'The Mystic Hour' is an uneven mess

The Mystic Hour (aka "At Twelve Midnight") (1933)
Starring: Charles Hutchison, Lucille Powers, Charles Middleton, Montagu Love, and Edith Thornton

Director:  Melville Delay

Rating: Five of Ten Stars

When the heroic Robert Randall (Hutchison) is chasing down a thief, he meets the beautiful Mary Marshall (Powers), and it's love at first sight. Their future together is threatened not only by Mary's corrupt ward (Middleton) who wants to cover up the fact he's stolen her inheritance, but also by the vengeful criminal mastermind, The Fox (Love).

"The Mystic Hour" opens with a really nicely done, moody and soundless sequence of a burglary... but it's all downhill from there. There's a nice idea at the heart of this film--with family intrigues crossing with the criminal underworld--but it's boring and muddled in the way it's executed and performed by a cast that seems to be suffering under poor direction or maybe just bad at ad-libbing. On more than one occasion, the actors and actresses seem confused as to what they are even doing in a particular scene.

One interesting aspect of the film is the choice of actor to play it's hero--Charles Hutchison may be the least attractive romantic lead in a film we're supposed to take seriously that I've ever come across. I can't decide if this a head-scratching move or a piece of brilliant casting. Perhaps he was cast for his ability as a stuntman (assuming he did his own stunts), because the action scenes of this film are by far its best moments, even if they are almost ruined and made ridiculous by the undercranking.

Aside from the too-brief action sequences, there's not a whole lot to recommend "The Mystic Hour" and it barely managed to earn the lowest possible Five of Ten rating. I think even the director knew he had a film that was in trouble--exciting action bits but boooooooring everything else--and an effort was made to liven things up with scenes of a pretty lady wearing  varying degrees of very little. (It's a time-honored tradition that one, which has been the fallback position of B-movies since the invention of the camera up to the present day.)

Musical Monday with Noisia

"Tommy's Theme", released by Noisia in 2012, is interesting music supported by an even more interesting music video. Both make me hope that we've left much of the bullshit of the past couple years behind behind with 2020 but also remind me of the fear that we haven't.

Noisia is a three-member Dutch band who makes electronic music in a wide variety of styles. You can learn more about them at their official website by clicking here.

Tom & Jerry flame out as firemen

Hook & Ladder Hokum (1933)
Starring: Anonymous Voice Actors
Directors: George Stallings and Frank Tashlin
Rating: Four of Ten Stars

Tom and Jerry are firemen trying to rescue top floor residents of a building that's burning down.

The Tom & Jerry series was erratic in quality level and apparent target audience from, literally, the very beginning of the series, but few feel as uninspired as "Hook and Ladder Hokum". The gags are tepid and repeative; the jazzy wall-to-wall music, which is often the saving grace of the weaker entries, serves its purpose but is mostly unremarkable; and the whole affair feels derivative of previous Tom & Jerry adventures, as if no one involved with the series was even trying anymore. 

Perhaps "Hook and Ladder Hokum" was more entertaining to 1930s audiences than it is the modern viewer, because of some of its relevance by the passage of time? Much of the material here is poking fun at silent comedies and dramas about firemen (like "The Garage" from 1920), and there's one bit that feels like a reference to a public figure that movie goers in 1933 was assumed to know: A portrait comes to life and mocks Jerry for losing to Tom in a game of checkers, and it's animated in a different style than all other characters in the film, and the voice sounds like it's intended to be a spoof of someone, but this 21st century viewer has no idea who that someone was. (If some of you out there better versed in 1930s pop culture can identify the mystery target of spoofing, please fill me in down below, in the comments sections... after watching the cartoon embedded right here in this post.)

Given the inconsistent nature of the Tom & Jerry series, it's impossible for me to tell whether the lackluster nature of "Hook and Ladder Hokum" was there from the beginning or is the result of eighty years of pop culture evolution. On the one hand, there is some fine animation here--Tom & Jerry have rarely looked better--but on the other hand, there's the recycled gags. Whatever the reasons, this fourth-from-final entry in the series is among the weakest. 

The Growing-up of Emma Peel: Part Ten

Click on the panels for a larger, more legible versions.

Artist Steve Lightle has passed away

Artist Steve Lightle, who was instrumental in modernizing the Flash and the Legion of Superheroes during the late 1980s, as well as reintroducing the Doom Patrol to comics readers around that same time, has passed away at the age of 61.

Here's a little of his art, in memory.

The Avengers: 'The Town of No Return'

The Town of No Return (1965)
Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Terrence Alexander, Patrick Newell, Juliet Harmer, Alan McNaughten, and Jeremy Burnham
Director: Roy Ward Baker

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

When several of their collegues vanish while investigating odd happenings in a small sea-side village, top government agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) are sent there undercover to determine their fates. 

"The Town of No Return" was the inaugural episode of the fourth season of "The Avengers", and it marked a change in direction and tone for the series. The character of John Steed had been evolving since the second season, from a trenchcoat-wearing tough guy to an eccentric, bowler hat wearing, fey throwback to an earlier age--and that transformation was complete now. With Steed's final metamorphosis also came a lighter tone for the series overall. 

The biggest change to the series, however, is the debut of Diana Rigg as Mrs. Emma Peel, the first steady partner Steed had had since he was made the lead character of the series during the second season. Mrs. Peel was introduced without much fanfare, with a sense that her and Steed had bene acquainted for some time and had possibly even worked together in the past. They seem well aware of each other's strengths and limitations. It's a nice in media res approach that gets things going quickly and gives the sense to viewers that we are about to embark on a dangerous mission with a pair of seasoned, capable secret agents. (And although Mrs. Peel is new to the viewers, we are swiftly introduced to her background and varied skillset through her banter with Steed and the friendly fencing match they engage in, right there in her living room. Not only do we see how physically capable Peel is, but their conversation reveals that she regularly publishes papers in scientific journals.)

We are further introduced to Mrs. Peel's talents for investigation and undercover work once she and Steed arrive in the titular Town of No Return, a strangely sparsely inhabited sea-side village where the inhabitants are decidedly unfriendly and the inn keeper (Terrence Alexander) is entirely too friendly, as she poses as a teacher sent by the Department of Education to help the local school. We also get to see Steed being absolutely coldhearted and brutal--and while he rarely kills on screen, some of his interactions with villains in this episode leaves no doubt that he could do so. All-in-all, this a great introduction to a pair of characters who compliment each other, portrayed by an actor and actress who work well together and have great onscreen chemistry. Macnee and Rigg make Steed and Peel seem absolutely believable as friends and colleagues who are dedicated to each other and their jobs as government investigators and, well, avengers. 

This first episode is also a prime example of what makes this series so much fun. Like all the best episodes, the action and the plot is almost secondary to the witty banter and friendly flirtations between Steed and Peel, and the comedic elements of the show exist easily alongside a growing atmosphere of dark mystery and deadly danger--with each augmenting and heightening the effectiveness of the other. Since this episode is directed by Roy Ward Baker, who was an expert at generating suspense and terror on the screen, it is not surprising that the air is thick with tension and mystery as soon as Steed and Peel arrive in the village. 

Like many episodes in Season Four of "The Avengers"--including some of the best ones--the plot of "The Town of No Return" comes apart if you examine it closely, but the ride you're on is so much fun that you shouldn't feel a need to think about the pure nonsense of pieces that don't quite fit. (At the risk of spoiling the episode for you, I will say that the one part that bothered me is that the fate of the villagers who are replaced by the invaders is not fully explained to my satisfaction. Are they all dead? Are they imprisoned somewhere? It seems reasonable that they're dead, but I would have liked to know one way or the other, even if it might have made the show much darker.)

"The Town of No Return" opens a chapter of greatness for "The Avengers"... and it opens it on a powerful high note. It is a classic bit of 1960s gonzo spy action, and it's well worth checking out.

2021: The Year of the Avengers

Not too long ago, I realized that there were 51 episodes of "The Avengers" that co-starred Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee. So, the decision was made on the spot that 2021 was going to be the Year of the Avengers at Shades of Gray, like 2000 had been The Year of the Hot Toddy.

The flaw in that plan, though, is that 26 of the episodes starring Diana Rigg are in black and white, but the rest are in color, with the episodes for the 1965 season being the last that were shot in black-and-white before the show converted to color in 1966.

Still, starting tomorrow, and then on every other Thursday for the rest of the year, I intend to post my thoughts on an episode of the series that originally aired on television in 1965. On the "off-weeks", there will be a photo-gallery related to "The Avengers" and its cast members.

If things go well, I'll revive my old Watching the Detectives blog and cover the 1966 color episodes over there.

I hope you will come by for my comments on these television classics, as I watch them for the first time. Despite all I've heard about the Patrick Macnee/Diana Rigg-led episodes of "The Avengers", it's just now that I'm getting around to them. (Previously I've only seen a few of the episodes where Honor Blackman played John Steed's partner, Cathy Gale. The promotional photos I'd seen for the 1965/66 seasons, as well as what I've heard, made it clear there was a drastic shift in tone when they gave Steed a permanent partner.)



By way of a warm-up, here's a pre-credit sequence that was added to the series when it was broadcast in the United States. In 1964, the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) brought the rights to "The Avengers", and the series aired more or less simultaneously in both the U.S. and its country of origin, Great Britain. It was felt the characters and what they did needed a proper introduction to the Americans, so this very neat little opener was created. 

(I say "neat", even while wondering if the writer wo scripted the voice-over and the executive who approved it had even watched so much as the first episode with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel. It is clear from the outset that, like John Steed, Mrs. Peel is a top, professional secret agent and not a "talented amateur" as she is described... unless they're referring to the fact that she dabbles in several advanced science disciplines? Although, as I typed that sentence, I remembered references here and there during the series that also seemed to hint at Mrs. Peel not being a full-time agent. Personally, I find that notion fantastic, given what Steed involves her in, time and again. I realize that "The Avengers" is basically a live-action comic book, but even with Emma Peel's background as the sole heir to her father's company and fortune--especially because of that background--it taxes my imagination that she is some sort of volunteer or part-time consultant.)



(This opening is NOT included in the DVD collection that is forming the basis of the reviews series. I consider this an oversight. It should have been included as an "extra" or "bonus feature.")

'As the Earth Turns' was decades in the making

As the Earth Turns (filmed ca. 1937, released 2019)
Starring: Alan Hoelting, Barbara Berger, Edwin C. Frost, and Richard Lyford

Director: Richard Lyford

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

The time is the near future. As war rages across Europe, a mysterious entity, Pax (Lyford), reaches out to world via a west coast U.S. Navy station, threatening natural disasters on a global scale if the war doesn't come to an end. The mysterious entity charges the U.S. government with seeing to it that its demands are carried out... and when peace does not come fast enough, Pax proves that it has the power to destroy mountains, move oceans, and ravage the world with earthquakes. A pair of reporters (Berger and Hoelting) and a physicist (Frost) set out to find Pax and stop his reign of terror.

"As the Earth Turns" was made in made in 1937 or 1938, but never released to the public until relatives of its writer/director/co-star connected with composer Ed Hartman. Hartman provided a wall-to-wall musical score for the film and became the driving force in getting it out into the world. 

Based on information provided by Hartman and extrapolating from Richard Lyford's IMDB entry, at least one reason why this film was abandoned was that was in final edits and assembly when Lyford went to work for the Walt Disney Corporation, leaving behind his troupe of fellow amateur actors and filmmakers in Seattle, WA, for a career in Hollywood. 

On the one hand, it's great that a talented filmmaker had the opportunity to make a living plying his craft--and even co-directing an Oscar-winning documentary--but, on the other hand, it's too bad it took ninty years for this fun sci-fi movie to see the light of day. (That said... if Lyford HAD finished and released his move, there might not have been the well-preserved raw material for Hartman and the restoration team to work with in producing what we now can watch today.)

As far as my purely superficial research has shown, the only person aside from Lyford who went onto a successful show-business career  was Barbara Berger--on Broadway and soap operas--and I think it was well deserved. Aside from Lyford himself, Berger gives the best performance in the cast and is responsible for two of my favorite moments of "As the Earth Turns" (and mentioning either would spoil parts of the movie, sadly).

 

As for the film itself, story- and pacing-wise is it's on par with the sci-fi films of the time, and the characters are also what you would expect. (Spunky, success-driven girl reporter. Heroic [more or less] male reporter. Wise scientist who happens to be a semi-mentor to one of the characters. Stark-raving mad scientist.) There are a couple of twists to how these standard figures are deployed within the story--one of which is borne from such pure plot convenience that it almost hurt, one which adds a little surprise to the ending. There are plenty of shaky parts in the plot, and the ending comes rather suddenly--but with a bit more of a denouement than many film of the period--but there is nothing worse that you don't see in professionally mounted low-budget films of the day. In fact, what we have here is superior to what you'd find in many of those films.

Even more remarkable  are the special effects in this film. They are remarkably competent for an amateur film--from the construction of the models, through the filming of their eventual destruction through explosions and other mayhem. There's a plan crash that's especially impressive--and it compares well to what you might see in films from big studios in the 1950s or even the 1960s.

One curious choice was Lyford's decision to make it a silent movie. Maybe he did so because of technical and resource limitations, because I can't think of many silent movies being produced in 1937. Even cartoons had become more or less dialogue-driven by this point in time, so making a silent film seems a bit odd. (Although since people are still making silent movies today, perhaps I am making a bad assumption. Perhaps Lyford choosing to make a silent film is like someone today choosing to make a sci-fi film using practical effects and models instead of lots of CGI--he had a creative reason for rejecting the most recent technology of filmmaking. 

Another curious choice was for Lyford to present the film's final scene in color. Maybe I missed something along the way, but I didn't get the sense that there was anything in the resolution of the story to support such a change--especially given the "throwback" nature of the picture. Maybe the final bit was shot in color because Lyford gained access to a color camera and film and wanted to try it out? (This color portion is among the worst preserved bits of the film... the colors are so faded that this colorblind viewer didn't even see them. A friend who had also watched "As the Earth Turns" asked me what I thought about the film turning color at the end, and my response was, "It turned color?" I thought it was suddenly tinted blue ala some scenes in the silent Fantomas films or "This is the Night" (1932).

Despite some technical gripes and questions I have with the film, I recommend it to anyone who likes early sci-fi pictures and silent movies; you'll find plenty to enjoy here--including the excellent score by Ed Hartman. (More modern composers who try to score silent films should be like Hartman and actually pay attention to what's happening on the screen and match the music accordingly.)

As of this writing, "As the Earth Turns" available for viewing on Amazon Prime.

(Trivia: "As the Earth Turns" star Barbara Berger is remembered primarily for recurring roles on soap operas during the 1960s through the late 1990s. Under the name Barbara Berjer, she made her television debut with appearances in the landmark "The Edge of Night" through "As the World Turns" (funny coincidence there) and ultimately a 12-year stint on "Another World" (1985-1997).

Tanya Roberts passes away at 65

Tanya Roberts, a model who turned to acting in the late 1970s, is perhaps best remembered for her role as Donna's mother on "That '70s Show" and for playing opposite Roger Moore's James Bond in "A View to a Kill" (1985). However, her beauty and talent were also on prominent display as one of Charlie's Angel's during that series final season in 1981; as Kiri in Don Coscarelli's fantasy film "The Beastmaster" (1984); as the title character and star in "Sheena: Queen of the Jungle" (1984), an underappreciated jungle action/adventure film; and as a hapless traveler in the equally underappreciated "Tourist Trap" (1979) from B-movie master Charles Band. Her first starring film role was in the proto-slasher film "Forced Entry" (1976). 

Born in 1955, Tanya Roberts appeared in more than 40 different television series and movies between 1974 and 2005 when she retired from acting. She collapsed while walking near her home on Christmas Eve of 2020.

On January 3, 2020, the common-law husband and other representatives of Roberts announced that she had passed away. Then, about midday on Jan 4, the husband and reps said, "Whoops... never mind. She's not quite dead. Our bad."

How it's possible to declare someone dead before the body isn't even a body yet (while claiming you were there in the "final moments", we can't say. But that's what happened. Maybe we're looking at a Monte Python routine made reality?

Roberts did eventually pass away later on January 4, but it was more than 24 hours after those who were eager to announce her passing initially did so.

Musical Monday with the Moody Blues

It's the Moody Blues, standing outside a castle, and they're performing "Nights in White Satin". What else you could you possibly need to know? And could there be a better way to celebrate the first Musical Monday of a brand-new year? Click on the video and enjoy!