Murder By Television ~ 1935 -BW

QUICKIE: We've always suspected, but now we know.... Tv kills!

PLOT: The inventor of a new television transmission process refuses to sell his invention to any existing broadcast companies and plans on revealing his invention through a debut broadcast. Midway through the initial broadcast, the inventor is killed and when the police arrive to investigate the death, the inventor's assistant is found murdered. With plenty of suspects to choose from and all with a motive for the deaths, it falls on the Chief of Police and a Federal Agent to figure out who did the crimes

SUMMARY: ......SPOILERS BELOW!
Bela in a non-vampire role! And not a mad scientist either! This movie is pretty good. I had no idea who did it, as everyone had a motive. It's a pretty standard mystery, but what is really great here is the ending. The professor was killed by two frequencies combining to produce a cosmic radiation known as The Death Ray! And no, that wasn't Bela who got killed, it was his twin brother! Those two bits came out of nowhere and sure surprised me. What a crazy surprise ending because of it too.

Mystery Collection: Disc 12 - side A

Watch for free:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3k3eksLo7I

Guest in the House ~ 1944 -BW

QUICKIE: PDMR rule: Some women are just bad.

PLOT: A young woman (Anne Baxter), who is emotionally unstable, stays at the home of her physician where she ends up meeting his brother (Ralph Bellamy). The woman becomes obsessed with the man, in spite of the fact that he is happily married (to Ann played by Ruth Warrick), and decides to do everything in her power to win him over and prove her love. The dangerous actions of the young woman leads to some tragic consequences for those involved. Aline MacMahon plays Aunt Martha, Marie McDonald as Miriam the model, and Margaret Hamilton has a small role as Hilda the Maid.

SUMMARY: Not having seen All About Eve I found this movie to be absolutely wonderful. Having read a review of All About Eve on IMDB.com I can understand why critics downplayed Ann Baxters' portrayal of Evelyn as "preparation for Eve" in All About Eve. Hence the futility of reading "critics". I am not a critical person, preferring to focus my time on good things, and skipping over the losers.

I found this movie to be completely engrossing. It sucked me in and carried me along and in the end made me thrilled with the whole ride. Ann Baxter was great, I didn't think she over acted at all. I especially enjoyed how the whole movie got darker and the lighting more dramatic as the emotions progressed. Some have said the characters' gullibility was too hard to believe, and I did agree with that a little, but pushed it away with the rational that times were indeed different then. Also, if one has never interacted with a sick individual, one has no way of knowing what they're capable of. So, their naivety was believable for me.

If I rated movies around here, I'd give this 10 out of 10 stars, I liked it that much. It is a really good film start to finish. And boy, what a finish!

Mystery Collection: Disc 14 -side A

I can't find it online yet.

Mutiny ~ 1952 -colour

QUICKIE: Some girls are really bad and will drive you to do such bad things.

PLOT: Early in the War of 1812, Captain James Marshall (Mark Stevens) is commissioned to run the British blockade and fetch an unofficial war loan from France. As first mate, Marshall recruits Ben Waldridge (Patric Knowles), a cashiered former British Navy captain. Waldridge brings his former gun crew... including "Hook" (Gene Evans) who begin plotting mutiny as soon as they learn there'll be gold aboard. The gold duly arrives, and with it Waldridge's former sweetheart Leslie (Angela Lansbury), who's fond of a bit of gold herself.

SUMMARY: I think Angela Lansbury really makes a difference in this film. For one, because she's the only female and two because she drives the first mate on into the dark side once again. Without her this would have been one more boring "pirates against the captain, everybody after the gold" movie. It IS that story, but it is made much more interesting by the exchange between characters and Waldridge's rise, fall and rise of character. This has ALL your typical high seas, pirate adventure movie stuff: the big sailing ships, pirates, cannons, war, a big storm, getting drunk, sharks, royality disseminating ships, murder, treachery, mutiny, poker, floozies, on and on. It's all here.

I liked this bit:

Hook: "Well, the anchor room ain't no place for a Lady."

Leslie: "With a million in gold at stake, I can forget I am a Lady."

Yes she can, and she does, whole heartedly.

Mystery Collection: Disc 59- side B

Watch for free here:
http://www.moviesfoundonline.com/mutiny.php

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-729866009297839601&sourceid=searchfeed

The Crooked Circle ~ 1932 -BW

QUICKIE: "Olive Oyl" is stuck in a Haunted House with murderers!

PLOT: The Sphinx Club is a group of amateur detectives who are the bitter rivals of The Crooked Circle, a collection of hooded villains. After The Sphinx Club aids the authorities in catching and imprisoning a member of The Crooked Circle, the evil gang swears revenge by targeting Colonel Walters, a well-known member of The Sphinx Club. Will the Sphinx Club be able to protect Colonel Walters or will The Crooked Circle succeed in their quest to kill him?

SUMMARY: If you've never experienced the thing that is Zasu Pitts, here is a Zasu zinger! In 1933 Mae Questel caricatured Pitt's voice for the character Olive Oyl for the Fleischer Studios animated cartoon version of the comic strip Popeye. Zasu (pronounced Zay-Sue) does her best "Olive Oyl" impersonation walking around whining and ringing her hands or attaching herself to the policeman's laynard. I kept waiting for her to say "ohhh myyyy", but instead it's "something always happens to somebody."

The first time I saw this film I loved Zasu and found her character really funny. I've since seen her in other films where she does this same whining, uptight, fragile-flower routine. So, upon watching this film again I started getting a little annoyed with the constant whining and near hysteria over a piece of dust. But, there are some funny comedy bits here, and it's also a mystery movie as well. It's an interesting mix of mystery and comedy that actually works. The mystery plot holds together well through the camp of Zasu Pitts and James Gleason who plays Arthur Crimmer the policeman. The haunted House is fun with many a secret passage and even a skeleton in the attic!

Horror Collection: Disc 45 - Side A

Watch for free here:
http://www.archive.org/details/crooked_circle

Rogues' Gallery ~ 1944 -BW

QUICKIE: Murder shouldn't be funny, but this one is a laugh a minute.

PLOT: Reporter Patsy Reynolds (Robin Raymond) and photographer Eddie Porter (Frank Jenks)are assigned to interview John Foster (Davison Clark), head of the Emmerson Foundadtion regarding a listening device the organization is working on. Foster evades them and they to the lab to see Professor Reynolds (H. B. Warner), the real inventor. Soon, they are involved in several shootings, blueprints that change hands several times, a corpse in their car that appears and disappears a few times, the loss of their jobs and several people who either think they are killers or candidates for being killed.

SUMMARY: Oh gee, this one really made me laugh out loud alot. It's your typical murder movie and the corpse keeps vanishing so the police doubt there even was a murder. Patsy seems to be the only one with a clue in this whole movie and I love that. Strong female characters in older films are a rarity. Her and her crazy photographer side kick solve the murder, despite being the prime suspects. Jimmy Foster (Ray Walker) is a rival reporter who has a knack for turning up just when Patsy is getting a scoop.

I figured out right away who did it, so if you're looking for a great "who dun it", then this isn't it. It's more of a comedy than a mystery. If you approach it from that angle it'll be more enjoyable.

Mystery Collection: Disc 48 - Side - A

Watch for free here:

http://www.archive.org/details/rogues_gallery

The Black Raven ~ 1943 -BW

QUICKIE: Murder, money, mobsters, marriage, and the worst storm imaginable.

PLOT: A remote country inn, "The Black Raven", is the setting for this mystery starring screen legend George Zucco. Zucco is Amos Bradford, the proprietor of the inn that has a series of mysterious guests arrive during a raging storm. Many of the guests unknowingly have connections to each other and things become very interesting when a murder and $50,000 in embezzled money enter the picture.

SUMMARY: First of all, it's not just a dark and stormy night, it's a frickin' hurricane out there! Hollywood was a bit over zealous with the rain and wind machines again. But it provides laughs as we pity poor Andy (Glenn Strange) the servant who continually gets soaked having to park the cars or get the bags. One of the great things about these older films is this over the topness that by today's standards is so unrealistic that it provides us a laugh.

So, at "The Black Raven" Inn various guests show up who are trying to make it over the border to Canada. The roads are all washed out, so spending the night to wait out the storm is the only option. The movie opens with an escaped convict come to kill Amos Bradford (George Zucco) the keeper of the Inn. He gets knocked down and tied up in a back room, and then the guests start arriving. First is Mike Bardoni (Noel Madison), a mob-boss on the run, trying to make it to Canada until things cool off. Next comes the nerdy banker Horace Weatherby (Byron Foulger) who embezzled $50,000 from his firm and is trying to make it to Canada undiscovered. Before he can get a room, Robert Randall (Robert Livingston) and Lee Winfield (Wanda McKay) show up. The couple is eloping to Canada to escape Lee's mob boss father Tim Winfield (Robert Middlemass) who also shows up not soon after the couple.

With all the players in place, it's not long until lives and stories intertwine. Tim Winfield becomes the most hated man at the party. World renowned meanie, he forbids his daughter to marry and roughs up the fiance Robert a bit, who in turn, threatens to kill him. Tim then discovers the identity of the banker on the run and takes his money from him. Mike Bardoni the mobster was trying to get away from Tim himself, and before we know it, Tim the mean mobster is dead. But who killed him? And what happened to that convict tied up in the back room? Add in the bumbling Sheriff (Charles Middleton) and we've got the makings of a classic murder mystery. They don't come much better than this. Ok, maybe they do, but this one is fun and there's some good laughs and you'll be surprised at who did what. YAY for George Zucco, I love him. The scene where he's making googley eyes at his servant is the best moment. Here's a couple zingers for you:

George Zucco: "Too bad you weren't born without a tongue instead of without a brain."

"With your imagination, you could see the Statue of Liberty do the conga!"

I've seen this listed as a remake of "The Rougues Tavern", but having seen both films, I find them very dissimilar. In fact I would not have know this was a remake without having read it on IMDB. It's a quick 65 minute film, and MillCreeks version was sub-par as usual, with frequent complete black screens instead of a movie. Die hard fans might want a restored, unedited version. I heard Roan Group.com carries a good version of it.

Mystery Collection: Disc 48 - side A

Watch for free here:

http://www.archive.org/details/black_raven

Sinister Hands ~ 1932 -BW

QUICKIE: It's another game of "Who Murdered the Millionaire?"

PLOT: During a séance at an elderly millionaire's house, the millionaire is murdered. The detectives investigating the crime discover that everyone who was at the séance had a motive for killing the man.

SUMMARY: You will NEVER guess who did this one because it makes no sense at all and no reason is ever given for why he did it. The final scene has the round up of the usual suspects and each one is gone over for their motive and alibis, except the one who really did it. My copy was so badly edited it was laughable. Still, I always like these movies. Lots of proper handsome men in tuxedos, Ladies in satin ball gowns, a huge, gorgeous manor and very civilized, polite murder. I mean, why else do we watch these films, if not for that?

House on Haunted Hill ~ 1959 -BW

QUICKIE: He's trying to kill her, she's trying to kill him, they're trying to kill him, he's trying to kill them, she's dead, no she's not, he's dead, no he's not, they're dead, I think.

PLOT: Millionaire playboy Fredrick Loren (Vincent Price), hosts a party for his 4th wife Annabelle (Carol Ohmart) at the "House On Haunted Hill," a house that has seen seven murders, Fredrick invites 5 guests: Lance Schroeder, (Richard Long) a pilot, Ruth Bridges (Julie Mitchum), a journalist, Watson Prichard (Elisha Cook Jr.), the owner of The House On Haunted Hill, Nora Manning (Carolyn Craig), a worker for one of Fredrick Loren's companies, and David Trent (Alan Marshal), a psychiatrist. Fredrick will offer each of them $10,000 to spend a night in The House On Haunted Hill. They all want the money. Mr. Loren's fourth wife, Annabelle, warns the guests that her husband is insane and plans something that night. That's when everyone begins to suspect something's going on with Mr. Loren. At midnight the doors are locked and there's no way to get out. Then when a game of murder begins and no one knows who's doing what, there's no way to call for help because there's no electricity, phones, and no way to get out.

SUMMARY: This is a brilliantly fun movie. We have the typical "spend the night in the haunted house" game with murders, intricate character relationships and lots of mystery as to who did what. There's an annoying guest who supposedly spent a night in the house before and was found in the morning to be near dead and half insane. He regales us with tales of previous murders in the house and how their ghosts now haunt the house. It's a good, creepy fun movie that isn't too scary with the guts and gore. Just inferred scares. Vincent Price is always wonderful to watch.

Big Town After Dark ~ 1947 -BW

QUICKIE: PDMRB rule #9: Some girls are just bad.

PLOT: When Lorelei Kilbourne (Hillary Brooke) leaves her job as the police reporter for the Illustrated Press, Managing Editor Steve Wilson (Philip Reed) employs the publisher's niece, Susan Peabody (Ann Gillis), to replace her. Susan becomes involved with gangsters in plotting a $50,000 swindle against her uncle, which Steve and the returned Lorelei uncover.

SUMMARY: Oh, she's bad! Sweet little Suzie, has a heart of stone. The neat thing about this movie is that you don't get the whole thing all at once. It slowly develops the story and the characters as we go. By the near end of the movie Suzie comes out as the real monster she is in a great scene displaying her greed and viscousness. We're introduced to her as the "innocent college co-ed", and find out later she's "married to the mob"! Sure, it's the same old newspaper movie story with the "trying to expose the gangsters" plot, and the love interest reporters disrupted by the young reporter thing. But it's still a good, fun film. Maybe because there's a bit more character development going on.

The Amazing Mr. X ~ 1948 -BW

QUICKIE: A woman is haunted by the ghost of her (supposedly) dead ex-husband.
But wait! This time it's a REALLY GOOD movie!

PLOT: On the beach one night, Christine Faber (Lynn Bari), two years a widow, thinks she hears her late husband Paul calling out of the surf. She then meets a tall dark man, Alexis (Turhan Bey), who seems to know all about her life. After more ghostly manifestations, Christine and younger sister Janet (Cathy O'Donnell) become clients of the psychic Alexis; but he in turn finds himself manipulated into deeper deception than he had in mind when Christine's ex-husband shows up to blackmail Alexis. Only Christine's new fiance, Martin Abbott (Richard Carlson) has his wits about him enough to see the fraud and deception going on and through his help, everything comes to a climactic, dramatic ending.

SUMMARY: This is a fabulous movie! This was the 2nd time I've watched it and I'm sure I'll watch it another handful of times. It's so very well done and beautifully shot too. High contrast dramatic lighting always thrills me. The story is very well put together and there are many levels here: the naive wealthy, the evil wealthy, the logical wealthy, and the deceptive crooks. I never expected her husband to still be alive, that was a great twist, even if it's been done before. I got lost in the movie and really enjoyed it. I think what makes good filming is the variety in shots. From long views over the sea, to close ups of Christine's desperation, to the indoor expanse of their gorgeous estate. It's visually engrossing as well as intellectually and emotionally. That always puts a film into the top ranks for me: it's got to be pretty! And this movie is stunning.

Bloodlust ~ 1959 -BW

QUICKIE: Finally! Teenagers are hunted like the vermin they are! (Just kidding!)

PLOT: A group of teen-agers vacationing in the tropics take a boat out to a seemingly deserted island. They soon find, however, that the island is inhabited by a wealthy recluse and his staff. While their host is initially hospitable, he quickly reveals his true purpose: to hunt down and kill each of his visitors, as he has done with everyone unlucky enough to set foot on his island.

SUMMARY: This is a redo of The Most Dangerous Game, which was a much better movie than this. Robert Reed (Mike Brady from The Brady Bunch) is the main character, and I can't take me eyes off his naked colored skin tight t-shirt that shows off the tiniest waist I've ever seen on a guy. I swear I could count his ribs.

Anyway, we have your typical gang off innocent teenagers who get detained on an island by a demented hunter. This movie has more of the drive-in movie flavor with screaming girls, gore and violence than The Most Dangerous Game did. TMDG is a classier film with Fay Wray, tuxedos and ball gowns. There's no gore or violence like seeing leeches crawling over a guy as we have here. Suspension of reality is a must again, as SIX people don't have the brains to gang up against one guy in a house loaded with weapons hanging on every wall. (roll eyes). But, how else would we get a movie, right? A pretty decent film on it's own. Having seen TMDG first, I was a little let down, but it's still good enough to watch with friends.

The Gorilla ~ 1939 -BW

QUICKIE: Hard to figure out who the real gorilla is: the detectives, the butler, the father, or the monkey. They all act beastly. heehee


PLOT: When a wealthy man (Atwill) is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he hires the bumbling Acme detectives (the Ritz Brothers) to investigate. A real escaped gorilla shows up at the mansion just as the investigators arrive.
Patsy Kelly is fantastic as the maid with attitude, and Bela Lugosi has everyone suspecting he's the killer because he's the creepy butler.

SUMMARY: Hardly a Horror film, more of a comedy. A good film with the Ritz Brothers playing stupid slapstick detectives. It's your typical wealthy manor with secret passages and the wealthy father whose life is in danger, the beautiful daughter love interest who gets kidnapped, the hero fiance, and the secret G-man detective hanging around. The story is the same old, same old, "wealthy mans' life is threatened", but it's funny with the slapstick of the Ritz bros, the frenzy of the maid, and the over-the-top creepiness that Bela Lugosi really has fun with. An entertaining film.

The Limping Man ~ 1953 -BW

QUICKIE: Murder, blackmail, intrigue, drama, romance, this is turning into a great movie.... PSYCH! Aw, BOOOOOOOOO!

PLOT: American Frank Pryor (Lloyd Bridges) arrives in London to take up an interrupted romance with Pauline French (Moria Lister), whom he hasn't seen in six years. At the airport a man standing alongside Pryor is slain by an unseen sniper, and he is detained by Scotland Yard for questioning. Released, he goes to Pauline's apartment, and learns that she had an intimate association with the slain man and is not interested in talking about it. Scotland Yard also knows this and Pryor and Pauline are kept under surveillance. After complications involving the dead man's wife, it is found that the man Pauline knows isn't dead at all and isn't who he is supposed to be.

SUMMARY: Wow, this movie had everything going for it, and was shaping up to a great dramatic ending, and then it just pulls the rug right out from under you. I've seen some horrible endings in my day, but this one, this one takes the cake. The movie has great intrigue, blackmail, murder, mystery, deception, plot twists, it's a great film. Then WHAMO! Sucks.

It works out that the dead guy isn't dead, and continues to try and blackmail Pauline. The climactic pre-ending has him trying to escape the police and Pryor catches him on the balcony of the theater. There's a fist fight and just as Pryor is about to klonk the bad guy on the head, or push him over the balcony, WHAM! Pryor is back on the plane where the movie started, and he's being awakened by the passenger behind him returning his magazine to him. WHAT?!!! It was all just a dream he was having? What a rip off. I felt gyped. Where's the happy ending? Is him getting off the plane and meeting Pauline it? Boooooooo. Give us a real ending. It's a great movie, but the ending is infuriating. But maybe that was the point.

The Monster Walks ~ 1932 -BW

QUICKIE: That crazy ape is trying to kill me and steal my inheritance so it can buy bananas!

PLOT: After her fathers' death, Ruth (Vera Reynolds) and her fiance Dr. Ted Clayton (Rex Lease) return to her home for the reading of the will. The long suffering staff is angered by their meager bequethment, yet "Tanty" (Martha Mattox) still tenderly cares for the grieving Ruth. A strange monkey arm slips through Ruth's headboard while she's asleep and tries to choke her. She is completely unnerved by the attempt on her life by her fathers' monkey who is caged in the basement and hates her, so her "Tanty" sleeps in her bed to console her. While Ruth is reading by the fire and dozing off, the gorrila arm reaches through the headboard again and successfully strangles the woman in the bed this time. Chaos ensues when Tantys' son Hanns discovers that he has accidently murdered his mother and he tries to kill the dead mans' brother and then kidnaps Ruth and ties her to a post outside the monkeys' cage hoping the monkey will finish her off. But, as he is whipping the monkey into a frenzy, the ape grabs the whip and pulls Hanns to the cage and strangles him. Proving PDMRB rule #15: youre killed the same way you murder others.

SUMMARY: I've never seen a thunderstorm like this one! Ho boy! It's non-stop fireworks out there! I guess the Director just wanted to make sure that you got the point: it was a dark and stormy night.... it upsets the ape tremendously. And supposedly just the presence of Ruth also drives the Ape into a rage and he has tried to kill Ruth before. Well no wonder she wants out of the house. I love that she keeps saying "Oh Ted, take me away!" Reminds me of the Calgon bath salt commercials: "Calgon take me away!" But, they don't leave because then we'd have no movie. I'll admit when this movie ended I actually said "that was bad". Now these public domain films are generally not oscar winners, but even when they're bad, they're good. But really, not here. The story is rehashed, the acting is bad, and the characters shallow. Sorry, but this one was just a bad, bad.

The Pay Off ~ 1930 -BW

QUICKIE: I keep trying to get out and they keep pulling me back in....

PLOT: A thug robs a young engaged couple of their last few dollars. When the thug's gang boss hears of the robbery, he gives them back their money and takes them under his wing. The thug, resentful of the couple, plans to organize a mutiny against the gang's boss, but when he kills a man in a botched robbery and the police focus their attention on the young couple. This leads to a deadly confrontation with the boss, which leads the gang to turn on the boss.

SUMMARY: This is a good movie and raises some interesting questions. Like how can a couple of innocent kids be so unbelievably STUPID? If a guy robs you, it's a sure bet that he's not a nice guy. Even if later he says it was just a joke, don't believe him. Even if he gives you money to buy your wedding ring, don't take it. PDMRB rule #10: Some guys are just mean. Especially if their name is anything similar to Rocky, Duke, King, Killer, Slash, Muscles, Throat slitter, or Tony. Here, Rocky is our mean guy. He robs the young kids, frames them in a jewelery heist, and trys to oust the mob boss. The boss is changed by the kids' innocence and he wants to retire, but how exactly does one quit the racket? The mob usually won't let one retire, except permanently. So Gene (the boss) struggles with his feelings for the kids, falling in love with the girl, and wanting to go straight. The ending leads to the kids getting framed for the murder in the botched jewelery heist and Gene comes through as a good chap in the end. Sacrificing himself for the kids. Aww. Always the happy ending: the bad guys always get busted and the couple gets married. YAY!

Baby Face Morgan ~ 1942 -BW

QUICKIE: Golly gee willikers guys! What do you mean I'm the head gangster?!?!

PLOT: A young man's father, who lives in the big city, dies and his business associates bring his son to the city to take over his father's business. What the young man doesn't know is that his father was one of the city's biggest racket bosses and that he's being placed in charge of the gang's profitable shakedown operations, disguised as an insurance agency.

SUMMARY: Well, this has quite a few PDMRB rules going in it:
#1. Suspension of reality makes the story work and the movie enjoyable.
#2. Crime doesn't pay.
#14. The bad guys always get busted .
#18. Jump to conclusions and suspect the worst from others.
#19. Misunderstandings make for a funny, heart-warming story.
And of course the rule supreme of the happy ending when all misunderstandings are cleared up and the bad guys are busted, and the couple gets married. Awww.

This movie is just silly. An innocent kid is assumed to be a crook just because he's the mob boss' son. So without knowing anything about the kid, the whole lot put him in charge. He treats it as a legitamate business and does quite well paying the insurance claims business owners are making because the mob is blowing up their trucks. The office is a hoot as the secretary and her boyfriend are breading rabbits to make her a fur coat. Misunderstandings abound and in the end the truth comes to light and "Baby Face" has to make a stand in the room of gangsters. Cute and always the happy ending.

The Woman Condemned ~ 1934 -BW

QUICKIE: The chick caught holding the gun did it!, or did she?...... The radio star was murdered, or was she?...... I'm watching a good movie, or am I?........

PLOT: Married to a man she didn't know...Jailed for a murder she didn't commit! Jerry Beall, a young newspaper reporter, intrigued by the charm and beauty of Barbara Hammond, a girl accused of murdering a female radio-star, sets out to prove her innocence in the face of a damaging array of circumstantial evidence, abetted by the lack of truth in many of Barbara's statements. But Barbara winds up in a romantic clinch instead of the electric chair, after a series of sequences that reveal the fallacy of jumping to conclusions.

SUMMARY: It's only from reading the plot summary and liner notes that I learned Barbara was an undercover cop. My movie was so chopped up that they removed that crucial bit of story. Millcreek isn't known for having the highest standards, and they don't have a problem placing their logo on screen for half the picture either. I've watched movies from them where the sound was so bad that it sounded like it was raining through the whole picture. But I'll admit it adds some charm... not seeing their logo though.

Anyway, the story is interesting and good as it kept my attention the whole time. Probably because it was rather confusing as the murdered woman had a twin sister who is the one who was shot. Barbara won't say anything to defend herself, so it looks like curtains for her. At more than one place I said a big fat: HUH? Suddenly the murdered radio star isn't dead, the killer is an innocent cop, and a lady has to spend a month at a retreat to have a birthmark removed? I think the PDMR rule #1: "suspension of reality is necessary to enjoy the movie" is really applicable here. Don't think too hard, just go with it.

Parole, Inc. ~ 1948 -BW

QUICKIE: Politicians are corrupt and the undercover g-man is gonna bust 'em!

PLOT: When several notorious criminals are unjustifiably released on parole, the Federal Government smells a rat and sends ace agent Richard Hendricks to investigate. Hendricks infiltrates the gang responsible for the parole racket by posing as a much-wanted convict Rick Carson. However, the wily Barney Rodescu, who is the brain behind the racket, soon finds out Carson's true identity. Carson's life is now in grave danger.

SUMMARY: This is a pretty good movie and it moves pretty well. The surprise here is that a female is the head of the gang. And they don't seem to be doing too much illegal stuff other than running a "numbers game with punch cards"? The story comes to a climactic ending with the parole board gang meeting with Carson at a country cottage. We can pretty much guess what will be happening, as the movie begins with Carson all bandaged up laying in a hospital bed recounting the story of the corrupt parole board into a dictaphone. So, the story is told in retrospect, with snips of Carson recovering bit by bit.

The Great Flamarion ~ 1945 -BW

QUICKIE: If a woman can manipulate you into killing her husband, she's gonna try to kill you too.

PLOT: Flamarion, an expert marksman, is entertaining people in a show which features the beautiful Connie (Mary Beth Hughes), and her alcoholic husband Al. Their relationship sours and Connie manipulates Flamarion into believing she is in love with him and Al's drinking is out of control. Through lies and manipulation Connie gets Flamarion to accidentaly shoot her husband and then both of their lives change dramatically.

SUMMARY: PDMR rule: Some women are just plain bad! OK, common sense: if there's a stage show where a guy shoots guns at people for real, you just know it's a matter of time before there's "an accident". And there is. Connie Wallace manipulates "The Great Flamarion" into shooting her husband and then everything changes. When Connie insists they seperate for 3 months so as not to arouse suspicion, you can guess that Connie won't show up 3 months later as planned. She's bad!

The story is told in retrospect/flashback by the wounded and dying Flamarion, who has murdered Connie. During the confrontation she shot Flamarion and he escapes into the rafters only to fall after everyone but one guy has left. Fulfilling another PDMR rule: You always die in the same way you murder others.

Swamp Women ~ 1955 -color

QUICKIE: Hot hoochie-mama ex cons on the lam searching for hidden diamonds in the swamps of "Nawlens".

PLOT: An undercover policewoman helps three female convicts escape from prison so that they can lead her to a stash of stolen diamonds hidden in a swamp. Complications arise when the women abduct Connors and begin fighting each other.

SUMMARY: ok, the best parts are when the girls rip their pants into some skin bearing hot pants, and those cat-fights in the swamp scenes. RAWR! A PDMR classic movie rule is: a group of 3 or more girls will always have a cat-fight, and this movie obliges us in a swamp! The movie moves slowly, and the story is predictable.

There's a guy taken hostage, which of course creates a love interest to fight over, in addition to the diamonds. In any crime "spoils" movie, the gang will betray each other so they can gain more of the spoils for themselves. Same thing here, it's just done with hot chicks in the Bayou. Some cool Mardi-Gras footage from the 1970s is in the beginning of the film. A good fun, film even if it is predictable. It's in the Horror collection, but there's nothing really horrorific here, I think it belongs in the Mystery set instead, as there's the typical plot points of murder and the criminals searching for the loot story. So I've listed in both categories.