Henry Levin's 1965 movie....GHENGHIS KHAN

A few weeks ago TCM aired this "epic". Kinda slow but interesting to look at....since it was filmed in Yugoslavia and several of the same locations pop up in the Winnetou films. And get this.....a total of 10 actors who are in this film have also been in at least one sw or Euro western.....Stephen Boyd, Telly Savalas, Eli Wallach, Woody Strode, James Mason, Gustavo Rojo, Robert Morley and lesser knowns...Kenneth Cope, Patrick Holt, and Dusan Vujisic.

ELI WALLACH AS A BEATNIK

I recently watched SEVEN THIEVES a very good 1960 heist film directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Edgar G Robinson, Rod Steiger (in a nicely subdued performance), Joan Collins (who never looked better and held her own with the acting heavy weights), Eli as her saxophone playing beatnik "boy friend," and Michael Dante (very nice man...have met him several times). The heist takes place in Monte Carlo and involves several different twists and plot turns turns that make this a very enjoyable flick...all and all a very pleasant diversion made all the better by the great group of actors mentioned above and supported by Barry Kroeger (Orson Welles' evil twin), Alexander Skourby and Sebastian Cabot. First and only time I had seen this movie previously, was around 35 years ago. My how time flies. It still holds up.

A DISTANT TRUMPET FROM THE WARNER ARCHIVES COLLECTION

This cavalry flick is the first dvd I've had a chance to see from the Warner Archives. At one time there was some discussion as to whether or not the movies from the "Archives" are dvds or dvdrs...well, in one word I think they can be classified as dvdrs instead of dvds, and that word is purple. The back of the disc of this movie is purple and not silvery as regular dvds are. "Trumpet" is a cavalry flick directed by the late great Raoul Walsh (his last movie, as a matter of fact) and features Susanne Pleshette and Dianne McBain vying for the charms of the very manly Lt. Troy Donahue but on occasions indians and soldiering get in their way. I remember this movie being much more enjoyable the first time I saw it (I was a lot younger then) and I often confuse it with the much much better Richard Boone/Charles Bronson/Slim Pickens Richard Chamberlain/Duane Eddy cavalry epic with a similar name A THUNDER OF DRUMS which was released three years earlier. Obvious this was a chance for Warners to use their contract stars in a feature film. "Hey they're under contract for very little, so let's put them in a movie."

Quality of the dvr is very good. On the menu there is a selection for "play" and one for the "trailer." No chapter settings...If you want to jump ahead or back for "ten minutes" at a time you can by using the quick jump button on your remote.

ol Randy in FIGHTING MAN OF THE PLAINS

Finally got around to watching this pretty darn good Randolph Scott movie. (I'd been letting it age for a couple of weeks on the ol' Tivo.) Made in '49 and it again, seems like half of the pre Boetticher films ol' Randy is in, he was either involved with Quantrell....or some other quasi post civil war raider and his band.... or some undercover shenanigans to either clear his name or to find the killler of his...........(choose from the following brother, father, best friend, dog). Well this one had both. Randy was involved with Quantrell (the great James Griffith....unbilled), went undercover (took the name and identity of the detective who got killed while attempting to take him in) so to speak, to try and clear his name and to look for and to kill his brother's killer whose brother he had killed. Confusing? Well, it all works out in the end for ol' Randy. Why he even gets the girl. Funny thing is though....as she runs up to ol' Randy and right before she gets to embrace him the screen goes black and "The End" comes on. Well he got the girls but he didn't get the hug. Oh, well! Pretty good supporting cast, too. Victor Jory (in a good guy role for once) plays a gambler who becomes a friend and ally of Randy and Paul Fix and Bill Williams turn in good performances as the rotten to the core bad guys. Worth mentioning is the fact that Dale Robertson was introduced in this fillm "as Jesse James." All and all worth watching. On the Randy scale with THE TALL T being a 10.....this one is a 6. But then the script was by Frank Gruber from one of his novels, and you can't get much better than that.

Share

I haven't been doing much bloggin' here in quite awhile,

but I want to take time, today, to mention my friend Jamie's hard to find/ rare move site www.thedriveinconnection.com/. Trust me. This is the best site out there for you film buffs to turn to when you're looking for that hard to find spaghetti western or Euro cult film or any cool and crazy flick from the past. The prices can't be beat anywhere and the service is the best there is. Jamie doesn't wait around to fill any orders. The turn around time is incredible. I've dealt with Jamie and his site for years and every time I have been more than happy with his product and service. Tell him ol' jangoz sent yuh!