'Fifty Miles from Broadway' takes you to a different time

Fifty Miles from Broadway (1929)
Starring: Harry Watson, Olga Woods, and Reginald Merville
Director: Bradley Barker
Rating: Five of Ten Stars

A showgirl (Woods) decides to retire from the stage and marry her childhood sweetheart in the small town they both grew up in. Upon returning, the young lovers find their fathers are still engaged in a feud that's lasted for 20 years.

"Fifty Miles from Broadway" is a mini-musical that crams three songs, three production numbers, and several vaudeville-style back-and-forth comedy bits into less than 20 minutes. The film is so stagy in its presentation--from the acting styles to the way actors enter and exit scenes to pretty much anything else you can think of--that it's not even a full step removed from a straight recording of an actual stage performance.

Usually, I am bothered by excessive staginess in films, but in "Fifty Miles to Broadway" it's a clear stylistic choice rather than actors who don't now how to perform in a media different from theatre and/or silent film. The only weak point in the film is, sadly, at the very beginning the star-crossed overs sing a duet about how they're returning home... and Reginald Merville turns out to be a pretty bad singer. Story-wise. there's also the unfortunate fact that Harry Watson's character is lusting after his son's fiance and isn't subtle about it. All the other characters--including the object of his lust, who agrees to his request to put on one of her skimpy Broadway outfits and perform for him. The 1920s must have been a very different time indeed.

Of course, there's the drawback that this is yet another film transferred from a worn videotape or a decaying print. It's not the worst I've seen, but there literally ins't a moment in the film that isn't blurry (as the still frame used to illustrate this review demonstrates).

If you enjoy musicals, vaudeville and early talkies, I think you'll find "Fifty Miles to Broadway" entertaining, one weak number and an old pervert aside. (By the way, if you do watch it, and you know who played the father with the long beard--the girl's father--let me know. I can't find a full cast list for this picture it's so obscure.)

Fantastic Friday!

The first Fantastic Four incarnation I encountered was that drawn by the team of John Buscema (pencils) and Joe Sinnott (inks). Sinnott is perhaps the artist whose work has graced more pages than anyone one else since he inked the the title steadily from 1965 through 1981. In addition to being teamed with Buscema, Sinnott inked Jack Kirby, George Perez, John Romita, Rich Buckler and more.

While, as a whole, the John Byrne era of the Fantastic Four is my favorite, visually it's the John Buscema/ Joe Sinnott team that will always be the definitive Fantastic Four for me, because they are the art team that brought their adventures to life when I first fell in love with Reed, Sue. Ben, and Johnny.

There's a new chapter in the long history of the First Family of Comics starting next month. August 2018. Will it come close to matching my favorite periods in FF history? I hope so. Meanwhile, here's a look back with portraits of the Fantastic Four by the four fantastic artists who made them look their best.

By Joe Sinnott

By John Buscema

By John Byrne

By Jack Kirby (who started it all)

Princesses of Mars, Part 25

And so we return to Barsoom to gaze upon the lovely and lethal princesses who rule there.

By Jason Mettcalf

By Joyce Chin

By Frank Frazetta

By Bruce Timm

Having fun with the creative set

How Comedies are Born (1931)
Starring: Harry Sweet,  Harry Gribbon, Tom Kennedy, Doris McMahon, Jill Dennett, and Bud Jamison
Director: Harry Sweet
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Writers and actors get together for a brainstorming session, hoping to hatch the next hit movie.

"How Comedies are Born" is a fun little spoof of creative brainstorming sessions. Having been part of a number of these back when I was a full-time writer, I can attest to the fact that there's a lot of Truth here, even if its exaggerated for laughs. What there's also a lot of is gags, slapstick, and jokes revolving around beer--and beer-based slapstick routines--and snappy dialogue full of playful and not so playful insults. Some of the jokes were probably old even when this film was first released, but I think that was the point  of including them, so it's excusable. It all adds up to some very fun 18 minutes.

Unfortunately, in order to enjoy this film, you'll have to look past the awful quality of the print used for this DVD. It was plainly taken from a well-worn third- or four-generation (at least) videotaped copy--complete with the blurry image and static lines that come with that--and little or no effort was put into cleaning it up. I understand that distributor Alpha Video offers low-cost DVDs of old movies, so one can't except a lot of effort, but I still think it's a shame the picture quality isn't better.

"How Comedies are Born" is one of six short films included on "Ultra-Rare Pre-Code Comedies Vol. 4."

'Billy Joe Van Helsing, Redneck Vampire Hunter' feels distressingly fresh

I recently looked in some boxes that have been sitting untouched for years. Inside were comic books that haven't been looked at since I read them 20-30 years ago. Many of them are black-and-white comics, which, although I grew up reading comics in that format overseas, were something unusual and noteworthy in the US comics industry during the 1980s through the mid-1990s.  I'm going to be writing about some of them here at "Shades of Gray""... some of them quite obscure. (As with all posts, click on the illustrations to see larger versions.)

Billy Joe Van Helsing, 
Redneck Vampire Hunter #1
Writers: Bill Kieffer, with Joe Migliore
Artists: Joe Paradise, Rob Hawkins, Donna Franklin, Tad Ghostal, John Skikus, Robert Roman, and Debbie David
Covers: Fred Harper (front), James Hopkins (back)
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

In 1994, Maine-based publisher Alpha Productions published the first (and only) issue of "Billy Joe Van Helsing, Redneck Vampire Hunter" It's a 32-page anthology title that satirized horror, politics of both the left-wing and right-wing variety, comics fan culture, and Stars-and-Bars-waving, beer-drinking rednecks. The title character is a Southern good ole boy who's carrying on the family business of vampire hunting. What's most fascinating to me about the book is how much of the humor holds up, nearly 25 years later.

"Billy Joe Van Helsing, Redneck Vampire Hunter" #1 contains four stories of varying lengths and three pin-ups. The primary artist is Joe Paradise, who had a hand as penciler, inker (or both) in three of the stories. All the stories were written by Bill Keiffer.

The tone of the book is blunt and sophomoric, and it seems pretty evenhanded in its mockery of both political wings. The stereotypes being played with are exactly the ones you see today when Left and Right conjure cartoonish insults of each other... and this goes for the spoofing of comics fans as well (which takes place when Billy Joe goes to a comic book convention).

The featured stories are "Here Comes Billy Joe Van Helsing, Redneck Vampire Hunter" which introduces us to our hero and his girl Maxi... although in this story, he is trying to convince her that she's made a terrible choice is dumping him for a guy who is not only a vampire but a (gasp) liberal; "The Devil and David Duke" where our hero sets aside his distaste for the KKK and its leaders like Duke to destroy a vampire who may become the next Vice President of the United States since he's Duke's running mate; "Horror of the South" where a quiet evening at home with Maxi turns awkward when her sister shows up to visit; "Li'L Billy Joe", a one-pager which spoofs the Hostess Fruit Pie ads that us Gen Xers read growing up; and "Southern Discomfort" in which Billy Joe goes to a comics convention and meets The Grad, a character from Alpha anthology series"Lethargic Comics." (That series ran 14 issues, from 1994 to 1996.)

Billy Joe Meets Klansman David Duke. 

Billy Joe goes to a ComiCon and meets the Grad

To my eye, the art and writing in this comic book is the low-end of average for what was typical in a small-press comic during the mid-1990s. Therefore, I think it's probably more reflective of the sad state of American pop culture and politics that the humor in "Billy Joe Van Helsing, Redneck Vampire Hunter" #1 holds up so well than any particular genius on the part of writer Bill Kieffer. We like to pat ourselves on the back and gladhand those who share our views, and pretend that we're better people than we were 25 years ago, but as soon as we spot someone who's not in lockstep with us culturally and politically, out come the same invective stereotypes and bigoted slurs. Every decent American agrees the likes of David Duke are scumbags, and that he and those like him on the contemporary stage should be mocked and sneered at, we also agree that it's A-Okay to toss around fat-jokes, sexist jokes, gay jokes, and stupid-Southerner-jokes so long as we are deploying them against those bad people over there who don't agree with us.

That said, no one but hardcore Gen X comics fans will know what a "Marvel Zombie" is. Am I right?

One of the Billy Joe Van Helsing pin-ups.

'Fly Away Baby' is a fun mystery

Fly Away Baby (1937)
Starring: Glenda Farrell, Barton McLane, Gordon Oliver, Raymond Hatton, Tom Kennedy, and Marcia Ralston
Director: Frank McDonald
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

In order to unravel the mysteries surrounding the murder of a jeweler, scoop-hunting reporter Torchy Blane (Farrell) joins two other reporters (Hatton and Olivier) for on-the-spot coverage of an around-the-world-record flight attempt. The other reporters are keeping secrets... but is one of them a killer?

"Fly Away Baby" is the second film in the "Torchy Blane" series, and like the first one, it clocks in at about an hour... and it makes good use of every second of running time, with a tightly delivered story, a lively cast delivering sharp and witty dialogue, and nice cinematography and sets that make the film look like it has a bigger budget than it did.

The relationship between Torchy (Glenda Farrell) and her police detective boyfriend Steve (Barton McLane) is again a nice center to the picture. It's also nice to see recurring supporting characters get some meaty scenes, like Tom Kennedy's dimwitted cop (who quits his job for reasons that become clear when he, too, shows up as part of the junket following the around-the-world flight).

The only serious complaint I have about the film is that it takes too long to get the characters in the air and overseas, and then doesn't spend enough time along the way. As a result, the climax feels a bit rushed and a lot deus-ex-machina with a heavy dose of "characters gotta do stupid things, or the story won't resolve in time" or the story won't resolve it time. This may sound like a bit of a contradiction to my comment above about the film making good use of its run-time, but it basically does: There is't a second of padding here and the clumsy plotting doesn't actually make the film any less entertaining. It does knock it from an Eight Rating to a low Seven.

Fantastic Friday!

Looking back on the Fantastic Four that was, along with two of their greatest frenemies--Doctor Doom and Prince Namor--in anticipation of the Fantastic Four that will come on August 8, 2018!

By Sandy Plunkett & Kevin Nowlan

By Steve Rude

And here's a group portrait of the First Family of Comicdom, by their co-creator!

By Jack Kirby

'Irish Luck' sets a path for Darro & Moreland

Irish Luck (aka "Amateur Detective") (1939)
Starring: Frankie Darro, Dick Purcell, Mantan Moreland, Sheila Darcy, and James Flavin
Director: Howard Bretherton
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Hotel bellhop and wanna-be detective Buzzy (Darro) becomes involved in a case of murder and stolen bearer bonds when he takes it upon himself to prove the innocence of a guest (Darcy) who is suspected of murder.

"Irish Luck" was the first film that teamed Frankie Darro and Mantan Moreland. In 1930s racially segregated America, it was a bold move to produce a film led by a comedy team consisting of one black and one white actor. It was a move that paid off, though, as the eight films the pair made together were among the most successful Monogram released.

With "Irish Luck," the formula for most of the films to follow was established: Darro and Moreland were a pair of working class buddies, usually in some service industry and usually with big dreams, who find themselves in the middle of a dangerous conspiracies and murder plots. Through luck and tenacity (and usually some late minute help from the authorities), they solve the mystery and save the day.

One of the neatest aspect of many of these films is that unlike most others from this period where black characters were embarrassingly subservient to white characters and generally slow-witted, the Darro/Moreland characters are presented as equals and close friends. In at least half the films, Moreland is usually the voice of reason that Darro ignores and then drags him into whatever harebrained scheme ends up getting them involved in their misadventure. In fact, more often than not, Moreland is the smarter of the two, and in almost everyone of their films, Darro is a bad influence upon him present in so many other comedies.

With "Irish Luck", Moreland's character stands at a halfway point between the slow-witted Step-and-Fetchit character so common in comedies from the 1930s and 1940s, and the friend and equal standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Darro that we see in some of their other films... but there is still a warmth of friendship that shines through. I suspect these films were written this way, because Darro and Moreland were, reportedly, friends in real life.

Some of the portrayals of Moreland's character aside, the script for "Irish Luck", by Mary McCarthy, is very well done. The writer swiftly and elegantly explains the history between Buzzy and the police detective played by Dick Purcell in an exchange between characters that seems completely natural. She also keeps the mysteries at the heart of the film engaging while still playing fair with the viewers by leaving clues to its solution where we can spot them along with the characters.

"Irish Luck" is a strong start to Darro and Moreland's Monogram team-up that's well worth the hour it'll take you to watch it.

Musical Monday: Lindsey Stirling

Lindsey Stirling used creative videos on YouTube to promote her innovative music and performance style... and from there rise to become a hugely popular and best-selling musian, both solo and with various collaborators. You can read more about her here. Or you can just enjoy this neat video from the Dancing Violinist.

'High Toned' is pretty low-brow

High Toned (aka "High Tones") (1930)
Starring: Ford Washington Lee and John William Sublett (Buck & Bubbles)
Director: Paul Powell
Rating: Four of Ten Stars

The Wildcat (Sublett) returns home after serving in World War I  to find his job and his girl have been taken by a monacle-wearing immigrant from the West Indies.

Back in their day, Buck & Bubbles were a hugely successful black song-and-dance/comedy duo, and one half of it, John William Sublett, is credited with inventing a particular style of tap-dancing and being someone Fred Astaire sought out for dance lessons. However, their talents aren't well represented in this film, which, according to marketing materials from the time, is one of six adaptations of Hugh Wiley short stories about an African American who was in the US Army during WWI. There's almost no dancing in the film--just a single brief bit of softshoe shuffle--and the jokes are minimal and mostly unfunny. In fact, this short film has the length, pacing, and overall feel of a substandard sit-com from the 1980s. I suppose in that sense it was ahead of its time, but unless you're a fan of substandard sit-coms or Race Films, there might not be a whole lot to interest

One thing to be aware of if your one of this breed of 21st humans who are outraged (OUTRAGED!) by anything offensive or racist, this is a film you want to stay away from as it contains just about every negative stereotype about blacks that you would find in a film from this period. Even if you do decide to brave it, you might want to just stop the DVD player as the climax is wrapping up. While I found the way the film used the "blacks are superstitious and cowardly black people" stereotype interesting--native American blacks use it against the Haitian interloper--it might be the thing that will cause you to have a nervous breakdown.

"High Toned" is one of six short films included on "Ultra-Rare Pre-Code Comedies, Volume 4:  How Comedies Are Born".