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Post by teleadm on Dec 3, 2021 21:39:11 GMT
His name sounds Germanic, but he was from South Dakota. Never a contender for one the great directors, but some of his movies are still highly regarded. Nobody runned their feet's off to watch the latest Werker movie. Alfred L. Werker (1896–1975)
Between 1928 and 1957 he directed 50 movies. Considered unremakable by some modern movie guides. If one was unremakable he would have got fired after 5 tries. Bachelor's Affairs 1932, a pre-code rom-com starring Adolphe Menjou and those two beauties. Highly regarded by the few who have seen it. Kidnapped 1938, with Warner Baxter and Richard Bartholomew The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes 1939 a sequel to The Hound of Baskervilles 1939, and more entertaining. One of those happy snappy musicals they made in Hollywood during the 1940's. The Reluctant Dragon 1941, only directing the Live actions scenes with Robert Benchley. Vincent Price in Shock 1946 Repeat Performance 1947, A woman who just is regretted killing her husband. is granted a wish, she can relive last year correcting wrongs...not as easy as it sounds He Walked by Night 1948 a noir unfortunatley mostly available in inferior public domain versions. Lost Boundaries 1949, did a fair-skinned African American get a job at a Black Clinic in Georgia? The fair skinned African was played by the very caucasian Mel Ferrer. Dana Andrews goes tough in Three Hours to Kill 1954 Werker's directorial screen farewell came with The Young Don't Cry 1957, starring Sal Mineo. He could have continued into the TV age, but after his last movie he somehow disappears into some kind of obscurity until he passed away in 1975. Thank for watching! All kind of opinions are welcome!
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Post by Penn Guinn on Dec 3, 2021 21:51:04 GMT
Scanning his filmography, came across this one that sounds like quite a gem ! It's Great to Be Alive (1933)"An aviator who crash landed on an island in the South Pacific returns home to find that he is the last fertile man left on Earth after an epidemic of masculitus." Stars: Raul Roulien, Gloria Stuart, Edna May Oliver Sample Print Ad "Say, Mister! What would you do if you were the last Man on Earth? Let your imagination run wild and you'll get an idea of the gayety, the spiciness, the tunes and laughs you'll get in IT'S GREAT TO BE ALIVE " ( Salem Press,((Salem, NY)) 20 July 1933) Now that the appetite to see this has been wheted... Long considered a lost film, the Museum of Modern Art in New York restored a unique nitrate print from its collection. The film was screened for the public in July 2017.
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Post by Penn Guinn on Dec 3, 2021 21:55:50 GMT
IMDb trivia
"American director, in films from 1917. Under contract to Fox/20th Century-Fox from 1929-33, 1937-39 and 1941-42. At Paramount in 1928 and 1934-35 and at Poverty Row studio Eagle-Lion (formerly PRC) during the late 1940s.
Known as the go-to "film doctor" in Hollywood--he was often brought in to finish a film that the original director didn't or couldn't finish (due to illness, scheduling conflict, quitting the production, being fired, etc.)--most of his solo work was decidedly routine.
He did, however, do sterling work on two films: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939) (easily one of the best films featuring the famous detective) and the cult film-noir police thriller He Walked by Night (1948). \
He retired in 1957 at the age of 61"
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Post by teleadm on Dec 3, 2021 22:08:08 GMT
Penn GuinnAnything with Edna May Oliver could spice up any movie! In fact if I'm ever so-so about watching any older movie, if she is in the cast I watch it, if I can find it.
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Post by Penn Guinn on Dec 3, 2021 22:17:31 GMT
Penn Guinn Anything with Edna May Oliver could spice up any movie! In fact if I'm ever so-so about watching any older movie, if she is in the cast I watch it, if I can find it. RE: EMO .... me too!
The world would be a duller place without the films of B directors like Werker who might have made the A list if they had been in the right place at the right time project wise and there would have been a heck of a lot fewer olde movies for us watch. Another name to watch for when looking for "something to watch" ! Thanks for another well done thread idea !
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Post by politicidal on Dec 4, 2021 14:38:45 GMT
Well, *I* preferred Hound of the Baskervilles to the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Three Hours To Kill (1954) is a great western though.
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Post by petrolino on Dec 28, 2021 22:43:14 GMT
Well, *I* preferred Hound of the Baskervilles to the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Three Hours To Kill (1954) is a great western though.
'Three Hours To Kill' was screened on one of the Great Movies movie channels available on SKY over Christmas. It's like the ghost of 'The Ox-Bow Incident' (1943) when Jim Guthrie (Dana Andrews) reveals a noose scar around his neck to slimy, yellow-bellied, lily-livered bartender Sam Minor (James Westerfield), setting off a chain of events.
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Post by Penn Guinn on Dec 29, 2021 4:45:30 GMT
I rarely start to watch a movie and abandon it because it is intolerably BAD .... I did so recently with I had forgotten about this thread and had wondered why the director's name sounded familiar. Maybe he was having a bad day when he made this clunker and it affected the actors. OR I was when trying to watch it. I got as far as her seeing the killing and being found staring into space!
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Post by Penn Guinn on Jan 4, 2022 4:34:35 GMT
Just finished watching He Walked BY Night ... it's pretty darn good with a moment toward the end that brought a smile of satisfaction at the cleverness of a small bit of business. It moves along quickly with a plot that can be followed without having to keep a scorecard. No excess chatter about details of personal lives of the cops, no femme fatales, good cast with several familiar faces and an entertaining early appearance by Jack Webb. IMDb trivia Imo, well worth seeking out (a nice copy with no commercials is on YouTube) !
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Post by phantomparticle on Jan 4, 2022 11:47:51 GMT
I saw a tv broadcast of the movie several decades ago and like it a lot. Got the YouTube copy. Webb is pretty good in this (and in Sunset Blvd) before he went robotic with the Dragnet series that made him a favorite of impressionist comedians. Webb even kidded himself over it in a hilarious Tonight Show appearance in which his deadpan detective investigated the theft of some "copper clappers kept in a closet."
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Post by Penn Guinn on Jan 4, 2022 14:45:32 GMT
phantomparticleI remember that copper clappers skit. Funny stuff ! Webb was also pretty good in The Men. Have to wonder what he would have become sans Joe Friday. Possibly another terrific supporting actor rather than a household name.
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Post by Richard Kimble on Mar 7, 2022 10:20:03 GMT
Apparently this was mostly directed by the uncredited Anthony Mann
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