Author Archive: Retro

Eddie Roback (Dane Clark), an American army deserter turned criminal, is going to trial in Paris after a ten-month delay when he is sprung on his way to court in a pitched gun battle. A manhunt ensues with the police just a few paces behind, including a nicely staged scene in a department store in which Roback manages to improvise an escape, only to be standing by across the street from his intended destination as his waiting confederates are taken by the police. Investigators try to get ahead of him by reaching out his girlfriend, Denise Vernon (Simone Signoret). Feigning innocence, she makes contact with the wounded Roback, who is turned away by his former associates in his attempts to find shelter and escape. She eventually finds him a hiding place in the studio of Max Salva, a lecherous photographer with a sadistic streak, who may have given Roback up to the police. Denise tries [...]

Globe-encompassing adventure as a Panama gun-runner leaves his family to organize a revolution in South America. Once he gets there he comes face to face with his son, who’s following in daddy’s footsteps. Written by Ford Beebe. Dir. Ford I. Beebe

We feel assured when veteran actor Gilbert Roland shows up in the prologue of the independently produced Treasure of Tayopa. Alas, this is the last we’ll see of Roland until the epilogue. The rest of the film is Amateur Night in Old Mexico. The never-popular Rene Winters heads the cast as the leader of an expedition into the Mexican hills in search of gold. Another all-time favorite, Phil Trapani, puts a damper on the proceedings with a series of brutal murders. He is unfortunately stopped before he can bump off the producer and director of Treasure of Tayopa. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Young man causes a stir by kissing the wrong girl at the movie theater.

Havoc erupts when a pig gives birth to ten piglets.

Actress takes an ocean cruise to avoid an amorous movie producer, but finds out he is on board as well, with embezzled money. When he turns up murdered and robbed, she is the number one suspect. Dir. William Christy Cabanne

After the nurse who declares that a recent surgical death was a murder dies also, an enigmatic Scotland Yard inspector arrives to investigate.

Street kids get sent to the country, where they get mixed up in murder and a haunted house.

Villain known as “The Wrecker” tries to sabotage a railroad company to make room for a competing airline service. It’s up to the son of a murdered engineer to stop his plans. Feature version of Serial. Written by Colbert Clark & J.P. McGowan. Dir. J.P. McGowan, Armand Schaefer