The White Shadow (1924) Half of a Lost Hitchcock Film, or...?

Hitch auditions for the lead in Home Alone.

It's being hailed as one of the greatest finds of the century (so far, anyway) - the first three of the six reels of "Alfred Hitchcock's first film", The White Shadow. The reels were found among a number of unidentified American nitrate prints that were donated to the New Zealand Film Archive in 1989 after the death of projectionist and collector Jack Murtagh. The Archive has been slowly going through these prints and has already identified and begun restoration of a number of significant films, many of them, like The White Shadow, thought to have been lost forever. (For more on this discovery/restoration project, please check out my previous article on the subject and the website of the film archive itself.)

So what exactly is The White Shadow about? Well, according to an article released by the National Film Preservation Foundation,

The film is... an atmospheric melodrama starring Betty Compson, in a dual role as twin sisters—one angelic and the other “without a soul.” With mysterious disappearances, mistaken identity, steamy cabarets, romance, chance meetings, madness, and even the transmigration of souls, the wild plot crams a lot into six reels. Critics faulted the improbable story but praised the acting and “cleverness of the production.”

Sunday Serials - The Heroes Take Over #2 - The Green Hornet Strikes Again!

Okay, kiddies, it's sequel time! Last time out for Serial Sunday, we looked at the first Green Hornet serial, and this time we're gonna take a peek at the 1941 follow-up, The Green Hornet Strikes Again!

First off, it's worth noting that Universal and series creator George Trendle obviously considered the first serial a success, since this time out we get fifteen episodes instead of the first series' twelve. Also, this serial follows the same pattern as the first, with the Hornet investigating and taking down what seem to be an unrelated series of crimes and racketeers with the only real connection being the presence of "big bad" Boss Crogan. This serial also seems to have had something of a larger production budget, allowing for more elaborate set-pieces, such as the fiery explosion of the ship our hero is traveling on in chapter one.

Unfortunately, there are also some changes from the first serial that don't work as well.

Holy Ghost People - This Spirit Does More Than Just Walk

Hiya kiddies! So this week we move from the fun of the old dark house mystery The Ghost Walks to a completely different kind of spirit with a completely different effect on people, and also a completely different kind of film.

Holy Ghost People is a documentary film released in 1967 which not only chronicles a Pentacostal Christian service taking place in Scrabble Creek, West Virginia, but also includes interviews with many of the participants within the service. Throughout the film we see the participants engaged not only in prayers, preaching, and singing, but also in activities such as speaking in tongues, healing through the laying of hands, and snake handling.

Serial Sunday - The Heroes Take Over #1 - The Green Hornet

Hiya, Kiddies! So here we are, back again for another look at the weekly serials that were a staple of the cinemas for quite a few decades, from at least the 1920's until the early part of the 1950's but this time we're going to take little different tack. Instead of taking an in-depth look at a particular serial and following it through to it's end, we're going to look at different genres and see how they were handled over the years by the differing serials. That way, you can not only get an over-view of the many different samples through the different genres' but of course, if you want to follow up and watch the complete serial on your own, you'll always have that option.

Fair warning, however. Because many of these serials are based on trademarked characters, their public domain status may not be as clear as with most of the movies we discuss. That's one of the unfortunate issues when we begin to discuss the public domain and underlying rights (and I'm not going to go into that whole discussion now, since it's sure to come up as part of the Public Domain 101 series resuming soon). I will, however, do my best to note which of these are still under copyright or in the public domain where it is clear.

So, where shall we begin? Well, with the release of last year's Green Hornet movie and films based on The Green Lantern, Thor, Captain America, and The X-Men all coming out in the first half of this year, it seems like 2011 is at least going to start out as the year of the superhero in the cinema. (At least as far as the big blockbusters go.) So, since superheroes were also a long-standing staple of the Saturday matinees, that seems like as good a place to begin as any.

The Ghost Walks - And Shows Us Once Again That "The Play's the Thing"

Hiya, kiddies! So, the "old dark house". It's a mystery/horror sub-genre that we've discussed before, and honestly, it's one of my favorites. I suppose one of the main reasons is because it's like ordering a favorite meal at a restaurant. Even if you've never been to that particular eatery before, you still pretty well know what the ingredients are going to be and how it's going to taste before you get it. Oh, sure, one cook may include a bit more or less of this ingredient or may put them together in a way that tries to impart a bit of his or her own personal style, but nine times out of ten you're going to get something pretty much the same as that dish that you've enjoyed time and again.

Then, of course, there's also that tenth time, when the cook actually does something somewhat unique and surprising with those familiar ingredients.

Valentine's Day Special - Romance in the Public Domain

Hey there, kiddies! Yep, Yer Ol' Professor is back after an all-too long hiatus, and I thought we'd do something different today. In celebration of Valentine's Day, instead of simply looking at one movie, I thought I'd give ya a round-up of some of the varied romances that can be found in the Public Domain. Now, I'm not gonna claim that this is some kind of "Top Five" list or anything like that, since really those are completely subjective depending upon the taste of the viewer. Nor am I going to go into a lot of detail about each film. (Some of these I've already blogged about at length, and you can find those essays by checking the archives over to your right.) Instead, I'm just going to give ya some of the basic info about them, a clip or a trailer so you can get a taste, and in most cases a link to where you can either watch or download the whole movie online legally and for free. After all, that's part of what makes the Public Domain so great: the fact that all of these movies are now available for anyone to have access to.

So snuggle up with your special sweetheart, get cozy, and let's enjoy some Hollywood love, shall we?

Public Domain 101 - Part 1 - An Introduction

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.

Sunday Serial - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - Chapter Twelve

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:

Sunday Serial - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - Chapters Ten and Eleven

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!

Sunday Serial - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - Chapter Nine

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

Sunday Serial - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - Chapter Eight

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.

Invasion of the Bee Girls (1973) - Bee Girls in a Z-Movie

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.

Panic in the Streets (1950) - Noir For the Public Good

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.

Sunday Serial - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - Chapters Six and Seven

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:

The Rogues' Tavern (1936) - The Ghouls Take a Holiday

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.

Sunday Serial - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - Chapters Four and Five

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.

Saturday TV - Dollar a Second and Quick as a Flash

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...

Saturday TV - You Want Me To Put What In My Car?

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.

Attack of the Giant Leeches (1959) - Auuuugghh! Swamp Suckers!!

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.

Sunday Serial - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe - Chapter Three

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...