MichaelM-3 Reviews

Riders of Destiny (1933)

Remarkably good, one of directors' best, great cast

[17 August 1999]

This movie is surprisingly good. Director Robert North Bradbury, actor Bob Steele's father, did some of his best work here.

There is an attention to detail in this film that is missing from too many B Westerns.

The cast is top flight, with John Wayne, even this early, showing that personality that led him to become the single most popular movie star in the history of Hollywood. (Yes, even today there is no single star who has sold as many tickets.)

Al St. John, later known as "Fuzzy," plays a different kind of role, but still shows himself the champion scene stealer.

Cecilia Parker was a doll, cute, perky, with animated features that should have led her into more fame.

The stunt work shows the hand of that master, Yakima Canutt, who is also cast in a minor part.

All in all, this movie is about as much fun as any one film can be; it is more than worth watching: it is worth watching again.

Pilgrimage (1933)

Surprisingly good, moving film that ought to be seen more often

[11 August 1999]

"Pilgrimage" works at several levels.

It is "a woman's film" in that it is very emotional.

It presents a cast of superb actors, generally unknown to modern audiences, with the exception of Heather Angel, whose role is actually small despite her second billing.

It is a surprise, too, because its director was John Ford, much better known for such action pictures as "The Searchers" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," or such dark melodramas as "The Informer."

There is a remarkably talented child actor who grew up to become the daddy of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Jay Ward.

Marian Nixon, billed down the list, but with a strong and important role, is not only beautiful, but poignant and touching. She deserves to be considered in the pantheon of great actresses who didn't quite make the top ranks.

Perhaps because of the lack of major names, perhaps because of the time frame of the action, perhaps because of the weepiness of the plot (which I do not say in a pejorative sense), "Pilgrimage" is almost unknown today, but I consider it quite good, definitely worth seeing again.

Hellfire (1949)

A truly great B movie

[30 July 1999]

The review by Filmaven tickled me. I feared I was alone in believing this movie is one of the greats.

Marie Windsor, a fine actress in any role, just outdid herself in this film.

Bill Elliott was even better than usual, and so were all the other actors.

Best of all, though, was an excellent script, one definitely worthy of A movie budgeting and distributing.

There is a quality in this movie that is sadly lacking in most modern films, and the emphasis on a story line is one aspect that elevates "Hellfire" above the mass of films.

The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Great, pioneering flick deserves better than detractors allow

[9/10 · 23 July 1999]

This movie was an early victim of a concerted media attack. Over the years, people who have not seen it, and people who do not know anything about director D. W. Griffith, including modern-day columnists of know-nothing newspapers (such as the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette) have condemned it as "racist" or as something else ugly.

One must take into account the times in which it was made; and one must also realize that neither the movie nor the director in any way intended an attack on black Americans or even on Yankees.

As it would probably be foolish to accuse the director of "Natural Born Killers" of promoting murder, it is more than wrong to accuse Griffith of promoting racism.

The movie needs to be viewed as the entertainment spectacle it tried to be; and it needs to be viewed as having some tiny bit of historical veracity, if not in the details, at least in the overall picture.

There are scenes, such as the Little Colonel's homecoming, that never fail to bring tears to my eyes, as often as I see the film.

And there are other scenes that bring chuckles, however often I see them.

Griffith actually got better in his later films, but there are so many instances of genius in "Birth of a Nation," that this film is absolutely a classic.

Anyone who has not seen it just does not know the history of Hollywood.

The Wide World of Mystery: Frankenstein: Part 1 (1973) Season 1, Episode 2

Bo Svenson stole this

[15 July 1999]

In some ways, this was the best of the Frankenstein monster sagas.

Bo Svenson, a terribly underrated actor, gave surely the best performance of anyone as the monster.

Svenson gave a humanity to the creature that no one else ever has achieved.

It's a good movie, but the Svenson performance was great!

The Rainmaker (1956)

Remarkable directing job: Even Lancaster was good

[15 July 1999]

After avoiding the film for years, I finally accidentally saw "The Rainmaker." And kicked myself for having missed it.

The director, Joseph Anthony, is someone of whom I am otherwise totally unfamiliar, but he is obviously a genius. Even wooden Burt Lancaster is animated -- and, yes, he got much better as his career progressed.

Perhaps the most enjoyable surprise was the performance of a favorite actor, Earl Holliman. He just really outdid himself in this. Of course, all the actors were great, but Earl Holliman had, for a change, a part worthy of his ability and he lived up to all expectations.

I want to see this movie again and again, just for the direction and performances. And especially to see Earl Holliman again.

Trouble Along the Way (1953)

Offbeat, different, one of the Duke's best

[15 July 1999]

Perhaps because "Trouble Along the Way" is so unusual a film for John Wayne, I rank it among my favorites.

He is a little more down to earth in this one; there is no violence; there is humor.

There is also a superb cast, some of the finest players with whom the Duke ever performed.

I highly recommend "Trouble Along the Way," to everyone, but especially to anyone who isn't familiar with the wide range and great ability of John Wayne.