I Was a Teenage Frankenstein.

Review #2098: I Was a Teenage Frankenstein.

Cast: 

Whit Bissell (Professor Frankenstein), Phyllis Coates (Margaret), Robert Burton (Dr. Karlton), Gary Conway (the teenage Frankenstein monster/Bob), George Lynn (Sergeant Burns), John Cliff (Sergeant McAfee), and Marshall Bradford (Dr. Randolph) Directed by Herbert L. Strock.

Review: 

...Well, you already know that Aben Kandel and Herman Cohen wrote the film, because what better way to do a double feature of teenage monsters for the circuit than to have the same writers and director for both films? To be fair to Strock, he had a handful of experience in being efficient with the job required, whether that involved serving in the U.S. Army Ordnance Motion Picture Division or directing television in the 1950s (imagine going from directing Fox Newsreel footage to directing for AIP). How to Make a Monster would be directed by Strock with scripting by Kandel and Cohen that featured the return of the werewolf and Frankenstein makeup that dealt with youth actors (such as Conway) being hypnotized into being tools to kill. Unlike before, we have a film that lessens the teen angst present in the previous two films, because it ventures more into the familiar grounds of eccentric scientists, complete with lines that talk about one having a civil tongue to speak if only because they sewed it themselves and alligator pits. Yes, I am serious. There is a sequence of roughly over a minute in the final moments to show the monster in color after, well, the climax has already happened in a flash. Cohen sure loved his formula of a weary world where teenagers are beaten down in life by adults with cynical motivations of manipulation.

In some ways this serves as the better film of the three teenage monster films, if only because it is too lurid for words in the bold idea of just re-using Bissell in another wonky scientist role that he already did for the aforementioned Werewolf film. Technically speaking, it probably intends just as much interesting sympathy for its begotten teenage monster, mostly because it doesn't have much of a face for all but a fraction of its 74-minute runtime. And yet, the result is the same in another mediocre movie that is not nearly as interesting as it thinks it is when it comes to the horror of monsters in youth because it never passes the line beyond camp to actually generate useful interest for "good" moments. Both Blood of Dracula and this film are rushed, and it shows, but there were other AIP films of past and future that ended up being better than "mediocre" despite being a patch job, so why does this one not pass mustard? Well, I think it is because the film lacks general tension to do anything other than be stuck in one room, and the fact that The Curse of Frankenstein was released by Hammer (in full color!) in the same year this film was released doesn't particularly help its case. At least Bissell is interesting for such a run-over role of trying to sell you on the idea that progress is all that matters when it comes to the human process. Coates is almost amusing in just how much she is devoted to such a flake like Bissell, right up until she meets a dubious end before the climax even gets to happen. Burton wanders in and out and does exactly nothing as an accomplice, go figure. Conway is barely worth mentioning as the monster, mostly because he seems more of a pouting dolt more than anything. I wonder what would have been happened if one had tried to make a film about, say, raising a young Frankenstein with a normal face and weird psychological problems rather than the whole "hiding in the basement" thing. The death scenes in setup are probably the most interesting parts of the film. As a whole, if you've seen Werewolf, you haven't really missed much here besides having more of a goofy scientist rather than the monster. But hey, if you like the AIP circuit, you might find something to go with for a bit.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.

The Fast and the Furious (1954).

Review #1388: The Fast and the Furious.

Cast: 
John Ireland (Frank Webster), Dorothy Malone (Connie Adair), Bruce Carlisle (Faber), Iris Adrian (Wilma Belding - Waitress), Marshall Bradford (Mr. Hillman - Race Marshal), Bruno VeSota (Bob Nielson - Truck Driver), Byrd Holland (Doctor), and Larry Thor (Detective Sergeant) Directed by John Ireland and Edward Sampson.

Review: 
"You can make a movie about anything, as long as it has a hook to hang the advertising on."

When it comes to film entertainment, one cannot deny the attracting power of American International Pictures. The company was formed on April 2, 1954 by James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff as American Releasing Corporation with the intent to distribute films on an independent level. There would be numerous people that found themselves involved in AIP, such as cinematographer Floyd Crosby, screenwriter Lou Rusoff, producer Herman Cohn alongside Roger Corman. They were given their first chance to distribute with this film, picked by Corman over other companies while also being offered money to help Corman make further films. This was the third film that Corman was involved with, having made his contributions to Highway Dragnet and Monster From the Ocean Floor with story and producing the previous year. Along with producing, he also work as a bit actor and stunt driver while also making deals with a local dealer for Jaguar cars and utilizing stock and filmed footage from the Monterrey racetrack. Shot in nine days at a cost of $50,000, it is no wonder that this was a fair hit for audiences of the time, who must've been big on jailbirds on the run with fast cars and women to go with a thin plot directed by its star Ireland and Edward Sampson, an editor in his lone directorial credit. It was the work that Corman did here that made him want to become a director, which he would soon get the chance to do with Five Guns West the following year.

It sure is a shame that this is such a plain affair, one that moves with a quiet roar for 73 minutes that seems fitting of being put on the back end of a double bill than anything. Ireland and Malone don't really seem to have much chemistry with each other beyond a few quips that beg for more vulnerability and charm, since these characters seem thinner than a fuel gauge in characterization. Most of the time is spent on them with only a few glimpses into the chase for them alongside the race they happen to come across, as if trying to be a crime film isn't enough to latch onto. One needs a third presence stronger than someone like Carlisle to really counteract the main duo to make things seem more urgent to care about. By the time the film races to its conclusion, it doesn't even seem like a real ending, reminding me more of Quicksand (1950) than anything, and one might not even remember that the main character is supposedly innocent to begin with because of how casual things seem. The racing aspects are decent, but nothing too special to follow along with. On the whole, while this movie isn't particularly good by most standards, it is at least a modest curiosity that could  pique interest on a boring day with access to the public domain, filled with quick thrills that could reach an audience that could then inquire further into the library of American International Pictures for further, better features to look into.

Overall, I give it 6 out of 10 stars.