Tonight's Movie: The Flame (1947) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

It's New Year's Eve, and a camera glides over the city to a darkened apartment, where a shot rings out...

This description might make a savvy classic film viewer think of the opening of Eagle-Lion's REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947), which begins with Joan Leslie shooting husband Louis Hayward on the last night of the year...but in this case the sequence is from an entirely different movie from the same year, THE FLAME (1947).

THE FLAME was just released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber in the Dark Side of Cinema XXV collection. To my knowledge this is the first time it's been available for home viewing.

John Carroll plays George MacAllister, the shooter in the movie's opening scene. Carroll, formerly an MGM contract player, had moved to Republic Pictures that year; before THE FLAME he appeared for the studio in a pair of Bill Elliott's Westerns, WYOMING (1947) and THE FABULOUS TEXAN (1947).

Most of THE FLAME is told in flashback, as we learn that ne'er-do-well George's girlfriend Carlotta (Vera Ralston) is nursing his wealthy brother Barry (Robert Paige), who's in poor health due to an unnamed malady.

George and Carlotta have a plan for her to marry Barry, who's not expected to live long, after which she'll inherit Barry's millions and she and George will live happily ever after.

There are just a couple of problems: George has another girlfriend on the side, Helene (Constance Dowling)...and George also hasn't counted on Carlotta falling for Barry for real.

Nor has George figured in that Helene has another boyfriend, Ernie (Broderick Crawford), who's in need of funds to keep Helene happy and discovers he has an excellent opportunity to blackmail George and Carlotta...

I thoroughly enjoyed THE FLAME, finding it one of those relatively unknown little movies which proved to be a wonderful discovery. It has a solid script by Lawrence Kimble, based on a story by Robert Terrance Shannon, and I found it a very worthwhile 97 minutes which I hope will become better known.

The movie was shown in a Republic Pictures series at the Museum of Modern Art several years ago -- Farran Smith Nehme wrote an excellent overview for the Village Voice -- and I'd love to see this one shown at future film noir festivals.

With its "gothic noir" elements -- Barry lives in a forbidding coastal mansion which calls to mind MY NAME IS JULIA ROSS (1945) -- and a feeling of impending doom, THE FLAME has a touch of the otherworldly tone which also sets apart REPEAT PERFORMANCE. These New Year's Eve films would make a marvelous double bill.

The movie has some superbly directed sequences, such as an early scene with George driving towards his hotel; it manages to be both spooky and heart-pounding, as George is stopped by a police officer (Eddie Dunn) and initially makes the incorrect assumption as to why he was pulled over. The movie has a number of similarly well-orchestrated moments which elevate it above the norm.

The cast may not be comprised of the best actors of the era, yet I rather enjoyed that they were relatively fresh faces on the noir scene.

This is one of several films teaming Ralston and Carroll, who were frequently teamed at Republic; their other films were WYOMING, I, JANE DOE (1948), SURRENDER (1950), and BELLE LE GRAND (1951).

I've always liked Carroll, who like his MGM contemporary James Craig gradually moved into doing good character work; one of his final films was Budd Boetticher's DECISION AT SUNDOWN (1957), where he played a strangely admirable villain. He's got just enough sleaze here to make the role work.

Ralston isn't especially believable in her early scenes as the film's ostensible femme fatale, lacking the varied shadings needed to convey her character's transformation from bad girl to good; at the same time, you could easily read the character as not having what it took to be a "bad girl" from the outset. She's likeable and at times downright angelic in the film's latter sections, and I quite enjoyed her here.

Ralston has been unfairly stereotyped over the years as a poor actress who was the paramour and later wife of Republic Pictures head Herbert J. Yates, but I don't feel she's received her due. While certainly not one of Hollywood's better actresses, she nonetheless had what it took to sustain a successful career over the better part of two decades, and she was actually quite good in a number of films, including DAKOTA (1945), more than holding her own in a spunky role opposite John Wayne, and the underseen JUBILEE TRAIL (1954), where she headed a deep cast alongside Forrest Tucker and Joan Leslie.

Paige (CAN'T HELP SINGING) is similarly considered a rather bland actor, yet I found him entirely believable and effective here as the kindly Barry, a genuinely nice guy. What can I say? I liked him.

Crawford and Dowling also had supporting roles in the previous year's outstanding BLACK ANGEL (1946) for Universal Pictures, a personal favorite. They're excellent here, providing the film with some needed spice, with Crawford perfect as the determined blackmailer.

Dowling has a lot of fun with her more ambiguous character and has a couple terrific scenes. In the first, she puts over a sultry take on Kahn and Donaldson's "Love Me or Leave Me" when performing in a nightclub; in the second, she pays a call on Carlotta and shares some plain facts about George. Her exit is a great moment.

Kudos also to Victor Sen Yung, who takes an initially stereotypical role as George's houseboy, Chang, and turns the part into something deeper and quite moving in his final scenes.

The supporting cast also includes Blanche Yurka, Henry Travers, Hattie McDaniel, Harry Cheshire, John Miljan, and Garry Owen.

Bess Flowers fans will spot the movies' best-known "dress extra" walking through a lobby near the movie's start, dressed in New Year's finery. I remember at one point Flowers' IMDb credits numbered in the 800s; her listings are now at over 1100! I've added a couple of her credits myself over the years.

Like the other films in this Kino Lorber set, the previously reviewed CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS (1953) and HELL'S HALF ACRE (1954), THE FLAME was directed by John H. Auer, who mostly worked at Republic Pictures. He does a fine job on all three films, in each case sustaining a very effective moody tone and making good use of actors often seen in support in leading roles.

The film was memorably shot in black and white by Reggie Lanning. Kino Lorber's beautiful, gleaming Blu-ray print shows off Lanning's photography to great effect. The print is from a new Paramount Pictures HD master from a 4K scan.

Disc extras consist of a commentary track by Heath Holland (Cereal at Midnight), plus a gallery of trailers for three additional films available from Kino Lorber.

This Dark Side of Cinema set is another winner, especially as it makes THE FLAME available on Blu-ray for the first time, and is very highly recommended.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray collection.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Coming September 16th from Running Press: CRISS-CROSS: THE MAKING OF HITCHCOCK'S DAZZLING, SUBVERSIVE MASTERPIECE STRANGERS ON A TRAIN by Stephen Rebello. Rebello is also the author of ALFRED HITCHCOCK AND THE MAKING OF PSYCHO and A CITY FULL OF HAWKS: ON THE WATERFRONT SEVENTY YEARS LATER - STILL THE GREAT AMERICAN CONTENDER.

...Kino Lorber has targeted a July 15 release date for the previously announced EXCLUSIVE (1937) starring Fred MacMurray and Frances Farmer, directed by Alexander Hall. It will feature a commentary track by Jason A. Ney, joined by Farmer expert Jeffrey Kauffman.

...There's a new book coming from silent film expert Ben Model next month: THE SILENT FILM UNIVERSE. It features a foreword by esteemed film historian Jeanine Basinger.

...At Silentology Lea Stans writes about Western star Tom Tyler and the Blu-ray set of Tom Tyler Westerns recently released by Ben Model's Undercrank Productions.

...The first woman, Mandy Walker, has been elected President of the American Society of Cinematographers. Her credits include HIDDEN FIGURES (2016) and MULAN (2020).

...Colin reviews TROOPER HOOK (1957), starring Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck, at Riding the High Country.

...Coming to Region 2 Blu-ray in August from Powerhouse Indicator: OUT OF THE CLOUDS (1955) and STORM CENTER (1956). OUT OF THE CLOUDS, an "airport" film directed by Basil Dearden, is a U.S.-only release. STORM CENTER stars Bette Davis, directed by Daniel Taradesh.

...New this month from Simon & Schuster's Avid Reader Press: HOLLYWOOD HIGH: A TOTALLY EPIC, WAY OPINIONATED HISTORY OF TEEN MOVIES by Bruce Handy. An excerpt on Mickey Rooney and the Andy Hardy films recently appeared in The Hollywood Reporter.

...My sincere appreciation to David Blakeslee and Criterion Cast for sharing links to several of my reviews on Argentinian film noir in conjunction with a new episode on the same topic. The podcast may be accessed here, along with links to other resources.

...I just learned about the existence of the LITTLE HOUSE COLORING BOOK, published by HarperCollins in 2016. It's based on Garth Williams' classic illustrations for Laura Ingalls Wilder's books. I suspect I'll be picking it up at some point.

...Jacqueline T. Lynch has reviewed HEAT LIGHTNING (1934), starring Aline MacMahon, Ann Dvorak, and Preston Foster, at Another Old Movie Blog. It's part of the Classic Movie Blog Assocation's Cry Me a River "tearjerkers" blogathon; more entries are linked at the CMBA site.

...Based on a recommendation I just purchased SCREWBALL COMEDY AND FILM NOIR: UNEXPECTED CONNECTIONS by Thomas C. Renzi. It was published by McFarland Books in 2012.

...My summer reading stack also includes last year's JEAN PETERS: HOLLYWOOD'S MYSTERY GIRL by Michelangelo Capua. It was published by the University Press of Mississippi.

...Glenn Erickson's latest Blu-ray reviews include SIDE STREET (1950), recently released by the Warner Archive Collection. SIDE STREET stars Farley Granger, Cathy O'Donnell, and James Craig, directed by Anthony Mann.

...Over at Greenbriar Picture Shows, John McElwee takes a look at STAR DUST (1940) starring Linda Darnell and John Payne.

...Notable Passing: Sad news, Mara Corday has died at the age of 95. Her February passing was just announced in The Hollywood Reporter. Corday was in a great many '50s Westerns I've enjoyed, including a few reviewed here, and she was also in several "monster" movies such as TARANTULA (1955). She retired to raise a family after marriage to actor Richard Long, but following his early 1974 death she appeared in several Clint Eastwood movies, including THE GAUNTLET (1977). Eastwood, a friend from Corday's '50s studio days, gave her small roles to help her maintain health insurance.

...More Notable Passings: George Wendt, famed for his role as "Norm!" on CHEERS (1982-93), has died at 76...Production designer Les Dilley has died at 84.  His credits included STAR WARS (1977), THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (1980), and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)...Cinematographer Billy Williams (THE WIND AND THE LION) has died at 95. He was an Oscar winner for GANDHI (1982).

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my May 17th column.

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Tonight's Movie: Springfield Rifle (1952) - A Warner Archive Blu-ray Review

In the early '50s, a number of Westerns featured the names of guns in the title, such as WINCHESTER '73 (1950), COLT .45 (1950), and even CARBINE WILLIAMS (1952).

Another example was SPRINGFIELD RIFLE (1952), which was just released on Blu-ray by the Warner Archive Collection.

SPRINGFIELD RIFLE was previously released on a Warner Archive DVD in 2016, and a decade prior to that it was released on DVD as part of the Gary Cooper Signature Collection.

Cooper starred in this Warner Bros. film immediately after making HIGH NOON (1952). He plays Major Lex Kearney, a Union soldier dishonorably discharged for cowardice during the Civil War.

Kearney's wife (Phyllis Thaxter) and comrades (including Martin Milner and Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) are confused, but the viewer quickly learns it's part of a plot for Kearney to go undercover and solve the problem of ongoing raids on Union horses by Austin McCool (David Brian) and others.

The screenplay by Charles Marquis Warren and Frank Davis, from a story by Sloan Nibley, isn't particularly good, coming across a bit incoherently at times, as characters pop in and out of the story.

That said, while one wishes it were better, I still found it a pleasant enough 93 minutes, for two particular reasons. The first reason is the incredible cast, which also includes esteemed players such as Paul Kelly, Philip Carey, James Millican, Fess Parker, Alan Hale Jr., and Lon Chaney Jr. Chaney, film fans will recall, was also in HIGH NOON, in one of the film's more memorable supporting roles opposite Cooper.

The second reason is the movie's extensive Lone Pine, California location shooting. For someone such as myself who's well acquainted with the area, the movie is a remarkable "virtual tour" of key Lone Pine locations, including the "Hoppy Cabin," Anchor Ranch, and a cliff area off Narrow Gauge Road, along with the famed Alabama Hills.

Snow scenes were likely filmed at a higher elevation above the Alabama Hills, up Whitney Portal Road. The movie is a real visual treat, with so much beautiful scenery captured on film.

Cooper plays one of his typically stoic characters, with the supporting actors upping the film's energy quotient.

Unfortunately Thaxter doesn't have much to do but whine. One can understand her bafflement, but I was aching for her to trust her husband for a moment and ask "Is there maybe something you can't tell me right now?"

SPRINGFIELD RIFLE was directed by Andre De Toth. It was filmed by Edwin DuPar in WarnerColor. The score was by Max Steiner.

The very good-looking Blu-ray print is from a new 1080p HD master from a 4K scan of the original camera negative. WarnerColor is always variable, but given that, this must surely be the best the film will ever look.

This is a likely spot to insert a note that along with all the authentic location shooting, this film has one of the most obvious process shots in history, with Cooper and a couple other actors filmed in front of what was clearly a poster of the Lone Pine mountains. All I can guess is they had no choice but to pick up a missed or bad shot back in the studio. You'll recognize this short scene when you see it, as among other things the lighting completely changes.

Disc extras consist of the trailer plus the seven-minute cartoons FEED THE KITTY (1952) and RABBIT'S KIN (1952) and the 10-minute Joe McDoakes short SO YOU WANT TO ENJOY LIFE (1952).

Thanks to the Warner Archive for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray. Warner Archive Blu-rays may be ordered from Movie Zyng, Amazon, and other online retailers.

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Kathleen Hughes, 1928-2025

Sad news this evening: Actress Kathleen Hughes has passed away at the age of 96.

The personable and attractive Hughes was a fixture in many 20th Century-Fox and Universal Pictures films of the late '40s and '50s. She later worked extensively in television.

Hughes was immortalized in publicity stills for IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), such as those above, which to this day turn up on greeting cards.

I was fortunate to see Hughes speak in person multiple times over the years. She appeared at the Loretta Young centennial tribute held in Glendale in January 2014. I photographed her here with director Randal Kleiser (center back) and Loretta's daughter-in-law Linda and son Chris Lewis. Chris passed on in 2021.

Just a few months later, in April 2014, I attended the memorial service for Kathleen's longtime husband, producer Stanley Rubin. He was eulogized by actresses Coleen Gray and Susan Clark, and the afternoon concluded with a screening of THE NARROW MARGIN (1952), which Rubin produced.

Hughes appeared at a Palm Springs sci-fest fest in October 2015 which was hosted by Alan K. Rode. On a social media site this evening Rode said that Kathleen was "a joy to be with."

At the sci-fi fest Hughes charmingly described her courtship with Rubin, agreeing to go out with him after being told he was "one of the nicest guys in Hollywood." She told us that when she opened the door on their first date and saw him she "would have married him on the spot."

Hughes and Rubin were married for 49 years, until his 2014 passing. Hughes is survived by three of their four children.

I've seen a majority of Kathleen Hughes' movies, including those in which she had bit parts. Reviews: ROAD HOUSE (1948), MOTHER IS A FRESHMAN (1949), IT HAPPENS EVERY SPRING (1949), WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS (1950), I'LL GET BY (1950), TAKE CARE OF MY LITTLE GIRL (1951), SALLY AND SAINT ANNE (1952), IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953), THE GOLDEN BLADE (1953), THE GLASS WEB (1953), DAWN AT SOCORRO (1954).

Update: Here's a tribute by Alan K. Rode which was published in Variety.

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Tonight's Movie: Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye (1950) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

One of my favorite new-to-me films at last weekend's Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival was KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE (1950).

KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE, like SWELL GUY (1946) and LUST FOR GOLD (1949), featured a villain front and center, in this case James Cagney. Cagney plays Ralph Cotter, a gangster not too dissimilar from his infamous Cody Jarrett in WHITE HEAT (1949).

What was especially fun was when I got home from the festival I could rewatch the film thanks to the Kino Lorber Dark Side of Cinema XXIII collection, but this time with a commentary track by Alan K. Rode. Rode, of course, is also the producer and host of the Arthur Lyons Festival and the person we saw introduce the film last weekend! It was a very "full circle" viewing.

The 102-minute movie is told in flashback as various people testify at a criminal trial. We learn that Ralph Cotter escaped from prison with the help of Holiday Carleton (Barbara Payton), who provided cover for the break by shooting at the guards.

The lonely Holiday becomes Ralph's mistress, despite his brutal betrayal of her brother (Neville Brand) during the escape.

Ralph quickly becomes involved in more crimes, aided and abetted by his henchman Jinx (Steve Brodie), corrupt cops (Ward Bond and Barton MacLane), and a wily attorney (Luther Adler).

Ralph takes up with wealthy Margaret (Helena Carter) and is on the verge of having it all -- a gorgeous wife and tons of money. But he hasn't counted on how Holiday will react when she finds out her man has gone astray.

I thought this film, written by Harry Brown based on a novel by Horace McCoy, was excellent. It's got a good script and performances, directed by Gordon Douglas.

The characters are all disturbed to one degree or another, yet like some of the other great crime films -- i.e., GUN CRAZY (1950) -- the viewer can't help being fascinated as their stories play out.

Cagney might have been even more amoral in this one than WHITE HEAT; I think this film may have been in the shadow of its predecessor, but it deserves to be acknowledged on its own as an outstanding crime film.

I did wonder a bit what the movie's beautiful young women saw in a man who was 50 when this was in production, but Cagney's charisma is such that those thoughts were easy to chase away.

Barbara Payton's role and performance are somewhat reminiscent of Virginia Mayo in WHITE HEAT, yet Payton puts her own unique stamp on Holiday; she's terrific. A scene where she hurls crockery at Ralph is especially memorable, and Payton's overall work here causes the viewer to especially regret her early career slide and death.

Carter is also outstanding as the daring playgirl who's excited by Cagney's tough guy, though she has no idea just how bad he truly is. I wish viewers had been given a moment where she learns the truth. I find Carter a very interesting actress and wish she'd appeared in more than the 13 films she made from 1947 to 1953. I found a nice appreciation of Carter by Stephen Vagg which others might enjoy reading as well.

The supporting cast includes many familiar faces including Kenneth Tobey, John Litel, William Frawley, Dan Riss, Rhys Williams, King Donovan, and Matt McHugh. Tobey and Litel, incidentally, were each in a couple of movies seen at the festival.

A great bit of trivia is that Bond and MacLane, this movie's crooked cops, were partnered as the good cops in THE MALTESE FALCON (1941).

The film was shot in black and white by J. Peverell Marley. Locations included Chino and Glendale, California.

Kino Lorber's good-looking Blu-ray print is from an HD master by Paramount Pictures from a 4K scan.

Extras include the previously mentioned commentary track plus the trailer. Two additional trailers for other films starring Cagney are also included.

Alan Rode's commentary tracks are always excellent, and among other things I was glad to learn more about the right-hand-drive car Helena Carter drives in the movie; it was French and worth $17,000 in its day.

The other films in this set are ROPE OF SAND (1949) and NEVER LOVE A STRANGER (1958), to be reviewed here in the future.

KISS TOMORROW GOODBYE is recommended viewing.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.

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Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...Earlier this month I shared the good news that Alan K. Rode is writing a book on SHANE (1953) for the University of New Mexico Press Reel West series. There's even more good news about that series: Books on THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE and BROKEN ARROW are coming October 7th and are now available for pre-order at Amazon. THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE was authored by my friend Chris Yogerst and BROKEN ARROW is by Angela Aleiss.

...CAIRO STATION (1958), which I saw at the 2024 Noir City Film Festival, is coming to the Criterion Collection. As I wrote last year, this movie really wasn't for me, but I'm sharing the info as I know the film has many admirers.

...Ben Model's latest Kickstarter project is a restoration of the Marion Davies silent film HER CARDBOARD LOVER (1928). It will include a video essay written and narrated by Marion Davies biographer Lara Gabrielle. I signed up to support it and look forward to receiving the disc in early 2026.

...The latest reviews from CineSavant Glenn Erickson include the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray SPRINGFIELD RIFLE (1952), starring Gary Cooper, and Kino Lorber's Dark Side of Cinema XXV collection.

...The June streaming lineup on the Criterion Channel includes In the Deep End: Swimming Pools on Screen, a collection of Gene Hackman films, and Rene Clair's Inventive Enchantments, which includes I MARRIED A WITCH (1942) and IT HAPPENED TOMORROW (1944).

...AMC has plans to drop theater prices on Wednesdays.

...A brand-new book from McFarland: THE CINEMASCOPE YEARS: FILMS THAT REVOLUTIONIZED MOVIEGOING, 1953-1967 by Aubrey Solomon.

...Here's a new review by Colin at Riding the High Country: I WALK ALONE (1947) starring Burt Lancaster and Lizabeth Scott.

...And here's a fun review of Jimmy Wakely in OKLAHOMA BLUES (1948) at Jeff Arnold's West. And I appreciated the shout-out re "Roy Rogers Land"!

...Coming from Australia's Via Vision Imprint line in July: JET STORM (1959) starring Stanley Baker and Richard Attenborough, directed by Cy Endfield.

...ClassicFlix plans a July release of Hopalong Cassidy - The Legacy Collection, Volume 1. It contains HOP-A-LONG CASSIDY (1935), THE EAGLE'S BROOD (1935), and BAR 20 RIDES AGAIN (1935). Extras include commentary tracks by Western film historians Ed Hulse and Toby Roan.

...Coming in October: WALT DISNEY'S TRAINS: A GRAND CIRCLE TOUR THROUGH HIS LIFE AND LEGACY by Michael Campbell for the publisher Weldon Owen.

...Rick Burin writes about WAGON MASTER (1950) for The Guardian, calling it "My feelgood movie." Can't argue with that! It's one of my all-time favorite films.

...Notable Passings: I was very sorry to learn that Denise Alexander has passed away at the age of 85. Alexander, who played Dr. Lesley Webber for many years on GENERAL HOSPITAL, died just weeks after the passing of her costar Leslie Charleson. (She's seen here with another longtime costar, Chris Robinson.) One of the interesting career facets brought out by The Hollywood Reporter's Mike Barnes is that Alexander appeared in over 2500 radio shows as a child actress, starting in the 1940s...Joe Don Baker has died at 89. He was unforgettable for me as the hit man in CHARLEY VARRICK (1973)...Actress Joan O'Brien has died at 89. Her films included OPERATION PETTICOAT (1959) and IT HAPPENED AT THE WORLD'S FAIR (1963), opposite Cary Grant and Elvis Presley, respectively...TRON (1982) costume designer Rosanna Norton has died at 80...Writer-director Robert Benton passed away at 92. He wrote BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967) and cowrote SUPERMAN (1978); he both wrote and directed KRAMER VS. KRAMER (1979).

...For additional recent links of interest to classic film fans, please visit my May 3rd column.

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Tonight's Movie: Unmasked (1950) at the Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival

I saw half a dozen new-to me films at the recently concluded Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival, and of those movies, my favorite was probably UNMASKED (1950), a 60-minute "B" movie originally released by Republic Pictures.

Immediately after the movie I described it on Twitter: "Great cast, short, fast-paced, and slightly stupid at times, in the most delightful ways. Loved it."

Raymond Burr plays Roger Lewis, editor of a sleazy tabloid. He has a girlfriend, his secretary Mona (Grace Gillern), but has also been having an affair with Doris (Hillary Brooke), wife of Harry Jackson (Paul Harvey).

Harry is angry and worried about Doris and takes her jewels to protect them. Roger, who was just using Doris to obtain funds to keep his paper afloat, shows up at her apartment right after Harry and strangles her; he burns his IOUs to Doris and frames Harry for the murder.

Harry's sweet daughter Linda (longtime radio actress Barbra Fuller) and Lt. Jim Webster (Robert Rockwell) work to find Harry and solve Doris's murder.

This is a speedy hour written by Albert DeMond and Norman S. Hall from a story by Manuel Seff and Paul Yawitz. It was directed by George Blair and filmed in black and white by Bud Thackery.

The movie packs a lot of plot -- including mobsters and even a jailbreak! -- into a short film.

Burr is quite creepy; there's a great closeup as he closes in to kill the unsuspecting Doris. Film noir fans are aware that Burr played villains in a number of other films of the era, but still, it can be a shock to see "Perry Mason" playing such a reprehensible, amoral character!

Familiar faces in the cast include John Eldredge, Emory Parnell, Barbara Pepper, Russell Hicks, Charles Trowbridge, and Harry Harvey.

Grace Gillern, who plays Mona, was also known as Grace Albertson and was the longtime wife of actor Frank Albertson.

I felt fortunate to see this film in its digital theatrical premiere from Paramount Pictures, which currently owns the movie. The print was terrific.

I'd love to see this released on DVD or Blu-ray, perhaps in a set with similar "B" films. It's grand fun for fans of "B" crime movies.  

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Tonight's Movie: Thunderbolts* (2025)

I've been a big fan of the Marvel movie series for most of its run, enjoying over two dozen Marvel movies and shows.

In addition to the list of Marvel films and series I've reviewed, found at the end of this post, I've also watched the TV series WANDAVISION (2021), HAWKEYE (2021), and LOKI (2021). WANDAVISION and HAWKEYE, in particular, were beautifully crafted and became big favorites of mine.

My viewing of new Marvel films came to a halt starting in 2022, when Marvel seemed to be looking for a new style and began to make less family-friendly films. I skipped DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS (2022), THOR: LOVE AND THUNDER (2022), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3 (2023), and ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (2023), among others.

These films featured disturbing violence and torture, coarse humor, or in the case of MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS completely ruined a beloved character; Wanda, played by Elizabeth Olsen, lost all the growth she'd experienced in WANDAVISION and became a true villainess.

A couple of my grown kids actually texted as they left the theater to tell me I should "absolutely not" go see a couple of those films; they knew I wouldn't care for the tone or the level of violence. So I was very glad when my daughter saw THUNDERBOLTS* (2025) and texted me "Marvel is back, baby!"

Friends similarly recommended THUNDERBOLTS*, and Justin Chang, a reviewer I often agree with, termed it "The best Marvel film in a while." So today I saw my first Marvel film since 2021.

Is THUNDERBOLTS* (aka THE NEW AVENGERS) among the very best of the long list of Marvel movies I've enjoyed? No, but at the same time I can say I had quite a pleasant time watching it. The cast is congenial, the plot isn't anything particularly disturbing, and there were a couple especially delightful classic moments I really enjoyed.

As the movie opens, a depressed Yelena (Florence Pugh) is missing her late sister Natasha and tiring of her violent job "putting out fires" for CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss). Valentina, incidentally, has way more power than she should and is being impeached by Congress.

As part of the "cleanup" to deal with her impeachment, Valentina concocts a plan to eliminate the team she's been using for various jobs; she'd just as soon her operatives aren't able to talk.

And so Yelena finds herself locked in a remote building with John Walker (Wyatt Russell), Ava Starr/Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Antonia Dreykov/Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko). There's also a strange man named Bob (Lewis Pullman) who has no idea how he got into the building.

Most of this group of ornery superhero misfits manage to escape before they're blown up by Valentina, and they get away aided by Yelena's father Alexei/Red Guardian (David Harbour) and Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), who is now a Congressman. When Bucky appears on a motorcycle, it's an exciting moment which drew applause.

The group, now calling themselves the Thunderbolts, work to stop Valentina's plans to control the world via Bob, who is revealed to have unexpected powers and is dubbed The Sentry.

The performances of the entire Thunderbolts crew are very good, elevating what could be cartoon characters with nuanced playing, humor, and emotion. Seeing some of these characters again, especially Bucky, Yelena, and Red Guardian, felt like visiting old friends; ultimately, it's the superhero camaraderie which especially makes the Marvel films "movie comfort food."

The movie feels like it should end with a "To Be Continued..." tag; surely Valentina will pay for her crimes at some point?

A couple notes. First, it was a curious coincidence that Lewis Pullman's character is named Bob, which was also the name emblazoned on his flight helmet in TOP GUN: MAVERICK (2022). The gag in that film was that unlike all the other pilots with offbeat "handles," he was "just Bob." In this case the name apparently goes back to Sentry comics, but casting Pullman was an interesting choice.

There are two second generation actors among the Thunderbolts; besides Pullman (son of Bill Pullman), Wyatt Russell is the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Russell is actually a third generation actor, his grandfather being character actor Bing Russell.

Finally, I'm wondering: Where is Yelena's mother Melina (Rachel Weisz)?

THUNDERBOLTS was directed by Jake Schreier and filmed by Andrew Droz Palermo. It runs 127 minutes, which is on the shorter side as Marvel films go, and I thought the pace was just right.

Parental Advisory: THUNDERBOLTS* is rated PG-13. There is quite a bit of cursing; otherwise it's a return to the typical Marvel level of violence, nothing particularly graphic.

Let's hope that future Marvel films continue this return to a more family-friendly tone. Up next, out in July, will be THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS (2025).

Previous Marvel reviews: IRON MAN (2008), IRON MAN 2 (2010), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER (2011), THOR (2011), THE AVENGERS (2012), IRON MAN 3 (2013), THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2013), CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014), AGENT CARTER (2015), ANT-MAN (2015), AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (2015), CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016), DOCTOR STRANGE (2016), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 (2017), SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING (2017), THOR: RAGNAROK (2017), BLACK PANTHER (2018), AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (2018), ANT-MAN AND THE WASP (2018), CAPTAIN MARVEL (2019), AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019), SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME (2019), BLACK WIDOW (2021), SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS (2021), and SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME (2021).

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