Reviews

Elisha Cook Jr. as Harry Williams and Laird Cregar as Ed Cornell (named after Cornell Woolrich) do a much better job than Richard Boone and Aaron Spelling. Cregar, who died tragically as a result of a crash diet at the age of 31. I also prefer Elliott Reed in "Vicki" over Victor Mature in "I Wake Up Sreaming or "Hot Spot." I can sum it up this way. I would revisit "I Wake Up Sccreaming" but wouldn't watch "Vicki." The novel by Steve Fisher translates well to the screen. Finally, I don't consider this to be a film-noir picture.

Fourth in the series of 6 films about "the Chinese Copper" James Lee Wong, the Monogram answer to Charlie Chan is featured in this 67 minute film which also includes the somewhat regular cast of Marjorie Reynolds (3) and Grant Withers (6). The story centers around the death of his long time friend on the police force Dan Grady (never saw him) who was fished out of the water with lead shoes and two bullets in the back of his neck. A perfect story about revenge where the police force sends out every available man to catch the killer. Nope. Captain Street (Withers) is going to handle this alone with "Bobbi" Logan (Reynolds) and the "Chinese Copper" Wong. Wong upon seeing the jade in Grady's desk drawer, immediately seeks the assistance of the Chinese jeweler (Richard Loo) in San Francisco's Chinatown. His advice was "A wise man could become more wise by visiting Belden's a jewelry store. It appears a dead end but leads to the clue of the smuggling ring. The Neptune Club run by Cookie (Stanford Jolley uncredited) and owned by Harry "Hardway" Lockett (Frank Puglia) are behind the smuggling and two more deaths occur, Tanya Serova (Lita Chevret), girlfriend of Belden Jr. and Hardway, and Frank Belden Sr.(Hooper Atchley. Both knew too much.John T. Forbes (Charles Towbridge) , lawyer for the creditors not to his surprise finds that $50 jade is actually $3000 pieces and when he finds that Belden Sr. is ready to confess he is murdered. Tanya is murdered because Forbes, who is in love with her, is thrown aside for Belden Jr. and he murders her. Another murder, Griswold (Jason Robards) a radio programmer, and a remote control radio all play part in the plot.

Scott Darling, a prolific writer of nearly 200 screenplays, along with adaption by George Waggner best known for his directing of "The Wolfman" (1941) offered a clever story with enough twists and turns to make it interesting. William Nigh, who did over 120 films, directed an adequate job with no frills, exactly what Monogram wanted, quick, on time and on budget. The theme, written by Edward Kay nicely depicts the character Wong as a slow prodding but always moving forward character. The music is spotted rather sparsely something that Monogram does but this film is better than others in the series.

As long as one keeps in mind that this is a 'B' picture and was designed to fill an hour of time, the function of Monogram. It provided second billing to the 'A' feature and did a nice job.

The good news is that this film is in public domain which means you can watch it for free. I t is 1 hour and seven minutes so make sure you are getting the full version as there are some that are only one hour. If you wish an entire 6 DVD set it be purchased for a very reasonable price, under $20.00 from Oldies.com http://www.oldies.com/product-view/9571D.html. It is also available used on the net. The Roan Group seems to have the best quality.

While there is an airplane at the end of the film this film really has nothing to do with the cover artwork. This film deals with synthetic fuel (formula 311) developed by two scientists apart from each other as security measures. A love interest between the two stars adds to the story and intrigue. This is a slower paced film but I like the plot and the conclusion is surprising. The good news is it is available for free on the internet archive and their copy is watchable. The score by Lee Zahler is passable. Nothing stands out but it is passable. The number of people who were watching Norton was hilarious. The German Captain Gemmler in the picture somewhat reminds me Col. Klink in the television show "Hogan Heroes." I give this film a #100 ranking.

Ann Savage, Hugh Beaumont, Charles Hicks, and Charles Brown star in a PRC production directed by Sam Newfield and adapted from a true story by Fred Myton about a man who falls in love with a married woman, married to a much older man who she wants to kill for the insurance on him. After killing him, his business manager is accused and sentenced to die. The conclusion is exciting. The 67 minute film moves quickly and I've ranked this one #19 on my top 100 list. Beaumont and Savage are good co-stars and seem to work well together. A honorable mention goes to Charles Brown as the editor of the newspaper where reporter Beaumont (Kenny Blake) works for. I believe that this film shows that a lot of money is not necessary to produce a very watchable film. My copy was in good quality condition and the score uncredited to Leo Erdody was very passable. Forget the comparison to "Double Indemnity" and enjoy it. Wasn't "A Postman Always Rings Twice" by Cain also similar?

The title was somewhat misleading. Why would you think this was a vampire flick? As the plot goes Prof. Paul Kristan's mother was bitten at the time of child birth.With aid of Zan the hunchback (Mischa Auer) Kristan is able to hide his vampire qualities until? Morgan does a fine job and I place him near the top of the 'B'actors. It was a very solid performance who will always give his best. This film is ranked #50 in my top 'B' movies with a 7 star rating. The film has its faults with a poor soundtrack, missing the boat on some occasions completely, the over use of the word swooning toward the end of the film, and the too nice scenes with Kristan and Marguerite (Maxine Douglas) who is very young for Kristan. The production company Invincible films appears to be a PRC film. Don't look for anything gory in the vampire scenes just enjoy the film for what it is, a good 'B' movie.

The copy of the film that I had was poor quality with an excess amount of contrast and vertical lines off and on throughout the film. I purchased it because I like the genre, Neil Hamilton, and have a look at Doris Day in 1941. I didn't even recognize her! The basic plot was Federal Agent James Madison (Neil Hamilton) trying to arrest Otto Libermann aka Haskel(Victor Varconi) for a plane crash he was responsible for. Chuck (Lyle Littel is just the right amount of comedic relief for the picture.Music doesn't fit some of the scenes which leads me to believe that they tried to use source tracks without success. If I had a copy of better quality I might raise my rating from 3-5. Otherwise pass and watch some better 'B' movies.

When the theaters were owned by the major studios in the 30's and 40's the price of a ticket got you a feature film, cartoon, news reel, and what is now called a 'B' movie. "Gang Bullets" is one from Monogram, a major player during this era. If this film is judged against others in the same class I would put it in the upper 25%. Starring Anne Nagel (a rare top billing), Robert Kent, and Charles Towbridge it tells the story of a fast talking racketeer who thinks the district attorney can't touch him. The law has other ideas but can they capture the criminal? The 63 minute film moves along under the direction of Lambert Hillyer and the watchful eye of Scott Dunlap. There are hacked up versions including the internet archive version which is not as sharp and shorter. The DVD I purchased is much better quality and available for under $5.00. Abe Meyer, who made his living providing source music for many of these films did an adequate job with this one. A good watch.