is arrested for a second murder and his girlfriend must track down the real culprit.

7. Killdozer (1974) - So there's this evil spirit or something that takes over a bulldozer on a island and starts killing the construction crew. Hey, what's not to like about this wacky made-for-TV movie co-written by acclaimed sci fi author Theodore Sturgeon and starring Clint Walker, Carl Betz, Neville Brand, and Robert Urich? Plus, don't you just love that title?

Seven Obscure Movies That I Curiously Remember (Vol. 4)

1. The Sword and the Dragon (1956) - When I was a wee lad, I pestered my Dad until he took me to this movie because... well..it had a dragon in it. Alas, the dragon doesn't appear until the climax, so hopefully I didn't drive my family nuts. Many years later, I learned this was actually a Russian film called Ilya Muromets, which Roger Corman purchased and re-edited for U.S. release in 1960. Dell even published a comic book tie-in and I had a copy.

2. Eegah! (1962) - Probably the worst caveman movie ever made, Eegah! stars Richard Kiel (Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker) as the title character. A young woman named Roxy discovers him in a California desert and the caveman falls in love (sort of). Arch Hall, Sr. produced, directed, and acted in it. His son Arch Hall, Jr. portrays Roxy's boyfriend. The Halls made several bad flicks in the 1960s, but you gotta love their colorful titles such as Wild Guitar, The Nasty Rabbit, The Corpse Grinders, and, of course, Eegah!

Sean Flynn on the set.

3. Son of Captain Blood (1962) - Sean Flynn, Errol's only son, made a handful of European movies in the 1960s before deciding that acting wasn't for him. The handsome, younger Flynn's best-known film is this sequel to his father's Captain Blood (1935). A Spanish-Italian co-production, The Son of Captain Blood also starred Ann Todd in the Olivia de Havilland role. Sean Flynn later became a photo journalist who is believed to have been killed in Cambodia in 1970. My father was a huge Errol Flynn fan, so my family saw this one when it played (appropriately enough) at the Robin Hood Drive-in in Winston-Salem, NC.

4. Quackser Fortune Has a Cousin in the Bronx (1970) - A young man (Gene Wilder) makes a living in Dublin by scooping up horse dung and selling it as garden fertilizer. He becomes smitten with an American student played by Margot Kidder. This offbeat Irish comedy was made before Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein made Wilder a star. I rather enjoyed Quackser Fortune when I saw it on The CBS Late Movie--back when you never knew what might pop up on that venue.

McCallum as Sol Madrid.

5. Sol Madrid (1968) - At the height of their Man From U.N.C.L.E. fame, both David McCallum and Robert Vaughn tried to establish themselves as big screen leading men. In Sol Madrid, McCallum played an undercover narcotics agents in Mexico mixed up with organized crime and heroin. At least, it featured a pretty good cast with Stella Stevens, Telly Savalas, Ricardo Montalban, and Rip Torn.

6. The Venetian Affair (1967) - This was Robert Vaughn's post-U.N.C.L.E. effort. Unlike McCallum, Vaughn had flirted with stardom in earlier supporting roles like The Young Philadelphians (1959) and The Magnificent Seven (1960). Of course, that didn't make The Venetian Affair--his attempt at a serious spy film--any better. I saw this one at a theater with my parents when I was 11. I didn't understand it. I'm not sure I would now, though I have become an Elke Sommer fan over the years.

7. The Maze (1953) - A man (Richard Carlson) suddenly breaks off his engagement and moves into his uncle's creepy castle in the Scottish Highlands. A huge maze and a big frog (well, maybe frog-like creature is a more accurate description) are featured in this 3D cult pic directed by famed set designer William Cameron Menzies. When my wife and I ran a nonprofit film society in the 1980s, we showed The Maze in 3D. We had to turn the 3D glasses upside-down to see the three-dimensional effect. Go figure!

Seven Obscure Movies That I Curiously Remember (Volume 3)

1. Johnny Nobody (1961) - In a small Irish village, a ranting atheist dares God to strike him dead--at which point, a mysterious stranger shoots and kills the man. The killer identifies himself as "nobody" and claims that God directed his actions. That becomes his defense when he is brought to trial. I haven't seen this film since the early 1970s, but the premise alone left a lasting impression. Hey, TCM, if you have this one in your vaults, let's get it on the air!

2. The Southern Star (1969) - Set in Africa in 1912, this lighthearted tale concerns a huge diamond, which is stolen soon after its discovery. Adventurer George Segal, diamond miner's daughter Ursula Andress, security chief Ian Hendry, and portly villain Orson Welles all seek the missing stone. This one pops up on TV occasionally because of the cast. For some inexplicable reason, the scene I remember best is a chess game involving liqueur-filled glasses.

Ursula Andress looking groovy!

3. The 10th Victim (1965) - In the future, a television show called The Big Hunt pits participants--known as Hunters and Victims--against each other in multiple rounds of murder with the big winner gaining international fame. In this pop-art vision of the future, hunter Ursula Andress tracks down victim Marcello Mastrianni as they flirt with one another and wear stylish clothes. The 10th Victim is a bizarre film, but has its share of passionate fans. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was frequently shown on television (probably due to Ursula's popularity). These days, it's a rarity.

4. Shoot Loud, Louder...I Don't Understand (1966) - Such was Raquel Welch's fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s that most of her films were shown on U.S. network television--even this Italian-made oddity. Marcello Mastrianni (again!) stars as a sculptor who dreams that his neighbor, a notorious gangster, has been murdered. As in 8½, Mastrianni's character has trouble distinguishing between dreams and reality--but, rest assured, this is no Fellini masterpiece.

Angel Tompkins.

5. The Teacher (1974) - What did Jay North do after the Dennis the Menace TV series? Well, one of his few starring roles was in this drive-in picture notable for featuring cult movie favorite Angel Tompkins. Jay plays a high school student who has an affair with an attractive teacher (Angel). This situation doesn't sit well with another young man who has been stalking her--and accidentally causes his young brother's death. The Teacher is not very good, but don't tell that to any of Angel's fans!

6. Paul and Michelle (1974) - One of the surprise hits of 1971 was Friends, a romance about two teens who run away together and have a baby. It was directed by 007 veteran Lewis Gilbert and featured songs by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. This belated sequel picks up the story with Paul, now in prep school, searching for Michelle and then competing with a rival for her affections. It's pretty bland, but, hey, most people don't even know there was a sequel to Friends. Now, you do! So, if you're a Jeopardy winner because of this, you ethically owe a portion of your winnings to us.

7. The Strange Door (1951) - Charles Laughton's 1950s films were a hodgepodge, ranging from excellent (Witness for the Prosecution) to awful (Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd). The Strange Door falls closer to the latter with Laughton as a vengeance-minded nobleman who plans to force his niece to marry a cad (as if locking up her father for 20 years and not telling her wasn't bad enough). The title door has no latch on the inside--so once a visitor enters Laughton's abode, they cannot escape.

Seven (More) Obscure Movies That I Curiously Remember

Karkoff or Karkov?

1. Terror in the Wax Museum (1973) - Listen to this cast: Ray Milland, Elsa Lanchester, Louis Hayward, Broderick Crawford, John Carradine, and Patric Knowles. I know that veteran stars sometimes get stuck in bad movies, but what a shame that this combination of Jack the Ripper and a wax museum setting is...well...lifeless. Did I mention it includes a hunchback billed as Karkov in the credits, but Karkoff on the poster?

2. Little Fugitive (1953) - A six-year-old boy, believing that he has shot and killed his older brother, runs away to Coney Island. This independent feature boasts no major stars, but features an incredibly natural performance from Richard Brewster as little Lennie. This sweet, wholesome film plays like a home movie from the 1950s--you can almost taste the boardwalk hotdogs. It pops up occasionally on television, so it's less obscure than others on this list. I highly recommend it.

3. Outlaw Blues (1977) - Peter Fonda plays a ex-con who writes a catchy country song that's stolen by a famous singer. When he confronts the singer, the latter is accidentally shot and Fonda becomes an outlaw. Outlaw Blues reminds me of one of those entertaining drive-in pics that eventually made Burt Reynolds a star (e.g., W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings). Fonda and Susan Saint James make an appealing pair. The title tune was written by John Oates of Hall & Oates.

Judy as the white Mewsette.

4.  Gay Purr-ee (1962) - Judy Garland and Robert Goulet provide the voice of the feline lovers in this colorful, non-Disney animated musical. The songs were composed by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg, who worked with Judy on another musical you may know (that'd be The Wizard of Oz). The script was written by Dorothy Webster Jones and her husband, celebrated Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones. According to some sources, Warners terminated Chuck for his involvement since Gay Purr-ee was made by rival studio UPA. Rhino Records re-released the soundtrack in 2003 with several never-before-heard demos.

5. Love That Brute (1950) - Paul Douglas stars a lovable gangster that falls for a charming governess (Jean Peters). He tells her that he is a widower with a son--which means he has to find a son! I'm a fan of comedies in which a simple lie (is there such a thing?) cascades into an elaborate deception that's certain to come crumbling down. Given the popularity of Peters and Douglas, you'd think this would be shown much more often than it is. It's supposed to be a remake of Tall, Dark and Handsome (1940), which I have not seen.

That's Dr. Lauren Bacall!

6. Shock Treatment (1964) - A writer (Stuart Whitman) goes undercover in an insane asylum to discover the whereabouts of $1 million in stolen loot. If this sounds like a bad idea, you're right. Whitman heads a fine cast consisting of Lauren Bacall, Carol Lynley, and Roddy McDowall. It's a lurid tale at times, but better than Samuel Fuller's more celebrated Shock Corridor.

7. Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956). Director Fritz Lang's last U.S. film (and one of the last of his career) stars Dana Andrews as a novelist who frames himself in order to make a statement on capital punishment. Neither Lang nor Andrews are in top form here, but Beyond a Reasonable Doubt is an absorbing "B" picture with a twist that genuinely surprised me when I saw it as a teenager.

Seven Obscure Movies That I Curiously Remember

I've seen thousands of movies. I remember most of them, but am sure I've forgotten quite a few. Curiously, I can recall some pretty obscure films. For no apparent reason. Most of my classic film friends have never heard of these movies, but they do exist. So today, I wanted to share seven obscure movies that still linger in the windmills..make that cobwebs...of my mind.

1. The 7th Commandment (1961) - This film is so obscure that I incorrectly thought the title was The Tenth Commandment for decades! Anyway, the memorable plot is about a low-life named Ted who believes he has killed a man in a car accident. He wanders away from the crash site and suffers trauma-induced amnesia. Ted is rescued by a traveling evangelist and eventually becomes a famous preacher. That's when his sordid past catches up with him in the form of blackmail.

T-Rex goes for a snack.

2. Dinosaurus! (1960) - Construction workers on a Caribbean island discover a T-Rex, a Brontosaurus, and a caveman encased in ice. A big storm (complete with lightning) melts the ice and revives all three. The image of the T-Rex attacking the excavator has stuck with me over the years. I used to have the Dell comic book, too.

Jock Mahoney in Joe Dakota.

3. Joe Dakota (1957) - In this Western mystery, a stranger who calls himself Joe Dakota visits a small California town and starts asking questions about "the Old Indian." Most of the townsfolk ignore the stranger, but a young woman claims that the Indian was known as...Joe Dakota. Think Bad Day at Black Rock on a modest budget and you'll get a feel for this interesting oater starring likable former stunt man Jock Mahoney (TV's Yancy Derringer).

Dean Jagger and Glenn Ford.

4. The Brotherhood of the Bell (1970) - Glenn Ford starred in this creepy made-for-TV film about a college professor who joins a secret society--only to realize the high cost later in life. I've only seen it once, but it reminded me of the early Humphrey Bogart film Black Legion. Written by David Karp, whose teleplay earned an Emmy nomination, an earlier version of The Brotherhood of the Bell was also produced for the classic 1950s TV anthology series Studio One.

5. Night Monster (1942) - Various people converge at the isolated, fog-enshrouded, swampy estate of rich crippled recluse Curt Ingston (Ralph Morgan). Three of the visitors--physicians who may have played a part in Ingston's paralysis--are murdered. This whodunit has achieved minor cult status due to its cast (Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi), the eerie atmosphere achieved by director Ford Beebe, and the bizarre climax. I don't know why it's not shown more often.

Rosemarie Bowe Stack.

6. The Golden Mistress (1954) - John Agar and Rosemarie Bowe team up as Caribbean treasure hunters in this lively low-budget adventure that features a miniature gold skeleton, voodoo, and a secret underwater passage. Never heard of the stunning Ms. Bowe? The former model only made a handful of films before marrying Robert Stack in 1956 and retiring (for the most part) from show business. They remained married until his death in 2003.

Shatner in Impulse.

7. Impulse (1974) - Honestly, there's no way I could write a better plot summary than this one from the IMDb: "A paranoid, leisure-suit-wearing conman/gigolo named Matt Stone seduces lonely women, bilks them of their savings via an investment scam, then kills them." Now, imagine that Matt is played by a scenery-chewing William Shatner! Actually, what I remember most about this film is that Impulse co-star Harold Sakata--who played Oddjob in Goldfinger--appeared at a local cinema promoting the film. I didn't get see Sakata, but I remember the film and Shatner's fake headaches to this day.