Author Archive: Retro

Von Stroheim as a soft-hearted border guard who arbitrarily detains an Austrian immigrant. Dir. Ray Taylor.

Vivid account of people’s lives amidst the Spanish Civil War of 1935.

Filmed on location in India, The Hindu is an outgrowth of the “Gunga Ram” episodes originally seen on TV’s Smilin’ Ed’s Gang (later known as Andy’s Gang). Nino Marcel stars as adventurous young mahout Gunga Ram, with Vito Scotti (of all people!) as his timorous sidekick. Top billing is bestowed upon Boris Karloff as the irascible general of the Maharajah of Bakore (Lou Krugman). Though Karloff behaves in a surly fashion, the film’s real villain is Victor Jory, as head of a deadly fire-worshipping cult. At the behest of British regent Reginald Denny, Gunga Ram does his best to put an end to Jory’s cult for good and all. Also on hand as the cult’s high priestess is June Foray, better known for her voiceover work on such cartoon series as Rocky and His Friends and George of the Jungle. Despite its lumpy continuity, The Hindu is fairly entertaining, especially for the many TV fans [...]

In this youthful adventure, a young boy and a wild stallion, Black Diamond, form an unbreakable bond. It is the boy’s father who captured and gentled the remarkable horse. Later, when the father’s life is threatened by wicked claim jumpers after his mine, the boy and the courageous horse rush to his aid.

In the 1940s, a city girl moves from America to her husband’s failing farm in Southern Rhodesia in colonial Africa. Unhappy and unhinged, she starts an affair with their black servant which leads to tragedy.

A group of men calling themselves ‘The Pirates of Capri”, headed by Captain Sirroco, who is really Count Amalfi, are trying to restore freedom to the people of Naples in 1779. The Queen is advised of the pirate’s assault of a member of her court and she seeks to escape to Palermo. But, she is advised it would be good politics for her to attend a ball Amalfi is giving for his fianc?e, Mercedes, who is unaware of the dual role Amalfi is playing.

After a beautiful but unsophisticated girl is seduced by a worldly piano player and gives up her out-of-wedlock baby, her guilt compels her to kidnap another child.

The famous swordsman Hsia Feng gathers five other fighters and rallies the local fishermen to fight off a band of Japanese pirates.

Three husbands receive letters from a recently deceased playboy, implicating their wives in extramarital affairs with him. Dir. Irving Reis.