SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 3:06 Min.
From 1980’s Fame film soundtrack, actor-singer Paul McCrane (also appearing as drama student Montgomery MacNeil) performs this pop tune. Dominic Bugatti & Frank Musker composed this song.
REVIEW:
It’s a solid, low-key pop ballad from Paul McCrane. Though overshadowed by Irene Cara’s high-profile tracks, “Dogs in the Yard” adds another welcome asset to this album. Nicely played!
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 93:00 Min.
In 2009, writer-director Larry Blamire devised this low-budget, black-and-white parody of haunted house murder-mysteries featuring his unofficial repertory company. Most specifically, Blamire’s spoof homages the horror-comedy silent classic, The Cat and the Canary, and, to a degree, Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None.
One night sometime in the 1930’s, at the secluded Cavender estate, rival journalists “8 O’Clock” Farraday (Roebuck) and Billie Tuesday (Blaire) attend a contentious will reading for the late tycoon, Sinas Cavender. Amidst a nasty overnight storm, multiple uninvited guests claiming to be stranded (conveniently, due to car trouble) quickly show up and attend the will’s reading.
Worst yet, a notorious serial killer is evidently terrorizing the area in search of female victims with a certain first name. It’s revealed that this odd name was once a childhood nickname for one of the household’s residents. Adding to the ‘bone-chilling’ vibe, local legend also has it that the 300-year old ghost of ancestor Sarah Cavender is reputedly set to haunt the estate that very night. Word of an escaped mental patient now on the loose also eventually reaches the attendees.
Once Cavender’s naïve adult ward, Sabasha (Masterson), inherits the bulk of his considerable estate, it appears that she has been targeted for death by someone else in the house. Standing watch over a hysterical Sabasha are Farraday, Tuesday, & bemused taxi driver Happy Codburn (Conroy), who insists on getting his remaining thirty-five cents fee from either his deadbeat fare, Farraday, or anyone else willing to pay it.
Over the course of an ominous night, Sabasha vanishes, as a series of ghoulish homicides ensue. Then again, there’s also the threat of whatever dark secrets are lurking upstairs in the Cavender mansion’s attic.
“Eight O’Clock” Farraday: Daniel Roebuck
Billie Tuesday: Jennifer Blaire
Happy Codburn: Dan Conroy
Burling Famish, Jr.: Brian Howe
Ray Vestinhaus: Larry Blamire
Jack Tugdon: Jim Beaver
Seyton Ethelquake: James Karen
Sabasha Fanmoore: Fay Masterson
Mrs. Cupcupboard the Psychic: Allison Martin
Teak Armbruster: Kevin Quinn
Jeens the Butler: Bruce French
Pristy Famish: Christine Romeo
Jane Hovenham the Maid: Trish Geiger
Inspector Riley: Tom Reese
Archie the Cook: Robert Deveau
Gunny Luckcakes’ Spirit: Marvin Kaplan
Farper Twyly: Mark Redfield
Lord Partfine: Andrew Parks
Mrs. Hausenstout: Betty Garrett
Gorilla: Bob Burns
Thessaly: Susan McConnell
Dr. Van Von Vandervon: H.M. Wynant
Hooded Villain(s): Unrevealed
Notes: Geiger is the film’s co-producer. In terms of real-life family, co-star Jennifer Blaire is Blamire’s spouse while Betty Garrett and Andrew Parks are mother and son.
REVIEW:
Despite its outlandish premise, Dark and Stormy Night is really more amusingly watchable than the hilarious anything-goes farce it ought to have been. In that sense, the film’s ambiance exudes a generally PG-rated stage play. Still, the film’s likable cast is game from start to finish; in particular, Blaire, Howe, Masterson, and Romeo are terrific portraying their roles.
For fans who have enjoyed 1976’s Murder By Death, 1985’s Clue, and/or some adaptation of The Cat and The Canary, they won’t likely be too disappointed.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 5½ Stars
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SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 39:33 Min.
In 1973, Island Records & Warner Bros. Records (through its Atlantic Records label) released Roxy Music’s second studio album. This album’s playlist was written by lead vocalist/keyboardist Bryan Ferry. With Brian Eno on synthesizer, the British band’s eight tracks are the following:
Running Time:
SIDE 1
SIDE 2
REVIEW:
To experience quirky 1970’s British pop rock, “For Your Pleasure” doesn’t disappoint. In addition to Ferry’s intriguing lyrics, the instrumentals sound reminiscent of The Doors. Suffice to say, this album is a rollicking nostalgia treat revisiting Bryan Ferry’s early career.
PACKAGING:
The tracks and running times are provided, as are the basic credits.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 7 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 1 Hour, 29 Min.
In 1979, Rastar Films released director Hal Needham’s cartoony spoof playing up classic Western genre clichés. Set sometime and somewhere in the Old West, rancher Parody Jones (Martin) badly needs a loan for his struggling ranch. He sends his beguiling daughter (and she knows it), Charming (Margret), off to a frontier town to collect a much-needed loan from the local banker, Avery Simpson (Elam).
Yet, the unscrupulous banker wants to keep the money for himself, not to mention the Jones ranch upon foreclosure. After bungling an overnight bank heist in the same town, notorious “Cactus” Jack Slade (Douglas) faces either an imminent hanging, or he can secretly work for Simpson.
Specifically, Charming and her ultra-dense bodyguard, Handsome Stranger (Schwarzenegger) are traveling cross-country by wagon through the desert back to her family’s ranch. To earn his fee from Simpson, all a down-on-his-luck Slade has to do is rob them during this journey. Shadowing the ornery Slade is another of Simpson’s inept cohorts: Native American Chief Nervous Elk (Lynde), who has brought along a horde of marauders from his tribe.
With the help of his frisky horse, Whiskey (the smarter half of this outlaw duo), Slade pulls out all the stops trying to intercept his intended quarry. Meanwhile, Charming tries her best seducing her oblivious protector.
“Cactus” Jack Slade: Kirk Douglas
Handsome Stranger: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Charming Jones: Ann-Margret
‘Whiskey’: Ott the Horse
Avery Simpson: Jack Elam
Parody Jones: Strother Martin
Damsel in Distress: Ruth Buzzi
Nervous Elk: Paul Lynde
Mashing Finger: Robert Tessier
Bank Clerk: Foster Brooks
Telegraph Agent: Mel Tillis
Sheriff: Jan Eddy
Train Conductor: Mel Todd
Bartender: Jim Anderson
Saloon Crowd: Laura Liza Sommers, Ed Little, Dick Dickinson, & Richard Brewer
Townspeople: Uncredited
Nervous Elk’s Raiders: Uncredited
Notes: Tillis also performs the title song. Interestingly, this comedy offers the rare sights of seeing both Lynde (in a politically incorrect role) and Schwarzenegger riding on horseback.
REVIEW:
This wacky, live-action Hal Needham cartoon tries to be the next Blazing Saddles, with its obvious homages to Chuck Jones’ classic Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote gags. Despite the plot’s inability to reach its potential, reliable veterans Kirk Douglas and Ann-Margret, at least, are game trying to make the best of this comedy-Western misfire.
The unavoidable obstacle, however, is that they can’t overcome such weak storytelling, let alone jokes (too many off-color) that fall flat … just like Slade often does. Case in point: the movie’s finale abruptly shifts into the closing credits without even resolving the evil banker sub-plot. This omission spells out that Needham’s movie is merely settling for a series of hit-or-miss gags vs. concocting an actual story.
If there’s any hilarious incentive/guilty pleasure to see The Villain (aside from perusing one of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s earliest roles), then it’s the fact that Ott the Horse (aka ‘Whiskey’) steals this movie from Douglas several times over. Suffice to say, he’s a far better thief that the moronic “Cactus” Jack Slade.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
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SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 16:06 Min. (Black & White)
Produced and directed by Jules White off Felix Adler’s script, this 1955 Stooges crime caper is the last to present all-new material with Shemp Howard. Spoofing Dragnet, hard-bitten police detectives Halliday (Moe), Tarraday (Larry), & St. Patrick’s Day (Shemp) reveal, through flashbacks, how they evolved from U.S. Army soldiers to big city vice cops.
After a courageous wartime stand against enemy forces, the trio enrolls in criminology school. Having somehow graduated (with the lowest possible honors, they concede), their first and potentially last assignment from the police captain is to snare the elusive, cross-dressing hoodlum dubbed ‘The Eel.’
Staking out the seedy ‘Biltless Hotel,’ the Stooges’ pursuit of ‘The Eel’ leads them into a Turkish bath. More so, splitting up to better chase their gun-packing quarry, ultimately, leads into their future careers.
Moe (Halliday): Moe Howard
Larry (Terraday): Larry Fine
Shemp (St. Patrick’s Day, etc.): Shemp Howard
Alma Matter (Registrar of the criminology school): Angela Stevens
Watts D. Matter (Dean of the criminology school): Frank Sully
Police Capt. F.B. Eye: Kenneth MacDonald
‘The Eel:’ Benny Rubin
Hotel Clerk: Al Thompson
Hotel Waiter: Uncredited
Turkish Bath Girls: June Lebow, Barbara Donaldson, Marjorie Jackson, Bonnie Henjum, & Uncredited Actress
REVIEW:
“Blunder Boys” is better than expected, though Shemp’s holiday wordplay preceding the flashbacks is exceedingly tiresome. Still, the Stooges’ slapstick antics (as well as Moe & Larry’s spot-on Joe Friday parodies) make up enough of the difference. As the trio’s last original hurrah with Shemp, “Blunder Boys” concocts a fun send-up of Dragnet.
Note: One half for a possible double-feature would be Daffy Duck & Porky Pig’s own cartoon equivalent: 1956’s “Rocket Squad.”
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 15:37 Min. (Black & White)
Produced and directed by Jules White off Felix Adler’s script, this 1952 Stooges misadventure spoofs both Harvey and evidently, to some degree, A Streetcar Named Desire. Living as fugitives aboard a stolen train car, sisters Roberta & Lenore implore Larry to budge blissfully boozing Shemp into semi-sobriety, so the two couples can be married. Meanwhile, railway detective Moe stumbles upon the foursome’s hideout, especially as he is Roberta’s ex-boyfriend.
Broken into three segments, the hijinks include an extended lunchtime encounter with a skunk and Shemp’s imaginary romance with a human-shaped canary. No longer chasing thieves Larry & Shemp (which isn’t explained), Moe is incredulous (as is Larry) that the sisters romantically opt for an inebriated Shemp. Of course, Shemp prefers a bizarre fantasy world with his own would-be lovebird.
Moe: Moe Howard
Larry: Larry Fine
Shemp: Shemp Howard
Roberta: Victoria Horne
Lenore: Patricia Wright
‘Carrie the Canary:’ Reggie Dvorak
REVIEW:
This dreck-fest is a mighty strange Stooges caper where neither logic nor laughs are to be found. A few snippets of this eyesore might be watchable, but even the lengthy skunk sequence fails to generate an ounce of hilarity. If anything, Shemp’s oblivious romance with the ‘canary woman’ is a misguided show-stopper in all the wrong ways.
Unless one applauds unfunny absurdism (i.e. a tank-topped Larry’s impression of Streetcar’s Marlon Brando), “Cuckoo on a Choo-Choo” deserves to remain caged in obscurity.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 1½ Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 16:00 Min. (Black & White)
Directed and produced by Jules White off his brother Jack White’s script, this mid-1958 Stooges comedy co-starring Joe Besser is literally a scene-for-scene remake of an earlier remake.
Here’s the quick backstory: reworking their 1935 Pygmalion-inspired “Hoi Polloi,” Curly Howard’s last Stooges caper was 1946’s “Half-Wit’s Holiday” (also directed by White). Hence, White’s Besser footage filmed for “Pies and Guys” is tacked on the front end, as new actors replace ‘Quackenbush,’ ‘Lulu,’ & ‘Sedlitz.’ It isn’t clear if Emil Sitka’s “Half-Wits” footage was recycled, or if he simply re-filmed his role as the butler.
Snooty rival professors Quackenbush and Sedlitz make a financial wager whether or not Quackenbush can reform dim-witted plumbers Larry, Moe, & Joe into refined gentlemen. With support from his glamorous blonde assistant, Lulu, Quackenbush tutors the less-than-astute Stooges on mathematics, reading, and dignified table manners, etc.
A big society party is the climax where the Stooges must prove their newfound sophistication to their fellow guests. Yet, a melee ensues once kleptomaniac Joe and his fellow Stooges revert to their old and gooey pie-throwing ways.
Moe: Moe Howard
Larry: Larry Fine
Joe: Joe Besser
Professor Quackenbush: Milton Frome
Miss Lulu: Greta Thyssen
Sappington: Emil Sitka
Professor Sedlitz: Gene Roth
Mrs. Smythe-Smythe: Symona Boniface
Mrs. Gotrocks: Helen Dickson
Countess Shpritzvasser: Harriette Tarler
Party Guests: Judy Malcolm, Victor Travers, Wanda Perry, Barbara Slater, Al Thompson, Johnny Kascier, & Mary Forbes
Additional Party Guests: Uncredited
Notes: Besser takes a pie to the face early in the finale and then inexplicably doesn’t appear again. It’s clear that this episode’s vintage ‘Larry & Moe’ pie-throwing party has been lifted from elsewhere – in this instance, “Half-Wit’s Holiday.” In an odd visual early on, Frome & Roth tower over the Stooges, as if Moe, Larry, & Joe, by comparison, are practically dwarves. Lastly, here’s a bit of Stooges trivia: Moe’s wife, Helen, had first suggested (or even written a draft of) a Stooges adaptation of Pygmalion, which ended up as “Hoi Polloi.”
REVIEW:
If the dull new footage is proof, “Pies and Guys” is merely a cheap contractual obligation. For instance, virtually all of this Besser version’s finale is directly lifted as archived footage from “Half-Wit’s Holiday.” Symona Boniface’s presence is particularly awkward, considering she had passed away in 1950.
More so, aside from Larry & Moe’s amusing under-the-table hand-holding gag, the Besser-era footage indicates a cast merely going through the motions. As for Besser, given his lack of chemistry with Moe & Larry, the less said of his contributions the better.
The sole incentive for enduring “Pies and Guys” is fast-forwarding to the hilarious Larry-and-Moe pie-tossing festival – Larry: “You forgot to duck (hah, hah) — (seconds later) Moe: “So did you!”. Considering the tragic reason for this two-Stooge finish was Curly’s career-ending stroke, their vintage teamwork recycled twelve years later still packs some comedy dynamite.
To bleakly summarize how lazy and budget-stingy Columbia Pictures had become, this short abruptly ends as the pie fight starts winding down. White doesn’t even bother tacking on a new finish, even just to convey Besser was still in the ‘room.’ Watching the politically incorrect “Hoi Polloi” and/or “Half-Wit’s Holiday” obviously makes far more sense.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 2 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 16:45 Min. (Black & White)
Produced and directed by Jules White off Felix Adler’s script, this episode represents the final Shemp-era caper (as it’s also the last of the four ‘Fake Shemp’ episodes). At a newspaper office, staff janitors Shemp, Larry, and Moe stumble into an international espionage racket having taken a hot tip meant for their absent boss.
Seeking future careers as investigative journalists, the trio pursue a nebulous foreign spy stealing U.S. atomic secrets. Stowed away aboard a cruise ship, the Stooges soon match wits at sea with their dangerous quarry, who is far closer at hand than they realize.
The plot cuts and pastes 1949’s “Dunked in the Deep” together with 1948’s “Crime on Their Hands.” The only new footage is mostly a sequence where a scrounging Larry & Moe attempt to swipe a passenger’s fish dinner.
Moe: Moe Howard
Larry: Larry Fine
Shemp: Shemp Howard (archived footage)
Emma Blake: Harriette Tarler
Bortch: Gene Roth (archived footage)
J.L. Cameron: Charles Wilson (archived footage)
Smitty: Emil Sitka (cameo)
Fake Shemp: Joe Palma (cameo)
REVIEW:
Given how Columbia Pictures assembled this episode on the cheap, “Commotion on the Ocean” plays better than expected. Even the notorious presence of Joe Palma’s ‘Fake Shemp’ (covering for Shemp, who had passed away in late 1955) is near-undetectable. The only strain comes from inserting Larry & Moe’s new footage, as they appear obviously older some seven years later.
As for a predictable assortment of gags, they generally fall between dull and okay. However, there’s an unfunny sequence where a smoking Shemp inadvertently ignites his hammock on fire (how such a dangerous fire in the ship’s combustible hold is extinguished isn’t revealed). That poorly-conceived joke really ought to have been deleted and/or replaced with other appropriate Shemp footage.
“Commotion on the Ocean,” overall, isn’t among the worst Stooge cut-and-paste jobs from that era. It just isn’t close to necessary viewing, either.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3½ Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 16:00 Min. (Black & White)
Produced and directed by Jules White, this 1956 Stooges comedy presents the last episode Shemp had filmed new footage for (i.e. the detective agency’s office) prior to his passing in late 1955. Lifting this film’s bulk from 1949’s Who Done It?, the Stooges comprise the Miracle Detective Agency. As the trio ineptly conducts forensic/ballistic tests, a former client calls desperately needing their help.
Suspecting that Councilman Goodrich has been deep-sixed by nefarious relatives, the Stooges descend upon the spooky family manor to investigate. Waiting for them is Goodrich’s sinister heirs (along with a monstrous henchman), who have no intention of letting his would-be rescuers escape alive.
Moe: Moe Howard
Larry: Larry Fine
Shemp: Shemp Howard
Newsgirl: Barbara Bartay
Councilman Goodrich: Emil Sitka (archived footage)
Delores – Goodrich’s Niece: Christine McIntyre (archived footage)
Delores’ Husband: Ralph Dunn (archived footage)
Nikko the Henchman: Duke York (archived footage)
Butler: Charles Knight (archived)
Note: McIntyre’s last official film credit of her career occurs with this episode.
REVIEW:
Aside from its historic significance as Shemp Howard’s last Stooges caper, “From Crimin’ Out Loud” is merely another lazy retread riding the back end of Stooges’ Columbia Pictures contract. The trio’s dubious new footage has them trading off sadistic slapstick gags that are neither provoked or even remotely funny. Considering it was Shemp’s last filmed segment, the quality of the Stooges’ acting in this office scene is disappointingly sub-par.
Reusing “Who Done It?,” most of this murder-mystery parody depicts standard-issue Stooges hijinks being chased in a haunted house by a ghoulish henchman (evidently, it’s actor Duke York’s go-to role in Stooge films). Suffice to say, it’s a barely watchable cliché-fest.
Still, two re-runs are near-gems. One is Shemp’s cartoony routine with McIntyre’s sultry femme fatale trading off on the old poisoned-drink switcheroo game. The other applies to the amusing lights-out battle royale at the finish. Yet, if one has already seen (or has access to) “Who Done It?”, then there’s no practical reason to watch this inferior rehash.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
SUMMARY: RUNNING TIME: 16:00 Min. (Black & White)
Director/Producer Jules White collaborated with his brother, screenwriter Jack White, on one of Shemp Howard’s last capers with the Stooges. Purely by accident, the Stooges (employees of The Elite Café) are eyewitnesses to a brazen armored car heist. As bad luck would further have it, both the two guards and the police deem Larry, Moe, & Shemp the prime suspects.
Forced to clear their names, the Stooges and their boss, Gladys, chase after the crooks to find the necessary proof. With a virtually identical plot, much of this Stooges episode is actually recycled footage from 1948’s “Shivering Sherlocks.”
Moe: Moe Howard
Larry: Larry Fine
Shemp: Shemp Howard
Gladys Harmon: Christine McIntyre (both new and archived footage)
Police Capt. Mullins: Vernon Dent (archived footage)
Jackson: Cy Schindell (archived footage)
Cop – Lie Detector Technician: Joe Palma (archived footage)
Lefty Loomis: Kenneth MacDonald (archived footage)
Red Watkins: Frank Lackteen (archived footage)
Angel: Duke York (archived footage)
Armored Car Guards: Joe Palma & Tom Kingston
Café Customer: Stanley Blystone (archived footage)
Various Cops: Uncredited
Note: This film was McIntyre’s last new appearance in a Stooges comedy. Specifically, she briefly reprises her same role from “Shivering Sherlocks.”
REVIEW:
Like so many Stooge cut-and-paste retreads of the mid-1950’s, “Of Cash and Hash” is new solely in name only. For such a lazy rip-off, the two sequences worth viewing are the rudimentary polygraph gags and a bright finish for Shemp & retiring co-star Christine McIntyre. It’s decent compensation against yet another Stooges caper where Duke York plays a monstrous thug chasing the trio through a ‘haunted house.’
Otherwise, “Of Cash and Hash” is unnecessary déjà vu, especially if “Shivering Sherlocks” is readily available.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 3 Stars
