Streaming La macchina ammazzacattivi Online

La macchina ammazzacattivi (1952)iMDB Rating: 6.6
Date Released : 14 May 1952
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Gennaro Pisano, Marilyn Buferd, William Tubbs, Helen Tubbs. A demon bestows on a self-righteous working photographer's camera the power to smite from the Earth "evil-doers". Naturally, the indignant photographer turns his new weapon on, one by one, his entire village, beginning with the wealthy or illustrious. Soon, the poor he is so supposedly so enamored of become his victims too, so rife with impatience and contempt is he, that the slightest flaw is ..." />
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A demon bestows on a self-righteous working photographer's camera the power to smite from the Earth "evil-doers". Naturally, the indignant photographer turns his new weapon on, one by one, his entire village, beginning with the wealthy or illustrious. Soon, the poor he is so supposedly so enamored of become his victims too, so rife with impatience and contempt is he, that the slightest flaw is cause for smiting. Inevitably, he embarks on a task to destroy everyone.

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Review :

A delightful and highly original comedy.

"La Macchina Ammazzacattivi" ("The Machine That Kills People") is an amazing film. It proves, along with De Sica's "Miracle in Milan", that a Neo-Realist film can be funny as well as surreal. What I mean by 'Neo-Realist' is that there was a style of film popularized just before WWII ended and it continued into about the mid-1950s. Because the studios were broke, they had to content themselves with making films without stars--using locals as well as local buildings and streets instead of sets. Most of these films are rather serious in tone, but this film (as well as the De Sica film) are ridiculously non-serious--and are both charming to boot.

The film is set in a small Italian town. Celestino is a photographer who thinks he's seen the dead patron saint of the village, St. Andrew. This 'saint' bestows on Celestino a great power--a magical camera that can kill! Fortunately, Celestino isn't blood-thirsty. But, when the leaders of the town all show themselves to be a greedy and selfish lot, he reluctantly (at first) uses this gift to punish the wicked. Eventually, however, Celestino goes too far--and this leads to one of the strangest endings I can recall seeing in an Italian film. Suffice to say that I won't say more, as I don't want to spoil the surprise--but it's worth it!

This is a very odd film in that the director, Roberto Rossellini, lost interest in the movie and left it on the shelf. Somewhere along the line, the studio had another director finish it and the film was released--and practically everyone hated it! But, today it's been restored and is a classic. I think that the dark comedy was just ahead of its time, as the film played badly then but works great today due to changing sensibilities. All I know is that I thought the film was wonderful--and it's definitely the best Rossellini film I have seen--and it's filled with many wonderful moments.

Streaming Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950) Online

Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.8
Date Released : 25 September 1950
Genre : Adventure, Comedy
Stars : Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Patricia Medina, Walter Slezak. Jonesy and Lou are in Algeria looking for a wrestler they are promoting. Sergeant Axmann tricks them into joining the Foreign Legion, after which they discover Axmann's collaboration with the nasty Sheik Hamud El Khalid. Bits include Lou's mirage sightings, one a New York newsboy ("they gave me a bad corner")." />
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Jonesy and Lou are in Algeria looking for a wrestler they are promoting. Sergeant Axmann tricks them into joining the Foreign Legion, after which they discover Axmann's collaboration with the nasty Sheik Hamud El Khalid. Bits include Lou's mirage sightings, one a New York newsboy ("they gave me a bad corner").

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Review :

Its Abbott and Costello, it ain't Henry V

Okayish piece of nonsense wherein Bud and Lou are on the case of a wrestler in Algiers. Not their greatest work (or their worst). Some laughs, some groans but hey, did anyone ever have the pathos of poor old Lou?

Some funny stuff when the dynamicless duo are lost in the desert. Few cornball gags and some really really crappy production effects. It was obviously shot principally in a studio and it shows!

Next please!

Watch El señorito Octavio Online

El señorito Octavio (1950)Stars : Tomás Blanco, Elena Espejo, Montserrat García, Camino Garrigó." />
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Streaming The Lady with a Lamp (1951) Online

The Lady with a Lamp (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.7
Date Released : 10 March 1952
Stars : Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Gladys Young, Felix Aylmer. Based on the Reginald Berkeley stage play, this compelling historical drama offers a depiction of the life story of Florence Nightingale (Anna Neagle), the young 19th-century Englishwoman famously drawn to a career in nursing. Traveling to Turkey during the Crimean War, Florence gains a reputation for being devoted to the care of wounded soldiers and for pioneering higher standards for sanitary ..." />
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Based on the Reginald Berkeley stage play, this compelling historical drama offers a depiction of the life story of Florence Nightingale (Anna Neagle), the young 19th-century Englishwoman famously drawn to a career in nursing. Traveling to Turkey during the Crimean War, Florence gains a reputation for being devoted to the care of wounded soldiers and for pioneering higher standards for sanitary hospital conditions.

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Review :

Florence Nightingale 1820-1910

The husband and wife producing and acting team of Herbert Wilcox and Anna Neagle took a play written by Reginald Berkeley and ran a mere 12 performances on Broadway in 1931 as a vehicle for Anna Neagle giving her one of her most popular roles. Anna Neagle set some kind of record in her career playing more female British icons than anyone else. She played Queen Victoria, Edith Cavell, and Nell Gwyn before essaying Florence Nightingale who was a feminist icon way back in the day before women had the franchise.

Oddly enough she was not crazy about the suffrage movement in and of itself. At a time when she was trying to open up the nursing profession for women she received little support from those who wanted the vote. She thought a lot of them ought to be spending equal time participating in the profession she was trying to open up.

Nightingale was a woman born to the landed gentry whose family hobnobbed with a lot of the movers and shakers in the British Empire. Her interest in medicine dismayed her family who just wanted her to get married and settle down and do needlepoint if she wanted to create.

The film and play with brief prologues and epilogues in her old age covers the period of the Crimean War through the death of her friend and ally in the Palmerston cabinet Lord Sidney Herbert. Herbert is played her by a dapper and charming Michael Wilding who struggles tirelessly to get support among his colleagues for Nightingale's work nursing the soldiers in the Crimea and improving the sanitary conditions under which the wounded convalesced. Lord Palmerston is sympathetically played by Felix Aylmer and Wilding's greatest opponent is played by Arthur Young as William Gladstone who was Chancellor of the Exchequer and guardian of the nation's purse as it were. Seeing some of these people arguing seriously that proper nursing care was coddling the troops is truly frightening.

Nightingale's image with the oil lamp going about the dimly lit wards looking after her charges became her popular image thanks to the London Times reporting of the hospital conditions for the wounded troops in the Crimean War, one of the first examples of investigative journalism. Later on when American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used the line about The Lady With The Lamp in one of his works, even though it wasn't about Florence Nightingale the line became a signature for her. Neagle is compassionate, determined and regal in her performance.

There is so much more to Florence Nightingale in her life and work, but The Lady With The Lamp will give you a fine introduction to one of the most useful lives spent on earth.

Streaming El revoltoso Online

El revoltoso (1951)iMDB Rating: 7.6
Date Released : 16 August 1951
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Germán Valdés, Rebeca Iturbide, Perla Aguiar, Marcelo Chávez." />
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Review :

The funniest Tin Tan comedy ever

Since I was a kid, I had enjoyed classic Mexican cinema, especially that of the comedy genre. This movie is, by far, one of the most entertaining black and white films ever made. It is hard to see German Valdez "Tin Tan" involved on such improbable situations as this one, except perhaps, "Simbad el Mareado". Gorgeous girls, clever dialog, silly situations, a perfect casting and musical scenes that complement a very entertaining story make this movie a true jewel of the genre that will keep you laughing from start to finish. This film has the usual gang of great actors: Wolf Ruvinskis, José René Ruiz "Tun Tun", Juan Garcia and Marcelo Chavez, led, of course by Tin Tan in the role of a very mischievous character that puts everyone at trouble with his unwanted comments. It also has its dose of action: there is an incredible scene at the ending, where Tin Tan climbs to the top of the Mexico City Cathedral, that impressed me since I was a kid and saw this movie on TV for the first time. I still wonder if this was performed by him or a double. If you are searching for the perfect Tin Tan movie, this one has to be it.

Watch Too Young to Kiss (1951) Online

Too Young to Kiss (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.4
Date Released : 7 April 1952
Genre : Comedy, Romance
Stars : June Allyson, Van Johnson, Gig Young, Rita Corday. Eric Wainwright (Van Johnson), a busy impresario, is besieged by hordes of wannabe concert stars, eager for their big break. One of them is Cynthia Potter (June Allyson), a talented pianist... but she can't get in to see him. When she learns that Wainwright is auditioning young musicians for a children's concert tour, Cynthia dons braces and bobby sox and passes herself off as a child prodigy." />
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Eric Wainwright (Van Johnson), a busy impresario, is besieged by hordes of wannabe concert stars, eager for their big break. One of them is Cynthia Potter (June Allyson), a talented pianist... but she can't get in to see him. When she learns that Wainwright is auditioning young musicians for a children's concert tour, Cynthia dons braces and bobby sox and passes herself off as a child prodigy.

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Review :

Sweet confetti!

Hackett and Goodrich were some of the best screenwriters Hollywood ever produced and even when the movie isn't clicking on all cylinders, the dialogue usually is and when you listen to it, you notice the potential for a great movie is always there. Such is the case of Too young to kiss, a plot that had the necessary oomph but a director and stars that go for the easy. The pluses: Allyson is completely convincing in costume and makeup as the twelve year old she pretends to be. Van Johnson's droll and fatigued performance strikes the right pitch more often than not. The mistaken identity plot is handled here much better than it was in The Major and Minor, a movie to which comparisons have to be made, but is a better movie than that one. The ending feels rushed but that is because of the poor execution, in the hands of Billy Wilder who directed the other movie, it would have been gold as the love strokes and magic of the heart would conquer.

Watch April in Paris (1952) Online

April in Paris (1952)iMDB Rating: 6.0
Date Released : 17 April 1953
Genre : Comedy, Musical, Romance
Stars : Doris Day, Ray Bolger, Claude Dauphin, Eve Miller. Miss Ethel 'Dynamite' Jackson is a chorus girl who mistakingly receives an invitation from the State Department to represent the American theatre at an arts exposition in Paris, France. There's only one problem, the invitation was meant for Miss Ethel Barrymore. Meanwhile, S. Winthrop Putnam, the bureaucrat who made the mistake tries unsuccessfully to correct his mix-up. It's too late, for ..." />
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Miss Ethel 'Dynamite' Jackson is a chorus girl who mistakingly receives an invitation from the State Department to represent the American theatre at an arts exposition in Paris, France. There's only one problem, the invitation was meant for Miss Ethel Barrymore. Meanwhile, S. Winthrop Putnam, the bureaucrat who made the mistake tries unsuccessfully to correct his mix-up. It's too late, for Dynamite Jackson is off to Paris, where the two meet and marry, or so they think!

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Review :

When Doris sings "April in Paris" all is forgiven...

True, even for the breezy 1950s, the plot for this musical is as light as a feather--but if you are a DORIS DAY fan, as I certainly was during these early Day films at Warner Bros., you'll be enchanted by her way with a song--particularly "I'm Gonna Ring the Bell Tonight", "April in Paris" and "That's What Makes Paris Par-ee". And on top of that, she excels in all of her dance routines, even those in which RAY BOLGER clearly has the spotlight to himself.

It's one of those mistaken identity plots that Warners used extensively throughout the '40s and '50s, something about a showgirl being mistaken for a diplomat and mistakenly invited to represent the U.S. at a French festival. Naturally, all is straightened out in time for a happy ending although I can't say I detected any real chemistry between Bolger and Day--even in a musical where logic doesn't really matter.

The dances staged by LeRoy Prinz are not the best, but there are some cheerful, well staged moments when Bolger gets to do his tap routines and limber legged dancing. All in all, it passes the time pleasantly if you have a weakness for musicals the way they were in the '50s. And Doris proves that singing wasn't her only asset. Her dancing is also very professional (and not surprisingly, she intended to become a dancer before an accident ruined her plans and she switched to singing).

Streaming De onvindbare Pimpernel Online

De onvindbare Pimpernel (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.4
Date Released : 8 March 1951
Genre : Adventure, Drama, Romance
Stars : David Niven, Margaret Leighton, Cyril Cusack, Jack Hawkins
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A British aristocrat goes in disguise to France to rescue people from The Terror of the guillotine.

Review :

Inferior version of well-known story

Having recently seen the 1934 Alexander Korda version of "The Scarlet Pimpernel", I found it almost impossible to consider this film other than in relation to its predecessor. It is quite clear in any case that the Powell & Pressburger version is based firmly upon the earlier script rather than upon Baroness Orczy's famous novel "The Scarlet Pimpernel"

• or even its sequel, "The Elusive Pimpernel"... Not only do the

two films share a number of scenes which have no origin in the novel - the episode of the Prince Regent's coat, Marguerite's own victimisation by the St Cyr family, the firing squad and the ghost, among others - but the dialogue in several of these scenes is word-for-word identical to that of the earlier screenplay.

As such, I consider that the 1950 production may fairly be considered a remake; and like so many remakes of well-known stories, I fear it is not a great success. The changes made for the later production clearly betray nothing more than the advances in cinematography over the intervening years, coupled with what I suspect to have been a bigger budget. In place of blurred sound - the surviving 1934 print is of very poor quality - monochrome film and static, staged studio exteriors, we are treated to Technicolour costumes and numerous location sequences including stately homes on both sides of the Channel, a curricle race on the Brighton road, a full-size sailing vessel and a climax shot on and around Mont St Michel. The action, unfortunately, does not gain thereby. All too often plot elements give the impression of being introduced in order to showcase the lavish production values, rather than the latter enhancing the former.

Neither production is particularly faithful to the original text; but then few great literary adaptations ever are. It is the earlier script, however, for all its occasionally stilted quality, that manages to come closer to the spirit of the novel. Oddly enough, it is where the later script picks up dialogue verbatim, either from its predecessor or direct from the novel, that it generally sounds weakest; out of context, the old dialogue sits ill with the more 'modern' visual style.

Armand St-Just, as a character, is reduced to an unappealing cameo that deprives Marguerite's later actions in his defence of their essential emotional force - the audience has no reason to care about his fate. Likewise, we lose the poignant moment introduced by Korda's script where Sir Percy allows the mask of marital indifference to slip a fraction in the face of Marguerite's unspoken distress, only for her to shut him out from her confidence and resort instead to Chauvelin's devil's bargain - with almost fatal consequences for both of them.

Despite its longer running-time, the remake also contrives to lose many of the effective 'character scenes' that set the mood of the piece; the aristocrats being called out one by one to the tumbrils; Armand's relationship with his sister; the prattle of the bored ladies of fashion as Marguerite poses for her portrait; the affected, artificial attitudes of the circles in which her husband moves; the baffled Chauvelin and the sleeping Sir Percy; and even revolutionary Calais in a snatched peaceful moment, as seen by the 'soldiers' in disguise. As a result, shorn of all this even the main characters seem strangely two-dimensional, and the moments of subtle humour are almost totally lost in favour of a few bald gags towards the end - although the introduction of the unloaded pistol with which Sir Percy so carefully induces his adversary to arm himself is a nice touch.

But most crucially of all, David Niven, who should have been no novice in the art of buckling his swash, totally fails to outshine the memory of Leslie Howard's performance in the part of the actual Scarlet Pimpernel. It is chiefly Howard's portrayal of the title character that raises "The Scarlet Pimpernel" somewhat above the status of dated period piece it would otherwise hold. 'Fair and foolish', he carries off Sir Percy Blakeney to perfection as an eighteenth-century Lord Peter Wimsey, a babbling silly-ass-about-town in public but a quick-witted and resourceful man of action when it counts. Admittedly the script does Niven no favours; but he is neither convincingly languid in the part of the fop (the doggerel scene in the steam-bath, transposed from its original setting in a hide-bound gentlemen's club, becomes simply embarrassing, with Niven popping up through the steam like a pantomime demon) nor sufficiently dashing in his other role. This is simply not a Scarlet Pimpernel that female viewers can hero-worship, or male viewers long to emulate. And sad to say, Niven doesn't really have the looks for the part.

Merle Oberon's quick-tongued and imperious Lady Blakeney was also more appropriate to her part than Margaret Leighton's more colourless blonde rendition, although again the script must take much of the blame. As for the appalling French accents inflicted on Marguerite, Chauvelin, and every other Francophone character in the film... one becomes almost grateful for the frequency with which Margaret Leighton, at least, forgets to maintain hers.

"The Scarlet Pimpernel" was a minor historical drama, mainly notable for an outstanding performance from Leslie Howard. "The Elusive Pimpernel", on the other hand, ranks alongside the 1970s remake of "The Mark of Zorro" - that is, despite added colour and action sequences, somewhere along the line they have managed to lose the essential heart of the story. This version was supposedly planned as a musical - the mind boggles!

Watch Les enfants terribles Online

Les enfants terribles (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.3
Date Released : 29 March 1950
Genre : Drama
Stars : Nicole Stéphane, Edouard Dermithe, Renée Cosima, Jacques Bernard. In a snowball fight between schoolboys the handsome Dargelos hits the chest of Paul, who drops unconscious to the ground. Paul has a deep affection for Dargelos, and later denies that there was a stone in the snowball that hit him. Back home Paul's sister Elisabeth takes care of him. The teenage siblings live together in one room, where they have developed several private games with a strong ..." />
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In a snowball fight between schoolboys the handsome Dargelos hits the chest of Paul, who drops unconscious to the ground. Paul has a deep affection for Dargelos, and later denies that there was a stone in the snowball that hit him. Back home Paul's sister Elisabeth takes care of him. The teenage siblings live together in one room, where they have developed several private games with a strong erotic undertone. Paul's schoolmate Gérard is secretly enamored of Elisabeth, and often stays with them. When Elisabeth introduces her new friend Agathe to Paul, he recognizes that she resembles Dargelos strongly, and immediately falls in love with her. Elisabeth marries a rich young American Jew, Michael, but he dies in a car accident the day after the wedding. Elisabeth inherits his big apartment with 18 rooms and a gallery, and the four friends move into it. Paul sleeps in the gallery, where he builds a replica of the siblings' old room. Both Paul and Agathe are secretly enamored of the other. ...

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Review :

Unconditional lover of Cocteau universe

This is a great film; I've seen it a couple of times on TV recently. Nicole Stephane is astonishing, her face a mask of passion, deviousness, grief. She had the glam-butch look that only Sharon Stone today has mastered. Edouard Dermithe wasn't much of an actor--Cocteau "rescued" him from the coal-mines of the north of France--but he's as spoiled as the story needs. Renee Cosima is fabulous as Dargelos/Agathe; I love her fish-mouth and hoarse voice, and those plump arms. A MUST.

Watch The Underworld Story (1950) Online

The Underworld Story (1950)iMDB Rating: 7.2
Date Released : 26 July 1950
Genre : Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller
Stars : Dan Duryea, Herbert Marshall, Gale Storm, Howard Da Silva. Mike Reese, yellow journalist and antihero, prints a story that leads to a gang killing, and is blacklisted from the city papers under suspicion of ties with racketeer Carl Durham. So, with a shrug, he makes the suspicion come true, then elbows his way into the editorship of the local paper in a small town where, opportunely, a sensational murder case threatens to destroy the family of newspaper ..." />
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Mike Reese, yellow journalist and antihero, prints a story that leads to a gang killing, and is blacklisted from the city papers under suspicion of ties with racketeer Carl Durham. So, with a shrug, he makes the suspicion come true, then elbows his way into the editorship of the local paper in a small town where, opportunely, a sensational murder case threatens to destroy the family of newspaper magnate E.J. Stanton. When a black servant is made the patsy for this killing, Reese helps himself by helping her...but proves a dangerous ally.

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Review :

Good Role for Duryea

What makes this little crime movie as effective as it is, has something to do with the casting of unconventional Dan Duryea in the lead as the unscrupulous reporter. He's a lot like Willem Dafoe with the way he talks out of the bottom of his mouth - like a ventriloquist's dummy - and I mean that in a good way. Had they cast a more conventional leading man in the part like a Jimmy Stewart, for example, I don't think it would've worked as well, because Duryea really does come across as quite a heel, a low-life. It just isn't clear to the viewer if he should root for him or not, so that when he does undergo a change in character, it comes as a surprise rather than a foregone conclusion.

The movie also provides Howard Da Silva with one of his last roles before he was to be blacklisted for over 10 years. Always good at playing thugs, he's quite colorful and does a lot of scenery chewing as a powerful crime figure.

The script is intelligent and gritty, and the photography is appropriately stark and oppressive.

Streaming Politiespionnen Online

Politiespionnen (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.7
Date Released : 11 June 1951
Genre : Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller
Stars : Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert, Paul Stewart, Jan Sterling
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Relentless postal inspector Al Goddard is set to Gary, Indiana, when another officer is murdered. He must find the nun who witnessed the murder, then infiltrate the gang by convincing them he is a postal inspector gone bad.

Review :

"Dragnet" Heroes Go 'Postal'

For someone who grew up in the Fifties watching Dragnet as a kid, viewing this film in the Nineties was strange: the cop-heroes of that TV show, Jack Webb and Harry Morgan, are now villains in this film!

Webb played the tougher of the two characters, by far, and was effective in that role. Meanwhile, Alan Ladd played his normal good guy-tough guy role. Another odd thing about this movie is that Ladd was an agent for the U.S. Post Office, an organization - at least back then before people went "postal" - one doesn't normally think need policemen.

But, as it was explained in the film, it was needed and the movie goes quickly from a corny-hokey start into a tough film noir. Phyllis Calvert adds a soft touch to the proceedings as a nun who humanizes Ladd, and helps him with the case.

In all, I'm making this sound perhaps more interesting than it was, because it was okay but nothing super. Still, I'd like to see it get a DVD treatment some day and I'd consider buying it.

Streaming St. Benny the Dip (1951) Online

St. Benny the Dip (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.0
Date Released : 24 August 1951
Genre : Comedy
Stars : Dick Haymes, Nina Foch, Roland Young, Lionel Stander
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A gang of con artists disguise themselves as clerics in order to pull off a job, but soon find that even pretending to be religious people is having an effect on them.

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Review :

Uncharacteristically competent Ulmer picture

This film is a pleasant surprise from cinema's greatest liar, Edgar G. Ulmer. (His claims for his career in interviews seem now to be regarded as largely preposterous -- many flat out lies, much inflation of his contributions...) But this is a nice, competent little comedy built from crime story elements, and quite enjoyable. Part of the surprise is the far-better-than-just-decent cast: Dick Haymes (ok -- none too great -- in the title role), Nina Foch, excellent as The Girl in The Story; Lionel Stander, as always both lively and believable, and Roland Young, looking sadly worn out. Below the title, there is Oscar Karlweis, a most appealing Viennese actor (and important on Broadway as Jacobowsky in the original production of "Jacobowsky and the Colonel," in the role Danny Kaye played in the film), Jean Casto (her only film role; she originated the role in "Pal Joey" (1940) that made Elaine Stritch a star in the 1952 revival -- which co-starred Lionel Stander!). Uncredited: Dort Clark (of "Bells Are Ringing") and John Lupton (of "Battle Cry"), both in small speaking roles. Lastly, Freddie Bartholomew appears in his final film role -- and, sadly, appears to have completely lost his talent. The role is terrible, and he's awful in it. Smart man to leave the business at this point.

As to the relation of this film to Ulmer's oeuvre -- well, don't make me laugh! But I will say that the absence of Ulmer's musical "genius," that fellow Erdody, is extremely welcome. As always with Ulmer, there is too much score, but this one is not as insufferable as the ones Erdody cranked out.

A sweet, entertaining film.

Watch Two Dollar Bettor Online

Two Dollar Bettor (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.6
Date Released : 9 September 1951
Genre : Crime, Drama
Stars : Steve Brodie, Marie Windsor, John Litel, Barbara Logan
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Bank comptroller John Hewitt is a much-respected member of the community. One afternoon he is persuaded to make a small two-dollar bet at the racetrack and collects a couple of hundred dollars when his horse wins. Such a return-on-investment intrigues him and he begins to frequent the track and making larger bets. After a short period of winning, he hits a losing streak and his savings are soon wiped out. He then starts to take money from the bank and is soon thousands of stolen-dollars behind. Mary Slate, secretary of his bookmaker, advises him that the bookmaker has a sure thing, and if he will liberate $20,000 or so from the bank, he can get in on it and solve all his problems.

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Review :

Good and hooked

The only gambling I've ever enjoyed in my life is the $2.00 window at the racetrack. I've always liked to see where my $2.00 is being spent. I remember one time going to Finger Lakes racetrack and coming home with four winners out of eight races. Wow, I'm some sort of genius. Needless to say like John Litel in Two Dollar Bettor I learned soon I wasn't.

But I never graduated beyond the $2.00 window and that certainly wasn't John Litel. A friend brings him to a racetrack where he's never been and he places a bet and wins. He has some more winners including a big longshot. After that he's placing bets with a bookie whose collector is the seductive Marie Windsor. Litel is good and hooked as only Marie can hook them.

But Windsor has her own agenda involving her recently released from prison husband Steve Brodie. Litel's already embezzling from his company and as comptroller he has the access to do it. Let's say it ends badly all around.

This independent production from an outfit called Realart Studios looks and feels like an expanded version of one of MGM's Crime Does Not Pay series. The performances are sincere and Marie Windsor is evil as Marie Windsor can only be. Still it's a shoddy production and can't get too high a rating from me.

Streaming Blackhawk: Fearless Champion of Freedom (1952) Online

Blackhawk: Fearless Champion of Freedom (1952)iMDB Rating: 6.8
Date Released : 24 July 1952
Genre : Adventure, Action
Stars : Kirk Alyn, Carol Forman, John Crawford, Michael Fox. Based on a successful comic book that began in 1941, the Blackhawks were seven flyers who banded together during WW II to fight the Nazis. After the war, they continued to fight evil where ever they find it. In this movie, they are battling a group of spies and saboteurs bent on destroying democracy. The Blackhawks foil a succession of plots, with a cliff hanger ending in each episode." />
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Based on a successful comic book that began in 1941, the Blackhawks were seven flyers who banded together during WW II to fight the Nazis. After the war, they continued to fight evil where ever they find it. In this movie, they are battling a group of spies and saboteurs bent on destroying democracy. The Blackhawks foil a succession of plots, with a cliff hanger ending in each episode.

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Review :

Good Action Serial from the Last Days of the Saturday Matinee

"Blackhawk" was one of the later serials released by Columbia in 1952. It was based on a popular comic book hero of the 40s and 50s. As a serial, it makes for an exciting and action packed series of adventures running 15 chapters. It contains most of the serial "cliches" such as the chief villain's identity not being revealed until the last chapter, car chases, exploding warehouses, plane crashes and of course, the endless fights.

It suffers from budgetary restraints. For example, there is no heroine, the various hide-outs are all laid out to look the same (a fact that the story never explains), there is basically only one airplane in evidence (each Blackhawk had his own plane in the comic), and Blackhawk's gang is "economy size" in comparison to the comic. Notwithstanding, the serial as directed by Spencer Bennet and Fred Sears, remains a fast-paced action packed adventure.

Heading the cast is Kirk (don't call me Superman) Alyn as Blackhawk, and the lovely Carol Forman (my favorite serial villainess) in another of her ice cold no nonsense portrayals. In the supporting cast are a number of "B" movie veterans. John Crawford, Rick Vallin (in a dual role) and Don Harvey are members of the Blackhawks and Marshall Reed, Zon Murray, Michael Fox, Pierce Lyden and Rory Mallison (unusually sadistic) are on the wrong side of the law.

The story involves the efforts of an unnamed foreign power seeking to steal a secret fuel cylinder from the U.S. for their own use and the Blackhawks efforts to thwart them. As is the case in most serials, the fuel cylinder changes hands back and forth several times over the course of the 15 chapters.

Sadly the era of serials was drawing to a close when "Blackhawk" was produced, and for Alyn and Forman this was to be their last serial. At any rate, "Blackhawk" remains one of the best of the latter day serials.

Watch Southside 1-1000 (1950) Online

Southside 1-1000 (1950)iMDB Rating: 6.3
Date Released : 16 November 1950
Genre : Film-Noir, Crime
Stars : Don DeFore, Andrea King, George Tobias, Barry Kelley. The US secret service goes after a counterfeit ring, whose engraver Eugene Deane has covertly constructed his plates while serving a life sentence in San Quentin. In order to infiltrate the gang, federal agent John Riggs poses as an Eastern kingpin who wants to purchase a large quantity of the fake currency. During his investigations he falls in love with beautiful Nora Craig..." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 870 MB

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The US secret service goes after a counterfeit ring, whose engraver Eugene Deane has covertly constructed his plates while serving a life sentence in San Quentin. In order to infiltrate the gang, federal agent John Riggs poses as an Eastern kingpin who wants to purchase a large quantity of the fake currency. During his investigations he falls in love with beautiful Nora Craig...

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Review :

Pacy T-Man movie from the director of STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR.

Pacy T-Man movie, one of only three directed by Boris Ingster, whose STRANGER ON THE THIRD FLOOR is held by many to be the film which kicked off the 'film noir' cycle. A narrative voiceover lends a pseudo-documentary air to the tale of a square-jawed treasury agent, John Riggs (Don DeFore), who is tasked with cracking a counterfeiting ring initiated by a dying master forger from inside his jail cell. Once on the trail, Riggs adopts a false identity in the hope of ingratiating himself with the crooks, and this brings him into contact with larcenously inclined hotel manageress Nora Craig (Andrea King). Although this is fairly standard stuff, with the rather annoying voiceover failing to ratchet up the tension as it did in Kubrick's THE KILLING, Russell Harlan's often moody location cinematography (see also GUN CRAZY & RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11) and King's hardboiled femme, together with one or two nifty, if contrived, twists make this a worthwhile diversion for fans of noir obscura.

Streaming Rogue River Online

Rogue River (1951)iMDB Rating: 6.8
Date Released : 8 June 1959
Genre : Crime, Drama
Stars : Rory Calhoun, Peter Graves, Frank Fenton, Ralph Sanford. The story of two step-brothers, raised by their father, the chief of police, in a small Oregon lumber town. One brother is hard-working, always within the law, the other a 'rogue.' When gold dust comes up missing from a crime scene, brother is pitted against brother and the father sides against one of the brothers." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
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Size : 870 MB

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The story of two step-brothers, raised by their father, the chief of police, in a small Oregon lumber town. One brother is hard-working, always within the law, the other a 'rogue.' When gold dust comes up missing from a crime scene, brother is pitted against brother and the father sides against one of the brothers.

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Review :

Gritty Little Outdoor Drama

Pete (Graves) returns to small mountain town to reacquaint with adopted brother Ownie (Calhoun) and police chief father (Fenton). While there, the bank is robbed under puzzling circumstances.

Reviewer hschmoo is right—this is a solid outdoor film, with scenic river locations, an unpredictable narrative, and some effective characterizations. The rapport between the brothers (Calhoun & Graves) appears genuine; at the same time, Fenton is excellent as the hardened cop father. The shifting dynamic between the three makes up the story's crux. We also get a flavor of a small town as the townspeople are drawn into the local bank robbery. Frankly, I had some trouble following who was in on what and why, but maybe I'm just slow. Much of the story is told in flashback while Graves hurtles down the roaring river and we wonder why he's chasing after his cop dad.

Director Rawlins and Ventura Productions were responsible the following year for an excellent little Western, Fort Defiance (1951), also with Peter Graves. Apparently, River was Graves' first movie, but you'd never guess it. It also looks like he did his own boating down the rapids, nor, for that matter, could I spot any of the usual Hollywood process shots. I suspect the unusually despairing final scene was due to this being an independent production made a long way from Hollywood and it's conventional endings. The narrative is definitely not a series of studio clichés, which makes this gritty little oddity doubly worth watching.

Watch Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950) Online

Rogues of Sherwood Forest (1950)iMDB Rating: 5.3
Date Released : 1 July 1950
Genre : Adventure, Drama
Stars : John Derek, Diana Lynn, George Macready, Alan Hale. When King John imposes oppressive taxes and cruel treatment upon the local population in medieval England, the son of legendary bandit Robin Hood reforms his father's "Merry Men" to once more rise against the king." />
Movie Quality : HDrip
Format : MKV
Size : 700 MB

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When King John imposes oppressive taxes and cruel treatment upon the local population in medieval England, the son of legendary bandit Robin Hood reforms his father's "Merry Men" to once more rise against the king.

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Review :

Cause I'm the tax man!yeah! I'm the tax man!

no more no less a rehash, nay a photocopy of "Robin Hood":oddly the famous hero is dead ans it's his son (Derek)'s turn to fight the nasty prince helped by his old man's former companions,who,although older than Robin ,are still alive and kicking;they do not seem to have aged a bit. And what about Lady Marian?;i guess it's not the same woman ,although we're not told about the son's mom (must be Marian ).Isn't there something Freudian in the love affair,Derek and his darling being pale copies of Flynn and De Havilland ?

The prince is ruthless:pay your taxes or you'll rot in a dungeon !and they even take a little boy's pigeons !and they even cheat the nobles !and they hang you over the slightest thing!

Not a good film by the talented Gordon Douglas.