In Memory of Yvonne Craig

Today, it's five years since the great Yvonne Craig passed away at the age of 78. In memory, here are a few photos of her being where we all wish would be could be this time of year--young and hanging out on the beach.

Musical Monday with Phantogram

Phantogram is a New York City-based musical duo who creates beautiful, multi-layered synth-rock tunes. Today's offering was the single off their 2011 debut album, "Eyelid Movies". The song, "When I'm Small" is haunting and the video supporting it is visually striking, full of stark black and white contrasts and a highly effective use of unexpected splashes of color.

That said, my favorite parts of the video are still the ones where singer and keyboardist Sarah Barthel shakes her boobs at the camera.

Saturday Serial: Jenna of the Jungle

Continuing Don Hudson's "Jenna of the Jungle" (and including a random bonus jungle girl afterwards). Click on any panel for a larger version, and come back next Saturday for Part Fourteen.


JENNA OF THE JUNGLE: PART THIRTEEN
By Don Hudson

To Be Continued...

Girls of the Jungle

By Frank Frazetta

The good and the bad balance each other in the second Perry Mason film

The Case of the Curious Bride (1935)

Starring: Warren William, Margaret Lindsay, Allen Jenkins, Owlin Howland, Donald Woods, Thomas E. Jackson, Claire Dodd, and Barton MacLane

Director: Michael Curtiz

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Famed defense attorney Perry Mason (William) must uncover the truth buried beneath lies and police corruption when a former lover (Lindsay) comes to him for help with a blackmail case but ends up being accused of murdering the blackmailer.

"The Curse of the Curious Bride" was the second Perry Mason film produced by Warner Bros. during the mid-1930s. Reportedly, although film reviewers said nice things about it at the time, and it did well financially, Perry Mason's creator, Earl Stanley Gardner strongly disliked it. And I think it's clear why.

Although the film is fast paced, features an engaging mystery with stakes that keep getting raised as it goes, and a suspect pool that keeps getting larger instead of smaller as the story unfolds, it spends too much time trying to be a comedy. From banter that isn't entertaining, to scenes that are supposed to be funny but are mostly just dumb, and renaming and reshaping of Paul Drake into the third-rate comic relief Spudesy Drake, just about every attempt at humor in this film falls flat and just lays there on the floor, stinking like a dead fish in the sun. They only supposed-to-be-funny bits that come close to working is when Perry Mason is being overly dramatic and flamboyant in front of newspaper reporters.

It's a shame that the filmmakers decided to lean so heavily on badly done comedy in this picture, because, unlike so many other Perry Mason tales, this one gives a lot of insight into what he does for fun and who he spends time with outside of the law offices and courtrooms. In some ways, Mason feels like a more fully rounded character in this film than he did even after the total of two decades of television series and made-for-TV movies starring Raymond Burr. This aspect, combined with the fact that the film features a great cast, which could have made this a great Perry Mason movie is why I'm giving it a Six instead of the Five it probably deserves.

Another quirk of the film is that it never enters a courtroom; in fact, the case at the center of the film never even makes it to trail. While the concluding "action" doesn't always take place in a oourtroom in Perry Mason stories, there's at least some sort of legal proceeding at some point. Here, the closet we get is Mason meeting with the District Attorney, in a scene that's more there to underscore the corruption of the D.A. and the police department more than anything else.

And speaking of the corrupt police department... corruption is another aspect of this film that's unusual when compared to other Perry Mason screen adventures I've seen. While the police and prosecutors are often shown as either dimwitted, lazy, or just unwilling to look beyond their initial conclusions when it comes to getting their convictions, they aren't usually out-and-out corrupt like they are here. For example, the police detectives don't just go where the evidence takes them here--they all but frame their prime suspect for murder while the prosecutor prevents Mason from seeing her. (On the other side of the coin, however, Mason engages in corruption to a degree that I've also not seen any screen incarnations do up to this point. While I'm used to Mason playing a bit loose with the spirit of the law or bending procedural rules, and even the law, almost to the breaking point, he goes well beyond that in this film.)

Some of the elements which seemed out of place to me probably did not appear that way to audiences in 1935. Corrupt police and prosecutors were the norm in detective films of the day, and the Perry Mason Formula didn't have 85 years of development behind it like it does now. (And, for that matter, the corruption of the justice system that exists everywhere in this movie might be something that will allow newcomers to Perry Mason--via the excellent series that recently ran on HBO.)

"The Case of the Curious Bride" in included with five other Perry Mason films that were produced by Warner Bros. in the 1930s. It's a reasonable priced set, and I think it's worth checking out for Perry Mason fans, old and new.

Wonder Woman Wednesday

By George Perez

As we all continue to wait for the new Wonder Woman movie to arrive in movie theaters--hopefully in October!--everyone's favorite Amazon has gone Art Nouveau!

By Mark Brooks

By Frank Cho

By Al Rio

By Michael Peters

'Grampy: The Candid Candidate' still resonates

Grampy: The Candid Candidate (1937)

Starring: Jack Mercer (voice of Grampy) and Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop)

Director: Dave Fleischer

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

After narrowly winning at election for Mayor, various citizens groups invade Grampy's office and insist he deliver on his promises. Grampy comes up with innovative ways to meet their demands (and more)!

Although this is ostensibly a Betty Boop cartoon, the fact that it's headlined by a member of what is generally viewed as her supporting cast, says a lot about the standing of the Betty Boop character in the late 1930s. Her adventures lost much of their edge when production companies became obligated to adhere to the MPPC, and Betty grew up, put away the tiny flapper dress, and became a domesticated homemaker. Meanwhile, characters like Grampy, who was introduced into the series in 1935, took more and more of the spotlight. In some ways, Betty Boop was following the same path that her one-time boyfriend Bimbo had followed: Betty began her existence as a supporting character to Bimbo, but she quickly came to overshadow him.

While the "The Candid Candidate" is a solid sign that Betty's days as the reigning Queen of Cartoon Comedy were coming to an end, it is an item that has stood the test time--with humor that is as fresh now as it was in 1937, and probably still will be in 2103. Not only does it feature a rapid-fire stream of sight gags, but it's a fun-filled send-up of politicians who over-promise and who then, when called to deliver, fail at truly fixing  problems they campaigned on while going so overboard in other areas to the point where there are going to be unintended consequences down the road. Shots taken at the media here also shows that "fake news" isn't new, and that politicians pandered just as hard back then as they do today. There is so much in this cartoon that remains relevant that it's funny and depressing at the same time.

Whether you watch "The Candid Candidate" for its social commentary or just for the crazy and innovative ways Grampy goes about being the Greatest Mayor Ever, you're going to enjoy every moment of its  six-minute running time. I've embedded it below so you can check it out now--I'm sure it will brighten your day.

 

(In fact, I enjoyed this cartoon so much that I think I shall have to focus my meanderings through the history of Betty Boop on just the ones featuring Grampy. He made ten appearances between 1935 and 1937, and if they're all as good as this, I'll be glad I did!) 

Musical Monday with A Perfect Circle

Do you like rock music with a big, metalish sound? Do you like dystopian sci-fi that carries a promise that everything may work out happily in the end? If so, this video from A Perfect Circle is just what you need to get your week off to a great start! (Don't be frightened by the color sections!)

Saturday Serial: Jenna of the Jungle

Continuing Don Hudson's "Jenna of the Jungle" (and including a random bonus jungle girl afterwards). Click on any panel for a larger version, and come back next Saturday for Part Thirteen.


JENNA OF THE JUNGLE: PART TWELVE
By Don Hudson

To Be Continued...

Girls of the Jungle

By Bryan Baugh

Firearms Friday with Claudine Auger

Born in 1941, Claudine Auger is a French actress who came in international prominence when she played Domino, opposite Sean Connery in "Thunderball" (1966). Both before and after her turn as a Bond Girl, however, Auger appeared in top-notch thrillers and action films, mostly for the French and Spanish markets. 

Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, Auger was one of Europe's busiest actresses, logging screen and television roles while also appearing live in stage plays. In 1991, she gave birth to her daughter, and she eased back on her work schedule to focus on her family. She continued to accept at least one part every year until 1997 when she retired from the industry completely.

Claudine Auger passed away in December of 2019.

 

A man and his box of tricks...

The Famous Box Trick (1898)
Starring: Georges Méliès
Director: Georges Méliès
Rating: Ten of Ten Stars

A magician performs his signature trick, involving a box, a bird, a boy, and a big axe.

"The Famous Box Trick" is, as the title should make clear, another one of trailblazing filmmaker and special effects artist Georges Méliès short films that presents and, using trick photography, enhances a fairly standard stage illusion. As I've mentioned in previous articles, these are among my least favorite of his films, but this one I absolutely adore. In fact, I am so fond of it that I watched it, and then came back a week later and watched it again, just make sure I wasn't in some strange mood when I first saw it.

In the final analysis, this is, by far, the most charming of Méliès' films I've seen, and I recommend it to everyone reading this--whether you want to watch something fun or something historic.

At just over a minute, this film is so brimming with joy and excitement that even the most surly of viewers can't help but have his or her spirits lifted. The creative energy of Méliès as he essentially creates not only the art of special effects but, arguably, filmed fiction in general, is also so evident here that it's impossible not to love this effort. Even better, despite being one of his earliest efforts, every bit of trick photography is executed with absolute perfection. 

Take a look at "The Famous Box Trick" for yourself. I hope I haven't raised expectations to high with my praise above, but I really to think it's a perfect little film. If I could time travel, I think I'd want to go back to see how the audience reacted in 1898 when Méliès screened this film for them, as an add-on to the live magic act he performed in his theatre.