| Vintage Pulp | Apr 9 2024 |
Vince waxes philosophical and discovers the secret of life—death.
House of Wax, which was produced by Warner Brothers and premiered today in 1953, was the first 3D production by any major studio. It's a period piece set in Victorian New York City starring Vincent Price as the creator and half owner of a historical wax museum. Unfortunately, his focus on history leaves the public nonplussed, and his partner Roy Roberts, who needs capital, sets the place aflame for the insurance money. Price is burned and driven insane. Well, actually he was insane before the fire, but in a cute way. He talked to his wax figures and thought they talked back.
But after the fire he's a barking psychopath, running around nighttime Gotham behatted and cloaked like Lamont Cranston. His goal? Revenge, of course, a craving solved early in the proceedings when he pitches Roberts down an elevator shaft with a rope around his neck. But what next? What does one do once vengeance is thine? Well, you build a new wax museum, except this time you surrender to prurient tastes and create displays of modern murder and the macabre. Screw that high-minded history crap.
Everything goes fine until Phyllis Kirk begins to suspect that the extraordinary realism of the wax figures is due to more than just artistic talent. Her suspicion is a screenwriter's concoction—there's no way a person could realistically make the leap Kirk does in believing Price guilty of heinous crimes. The script literally calls it a woman's intuition. Well, okay. But in our experience that's a myth, and it's possibly even insulting when used as substitute for intelligence, so maybe just put a realistic clue in the script and write Kirk's character as very smart instead. In any case, she's definitely nosy as hell, and that's the beginning of the end for vicious Vince.
House of Wax has many things going for it. The sets and costumes are extravagant, the early fire sequence with its melting wax figures is genuinely unsettling, the WarnerColor developing process is attractive, and the acting is uniformly competent, even by that six-foot three-inch Hillshire Farms ham Price. And it's fun to watch Charles Buchinsky, aka Charles Bronson, as the mute assistant Igor. In the end the House of Wax works. Add popcorn, a few friends, and about of case of beer and you'll have a great Saturday night.
New York CityWarner Bros.House of WaxVincent PriceCharles BronsonCharles BuchinskyFrank LovejoyPhyllis KirkCarolyn JonesAndre de Tothposter artcinemahorrormovie review
| Vintage Pulp | Sep 12 2023 |
Think your boss is bad? Then you've never dealt with a mob boss.
Falling into the category of pleasant surprises, The Mob, for which you see an evocative promo poster above, stars Broderick Crawford as a cop sent to infiltrate an organized crime syndicate. You've seen the idea before. He works his way up the ladder and brings the bad guys down, but this iteration comes with brisk pacing, a set of unpredictable twists, and a supporting cast that includes Ernest Borgine, Richard Kiley, and Lynn Baggett. If you keep your eyes open you might even spot Charles Bronson.
Crawford had already won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for 1949's All the King's Men, so he unsurprisingly does a bang-up job in this film, instilling his deep cover cop with believable toughness and a gruff but relatable humanity. Crawford would later appear in such excellent films as Scandal Sheet, New York Confidential, Born Yesterday, and Human Desire, but The Mob may be his underrated classic.
The only flaw with this film, in our opinion, is a goofball denouement. We suppose, after ninety minutes of almost nonstop high tension, the filmmakers wanted audiences to leave smiling, and we're sure they did, because the scene, while dumb, is pretty funny. But in any case, we recommend giving The Mob a whirl. You'll enjoy it. It opened nationally in the U.S. in late September, but had its actual debut at special premiere today in Dayton, Ohio (why, we don't know) in 1951.
New OrleansAcademy AwardGolden Globe AwardThe MobAll the King's MenNew York ConfidentialScandal SheetHuman DesireBorn YesterdayBroderick CrawfordBetty BuehlerErnest BorgnineLynn BaggettCharles Bronsonposter artcinemamovie review
| Vintage Pulp | Mar 3 2021 |
Stuck between the cops and a hard place.
This poster was made to promote the drama Big House, U.S.A., which premiered today in 1955, and starred Ralph Meeker, who later headlined the classic film noir Kiss Me Deadly. He also starred in one of our favorite unknown films of all time, the television production Birds of Prey, which we may talk about at a later date. Big House is basically a procedural crime drama about how the cops try to break down a kidnapper and suspected murderer played by Meeker. His character is nicknamed Ice Man because he's cool under pressure. True to form the cops can't wring a confession from him, so he's sent to prison for lesser crimes and will be released in a short while.
Ice Man thinks he's got it made. Serve easy time, earn a quick parole, then quietly retrieve the heist loot waiting for him on the outside. But cons read the news too, and several decide they want his cash. They plan an escape, and they're going to drag Ice Man along against his will or kill him for refusing. And naturally, they have no intention of letting him survive handing over the money. What a pickle. Die now or die later. But once he's on the outside maybe—just maybe—there's a chance he can turn the tables on these con-conspirators.
Big House, U.S.A. is set in Denver and the surrounding Colorado countryside, and features some nice exteriors, but it's strictly a b-movie—poorly staged, cheesily scripted, and stuck together with baling wire and chewing gum. We mentioned Meeker's starring role in Kiss Me Deadly. That came out only a month after this movie, so it was a nice recovery for him. A couple of other notes of interest in Big House are that you get to see a young and fit Charles Bronson flashing his biceps—certainly a draw for some—and the legendary Lon Chaney, Jr. gets a role as a grizzled prison inmate. The overall result is certainly watchable, but there are better prison dramas out there, and hundreds of better vintage crime flicks.
After we bust outta this joint, what do you say we form a boy band? Charles knows three guitar chords and I can sing.
What are you mad at me for? Is it my fault the babes like singers best?
Fuck this. Between Meeker and Bronson I'm getting no action at all. I'm starting a solo career. I heard there's a thing called Auto-Tune that'll keep even my singing voice in pitch.
ColoradoDenverBig House U.S.A.Broderick CrawfordRalph MeekerLon Chaney Jr.Charles Bronsonposter artcinemamovie review
| Femmes Fatales | Jul 10 2020 |
Perfect for special occasions.
This promo photo in vibrant color shows Argentine actress Linda Cristal, performer in numerous western films and television series. Our favorite movie of hers isn't a true western, but almost fits the bill. It's Mr. Majestyk, with Charles Bronson, based on a great Elmore Leonard novel about a farmer and some migrant workers. Cristal is yet another celeb who had an interesting name change. You understand how Spanish and Latin American naming conventions work, with, often, two first names, two last names, and sometimes even middle names added, right? Cristal's full name was Marta Victoria Moya Peggo Burges. We think Marta Victoria would have worked fine as a stage name. Or better yet—Marta Moya. That has a nice alliterative flow. Or maybe even Marta Peggo. Actually, scratch that one. Peggo Burges? No? Well anyway, she chose Linda Cristal, which is fine, and as you Spanish speakers know, it's a combo of the words for “cute,” or “pretty,” and “glass,” or “crystal.” We'll go with pretty glass. The name fits. Cristal just died a couple of weeks ago in Beverly Hills, where she had resided for many years. The photo is from around 1955.
| Vintage Pulp | Feb 14 2017 |
All bets are off when the Für starts flying.
4 für Texas opened in West Germany today in 1968 after premiering in the U.S. the previous December as 4 for Texas. This was a high powered production, starring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Anita Ekberg, Ursula Andress, Charles Bronson, and incredibly, The Three Stooges. The movie was terribly reviewed when released, but it isn't as bad as all that. Sinatra and Martin vie for a fortune in stolen cash, and later for ownership of a profitable Galveston riverboat casino, but join forces to deal with Bronson, the villain. Ekberg and Andress are mainly interested in getting married. Critics of the time might not have been dazzled, but today, with Andress the only main member of the cast still living, 4 for Texas emits a strong aura of Rat Pack nostalgia. The poster art is by Rolf Goetze, a prolific illustrator who produced something like eight-hundred promos between 1958 and 1972, of which this one is surely among the best. See another example of his work here.
West GermanyGalveston4 für TexasFour for TexasFrank SinatraDean MartinAnita EkbergUrsula AndressCharles BronsonThe Three StoogesRolf GoetzeRobert Aldrichposter artcinemamovie review
| Vintage Pulp | Jul 2 2016 |
Okay, now that you've lined yourself up, just decrease your altitude and you'll touch down ever so softly...
Does the guy on this cover look a bit like Charles Bronson to you? He's supposed to, apparently—the main character is actually named Charles Bronson. He teaches several women that the best way to fly is by being gentle with the stick. 1973 with uncredited art.
| Musiquarium | Mar 31 2009 |
Assorted album sleeves from Argentine soundtrack maestro Lalo Schifrin, circa 1970s.
ArgentinaLalo SchifrinSteve McQueenCharles BronsonClint EastwoodBruce LeeChe GuevaraFidel CastroShirley BasseyRod TaylorJill St. Johnalbum covers
