Mad Monster Party?

"What kind of a monster is he? A ghoul? A demon? A spook, or...?"
"A human."
"They're the worst kind."

Dr. Boris Frankenstein (Karloff), who discovered the secret to life, has finally found the secret to absolute destruction.  To celebrate he invites all of his monsters to a party on the Island of Evil.  He also invites his clumsy human nephew, Felix Flankin.  As they prepare the castle, he tells his assistant Francesca (Garnett) of his plans to retire and name a successor at the party.

When the boat is sighted, he and Francesca are joined by the Frankenstein Monster "Fang" and his Mate (Diller) to welcome the convention to the island.  There is Count Dracula, "Wolfie" the Werewolf, the Invisible Man, the Hunchback, the Mummy, Dr. Jekyl / Mr. Hyde, and the Creature.  As the guests arrive, the zombie army patrols the skies for signs of the rampaging, diabolical It.

When the monsters learn who will replace the doctor, they decide to get rid of the competition.  Who will survive this terrifying convention, and who will ultimately possess the serum?

After making some Christmas family friendly Christmas movies in stop motion animation, Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, turned their attention to Halloween.  All the classic monsters from the 1920s-1940s appear, and they were able to get the biggest movie monster in the business: Boris Karloff.  Karloff lends his likeness to Baron Frankenstein and the Frankenstein Monster, and his voice to the Baron.  Comedienne Phyllis Diller is the Monster's Mate, which is a thinly veiled version of herself.  She is also the most obnoxious character.  Singer / actress Gale Garnett voices the voluptuous Francesca.  Allen Swift voices all the remaining characters... Felix sounds like Jimmy Stewart, Yetch is Peter Lorre, etc.  For copyright purposes some of the monsters were given different names, i.e. IT is obviously King Kong, Creature is the Creature from the Black Lagoon.  The characters of the Mummy and the Wolfman never speak, with the Wolfman in wolf form for the entire film (and dressed as a gypsy).

Not my favorite film in the Rankin / Bass cannon, but still a funny, Halloween film.

Mad Monster Party (1967) 94 minutes
Director: Jules Bass
Starring: Boris Karloff as Baron Boris von Frankenstein
Allen Swift as Felix Flankin / Yetch / Dracula / Invisible Man / Dr. Jekyl / Mr. Hyde / Additional voices
Gale Garnett as Francesca
Phyllis Diller as The Monsters Mate

The Thin Man

"I'm a hero. I was shot twice in the Tribune."
"I read where you were shot 5 times in the tabloids."
"It's not true. He didn't come anywhere near my tabloids."

Wealthy inventor Clyde Wynnant (Edward Ellis) has been missing for months.  When his secretary / mistress, Julia (Natalie Moorhead), is murdered all fingers point towards Wynnant but no one can find him.  His daughter, Dorothy (O'Sullivan) is concerned and convinces renowned detective Nick Charles (Powell) to come out of retirement to find her father and prove his innocence.

Despite believing in Wynnant's innocence, Nick is reluctant to come back to work.  However, he is pulled in when the police and reporters working the case and the gangsters with ties to the victim all converge on his apartment.  Who murdered Julia?  Was it Wynnant's cash-strapped ex-wife Mimi (Gombell), Mimi's deadbeat husband Chris (Cesar Romero), Wynnant's creepy intellectual son Gilbert (William Henry), any of the men in Julia's life?


Based on the novel by Dashiell Hammett, this film was the catalyst for subsequent mystery / detective books and movies.  While Hammett only wrote one "Thin Man" novel, this film spawned five sequels and a TV show in the late 1950s.  William Powell and Myrna Loy have excellent chemistry and portray a married couple that actually enjoy each other.  They come from different worlds, have different friends, but they just work.  The movie focuses more on their relationship and chemistry than the actual case.

The film introduced the detective genre to revealing the killer to all the suspects simultaneously... the scene were all the suspects are brought together and the detective explains the story and finally points out the guilty party, who is the person you'd least expect.  In this film, it is done over a dinner party... where Nick breaks up his narrative by pausing to speak to specific people, putting the person on edge and leads you to believe they are the killer, when in fact he is just asking them an unrelated question.

An excellent film, worth checking out!

The Thin Man (1934) 91 minutes
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell as Nick Charles
Myrna Loy as Nora Charles
Maureen O'Sullivan as Dorothy Wynnant
Nat Pendleton as Insepctor John Guild
Minna Gombell as Mimi Wynnant

The Wolf Man (1941)

"Whoever is bitten by a werewolf and lives becomes a werewolf himself."
"Ah, don't hand me that. You're just wasting your time."
"The wolf bit you, didn't he?"
"Yeah. Yeah he did!"

After eighteen years away, Larry Talbot (Chaney Jr.) returns to the family estate, to assist his father, Sir John (Rains).  He immediately falls for Gwen (Ankers), who runs the antique store, where he buys a cane with the image of a wolf.  Everyone in town is obsessed with the legend of the werewolf,

Even a man who is pure in heart
and says his prayers by night
may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
and the autumn moon is bright.
 

On his first night, he accompanies Gwen and Jenny (Fay Helm) to have their fortunes read by gypsies.  But the gypsy, Bela (Bela Lugosi) turns into a werewolf and kills Jenny.  While trying to save Jenny, Larry is bitten by the wolf, which he is finally able to kill.  The next day everyone in town believes Larry killed Bela, who reverted to his human form, and Larry begins to believe the gypsy's (Ouspenskaya) tales.


With a running time of 70 minutes, this film does not mess around.  It introduces the characters, sets up the plot, right to the conflict, climax, and BAM it's over.  Why aren't movies like that any more?  There are many movies out there that could benefit from having a shorter running time.

With that being said, I have absolutely no desire to see the Benico del Toro's 2010 remake.  This film just works... Chaney is an o.k. actor, but he disappears into the character of the werewolf.  It seems like an interesting choice... making monster movies, especially since his father (Lon Chaney) was well-known for his ability to disappear into a monster character with grotesque makeup.  While I have yet to see any of Chaney's films (they are in my Netflix queue), I think Chaney Jr. worked well in this part.  And he must have enjoyed some aspect of being Talbot / Wolf Man because he is the only actor to appear as the Wolf Man in the 1940s films.  He also has the distinction of being the only actor to portray the most reputed movie monsters: the Wolf Man (5 times), Dracula (in Son of Dracula), Frankenstein (in The Ghost of Frankenstein), and the Mummy (in The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost, and The Mummy's Curse).

Monster maker Jack Pierce created the makeup for this film... making this his fourth monster for Universal (following Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, and The Mummy).  Once again Pierce created an interesting character concept, that continues to be the template for subsequent werewolf incarnations.

A decent monster movie, Frankenstein is still better (but perhaps I'm partial).  I am curious to see more Wolf Man movies.

The Wolf Man (1941) 70 minutes
Director: George Waggner
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot / The Wolf Man
Claude Rains as Sir John Talbot
Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe
Warren William as Dr. Lloyd
Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Montford
Patric Knowles as Frank Andrews
Maria Ouspenskaya as Maleva

Charade

 "All right, get set for the story of my life."
"Fiction or non-fiction?"

Regina Lampert (Hepburn) is planning to divorce her wealth husband, Charlie, who keeps too many secrets.  When she returns from vacation, Charlie and all their possessions are gone.  The police inform her that Charlie was killed, after selling their possessions and trying to leave the country.

After the funeral, Regina is contacted by Mr. Bartholomew (Matthau) from the CIA.  He explains that Charlie was wanted by the government for a large sum of money he stole, which is the reason he was killed.  However, Regina is in danger.  Charlie had three accomplices who want their share of the money: Scobie (Kennedy), Tex (Coburn), and Gideon (Glass).  With the help of Peter Joshua (Grant), the charming stranger she met while on vacation, can Regina find the money first?

A funny, romantic, thriller with an all-star cast.  Audrey Hepburn is elegant and stunning in an array of Givenchy clothing.  Cary Grant is a charismatic leading man (as always), playing serious and goofy simultaneously.  Despite the 30+ year age difference, they have sizzling chemistry, with Hepburn as the pursuer.  They are chased by George Kennedy and James Coburn, two actors best known for playing "tough" characters.  Kennedy is imposing, while Tex is conniving.

The script is funny, with witty dialogue and goofy moments / scenes (Grant's shower while wearing his suit).  But there are also serious moments, hyping the drama of the moment.  In addition, Director Stanley Donen, makes the most of his gorgeous Parisian setting, almost making Paris another character in the film.

An excellent film for Grant and Hepburn fans, and good for any occasion / mood... come for the spectacular cast at the top of their game, stay for the story.

Charade (1963) 113 minutes
Director: Stanley Donen
Starring: Cary Grant as Peter Joshua
Audrey Hepburn as Regina Lampert
Walter Matthau as Hamilton Bartholomew
James Coburn as Tex Panthollow
George Kennedy as Herman Scobie
Ned Glass as Leopold W. Gideon

Wait Until Dark

"I cannot negotiate in an atmosphere of mistrust."

At the airport, a young woman (Jones) gives a small doll to another passenger, Sam (Zimbalist Jr.).  Sam is a photographer, who is married to Susy (Hepburn) who is trying to be learning to be self-sufficient after losing her sight in a fire.  Sam wants her to be "the world champion blind lady" who doesn't need to rely on others to find her way.  When Sam is called away for a last minute photo shoot, Susy is left alone in the apartment.

After Sam's departure three men descend on the apartment to retrieve the doll, which contains heroin. The doll's owner, Roat (Arkin), is a psychotic drug dealer, willing to use any means necessary to collect his merchandise.  He blackmails two ex cons, Mike (Crenna) and Carlino (Weston), to retrieve the doll from Susy.  Mike pretends to be an old friend of Sam's, while Carlino pretends to be a police sergeant looking for the doll, which he claims is related to a woman's death, and Roat plays double duty as the grieving husband and crazy father who ransacks Susy's home and scares her into helping Mike locate the doll.  With one woman already dead for her involvement, can Susy survive the weekend?


An adaptation of Frederick Knott's play "Wait Until Dark," which debuted on Broadway in 1966.  While the show did not last long on Broadway, it garnered a Tony nomination for lead Lee Remick.  A year later, the story was adapted to film.

The story starts slow, setting up each character, beginning with the ill-fated Lisa... it takes 21 minutes for Audrey Hepburn to appear on screen.  Despite it's slow start, the tension builds over time ... with a heart-stopping climax that is still terrifying today.  Watch in the dark, if you can handle it, especially the conclusion.  When it was a play, the theaters were as dark as possible during this scene, and the movie theaters had the lights as low as legally possible during the scene to heighten the tension.  Trust me, you'll be on the edge of your seat.

While Hepburn was nominated for an Oscar for her performance, the truly memorable performance is Arkin.  His Roat is unbalanced and menacing, setting the stage for subsequent slasher movie villains.  Parts of the film fall flat, but the final sequences are worth sitting through the slow / boring portions.

Voted # 55 on AFI's "100 Years, 100 Thrills," this film is intense.  The action is confined to the Hendrix apartment, escalating the tension as you realize there are only so many places to escape... especially when the villains can see and the heroine cannot.  Check it out!!

Wait Until Dark (1967) 108 minutes
Director: Terence Young
Starring: Audrey Hepburn as Susy Hendrix
Alan Arkin as Roat
Richard Crenna as Mike Talman
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. as Sam Hendrix
Jack Weston as Carlino
Samantha Jones as Lisa
Julie Herrod as Gloria

Muppet Treasure Island

""Take a cruise," you said. "See the world," you said. Now here we are, stuck on the front of this stupid ship."
"Well, it could be worse. We could be stuck in the audience."

Jim Hawkins (Bishop) dreams of having an adventure and travel the world like his late father, but he is stuck working at a local inn with his friends Gonzo and Rizzo.  One of the guests at the inn, Billy Flynn (Connolly) regales the boys stories of his days as a pirate burying treasure.  But when his old shipmates mark him for death, Billy gives the boys the map to Captain Flint's buried treasure.  He tells to boys to beware of the one-legged man and dies,

"He died? And this is supposed to be a kids' movie."

With the inn destroyed by the pirates, the boys decide to sail the seas and find the treasure.

They convince Young Squire Trelawney (Fozzie Bear), a half-wit who listens to advice from Mr. Bimbo, the man living in his finger, to finance the voyage and find a boat and crew for the trip.  He agrees, and soon they set sail, with the boys serving as cabin boys.  But their excitement soon turns to fear when they meet the ships cook Long John Silver (Curry), a one-legged man, and realize the rest of the crew are pirates.  At Captain Abraham Smollett's (Kermit the Frog) suggestion, the treasure map is locked away.  Can they make it to the treasure, or will the pirates mutiny and kill them all?


Six years after the death of Muppet creator Jim Henson, the Muppets returned to the big screen under the direction of his son Brian Henson.  Muppet regular, Steve Whitmore takes over Jim Henson's characters (with the exception of Rowlf, who was retired after Henson's death, because that is the character that most resembled Henson's personality).  Like it's predecessor, A Muppet Christmas Carol (also directed by Brian Henson), this film puts the Muppet spin on the Robert Louis Stevenson's classic "Treasure Island."  Most Muppet characters replace characters from the film, Kermit is Captain Smollett etc., with a few exceptions, Gonzo, Rizzo, etc.

The film also sticks to the traditional Muppet formula: good story, many puns, original songs, absurd situations, etc.  Broadway star turned movie star Tim Curry shines in the role of Long John Silver.  He is charismatic and manages to steal the film from his Muppet co-stars (not an easy feat).  The rest of the human cast is functional, but not particularly memorable, with the exception of Billy Connolly chewing scenery as the perpetually drunk Billy Bones.  The songs are fun, with Curry's solo "Professional Pirate" ("remember this is my only number") standing above the rest.

I saw this film in theaters when it was released (I was in elementary school) and loved it.  Seeing it again as an adult, I still love it.  That is one of the great things about the Muppet feature films (the recent made-for-TV specials such as 2002's It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie and 2005's Muppet's Wizard of Oz have been horrible) is the way they work for all ages.  They are clean and funny, without resorting to farting jokes like many other "kid" movies.  There are little moments and jokes that focus on the adult audience, but the entire film is enjoyable for all ages.  They also stand the test of time without feeling dated or quaint, how many children / family films can boast that?

The Muppet parodies directed by Brian Henson are brilliant... making the classic stories accessible to all ages without downgrading the stories, and keeping the plot close to the original story for the literature fans.  I would love to see Henson step behind the camera again and produce another Muppet parody, but I look forward to Muppet fan Jason Segel's The Muppets (in theaters in the US November 23, 2011, outside the US in early 2012).

Muppet Treasure Island (1996) 99 minutes
Director: Brian Henson
Starring: Tim Curry as Long John Silver
Kevin Bishop as Jim Hawkins
Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and others
Steve Whitmire as Kermit the Frog, Rizzo the Rat, Beaker, and others
Jerry Nelson as Blind Pew, Mad Monty, and others
Kevin Clash as Bad Polly, Spa'Am, and others
Bill Barretta as Clueless Morgan and others
Frank Oz as Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Sam the Eagle, and others

The Muppet Movie

"I like the movie fine so far."
"It hasn't started yet."
"That's what I like about it."

Before they were famous, the Muppets were living ordinary lives with dreams of success.  Kermit the Frog was content living in the swamp, until a Hollywood agents suggests a career in Hollywood.  So Kermit packs his belongings and heads west.  His long legs, attract the attention of Doc Hopper (Durning), owner of the famous Doc Hopper restaurants that specialize in frog legs.  Doc wants Kermit to be the new face of the restaurant, but Kermit refuses. With Doc in pursuit, he teams up with inept comedian Fozzie Bear, plumber The Great Gonzo, beauty queen Miss Piggy, and assorted other Muppets who dream of a career in Hollywood.


I grew up loving the Muppets... starting with the cartoon Muppet Babies and then spreading to their TV specials like A Muppet Family Christmas.  Then I fell in love with The Muppet Show and the movies... starting with this one.

Over 30 years after it's release, this film still works.  Simultaneously sentimental and absurd, this is the kind of film that only the Muppets can pull off.  There are original songs in a variety of styles: sentimental "I'm Going to Go Back There Some Day," funny "Movin' Right Along", irreverent "I Hope That Something Better Comes Along," and classic "Rainbow Connection."  While all the songs are great, my favorite is Miss Piggy's solo "Never Before, Never Again."  It sounds like an epic love song, and begins that way, but the ending takes you a bit by surprise.  Despite hearing this song many times (it was on pretty heavy rotation on my iPod), it still cracks me up every time.

It's the characters you love, with each of the main characters (Kermit, Fozzie, Piggy, Gonzo, Rowlf, the Electric Mayhem, etc) getting a chance to shine.  Like The Muppet Show, there is an endless parade of celebrities in memorable cameo roles.  Most get a line or two at most, with Charles Durning's Doc Hopper serving as the token human character / villain.

It's funny, quotable, and has a great soundtrack.  It spawned all the Muppet movies (good and bad), and proved that puppets can be endearing (and open a film).  A must-see film (it's an oldy, but a goody!).

The Muppet Movie (1979) 95 minutes
Director: James Frawley
Starring: Jim Henson as Kermit the Frog, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Waldorf, and others
Frank Oz as Miss Piggy, Fozie Bear, Animal, Sam the Eagle, and others
Jerry Nelson as Floyd Pepper, Robin, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, and others
Richard Hunt as Scooter, Statler, Janice, Sweetums, Beaker, and others
Dave Goelz as The Great Gonzo, Zoot, and others
Charles Durning as Doc Hopper

Some Like It Hot

"Story of my life. I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop."

Musicians Joe (Curtis) and Jerry (Lemmon) are in the wrong place at the wrong time.  On the way to latest gig, they witness the Valentine's Day Massacre and barely escape Spats Columbo (Raft) and his goons.  They borrow clothes and wigs from some chorus girls and take a job in an all-girl band: Joe becomes Josephine and Jerry becomes Daphne.

The band heads to Florida, and new complications arise.  Joe falls for the band's lead singer, Sugar (Monroe), who is looking for a millionaire husband.  Meanwhile, Jerry as Daphne, is pursued by a millionaire, Osgood Fielding III (Brown), who has been married many times and doesn't accept "no" as an answer.  Can they keep up the ruse and stay away from the mobsters, while still getting what they want?


This film was named as the #1 comedy film by the American Film Institutes (AFI) (AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs).  Over fifty years after it's release, this film still delivers the laughs.  Everything works: the plot, the writing, the performances.

While billed as a Marilyn Monroe film, it truly belongs to Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis.  Monroe is the female lead / sex symbol, but she is only a minor player.  Lemmon pulls double duty as Jerry and Daphne.  He is incredible in this film (in every film).  He has excellent chemistry with Tony Curtis and Joe E. Brown.  His interactions with Brown are some of the best exchanges in the film (they share the most quoted line from the film, "Well, nobodies perfect").  Curtis portrays 3 characters: Joe, Josephine, and Junior... with a different accent for each.  According to IMDb.com, someone else provided the Josephine voice because Curtis couldn't maintain the higher pitched voice for an entire scene.  And Junior is an imitation of Cary Grant.  All brilliant.

Everything and everyone works.  Still a must-see movie after all these years!
http://andrewsidea.wordpress.com/2008/06/17/some-like-it-hot/

Some Like It Hot (1959) 120 minutes
Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Marilyn Monroe as Sugar
Tony Curtis as Joe / Josephine
Jack Lemmon as Jerry / Daphne
George Raft as Spats Columbo
Joe E. Brown as Osgood Fielding III