Released - June, 1953 

Directed By - Eugene Lourie

Starring – Paul Hubschmid (Prof. Tom Nesbitt), Paula Raymond (Lee Hunter), Cecil Kellaway (Prof. Thurgood Elson), Kenneth Tobey (Col. Jack Evans).

Description – North of the Artic Circle an atomic bomb test has just conducted with unexpected results. The blast has awakened and thawed out a dinosaur that had been frozen for millions of years.

There were two witnesses to this event one of who was killed. The surviving witness, Prof. Tom Nesbitt, can find no one to believe his story of the monster with the exception of paleontologist Prof. Thurgood Elson’s assistant Lee Hunter.

The monster is making its way down the east coast of North America and distress calls start coming in regarding the sighting of possibly a “sea serpent.” These reports are ridiculed and dismissed until the destruction of shipping vessels and a lighthouse.

It is now too late to try and stop the creature from reaching highly populated areas as the monster has come ashore in Manhatten. An effort to kill the beast only makes thing worse as the blood from the monster contains deadly bacteria that begins to contaminate the population.

180 are now dead, 1500 wounded and over $300 million in damage. Can anything stop The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms?

NOTABLE:  This film was one of the first to link the detonation of nuclear devices with the creation or releasing of monsters. Many more would follow.

The location in the film for the Coney Island Amusement Park is actually the Long Beach Amusement Park in Long Beach, California.

The film was based on a short story by Ray Bradbury.

Personal Note: I believe this was the first stop-motion effort by the legendary special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. His work was instrumental to the success of early 1950′s monster, science fiction films.

The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Sci-Fi Adventures (Them! / The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms / World Without End / Satellite in the Sky)

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Released - April, 1953 

Directed By - Andre De Toth

Starring – Vincent Price (Prof. Henry Jarrod), Frank Lovejoy (Lt. Tom Brennan), Phyllis Kirk (Sue Allen), Carolyn Jones (Cathy Gray).

Description – Prof. Henry Jarrod is a talented sculptor of wax figures for a New York museum. Matthew Burke is his financial partner and is more interested in profits than art.

Burke approaches Prof. Jarrod and insists that he sculpt more sensational exhibits in order to increase profits. Jarrod refuses to compromise his art and in an act of retaliation Burke sets the museum on fire dousing Prof. Jarrod with kerosene leaving him to die in the fire.

Although severely injured and grotesquely disfigured Jarrod survives and rebuilds a new House of Wax. This museum, however, has a different feel to it with the most popular exhibit being the Chamber of Horrors.

The Chamber showcases the most notorious crimes in history both past and present. One notable display brings to life the murder of Jarrod’s former business partner Matthew Burke and his fiancee Cathy Gray by an unknown cloaked killer.

The realism of the figures in these crime depictions hold a secret of their own – beneath the wax exterior are the bodies of the now deranged sculptor’s other victims.

Phyllis Kirk, a friend of victim Cathy Gray, visits the museum discovering the macabre secret and in doing so now becomes the ideal subject for a new exhibit of Marie Antoinette that Jarrod is planning.

NOTABLE: House of Wax along with Columbia Pictures Man In The Dark were the first 3-D motion pictures produced by major American film studios.

Director Andre De Toth was a strange choice to do a picture in 3-D as he was blind in one eye and could not see the effect.

House of Wax proved to be Warner Brothers biggest success in six years.

House of Wax

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: Horror (House of Wax 1953 / The Haunting 1963 / Freaks / Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1941)

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Released - December, 1943 

Directed By - Delmer Daves

Starring- Cary Grant (Capt. Cassidy), John Garfield (Wolf), Alan Hale (‘Cookie’ Wainwright), John Ridgely (Reserve Officer Raymond), Dane Clark (Tin Can).

Description- It’s Christmas Eve and the submarine USS Copperfin is leaving San Francisco on a secret mission. The Copperfin is commanded by Captain Cassidy who is ordered to take the sub to the Aleutian Islands, pick up meteorologist Lieut. Raymond and proceed to Tokyo Bay and obtain vital weather intelligence for the planed Doolittle Raid.

Along the way they are attacked by two Japanese fighter planes and are able to repel the attack. A much greater challenge is just ahead.

As the submarine approaches Tokyo Bay they must navigate their way through the heavily mined waters that protect the bay. So far undetected, the sub follows a Japanese ship through the mines and is able to enter the bay.

Now, they must send a small party onto land in order to make their weather observations. A radio broadcast becomes necessary, and although they send it in Japanese, it is overheard and the Japanese begin a search of the bay.

There is still a long way to go as the Copperfin will encounter an aircraft carrier as well as a destroyer in order to complete their mission and return safely. If that’s even possible.

NOTABLE: This film received an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Original Story.

Destination Tokyo was a great influence to then actor Ronald Reagan and his acceptance of a role as a World War II submarine Captain in the 1957 film Hellcats of the Navy.

The operation of the submarine in this film was so accurate that the Navy used it as a training film during World War II.

In an interview aired on Turner Class Movies, actor Tony Curtis stated that Cary Grant’s performance inspired him to become an actor.

The practice of one Hollywood studio “loaning” an actor to another studio came into play with this picture. Columbia Pictures loaned Cary Grant to Warner Brothers for this production. 

Destination Tokyo

TCM Greatest Classic Films Collection: War – Battlefront Asia (Bataan / Back to Bataan / The Green Berets / Destination Tokyo)

The Cary Grant Signature Collection (Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House / Destination Tokyo / The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer / My Favorite Wife / Night and Day)

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Released - August, 1943 

Directed By - Herman Shumlin

Starring – Bette Davis (Sara Muller), Paul Lukas (Kurt Muller), Geraldine Fitzgerald (Marthe de Brancovis), Lucile Watson (Fanny Farrelly), Beulah Bondi (Anise).

Description – After 18 years in Europe, Sara and Kurt Muller and their three children are returning to her mother’s home in Washington, D. C. While living in Europe, and although German-born, Kurt Muller was very outspoken against the spread of Nazism.

Their return home is an attempt to live on the peaceful sanctuary of American soil. However, this will not prove easy. Another houseguest, Tek de Brancovis, is an untrustworthy Romanian count who has been conspiring with the Germans.

While descreetly searching the Mullers’ room, Tek finds a suitcase with a gun and a great deal of money that is intended to be used to help finance underground operations in Germany.

In Germany, resistance worker Max Freidech, who once saved Kurt from the Gestapo, has been arrested. Kurt is determined to return to Germany and try to help Tek and the others who were arrested with him.

Tek learns of this and attempts to blackmail Kurt demanding $10,000 to keep quiet. Kurt kills him and continues with his mission.

A long period of time passes without any word from Kurt and the family grows increasingly fearful. Kurt and Sara’s oldest son Joshua, who will be turning eighteen soon and free from the families efforts to keep him home, is determined to go to Germany and search for his father.

Sara is griefstricken over the possibility of losing both her husband and son to the Nazi’s.

NOTABLE: Watch on the Rhine was nominated for four Academy Awards; winning for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Lukas), with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Lucile Watson), and Best Writing, Screenplay.

Watch on the Rhine

The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 3 (The Old Maid / All This, And Heaven Too / The Great Lie / In This Our Life / Watch on the Rhine / Deception)

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Released - March, 1943 

Directed By – Howard Hawks

Starring – John Ridgely (‘Irish” Quincannon), Gig Young (Bill Williams), Arthur Kennedy (Tommy McMartin), Charles Drake (‘Monk’ Hauser), Harry Carey (Robbie White).

Description – This is the story of the crew of B-17 Bomber the Mary-Ann during the first days of the United States entry into World War II.

While on a routine flight to Hawaii, the B-17 crew of the Mary-Ann hear Japanese voices coming over their radio. This is followed by the news that Pearl Harbor, Hawaii is under attack. Their flight is diverted to an emergency airfield on Maui.

After some repairs, and fully arming the plane, they take off for Manila, also devastated by a Japanese attack.  A fuel stop at Wake Island brings the crew into contact with the Marines defending the island. Facing what appears to be a hopeless struggle, the Marines ask the Mary-Ann to take letters to their families.

This begins the epic effort of the Mary-Ann and its crew and it continues on with a valient effort fighting not only on Wake Island, but also the Philippines, and the Battle of the Coral Sea.

NOTABLE: This film won the Oscar for Best Film Editing and was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Effects, Special Effects, and Best Writing, Original Screenplay.

Air Force was one of the first of the World War II propaganda films.

The motion picture was one of Warner Brothers top three money makers in 1943.

The film used actual wartime newsreel footage in some of the scenes including the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Director Howard Hawks is credited with making this film much more that just a run-of-the-mill wartime propaganda film.

Air Force

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