Category: Z-View

“Cowboy Bebop” (2021) starring John Cho, Mustafa Shakir and Daniella Pineda / Z-View

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Cowboy Bebop (2021)

Created by: Christopher Yost

Based on: Cowboy Bebop by Sunrise; Cowboy Bebop: The Movie – Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door by Sunrise, Bandai Namco Arts Bones

Directors:  Alex García López (Eps. 1-2, 5, 7-8); Michael Katleman (Eps. 3-4, 6, 9-10)

Screenplay: Christopher Yost (Ep.1 from story by Christopher Yost, 10); Sean Cummings (Ep. 2); Christopher Yost & Sean Cummings (Ep. 3, story by Christopher Yost); Vivian Lee (Ep. 4); Liz Sagal (Ep. 5); Karl Taro Greenfeld (Ep. 6); Alexandra E. Hartman (Ep. 7); Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Ep. 8); Jennifer Johnson (Ep. 9)

Stars: John Cho, Mustafa Shakir, Daniella Pineda, Elena Satine, Alex Hassell, Tamara Tunie, Geoff Stults, Mason Alexander Park, Molly Moriarty, Rachel House, Christine Dunford, Lucy Currey and John Noble.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

The year is 2071. Spike Spiegel, Jet Black and Faye Valentine are bounty hunters who travel the galaxy looking for the worst criminals to make the most money.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Cowboy Bebop is based on the 1998 Japanese neo-noir space Western anime television series. It is stylish and fun. I’d never seen the original series but I really enjoyed this one and was disappointed that there wouldn’t be a second season.

Cowboy Bebop (2021) rates 4 of 5 stars

“Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze” (1975) starring Ron Ely / Z-View

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Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975)

Director:  Michael Anderson

Screenplay: Joe Morhaim, George Pal based on THE MAN OF BRONZE by Kenneth Robeson

Stars: Ron Ely, Paul Gleason, William Lucking, Eldon Quick, Darrell Zwerling, Paul Wexler, Robyn Hilton, Pamela Hensley, Bob Corso, Alberto Morin, Victor Millan, Michael Berryman and Carlos Rivas.

Tagline: His body…a physical phenomenon. His mind…a mental marvel. His fight…to right all wrongs. His name…enough to strike terror into the hearts of the most hardened criminals!

The Plot…

Doc Savage returns from his Fortress of Solitude at the Artic Circle and learns that his father has died.  Doc believes his dad was murdered and decides to investigate.  He will be joined by his team, “The Amazing Five”, and it’s a good thing since they will be going up against Captain Seas and “the green death”.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Ron Ely directed some of the second unit scenes.

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze was the last completed film for director/producer George Pal.

Although the film is pretty faithful to the Doc Savage tales, the feel of the movie is off.  It’s not played straight which is fine.  But it falls flat when it should shine.  Getting the balance of humor, camp and action isn’t an easy task.  At times I was reminded of The Great Race or the Batman television show of the 1960s.  They got it right.

The movie starts with Doc Savage alone at his Fortress of Solitude at the artic circle.  He gets up from sitting in the lotus position wearing just shorts (a towel?).  Doc heads to his New York City apartment high atop a skyscraper.  When Doc arrives, his five team members are there.  Doc said he picked up the feeling (from the Artic Circle!) that they were upset and so he rushed home.  They inform Doc his dad has died.  Doc is stunned.  Ok.  So Doc picked up on the team being upset but totally missed the feeling that his dear old dad had died?

That is just one of the things that started to bug me.  Others include when everyone piles into the car and Doc jumps on the sideboard and points straight ahead as the car takes off.  Before the team gets on the plane Doc gives a motivational speech that doesn’t motivate.  I tapped out when it showed Doc’s nemesis in a giant cradle rocking back and forth.   Your mileage could vary, but Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze just didn’t work for me.

Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze (1975) rates 1 of 5 stars

“Riffraff” (1947) starring Pat O’Brien, Walter Slezak and Anne Jeffreys / Z-View

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Riffraff (1947)

Director:  Ted Tetzlaff

Screenplay: Martin Rackin

Stars: Pat O’Brien, Walter Slezak, Anne Jeffreys, Jerome Cowan, George Givot, Marc Krah, William Alland, Bobby Barber and Percy Kilbride.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

A plane leaves Peru for Panama with just two passengers.  The plane lands with just one.  His name is Charles Hasso (Krah).

Hasso immediately hires Dan Hammer (O’Brien) to be his bodyguard for two days.  Before Hammer can start, he gets a call from Walter Gredson (Cowan), a big shot oil executive.  Gredson says that a man, with a map of wildcat oil wells was coming to meet him.  The man got on the plane in Peru but never made it to Panama.  Charles Hasso was the other passenger.  Gredson believes Hasso now has the map.  Gredson offers Hammer a lot of money to find Hasso and the map.

Dan Hammer is a tough guy who is known as a man who can get things done.  This time he may be in over his head.  Especially when Eric Molinar (Slezak) gets in the mix.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Riffraff opens with six and a half minutes of scenes without dialogue.  It is considered one of movies’ classic openings/sequences.

Pat O’Brien doesn’t look like a typical tough PI, but more than holds his own in that department.

Riffraff (1947) rates 4 of 5 stars

“Peninsula” (2020) Presented by “Train to Busan” / Z-View

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Peninsula (2020)

Director:  Yeon Sang-ho

Screenplay: Yeon Sang-ho, Ryu Yong-jae

Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Kwon Hae-hyo, Kim Min-jae, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim Do-yoon, Lee Re and Lee Ye-won.

Tagline: Escape the Apocalypse

The Plot…

A zombie virus outbreak left South Korea a wasteland.  When the apocalypse started, Jung-seok, a Korean marine, brought his sister, her husband and their little boy to a military safe location.  While there a man infected with the zombie virus made it through.  When the man turned, Jung-seok’s sister and child were killed.  Both Jung-seok and his brother-in-law have carried the guilt of not being able to save them.

Four years later, Jung-seok (now a civilian), his brother-in-law and two others are offered a job that will make them rich.  Chinese gangsters say that a truck containing $20 million is located in the Busan peninsula.  If the four can make it to the truck and bring it back, they are promised $10 million to split.

Jung-seok and his three partners take the gig.  They know the area is overrun with zombies.  What they don’t know is that a rouge military and others have made the area home. And they don’t like strangers.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

I’m a huge fan of Train to Busan. I consider it a classic zombie movie.  So you can imagine my anticipation to see Train to Busan‘s writer/director Yeon Sang-ho’s sequel, Peninsula.  Sang-ho cowrote and directed Peninsula.  Unfortunately it falls short of the original.  I’m reminded of how I felt after seeing Escape from LA since I loved Escape from New York.

Although Peninsula is a Train to Busan sequel, no characters from the original film appear.  It’s another story set in the same world as the first film.  I wouldn’t mind seeing more tales from Busan.

Peninsula (2020) rates 3 of 5 stars

“Three the Hard Way” (1974) starring Jim Brown, Fred Williamson and Jim Kelly / Z-View

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Three the Hard Way (1974)

Director:  Gordon Parks Jr.

Screenplay: Eric Bercovici, Jerrold L. Ludwig

Stars: Jim Brown, Fred Williamson, Jim Kelly, Sheila Frazier, Jay Robinson, Richard Angarola, Marian Collier,
Alex Rocco, Corbin Bernsen and Howard Platt.

Tagline: Action explodes all over the place when the big three join forces to save their race!

The Plot…

When Jimmy Lait’s (Brown) friend unexpectedly shows up with a gunshot wound, Lait gets him to a hospital.  Almost delirious and dying, Lait’s friend says “they’re going to kill us all… just us”.  Later that night, Lait’s friend is executed.

Lait does some digging and learns that a white supremist group plans to poison the water supply of Detroit, Washington, D.C. and LA.  The poison is fatal only to African Americans.  Lait recruits two of his friends, Jagger Daniels (Williamson) and Mister Keyes (Kelly) to help him take down the Neo-Nazis before they can wipe out thousands.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

When I was in ninth grade my girlfriend and I went to see Three the Hard Way.  It was playing as part of a double feature with Return of the Dragon.  When my girlfriend (now my wife) realized the plot of Three the Hard Way, she whispered, “We’re the only white people in here.”  I said, “We’ll be alright.”  And of course we were.  I liked Three the Hard Way a lot better seeing it in a theater in the ninth grade.

Three the Hard Way features Corbin Bernsen’s first credited feature film role.  Corbin’s father was co-producer of the film.

If you’re a fan of kung fu and blaxploitation movies, you should enjoy Three the Hard Way.

Three the Hard Way (1974) rates 2 of 5 stars

“1923”: Season 2 (2025) written by Taylor Sheridan, directed by Ben Richardson, starring Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn and Timothy Dalton / Z-View

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1923: Season 2 (2025)

Written by: Taylor Sheridan (Eps. 1-7)

Directed by: Ben Richardson (Eps. 1-7)

Stars: Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Brandon Sklenar, Julia Schlaepfer, Jerome Flynn, Darren Mann, Isabel May, Brian Geraghty, Aminah Nieves, Michelle Randolph, Timothy Dalton, Caleb Martin, Robert Patrick, Sebastian Roché, Michael Spears, Jamie McShane, Madison Elise Rogers, Brian Konowal, Jeremy Gauna, Jennifer Carpenter, James Healy Jr. and C. Thomas Howell.

Tagline: None.

The Plot…

Season 2 picks up where season 1 left off.

1923 follows three main storylines:

  • John Dutton is trying to hold the ranch together.  One of the most brutal winters in memory has set in.  Cattle prices are down. The bank won’t loan enough money to buy hay to feed the heard.  The sadistic and super rich landowner Donald Whitfield (Dalton) has moved forward with plans to steal the Dutton spread.  Since he couldn’t buy the land, Whitfield has recruited a motley group of gun thugs to kill everyone on Dutton land.  Whitfield will then get the land for the cost of back taxes.
  • Spencer Dutton (Sklenar), a decorated War hero and big game hunter meets multiple challenges (that’s an understatement) as he travels home.  Spencer became separated from his new bride Alexandra.  She’s also on a journey to meet Spencer at the Dutton ranch in Montana.  For all the setbacks hindering Spencer, Alexandra is running into even more.  If Spencer doesn’t make it home in time, all will be lost.
  • Teonna Rainwater (Nieves) is still on the run.  She killed in self-defense, but the Marshall and Priest chasing her just want her dead.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Kudos to series creator (and writer of each episode) Taylor Sheridan.  There is no sophomore slump with 1923.  Each storyline remains compelling with characters that you love or hate.  It’s so well written, acted and directed that when the storyline shifts from one to the next, you don’t mind.  In addition to the three main intertwined stories, there are additional characters with side stories.

1923 continues to be perfectly cast from the starring roles to the smallest guest appearances.  The direction, editing and music jell to create one of the best shows on television.  Although I’m sad to see it end, the story has been told and it’s epic.

1923: Season 2 (2025) earns 5 of 5 stars.

“Black Belt Jones” (1974) starring Jim Kelly / Z-View

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Black Belt Jones (1974)

Director:  Robert Clouse

Screenplay: Oscar Williams, story by Fred Weintraub, Alexandra Rose

Stars: Jim Kelly, Gloria Hendry, Scatman Crothers, Alan Weeks, Andre Philippe, Eddie Smith, Alex Brown, Earl Jolly Brown, Marla Gibbs, Ted Lange, Robert Wall  and Eric Laneuville.

Tagline: Enter Jim ”Dragon” Kelly. He clobbers the mob as BLACK BELT JONES.

The Plot…

When the mafia learns of a new civic center set to be constructed, they buy up all of the land except for one building.  It is owned by “Pop” Byrd and houses his karate dojo.  When “Pop” refuses to sell out, they send in a local drug dealer and his crew.  They figure after a beating or two, “Pop’ will happily sell out.

They didn’t know “Pop” was friends with Black Belt Jones.  Their mistake.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 Warner Bros. made Black Belt Jones after the success of Enter the Dragon (and death of Bruce Lee).  Black Belt Jones reteams Enter the Dragon‘s director, Robert Claus and co-star Jim Kelly.  The film was marketed to make sure fans wouldn’t miss the connection.

If you’re a fan of kung fu and blaxploitation movies, you should enjoy Black Belt Jones.

Black Belt Jones (1974) rates 3 of 5 stars

“A Southern Yankee” (1948) starring Red Skelton / Z-View

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A Southern Yankee (1948)

Director:  Edward Sedgwick

Screenplay: Harry Tugend, written by Melvin Frank, Norman Panama; based on  Buster Keaton‘s The General.

Stars: Red Skelton, Brian Donlevy, Arlene Dahl, George Coulouris, Lloyd Gough and  John Ireland.

Tagline: HE’S A SPY FOR BOTH SIDES!

The Plot…

The year is 1865.  The Civil War is winding down, but spies are still a danger. Especially in a Union Army town. Aubrey Filmore (Skelton) is a hotel bellman who dreams of catching a rebel spy.  Problem is, Aubrey struggles to be an effective bellman.  He just isn’t soldier material.

When word arrives that the rebel spy known as The Grey Spider is coming to town, Aubrey goes on full alert.  Totally by accident, Aubrey discovers The Grey Spider’s identity and plans.  When The Grey Spider discovers Aubrey, Aubrey accidentally knocks him out.  Aubrey then turns The Grey Spider over to Colonel Baker.  Because nobody knows what The Grey Spider looks like, it is decided that Aubrey should impersonate him and go behind enemy lines.

It’s a suicide mission, but as Colonel Baker, “What do we have to lose.”

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 A Southern Yankee is loosely based on Buster Keaton’s The General.  Buster Keaton was on set some during filming of A Southern Yankee and helped come up with the gags.

A Southern Yankee (1948) rates 3 of 5 stars

“Raging Bull” (1980) directed by Martin Scorsese, starring Robert DeNiro, Cathy Moriarty and Joe Pesci / Z-View

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Raging Bull (1980)

Director:  Martin Scorsese

Screenplay: Paul Schrader, Mardik Martin; based on RAGING BULL: MY STORY by Jake LaMotta, Joseph Carter, Peter Savage

Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent, Nicholas Colasanto, Theresa Saldana, Mario Gallo, Frank Adonis, Bernie Allen  and Charles Scorsese.

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

The rise and fall of former middleweight boxing champion Jake LaMotta.  LaMotta was known as the Raging Bull because of his quick temper and violence in the ring.  Sadly out of the ring, he was just as fast to fly into a rage and get physical with his family and friends. Life is hard on everyone when you’re your own worst enemy.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Raging Bull was nominated for eight 1981 Academy Awards and won two…

  • Nominee for Best Picture – Irwin Winkler, Robert Chartoff
  • Nominee for Best Actor in a Supporting Role – Joe Pesci
  • Nominee for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Cathy Moriarty
  • Nominee for Best Director – Martin Scorsese
  • Nominee for Best Cinematography – Michael Chapman
  • Nominee for Best Sound – Donald O. Mitchell, Bill Nicholson, David J. Kimball, Les Lazarowitz
  • Winner for Best Film Editing – Thelma Schoonmaker
  • Winner for Best Actor in a Leading Role – Robert De Niro

Robert DeNiro worked for over four years to convince Martin Scorsese to make Raging Bull.  Scorsese was coming off New York, New York, which had failed to live up to expectations, and a cocaine overdose.  Although he didn’t like sports movies, Scorsese gave in.  The movie revitalized Scorsese’s career and shot DeNiro to superstardom.

DeNiro gained sixty pounds to play LaMotta in later life.  They shot the early scenes and then shut down production for a four months to give DeNiro time to add the weight.

Jake LaMotta gave his autobiography to Robert DeNiro with an inscription saying DeNiro was the only actor to play him.  When the film was made LaMotta was often on the set.

Raging Bull features Cathy Moriarty’s film debut.

John Turturro makes his film debut as the man at table at Webster Hall.

When Jake LaMotta saw the finished film, he asked his former wife, Vickie LaMotta, if he was really that bad.  ‘Worse” she replied.  And he really was.  The movie just touches on some of the worst aspects of his life.

Raging Bull (1980) rates 5 of 5 stars

“Isle of Fury” (1936) starring Humphrey Bogart / Z-View

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Isle of Fury (1936)

Director:  Frank McDonald

Screenplay: Robert Hardy Andrews, William Jacobs; based on THE NARROW CORNER by W. Somerset Maugham

Stars: Humphrey Bogart, Margaret Lindsay, Donald Woods, E.E. Clive and George Regas.

Tagline: IN LOVE WITH THE MAN SWORN TO CAPTURE HER HUSBAND DEAD OR ALIVE!

The Plot…

On a terrible stormy night on the island of Tankana, Val Stevens and Lucille Gordon are being married.  During the ceremony word is brought that a ship has hit the off shore reef and is sinking.  Val rushes the wedding vows, calls for some of his workers and goes with them in an attempt to find survivors.

Val is able to save two.  Deever, the ship’s Captain and a man named Eric Blake.  In short order, Val and Blake become good friends. Such good friends in fact, that Val offers Blake to join him in Val’s pearl harvesting business.  What Val doesn’t know is that Eric and Val’s wife are falling in love.  And maybe worse, Val came to the island to bring Val back to the United States where he is wanted for murder!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 Humphrey Bogart wears a mustache that gets my vote for one of the worst in cinema history.

Isle of Fury at just one hour.  Perhaps that’s why it feels short on characterization.

Isle of Fury (1936) rates 2 of 5 stars

“Havok” (2025) written & directed by Gareth Evans, starring Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant and Forrest Whitaker / Z-View

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Havok (2025)

Director:  Gareth Evans

Screenplay: Gareth Evans

Stars: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Justin Cornwell, Quelin Sepulveda, Serhat Metin, Gordon Alexander, Forest Whitaker, Michelle Waterson, Jill Winternitz and Timothy Olyphant.

Tagline: No law. Only disorder.

The Plot…

Lawrence Beaumont is a politician with clout.  Beaumont also has info that he uses to blackmail Detective Walker into doing his bidding.  Beaumont’s only son, Charlie, gets caught up in a drug deal where a cartel leader’s son is killed.  Charlie is blamed and marked for death.  Beaumont tells Walker he’ll never bother him again if he brings Charlie safely home.

Now Walker is looking for Charlie.  So are members of the triad as well as every honest and crooked cop in town.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 I absolutely loved everything about Havok.  It has a great story and direction.  Kudos to writer/director Gareth Evans.  It is extremely well cast.  Standouts include: Tom Hardy, Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whittaker, Yann Yann Yeo and Michelle Waterson.  The violence and action are over-the-top without being excessively gory.

I know I will revisit Havok in the future since I’ve already watched it twice!

Havok (2025) rates 5 of 5 stars

“The Bondsman”: Season 1 (2025) starring Kevin Bacon / Z-View

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The Bondsman: Season 1 (2025)

Created by Grainger David

Directors: Sanaa Hamri (Eps.1-2); Thor Freudenthal (Eps. 3-4); Lauren Wolkstein (Eps. 5-6); Catriona McKenzie (Eps.7-8)

Teleplay: Grainger David (Ep. 1); Erik Oleson (Ep. 2, 6, 8); Erik Oleson & Grainger David (Eps. 3-4, 7); Erik Oleson & Satinder Kaur (Ep. 5)

Starring: Kevin Bacon, Jennifer Nettles, Beth Grant, Damon Herriman, Maxwell Jenkins, Jolene Purdy, Denitra Isler, Mike Kaye, K.D. O’Hair, Jay Ali, Dave Macomber and Robert Daniel Souris.

Tagline:  He’s gonna catch hell.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Bounty hunter Hub Halloran has tracked his latest bail jumper to a seedy hotel when he is ambushed.  Despite his best efforts, Hub’s throat is cut and he dies.

The next day Hub is resurrected.  In short order Hub learns that…

  1.  He really did die.
  2. “Lucky” Callahan, his wife’s boyfriend set up the ambush.
  3.  He’s been brought back by the devil to kill demons that escape hell.  Should he refuse to accept the jobs, then he will be returned to hell.

Hub now has two things on his mind, protecting his ex-wife and son from “Lucky” Callahan and killing the next demon to escape from hell.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The series episodes are less than 30 minutes each.  Not a bad way to spend half an hour.

Matlock: Season 1 (2025) earns 3 stars.

“Wolf Man” (2025) directed by Leigh Whannell, starring Julia Garner and Christopher Abbott / Z-View

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Wolf Man (2025)

Director:  Leigh Whannell

Screenplay: Leigh Whannell, Corbett Tuck

Stars: Julia Garner, Christopher Abbott, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Ben Prendergast, Leigh Whannell, Rob MacBride and Benedict Hardie.

Tagline: Protect your own.

The Plot…

Blake and Charlotte still love each other (and their daughter, Ginger), but their marriage has been strained lately.  So when Blake gets notice that his father has been declared dead, after going missing for seven years, Blake decides that a trip to his childhood home in the remote Oregon woods might be the right move.  Charlotte reluctantly agrees.

The home is deep in the wilderness.  No cell phone reception.  No neighbors close by.  No towns either.  A one lane dirt road in/out.  As darkness falls, and they’re close to the old home, a creature appears standing in the road.  Blake swerves to miss it and crashes through brush down the incline.  The creature attacks them and Blake’s arm is terribly clawed.  They make it to the farmhouse.  All the windows have bars and the door is reinforced as well.

As they huddle inside, the creature attempts to get in.  Unable to call for assistance, and unsure how long before the creature finds a way in, Charlotte wonders how things could be worse.

Then she notices her husband is starting to change…

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 There are some cool scenes where we get what the people are saying and hearing and as the camera pans it changes to how the Wolf Man perceives it.

I wish Blake and Charlotte were better developed characters.  Also they both make bad choices that put their families in danger.

Wolf Man (2025) rates 3 of 5 stars

“The Narrow Margin” (1952) starring Charles McGraw and Marie Windsor / Z-View

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The Narrow Margin (1952)

Director:  Richard Fleischer

Screenplay: Earl Felton, story by Martin Goldsmith, Jack Leonard

Stars: Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, Jacqueline White, Queenie Leonard, David Clarke, Don Beddoe, Paul Maxey, Peter Brocco, George Chandler  and Harry Harvey.

Tagline: ‘THAT BULLET’S MEANT FOR ME!” – Suspense every speeding second aboard a stream-lined limited…as syndicate killers seek to find and silence mystery woman headed for the Grand Jury!

The Plot…

Detective Sergeant Walter Brown (McGraw) and his partner, Sergeant Gus Forbes (Beddoe) are tasked to safely bring Mrs. Frankie Neall (Windsor) from Chicago to LA.  Mrs. Neall is a big time mobster’s wife.  She’s turning state’s evidence that will bring down the mob. So she’s been marked for death.

The plan is to get Mrs. Neall on a train that is going straight from Chicago to LA.  Problem is, more than one mob hitman will be on the train as well.

All aboard!

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

 The Narrow Margin was nominated for one Academy Award for Best Writing, Motion Picture Story – Martin Goldsmith, Jack Leonard

Much of The Narrow Margin was made using a handheld camera.  It was one of the first movies to be filmed this way.

Howard Hughes, who owned RKO (the studio that made the movie), liked The Narrow Margin so much, he wanted to not release it and immediately remake it with Robert Mitchum and Jane Russell.  Hughes thought with the new cast and a few script changes the remake could be a major hit.  The Narrow Margin‘s release was held up for two years until Howard Hughes decided to get out of the movie business and sold his interest in RKO.

The Narrow Margin has a great plot twist that most folks probably won’t see coming.

The Narrow Margin (1952) rates 4 of 5 stars

“Merton of the Movies” (1947) starring Red Skelton / Z-View

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Merton of the Movies (1947)

Director:  Robert Alton

Screenplay: George Wells, Lou Breslow based on MERTON OF THE MOVIES by Harry Leon Wilson and Merton of the Movies by George S. Kaufman, Marc Connelly

Stars: Red Skelton, Virginia O’Brien, Gloria Grahame, Leon Ames, Alan Mowbray, Douglas Fowley and Morris Ankrum.

Tagline: Red Skelton’s Howling Hit About Hollywood!

The Plot…

Merton Gill is a theater usher who loves movies.  Not only does Merton love them, but he dreams of being a movie star.  Only thing is, Kansas is a long way from Hollywood.  When Merton accidentally stops a robbery, he gets his fifteen minutes of fame.  The story even reaches Hollywood.

A movie star and his manager decide to cash in on Merton’s fame.  They make a big production about bringing Merton to Hollywood to be the star’s protégé.  When Merton arrives in Hollywood, there are press conferences, and Merton is treated like a king.  After a few days, the publicity dies down and the star gives Merton a ticket home.  Merton is crushed.

Despite having no experience, Merton decides to stay.  He’s more determined than ever to become a star.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Merton of the Movies featured Virginia O’Brien in her last starring role.

Buster Keaton was announced to star at one point.

Merton of the Movies (1947) rates 3 of 5 stars