Dance Hall Racket (1953)

An appalling piece of exploitative sleaze.

A criminal is killed at a dodgy night club owned by Tim Farrell (Umberto Scalli) with Vincent (Lenny Bruce) as his murderous henchman (who is very handy with a knife). 

A Federal agent is sent in to investigate and he discovers the club is a front for a diamond smuggling racket. Vincent meanwhile has plans to replace his boss permanently...

This is pretty grim stuff, badly acted and plotted. The cheese factor is high but when a dog (which doesn't do much other than lie around) outacts most of the humans then you know things are bad...

The sheer ridiculousness can be compelling at times but "so bad it's good" can only take you so far.

Morning Departure (1950)

A gripping but ultimately bleak tale of a submarine in distress.

A Royal Navy submarine commanded by Armstrong (John Mills) heads off on a routine training mission. However, things go wrong when the submarine encounters a mine which explodes. The badly damaged submarine is trapped on the sea bed. Although the submarine is found by rescuers and some of the surviving crew escape, Armstrong and the last few including Stoker Snipe (Richard Attenborough) are trapped with no means of escape...

A tense drama, though a submarine will always give you that. Hope is dashed several times as the last survivors slowly realise that there will be not be a happy ending. A superb film.

High Flight (1957)

Young men want to join the RAF and fly the latest jets. However, the path to join the elite does not run that smoothly.

One of the cadets is Winchester (Ray Milland) who causes a stir by arriving at the cadet school in his girlfriend's plane. Although he is a little careless and a bit wild, the commander Rudge (Kenneth Haigh) lets him off. It turns out that during the war Winchester's father died after Rudge's own carelessness. Something Winchester junior is well aware of...

An enjoyable, if fairly predictable, film. It is enlivened by some decent performances by the leads and good cameos from Leslie Philips and John le Mesurier. There is also a bit of comedic relief provided by Anthony Newley who causes havoc with his radio controlled flying saucer! The real stars of the film though are the Vampires and Hunters, classic British jets from a bygone age.

Crash Landing (1958)

A perfectly serviceable aeroplane disaster movie, more serviceable than the engines on the plane anyway.

A flight is half-way between Lisbon and New York, over the Atlantic Ocean. Two of the engines fail suddenly and now the tough Captain Williams (Gary Merrill) has to decide whether to ditch in the drink or try and make land. Williams has a very low threshold for failure, as we see in a flashback with his wife (Nancy Reagan) and son. However, as the adventure unfolds Williams learns how to be a human, be a better father and save everyone onboard. Give that man a payrise!

The rest of the crew and passengers are the usual collection of stereotypes, some of whom also have their happy redemption stories. Though the cliches are sometimes not fully developed.

The film is fine enough, if rather slow at times and static. However, the overall story and effect are worth staying around for. 

The Head (1959)

A very strange science horror film, obviously involving heads!

Professor Abel (Michel Simon) has developed a serum that can keep the severed head of a dog alive. He recruits a new assistant Dr Ood (Horst Frank). 

Abel dies of a heart attack but Ood takes the opportunity to remove the professor's head and keep it alive with the serum. Ood forces the professor to assist him with a bizarre experiment to give a hunch backed nurse a new body from a stripper...

A very strange film with a ton of atmosphere, though at times a little too odd however the film is certainly compelling enough to keep you interested. The soundtrack is particularly good and eerie. 

Barbados Quest (1955)

Rare stamps are very valuable, and a target of criminals in this 1950s yarn.

Tom Martin (Tom Conway) is some kind of private detective (it is never made entirely clear) who is employed by a rich stamp collector who thinks the valuable Barbadian stamp he has bought is a fake. With the help of his old comrade Barney (Michael Balfour), Tom begins to unravel a complicated plot of counterfeit stamps, a lucrative business which the gang ring leader Blake (Brian Worth) is willing to kill for...

A fine little film, modest though well structured. Tom Conway, a veteran of the The Falcon series plays a very familiar role as a suave private investigator who skirts close to the line. His character here though, sometimes referred to the Duke, only made a couple of films of which this was the first. Not that original but a good watch.

The Big Bluff (1955)

A gigolo's scheme to get his hands on a dying rich woman's cash doesn't go to plan in this tasty Noir.

Rich widow Valerie (Martha Vickers) has been diagnosed with a heart condition and is sent away to relax on doctor's orders, however she meets latin lover Ricardo (John Bromfield) and falls in love. Unfortunately, Ricardo loves exotic dancer Fritzie (Rosemarie Stack) who wants to leave her husband (who plays the bongos!) Ricardo learns of Valerie's medical condition and marries her, hoping she will soon die and then he will get her money and then he can run away with Fritzie.

Sadly for Ricardo he proves to be too good for Valerie and her heart improves. Under pressure from Fritzie, Ricardo forms a plan to kill his wife and use Fritzie for an alibi...

An enjoyable film though at times the acting and direction is a bit shoddy, but the film is worth persevering with and has a suitable dark ending.

Split Second (1953)

A Noir with a plutonium twist!

While reporter Larry Fleming (Keith Andes) prepares to cover the latest nuclear bomb test in the desert, he is called away to cover the escape of two dangerous convicts from prison including the gang leader Steve Hurley (Steven McNalley). Larry, and young hitchhiker Dottie (Jan Sterling) are among the hostages taken by Hurley. Hurley takes them all to the ghost town which is due to be nuked in a few hours time! Will Hurley let them escape in time in the question and it isn't looking too hot on that score...

A wonderfully dark little hostage drama with the hostages knowing that they are mere hours from a dose of instant sunshine. The film has some good (if sometimes uneven) performances and plenty of tension. The film is let down a bit by the actual nuclear blast though, some details of the weapon and it's effects were probably still classified at the time.

Invasion, U.S.A. (1952)

America is under attack, for real this times, by an avalanche of stock footage.

In a New York bar, a number of people watch the TV (and drink of course) but the news is bad. There are rumours of Soviet threats to America. One owns a tractor factory but doesn't want to change it to make tanks, the others are fairly blasé about the fight against godless Communism. But then the nightmare does happen after all, the Soviets attack Alaska and soon the nukes are flying. By now the bar patrons are in various parts of the country caught up in the Third World War...

This isn't a good film by any means, it uses a mountain of stock footage (much of it from WW2 though as the film was in the early 1950s it isn't too out of date), any live footage of fighting often usefully includes Soviet soldiers disguised as American troops (easier to get the uniforms). It's propaganda is laid on thick though, don't be denying the military industrial complex proper funding as otherwise you'll have Soviet paratroopers landing in the local park!

Radar Secret Service (1950)

Radar can do everything, as this curious little film tries to prove.

Uranium has been stolen by a criminal gang, the G-men led by John Howard are on the case and tracking the shipment using radar - which has almost supernatural abilities in this film! 

However, despite the magic of radar the G-men still need to use a shapely blonde to really get the goods on the criminal gang.

This is a decent watch but the premise is pretty ridiculous, though the radar nonsense is pretty funny. Apart from that the film is a pretty run of the mill and very low budget crime drama. 

Look out for the mention of Dick Tracy by radar expert Static (Ralph Byrd) who actually played Tracy in the late 1930s and 1940s!

Blood Orange (1953)

A competent enough crime drama though very much by the numbers.

Tom Conway is a private detective (and yes his character name is also Tom Conway) is employed to investigate the theft of jewels in the fashion industry. 

Eventually, Conway is removed from the case but the death of a woman who said she had information for him keeps him interested, though that isn't the only death and the red herrings come thick and fast.

It isn't a bad film but a bit tired and lack lustre, a bit like Britain in the post-war period really. Tom Conway has played a similar role to this many times and does pretty well with it - his presence and charm being the highlight of the film - as you would expect!

The Sword and the Dragon (1956)

An epic Russian film involving many swords and dragons.

Ilya Muromets (Boris Andreyev) is a great warrior, but unfortunately he had lost the use of his legs and therefore he can't stop the ravaging Tugar hoards from setting his village on fire and taking off pillage in the form of the village's women, including his sweetheart. 

After Ilya helps some travellers out, they give him some special medicine which restores the use of his legs. Ilya heads off in search of battle with the Tugars to prove himself to the Tsar. Unfortunately, the Tugars have fire-breathing dragons in their armoury...

The first Soviet film recorded in CinemaScope and multi-track stereo and this adds to the splendour of this film which is based on a famous Russian epic story, with plenty of Soviet propaganda added of course. 

An epic film made at a time of epic films and it certainly is not disgraced by it's Hollywood rivals. A fun watch, the story can be nonsense at times but the grand scale is very compelling.

Calling Bulldog Drummond (1951)

Bulldog Drummond has been away breeding pigs, he is called back into action to battle a deadly gang.

A highly organised criminal gang is running rampant in London. The police turn to Bulldog Drummond (Walter Pidgeon) for help. He goes missing from his club (for a rather complicated reason which easily goes wrong) and goes undercover as a criminal. 

Drummond and policewoman Helen Smith (Margaret Leighton) join the gang led by Arthur Gunns (Robert Beatty), but the identity of the mastermind behind the gang is still a mystery...

An enjoyable film, taking a look at the sleazy underbelly of early postwar London. The story is good with a number of interesting scenes and sub-plots. Not quite as fast paced as some earlier Bulldog Drummond films but this goes give the film room to breathe.

Hot Cars (1956)

Honest Nick Dunn (John Bromfield) is a used car salesman, naturally his honesty is a disadvantage when it comes to flogging old bangers.

Unfortunately for Nick he has a sick young son and needs a job. He takes a new job working for Markel (Ralph Clanton) who seems too good to be true... because he is. The cars Markel wants Nick to sell are stolen, but medical bills for his son means Nick has no choice but to stay. 

However, Detective Davenport (Dabbs Greer) is sniffing around and soon Nick is in a downward spiral of ever deeper trouble...

A low budget film but decent quality. The story is basic but works well enough. Entertaining without being mind-blowing. The 1950s cars are also hot in several ways.

Tobor the Great (1954)

A large robot foils enemy spies, terrific 1950s science-fiction fun!

Professor Nordstrom (Taylor Holmes) and Dr Harrison (Charles Drake) develop a robot to pilot the first rocket into space so they can find out if it's safe for mankind. The large robot can read human minds and enthrals Nordstrom's grandson Brian (Billy Chaplin). 

Unfortunately, enemy agents want the secrets of the robot, which Nordstrom has called Tobor (that is robot backwards). They kidnap Nordstrom and Brian and, in a rather brutal scene for movies of the period, threaten Brian's tender flesh with a blow torch! Luckily Tobor is on the way...

Although it does come with a large side helping of cheese, this is a great little 1950s science-fiction film. Tobor looks suitably ridiculous and the film is not overly padded out with stock footage as some of the genre suffered from.

Kronos (1957)

An enjoyable science fiction film with some alien super science wreaking havoc.

Aliens send a probe towards Earth, after it is shot down by American nukes the probe turns into a huge walking electrical accumulator robot which begins to drain Earth of every volt. Dr Gaskell (Jeff Morrow) leads the scientific investigation into the alien technology, which is being controlled by a possessed colleague of his (John Emery). Can Dr Gaskell devise a way to defeat the alien probe which he has called Kronos...

This is a fun film, Kronos looks superb. Although the plot is pretty standard for the genre this film is very nicely done despite the low budget. It isn't what you have got, its how you use it.

On the Threshold of Space (1956)

An interesting, though fairly dry, look at the very beginnings of the US effort to put a man into space.

Before you put a man into space you have to work out a way to get him back alive. That is the job of Captain Hollenbeck (Guy Madison) who works for the USAF. Firstly, he is working on a way to get men to eject from the latest ever-faster jet fighters and survive. This isn't the easiest thing in the world but Hollenbeck manages to find a way amid quite a few injuries.

However, there is more to come. A rocket sled to push humans above 1000mph and then the most dangerous of all, a balloon that takes a man to the very edge of space. To the horror of his new wife Pat (Virginia Leith), Hollenbeck volunteers for this mission himself...

Based on the real events, then contemporary to this film which at times is in a semi-documentary style. Unfortunately it can be a bit dry and too restrained at times but the actual experiments give you all the drama and action you could hope for. A fascinating look at the very early, and maybe largely forgotten, part of the space race.

4D Man (1959)

A man who can walk through solid matter, would save time that is for sure.

Scientist Dr Nelson (Robert Lansing) is working on advanced new materials, he discovers that radiation has mutated him so he can now pass through solid matter. 

However, every time he does this he ages rapidly. To counter this he must kill people to rejuvenate himself through their life force. It falls on his brother Scott (James Congdon) and his girlfriend Linda (Lee Meriwether) to try and find a way to stop him...

This is a rather decent example of the 50s/60s "science gone wrong" science fiction genre. Although the story takes some time to get going, once it does it is engaging and the special effects are pretty well done especially for their day. The jazz soundtrack is rather jarring though but somehow kind of works?

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

Classic science-fiction thrills as Earth battles wobbly flying saucers.

Flying saucers come to Earth, they contact the scientist Dr Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and tell him that Earth must surrender to the aliens or be destroyed. Dr Marvin and his wife Carol (Joan Taylor) work to develop a magnetic weapon that can cause the saucers to drop out of the sky. 

However, time is running out and the aliens are watching. They are also preparing to attack the major capitals of the world...

This film is typical of the flying saucer attacks genre and one of the most iconic parts of it. The special effects are maybe a bit dated now but good for their day. The final battle scene is very exciting and includes plenty of destruction.

The Amazing Colossal Man (1957)

A radiation mutated (naturally) man menaces Los Angeles.

Colonel Manning (Glenn Langan) somehow survives a close-by nuclear test blast and begins to grow, he becomes an (amazing) colossal man. Unfortunately his brain has also been affected and he becomes very dangerous, and hungry. Egged on by his wife Carol (Cathy Downs), the US military don't just try and kill him. Though when Manning escapes he begins a rampage across Los Angeles.

Yet another giant mutated creature causes havoc, shown using some ropey cheap special effects. For a change the monster is human and not a giant insect or spider. This is a campy film with a big helping of cheese. 

It is nonsense and fairly entertaining though Manning spends a good deal of the film groaning and moaning and it does get a bit tedious after a while.