The Unsinkable Molly Brown
Directed by Charles Walters
Written by Helen Deutsch from a play by Richard Morris
1964/USA
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Molly Brown: Nobody wants to see me down like I wants to see me up.[/box]

Well, despite its flaws, this particular musical lover still gets a kick out of Molly Brown.

As the film begins, the toddler Molly is seen happily surviving wild water and washing up on shore like Moses following a Colorado flood.  She is adopted by backwoodsman Shamus Tobin (Ed Begley) who spends most of his time sipping from a jar of moonshine. Molly grows up to be Debbie Reynolds, an illiterate hard-scrabbler with a dream of self-imrprovement through marriage to a wealthy man.  Molly sets off on her own to the mining town of Leadville where she gets work as a saloon singer.

During her travels, Molly meets up with “Leadville” Johnny Brown.  The young man is hardly her vision of a good catch but he teaches her to read and write and she falls in love with him.  It turns out hard work is no substitute for luck and Johnny has that in spades.

The couple, now married, moves to Denver and spend their millions in the most vulgar way possible.  Molly does not get the respect she seeks and eventually heads off to Europe, which acts as a kind of finishing school for her.  Meanwhile, Johnny never stops yearning for the mountains he loves.

This musical has about three songs which are reprised over and over again.  I had the soundtrack album as a kid and could still sing right along with the actors.  It’s not the classiest musical ever made but it had me smiling when I wasn’t shedding a sentimental tear.  I had forgotten how appealing the lanky Presnell is.

The Unsinkable Molly Brown was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Actress: Best Cinematography, Color; Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color; Best Costume Design, Color; Best Sound, and Best Music, Scoring, Adaptation or Treatment.

A Shot in the Dark
Directed by Blake Edwards
Written by Blake Edwards and William Peter Blatty from a plays by Harry Kurnitz and Marcel Archard
1964/USA/UK
Mirisch Films
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Dreyfus: Give me ten men like Clouseau and I could destroy the world.[/box]

Peter Sellers comic genius is matched by a great supporting cast.

To boss Charles Dreyfus’s (Herbert Lom)  everlasting chagrin, Inspector Clouseau (Sellers) is assigned to investigate the murder of wealthy Benjamin Ballon’s (George Sanders) driver. Housemaid Maria Gambrelli (Elke Somer) is found standing over the body with the murder weapon in her hand.  The body count at the Ballon mansion mounts thereafter.

Clouseau decides the best way of investigating Maria is to set her free.  Clouzot also becomes smitten with the comely Maria while people keep dropping like flies around her.

I still haven’t figured out the solution to the Ballon house murders but the plot is not the thing here.  It’s one classic comic set piece after another.  My favorite parts are the nudist camp scene and the introduction of Clouzot’s servant Kato who has been instructed to ambush the detective when he least expects it – always at the worst possible moment. Elke Somer proves to be quite an adequate commedienne and Herbert Lom is wonderful. Recommended.

Three Outlaw Samurai (Sanbiki no samurai)
Directed by Hideo Gosha
Written by Keiichi Abe, Hideo Gosha, and Eizaburo Shiba
1964/Japan
Samurai Productions
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Sakon Shiba: The peasants risked their lives. A samurai can do no less.[/box]

After seeing Gosha’s knock-out first feature, I am looking forward to the rest of his work.

Peasants have captured the local Magistrate’s daughter and are holding her hostage until he meets their demands for lower taxes and basic fairness.  A wandering ronin, Shiba, seeks shelter one night and finds himself in the middle of this.  At first he is more amused at seeing things unfold, but eventually he throws himself wholeheartedly on the peasants’ behalf.

The Magistrate has hordes of guards at his command and is not to be trusted.  His mission is to prevent the peasants from presenting a petition to his Lord who will be coming through the region in a couple of days.  Luckily, two of the guards eventually join Shiba in the fight.  These three men manage to rack up a body count many times their number with some exciting swordsmanship.

I thought this was very well done in all aspects.  The story borrows a bit from Seven Samurai but is more purely action-oriented.  Recommended

Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (San dikaiju: Chikyu saidai no kessen)
Directed by Ishiro Honda
Written by Shinichi Sekizawa
1964/Japan
Toho Company
First viewing/FilmStruck

[box] Detective Shindo: Ahhh, these monsters are as stupid as human beings![/box]

I was in the mood for a fun, mindless movie and this was just the ticket.

As the film begins, a princess’s evil retainers plan to assassinate her by blowing up her plane.  Instead she is sucked out of the window into another dimension and appears on earth as a Venusian.  She tells anyone who will listen that the planet will be destroyed as her own was by Ghidorah if no action is taken.  Ghidorah has already arrived on earth and is preparing to hatch from its meteorite.

Obviously, the only force strong enough to defeat Ghidorah will be other indestructible monsters.  The two little maidens from Infant Island pray to Mothra who eventually convinces the reluctant Godzilla and Rodan to join forces and kill the foe of mankind.

I got exactly what I expected from this movie and that was good enough for me.  Not the best in the series nor the worst.

This was the final film in the “Godzilla” series in which the great Kurosawa regular Takashi Shimura appeared.  As usual in these things, he is playing a scientist.

Behold a Pale Horse
Directed by Fred Zinnemann
Written by J.P. Miller from a novel by Emeric Pressburger
1964/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation/Highland-Brentwood production
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. — Revelation 6:2-8 [/box]

This is a solid action-adventure with beautiful atmospheric black-and-white imagery.

As the film opens, it is 1939 and the Spanish Civil War has ended with the victory of the Nationalists and Franco.  Republican fighters are ordered to surrender their weapons and go into exile in France.  Bandit hero Manuel Artiguez (Gregory Peck) backs out of the deal at the last minute and disappears.  He eventually does relocate to France but conducts bloody raids into Spain.  20 years pass.

Arch-nemisis Guardia Civil Capt. Vinolas (Anthony Quinn) has never stopped trying to capture or kill his rival.  He sees a golden opportunity to lure Artiguez back into Spain when his mother falls ill.  Artiguez is caught in a web of informers and well-wishes all with different advice.  Priest Father Francisco (Omar Shariff) arrives bearing a death bed message from Artiguez’s mother and the bandit still does not know what to believe.  I was not expecting the ending.

This is a solid movie if a bit slow moving.  My favorite part was the way Zinnemann captured Spanish reality in beautiful black-and-white.

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7 Faces of Dr. Lao
Directed by George Pal
Written by Charles Beaumont from a novel by Charles G. Finney
1964/USA
George Pal Productions
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Dr. Lao: The whole world is a circus if you know how to look at it.[/box]

I still remember this well from its original release.  All these years later, it is still a treat for its acting, makeup, and special effects.

An elderly Chinese man (Tony Randall) arrives in the old West town of Abalone with his traveling circus.  The inhabitants of the town have the usual personal problems.  Prime among them is the coldness of the town librarian (Barbara Eden) toward the advances of the crusading newspaper editor.  More pressingly, an evil real estate developer (Arthur O’Connell) is offering to buy up the whole town by claiming it is running out of water.

Dr. Lao’s circus is the most excitement the town has seen in years and everyone goes to see its wonders:  The Abominable Snowman, Merlin the Magician, soothsayer Apollonius of Tyana, Pan, Medusa, and the Giant Serpent (all played by Randall).  This particular circus is a treat for hearts as well as eyes and Dr. Lao has everything straightened out nicely by the end.

Tony Randall never had a chance like this one to showcase his incredible versatility again. He is just great.  I like him best as Lao.  This is also one of the most truly magical movies I have ever seen.  The special effects are amazing for the time.  There is a nice family-friendly message as well.  Highly recommended.

William Tuttle won an Honorary Academy Award for “his outstanding make-up achievement for 7 Faces of Dr. Lao.” The film was nominated for Best Effects, Special Visual Effects.

Man’s Favorite Sport?
Directed by Howard Hawks
Written by John Fenton Murray and Steve McNeill from a story by Pat Frank
1964/USA
Gibraltar Productions/Laurel Productions/Universal Pictures
First viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Tagline: It takes a girl to supply the answer![/box]

Hawks’s homage to his own Bringing Up Baby only had me longing for the original.

Roger Willoughby (Rock Hudson) works for a sporting goods company and has written a best-seller on fishing.  His well-kept secret is that he has never been fishing (or camping or anything outdoorsy) in his life.  Abigail Page (Paula Prentiss) and her friend want him to participate in a fishing tournament to be held at a resort they do PR for.  Roger refuses but Abigail blackmails him into it.

When Roger gets to the lake, he proves to be as hopeless at fishing etc. as he feared.  But Abigail is on hand to “help” him, getting him in one annoying predicament after another. She keeps trying to woo him as well, without much success until …

The plot summary should give you an idea of the tie-in to Bringing Up Baby (1938).  The movie also harkens back to Christmas in Connecticut (1945), in which Barbara Stanwyck has to pretend to be a homemaking expert, and a scene in Libeled Lady (1936) in which William Powell catches a fish by accident and gets dragged around a lake.  Try one of those for a more enjoyable comedy.

The Moon-Spinners
Directed by James Nielson
Written by Michael Dyne from a book by Mary Stewart
1964/US/UK/Argentina
Walt Disney Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] Aunt Frances Ferris: I don’t know why one always thinks that foreigners will suddenly understand English if one shouts.[/box]

This good family adventure from Disney features Haley Mills’s first screen kiss.

Nicky Ferris ( Mills) is accompanying her Aunt Frances (Joan Greenwood) while she records folk songs on the island of Crete.  When the two arrive at the inn they have reserved in the village, Stratos (Eli Wallach),the brother ef the proprietress, denies them rooms.  The situation is remedied for at least one night.  Nicky becomes aquainted with the other Brit at the inn, Mark Camden (Peter McEnery) who is slightly older than herself.  They have fun at the raucous Greek Wedding occupying the inn and the entire village.

The next day brings high adventure.  Mark has somewhow earned the emnity of Stratos and been wounded in the process.   Nicky tries to help him and puts her own life in danger.  The reason for all the trouble is kept a secret until near the end.  With silent film star Pola Negri in her final film performance as “Madame Habib”.

I tend to like Haley Mills and she is very good in this.  As a thriller it isn’t a challenge to Hitchcock or anything but does keep you guessing straight through.

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