John Carradine - Waterfront - 1944
Intrigue abounds in Waterfront, a 1944 wartime film starring John Carradine and J. Carrol Naish.
J. Carrol Naish has the role of “optometrist” Dr. Karl Decker, who is actually a Nazi spy on the San Francisco waterfront, and Carradine also portrays a Nazi agent (Victor Marlow). As the movie begins, Decker has been robbed, and the thieves took his codebook. The movie follows the consequences of the efforts of Decker and Marlow to retrieve the codebook.
The film was directed by Steve Sekely.
Movie Memorabilia Guide - Glass Slides
Popular collectors’ items from the early days of cinema are movie glass slides that were used in Magic Lantern projector displays.
A precursor to the slide projector, the Magic Lantern probably originated in 17th century Europe. The basic components of the Magic Lantern device were a box to hold the light source, a couple of lenses, and a glass slide which carried the painted image that was to be projected. The Magic Lantern reached its peak as a popular device for entertainment and shows during the Victorian era.
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Movie Poster Guide - Part 7 - Combo, Lenticular, Mylar
Our movie poster guide continues with some more examples of poster types.
Combo Posters
A combo movie poster is used to advertise two or three films on one poster, or for promoting a double or triple movie feature.
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Steve Reeves - Hercules Unchained
Here’s another classic movie for all you Steve Reeves fans. After starring in the film Hercules in 1958, American bodybuilder Steve Reeves (portraying the argonaut Hercules) and Sylvia Koscina (portraying Iole, daughter of Pelias) were reunited in Hercules Unchained in 1959.
Hercules Unchained also stars Sylvia Lopez as Queen Omphale, of Lidia. This film was directed by Pietro Francisci.
Enjoy Hercules Unchained!
What Lies Ahead? More Comic Book Superhero Movies
The Underwire at Wired.come has looked into the future, and predicts many more comic-based superhero movies headed for the Big Screen in the years ahead.
In the next few years, Tinseltown will be cranking out more movies featuring men in tights than ever before. In turn, successful flicks like Iron Man are driving blockbuster comic sales: Comics and movies are tighter than Batman and Robin ever were.
It’s a financially lucrative feedback loop that’s a happy byproduct of obsessive geek culture in the iPod era, according to Paul Levitz, president and publisher of DC Comics.
Movie studio are looking deeper into the comic book industry than the Mavel and DC Comics standards, the article added.
Studios are scouting indie publishers for new source material, said Brian Warmoth, marketing manager at Devil’s Due Publishing.
“You can look at it as a doorway that a lot of Hollywood people are stepping through now who now recognize that comics are like short stories, or novels, [or] kids cartoons from the ’80s,” he said. “It’s one more place where they can harvest stories.”
Internet Download Sites May Give the Edge to Cult Classics
A recent article in The Independent suggests that Internet download sites may help cult classic films attract an audience at the expense of Hollywood blockbuster movies. “As cult movies attract a new audience who download more obscure films from the internet, so the marketing machine of the major studios is being called into question.”
Industry figures are beginning to argue that Hollywood has got its marketing strategy all wrong. Observers say the now familiar battle for the box-office No 1 slot leaves far more losers than winners and may even damage the industry as a whole.
“I think the industry made a huge mistake when it made media stars out of the studios and reported their grosses [gross revenues taken at cinemas],” David Weitzner, from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, said. “I think reporting grosses to the public is stupid. Nobody has any sense of the economics of this business. It’s a dumb thing and it has cost us dearly.”
The article suggests that audiences are looking for alternatives to the Hollywood blockbuster:
As Hollywood stifles choice by placing so much emphasis on blockbusters, there is evidence that audiences are searching out movies in other ways. new distribution models have given an extra lease of life to movies that might otherwise have languished in obscurity, such as the 1946 romantic drama Heartbeat (pictured above). First, there was video. Then came DVD. Now, we’re beginning to be able to download films. Films of every kind have benefited – the best horror pics, the creakiest B-movies, literary adaptations and old studio classics. It is Hollywood’s version of the “long tail” – where the web fuels endless small cults that add up to a massive audience.
Bollywood Art Goes to Gavel
From The Washington Post comes a fascinating report on Bollywood posters and paintings being sold at auction in Mumbai.
“Ninety percent of our movie memorabilia is lost, gone forever. We are a negligent nation when it comes to popular culture. It is the largest film industry in the world, but it is not considered worth preserving,” says the [auction house] owner, Neville Tuli, who also keeps a cultural archive. Tuli has about 300,000 objects of movie memory — posters, costumes, billboards, booklets and props. Two years ago, he began including them in his traditional art auctions.
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Ace Drummond Serial - 1936
We’ve added to the collection of serials here at iMovieCinema with the 13-episode from 1936, the flying G-man Ace Drummond. The serial is based on the comic strip, created by World War I flying ace Eddie Rickenbacker.
G-man Ace Drummond (portrayed by John “Dusty” King) is sent on assignment to Mongolia, where he must deal with the villainous Dragon (portrayed by Arthur Loft). Drummond also meets the lovely Peggy Trainor (Jean Rogers), and endeavors to find her archaelogist father. Other cast members include Guy Bates Post, Noah Beery Jr., and Lon Chaney Jr.
The serial was directed by Ford Beebe and Clifford Smith.
Burn ‘Em Barnes Serial 1934
Here’s a special classic movie treat - all 12 chapters of the 1934 serial, Burn ‘Em Up Barnes.
This serial stars Jack Mulhall as race car driver Burn ‘Em Up Barnes; Lola Lane as Marjorie Temple, a bus company owner (and the serial’s damsel in distress); Frankie Darro as Barnes’ sidekick Bobby Riley; and Jason Robards (as John Drummond) and Francis McDonald (as Ray Ridpath), the villains of the piece.
Burn ‘Em Up Barnes was produced by Nat Levine, distributed by Mascot Pictures, and directed by Colbert Clark and Armand Schaefer.
Comic-Con - A Hub for Memorabilia and Merchandise
The 39th annual Comic-Con Convention is under way in San Diego, with more than 125,000 people expected to attend the four-day event, Reuters reports. The attendees are attracted there for a “veritable feast of the latest in comic-related books, movies, toys, games and memorabilia.”
Many attendees admit they come for the traditional Superman fan club soirees, rare memorabilia exhibits, and panel discussions on topics such as the “Klingon Lifestyle,” derived from the famous “Star Trek” TV series.
However “the Con,” as it is known among fans, has changed considerably since its inaugural meeting nearly four decades ago, when about 300 geeky fans milled around piles of musty comic books. Long catering mostly to men, many of whom dress as their favorite superheroes, the event has sought in recent years to attract more women and families.
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