Kill, kill, kill... The poster for Johnny Cool says it all. When a Sicilian rebel leader (Henry Silva) is ambushed by the police, he's presumed dead. He's really been smuggled to Rome where he's given a new identity by exiled American gangster, Johnny Colini. He becomes Johnny Cool, the epitome of the iron fist in the kid glove. Sent to America to exact revenge on the men who deposed his benefactor, Johnny Cool is merciless. Along the way, he meets, and becomes the obsession of divorced socialite Darien Guiness (Montgomery). She becomes entangled in his plot of revenge and murder and soon regrets it. Will Johnny Cool complete his homicidal plans and emerge alive or will he lose the game?
This Rat Pack production has the distinction of being produced by Peter Lawford and features many familiar faces from that illustrious group of stars, including Sammy Davis Jr. as a craps shooter called Educated, and Joey Bishop as a used car dealer. It was directed by William Asher, who cast his wife as Darien (oddly close to Darren, isn't it?) and she gives a performance which will be a revelation to fans who only know her as Samantha Stevens. Look for Jim Backus and cerebral comedian Mort Saul in a pivotal role.
Johnny Cool has been out on DVD less than a year. It's part of the MGM Limited Edition Collection, which is similar to the Warner Archive in that it's printed on demand. It has something of a cult following and clips can be found on YouTube. Above is the trailer, uploaded to YouTube by Soapbxprod.
This holiday special is based on the true story of a girl who wrote to the editor of The New York Sun asking if there was really a Santa Claus. The response has become iconic "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus." Directed by Bill Melendez, the force behind the Peanuts specials, this half hour special has the same quality and also features the voices of real children. Though the story takes place in 1897, it's full of 1970's multicultural imagery. Listen for the voice of Jim Backus as the narrator and Santa Claus and for little Jimmy Osmond singing the closing theme.
Unlike Melendez's Peanuts specials, this one has fallen into obscurity. It can be seen in full on YouTube, but there has been only a VHS release - no DVD yet. Part one is above, uploaded by pressmin.
Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, largely forgotten)
I have to credit blog reader Leighton in making me aware of this adaptation of the Kurt Vonnegut novel, called the worst film ever made by many reviewers. It features Jerry Lewis and Madeline Kahn playing a pair seemingly mentally deficient twins as well as their "beautiful people" parents. It's discovered that the twins aren't actually retarded, but are geniuses with the capacity to solve all the earth's problems. Themes of rejection, prejudice and short sighted lack of compassion for humanity run through the film, disguised by comedic gags and wacky goings-on.
This film fails on many levels, though there are flashes of brilliance in some of the performances. The impressive cast also including Marty Feldman, Jim Backus, Merv Griffin, Pat Morita, Virginia Graham and the voice of Orson Welles (uncredited).
Above are two trailers for the film, uploaded to YouTube by akiragp. It's available on VHS and there was a European release on DVD, but it's a region two, so won't play on some American players.
Obscurity factor: 9 (on DVD in Europe, limited distribution at time of release, not well remembered)
This is a very strange film. It's a farce, with all the door slamming and misunderstandings that the genre implies. It also has a touch of How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. I guess what makes it strange to me is it keeps shifting focus and you're not sure who to root for.
It's the story of Carlo Cofield (Curtis), a Midwesterner who heads to southern California to start fresh. As he arrives he stops on a hillside to admire the view and a careless girl (Cardinale) bumps his car, which rolls down the hill and catches fire, destroying everything he owns. When the careless girl blames him for blocking the road with his burning car he blows up. They eventually mend fences and she invites him to stay in her apartment for the night so he can get back on his feet. Of course a girl as beautiful as Claudia Cardinale wouldn't be unattached. Her married boyfriend arrives and they hurriedly try and hide his presence and him. The boyfriend eventually discovers him, and Carlo blackmails him into giving him a job selling swimming pools. Here's where the How to Succeed plot line comes in - Carlo is quite an operator. In a few short weeks he wrangles himself a glamorous house perched high on a hill, complete with Rolls Royce. The sub-plots abound aplenty - Carlo has become obsessed with a beach bum sky diver (Sharon Tate) who rescued him from drowning. Everything he's done has been aimed at getting the girl away from her muscle boy boyfriend (David Draper). Laura (Cardinale) wants to marry her already married boyfriend, whose wife owns the company he runs. She finds out and wants to divorce him - from herself and her company. It all culminates in a dramatic rain storm that threatens to spectacularly topple the house on the hill, which they all find themselves in. The cheesecake abounds, but in a nice touch for the ladies and gay men, so does the beefcake - David Draper is very nice to look at. Look for counterculture comedian Mort Saul in several scenes and Jim Backus and his wife Henny playing themselves in a cameo.
This film hasn't made it to DVD yet, but you can find it on VHS and it's uploaded in its entirety to YouTube. It's not aired on TV much, but I saw it as part of TCM's tribute to Tony Curtis, so it's occasionally screened.
Obscurity factor: 8 (not yet on DVD, available on VHS and YouTube, largely forgotten)
When it comes to holiday tradition nothing fills the bill like A Christmas Carol. Most people think of Reginald Owen or Basil Rathbone, or even Michael Caine if you're fond of the Muppets (and who isn't?). We mustn't forget Mr. Magoo, however. For some, this is the definitive Scrooge, simply because it was their first exposure to the character. It's a very cute adaptation, even if it doesn't have the weight of some other versions. This one, like Scrooge with Albert Finny which premiered 8 years after this, is a musical with some delightful original songs. Though it has it's champions, this version has largely been forgotten by the culture as a whole, which is a shame because it has some charming moments.
If you find yourself with a little time on your hands today, spend some time with Mr. Magoo. The full version is above, thanks to Hulu. You have to endure commercials, but there's a bonus at the end - a feature with Mr. Magoo as Rip Van Winkle. You can also find this on DVD.
Obscurity factor: 3 (available on DVD, available on Hulu, largely forgotten except by hard core fans)
Since the 1947 original premiered, Miracle on 34th Street has been a holiday classic. It's was remade twice for television in the 50's and 60's, as a Broadway play in 1963 called Here's Love starring Janis Paige and featuring a lovely score, and was remade again in the 1990's. Sebastian Cabot stars as Kris Kringle in this 1973 television film remake. It's a fairly faithful retelling of the story, updated to the mod 70's. Cabot is charming as Santa Claus. It also features Roddy McDowell as the officious Dr. Sawyer, Jane Alexander as Susan's mother, David Hartman as the love interest, Jim Backus as the VP in charge of sales at Macy's, David Doyle as Mr. Macy and Tom Bosley as the Judge. I'm especially fond of the footage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade from the period, and the opening sequence features some wonderful shots of New York City in the early 70's.
