Our markets, our democracy, our science, our traditions of free speech, and our art all depend more heavily on a Public Domain of freely available material than they do on the informational material that is covered by property rights. The Public Domain is not some gummy residue left behind when all the good stuff has been covered by property law. The Public Domain is the place we quarry the building blocks of our culture. It is, in fact, the majority of our culture.
- James Boyle, The Public Domain
Public Domain Day is celebrated on Jan 1st of each year.
However, because of the CTEA, there won't be any real
celebrations until 2019.
Hiya, Kiddies! It's yer Ol' Professor here with a bit of a change of pace. Back when I first started this blog, the intent was not just to do reviews and commentaries about movies in the public domain, but also to provide information about just exactly what the public domain is, why it's important, how to take advantage of this incredible resource that is available to and owned by every one of us, and the threats, challenges and changes to both copyright and the public domain in this new digital age. So, in order to get back to that original purpose, this is the first in a series of posts I'm calling simply "Public Domain 101". Now for the most part I'm going to be talking about films here, since that's my own particular area of interest, but in general what I'll be saying will apply to any creative endeavor, whether it's a film, a book, a piece of music, a work of art, or even this blog post itself.
And so we reach the end. Finally we get to to just how Flash and his Space Soldier compatriots conquer the universe. What exactly does it means? What will be the cost? And what exactly will happen to Ming and his evil minions? Well, there's only one way to find out:
Ok, sorry, Kiddies that I've had to be away for a couple of weeks, but let's get caught up with Flash, shall we?
So as chapter 10 opens, we find Flash, Barin and the others on their way (finally!) to actually confront Ming and rescue his daughter, the Princess Aura who is in love with Barin. Unfortunately, Ming has detected their presence and ordered the floodgates opened. The onrushing waters threaten not only to drown our heroes but also to sweep them into a bottomless pit. That can't be good!
Chapter Nine already? Wow, only three to go, and Flash hasn't even managed to conquer the planet Mongo yet. Or even free it from Ming the dictator. How's he ever going to conquer the entire universe? Well, he's certainly not going to do it with us dawdling around here, so let's get on with it, shall we?
Well, that certainly can't be good.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
So with the end of chapter eight we reach the 3/4 point in our serial and we begin to get some interesting answers - sometimes to things we didn't even know were questions. For instance, we learn that despite the fact that they have quite a distinctive language (ya gotta love the backward looped dialogue) the rock men aren't actually made of rock, but are simply dressed that way to hide from the giant lizards that inhabit the "land of the dead". Oh, and we also learn why (at least according to Zarkov) the region got that name.
Ok, really, once you've seen the poster for this flick over there on the right, do I really have to waste a lot of words talking about it? This is, simply put, 70's exploitation fare at its most typical. You've got a mad scientist (played, for a change by a woman, Vicoria Vetri), you've got quite a few chicks getting nekkid (I will point out that most of the supposed "Bee" girls are actually C's or D's), you've got some pretty cheap special effects, you've got a whole bunch of white goo, and you've got... well, yeah, that's pretty much what you've got.
First, a quick note of housekeeping: I'm hoping to get quite a few reviews up this week, sort of a deck clearing effort, before starting in with next week's Public Domain 101 where we'll take a bit of a step back and take more of a look at what exactly the Public Domain is, what it isn't, and why you should care.
Generally, the term film noir is associated with movies where the only real theme is the downward spiral of the protagonist. Occasionally, as in the noirs that came out during World War II, we'll see these films delve into something larger like the "growing Nazi menace", but for the most part that's simply overlay for the general development of mood or atmosphere that the director is trying to bring to the screen. Rarely do we find a director really trying to confront anything larger than one man's personal downfall.
Perhaps that's part of what makes the films of Elia Kazan, and this film in particular, stand out from the typical noir fare, and why it would go on to win two Academy Awards.
Ok, kiddies, time to get caught up on the intergalactic adventures of Flash, Dale, Zarkov and the rest. When we last left them our heroes had escaped from Ming's clutches in one of his own ships. Unfortunately, they soon found themselves being fired upon by their own ally, Prince Barin:
We've discussed before the ever-popular "old dark house" type mystery. You know the ones: strangers gathered for some reason - perhaps they were driven there by a storm, perhaps they are gathered for the reading of a will, perhaps they are simply being paid - in a creepy old house, trapped with no way out until morning, and soon they are being picked off one by one. sometimes the murderer turns out to be one of them. Sometimes it's their host. Sometimes it's some previously unseen or unknown third party. Usually there are secret passages or unseen traps. Sometimes, as in House on Haunted Hill, there's a pit of acid in the basement. Every once in awhile, there are even actual ghosts.
Apparently it's true: war changes everyone, even merciless emperors!
Along with watching the progressing chapters of this serial, for the first few weeks now we've also been talking about some of the changes that were made between the first two series and this one. This week we come to one that may at first seem merely a matter of semantics, but actually, I think, reflects the changes going on not only in Flash's world, but in the real world beyond the screen.
Hiya Kiddies! Sorry for the paucity of posts lately, but yer ol' professor has been more than a bit under the weather recently. Still, I'm back today and ready to make up for it with a whole batch of posts. First we'll start with a TV double feature, then the next installment of our Sunday serial, then with a little luck a double posting of new movie features this afternoon. So just kick back and enjoy some vintage programming.
First up today, as I mentioned, is a double feature from the TV archives, and today we're looking at game shows. There was a time when game shows were as ubiquitous and important a part of television programming as "reality" shows are today. Generally quick and cheap to produce compared to scripted programming, they were an easy way for a TV station or network to fill a time slot. They were also, in a time before every second-rate comedian had a late-night talk show a great promotional tool for other shows or for movies, as a star could make a quick appearance as a panelist or contestant on one of these shows and in return they would get a plug for whatever their latest project was. Of course, that also meant that a lot of ideas were tried as programmers often grasped at straws trying to come up with new and varied ideas that would catch on with the audience at home. sometimes these ideas were good, sometimes, well...
With the BP oil spill and GM in the news so much recently, I thought it might be fun to take a look back at some of these old gas and engine additive commercials. Some of them are really quite amusing and they provide kind of an interesting look back to a time when a service station was more than just a gas pump outside a market.
A drunken poacher is out in his rowboat in the swamp when he spots... something. Taking a shot at it, he misses, and the whatever it is disappears into the murk, but not before he notices that it seems to have tentacles. Instead of pursuing his prey, however, he decides instead to just have another swig of moonshine and let the creature go for another day. Too bad, though, because it's not long after this first sighting that the dead bodies begin to pile up - dead bodies which seem oddly mangled and have been drained of their bodily fluids.
Part Peyton Place (July 1959 Playboy centerfold Yvette Vickers plays the requisite "Legs McGillicuddy" role) in the muck and mire and part Swamp Thing, (replete with one of the most preposterously bad "that's not a guy in a rubber suit with fake tentacles, it's obviously a giant radioactively-mutated leech thing" monsters ever), Attack of the Giant Leeches (also known variously as Attack of the Blood Leeches, Demons of the Swamp, She Demons of the Swamp, and The Giant Leeches) comes to us courtesy of the King of the B's himself, Roger Corman.
Running a bit late with the post today, so just a quick note before we jump in to this week's chapter: you may have noticed that the title cards, instead of saying simply "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe" actually read "Flash Gordon - Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe". This change was actually made in the 1950's when King Features Syndicate bought the TV rights to all three of the Flash Gordon serials from Universal Pictures. Since there was also at the time an ongoing Flash Gordon TV show, King made the change in order to distinguish their product. In TV listings, these shows would simply be listed as "Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe". These title cards were then subsequently used for many of the early home video releases from which these embedded episodes were taken.
Ok, let's hurry along and see how Flash and company are going to survive that avalanche...
So in the intro to our new serial last week, we noted some changes had taken place between the first two serials and this one. Probably the most striking and startling of these changes is the replacement of Jean Rogers in the role of Dale Arden with newcomer Carol Hughes. Not much is known about the reason for the change, except that according to Richard Lamparski's 1982 edition of Whatever Became of...?, Rogers had tired of the role during the making of the first serial (Perhaps she desired more interesting lines than either repeatedly shouting or crying the name "Flash!"?), and had only reluctantly agreed to appear in the second one. When it came time for ...Conquers the Universe she asked to be removed, and Hughes was quickly found to take her place.
Dateline: London - Millionaire playboy Ernest Bliss was diagnosed today as having come down with a bad case of being too rich and indolent. Offended by his doctor's diagnosis, or perhaps only confused about the meaning of the word indolent, Mr. Bliss immediately bet the doctor that he could spend a year living solely on his wits instead of his fortune. Taking only his suitcase and a five pound note, Bliss set off to actually find a job and a new place to live. If he can make it through the entire year without resorting to using his fortune for his own gain, then Mr Bliss will win an apology and a handshake from the doctor. If, on the other hand, he does not make it, then he will have to pay the doctor 50,000 pounds.
Ok, so you start with Hammer Horror stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing and throw 'em onto a Trans-Siberian express train with about 60 other people including a Russian Count and Countess, a mad monk who proves as willing to be a zealot for Satan as he is for Christ and a police inspector who is investigating an apparent murder that occurred at the depot just before the train departed. Then, once everyone is safely ensconced on the train which is barreling down the tracks, you unleash an alien entity which can not only jump from body to body, but can kill with a glance while at the same time absorbing the knowledge and memories of its victims. Oh, and for good measure, about two-thirds of the way through, let's let the train stop just long enough for Telly Savalas (yes, really) to march on board as the whip-wielding commander of a group of cossack soldiers with a penchant for simple "if it comes through that door shoot it" type solutions. Mix all of that, along with plenty of deep-red-blood dripping eyeballs, an early-established "anyone can die" atmosphere shoot it in Madrid and then overdub everyone later, and what do you get? Today's film, 1973's Horror Express.
So today we begin our look at the third and last of the Flash Gordon serials starring Buster Crabbe as the titular hero, and this installment begins with both changes from and similarities to what has gone before.
Once again, the story begins with the Earth falling prey to a mysterious attack, only this time instead of meteors, it's a plague which falls from the sky. Once again, the hand behind the attack is that of Ming the Merciless, the ruler of the planet Mongo, but this time we are shown a Ming who is less Yellow Peril and more European dictator. And once again it is Plash Gordon, Dr. Zarkoff, and the beauteous Dale Arden off to confront Ming and save the planet, but something seems a bit different about Dale this time out, too.
Like the serial itself, I'm not going to spend a lot of time on a long winded introduction - we'll have plenty of opportunity to discuss the serial in depth as we go along. Instead, I'm gonna throw you right into the action with chapter one. Enjoy, and until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting!
Something special for ya today, Kiddies - in 1954, the producers of the Adventures of Superman television show created this special short for the US Treasury Department to promote the sales of US Savings Bonds and Stamps. The short features the regular cast of the television show including George Reeves as Superman, Noel Neill as Lois Lane, and Jack Larson and John Hamilton as Jimmy Olson and Perry White respectively, and does a good job of showcasing the charm, personality, and chemistry of these actors.
The short was never shown in theaters or on television, but was instead designed to be shown in classrooms to educate children about the Treasury Stamp program. Since it was created for and donated to the government, it has become the only "episode" of the show to fall into the public domain.
I've embedded the entire 18 minute short below. Enjoy!
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
So Tuesday we took a look at the 1914 serial The Perils of Pauline which was one of the first cliffhanging serials and starred Pearl White as the eponymous Pauline, and I figured today it might be fun to take a peek at a film that could be considered sort of a follow-up.
By 1947, the popularity of the serial film was beginning to fade, as television began to move into peoples' homes, and attendance at the Saturday matinees, at which these shorts had become a staple, had seen a sharp decline. As a matter of fact, just a year before, Universal had shut down its serials department (along with it's B-pictures unit) to concentrate solely on feature films. This was the beginning of a change not only in the way films would be produced, but in the way that the public saw the movie-going experience and what they expected when they went to their local theaters.
Y'know, there are certain cliches that one thinks of when they think of the old movie serials: the fair damsel tied to the railroad tracks by the dastardly villain only to be rescued at the seeming last instant, the hero trapped inside a burning house, the runaway car speeding too quickly along a twisting mountain road, and, of course, the giant boulder rolling faster and faster down a hill as our poor protagonist tries to find a way to avoid being crushed. (What, you thought that was an Indiana Jones original? Sorry, nope.) Well, like they say, all cliches start somewhere, and this serial, starring Pearl White as Pauline, is where a good many of them had their beginning.
Well, Kiddies, it looks like the winner by an overwhelming majority of the Serial Sunday poll was Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, so we'll start our look at that one next Sunday.
And the winner of the free DVD contest is oldlawmom who wins a DVD copy of her choice, The Phantom Empire. Congrats, oldlawmom, and I'll be in touch with the details!
Thanks to all who played, and be sure to come back tomorrow when we'll take a look at one of the first cliffhanger serials, The Perils of Pauline, and then Thursday when we'll follow up with the 1947 comedy film of the same name which stars Betty Hutton as Pearl White, the star of the original serial.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Just a short clip today, and it's pretty well self explanatory. This was a routine Skelton recorded many times in his career. This particular version appears to be from the 1969 season of his TV show. Enjoy, and, for my American readers, Happy 4th! I'll be back on Monday with the poll and contest results.
Gary Webster: "Hmm.. Legs?"
Meg: "Pardon me?"
Georgia: "Mr. Webster would like to look at your legs."
Meg: "Oh, sure."
[Meg pulls up her skirt]
[Mr. Webster crosses his own legs at the ankles.]
Georgia: "Thank you, you're hired."
Poor Gary! Shipwrecked after a plane crash on a deserted island with a bevy of beautiful dancers who, despite having just barely survived for days and days on a small life raft and then, upon finally finding land, coming upon a cabin with a dead body hung in a spider web, are really mostly interested in seeing how quickly they can strip down to their undies and either go skinny dipping or start cat-fighting (though there is no actual nudity in the film, just lots of underwear and bikinis). Yeah, Gary's got it rough.
Hiya Kiddies! Y'know, it's a story that's been told many, many times over the years. A grieving widow is approached by someone who claims to be able to help them reach their lost love on "the other side". Of course, most of the time, the "spiritualist" or "medium" turns out to be a phony, but sometimes, as in the popular '90's movie Ghost, well, there is more to the story.
I'm not going to give away here where The Amazing Mr. X falls on the "is he a fake or not" scale, because honestly there's quite a few twists and turns along that road in this film and I don't want to give them away. Instead, I want to take just a minute to talk about the, if you'll forgive the use of the word, amazing black and white cinematography of this film.
Ok, Kiddies, it's like this. Since there were only two votes in the poll last week, and no entries in the contest, I've decided to extend both for another week.
Basically, the idea is simple - I'm trying to determine which serial should be the next one featured here on Sundays, and at the same time give away a free DVD.
All you have to do to vote is click on your choice in the poll found on the right hand side of the page. Details on the different serials can be found in this post.
To enter the contest, simply leave a note in the comments section either of the post linked above or this one telling which serial you voted for and, if you want to, why. The closing deadline for both the poll and the contest is now midnight, Saturday July 3. Any comments after that time will not be entered into the contest.
Important note: just voting in the poll will not enter you in the contest. You must comment to enter.
One commenter will be randomly selected to win a DVD copy of the serial of the their choice.
There ya go. It's that easy. Vote. Comment. Win.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
This one is for all those who, like me, simply were not interested in the grubby-looking "prequel" Robin Hood movie that was recently in theaters. Personally, Kiddies, yer old Professor is kind of tired of "heroes" who really aren't that heroic and films that are more about spectacle than telling a story or engaging us with characters. Is there any reason that a Robin Hood film made today seemingly has to be a mud-covered slog? In my opinion that's one reason why that particular film fell so flat whereas something like the first Iron Man movie was surprisingly well received. Not only was it well acted, but it's hero was someone who, though initially flawed, was, in the end, actually trying to be a hero. And yes, you had all the technological gee-gaws that draw the kids in, but at the same time, the producers weren't afraid to put that big shiny metal suit up there on the screen and let it shine instead of making the hero look like he constantly needed a bath (or, in Iron Man's case, perhaps a run through the car wash).
In 1968, George Romero changed the zombie film forever. In Night of the Living Dead and its sequels, the zombie became viral, a disease that spread like wildfire throughout the population, an onrushing tide of shambling flesh-eaters from which there was seemingly, ultimately, no escape. He also is hailed for, whether intentionally or not, turning the zombie film into something of an allegory or commentary on the times with his (admittedly bold) choice of Duane Jones as the lead in his film.
Prior to Romero's film, however, cinematic zombies were completely different creatures. Rather than being the result of some kind of scientific or military experiment gone wrong (the usual explanation for their creation in more recent films, only hinted at in Night, but made more explicit in films such as 28 Days Later), they were usually tied in with voodoo rites, some type of mind-altering drug, or even mere hypnotism. Nor were these zombies generally the type to rip apart bodies and eat their flesh or to spread their infection through a bite. Instead, usually there were only a few of them and they were used as slaves for some nefarious purpose.
These are the type of zombie that we find in today's flick, King of the Zombies.
So, longtime readers may be wondering what's going on with the Flash Gordon Serial that I'd been posting chapters of each Sunday. Well, long story short, it turns out that my source for the serial was mistaken, and it was actually still under copyright. Therefore, no more chapters will be posted, and all previous chapters have been removed.
Of course, that leaves the obvious question of "what now"? Well, that's where you come in, kiddies! Over on the right hand side of the page, I've set up a poll with the top five candidates, and the one that gets the most votes by midnight on Friday 6/25 (yep, that's this Friday) will be the next Sunday Serial.
For those of you who may not be familiar with some (or all) of these serials, I've listed them all below, along with some basic information and a link to the IMDB page for each one.(Just click the titles to go to IMDB.)
"I wish I had a pencil-thin mustache - the Boston Blackie kind."
If you've ever wondered just what or who Jimmy Buffett was talking about, then today's show is for you.
Boston Blackie began life as a safecracker and jewel thief in a series of novels by Jack Boyle. A character created in the "lovable rogue" mode, he was quickly transitioned to film where he became a private detective, then to radio and eventually television. His tagline, as you will hear, declared him to be "an enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."
Today we shift focus to a different, though no less fascinating, type of feature: the propaganda film. Governments, and especially the military have used various forms of propaganda probably ever since Kulano of the Shell Tribe called the inland tribe they were fighting "squirrelly little tree climbers who are afraid of the water" and said therefore that they would be easy to defeat.
So what exactly is "propaganda"? Well, in his book Film Propaganda and American Politics, author James Combs describes propaganda as material produced by governments or political groups designed to “sway relevant groups of people in order to accommodate their [the government's] agendas”. In other words, propaganda, and specifically for our discussion propaganda films, are movies, either documentary or fictional, which are designed not only to present a particular point of view, but to persuade the viewer of the rightness of tht point of view or outlook. For a current example, one could point, say, to the films of Michael Moore or Morgan Spurlock or Al Gore as propaganda. No, they are not produced by the government, but they definitely have a particular point of view, and though the use of select footage and interviews, are designed to persuade the viewer that that point of view is the only "correct" or "intelligent" one.
"How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life?" Believe it or not, kiddies, that song title is one of the least memorable things about this Fred Astaire dance vehicle.
By 1951, when this film was released, Astaire had already been in more than twenty films, including the perennially popular Holiday Inn in which he teamed with crooner Bing Crosby and songwriter Irving Berlin for a film that gave us the song "White Christmas", and Easter Parade which, of course, included not only the famous title song, but paired Astaire with both Ann Miller and Judy Garland. He had also made ten films with legendary partner Ginger Rogers. Astaire had also, by this time shared the screen with famed tap dancer Eleanor Powell, Latina bombshell Rita Hayworth, and friend and friendly rival Gene Kelly.
I don't usually do film news here, but this story seemed like it would be of particular interest to my public domain film loving people.
The National Film Preservation Foundation, along with the New Zealand Film Archive has just announced a partnership to preserve and restore 75 films thought to be forever lost. According to the Foundation's website, probably fewer than 20% of the films created during the first four decades of motion pictures still exist in the U.S., so this archive find represents a great historical treasure.
Mysterious signals have been received from outer space. The eyes of the world have turned to the stars as scientists debate the possibility of life on another planet, eventually coming to the conclusion that since it would take an Apollo rocket "a million years" to reach the closest star able to support life, the only possibility for us to actually contact an alien life form would be for them to come visit us. Unfortunately, when that actually happens and a spaceship lands in a deserted wooded area in Japan, those same scientists with all of their satellites and scopes and radar somehow miss it. Fortunately, however, two preteen boys, Akio and his American friend Tom (along with Akio's little sister) are looking through their home telescope and spot the ship as it lands.
Upon investigating the next day, the boys find themselves suddenly trapped inside the ship as it takes off on a return course to its home planet. When the ship is threatened by an oncoming meteor and all seems lost, the boys are rescued by the giant, space-faring, fire-breathing, flying turtle known as Gamera. Upon seeing the boys inside, Gamera decides to accompany the boys and keep them safe, racing alongside the speeding spaceship at a speed that one of the boys estimates at upwards of "mach 33".
Y'know, kiddies, one can't help but get the impression from watching the movies of the time that being a "big city reporter" during the 1930's was a much more exciting job than it is today. We've already seen examples of reporters being held at gunpoint by supposed mass murderers trying to prove their innocence in The Front Page and His Girl Friday. The Payoff even gave us a crusading reporter who had to turn the tables on his own publisher before the boss had him killed to keep him from printing his story. And, of course, each of these intrepid reporters were able to not only expose the bad guys but do it with an aplomb and sparkling wit that showed why they were considered top wordsmiths. Well, today you can add two more reporters to that list as we meet Pat Morgan (Ginger Rogers) and Ted Kord (Lyle Talbot) who find themselves in deadly danger as the seek out the truth behind a series of murders in A Shriek in the Night.
Sorry about the delay in getting this last part of the silent film fest posted, folks. Its been a tumultuous couple of weeks here, but all that's now passed and we should be getting back to regular postings.
Way back in the day, when yours truly was but a young perfessor, one of my favorite movies was the 1954 Disney-produced version of Jules Verne's classic tale 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Sure, from today's historical and literary perspective it was horribly miscast, and much of the subtleties of Verne's original characterizations is missing, but for a young lad there was nothing that could spark the imagination like the undersea adventures of the Nautilus and her crew. James Mason cast an imposing regality as the imperious Captain Nemo, and when Kirk Douglas risked his life battling that giant octopus, well, to my young mind there was no match for his cleft-chinned heroics.
Imagine my delight, then, in discovering while researching the silent films to include in this mini-festival that there was a much earlier silent version of the tale that I could include here. Of course, almost as soon as I saw the opportunity, the questions also began to arise. Was there any way that such an early version could pull off the effects necessary to tell the story? At this point, filmmakers were only just exploring land based photography, how would they possibly pull off the underwater effects? And was there any way that it could bring the excitement and joy that the Disney version had to my young boy's heart? And would it, being an adaptation much closer in time to the source material also be closer in details?
Ah, what has become of the vampire? When did they become the good guys, the object of teenage angst and lust? For that matter, when did they themselves become full of teenage angst and lust? Whatever happened to the vampire who was a creature to be feared - the creature of the night who was a hunter subject to an uncotrollable bloodlust? Where now is the vampire who changes into a bat or mist, who controls and communes with the creatures of the night, who is a nearly unstoppable force that threatens to overrun towns and turn innocents into hellborn creatures like itself?
In short, when did vampires begin to sparkle in the sunlight instead of cringing and turning to dust?
And now, a word from our sponsors, courtesy of collector Jon Behrens:
("Batteries Not Included" was compiled by Jon Behrens, and is posted under an Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States Creative Commons License as an example of what can be done with Public Domain material.)
Just a short note to start things off: You may have noticed that instead of "Silent Movie Week", the title above says "Silent Movie Fest". that's because, truth be told, I'm simply finding that trying to keep to a one movie per day schedule is negatively affecting the quality of the posts that I'm able to do here, and not giving me the time to really treat them properly. Therefore, I'm going to be cutting the schedule back a bit. For instance, rather than trying to cover all five of the silent films I'd planned to this week, I'll still be doing the same number of films just over a two-week period instead on one. Not only will this change in schedule allow me to spend a bit more time with each film, it will give me a chance to work on some other projects that I hope you'll enjoy, including making some cosmetic changes to the site and updating the Master List which has been woefully neglected of late. There are also some new surprises coming down the lane which I'm not quite ready to announce yet, but I think will be a lot of fun.
Ok, enough of that for now, let's move on to today's film, shall we?
Tarzan. Lord Greystoke. The Lord of the Apes. When most people think of cinematic representations of the jungle hero, their mind immediately goes to Johnny Weismuller, whom many consider the definitive interpreter of the role. Weismuller was not, howevver, the first cinematic Tarzan. That honor actually goes to Elmo Lincoln who portrayed the Apeman in two feature films and a 15 chapter serial from 1918 to 1921. He also actually appeared as a circus roustabout in the 1942 Weismuller outing Tarzan's New York Adventure and had a small role in 1949's Tarzan's Magic Fountain which starred Lex Barker as the jungle king.
(Ok, for those sticklers out there, I'll grant you that technically Gordon Griffith, who plays the young Lord Greystoke in the film is the first cinematic Tarzan, but it's not really until Lincoln steps in that he's actually the Tarzan that we recognise as the Lord of the Jungle.)
Poor Professor Challenger - though he may very well be as intelligent, his temper, I fear, made him always destined be live in the shadow of his literary step-brother Shelock Holmes. Unfortunately for the professor, this secondary creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle never was able to burst into the limelight or gain the popularity of the famed detective. Even in today's feature, the second in our look at silent films, he is truly upstaged by a pack of dinosaurs.
Of course, these were not your ordinary dinosaurs, to be sure. Instead they were the work of stop-motion pioneer Willis O'Brien, who would go on to also create a certain Empire-State-Building-climbing, Fay-Wray-loving giant ape. By then, the creations of O'Brien would be truly spectacular, but even in this early effort they are quite amazing. How amazing? Well according to a report published in the New York Times the day after Conan Doyle himself showed some of the test footage to the Society of American Magicians, "(Conan Doyle’s) monsters of the ancient world, or of the new world which he has discovered in the ether, were extraordinarily lifelike. If fakes, they were masterpieces"
Hiya Kiddies! Today we begin a week I've been looking forward to since I began this blog: Silent Film Week. Instead of the usual routine, each day this week we'll take a look at one of the great films of the truly early days of cinema before the movies learned to talk.
One of the reasons that I think I find silent films so interesting is that they truly employ a vocabulary all their own. Of course, everyone associates silent films with broad pantomimic gestures, and intertitles (those cards that pop up in the middle of the action with either a description of what is happening or a bit of dialogue) but really that's only the tip of the iceberg.
What you're also seeing really is the slow development and discovery of what is possible on film and what truly creative people can do when faced with a new medium, and rarely is that more evident than in today's film, A Trip to the Moon.
Y'know, Kiddies, I suspect that with all the papparazzi and stalkers and such, a show such as This Is Your Life, at least as originally conceived, just wouldn't work today. Of course, considering Punked and other surprise shows, maybe all they'd need to do is get Ashton Kutcher to host it.
The concept was simple, really. Each week, host Ralph Edwards would surprise someone, usually, though not always, a clebrity, and take them to the studio where, in front of a live audience he would begin to reount the details of their biography. Where the true fun (and sometimes pathos) came in, though, was that along with the retelling, the network would bring in various people from throughout the guests life, often people they had not seen in years, and the show would turn into a mini reuinion as these people would share stories about the guest of honor. Quite often, it was these stories, rather than the actual biographical information imparted, that were the heart of the show.
In the episode posted below, for instance, the surprise guest is Lou Costello, half of the famous comedy team of Abbott and Costello. However, as host Edwards says at the start, if all you know about Lou is his onscreen antics, then you really don't know the reall Lou Costello. Let's take a look, shall we?
I suppose you could say this was one case where someone would be happy to hear the word "Duck!" intead of scared.
The story goes that Groucho Marx was supposed to make a guest appearance on Bob Hope's radio show. Miffed at having been made to wait too long in the dressing room, when he finally came on the show and was asked by Hope "Groucho, what brings you here from the hot desert?" his response was "Hot desert, my foot, I've been standing in the cold waiting room for 40 minutes." From that point on, Hope never regained control of his show, as Groucho improvised and wisecracked his way through the rest of the alotted time and beyond. Meanwhile producer John Guedel was listening in and afterward approached Groucho about hosting a game show that would be part interview and part quiz, but which would mostly focus on Groucho's impromptu style. At first reluctant, Groucho finally agreed, and You Bet Your Life was born.
The show began on radio in 1947 and moved to TV in the 50's. for awhile it was actually run both on the radio and television. The show lasted until 1961 when it was finally brought down in the wake of the 50's game show scandals. (Though YBYL itself was clean, because of the accusations of cheating running rampant through the industry, the public simply soured on game shows in general, and not even Groucho's brashness (nor a name change to The Groucho Show) could save it.)
Here, then, is an episode from the mid 50's:
Unitl next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Cesar Romero is thankfully nowhere near as over the top as the Joker.
Vera-Ellen has incredible legs.
It's a film about backstage manuverings and a play that's about to run out of money.
It's also a film about mistaken identity.
It also (for some reason) takes place in Scotland.
For a musical comedy it really has very few musical numbers.
The worst (and really the best) that can be said about it is that it's charming.
Here's a preview:
And here's the skinny:
Title: Happy Go Lovely
Release Date: 1951
Running Time: 97min
Color
Starring: Vera-Ellen, David Niven, Cesar Romero
Directed by: H. Bruce Humberstone
Produced by: Marcel Hellman
Distributed by: Associated British Pathe, RKO Radio Pictures
"From the Public Domain Treasure Chest" is now a regularly appearing feature at Blogcritics.org! Check out the new feature page complete with banner logo: http://blogcritics.org/video/feature/from-the-public-domain-treasure-chest/ and look for new articles to start going up there next week! Regular readers of the blog shouldn't worry, though, I'll still be here daily sharing some great (and some not so great) movies with you. These articles will simply give me more room to expand on certain topics and hopefully reach an ever expanding audience to spread the word about all the treasures to be found in the public domain!
In anticipation of Silents Week coming up in May, I thought I'd share with you today this documentary which chronicles the transition from silent films to "talkies". It's roughly 50 minutes long and is in five parts which should (if I've made this playlist right) play one after the other. Enjoy, and until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting!
Somehow, I don't think Ward Cleaver would approve if he caught the Beav doing this stuff.
Seriously - robbing banks, poisoning a poor, defenseless (though incredibly annoying) old lady, framing her niece as an accomplice - these are not the kinds of actions we usually associate with the man TV Guide ranked as one of the top 50 all-time TV dads.
Actually, before he became known to a generation as the achetypical laid-back suburban-philosophy spewing dad of Wally and the Beaver, Beaumont was regularly known for his tough guy roles. He portrayed hard-boiled detective Michael Shayne in a series of five films beginning in 1946, and guest-starred in a number of detective series on both sides of the law. As a matter of fact, it's said that Beaumont resented his role as Ward Cleaver, feeling that it overshadowed his true abilities.
He definitely strikes a different note in this film, portraying bank robber Steve Clark who has just pulled a $200,000 heist. Looking for a way to safely launder the money, he stops off in a small California town. Stashing the money in a safe-deposit box, Clark quickly gets a job as a cab driver and just as quickly starts making time with local lovely Julie Saunders. Saunders lives alone except for her sickly and demanding (but rich) aunt. When Clark sees the set-up he immerses himself in Julie's life while at the same time poisoning her aunt. His plan is that when the elderly lady dies, Julie will inherit everything in the house, including the robbery money which he will secrete in a trunk in the attic. then they can run away together and be free. The real question, of course, is just how desperate is Julie, and will she go along with the plan.
Let's take a look, shall we?
And, the skinny:
Title: Money Madness
Release Date: 1948
Running Time: 73min
Black and White
Starring: Hugh Beaumont, Frances Rafferty
Directed by: Sam Newfield
Produced by: Sigmund Neufeld
Money Madness is available to watch or download for free here.
It's also available for purchase on DVD from Amazon: Money Madness.
Until next time, Happy Teasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Just had a new article published at Blogcitics.org. This time it's a look at the 1945 movie Detour, and why it's such a good example of the film noir genre. Just click the link above and check it out!
Ok, let's be honest. The title of today's flick is Cat-Women of the Moon. It features "The Hollywood Cover Girls". Having read those two sentences, you already know whether you want to see this one or give it a pass, and there's really no need for me to tell you any more. Of course, has that ever stopped yer Ol' Professor before? No. Is it going to stop me this time? Nope.
From the so-bad-it's-actually-still-really-bad school, this B-reeler was actually created during the height of the 50's 3-D craze, and yes, it was originally released in 3-D. Why? Unfortunately, as seems to be increasingly the case today, the answer appears to be "because they could". Admittedly watching a 2-D print today may not have the same ambience, but there really seems to be no effort at all to exploit the possibilities of the process.
So what we have here is sort of a contrast of styles. The first part of the film is a fairly typical space-faring adventure (well, typical if you accept that future space-farers will be traveling in lawn recliners and office chairs), and the second part is their encounter with the titular Cat-Women who are the last of a race of people who apparently have been trapped on the moon for around 2-million years. Having developed a telepathic rapport with the lone female crew member of the space-ship, (who just happens to be the navigator for this flight which apparently has not even tried to figure out where the optimum landing spot is before they took off) the Cat-Women subtly direct her to direct the craft near to their cave-lair. Their plan is to overtake the men on the flight (exploiting their "weak points") and then hijack the ship so they can escape to the Earth.
The Cat-Women are certainly suitably slinky in their black tights, damsel-in-distress Helen is definitely distressed, the men are all brash and brave and curt, and the spider... what? I forgot to mention the spider? Oh, yeah, there's a giant spider. Well, actually there's something resembling a giant spider puppet that the men spend some time struggling with before... well, anyway, yeah, there's a giant spider.
Ok, let's take a look, shall we?
And now the Skinny:
Title: Cat-Women of the Moon
Release Date: 1953
Running Time: 64min
Black and White, 3-D
Starring: Victor Jory, Marie Windsor
Directed by: Arthur Hilton
Produced by: Jack Rabin, Al Zimbalist
Distributed by: Astor Pictures
Cat-Women of the Moon is available to watch or download for free here.
It's also available for purchase on DVD from Amazon: Cat-Women of the Moon.
Netflix also has this DVD available for rental: Cat-Women of the Moon.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Ok, Kiddies, let's get this one straight from the start. I know we've talked before about films like Jesse James meets Frankenstein's Daughter and Billy the Kid versus Dracula, but I'm sorry to report that, though Billy is shot and killed by Pat Garrett at the very first of this flick, despite what the title might lead you to believe, he does not actually return as a zombie. Instead, he doesn't so much "return" as he is replaced by Roy Rogers who, it just so happens, turns out to be a *ahem* dead ringer for the Kid. Quickly convincing Garrett to let him masquerade as the infamous killer in order to thwart a brand of villainous ranchers who are threatening the local homesteaders. Promising that, unlike Billy, he won't actually do any killing, (though with a total of seven songs in this less-than-an-hour b-reeler he might well sing them to death) Roy, of course, saves the day.
This was actually Roy's second leading role in a film. Earlier in the year he had taken over the lead in Under Western Stars when the original lead, Gene Autry, walked out on his contract. Roy had already been building popularity both as a singing cowboy film star under his original name Leonard Slye, and with his western musical group The Sons of the Pioneers. When the opportunity presented itself, Roy quickly stepped into the role, and through numerous movie roles and his own TV show (in which he appeared alongside his wife, Dale Evans) he quickly became Autry's number one competitor for the title of America's favorite singing cowboy.
Rather than a trailer for this flick, here's a short tribute to Roy's group The Sons of the Pioneers which features them singing one of their biggest hits, "Tumbling Tumbleeeds":
And now, the Skinny:
Title: Billy the Kid Returns
Release Date: 1938
Running Time: 53min
Black and White
Starring: Roy Rogers
Directed by: Joseph Kane
Produced by: Charles E. Ford
Released by: Republic Pictures
Billy the Kid Returns id available to watch or download for free here.
It's also available for purchase on DVD from Amazon: Billy The Kid Returns.
It appears to be out of stock at Netflix, but you can reserve it: Billy the Kid Returns.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting, -Professor Damian
Hiya Kiddies! Afraid I'm going to be taking a few days off from updates to catch up some other things, but I'll be back 4/18 with your the next chapter of our Flash Gordon serial.
Until then, Happy Treasure Hunting
-Professor Damian
There have been so many different adaptations, interpretations and reiterations of the stories of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's great detective that it is often quite nearly impossible to keep up with them. Wikipedia lists the first filmed Holmes story as 1900's Sherlock Holmes Baffled, and since that time there must have been hundreds of different actors portraying the famed investigator right up to last year's entry starring Robert Downey Jr. Some of these interpretations, of course, have been more faithful (and some more successful) than others. A while back, I wrote about one of my personal favorite portrayals, that of Basil Rathbone in the series of films produced by Universal Studios. Today I'd like to take a look at another, slightly earlier series of films which unfortunately have been overshadowed by those Universal films.
Arthur Wotner was born in 1875 and portrayed Holmes in a series of five films from 1931 to 1937. Of these five films, the first, The Sleeping Cardinal was, until recently, thought to be a lost film. Unfortunately, though prints have been found of this one, his second, The Missing Rembrant is still considered lost. nonetheless, the films that we do have show Wotner as a Holmes that is more cerebral than many interpretations, and who also definitely looks the part. Wotner is not as athletic as some of the later Holmes, relying much more on his deductive prowess, and that serves him in good stead in today's feature, his fourth outing as the titular detective, The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes.
Of course, a large part of the credit for this must go to the screenwriters who have hewn fairly closely to the original source material, in this case, Doyle's fourth Holmes novel, The Valley of Fear. One of the trickier aspects of any Holmes story is that since he is truly smarter than anyone else in the room (unless, of course, his brother Mycroft also happens to be present), he has often already figured out the main puzzle of the story before the explanation of the situation is finished. That is why he works better in a short story format than in a longer work such as a novel or film, and why, so often, those longer works feel padded with action scenes or obstacles that do not really belong. In this particular instance, Doyle figured out a unique way to lengthen the story. Almost one third of the book is taken up by an extended flashback to Holme's client's past as a miner in the U.S. The movie makers have kept this flashback, and though it does cause the film to drag a bit in the middle, it also gives the film a feeling of having more substance than other efforts at padding. On the flip side, the producers also felt the need to include Holmes' arch-nemesis Professor Moriarty in the film, when he does not appear in the original story, but that change does not distract too much from the overall quality of the film.
Note should also be made of Ian Fleming's (no, not the James Bond author) interpretation of the role of Dr. Watson. Instead of the bumbling oaf that Watson often seems, in Fleming's hands we see a Watson that lets us understand why Holmes would have kept him around. After all, when compared to the brilliance of Holmes, anyone is going to seem second rate, and it is important to remember that Watson was not only considered a first-rate doctor, but also a highly trained military man.
There's no embedable trailer online that I've been able to find, but here's a clip from the first part of the movie which introduces not only Holmes and Watson to the audience, but also the detective's arch enemy:
And now, the Skinny:
Title: The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes
Release Date: 1935
Running Time: 75min
Black and White
Starring: Arthur Wotner, Ian Fleming
Directed by: Leslie S. Hiscott
Produced by: Julius Hagen
The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes is available to watch or download for free here.
It's also available for purchase on DVD from Amazon:The Triumph of Sherlock Holmes.
One final note before I take my leave today: I'd like to give a quick shout-out to Anthony DP Mann, co-host of the Horror Etc. podcast who is currently producing and starring in what looks to be a fun interpretation of Holmes called Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow Watchers. It's even been authorised by the Holmes estate. Find out more by clicking the link, and if you're at all interested in intelligent and spirited conversation about the horror and sci-fi genres, I highly recommend you check out Tony and Ted's podcast.
Until next time, Happy Treasure Hunting,
-Professor Damian
Welcome to Professor Damian's Public Domain Treasure Chest. Each day I, your humble host, will post information on a movie or T.V. show in the public domain along with links to where you can watch them online (for free) or purchase them on DVD. For more information on the public domain check out my public domain primer (to be posted soon, keep watching this spot for a link) or the public domain entry at wikipedia. Also be sure to check out the great resources available at The Internet Archive. Also each week I'll update The Master List of Public Domain movies and shows I've discussed so you can easily find them. Also, you can contact me with comments, suggestion, complaints or praise by clicking here.
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