'The Lady and the Monster' has both good and bad

The Lady and the Monster (1944)
Starring: Vera Ralston, Richard Arlen, Erich von Stroheim, and Helen Vinson
Director: George Sherman

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A millionaire's mind is preserved after death through weird science... and he soon begins to telepathically force his will upon others in revenge and to carry on with his evil ways. 

"The Lady and the Monster" is a great-looking film, with stylish sets and beautiful cinematography that takes full advantage of the black-and-white format. The excellent cast--headed by Erich von Stroheim, Vera Ralston, and Richard Arlen--give decent performances despite the fact that they are delivering some truly awful dialogue at times. The film is further undermined slightly by something of a tone-shift at the halfway point, but all in all, the good outweighs the bad here and it's a film that's worth your time. 

And speaking of your time, we are happy to make it easy for you to watch "The Lady and the Monster" by embedding it in this very post, via The Screening Room on YouTube.

(If elements of the story and some of the characters seem familiar, it's possible you'll either read the novel upon which it was based, or seen one of the other two films based upon the same source--"Donovan's Brain" by Curt Siodmak. This was the first screen adaptation, however.)

'The Vampire's Ghost' stumbles at the end

The Vampire's Ghost (1945)
Starring: John Abbott, Charles Gordon, Grant Withers, Peggy Stewart, Adele Mara, Roy Barcroft, Martin Wilkins, and Emmett Vogan
Director: Lesley Selander
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

An isolated trading post in Africa becomes the latest hunting ground of a world-weary vampire (Abbott).

"The Vampire's Ghost" is an interesting film that I think managed to transcend its quick-cash-grab roots. According to an interview given by screenwriter Leigh Brackett, this production was launched in response to Universal's successful revival of its 1930s horror characters--the Mummy, Dracula, and Frankenstein--and the popularity of their new kid, the Wolf Man. Tone- and style-wise, the film occupies a middle-ground between Val Lewton's atmospheric, psychological chillers from RKO and the pulp-fictiony, supernatural dramas of Universal's monster revivals.

Long-time horror fans will enjoy this movie for its unusual African setting and its swirling mix of European vampire lore and more "exotic" superstitions and beliefs. Fans with a narrower love of vampire movies will appreciate the villain of the story, the vampire Webb Fallon, is portrayed with more personality and a different flavor than is typical of films from this period. While Fallon is indisputably a monster, his main defining characteristic is not cartoonish, cape-swirling menace but rather a sort of jaded fatigue at having seen everything that's unfolding around him happen dozens upon dozens of times in the past. From his casually telling the hero where to look for information on how to destroy a vampire, to the air of resignation when he discovers attempts to take advantage of him and thus he feels obligated to exact revenge.

The supporting characters are mostly the stock figures you'd expect in a film like this, with a fairly bland young couple (Charles Gordon and Peggy Stewart) targeted as victims of the vampire, superstitious locals (foremost among these portrayed by Martin Wilkins), a devout cleric who is key to defeating the monster (Grant Withers), and so on. These stock characters are borrowed both from the standard gothic vampire story and from the jungle action/adventure tales that usually take place in this film's setting... but, as with the character of Webb Fallon, there are a few touches that allow them to be more interesting than what they might otherwise have been. It also helps that they are all portrayed by excellent actors. I've so far failed to mention Adele Mara who brings some random (and slightly goofy) sexiness to the picture while also, ultimately portraying one of the films more sympathetic characters, because jealousy plus a lack of understanding of what Webb Fallon truly is gets her into a whole lot of trouble.

Another fascinating aspect of the film is the notion that a vampire is weak in the presence of the power of God--whether a believer is waving religious symbol in its face or not. One of the more enjoyable scenes in the whole film is watching Fallon dealing with the devout Father Gilcrist and how simply being touched by him, and being in his general vicinity, drains Fallon's energy.

Unfortunately, this mostly interesting movie loses its way during its climax and ultimately ends on a disappointing, somewhat hollow ending where Webb Fallon dies off camera (while delivering a line that's  clearly looped from a scene earlier in the film) and some plot-threads that were set up very dramatically are left dangling without resolution. The botched ending cost the film a full star on my 0-10 star rating scale.

If you like classic horror movies, I think you'll mostly enjoy "The Vampire's Ghost". It really is an interesting and well-done film up to final minutes.

Only The Shadow knows who's in the closet

Invisible Avenger (aka Bourbon Street Shadows) (1957)
Starring: Richard Derr, Mark Daniel, and Helen Westcott
Directors: James Wong Howe and Ben Parker
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

When Lamont Cranston--secretly the vigilant The Shadow (Derr)-- receives a plea for help from a New Orleans band leader for help, he is too late to stop his murder. But, along with his mystical mentor Jorgendra (Daniels) he soon becomes involved with a sexy femme fatale (Westcott) who is part of a spy ring set on preventing the rightful president of a Central American nation from retaking his leadership position from the military junta that overthrew his government.


This is one of two movies about venerable pulp hero "The Shadow" I've come across where, inexplicably, his name is not in the title, nor was even any of the iconic imagery associated with him used to promote the film, either now or then. Even if there WERE some sort of trademark issues that came up after the film was made, they could at least have made a picture of a guy in a black suit, wearing a black fedora and wielding a pair of automatic pistols. As it is, there is NO hint anywhere to identify this as a film about the Shadow until you're watching it.

But this one gets even more strange.

The filmmakers made the odd choice of ditching Lamont Cranston's fierce and loyal lady friend Margo Lane in favor of a close friend and mystical mentor, Jorgendra... and the two come off as confirmed bachelors, long-time companions, and just about every shade of ambiguously gay that it's possible to cram into the film's 70-minute running time.

Yes, while the superhero code of "don't ask, don't tell" is in full effect here, there seems to be little doubt that Lamont and Jorgenda were going where no mystery men had gone long before "Brokeback Mountain" was being hyped as wholly original. (Hmmm... I wonder how useful that whole "power to cloud men's minds" was when Lamont and Jorgenda were on the prowl for some man-meat....)

Not that there's anything wrong with an ambiguously gay dynamic duo fighting spies, as it gives rise to plenty of unintentional comedy as the film unfolds. However, getting rid of Margo Lane and replacing her with a the effeminately Euro-trashy mystic is one of those pointless changes that Hollywood idiots love to impose on properties they adapt... a change that serves absolutely no purpose other than the egos filmmakers (who need to show they know better than the hacks who created long-standing, commercially successful properties that they paid a bucket of money to use in a film), as it's a change for the sake of change.

In fairness to "Invisible Avenger", it was originally intended as a TV series pilot, but the series never happened, Perhaps the producers figured they'd start in the early years of the Shadow, and then have him meet the lovely Ms. Lane as the series progressed... and she'd straighten him out with the love of a woman!

Also in fairness to the film, it has a fast-moving plot that never gives the viewers time to get bored. It's also a fair demonstration of why co-director James Wong Howe one of Hollywood's most respected cinematographers for some three decades, as most shots are expertly framed and there is a great use of light and shadow throughout the picture. The use of camera angles to augment the painfully low budget when it came to showing the Shadow's power to "cloud men's minds" is also very cleverly implemented. The acting isn't stellar, but I've seen far worse.

And I suppose I should also say that, in fairness, the filmmakers back in the 1950s probably didn't realize quite how much a pair of flaming love muffins that Cranston and Jorgenda come across as. When viewed with a modern eye, however, I'm certain that anyone who loved "Brokeback Mountain" just for the gay sheepherder aspect will love "Invisible Avenger" just as much. (It might not be a bad idea to pair the films up a part of a "Macho Men in Love"-themed movie night.)

Beware the secretary too good to be true....

The Inner Circle (1946)
Starring: Warren Douglas, Adele Mara, William Frawley and Virginia Christine
Director: Phil Ford
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

When a mysterious veiled woman frames private detective Johnny Strange (Douglas) for the murder of a much-loathed radio reporter, his equally mysterious secretary (Mara) is ready with just the right lie to clear him. But Lt. Webb of the homicide department (Frawley) isn't buying it, and Johnny has to race against time to find the real killer.


"The Inner Circle" is a light-weight, slightly goofy mystery film that's the cinematic equavelent of an apple--it's a quick, inoffensive snack. Average acting, simple script, and an okay mystery plot (that keeps it together to the end, but then falls apart), it's not a bad way to spend an hour, but it's not an experience you'll remember. The most interesting thing about it is William Frawley as a sort-of proto-Columbo whose main investigative technique seems to be to annoy suspects into confessing.

'The Great Flamarion' is a tale of lust and tragedy

The Great Flamarion (1946)
Starring: Erich von Stroheim, Mary Beth Hughes, Dan Duryea and Stephen Barclay
Director; Anthony Mann
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

Reclusive marksman and vaudeville entertainer (von Stroheim) comes out of his shell when he believes the beautiful assistant in his act (Hughes) loves him and wants to be with him instead of her husband (Duryea). However, the coldhearted, manipulative woman simply wants the Great Flamarion to "accidentally" shoot her husband during the act, so she can run off with yet another man.


"The Great Flamarion" is an utterly predictable film, although it might not have been so in 1946 when it was made. The story never misses a chance to go exactly where you'd expect it to go, and the characters never move beyond complete and total cliches.

However, there is still a degree of enjoyment to be derived from this film if you just sit back and go with it. Hughes' performance as the black widow who should make black widows feel uneasy is so over-the-top that it fits perfectly with the nature of the script, while Von Stroheim takes an interesting term as a man who moves from an obsession with lethal guns to a lethal obsession with the woman who took his self-respect and his honor.

A young couple learns that a life of crime is "The Wrong Road'

The Wrong Road (1937)
Starring: Richard Cromwell, Helen Mack, Lionel Atwill, and Horace MacMohan
Director: James Cruze
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

Jimmy and Ruth, a young, down-on-their-luck couple (Cromwell and Mack) steal $100,000 from Jimmy's employer that they intend to live off it once they get out of prison. A private detective charged with recovering the loot (Atwill) believes they are just a pair of desperate kids deserving of a second chance, and he arranges their early parole. As he encourages them to give back the money, a coldhearted, murderous criminal (MacMohan) is stalking them in the hopes of getting the loot for himself.


"The Wrong Road" is so heavy-handed in delivering its "crime doesn't pay" and "it's never to late to reform and become a law-abiding citizen again" messages that it borders on the goofy educational films that were so popular in the 1950s and 1960s (and even into the 1970s, because I remember watching a few...). However, a cast far classier and talented than is usually found in that sort of films, and a fast-moving story that actually has some tension to it makes it better than the educational shorts and film-strips it resembles.

The best part of the film is Atwill's character. Private detective Mike Roberts is almost a proto-Colombo, with his ability to pop up in Jimmy and Ruth's path at just the right (or wrong, depending on your point of view) moment, and his technique of annoying the criminals into coming clean.

Ellery Queen is on the case in a fast-paced who-dunnit

The Mandarin Mystery (1936)
Starring: Eddie Quillan, Wade Boteler, Charlotte Henry and George Irving
Director: Ralph Staub
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Ellery Queen (Quillan), a young amateur detective and magazine publisher sets out to help his police inspector father (Boteler) solve the mystery of a valuable stamp that is stolen as its impoverished owner (Henry) is about to sell it to a wealthy collector (Irving). However, when the thief is found shot to death in a room that is locked from the inside, the mystery quickly expands and convolutes in deadly ways.


"The Mandarin Mystery" is a fast-paced, locked-room murder mystery that's light in tone and rich on witty banter. While the murder mystery is interesting, the best parts of the film are those dealing with the friendly rivalry between the elder and younger Queens, and the constant flirtations and banter between the young lead and the beautiful crime victim whose skirts he devotes more effort to chasing than to solving the mystery.

This is a charming little film with a decent cast. It's not a masterpiece, but it's not a bad way to spend an hour if you enjoy lighthearted mysteries.

'Prison Shadows' done in by weak script

Prison Shadows (1936)
Starring: Edward Nugent, Joan Barclay, Lucille Lund,and Syd Saylor
Director: Robert Hill
Rating: Four of Ten Stars


When boxer Gene Harris (Nugent) kills two men in the ring in two fights seperated by a three-year manslaughter stint in the clink, his trainer (Saylor) smells a rat and tries to investigate.

That's not the best summary of "Prison Shadows", but a more detailed one would give away too much of the plot. Unfortunately, that plot is one that will barely make sense to even the most attentive viewer. It's not that it's overly complicated... it's just that it's dumb, with bad guys that are even dumber. (And they're not dumb for comedy... they're just dumb.)

And speaking of dumb. I think the character Gene has got to be one of the most frustrating characters I've ever experienced in a film. The level of obliviousness he shows to the affection that Good Girl Mary Comstock (Barclay) has for him while he carries his torch for Femme Fatale Clair Thomas (Lund) is maddening.I usually don't mind romantic subplots, but this one bugged the heck out of me.

It's a shame the script for this film is so awful, because all the actors are good in their parts--Nugent is perhaps the weakest of the bunch, but I may feel that way due to his bone-headed character more than anything. He wasn't exactly bad... he was just "blah" when compared to everyone else.