Movie Review: Blonde Comet

Blonde Comet
Starring: Virginia Vale, Robert Kent, Barney Oldfield, Vince Barnett, William Halligan, Joey Ray, Red Knight, Diana Hughes 

Director: William Beaudine 

Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC), USA, 1941. 

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment. 

Beverly Blake (Virginia Vale) known as race driver Blonde Comet, attends European racing events quickly rising in ranks. Mechanic Curly (Vince Barnett, naturally a baldie) reads admiringly about Blonde Comet in newspaper. What a sweetheart! Race driver Jim Flynn (Robert Kent) is not her fan and thinks that women should not race. Jim's cowboy friend Texas (Red Knight) is also a race driver. Jim warns that racing is dangerous. 

Jim and Curly

Test driving

Jim is test driving his car on a closed road. Beverly and assistant Jennie (Diana Hughes) are driving towards the Southern Ascot racing track. The road block stops them so Beverly kicks the road sign over. Jim does not like them trespassing. then he realises that Beverly is Blonde Comet. Beverly hopes to see Jim at Ascot, if he qualifies. 

Hi-ya!

What are you doing on a closed road?

Before the race Curly uses the opportunity to get acquintanted with Jennie. Curly, you old dog. Jennie is by the way Swedish. Jennie Jorgenson. Talar du svenska? asks Curly. Yes she does. Race driver Red (Joey Ray) gets chastising from racing legend Barney Oldfield. Red is a liar and reckless driver. Jim has built a carburetor that cuts fuel consumption by 40 %. Barney suggests that Jim should sell his invention to US Army. In the race Jim and Beverly lead. Red causes Tex to crash and Tex dies. After the race Jim punches Red. 

Jennie

Curly, you old dog

Barney, Texas and Red

Beverly's father is tire manufacturer Cannonball Blake (William Halligan). Beverly is promoting Trojan tire brand. As the other drivers donate money for sending Texas' body back home for a funeral. Also Beverly wants to contribute money and Jim begins to like Beverly more. At the Oakland Speedway race Red's reckless driving style costs his life. Next race is at Indianapolis. Jim and Barney are very close at making a carburetor deal with the government. Jim warns Beverly that the Indianapolis is a tough race for a girl. 

Romantic Curly

Indy 500

As Barney does not want to take risks with the government deal, Jim's special carburetor is installed also in Beverly's car. Jim loses a wheel and is out of race. Beverly is over-exhausted so she borrows her car to Jim. Jim wins the race. Jim proposes Beverly but she must stop racing. Racing is the man's job in the family. Women's liberation can wait. 

Beverly Blake

The movie is adequately entertaining mixture of romantic comedy and racing. The music is uplifting and peppy. Virginia Vale is spirited race driver. Vince Barnett is fun as goofy mechanic Curly and steals the show. The drama is quite bare-boned and unsurprising but it works as a time capsule of the classic car races. The stock-footage racing scenes look exciting and they are well integrated to the story. There are some brutal crashes, driver safety was not a big issue back then. Also spot the interesting old-time horn loudspeaker setups.

Horn loudspeakers

Rating: Good

Movie Review: The Fast and the Furious (1955)

The Fast and the Furious

Starring: John Ireland, Dorothy Malone, Bruce Carlisle, Iris Adrian, Marshall Bradford, Bruno VeSota, Byrd Holland, Larry Thor, Henry Rowland, Jean Howell, Dick Pinner, Robin Morse, Lou Place, 'Snub' Pollard, Roger Corman, Jonathan Haze, William Woodson

Directors: John Ireland, Edward Sampson

Palo Alto Productions, American Releasing Corporation, USA, 1955.

This movie can be found in Fuel Injected Films 20 Movie Collection by Mill Creek Entertainment.

Not related in other way but title to the movie series with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker! Actually Rob Cohen bought the rights to use the title because it sounded great.

Connie Adair (Dorothy Malone) likes fast cars. She is attending a race that crosses the border of Mexico. Fugitive Frank Webster (John Ireland) smells an opportunity to use the race as a way to escape. He is accused of causing the death of truck driver by driving him off the road. Vigilante truck drivers are also hunting Webster. He has to fight with truck driver Bob Nielson (Bruno VeSota) who threatens him with a gun. After knocking Bob out Frank then kidnaps Connie.

Connie in her Jaguar XK 120

Frank and Connie

Bob tries to civil arrest Frank

The police interrogate talky waitress Wilma (Iris Adrian). As Bob is unconscious they can not interrogate him yet. Frank and Connie drive away and try to avoid police. Connie tries to escape or hinder Frank many times. Finally Bob and Connie participate the race. Connie is not allowed to drive because the race is too dangerous for women. As Frank proves to be a good driver, Connie begins to like him. Of course Frank is innocent and persecuted by a big bad truck company. Rival driver and Connie's old friend Faber (Bruce Carlisle) begins to get suspicious. Connie wants Frank to surrender but cynical Frank heads to Mexico.

Avoiding police

Police officers (Larry Thor & Lou Place) interrogate waitress Wilma

Rival driver Faber

The film is produced and written by Roger Corman. Technically there are many errors and badly cut scene transitions. The romance part feels a bit far-fetched as the main characters mainly bicker with each other (serious case of Stockholm syndrome?) The dialogue tries its best to be snappy but does not always hit the mark. The simple story does not offer many surprises, however it was quite radical in 1950s film to suggest that women can be serious race drivers. There are some good racing scenes with nice vintage cars. The story was remade 1994 as "The Chase" with Charlie Sheen and Kristy Swanson.

Romance part is a bit far-fetched

Jean Howell as Connie's friend Sally Phillips

Connie chasing Frank with Allard J2

Regular actor in Corman productions (for example "Attack of the Giant Leeches") Bruno VeSota appears here as truck driver Bob Nielson (he is mostly unconscious for the whole film). Also silent film veteran 'Snub' Pollard has a small role as park warden.

Bruno VeSota as unconscious truck driver

'Snub' Pollard as park caretaker

Rating: Average

Movie Review: The Last Man on Earth

The Last Man on Earth (a.k.a. L'ultimo Uomo Della Terra a.k.a. The Damned Walk at Midnight a.k.a. Vento Di Morte) 

Starring: Vincent Price, Franca Bettoia, Emma Danieli, Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, Umberto Raho, Christi Courtland, Antonio Corevi, Ettore Ribotta, Carolyn De Fonseca, Rolando De Rossi, Giuseppe Mattei, Alessandro Tedeschi 

Directors: Ubaldo Ragona, Sidney Salkow

Produzioni La Regina, Associated Producers (API), American International Pictures (AIP), USA, Italy, 1964. 

This movie is part of Horror Classics 50 Movie Pack by Mill Creek Entertainment.

Based on the novel "I Am Legend" by Richard Matheson.

In 1968 three years have passed since the end of the world. Only man left is Dr. Robert Morgan (Vincent Price). For him every day is the same. He uses garlic and mirrors to repel vampires. He also tries to find the vampire covens and kills them with stakes. Every night vampires try to attack his house. The vampires are quite weak and slow so they are easy to kill. Loneliness is driving Robert crazy. 

Fresh garlic is important

Burning dead vampires

Going shopping

Before the vampiric epidemic Robert had wife Virge (Emma Danieli) and daughter Kathy (Christi Courtland). Robert and his friend Ben (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart) are scientists trying to find a cure. Kathy gets ill. Ben is highly pessimistic and has heard stories of the dead returning back to life. The officials burn the dead bodies to stop the plague from spreading. Then also Virge gets ill. Only Robert is immune to vampirism. Virge dies and returns as a vampire. 

Epidemic gets worse

Dr. Robert Morgan

Virge returns as vampire

Later Robert thinks he gets a friend from a stray dog but the happiness does not last. There may be other humans alive and he meets Ruth (Franca Bettoia). Ruth may have a cure for vampirism but it may already be too late. The new post-human society fears the monster of the legends, Robert. 

Ben

Vampires are weak and slow

Ruth

The movie is not perfect. The pacing is very slow but the ending feels rushed. As there are only few actors in the film, the end of the world seems very minimalistic. There is also the problem: if everyone is a vampire what will they eat? The vampires are very zombie-like but they can speak. The movie has heavy and melancholic atmosphere and Vincent Price pulls his role well as lonely depressed man. The movie inspired Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" which is very obvious when the vampires are pounding on Robert's door trying to get in.

Rating: Good