Each and every year, Ed Hulse has done a marvelous job in securing wonderful 16mm prints of vintage motion pictures written or based on stories by pulp authors. 2009 is shaping up to be one of the best!
2009 Windy City Film Program
Friday:
12:00 pm — The Mark of Zorro (1920). The first Zorro film is
also the most faithful adaptation of Johnston McCulley’s “The Curse of
Capistrano,” serialized in All-Story Weekly during August and September
of 1919. Dashing Douglas Fairbanks was already a popular leading man when he
essayed the role of Don Diego Vega, but Mark of Zorro’s surprise
success turned him into one of the cinema’s first true superstars. Although
this film has always been available in one form or another, we’re showing the
most recently restored version, which was mastered from archival film elements
deriving from the original negative and boasts a newly recorded orchestral
score. If you think of silent films as hopelessly creaky, sit in on Mark of
Zorro. You just might be surprised.
02:00 pm — Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective (aka The Raven Red
Kiss-Off, 1990). This year our convention celebrates the Diamond
Anniversary of the Spicy pulp line, and this made-for-TV movie was the
second of only two films we’ve identified as having been adapted from Spicy
yarns. Based on a Robert Leslie Bellem story and scripted by regular Windy City
attendee John Wooley, this fast-paced mystery is a bit too campy but great fun
for pulp fans nonetheless. Note: We’re showing the seldom-seen Fries
Entertainment home-video cut, which contains a few shots of partial nudity that
weren’t in the original broadcast version.
04:00 pm — The Return of Wild Bill (1940). This above-average
“B” Western, directed by cult favorite Joseph H. Lewis, was adapted from
Walt Coburn’s “The Block K Rides Tonight,” which appeared in the July 1939
issue of Star Western. Popular cowboy star Gordon “Wild Bill” Elliott
plays the two-fisted lawman who avenges the murder of his father. Lovely Iris
Meredith, who played Nita Van Sloan in the Spider serial we showed last
year, assumes leading-lady chores. We ran an old 16mm print of Return of Wild
Bill at our 2003 convention, but this DVD has been specially mastered for us
from a 35mm archival print.
Following Friday Night Auction — Bombay Mail (1934). An
extremely rare film, never made available on home video or to cable movie
channels, this nifty programmer combines high adventure and murder mystery. It
was adapted from a Lawrence G. Blochman novel of the same name, which originally
appeared in the August 15, 1933 issue of Complete Stories. The first of
several Blochman yarns featuring Detective Inspector Leonidas Prike (renamed
Dyke for this movie), Bombay Mail revolves around the murder of a British
official aboard a Calcutta-Bombay train. The suspects include a Maharajah, a
Russian opera singer, several Americans, and anti-British rebels. Edmund Lowe
plays Dyke; the supporting cast includes Shirley Grey, Ralph Forbes, Onslow
Stevens, and Hedda Hopper. Pieces from the evocative musical score by Heinz
Roemheld were reused in part many times in subsequent years, most notably in the
Flash Gordon serials.
Saturday:
09:00 am — Blackmail (1947). This fast-paced, action-packed
Republic Pictures whodunit was the first Dan Turner film and, therefore, the
first adapted from a Spicy pulp story. William Marshall, a blond
“himbo” who Republic desperately tried to make a star, plays the hard-boiled
private eye, called to investigate the blackmailing of a famous movie director
(former matinee idol Ricardo Cortez). Luscious blonde Adele Mara and haughty
brunette Stephanie Bachelor are the femmes fatale, and Grant Withers
appears as Dan’s foil, Police Inspector Donaldson. Fans of Robert Leslie
Bellem’s yarns will get a kick out of hearing the author’s wacky dialogue
spouted by these colorful characters, their verbal exchanges alternating with
fistfights and car chases galore.
10:15 am — Blue, White and Perfect (1942). An entry in 20th
Century-Fox’s Michael Shayne series, this polished whodunit was actually
adapted from a Borden Chase novel featuring “Smooth Kyle.” Chase’s yarn,
bearing the same title, was serialized in Argosy during September and
October of 1937. Fox’s screenwriter Samuel G. Engel simply appropriated the
pulpster’s plot and substituted Shayne for Kyle. One of the suspects is played
by TV’s future Superman, George Reeves. Fast-moving and fun, Blue, White
and Perfect is among the two or three best entries in the entire Michael
Shayne series.
12:00 pm — Saturday Matinee: The Ivory-Handled Gun (1935) plus
selected short subjects. We’re replicating a complete program that any
American kid might have seen at his neighborhood theater on a Saturday afternoon
in the mid ‘30s: coming-attractions trailer, cartoon, newsreel, serial episode
(Chapter Two of Gordon of Ghost City, a 1933 chapter play loosely adapted
from a Peter B. Kyne story), and feature film. The main attraction is The
Ivory-Handled Gun, a Buck Jones Western adapted from the Charles E. Barnes
novel of the same title published in the Second October 1930 issue of Ace-High.
It’s one of Buck’s best starring vehicles of this period.
02:00 pm — I Wouldn’t Be in Your Shoes (1948). No Windy City
film program would be complete without a movie taken from one of Cornell
Woolrich’s pulp yarns, and this year we’ve dug up one of the scarcest. Based
on the novelette of the same title published in the March 12, 1938 issue of Detective
Fiction Weekly, this Monogram “B” stars Don Castle, Elyse Knox, and
Regis Toomey in an adaptation scripted by former pulp writer Steve Fisher.
It’s an exercise in low-budget film noir revolving around the familiar
Woolrich situation of an ordinary guy framed for a murder he didn’t commit.
Afraid that Woolrich’s ambiguous denouement wouldn’t make a satisfactory
ending for the movie version, Fisher actually called his fellow pulpster for
advice. Woolrich suggested that Fisher graft onto Shoes the ending from
one of his famous stories—but you’ll have to see the film here to
find out which Fisher tale was thus cannibalized.
03:30 pm — Private Detective (1938). Perky Jane Wyman stars in
this minor but zippy little “B” from Warner Brothers, based on Kay
Krause’s “Invitation to Murder,” published in the May 1937 issue of Pocket
Detective. A seemingly routine child-custody hearing leads to murder, and
female detective Myrna “Jinx” Winslow cracks the case with timely assistance
from police lieutenant Jim Rickey (Dick Foran). Clearly fashioned after
Warner’s popular Torchy Blane series (adapted from Frederick Nebel’s
MacBride-Kennedy stories in Black Mask), Private Detective sports
a supporting cast that’s practically a Who’s Who of popular ‘30s character
actors.
Following Saturday Night Auction — The Law of the Forty-Fives
(1935). An obscure little Poverty Row horse opera forgotten by all but the
most rabid Western-movie fans, this is the first screen adaptation of a “Three
Mesquiteers” novel by prolific pulpster William Colt MacDonald. The movie only
features two of the three heroes, however; in his novel of the same title
(serialized in Quick-Trigger Western from December 1929 to April 1930 and
published in hard covers in 1933), MacDonald focused on his already-established
twin protagonists, Tucson Smith and Stony Brooke. A deputy sheriff, Lullaby
Joslin, joins them at story’s end and becomes the third Mesquiteer. This
movie, which stars Guinn “Big Boy” Williams as Tucson and silent-screen
comedian Al St. John as Stony, doesn’t give a name to the deputy character
(played by Curley Baldwin). But let’s not quibble. The film is great cornball
fun, with the numerous shortcomings—most owing to a minuscule budget and
truncated shooting schedule—adding to its charm. And you won’t see it
anywhere but here.
11:30 am: The Bat Whispers (1930). Based on the novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart (from the play by Rinehart and Avery Hopwood), originally serialized in Flynn’s Magazine during July and August of 1926. This marvelously creepy old-dark-house chiller features a grotesque costumed villain that, reportedly, was one of Bob Kane’s inspirations for Batman. Chester Morris, later to gain fame as Boston Blackie, plays a no-nonsense detective sent to an abandoned country estate in search of the Bat, who covets a fortune in embezzled money secreted in the mansion by a crooked banker who turns up dead. This groundbreaking early talkie was shot in both conventional 35mm and 65mm widescreen versions. We’re showing the rarely seen widescreen version.
01:00 pm: The Spider’s Web (1938). Chapters One through Three. The Master of Men leaped from the pages of his Popular Publications pulp magazine to the silver screen in this fast-paced 1938 serial, a non-stop orgy of gun-blazing action. We’re running all 15 pulse-pounding episodes this weekend. Wealthy criminologist Richard Wentworth (played by Warren Hull) disguises himself as both the Spider and underworld habitué Blinky McQuade while attempting to foil the Octopus, a ruthless criminal mastermind whose campaign of terrorization and destruction is aimed at bending the entire country to his will! With the lovely Iris Meredith as Wentworth’s sweetheart, Nita Van Sloan.
02:15 pm: Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975). Like the Spider, Doc Savage made his first appearance on the nation’s newsstands in 1933. As part of our 75th-birthday tribute to this pulp-fiction superstar, we’re showing not one but two versions of the 1975 George Pal production starring former Tarzan Ron Ely as Lester Dent’s Man of Bronze. This afternoon we’re running the original theatrical version; tomorrow you can see an unauthorized revision reportedly edited by a Doc fan to remove scenes deemed objectionable or irritating.
04:00 pm: The Spider’s Web. Chapters Four through Six.
05:00 pm: Savage Fury (1956). Feature-length version of a 1935 serial, Call of the Savage, adapted from Otis Adelbert Kline’s “Jan of the Jungle,” originally serialized in Argosy during April and May of 1931. Noah Beery Jr. stars as Jan, the jungle boy who grows up wearing a wristband on which, unbeknownst to him, is inscribed a formula that will cure infantile paralysis. The formula is coveted by two unscrupulous scientists (Walter Miller and Frederic MacKaye), who plan to collect a half-million dollar grant offered for its development. They follow Jan and his companions, Mona (Dorothy Short) and Borno (Harry Woods) to the lost city of Mu, where perilous adventures await them! Great fun, but not to be taken seriously.
09:00 pm: Phantom Lady* (1944). Based on the masterpiece of suspense written by “William Irish” (Cornell Woolrich) and serialized as “Phantom Alibi” in Flynn’s Detective Fiction during 1942, prior to publication in hardcover as Phantom Lady. Unhappily married Scott Henderson (Alan Curtis) goes out for a night on the town with an unnamed woman he meets in a bar. He returns home to find his wife slain, and the police arrest him for murder. Scott’s inability to produce or even name his anonymous pick-up renders his alibi useless, so he’s convicted and sentenced to death. It remains for his loyal secretary (Ella Raines) and best friend (Franchot Tone) to find the phantom lady before the sentence is carried out. This movie, brilliantly photographed by Woody Bredell, established many of the visual conventions of film noir, a sub-genre made to order for the doom-laden fever dreams committed to pulp paper by the haunted Woolrich. A not-to-be-missed classic, not available on DVD and unseen on TV for many years.
10:30 pm: Outlaws of the Prairie* (1938). Based on Harry F. Olmsted’s “Trigger Fingers,” a novelette published in the June 1934 issue of Dime Western. As a boy, Dart Collins witnesses his father’s murder at the hands of cruel rancher Bill Lupton. When the lad swears to get revenge, Lupton cuts off Dart’s trigger fingers. The boy grows up to become a Texas Ranger (played by Charles Starrett) and learns how to “fan” a six-gun, constantly practicing in anticipation of the day his trail crosses that of his father’s killer. This grim little “B” Western also features the Sons of the Pioneers and introduces several songs that became cowboy-music classics: “Song of the Bandit,” “Open Range Ahead,” “My Saddle Pal and I,” and the haunting “Blue Prairie.” Briefly made available to TV in the mid ‘50s, this entertaining little horse opera disappeared from view nearly a half-century ago.
10:00 am: The Maltese Falcon (1931). The first film version of Dashiell Hammett’s genre-transcending whodunit, serialized in Black Mask during 1929 and 1930 prior to its publication in hardcover by Knopf. Ricardo Cortez, a Latin-lover type, is slightly miscast but appropriately hard-boiled as private eye Sam Spade. Silent-screen star Bebe Daniels plays Brigid O’Shaughnessy, with character actor Dudley Digges as Casper Gutman and Dwight Frye as Wilmer. If you’ve only seen the Humphrey Bogart version of Falcon, you owe it to yourself to give this earlier adaptation. Although not as perfectly cast or executed as the highly regarded 1941 remake, it’s a darn good little movie in its own right.
11:30 am: The Spider’s Web. Chapters Seven through Nine.
12:30 pm: Doc Savage. This is the aforementioned “fan edit” of the film. It’s not all that much shorter than the theatrical version, but the cuts and alterations make a significant difference, as you’ll see.
02:15 pm: The Spider’s Web. Chapters Ten through Twelve.
03:15 pm: We’re in the Legion Now (1936). Based on J. D. Newsom’s “The Rest Cure,” published in the April 1934 issue of Adventure. Reginald Denny and Vince Barnett play small-time gangsters on the run. Winding up in Morocco, they join the French Foreign Legion in a misguided attempt to avoid danger. Silent-screen star Esther Ralston lends her patrician beauty to this odd little movie, a modestly budgeted comedy-adventure. To enhance the film’s marketability, producer George Hirliman had Legion shot and printed in “Hirlicolor,” his personal version of a limited-palette color process employed by some studios before Technicolor became the industry standard. Later 16mm prints, struck for rental libraries and TV stations, were printed in black & white. We’re running a DVD mastered from the sole surviving 35mm color print, which shows some wear and signs of deterioration.
04:15 pm: The Spider’s Web. Chapters Thirteen through Fifteen.
11:00 pm (time approximate, pending completion of the Auction): The Ringer* (1952). Based on Edgar Wallace’s novel (serialized in Detective Story Magazine during April and May of 1925, prior to hardcover publication) and the play he adapted from it. One of Wallace’s most enduring characters, the Ringer was a master of disguise who dispensed vigilante justice while always keeping one step ahead of Scotland Yard. This film, the third British-made adaptation, stars Herbert Lom as the crooked lawyer responsible for the suicide of the Ringer’s sister—and the vigilante’s next target! A Windy City exclusive: This film was shot with two different endings—one intended for the U. S. market and one for the U. K. For the first time in this country, The Ringer will be seen with both endings!
Schedule: From 2007
16mm FILM FESTIVAL
* NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN - This is the feature-length version of the 1935 serial produced by ERB himself.
* HI-YO SILVER - This is the feature version of
the long-lost 1938 LONE RANGER serial.
* PANIC ON THE AIR - 1936 adaptation of a 1935
BLACK MASK story by Ted Tinsley, "Five Spot."
DVD FILM FESTIVAL (Showing throughout the day.)
* CALL OF CTHULHU - an
incredibly faithful adaptation of the Lovecraft story made a couple years ago in
silent-movie style (but accompanied by a great musical score). Financed by the
HPL Society and made with lots of TLC.
* FIEND WITHOUT A FACE - based on an Amelia
Reynolds Long story ("The Thought Monster") from the 3/30 issue.
* WEIRD WOMAN - based on Fritz Leiber's "Conjure
Wife" in UNKNOWN.
* PIGEONS FROM HELL - Robert E. Howard drama from THRILLER.
Here is what we watched at the Windy City Pulp and Paperback
Convention 2006:
BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY (1934). This ultra-rare short subject marks the first appearance of Buck Rogers on film. Produced solely for exhibition at the 1934 Chicago World's Fair, the ten-minute featurette used the comic strip's "Tiger Men of Mars" continuity as a jumping-off point. Buck was played by John Dille, Jr., son of the man who syndicated the strip. The pulp connection, obviously, is Philip Francis Nowlan's "Armageddon 2419 A.D." and its sequel, "The Airlords of Han," which were published in late '20s issues of AMAZING STORIES and presaged the character's appearances in other media. We can categorically state that you've never seen anything quite like this insane little movie, and we predict you'll remember it for a long time to come. (10 minutes) THE PHANTOM PRESIDENT (1932). Another rarity! Based on the George F. Worts novel of the same name, serialized in BLUE BOOK from late 1931 through early 1932, this endearingly bizarre film was a vehicle for legendary Broadway actor/writer/producer George M. Cohan. His leading lady was Claudette Colbert, at that time still climbing the ladder to stardom. Cohan plays a dual role, that of stodgy Presidential candidate Theodore K. Blair and his much livelier double, Peter "Doc" Varney, who impersonates Blair and uses his own charisma to persuade the public to vote for him! Director Norman Taurog turns Worts' story into a musical comedy that sports songs written by Cohan and the famous team of Rodgers and Hart. (80 minutes.) SWIFTY (1935). Based on the story "Tracks," from the March 17, 1928 issue of WEST. Hoot Gibson, one of the "Big Five" Western stars of silent and early-talkie cinema, plays wandering waddy Swifty Wade, who comes upon a big rancher just moments before the man is shot down from ambush. Accused of the murder, Swifty narrowly escapes being lynched and goes on the run in an attempt to clear his name. (60 minutes) THE SHADOW STRIKES (1937). The first feature-length film featuring Walter B. Gibson's Master of Darkness, this Poverty Row indie casts silent-screen star Rod La Rocque-in an ill-fated comeback bid-as Lamont Cranston (misspelled "Granston" in the credits). Based on "The Ghost of the Manor," from the June 15, 1933 issue of THE SHADOW MAGAZINE, this mystery revolves around the murder of millionaire Caleb Delthern, slain moments after changing his will. Before The Shadow finds the killer several potential heirs will lose their lives. (60 minutes) THE SHADOW (1940). We're running Chapter Two of this Columbia serial starring a more aptly cast Victor Jory as a peripatetic Shadow. Fast-paced and campy, the chapterplay depicts The Shadow's efforts to apprehend a mystery villain known as "the Black Tiger," who has the power to make himself invisible. Hokey as all get out, but lots of fun. (20 minutes) THE MISSING LADY (1946). Last of three 1946 Monogram B-movies starring Kane Richmond as The Shadow. (We ran the first two at previous Windy City cons.) This time around Lamont Cranston disguises himself as a bum and visits a Bowery flophouse in search of "the missing lady" - someone, or something, that has the underworld in an uproar. Like the other films in this cheaply made series, MISSING LADY is at times slow moving and insufficiently suspenseful, but it employs clever lighting effects to have the hero appear as a disembodied shadow. (55 minutes)
Here is what we watched at the Windy City Pulp and Paperback Convention 2005:
MARK OF THE WHISTLER (1944). From Cornell Woolrich's novelette "Dormant Account," published in the May 1942 issue of BLACK MASK. Starring Richard Dix, Janis Carter, Porter Hall, and Paul Guilfoyle. Directed by William Castle. This Woolrich adaptation is one of the best entries in the "Whistler" series: tense, nightmarish, and very noirish. Dix plays a down-and-out drifter who impersonates the missing owner of a dormant bank account, only to find himself targeted by the maniac who has sworn vengeance on the money's true owner.
UNDER PRESSURE (1935). From Borden Chase's novel "East River," serialized in ARGOSY during 1934. Starring Edmund Lowe, Victor McLaglen, Florence Rice, and Charles Bickford. Directed by Raoul Walsh. Well-mounted adaptation of one of Chase's "sandhog" yarns about hard-boiled tunnel builders. McLaglen plays a rugged boss whose men are digging under New York City's East River to facilitate construction of a new subway line connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. His enemies sabotage the already-dangerous project and try to foment dissension among the workers.