‘The Last Hunt’ was a quite big MGM Cinemascope production with much of the filming done in Dakota.

The film showed what an interesting actor Robert Taylor was – he is totally believable in this film – in a really villainous role. He had the longest contract ever with MGM and basically caused few ripples and would do the films that he was asked to do without any drama. This film proves that he could handle difficult roles. .

Stewart Granger plays a retired buffalo hunter who is revered in the West as one of the best. Robert Taylor seems to just want to slaughter buffalo, and lures Stewart Granger into business with him. They hire two helpers played by Lloyd Nolan and Russ Tamblyn.

Stewart Granger becomes haunted by the buffalo he has killed, knowing if they become extinct, the Native American way of life will greatly suffer. Robert Taylor soon reveals a sadistic side.

BELOW – Some Front of House Stills from the film – I can remember walking up to school in our town, past one of the cinemas on the way, and I always looked at the film stills outside in a glass case. For some reason I remember the stills from this film although I can’t recall these particular ones.

Earlier Stewart Granger had appeared in some very big MGM films among them Scaramouche – however he does not seem to have been popular with his fellow actors if this is anything to go by :-

His co-star Eleanor Parker  said that Stewart Granger was the only actor she did not get along with during her entire career. “Everyone disliked this man…Stewart Granger was a dreadful person, rude…just awful. Just being in his presence was bad. I thought at one point the crew was going to kill him.” However, the resulting film was a notable critical and commercial success.

The film ‘The Last Hunt’ was directed by Richard Thorpe who went on to marry Jean Simmons in 1960

In the academic world of journalism, problems can arise, and when James Gannon ( Clark Gable ), the newspaper editor for the Evening Chronicle collides with journalism professor, Erica Stone ( Doris Day ), clashes do happen.

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Doris Day is perfectly cast as the headstrong Erica Stone, a worldly woman who exudes knowledge, and is not afraid to prove her expertise even when she is being challenged by the brash James Gannon ( Clark Gable) posing as Jim Gallagher.

In the middle of all this is Gig Young who received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Dr. Hugo Pine, a psychologist whose knowledge and skills supposedly encompass every chapter of an encyclopedia. For most part of the film, Dr. Pine is the object of Gannon’s jealously.

Quite a while after this in 1966 , Gig Young came to England to film’The Shuttered Room’ – a film I really like which was released in 1967

THE SHUTTERED ROOM

Much off the filming of ‘The Shuttered Room’ was done at Hardingham Mill in Norfolk – which was destroyed by fire at the end of the film

Gig Young chats to a News Reporter from Anglia Television during the filming

The Solitary Child is a 1958 British murder mystery which begins some time after the murder has taken place.

Captain James Random (Philip Friend) brings his new wife Harriet (Barbara Shelley) back to Random Farm. Captain Random had been accused of murdering his first wife but had been acquitted.

At first Harriet isn’t worried as she was convinced that Random’s first wife’s death was an accident. Soon however she begins to have her doubts.

However doubts have crept into her mind because yhere does seem to be secrets at Random Farm.

Everyone seems to know something about Eva Random’s death and, disturbingly, these include things that had not come to light at all at the trial.

James Random had been, and still is, surrounded by women. ‘

His sister Ann (Sarah Lawson) owns a half share of the farm and has been ages deciding whether or not to marry local vet Cyril (Jack Watling).

There seems no reason for her not to marry him. He’s a thoroughly amiable fellow and she obviously loves him and yet the wedding never seems to happen.

Jean (Rona Anderson) is a Devlin and the Devlins used to own Random Farm. Jean’s mother is not merely an dreadful snob but a malicious gossip.

Then we have Random’s daughter Maggie (Julia Lockwood), a rather troubled and slightly scary teenager.

Eva Random had been carrying on a notorious affair with Jean’s young and very disreputable brother. James Random who would seem to have a motive for murder.

Now it seems that someone wants Harriet out of the way. Quite possibly they want her dead. There are several mysterious accidents and soon rumours are sweeping the village.

Harriet is determined to untangle the mystery of Eva Random’s death since her own life might depend on it.

By now Harriet is getting quite scared and James Random is becoming even more withdrawn and morose than usual.

This is a really good plot with plenty of twists and turns.. The tension builds. Can Harriet stay alive long enough to solve the puzzle?

Director Gerald Thomas was better known for the Carry On comedies but he proves himself to be well able to handle such a drama

All the characters have things to hide but they could have quite legitimate reasons for wanting to keep their secrets. Julia Lockwood does a fine job as Maggie. Maggie is a troubled and disturbing child but she’s in a situation in which a girl might well be troubled.

Barbara Shelley is at her most ravishing and she delivers a very effective performance.

The Solitary Child is a very well-crafted murder mystery with a fine cast.

Barbara Shelley, who died Jan. 4, 2021, at 88 years of age, was one of Hammer Film’s celebrated “Scream Queens.”

She became part of the Hammer’s acting repertoire, adding glamour to the grisly proceedings.

A rising film star throughout the late 1950s and early 60s, in such films as Village of the Damned (1960), Barbara Shelley’s professional world changed forever with the 1964 Hammer film, The Gorgon. Thereafter, throughout the 1960s, she was to be identified with Hammer Horror.

The friendships she made with fellow stars, such as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, were genuine and enduring.

She was born Barbara Kowin in 1932 in London. Eventually, the family settled in Wealdstone, northwest London. It was to this house throughout most of her adult life.

She would later tell how it was by accident that she ended up appearing in a school play. However, from the moment she stepped on stage she said she knew her life’s calling was no longer in doubt.

Early in the sixties she began a relationship with Jeff Chandler, who she had met on the set of the 1961 film A Story of David, and she later confessed that he had been the love of her life.

Their love affair was short-lived, however, on account of Chandler’s death from a bungled operation deemed medical malpractice that same year. She never married. 

Following the death of her parents, Barbara Shelley lived alone in her childhood home for the last decades of her life. She was a gifted interior decorator. She sewed and painted props for the BBC, and was skilled at making elaborate wedding dresses.

Brought up in a devout Roman Catholic home, during the last years of her life Barbara Shelley returned to her childhood faith. She attended daily Holy Mass at the nearby St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Wealdstone, as well as going on pilgrimage to Lourdes. In her latter days, she could be seen in church often alone praying the Rosary. This deepening of her faith seemed to put all else in perspective — so much so that, by the end, she had to be coaxed to speak of her former glamorous career.

Nevertheless, in the last decade, Barbara Shelley found herself rediscovered on the retro–film-festival circuit, especially among devotees of the horror genre.

ABOVE Barbara Shelley at the London Film Convention

She was surprised and flattered by this, while taking it all in her good-natured stride. Her last appearance on television was in 2010 when she was interviewed for a BBC documentary series on horror films.

In 2009, Barbara Shelley suffered a stroke. From then on, she lived with impaired and decreasing mobility. As a consequence, with deteriorating health. Independent all her life, and determined to retain her family home, she was frustrated at having to rely increasingly on the assistance of others. Nevertheless, her mind and her wit remained as sharp as ever. 

Well this is something I did not know – Can you imagine it – A Western and an Elvis Presley concert for 1.25 US Dollars – now that is value

For three nights in June of 1956, Elvis Presley (with Scotty and Bill) performed at Atlanta’s Paramount Theater, between showings of Fury At Gunsight Pass (1956).

Fury At Gunsight Pass is a terrific low-budget Western from Fred F. Sears — and Elvis came as the supporting at.

One very sad note – During the filming news came of the death of Suzan Ball at the early age of 21 – she was Richard Long’s wife. He was inconsolable on set.

We have done a previous article on Suzan Ball – one that is one of the most read

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This story was part of the Scotland Yard series introduced each time by Edgar Lustgarten and in this case was based on a real life crime dating back before the War.

In the main role was Alexander Gauge, famous for playing Friar Tuck alongside Richard Green in the very successful series ‘The Adventure of Robin Hood’ – although he was someone who cropped up in films over many years and had a prominent career on stage – a lot of the time in the West End. He also played Shakespeare on Broadway

This film was made in 1954 and it was very shortly after this that he got the role of FriarTuck and that ran from 1955 to 1960 when he died.

He died of a drug overdose and it is reported that he was plagued with gambling debts but I have no idae how true this is. He was a married man – He married to Phyllis Anne Lilley in Penzance in1947

Alexander Gauge

ABOVE – Edgar Lustgarten narrates the story as he always did in the ‘Scotland Yard’ series

Alexander Gauge ABOVE is exposed in the Bank by the police

1938: A blazing caravan is discovered in Edgware with a burned and unrecognisable body inside. Scotland Yard, led by Superintendent Ellis (played by Alan Robinson), identify the man as a printer called George Buxton since the remains of his suitcase with his name printed on it was discovered among the wreckage.

In actual fact Buxton (played by Alexander Gauge) murdered an elderly taxidermist called Arthur Cox (played by Edgar Driver), one of his customers, for his £30,000 football pools winnings.

He then burned his body, stole his identification and successfully claimed his prize money. Buxton then fled to a seaside town on the south coast of England where he cashed the cheque and requested the money be converted into bearer bonds, thus making it easier to get away with it. However, Buxton made a serious mistake – he didn’t bank on the fact that Cox had not ticked the no publicity box on his football pools entry form .

Another error he made – he did not know that his victim had agreed to split the winnings with a friend – in writing and the friend turns up and goes to the police who, armed with this information, are able to track Buxton down and prove that he is the killer

This film boasted an excellent cast Richard Basehart, Laurence Harvey, Stanley Baker, and John Ireland who all turn in terrific performances in this British film from 1954. The story is of three decent men who have hit on hard times, so much so that they are enticed into being involved in a robbery by the one bad seed among them (Laurence Harvey). Also interesting to view Joan Collins in an early role. The story is told in flashback, and the ending is both subtle and surprising. A good film.

These were certainly top actors as was the rest of the excellent cast including Margaret Leighton – soon to be married to Laurence Harvey, Gloria Grahame, Rene Ray, Robert Morley among them

On to the film that is the supporting one here ‘ Battles of Chief Pontiac’ which seems to get remarkably good reviews

BELOW THREE SUCH REVIEWS

A surprisingly accurate, low budget, historical drama. The story of a white scout(Barker)attempting to broker a peace agreement between English Colonials and Chief Pontiac and his Ottawa tribe. Kroeger is loathsome as German Hesian mercenary, and Chaney brings his best to the role of Pontiac. The “gifts” of small-pox infected blankets to the Indians is a reminder of the brutality of the times. A good cast performs well, and of course Barker, a former Tarzan, finds several chances to bare his chest! While this one was made on a small budget by the Jack Broder Company,it has held up well over the years. This is a hard one to find on video or TV but well worth watching.

1952’s “Battles of Chief Pontiac” was a low budget Western from Realart, a redistribution outfit that produced several titles of their own, but are best remembered for keeping Universal Horror in cinemas right up to the 1957 TV debut of Shock Theatre. This was their third and last from Lon Chaney, following successful turns in “Bride of the Gorilla” and “The Bushwhackers,” here playing the title role of Chief Pontiac, third billed behind Lex Barker and Helen Westcott. Still the current Tarzan, the well cast Barker seeks peace between the Indians and the colonists in pre-Revolutionary War America, filmed on location in Rapid City, South Dakota. Usually cast as Western villains or thug henchmen, Lon Chaney Jr retains great dignity and compassion in this rare change of pace, which may have played a part in his later series HAWKEYE AND THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, where he portrayed Chingachgook. Those familiar with “Of Mice and Men” or even “The Wolf Man” remember how Lon Chaney Jr. could excel in sympathetic roles, and here he delivers the goods, though slightly, and understandably, overshadowed by Barker’s heroics. Berry Kroeger’s evil Hessian Von Weber deserves special mention, and his shocking fate in the fitting hands of Chief Pontiac is punishment well deserved.

This film was produced by a very small film studio and it is very hard to find. Lon Chaney Jr. had the leading role as Chief Pontiac in this exquisite movie. It was one of his best, most sensitive performances. Chief Pontiac was in real life an influential Native American chief who affected the course of history of the native people on the Canadian border and Lon Chaney Jr. did a great job staying close to the documented history of this Native American tribe.

Battles of Chief Pontiac 1952

Well I am moving well out of the Fifties now to this terrific new series starring Bertie Carval as Inspector Dalgliesh – I suppose at least there is the fact that this is set in the 1960s – so we are, at least, in the next decade !

It is a real winner of a crime drama series from Channel five.

Bertie Carvel and takes on the role of Adam Dalgliesh, and he is outstanding in the role with an understated style which fits really well.

He portrays the depth. tormented soul of a poet while at the same time being very observant of human behaviour and detail surrounding each crime.

Beautifully made, very well acted, and very well written, working off some superb original material, which doesn’t seem to have been messed around with it too much.

Also – It looks good visually , the E Type Jaguar is a real show-stopper

The attention to detail makes this very watchable.

If you haven’t seen it on Channel 5 – then please do. You will not be disappointed

T

This film was on Talking Pictures yesterday shown under the US title of ‘Bombay Waterfront’

BELOW – Under it’s AmericaN Title ‘Bombay Waterfront’

This is the fourth and final adaptation of the Paul Temple radio plays, PAUL TEMPLE RETURNS and here we find him living up the high life in New York, where he now makes a living from his work as a crime writer.

However, he is called back to England which has been rocked by the Marquis murders. A fiend is murdering people and signing the name to his handiwork.

Paul Temple has been warned by the Marquis not to get involved at the same time he is asked to gather information on one of the victims, a New York City police officer.

It’s a typical Edgar Wallace storyline. The main character and his associate Steve are mush as we remember them, but the supporting cast is also good here, and maybe the film has a little bigger budget. Certainly there are some strong moments in the murder scenes and an exciting rooftop climax.

Included in the cast, with a bigger role than I expected was Man in Black himself, Valentine Dyall. Also we had Christopher Lee appearing sinister as one of the main suspects, a professor with a collection of Egyptian artifacts – this was a few years before ‘The Mummy’ when he was by then a household name

Robert Urquhart is yet another suspect.

Patricia Dainton plays Steve and is very good – a leading role for her in what was to be quite a short film career. Nevertheless she is back on screen now on Talking Pictures, often introducing some of her films.

John Bentley played both Paul Temple and ‘The Toff’ in films made in the early fifties. He seemed to be much in demand at that time before fading from sight and re-emerging in the famous TV show ‘Crossroads’ where he was in around 350 episodes

Before that though in 1958 / 59 he had made ‘African Patrol’ a Television Series where he played Chief Inspector Paul Derek who investigates crime in and around Nairobi. An article on this later though

There are two memorable versions of this story – Ronald Colman and Douglas Fairbanks Jr in the 1937 one and then Stewart Granger and Janes Mason in the Technicolor 1952 film. Both very good and both virtually the same

I have to say, that I thought Ronald Colman was much better as Rudolph Rassendyll – he was a much better screen actor than Stewart Granger but in fairness Stewart Granger was pretty good and very athletic in the final sword fight.

In this film is another Coronation and that is the reason for this article at this particular time

Whilst nowhere near as impressive as the one we witnessed yesterday in England, this is very well filmed and on a pretty large scale with impressive sets – and Technicolor at it’s best – unrivalled !!

The Prisoner of Zenda 1952 – Rudolph Rassendyll takes a fishing holiday in a European Country, where his remarkable resemblance to The King of that same country forms the basis to this thrilling adventure story

The Prisoner of Zenda 1952 Below with the Princess Flavia

The Prisoner of Zenda 1952

The Prisoner of Zenda 1952 – The Coronation

The casting of Stewart Granger in the double role of Rudolph Rassendyll and his royal cousin, the Crown Prince Rudolph of Ruritania and James Mason as the villainous Rupert of Hentzau proves to be inspired casting. If Stewart Granger doesn’t have Ronald Colman’s flair for the spoken word – very few ever have had – he makes a fine hero. As for James Mason, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. took the Rupert part because he was advised it’s one of the best villains ever created in drama. James Mason obviously relishes the role and he is very much the equal of his predecessor

MGM decided in 1952 that it was time to do another remake of The Prisoner Of Zenda in time to coincide with the publicity of Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation. Commercially they were right as this film did very well at the Box Office.

On Coronation Day 2023 I think it is very fitting to look back at the charming, heart-warming film that everyone who has seen it seems to love – as I do.

It is difficult to think how such a film could be done in the present day – there would be little of no impact because most people nowadays are able to nip up to London with ease, but at that time in the early fifties it was not so easy. Financially it would be almost impossible so this film did have an impact – still does – mainly because of the two youngsters who took their parts so well and in many ways, carried the film. There were no big name stars in this.

The story is quite well known – of two young children who run away to watch the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 – and the many adventures that they have in London.

ABOVE and BELOW – today’s Coronation

It is a joy to watch this lovely film as I have so many times over the years If you would like an enjoyable, satisfying and nostalgic look into the Fifties – a simpler world but a lovely one at that – then just see this film. It is  one of my own  favourite films even today after all those years.