The Strangler (1964) starring Victor Buono

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The Strangler (1964)

Director: Burt Topper

Screenplay: Bill S. Ballinger

Stars: Victor Buono, David McLean, Diane Sayer, Davey Davison, Baynes Barron, Russ Bender, Jeanne Bates, Byron Morrow, James Sikking, Selette Cole, Fred Aldrich and Ellen Corby.

Tagline:  Based on the terror that has shocked the nation!

The Plot…

A serial killer has strangled several women in a short amount of time.  Police have few clues and no good leads.  Little do they know that in one of their roundups, they had the killer.  He’s a mild mannered overweight lab technician.  He offered to take a lie detector test and passed with flying colors.

How many more women will die at his hands?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

The Strangler was inspired by the serial killer known as The Boston Strangler.  The police had not caught the Boston Strangler when The Strangler went into production.  At one point, the producers were going to call the movie, The Boston Strangler.  They decided to go with the shorter title and not name the city in the film.

The Strangler (1964) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“Nocturne” (1946) starring George Raft & Lyn Bari / Z-View

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Nocturne (1946)

Director: Edwin L. Marin

Screenplay: Jonathan Latimer;  story by Roland Brown, Frank Fenton

Stars: George Raft, Lynn Bari, Virginia Huston, Joseph Pevney, Myrna Dell, Edward Ashley, Walter Sande,
Dorothy Adams and John Banner.

Tagline:  Whose legs are these? 10 of Hollywood’s most beautiful brunettes all had motives for murder!

The Plot…

Keith Vincent (Ashley), a famous Hollywood composer and womanizer is found dead from a gunshot to the head.  Most of the cops on the scene are ready to call it a suicide and close the case.  Police Detective Joe Warne (Raft) feels differently.  Vincent’s housekeeper is a woman who has served time.  Vincent keeps photos of his past conquests.  One is missing.  Detective Warne pushes to investigate the case.  His Captain gives him one day.

As Warne digs deeper things aren’t adding up.  He wants more time, but the Captain calls him off the case.  Warne refuses to back off.  If he continues his investigation it could cost him his job… and maybe even his life.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

John Banner, best known as Sgt. “I know nothing” Schultz on Hogan’s Heroes appears uncredited as the character Charles Shawn.

Nocturne (1946) rates 3 of 5 stars.

RIP: Quincy Jones

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Quincy Jones died yesterday at the age of 91.  No cause of death was given.

Quincy Jones loved music from an early age.  In high school Mr. Jones played trumpet and arranged music.  After high school Quincy Jones received a scholarship to Seattle University.  He left after one semester with a scholarship to attend Boston’s Berklee’s College of Music.  Mr. Jones left college to tour with Lionel Hampton’s band as a pianist and trumpeter.  It was on this tour that Quincy Jones began to get a reputation for his musical arrangements.

After the tour, Mr. Jones worked creating musical arrangements for stars such as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Gene Kupra and Sarah Vaughn.  Quincy Jones continued to take freelance arrangement jobs and he toured with several bands.  He then took a job as musical director of Mercury Records New York division.  

In 1961, two things happened:  He became the Vice President of Mercury Records and was hired to compose the music for The Pawnbroker.  Quincy Jones became so in demand to produce music for movies that he left Mercury Records.  For the remainder of his career Quincy Jones wrote, performed, arranged and produced music for films, television, records and live performances. 

Some of Quincy Jones composer credits include: The Pawnbroker; Mirage; The Slender Thread; Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre; Walk Don’t Run; The Deadly Affair; Enter Laughing; Ironside (movie); Hey Landlord (7 episodes); In the Heat of the Night; In Cold Blood;  Ironside (12 episodes); The Split; McKenna’s Gold; The Italian Job; Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice; John and Mary; Catus Flower; The Out of Towners; They Call Me Mister Tibbs!; The Bill Cosby Show (52 episodes); The Anderson Tapes; The Hot Rock; The New Centurians; The Getaway; Roots (2 episodes) and The Color Purple.

Quincy Jones was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and won 2:

  • 1968 Nominee: Best Music, Original Song – “The Eyes of Love” from Banning shared with Bob Russell
  • 1968 Nominee: Best Music, Original Music Score – In Cold Blood
  • 1969 Nominee: Best Music, Original Song – “For Love of Ivy” from For Love of Ivy shared with Bob Russell
  • 1979 Nominee: Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score for The Wiz
  • 1986 Nominee: Best Music, Original Score for The Color Purple shared with: Jeremy Lubbock · Rod Temperton · Caiphus Semenya · Andraé Crouch · Chris Boardman · Jorge Calandrelli · Joel Rosenbaum · Fred Steiner · Jack Hayes · Jerry Hey · Randy Kerber
  • 1986 Nominee: Best Music, Original Song from The Color Purple for “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” shared with: Rod Temperton · Lionel Richie
  • 1986 Nominee: Best Picture for The Color Purple shared with: Steven Spielberg · Kathleen Kennedy · Frank Marshall
  • 1995 Winner for the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award
  • 2025 Winner Honorary Award

Quincy Jones was nominated for 4 Primetime Emmy Awards and won 1:

  • 1970 Nominee: Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition – For a Series or a Single Program of a Series (In Its First Year Only) – The Bill Cosby Show
  • 1977 Winner: Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition for a Series (Dramatic Underscore) for Roots Part I shared with Gerald Fried
  • 1995 Nominee: Outstanding Informational Series for Punk shared with: Jeffrey Peisch · Andrew Solt · Robert B. Meyrowitz · David Salzman · Ted Haimes · Greg Vines · Marc Sachnoff · David Axlerod
  • 1996 Nominee: Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special for The 68th Annual Academy Awards shared with: David Salzman

Quincy Jones was nominated for 80 Grammys and won 28.  

  • 1961 Nominee: Best Arrangement for “Let The Good Times Roll”
  • 1961 Nominee: Best Jazz Performance Large Group for “The Great Wide World Of Quincy Jones”
  • 1962 Nominee: Best Performance by an Orchestra – For Dancing for “I Dig Dancers”
  • 1963 Nominee: Best Original Jazz Composition for “Quintessence”
  • 1963 Nominee: Best Performance by an Orchestra – For Dancing for “Big Band Bossa Nova” shared with Stan Getz · Gary McFarland
  • 1963 Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Quintessence”
  • 1964 Nominee:  Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Large Group for “Quincy Jones Plays The Hip Hits”
  • 1964 Nominee: Best Performance by an Orchestra- For Dancing for “Quincy Jones Plays The Hip Hits”
  • 1965 Nominee: Best Instrumental Jazz Performance – Large Group or Soloist with Large Group for “Quincy Jones Explores The Music Of Henry Mancini”
  • 1965 Nominee: Best Original Jazz Composition for “The Witching Hour”
  • 1965 Nominee: Best Instrumental Performance – Non-Jazz for “Golden Boy (String Version)”
  • 1965 Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Golden Boy (String Version) (Single)”
  • 1968 Nominee: Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or Television Show for In the Heat of the Night
  • 1970 Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Walking In Space”
  • 1970 Nominee: Best Instrumental Theme for “Mackenna’s Gold (Main Title) (Album)”
  • 1970 Nominee: Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special for Mackenna’s Gold
  • 1970 Nominee: Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special for The Lost Man
  • 1971 Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Gula Matari (Single)”
  • 1971 Nominee: Best Contemporary Instrumental Performance for “Soul Flower”
  • 1971 Nominee: Best Instrumental Composition for “Gula Matari”
  • 1971 Nominee: Best Jazz Performance, Large Group or Soloist with Large Group for “Gula Matari”
  • 1973 Nominee: Best Pop Instrumental Performance by an Arranger, Composer, Orchestra and/or Choral Leader for “Money Runner”
  • 1973 Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Money Runner”
  • 1973 Nominee: Best Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special for $
  • 1974 Nominee: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “You’ve Got It Bad Girl (Instrumental Portions) (Album)”
  • 1975 Nominee: Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus for “Body Heat (Album)”
  • 1975 Nominee: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “Along Came Betty (Track)”
  • 1977 Nominee: Best Instrumental Composition for “Midnight Soul Patrol” shared with: Johnny Mandel · Louis Johnson
  • 1978 Nominee: Best Arrangement for Voices for “Oh Lord, Come By Here” shared with: James Cleveland
  • 1978 Nominee: Best Inspirational Performance for “Oh Lord, Come By Here” shared with: James Cleveland
  • 1978 Nominee: Best Instrumental Composition for “Roots Medley (Motherland, Roots Mural Theme)”
  • 1979 Nominee: Best Instrumental Composition for “End Of The Yellow Brick Road”
  • 1979 Nominee: Best Arrangement for Voices for “Stuff Like That”
  • 1979 Nominee: Producer of the Year
  • 1980 Nominee: Best Disco Recording for “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (Single)”
  • 1980 Nominee: Producer of the Year
  • 1982 Nominee: Album of the Year for “The Dude (Album)”
  • 1982 Nominee: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “Velas (Track)”
  • 1983 Nominee: Producer of the Year
  • 1984 Nominee: Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
  • 1984 Nominee: Best R&B Instrumental Performance for “Billie Jean (Instrumental Version)” shared with: Jerry Hey
  • 1984 Nominee: Best Rhythm & Blues Song for “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (Single)” shared with James Ingram
  • 1985 Nominee: Best Rhythm & Blues Song for “Yah Mo B There” shared with James Ingram · Michael McDonald · Rod Temperton
  • 1986 Nominee: Best Recording for Children for “We Are the World” shared with: George Duke
  • 1988 Nominee: Album of the Year for “Bad” shared with: Michael Jackson
  • 1988 Nominee: Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
  • 1989 Nominee: Record of the Year for “Man In The Mirror” shared with: Michael Jackson
  • 1990 Nominee: Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
  • 1990 Nominee: Producer of the Year
  • 1991 Nominee: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “Setembro (Brazilian Wedding Song)”
  • 1994 Nominee: Best Music Video, Long Form for “Miles And Quincy Live At Montreux” shared with Rudi Dolezal · Hannes Rossacher · Miles Davis Quintet · Jim Beach · Gavin Taylor
  • 1997 Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement with Accompanying Vocal(s) for “Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me (Track)”
  • 2002 Nominee: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Soul Bossa Nova”
  • 2002 Winner: Best Spoken Word Album for “Q – The Autobiography Of Quincy Jones” shared with: Elisa Shokoff · Steve Strassman
  • 1964 Winner: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “I Can’t Stop Loving You” artist: Count Basie
  • 1970 Winner: Best Instrumental Jazz Performance, Large Group or Soloist with Large Group for “Walking In Space”
  • 1972 Winner: Best Pop Instrumental Performance for “Smackwater Jack”
  • 1974 Winner: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Summer In The City”
  • 1979 Winner: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “The Wiz Main Title – Overture Part One” shared with: Robert Freedman
  • 1981 Winner: Best Instrumental Arrangement for “Dinorah, Dinorah” artist: George Benson shared with: Jerry Hey
  • 1982 Winner: Producer of the Year
  • 1982 Winner: Best Cast Show Album for “Lena Horne – The Lady And Her Music, Live On Broadway” artist: Lena Horne
  • 1982 Winner: Best Arrangement on an Instrumental Recording for “Velas” artist: Quincy Jones shared with Johnny Mandel
  • 1982 Winner: Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for “Ai No Corrida” artist: Quincy Jones shared with: Jerry Hey
  • 1982 Winner: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “The Dude”
  • 1984 Winner: Album of the Year for “Thriller” shared with Michael Jackson
  • 1984 Winner: Record of the Year for “Beat It” shared with Michael Jackson
  • 1984 Winner: Best Recording for Children – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album” shared with Michael Jackson
  • 1985 Winner: Best Arrangement on an Instrumental for “Grace (Gymnastics Theme)” artist: Quincy Jones shared with: Jeremy Lubbock
  • 1986 Winner: Record of the Year for “We Are the World” (various artists)
  • 1986 Winner: Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for the album “We Are the World” (The artist USA for Africa did not receive a Grammy Award for this win)
  • 1986 Winner: Best Music Video, Short Form – We Are the World for the music video “We Are The World – The Video Event.” (The artist USA for Africa did not receive a Grammy Award for this win.) shared with: Tom Trbovich
  • 1989 Winner: Trustees Award
  • 1991 Winner: Best Arrangement on an Instrumental for “Birdland” artist Quincy Jones shared with: Rod Temperton · Ian Prince · Jerry Hey
  • 1991 Winner: Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocal(s) for “The Places You Find Love” artists: Siedah Garrett and Chaka Khan shared with: Clif Magness · Jerry Hey · Glen Ballard
  • 1991 Winner: Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
  • 1991 Winner: Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Back On The Block” shared with Ice-T · Kool Moe Dee · Big Daddy Kane · Melle Mel · Quincy Jones III
  • 1991 Winner: Best Jazz Fusion Performance for “Birdland”
  • 1991 Winner: Album of the Year for “Back On The Block”
  • 1992 Winner: Legend Award
  • 1994 Winner: Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance for “Miles And Quincy Live At Montreux” shared with Miles Davis · Miles Davis Quintet
  • 2019 Winner: Best Music Film – for Quincy shared with: Alan Hicks · Rashida Jones · Paula DuPré Pesmen

Quincy Jones’ music has been a part of my life for almost as long as I’ve been alive. The music he created improved each television or movie project he was part of.  His collaborations with Michael Jackson are classic.  His leadership in getting We Are the World made for charity has yet to be matched.  Quincy Jones was a musical genius and his efforts made life a bit better.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Quincy Jones’ family friends and fans.

THE SEMINARIAN by Hart Hanson

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THE SEMINARIAN by Hart Hanson

First sentence…

Jutting a quarter of a mile into the Pacific Ocean, the Venice Pier was less gritty than the beach.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Xavier “Priest” Priestly.  Most would think his nickname is shortened version of his name.  Truth is Xavier was studying to be a priest before he dropped out.  Now Priest is a private detective.  So when one of his best friends, Dusty Queen needs help, how can he refuse?

Dusty is a professional stunt woman and occasional body guard.  Dusty’s the toughest person Priest knows. She’s more than capable to handle any situation.  Except this one.  Dusty’s girlfriend is missing. Dusty fears the worst.

Then Priest wakes up on his garage floor.  All he remembers is a blue wigged woman tried him.  As Priest works to determine if the missing woman and the attack on his life are related, a boy shows up.  He says he’s Priest’s son.  The timeline works.  Priest could be the boy’s father.  That might be great if the kid didn’t have such an attitude.  Or a rich grandfather with connections.

As Priest tries to build a relationship with the son he never knew, find Dusty’s girlfriend and figure out who tried to kill him, we learn that Priest’s dad is serving time and may have hidden a fortune.

If you like quirky characters, great dialogue and a mystery or two,  you should enjoy THE SEMINARIAN.

Rating:

“Team Foxcatcher” (2016) / Z-View

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Team Foxcatcher (2016)

Director: Jon Greenhalgh

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Billionaire John DuPont was always a bit off.  DuPont’s eccentricities were overlooked because of his philanthropy.  He was very generous.  Mr. DuPont supported his city police, athletic sports and various charities.  When John DuPont took an interest in Olympic wrestling, he went all in.

John DuPont built a million dollar facility on his sprawling estate.  In addition to his mansion, there were several houses, a state of the art weight/workout center and a gigantic wrestling room with multiple mats.  DuPont hired a full-time trainer.  John reached out to Dave Schultz, the United States most decorated world champion/Olympic champion wrestler.  Dave Schultz agreed to come on board.  DuPont then contacted other of USA’s best wrestlers to join his team.  He provided them housing and a stipend to come train as part of his team.

This was seen as a godsend by the invited wrestlers.  They no longer had to worry about supporting themselves.  They could train every day with the best wrestlers in the world.  DuPont’s system worked.  The USA team begin to win consistently.

DuPont had always been off kilter.  He was slowly getting worse.  DuPont thought he was capable of wrestling competitively.  The wrestlers, not wanting to upset him, played along.  When he began seeing “things” in the woods around his house, most of them went along.  Then he wanted to get rid of anything black in his life.  He sold his black horses.  He told one of the wrestlers living on the compound to get rid of his black car.  He then fired all of the black wrestlers on Team Foxcatcher.  Even when he pulled a gun on one of the wrestlers, it was played off as “John being John.”

Then one morning John DuPont drove over to the house Dave Schultz was staying.  Dave and his wife were out front.  DuPont rolled down his window and shot Dave Schultz in the chest.  Murdered him in cold blood.

This is the story of how too much money blinded too many people to the warning signs that increasingly indicated a man becoming a danger to himself and others.

Team Foxcatcher (2016) rates 3 of 5 stars.

“I Walk Alone” (1947) starring Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott & Kirk Douglas / Z-View

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I Walk Alone (1947)

Director: Byron Haskin

Screenplay: Charles Schnee, Robert Smith (adaptation), John Bright (adaptation) based on Beggars Are Coming to Town by Theodore Reeves

Stars: Burt Lancaster, Lizabeth Scott, Kirk Douglas, Wendell Corey, Kristine Miller, Marc Lawrence, Mickey Knox, Bobby Barber and Mike Mazurki.

Tagline:  He Fell for the Oldest Trick in the World. If You Want to Pump a Guy… Send a Dame.

The Plot…

Frankie Madison (Lancaster) and Noll Turner (Douglas) were best friends and bootlegging partners.  It was 50-50 right down the line.  On their last run, they got into a gunfight with thieves who attempted to hijack their load.  The noise brought the police.  Deciding it was best to split up, Frankie stayed with the truck of bootleg hooch, and Noll split.

Frankie was caught, convicted and sent to prison.  That was 14 years ago.

While Frankie was in prison, Noll took the money he and Frankie had, and invested it in a bar.  He then sold the bar to buy a better nightclub.  It took work, but Noll built it into an exclusive hotspot.  Noll became very rich.

Now that Frankie’s out, he’s ready to join Noll.  They’d  always agreed that everything would be 50-50.  Frankie never ratted out Noll.  Frankie did the time.  He and Noll were best friends and business partners.  Noll would never double cross Frankie.

Would he?

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster made seven movies together.  This is the first.

Eddie Muller called I Walk Alone a landmark crime film because it marked the first time movie outlaws moved from working outside the system to becoming legitimate operators working within the system.

I Walk Alone (1947) rates 4 of 5 stars.

“This is Zodiac Speaking” (2024) / Z-View

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This is Zodiac Speaking (2024)

Director: Phil Lott (Eps. 1-3), Ari Mark (Eps. 1-3)

Tagline:  None.

The Plot…

Arthur Leigh Allen has been one of the top suspects, if not THE top suspect, of being the Zodiac killer for years.  David, Don and Connie Seawater were children when their mother had a relationship with Arthur Leigh Allen.  As kids they thought Mr. Allen was just a nice man. He treated them and their mother well.  Now as adults they believe he was the Zodiac killer and they have evidence to prove it.

Robert Graysmith who investigated the case and wrote ZODIAC: THE SHOCKING TRUE STORY OF AMERICA’S MOST ELUSIVE SERIAL KILLER weighs in as well.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

This is the Zodiac Speaking does an excellent job of summarizing the case as well as presenting the new evidence in an interesting and compelling manner.  While many documentaries would have padded several episodes, the story is presented in just three.

This is Zodiac Speaking (2024) rates 5 of 5 stars.

THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN’S KING THE STAND

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Stephen King’s THE STAND is considered a masterpiece.  For the first time ever, authors have been invited to create stories set in the world of THE STAND. 

THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN’S KING THE STAND.  Here’s the lowdown…

An original short story anthology based on master storyteller Stephen King’s #1 New York Times bestselling classic THE STAND!

Since its initial publication in 1978, THE STAND has been considered Stephen King’s seminal masterpiece of apocalyptic fiction, with millions of copies sold and adapted twice for television. Although there are other extraordinary works exploring the unraveling of human society, none have been as influential as this iconic novel—generations of writers have been impacted by its dark yet ultimately hopeful vision of the end and new beginning of civilization, and its stunning array of characters.

Now for the first time, Stephen King has fully authorized a return to the harrowing world of THE STAND through this original short story anthology as presented by award-winning authors and editors Christopher Golden and Brian Keene. Bringing together some of today’s greatest and most visionary writers, THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT: NEW TALES OF STEPHEN’S KING THE STAND features unforgettable, all-new stories set during and after (and some perhaps long after) the events of THE STAND — brilliant, terrifying, and painfully human tales that will resonate with readers everywhere as an essential companion to the classic, bestselling novel.

Featuring an introduction by Stephen King, a foreword by Christopher Golden, and an afterword by Brian Keene. Contributors include Wayne Brady and Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S. A. Cosby, Tananarive Due and Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, and Rio Youers.

Preorders available now for an August 19, 2025 shipping date.

“Outside” (2024) written & directed by Carlo Ledesma / Z-View

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Outside (2024)

Director: Carlo Ledesma

Screenplay: Carlo Ledesma

Stars: Sid Lucero, Beauty Gonzalez, Marco Masa and Aiden Tyler Patdu.

Tagline:  You can’t keep out what’s already inside.

The Plot…

A zombie outbreak has arrived.  Francis (Lucero) takes his wife, Iris (Gonzalez) and their two sons, Josh (Masa) and Lucas (Patdu) to his father’s remote farm.  Francis finds his mother is a zombie.  He kills her.  Francis then finds his father dead by suicide.

Iris believes the family should continue north.  There are reports of a human stronghold that will provide safety.  Francis overrules her.  The family will barricade the house and stay on the farm until it is safe to go outside.

Iris will soon realize, it might be safer out there.

Thoughts (beware of spoilers)…

Outside is a zombie story, but the emphasis is not on the apocalypse.  There are a few scenes with zombies, but the focus isn’t on THAT danger.

Outside (2024) rates 2 of 5 stars.