A few films from 1957.
Man Afraid (1957), directed by Harry Keller. The cinematography by Russell Metty is notable. The film is a minor example of the genre, although it has good intentions. The plot has the Reverend David Collins (George Nader) and his wife Lisa (Phyllis Thaxter) discovering an intruder in their son’s bedroom one night. In the ensuing scuffle, David inadvertently kills the intruder, Frankie Simmons (Bob Herron – uncredited). Frankie’s father, Carl (Eduard Franz), is understandably upset. In fact, he is so upset that he begins stalking young Michael Collins (Tim Hovey). Carl appears throughout the film with his cigarettes and bedraggled appearance, and he never speaks. His silence gives him and the film a creepy feeling. The situation is dire for the Collins family, and the film attempts to explore the effects of a traumatic situation on each member of the family. The setting with the church bazaar and the nearby ocean is also effective. Rita Shaw as the Collins family maid is formidable. As noir films go, this one gives us a setting and milieu that differs from the more familiar dark wet city streets.
Monster from Green Hell (1957), directed by Kenneth G. Crane. A combination of radiation-created monster flick and African safari movie, Monster from Green Hell is a low budget affair about giant wasps that have arrived in eastern Africa from a rocket that has crashed landed after its trip beyond earth’s atmosphere. The giant wasps are wreaking havoc on that part of the world, but not to worry, Dr. Quent Brady (Jim Davis) is on the case with his potent hand grenades. We have familiar stock footage for the scenes in Africa. The wasps are stop motion things not particularly well presented. Then we have the uncomfortable paternalism of the Americans as they move into deeper darker Africa! The film moves along fairly briskly for its 71 minutes even though not a lot happens. We do have a scene in which a wasp defeats a giant snake. But really, not a lot happens. The characters have little or no dimension. Yet somehow, the film manages to hold interest. Perhaps it is that dire warning about the dangers of exposure to radiation. This film, like so many back in the `1950s, sees radiation as causing whatever it touches to grow larger: wasps, ants, leeches, Gila monsters, fish, even humans.
Back from the Dead (1957), directed by Charles Marquis Warren. Perhaps the title gives things away; what happens here is preposterous. We have a Satanic cult, possession, human sacrifice, and a setting worthy of Rebecca. We have ocean waves crashing, a big house or two, mysterious and fatal women, and a narcissistic fellow with an accent who tries to control the women in his life by persuading them he is a special person, endowed with powers unavailable to mere mortals. Peggy Castle as Mandy becomes possessed by the spirit of her husband’s first wife, Felicia. Ms Castle performs admirably in her dual role. Marsha Hunt plays Kate, Mandy’s sister, and she performs even more admirably as she sets about trying to discover what is happening and bring back her sister who has been unceremoniously possessed by dear once-departed Felicia, now seemingly returned. As these films go, this one is worth an indoor bike ride.
The Vampire (1957), directed by Paul Landres. This film combines the vampire with the werewolf in a rather down-home story about the good Dr. Beecher (John Beal), father and smalltown physician who is kind to his patients, deferring payment when his patients are poor. One of his patients is the mysterious scientist, Dr. Campbell (Wood Romoff) who dies leaving Dr. Beecher a vial of pills. Beecher’s daughter, Betsy (Lydia Reed) mistakenly gives her father these pills instead of his usual migraine pills. As a result, Beecher find that at 11:00 p.m. he turns into a wild man who seeks the blood of anyone nearby, including the elderly Mrs. Dietz (Hallene Hill) who is out waking her dog. We have seen this plot before (remember poor Larry Talbot), but this film has its merits. The musical score is good, and it is pleasant to see so many familiar faces in the cast, people such as Colleen Gray, Kenneth Tobey, Dabbs Greer, Herb Vigran, James Griffith, and Paul Brinegar. The film has its moments, for instance Beecher stuffing Dabbs Greer into a furnace. As vampire films go, this one is a hybrid. We do have those two small marks on the necks of a couple of victims, but no fangs appear for our viewing pleasure.
The Girl in the Kremlin (1957), directed by Russell Birdwell. The preposterous plot has Stalin faking his own death before making his way to Greece to live in anonymous ease. He also has plastic surgery so no one will be able to identity him once he assumes the role of Count Molda. (Maurice Manson). He takes with him his nurse and paramour Greta Grisenko (Zsa Zsa Gabor). Meanwhile, Greta’s sister Lili (also played by Ms Gabor), hires private detective and once OSS member, Steve Anderson (Lex Barker) to locate her sister. Steve, in turn, seeks the aid of his one-armed friend, Mischa Rimilkin (Jeffrey Stone). These two, plus Lili, set out on a quest to locate the whereabouts of Stalin’s son, Jacob (William Schallert), hoping he can tell them where his father is. The film has lots of hokum and throwaway stuff, such as the shaving of a woman prisoner in front of the evil Joseph Stalin. I suppose it is trying to explore cold war dynamics, but it does this rather ineptly, even pointlessly. The director Birdwell was a friendly witness in the McCarthy ugliness.You can find this film in a DVD box set of supposed noir films, but this one has little noir and much baloney. The result is a film you can enjoy for its earnestness gone awry, and for its absurdity. Oh, and did you know that Joseph Stalin shot his son in the groin just as his son, Jacob, ran both of them off the road to their deaths? Here is a history lesson for our times.
Quartermass 2 (1957), directed by Val Guest. Based on an earlier television series, this Quartermass film is yet another Cold War warning about aliens infiltrating earth by taking over the minds of human beings. If it reminds you of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this is because it has similarities to that film, although here the aliens have managed to take over the minds of not only average citizens and soldiers, but also powerful members of the government. Chilling. Professor Quartermass has his work cut out for him when he sets out to eradicate the aliens. The aliens are huge blobs, sort of like giant kale that waver about until, mercifully, they catch fire. The film has a sensibility that is distinctly British – even Sydney James turns up – and this is refreshing. Quartermass is played by American actor, Brian Donlevy. I liked the scene in which Quartermass comes to the small village where workers at the secret facility live. We see signs that read, “Remember: Secrets mean sealed lips,” and “Talk about your job. Lose it.” The soldiers in their Nazi-like outfits are also effective. For a mid-fifties sci fi film, this is clever and well designed. It is the middle of three Quartermass films.
