expandafter Reviews

Suspense: The Corsage (1952) Season 4, Episode 34

Moving and powerful

[8/10 · 27 February 2018]

Let's not talk about electronic organ music, blood types, or the real names of actors.

This episode succeeds where it matters: the story and the characters.

I'm sure that many who have retired and find themselves alone can strongly empathize with the character played by Lawrence Fletcher. Listen to these lines:

"You know, I had three ships sunk under me during the war; I wasn't even afraid. But now that I'm retired---now that there's nothing in the world but to face it.... You know, the worst terror is when you're alone at night in the dead of night in your room, and you reach for a book, but the best book in the world is just waste paper, and you play records---play them over and over again---but all I can hear is the clock ticking time and me away. And that makes me desperate. That's why I watch the kids come and go, laughing and young, every day, and that makes me more desperate. And I want to reach out and grasp. When a man like that is rejected, you know what he can do? He can do terrible things out of loneliness and terror."

The Mine with the Iron Door (1936)

Dull and boring

[4/10 · 26 February 2012]

Set mainly in Arizona, this is a story of searching for a legendary horde of gold. The protagonist attempts to follow the few clues available, such as an arrow carved in a rock. While doing so, he become romantically involved with a young woman who lives in the desert.

The makers of this low-budget film failed to generate any excitement, tension, mood, or suspense, and there is no character development. The attempts at humor are very feeble.

"Mediocre" would be a good word to describe the directing, editing, and cinematography.

I'm pretty sure the novel must be much more enjoyable.

The St. Louis Bank Robbery (1959)

A good but grim heist movie

[7/10 · 30 July 2010]

A very realistic heist film that is based on an actual crime and uses as a location the bank where the robbery took place.

The makers of this film were very professional and did a good job. The only downside to the movie is that it is so sombre; the characters aren't charismatic, witty, or cheerful, and they aren't in the habit of saying things like "Do you feel lucky?" or "Make my day." (On the other hand, that fact adds to the realism.)

Steve McQueen performs well, and he's not trying to be Marlon Brando. His character is a young, inexperienced man just out of college who's not too sure of himself and who is trying not to become a habitual criminal.

Since the film is in the public domain, a high-resolution copy can be downloaded here: http://www.archive.org/details/Saint_Louis_Bank_Robbery

I Love Trouble (1948)

Disappointing

[9 September 2009]

For one thing, I didn't find Franchot Tone convincing as a tough private investigator.

As the film progressed, I didn't feel that I was gaining any insight into what was going on inside the characters heads. They remained ciphers.

The plot, which is more confusing than engrossing, crawls along and never gains any momentum.

I found the background music irritating and distracting. If a film is good, why does it need lush music to induce the right mood in the viewer?

Dressed to Kill (1941)

Fun and funny

[8/10 · 28 December 2007]

Lloyd Nolan's Michael Shayne is a refreshingly human private detective, jumping to wrong conclusions and once not even being able to say his own name correctly (you'll see why). The two policemen assigned to the case are delightfully dense.

Shayne is within hours of being married when he and his bride-to-be hear a scream that he investigates. He has to spend the rest of the movie not only attempting to solve the crime but placating and putting off his impatient fiancée. Secret passageways and trapdoors, people who have changed their identities, magicians' sleight of hand, and a hilarious singing-telegram scene add to the tasty mix.

I really enjoyed this and found the humor a welcome addition to the murder investigation.