'Doctor Cupid' is predictable but still well-done

Doctor Cupid (1911)
Starring: John Bunny, Carlyle Blackwell, and Edith Storey
Director: Unknown

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A young poet (Blackwell) disguises himself as a doctor to get around the overly protective father (Bunny) of the woman he loves (Storey).

Although mostly forgotten today, John Bunny was a comedian who became an international screen star during the early days of film. Reportedly, he tended to stay away from slapstick and physical comedy and instead focused on more character- and relationship-based material. That is certainly the case in "Doctor Cupid", which is one of only a handful of the roughly 300 films he appeared in that survive to the present day.

"Doctor Cupid" runs a little over 12 minutes and it doesn't waste a second with its fast-moving, proto-sitcom story that straddles the line between comedy and melodrama. The characters all take the unfolding events very seriously, but there's a sense that the audience isn't necessarily supposed to, from Bunny's obtuse character nodding off during a poetry reading to his daughter becoming literally love-sick when she is forbidden to see the man she barely knows yet has decided is the love of her life. There's the occassional over-emoting that one expects from films of this period, but generally the actors deliver performances that are more in line with what you'd expect from a well-performed stage production. Overall, everyone does an impressive job, especially since there is not a single moment where an actor seems unsure of where they're to direct their energy or where they're supposed to stand in the shot. (There's one bit where Edith Storey's back is to the camera for an awkwardly long period of time, but other than that, the framing of each shot and the actors positioning within it is well above average in competence for films of this period.

If you're in the mood for a bit of light entertainment that occupies a space between a sitcom and a French farce, I think you'll enjoy "Doctor Cupid"; you can watch it right here, right now, as it's embedded below. (And if I steer you wrong, feel free to sound off by leaving a comment beneath this post.)

'Sweet Childe': An example of the Boobs & Blades comics craze.

Sweet Childe #1 (New Moon Studios, 1993)
Script: Vinson Watson
Art: Harold Cupec

Rating: Five of Ten Stars

After being ignored by her spiritual leaders, set upon by sexually harrassers, and coming under threat of a murderous ex-boyfriend, Tasha is given a magic amulet by a strange old lady. From then on, when she is set upon by a male predator, she transforms into a blood-thirsty, killing machine that leaves no menacing males (or even friendly ones) alive.

From about the mid-1980s and through most of the 1990s, busty women in little clothing who ran around disemboweling their opponents were all the rage. Such characters existed before, and they exist to this day, but for 10-15 years, they were everywhere. They were so prevalent that they'd take over comics where they were initially secondary characters (Lady Death in "Evil Ernie") or existing characters would literally be mutilated and transformed into sword-wielding babes in skimpy outfits (Psylocke from "Captain Britain" and "X-Men").

One example of this comics trend was "Sweet Childe" from New Moon Studios. I came across it in a pile of underground and alternative and self-published comics from the 1980s and 1990s that was recently donated to the Shades of Gray cause (so there will be even more reviews of black-and-white comics coming to this space).

Story-wise, I'd say it's about average for the Boobs & Blades fare of that period. The general content and tone seems inspired equally by slasher films and 1980s exploitation flicks, with characters also drawn from the pool of stock figures from those genres. Where "Sweet Childe" stand apart, however, is that I don't remember any other title being quite so dedicated to its viewpoint that nearly all men are predators just looking for a woman to abuse or rape... and even those who aren't actually are, because if they have consensual sex with a woman who they hook up with in a bar, well, that just proves that they're predators who deserve to be killed. 

That last part bothers me--that one of Tasha's victims is a guy with him she picks up on the bar, goes back to a hotel with, and has mutually agreed upon sex. She and the man are both very clear on what they are looking for. And yet, she brutally murders him for having sex with her. This makes no sense in the context of the rest of the issue. Maybe it's because I like a little bit of a "morality tale" aspect to my horror stories, but this makes no sense to me and seems out of key with everything else that happens in the issue. If the transformed/possessed Tasha (the "Sweet Childe" of the title?; I am realizing I'm not sure why the book is called that) is a Furie out to avenge the evils of men against women, why does she then become the very evil predator she is supposed to be targeting? Maybe Watson was setting Tasha/Sweet Childe up to be the villain of her own series (as was the original intent with Marvel's Punisher? The final page makes me think this might be the case, but it could just be sloppy writing. Actually, the way the victim's connection to other characters is revealed, I'm thinking this might be the case more than anything.

Art-wise, it's a bit below average. One problem is that Cupec's art appears flat and static, despite the violent action that dominates the book. Maybe this wouldn't have been a problem if a good colorist had worked on the pages, but this is black and white, and Cupec doesn't use enough black to make things pop, or he uses it badly. 

The biggest problem, though, is that the action is sometimes hard to follow both in individual panels and pages and across pages. Harold Cupec's choice of PoV in a number of panels is odd and it causes disruption in the flow of the story because it's often unclear how the events in one panel led to what is happening in the one following--and this sometimes leads to a cascade failure where it becomes unclear what's happening from one page to the next.  There's a mass-slaughter sequence onboard a subway train where this becomes a huge problem as it turns into a perfect storm of all of Cupec's weanesses.. It also doesn't help that he tries to do some Tim Vigil-style gore... but he's no Tim Vigil. (That said, I adore Tasha/Sweet Childe's facial expression in the last panel. It may be the best moment in the whole book.)

Given the widespread popularity in some quarters of the notion that all men are evil rapists just looking for the right opportunity to show their true colors, I suppose "Sweet Childe" might hold some appeal to modern readers--if it was available anywhere or had made it past the first issue. I've not been able to find evidence of either being the case; I can't find any information on the title nor its publisher nor the publisher's parent company anywhere on the Web.

I am torn between awarding this title a Low Five or High Four on the 0 - 10 scale used here at Shades of Gray. I probably would not have bothered getting issue #2 of "Sweet Childe" (or even #1, frankly) Back in the Day unless I'd been at a convention and either liked a conversation/encounter I had with the creators, or it was given to me for free. That said, part of me is curious to see where "Sweet Childe" might have gone if it made it to issue #2 and beyond. Was our "heroine" going to be the villain in her book, as the final page seems to hint at? And why is the series called "Sweet Childe" when no one in the story seems to fit that name? Would there have been answers to those questions? Probably not, but the fact that I was even motivated to ask them tells me there's a spark of something here, even if the creators weren't fully able to fan it into life. That's worth some consideration, so I am erring on the side of generosity.

If, in the unlikely event you come across a copy of "Sweet Childe" out there, or remember reading it, feel free to hop on and share YOUR take on it.

Happy Birthday to Gina Carano!

Gina Carano, martial artist turned actress--pretty much a female version of Chuck Norris with the added fun of Twitter Controversies. (In 2012, she even won the Chuck Norris Award for Best Female Actor for her performance in "Haywire" (2012).)

Carano was born on this day, April 16, in 1982. Here are some pictures in celebration.

It's no bull...

 ... that Elizabeth Montgomery was born on this day, 88 years ago.

The Avengers: A Surfeit of H2O

A Surfeit of H2O (1965)

Starring: Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Noel Purcell, Albert Lieven, Geoffrey Palmer, Talfryn Thomas, John Kidd, and Sue Lloyd

Director: Sidney Hayers

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A doomsday prophet (Purcell) and a winery with secret, highly scientific production methods are at the center of the mystery when agents John Steed (Macnee) and Emma Peel (Rigg) are tasked with uncovering how a man drowned in the middle of an empty field.

This is another excellent episode that features a tight script; a brilliant mix of sci-fi and investigative secret agent action; and an assortment of interesting and quirky characters that make it tricky to pinpoint who the bad guys are and what they are actually up to until the Big Reveal. It also features another nice "damsel in distress" riff along the same lines as what we had in "The Gravediggers", but with a stronger sense of danger than comedy. There's also a great bit with Steed's steel-plated trick bowler as an adjunct to that business.

Character-wise, the wisecracking between Steed and Mrs. Peel is topnotch, and some of the incidental characters here are so interesting and well-acted that I sorry to see them meet a violent end, or I wished there could have been a reason for them to make reappearance in a future episode--Noel Purcell's doomsday prophet Jonah Barnard being prime among these. The different approaches that Steed and Peel take to investigating the mysterious deaths also lend a great deal of entertainment value to this episode--Peel remains methodical and cautious in her approach, while Steed starts out that way but quickly starts resorting to antics to see what he can stir up. At the end, though, it's a combination of the two approaches that leads to the good guys ultimately winning the day. Peel's dignified unflappability also leads to one of the most amusing (and possibly one of the most British) witness interviews ever committed to film. Another nice bit in this episode is the way Steed and Peel turn firmly to science to help them figure out what's happening with the weather around the winery--which also gives the writers an opportunity to show that Mrs. Peel is also knowledgeable in the field of meteorology.

As great as this episode is, it's another instance of where the creators don't quite pull off the ending. It's got a dramatic set-up and the location in which it unfolds should make it one of the deadliest fights our heroes have ever been in--since they are exchanges punches with the bad guys at the very heart of a mad science experiment that has claimed three lives that we know of--but it's almost like the actors, director, and writers have forgotten what's happened earlier in the episode.

All in all, though... some 55 years after it first aired, "A Surfeit of H2O" is still highly entertaining and well worth the time you'll spend watching it.

The Jane Birkin Quarterly

It's time for another visit with Jane Birkin. What is she getting up to?

 

Your guess is as good as mine.

I don't know what she's doing here, either...

Harold and Bebe grapple with 'Spring Fever'

Spring Fever (1919)

Starring: Harold Lloyd, Bebe Daniels, Snub Pollard, Noah Young, Fred C. Newmeyer, Marie Mosquini, Gus Leonard, and Raye Hampton

Director: Hal Roach

Rating: Six of Ten Stars

Stricken with Spring Fever, a bookkeeper (Lloyd) leaves work early. He proceeds to cause chaos in the park and find love in the arms of a young lady (Daniels).

"Spring Fever" is a few minutes of fast-paced fun. It hasn't aged as well as some of the other Harold Lloyd/Bebe Daniels team-ups--Lloyd plays a trickster character who is just a tad too obnoxious to be likeable and Daniels plays far more interesting characters in some of their other films together--but director Hal Roach doesn't waste a second of the film's eight minutes of run-time: If characters aren't being established, plot isn't being forwarded, and gags aren't being executed, then gags are being set up.

If you like silent comedies, I think you'll find this one entertaining. It's even more fun to watch if you've seen other of Lloyds and Daniels' vehicles, as you'll recognize some of the locations from other films. Why don't you kick back and take a few minutes to watch it right now?

Musical Monday with Nirvana

Is there a better song to feature on this beautiful Spring Musical Monday than "In Bloom"? I should think not! 

In Bloom (1992)

Starring: Nirvana and Doug Llewelyn

Director: Kevin Kerslake

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

"In Bloom" is one of my favorite Nirvana songs... and this video makes me love it even more, because it's perfect for this blog. (That said, one can't really fault people for singing along with a Nirvana song and not knowing that the lyrics are pretty gruesome or depressing; Weird Al nailed it in his spoof of "Smells Like Teen Spirit"--unless you're reading a lyrics sheet, it's hard to know what's actually being said half the time.)

When the King met Betty

Betty Boop and the Little King (1936)
Starring: Jack Mercer (voice of the Little King and others) and Mae Questel (voice of Betty Boop)
Directors: Dave Fleischer
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

A fun-loving king sneaks out of an opera performance and out from under the iron fist of his queen to enjoy a vaudevillian rodeo performance by Betty Boop. 

In 1933, producer Max Fleischer approached Kings Features Syndicate with a proposal to turn their Popeye the Sailor comic strip character into an animated character. The Syndicate was dubious, but Popeye proved to be a far bigger hit in animation than he ever was on the printed page. After the demise of the Van Beuren Corporation, which had licensed Kings Features strip "Little King" for use in animation (and had produced a dozen shorts starring him), Fleischer decided to see if he could replicate the success he'd seen with Popeye.

"Betty Boop and the Little King" was a back-door "pilot episode" for a potential "Little King" series, just like "Popeye the Sailor" had been in 1933, and it follows the same template as that previous effort: Betty Boop is relegated to supporting-character status in her own series, as the Little King encounters her performing, joins the act, and triggers additional events and complications.

Unfortunately, the attempt to launch "The Little King" to screen stardom fizzled on the ground. The reasons for this could be many, but obvious ones are plain to see as the cartoon unfolds. First of all, Betty Boop lost her edge when the Production Code made the Fleischers feel obligated to redirect her adventures from an adult audience toward children, so the sly humor and escalating violence of "Popeye the Sailor" is nowhere to be found here. Second, where both "Betty Boop and the Little King" and "Popeye the Sailor" were structured in a way that they introduced viewers who might not be familiar with the source material to the characters, only "Popeye the Sailor" put major effort into building some new, unique, and fresh for the animated version. In fact, the Fleischer cartoon unnecessarily violates a standard of "The Little King" comic strip when they have the King speak. In the strip, he NEVER speaks... and there was no reason for him to do so here, either. Thirdly, while the story is cute and the King is equal parts funny and sympathetic (just like his more proper Queen is equal parts funny and UNsympathetic since she is trying to keep him behaving in a way that is befitting his status), it's generally a low energy affair. The animation is nice--even impressive at a couple of points--but when compared to other Betty Boop cartoons, the gags are weak and prone to overstay their welcome and there's barely enough going on to keep viewers engaged.

"Betty Boop and the Little King" isn't a terrible cartoon... it's just a little too tame and genteel.

This was the only time Fleischer used the Little King in one of his productions. It was probably for the best, since I have a feeling that he was much better suited for the type of fare that the Van Beuren Corporation put out--and with that said, I will have to seek out and watch some of those to see if I'm right or wrong. If anything, I'm fairly certain that the King didn't speak in those shorts, because most of the Van Beuren cartoons were essentially silent movies with elaborate musical scores.

But just don't take my word for whether "Betty Boop and the Little King" is good or not. I've embedded it" below, you can can check it out yourself; it's only seven or so minutes long. If you disagree with my take, I'd love to hear from you in the comments section below.

The Avengers Dossier, Page Seven

Here's another look at a supporting player from the Fourth Season of "The Avengers".

PATRICIA HAINES

In "The Master Minds", Patricia Haines played the archery instructor to an exclusive club of super-geniuses.

Born in 1932, Patricia Haines was a familiar face on British television during the 1960s and into the mid-1970s. She had incidental roles in many popular series and was a regular cast member in "The Flower of Evil" (1961), "Six Proud Walkers" (1962), and in early seasons of soap operas "Compact" and "Emmerdale Farm". She also appeared in several films, with her role in the horror film "The Virgin Witch" (1971) being perhaps the most remarkable--as she played a particularly evil villainess.

Haines appeared three times during the six seasons of "The Avengers", playing a different character each time. In addition to her role on "The Master Minds", she was in "The Nutshell" (1963) and "Who's Who???" (1967).

Although a talented actress, Haines is more frequently mentioned as the one-time wife of Michael Cain. (They were married in 1954 and were divorced in 1962.)

Haines, a smoker since she was in her teens, passed away from lung cancer at the age of 45 in 1977.