Dead End (1937)

Along the East River in New York, wealthy people live in high rises with a great view, while the poor live in the slums below.  The local hooligan kids run the streets, under the leadership of Tommy Gordon (Halop).  They beat up the rich kids in the neighborhood and run from the cops.  Tommy's sister Drina (Sidney) dreams of a better life and does everything in her power to keep Tommy out of trouble or a life of crime.

Every wants to get out of the slums, by any means necessary.  Drina is on strike to get better pay at work.  Her friend Dave (McCrea) is an architect, doing odd jobs to make some money.  While cleaning up after a job, he encounters Hugh "Baby Face" Martin (Bogart), a gangster who grew up in the neighborhood.  Martin is back to visit his mother (Marjorie Main) and romance his old girlfriend Francey (Trevor).  Martin is trying to stay incognito, but Dave recognizes him and warns him to leave.  As the boys escalate their antics, causing the ire of the police, can anyone escape the dead end life on the street?


The film is based on the 1935 Broadway play "Dead End," which was written by Sidney Kingsley and Norman Bel Geddes.  MGM purchased the film rights and brought in William Wyler to direct.  Wyler hired some of the boys from the play to play the Dead End Kids in the film.

The Dead End Kids made 6 movies from 1934 to 1939.  Some of the boys also made movies for Universal Studios under as the Little Tough Guys  Under the Little Tough Guys moniker, they made 12 films and serials from 1938 to 1943.  The group moved to Monogram Pictures and made 22 films as the East Side Kids between 1940 and 1945.  In 1946 they rebranded as the Bowery Boys under Jan Grippo Productions.  As the Bowery Boys, their 48 films were more formulaic and the characters were the same across the series (unlike the earlier films).  The boys changed over time, starting as dark juvenile delinquents and ending as comedy stars.

The Good:

The scenery is fantastic.  It feels like a real street: lived-in and authentic.  They also make great use of light and shadows.  Everything about the mise-en-scene draws you into the film.  The cast is fantastic and the story is compelling.

The Bad:

There is a little too much of the juvenile delinquents... 

Other Comments:
-This film was Humphrey Bogart's big break.

-The film was nominated for 4 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Claire Trevor), Best Cinematography (Gregg Toland), Best Art Direction (Richard Day).

Dead End (1937) 93 minutes
Director: William Wyler
Starring: Sylvia Sidney as Drina Gordon
Joel McCrea as Dave Connell
Humphrey Bogart as Hugh "Baby Face" Martin
Wendy Barrie as Kay Burton
Claire Trevor as Francey
Allen Jenkins as Hunk
Billy Halop as Tommy Gordon
Huntz Hall as Dippy
Bobby Jordan as Angel
Leo Gorcey as Spit
Gabriel Dell as T.B.
Bernard Punsly as Milton

Scoob!

"We'll go in the Haunted House this one time.  But we're not going to make a habit of this, right, Scoob?"

Shaggy Rogers (Forte) and his dog Scooby-Doo (Welker) have been best friends since they met ten years ago.  They also met Fred Jones (Efron), Daphne Blake (Seyfried), and Velma Dinkley (Rodriguez) that Halloween and solved a mystery together.  The success of the case led them to form Mystery Incorporated.

Ten years later, Mystery Inc. is still solving mysteries, but a fight about their future leads Shaggy and Scooby to walk away.  That night they are attacked by robots, but they are rescued by Dee Dee Skyes (Clemons), Dynomutt (Jeong), and the Blue Falcon (Wahlberg) and taken aboard their jet.  Fred, Daphne, and Velma are worried about their friends and start their own investigation.  They discover that Dick Dastardly is behind the attack and is trying to capture Scooby.  Can the team put aside their differences and solve the mystery?

Scooby-Doo was created by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1969.  Since the show was created, the characters have been appeared in numerous television shows and films (both animated and live-action).

The Good:

They have some good ideas... and are clearly trying to do something bigger (this film is supposed to be the start of a Hanna-Barbera cinematic universe).  I would like to see how they treat the other Hanna-Barbera cartoons.  It was smart to start here, with better known characters, but it will be interesting to see how they handle some of the other shows that have not maintained the same level of popularity.

The Bad:

The filmmakers chose to use big actors to voice the characters, instead of the voice actors that portray the characters in the animated television shows.  The only exception is Frank Welker, who originated the role of Fred, who voices Scooby-Doo.  They also did not contact the actors who portrayed the characters in the live-action films.  In some cases it works, but in most cases it is jarring.  The worst is Tracy Morgan as Captain Caveman.  I like Morgan, and he could voice any character well, but he is not the right choice for Captain Caveman.

Other Comments:

-The montage of the gang's early adventures is a shot-for-shot duplicate of the original 1960's TV show Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, including the original theme song.

-The villain, Dick Dastardly, is from another Hanna-Barbera cartoon Wacky Racers

-There is also an appearance by Captain Caveman from the Hanna-Barbera cartoon Captain Caveman and the Teen Angels

-The end credits feature appearances by other Hanna-Barbera characters

-The film feels like a missed opportunity... there are good moments, but it misses the mark.  I enjoyed it, but they tried too hard to make it relevant and did not capture the feeling of the show.

Scoob! (2020) 94 minutes

Director: Tony Cervone

Starring: Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo

Will Forte as Shaggy Rogers

Mark Wahlberg as Blue Falcon

Jason Isaacs as Dick Dastardly

Gina Rodriguez as Velma Dinkley

Zac Efron as Fred Jones

Amanda Seyfried as Daphne Blake

Kiersey Clemons as Dee Dee Skyes

Ken Jeong as Dynomutt the Dog Wonder

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine

 "Igor, you idiot, why must you listen to me when I'm wrong?"

Evil scientist Dr. Goldfoot (Price) wants to take over the world.  His bikini machine churns out beautiful women robots, who are trained to ensnare the wealthiest men in the world.  He sends #11, Diane (Hart), into the world to test the plan.  She accidentally charms secret agent Craig Gamble (Avalon), but quickly corrects the mistake and goes after millionaire Todd Armstrong (Hickman).  Armstrong quickly falls for Diane and they marry.

Meanwhile, Craig begins to suspect that there is something bigger going on.  His boss / uncle D.J. Pevney (Clark) dismisses the concerns and thinks Craig is overreacting.  Dr. Goldfoot is thrilled with Diane's success, and orders his long-suffering assistant Igor (Mullaney) to continue the process with the other robots.  Can Craig uncover the truth and stop Dr. Goldfoot's plans?

An off-shoot of American International Pictures (AIP) beach party franchise, this film brings together the cast and concepts of the beach party films and Edgar Allen Poe films, and throws in some espionage.  The result: a campy, 1960s comedy.

The Good:

Vincent Price is excellent.  The character is over the top and he runs with it.  The rest of the cast is fine, but they can't compare to Price.  The stop-motion title sequence is a great way to introduce the film and characters.  The title song, "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine" performed by the Supremes is fun and catchy.

The Bad:

The story is rough and riddled with plot holes.

Other Comments:

-The filmmakers originally planned to make this film a musical, like the beach party films, but the singing was scrapped from the final project.  I wish they had kept a few songs, to add to the camp and fun.

-Annette Funicello has a brief cameo in the dungeon, which is a wink to the audience about her role in the AIP beach party films and connection to Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman.

-Harvey Lembeck, another regular in the beach party films, has a brief cameo as a motorcycle thug in the dungeon scene.

-AIP made 2 sequels: a 30-minute TV special The Weird World of Dr. Goldfoot in 1965 and feature film Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs in 1966.

-The film is mindless fun, and worth watching Price swing for the rafters.

Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) minutes

Director: Norman Taurog & Ishiro Honda

Starring: Vincent Price as Dr. Goldfoot

Frankie Avalon as Craig Gamble

Dwayne Hickman as Todd Armstrong

Susan Hart as Diane

Jack Mullaney as Igor

Fred Clark ad D.J. Pevney