CRIME AGAINST JOE - "That's him....that's the man who attacked me!" (1956)

Tonight's Wild Wednesday feature is a 1956 film directed by Lee "Rollem" Sholem entitled "Crime Against Joe." Lee Sholem had a reputation for having a no nonsense, let's just get this done, attitude! For example, "Crime Against Joe" was scheduled to be shot over the course of seven days. Lee Sholem finished the shoot in five days, hence the nickname "Rollem."
This poster is an amazing piece of exploitation art, and has almost nothing at all to do with the picture. To me the poster projects Julie London as the victim, when she is really the hero, and is just wrong in it's entirety!

One of the greatest things about watching movies from the 50's is you get killer shots like this!

Manly man John Bromfield is Joe Manning. If you like jungle horror films, then John is the man. He starred in "Manfish," "Revenge Of The Creature" and "Curucu, Beast Of The Amazon." Like cowboy TV shows? John was also the star in 78 episodes of "The Man From Cochise."

A depressed Korean war veteran, and wannabe artiste, Joe Manning lives at his Mom's house!

Out of frustration  he just tossed some red paint on this painting!

Joe's Mom supports him, and he calls her by her first name Nora, not Mother or Mom. 

Nora Manning is played by Frances (The Lost Missile, The Night Of The Hunter) Morris.

Joe just might have a bit of a drinking problem!

Filmed entirely in Tucson, Arizona, this was Duke's Drive-In circa 1956!

This is Duke's Drive-In today!

Joe really shouldn't be driving!

A couple of months ago, I told you all about Julie London, and her role in "Nabonga!"

In "Crime Against Joe," Julie plays a carhop named Frances "Slacks" Bennett! It's kind of surprising that they didn't film another Jungle movie with John and Julie instead!

Welcome to the world famous Pago-Pago Lounge, a tiki bar in a Tucson, Arizona.

 In this movie it's called the Pango-Pango Club, because that is the proper pronunciation of Pago-Pago.

The Pago-Pago is no longer open, and at one point turned into the Aku-Aku, and then the Ports O Call. No longer a lounge or restaurant, I read that it is scheduled for restoration!

The singer in the bar is Alika Louis as Irene Crescent in her sole acting performance! She performs  the cool tune "Looking For A Man."

There are a lot of jealous people in this story! The barkeep doesn't like Joe hitting on Irene so he punches his lights out in front of the bar. This cowboy, an old schoolmate of Joe's, witnesses the whole thing!

Joe is wandering around in the middle of the night in a drunken stupor when he stumbles on this pretty gal out sleepwalking. Joe tells the concerned Father, and is given a cordial but brisk thank-you!

So while Joe's out stumbling around town, somebody murders Irene Crescent, and she was found with this high school pin clutched in her hand that Joe and all his classmates received upon graduating.

All Joe has to do is produce his own, and he's in the clear, but who knows where it might be? It's been a few years since he's seen his, and isn't real clear where it's at.

Besides Slacks, Joe's only got one friend who believes in him, Henry Calvin as the cab driver Red Teller! There's only one problem, even though Joe and Slacks aren't an item, Red's still a little jealous just because he's been in love with her for years.

For all you "Zorro" fans, Henry was Sgt. Demetrio Lopez Garcia in 81 episodes of that show!

Looking through the high school yearbook for clues! At this point, almost any of these guys seem like they might be murderers!  Besides the cowboy, there's a politician named Ralph Corey, and a lawyer who are also possible suspects.

George Niles seems like a good candidate, especially after he tries to run Slacks over with his car!

The Father of the sleepwalking girl will not substantiate Joe's story because he thinks it would be too embarrassing for his daughter. She's tired of his overbearing jealousy, and gives him both barrels!

The daughter was played by Patricia (The Black Sleep) Blair. Patricia was also Rebecca Boone in 118 episodes of  the "Daniel Boone" TV series!

Slacks and Joe go to the high school reunion dance for the class of 1945, and while they are at the school, they sneak off to the records office to see if the records show any aberrant anti-social behavior in any of Joe's classmates. 

Uh, Oh, the jig is up, and not only are Joe and Slacks going to finally find out who the killer is, the viewer is about to find out at the same time, but........

.......I think this movie is short enough,

 and good enough, that you should just find out on your own!

Moral of the story....Don't drink and drive!!!

THE MALTESE FALCON - "Cut 'Em Off At The Past" (1941)

Tonight's Wednesday Classic is the 1941 film "The Maltese Falcon" starring the always fun to watch Humphrey Bogart!

"The Maltese Falcon" is a krazy movie with an amazing cast of characters! I feel stupid even writing about it, because I just feel like everybody should already know everything about a movie like this, but then, maybe not considering the school system these days!

I'm not exactly sure where this movie takes place......

......Maybe in California if I had to guess!

Probably my favorite comedy bit is The Firesign Theatre's "The Further Adventures of Nick Danger," from their album "How Can You Be In Two Places At Once When You're Not Anywhere At All," which is an insane story about a private detective named Nick Danger that is totally based on "The Maltese Falcon."

One of the very first audio gags at the start of the story has Nick Danger introducing himself as Regnad Kcin because he's reading his name backwards from the writing on the glass door just like this!

Humphrey Bogart is Detective Sam Spade, and his partner is Jerome (Black Zoo) Cowan as Miles Archer!
 In the middle is their new client, an absolutely insane woman in my opinion named Brigid O'Shaughnessy, posing as a Miss Wonderly, as played by Mary (Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte) Astor!
Jerome Cowan was also in the "Twilight Zone" episode titled "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine."

Right out of the box, Miles Archer is shot and killed!

Sam Spade can only get so upset by the death of his partner since he was having an affair with his wife!

This is a great shot of Sam visiting the scene of the crime!

Here's an amazing pair of Detectives as played by Barton MacLane and Ward Bond!!
Barton MacLane had 182 tough guy credits including "Nabonga," "The Mummy's Ghost," "Cry Of The Werewolf," and "Unknown Island."
It's hard to see Ward Bond as anybody else except Major Seth Adams after watching over 100 episodes of "Wagon Train" as a kid!

Sam Spade and Miss Wonderly develop a very strange relationship!

Bogie must roll and smoke at least five cigarettes during the course of the film!

And...Of course, Peter Lorre is in there as the sleazy weasel Joe Cairo!
In the Nick Danger episode, the Joe Cairo character is named Rocky Rococo, because The Firesign Theatre recording is a combination of "The Maltese Falcon," and The Beatles' song "Rocky Raccoon!"

I could watch the scenes with Bogie and Peter Lorre all night long!

Let's not forget the masterful weirdo Elisha Cook Jr. is also in there as hit man Wilmer Cook!
Just some of Elisha's freakin' 219 credits are "House On Haunted Hill," "Black Zoo," "The Haunted Palace," "Blacula," "Messiah Of Evil," etc. etc., and you could usually count on him to have a name like Ice Pick, Mousy, Sweeper, Inky, Banjo, or Spinks!

It's cool to see Bogie smile!

Finally, the package containing the famous bird arrives!

And there it is, in all it's glory, "The Maltese Falcon;
Too bad it's a fake!!

If you've never done it before, now's the time to spend that extra 28 minutes and eleven seconds you've got to listen to
"The Further Adventures Of Nick Danger!"
It's a guaranteed good time!

I'm just going to leave you with this!

 I honestly believe this is one of the most remarkably odd posters I've ever seen!

THE MAD MONSTER / Producers Releasing Corporation - 1942

Welcome everbloody, to Wednesday B+W Oldie/Moldie Flicktime here at the Dungeon! THE MAD MONSTER wuz director Sam Newfield' 108th assignment and he finish with 272 including title like AUNTIE'S ANTE, A GYM DANDY, MAGIC, BUSTER'S SPOOKS, PEEK-A-BOO, GHOST PATROL, THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN, HITLER - BEAST OF BERLIN, THE INVISIBLE KILLER, DEAD MEN WALK, THE BLACK RAVEN, NABONGA (love that name!), FIGHT THAT GHOST, THE FLYING SERPENT, GAS HOUSE KIDS, WILD WEED, RADAR SECRET SERVICE, LOST CONTINENT (1951) and even 12 episode of RAMAR OF THE JUNGLE for TV!

"The blood of a wolf he placed in the veins of a man... and created a monster such as the world has never known!" reads the tagline... THE WOLFMAN came out only a year earlier!

Today' soundclip feature original music by Russian born David Chudnow, who retire in 1956, and die in 2002??! This the kind of music meant to jar and shock as you will hear once Piff push big old red 'GO' button, because today it his turn!.. THE MAD MONSTER!

George Zucco play Dr. Lorenzo Cameron. Now, here is real 'mad' scientist to be sure!!

Sadistic bastard like to give shots of wolf blood to Dungeon pal, Glenn Strange!

Glenn play Petro, he get all change into snarling werewolf by doc. Tabonga love Glenn' flour sack shirt!!

Dr. Cameron like to have imaginary pal he hate come and debate crazy theories he have inside his head! (Glenn Beck!)

Petro like to pick flower for doctor' daughter, Lenora (Anne Nagel).

When people getting old, sometime eyeball play trick on self!!

Doc never stop coming up wif' devilish plan for revenge!

This time, he take Petro to guy he want dead and then leave. Guy is supposed to try and figure out what wrong with Petro in upstairs department!

Slick dirty trick! Doc know that Petro starting to turn into werewolf unpredictably now... So, it just a matter of time!

Another revenge plan by doc is for this dude to drive Petro somewhere on foggy night!

Curiosity kill the daughter!

Poetic justice... Doc create monster, monster turn on doc!!

Great part as Petro give Dr. Cameron well-deserved strangling!

Again, fire disinfect everything an' everbloody can get good night sleep!.. Well, except doc an' Petro!