I have been enjoying the fantastic podcasts that RelicRadio puts out for over three years now, and it's time to pay them some due. Go to RelicRadio.com and subscribe to some (or all) of their great podcasts, like "The Horror", "Case Closed", "Strange Tales" and "Relic Radio Thrillers"!
Also, please feel free to donate to RelicRadio, as they have operating costs to keep up their wonderful programming.
COMING SOON: A review of "The Third Man", Old Time Radio's "The Big Show", and more!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
CLASSIC FILM REVIEW: Abbott and Costello's "Meet The Killer: Boris Karloff (1949)"
Abbott and Costello have always been a great source of entertainment and joy for me for years, and this blog only proves it, the way I keep on reviewing their films! Their 1949 escapade, however is an interesting one; it is the boy's one and only foray into a genre generally only reserved for Coen Brothers films: Black Comedy. The genre, for those unfamiliar with it, is a very dark look into topics generally dealing with death and the dark side of life. A&C only filmed one black comedy, and this is it.
After being the first to see the body of a murdered power attorney in the "Lost Canyon Hotel", Costello's character begins to be the target of several attempts on his life, all while trying to clear his name. His pal, Abbott, the house detective, helps him escape the attempts, and also helps Costello hide the bodies that are just DYING to hang around him!
The suspects in the murder case are many, and all have perfect motives (and alibis, too!). There's Lenore Aubert, the husband-poisoner who tries to help Costello to "one of her special cocktails"! There's also Boris Karloff, who, despite the fact that his name is in the title (implying that he will be a major character), is only given a relatively small bit part as a "fake Swami from Brooklyn". His classic suicide scene with Costello brings the memorable line from the film: "You'll commit suicide if it's the last thing you do!" The film begins and travels at a moderately fast pace, and the gags and dark-themed jokes are plenty. However, as the last 10-15 minutes of the film take place in a (supposedly) deserted canyon near the hotel, it only seems that the gags in this scene are stale and, thus, the film drags until the last 3 minutes when all is revealed.
FINAL RATING: 8/10. A hilarious film, except for those last 10 minutes.... I may be wrong! Am I? Use the comments button to tell me! Thanks for reading!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
CLASSIC FILM REVIEW: SATAN MET A LADY (1936)
If I can ever get the opportunity, I like to get special editions of DVD's I buy. The special features and documentaries always interest me. So when I bought the special edition of the classic 1941 film "The Maltese Falcon", I knew I would be getting the stereotypical documentaries and film trailers. What I didn't know was that I would be getting a hilarious send-up of the "Falcon" film.
"Satan Met A Lady" is a delightful 1936 film starring Bette Davis and Warren William (of "The Lone Wolf" fame), respectively as the Dashell Hammett characters Ms. Wonderly and Michael Shayne (replacing the name of Philip Marlowe). Marie Wilson, of "Dinner At Eight" fame, plays "Madame Barabous"; the master thief who contracts Shayne to steal a fabled "Horn of Roland", a somewhat-adequate substitution for the Maltese Falcon.
The film proceeds through the story at a moderately quick pace, and, if it were not for the brilliant acting from Warren William and Bette Davis, the movie, in my opinion, would flop. As far as my understanding takes me, the only way you can see this film is by buying the special three-disc edition of "The Maltese Falcon", released by Warner Brothers. A quick check of Amazon finds that the DVD is still available, so do yourself a favor and watch it!!
FINAL RATING: 7.5/10
"Satan Met A Lady" is a delightful 1936 film starring Bette Davis and Warren William (of "The Lone Wolf" fame), respectively as the Dashell Hammett characters Ms. Wonderly and Michael Shayne (replacing the name of Philip Marlowe). Marie Wilson, of "Dinner At Eight" fame, plays "Madame Barabous"; the master thief who contracts Shayne to steal a fabled "Horn of Roland", a somewhat-adequate substitution for the Maltese Falcon.
The film proceeds through the story at a moderately quick pace, and, if it were not for the brilliant acting from Warren William and Bette Davis, the movie, in my opinion, would flop. As far as my understanding takes me, the only way you can see this film is by buying the special three-disc edition of "The Maltese Falcon", released by Warner Brothers. A quick check of Amazon finds that the DVD is still available, so do yourself a favor and watch it!!
FINAL RATING: 7.5/10
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Surprise, Surprise!!
Well well... this blog is going into the 21st Century! I am in the process of creating a widget for this blog, so that all able and willing souls (yes you, my dear readers) will be able to display their unwavering love and devotion for this blog on their own webpage!!!!
OK, ok. I am a little too enthusiastic, but I am in the process of creating a widget for this blog, should you want to "badge" it on your own blog or web page. That, plus more classic OTR and film reviews, are coming soon!!!!
UPDATE: Here is the link for the Old Time Reviews Widget:
OK, ok. I am a little too enthusiastic, but I am in the process of creating a widget for this blog, should you want to "badge" it on your own blog or web page. That, plus more classic OTR and film reviews, are coming soon!!!!
UPDATE: Here is the link for the Old Time Reviews Widget:
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Friday, November 20, 2009
RADIO REVIEW: Lights Out, "The Dark"
Lights Out. The first and last name in horror in its time. Today, the first and last word... in campy horror. Many of its episodes badly outdated and overtly "moralized", Lights Out is definitely not the horror show it once was. What, then, keeps us coming back for more of this blood-and-guts o'rama?
Maybe its episodes like "The Dark" that keep us coming back for more. "The Dark", which originally aired December 29, 1937, concerned the final exploit of two men who come to a supposedly deserted house. When inside, they encounter a strange woman who has a laugh like the evil witch from the Looney Tunes cartoons. As the pair scan the room for others, the policeman casts his light on the floor, where he sees...
Well, maybe you should listen to it:
http://www.archive.org/download/lightsouteverybody/Lights_Out-1937-12-29_The_Dark.mp3
The audio quality is good, and the acting of the two men as policeman and doctor are well done. The direction is also good, thanks to then freshman director and writer Arch Oobler. However, that being said, I cannot get away from the fact that "The Dark" is simply a bad story. You might be frightened by the story the first time, but after that, no emotion can register. Its just that forgettable.
FINAL RATING: There are other Lights Out episodes that I love to hear (like the fantastic "Man In The Middle", the peace-loving "Day The Sun Exploded", and the tense and exciting "Bathysphere"), but The Dark simply cannot bring itself out of a 2.5/10 rating.
You disagree? Let me know by commenting!
FUN FACT: The sound of bodies being turned inside-out on the Lights Out episode "The Dark" was achieved by turning a wet rubber glove inside-out while simultaneously crushing a berry basket in front of the microphone.
-from John Dunning's "On The Air: An Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio"
Maybe its episodes like "The Dark" that keep us coming back for more. "The Dark", which originally aired December 29, 1937, concerned the final exploit of two men who come to a supposedly deserted house. When inside, they encounter a strange woman who has a laugh like the evil witch from the Looney Tunes cartoons. As the pair scan the room for others, the policeman casts his light on the floor, where he sees...
Well, maybe you should listen to it:
http://www.archive.org/download/lightsouteverybody/Lights_Out-1937-12-29_The_Dark.mp3
The audio quality is good, and the acting of the two men as policeman and doctor are well done. The direction is also good, thanks to then freshman director and writer Arch Oobler. However, that being said, I cannot get away from the fact that "The Dark" is simply a bad story. You might be frightened by the story the first time, but after that, no emotion can register. Its just that forgettable.
FINAL RATING: There are other Lights Out episodes that I love to hear (like the fantastic "Man In The Middle", the peace-loving "Day The Sun Exploded", and the tense and exciting "Bathysphere"), but The Dark simply cannot bring itself out of a 2.5/10 rating.
You disagree? Let me know by commenting!
FUN FACT: The sound of bodies being turned inside-out on the Lights Out episode "The Dark" was achieved by turning a wet rubber glove inside-out while simultaneously crushing a berry basket in front of the microphone.
-from John Dunning's "On The Air: An Encyclopedia of Old Time Radio"
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