FULL THROTTLE PRODUCTIONS.

CLASSIC FILM LIBRARY

"It's all make believe, isn't it?"

COMEDY & DRAMA

AFRICA SCREAMS - America's favorite dimwitted duo hits the jungle trail in this journey into hilarity from director Charles Barton, whose nine films with Bud and Lou include the classic Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstien. Bookseller Buzz Johnson (Bud Abbott) persuades the lovely but villainous Diana Emerson (Hillary Brooke) that Stanley Livington (Lou Costello), who's even afraid of a housecat, is a wild game hunter. Diana claims she wants to capture a rare orangutan, but she's really searching for diamonds, and she doesn't mind subjecting the boys to lions, hungry cannibals, and even a giant ape to get them. Featuring real-life animal experts Clyde Beatty and Frank "Bring 'Em Back Alive" Buck as themselves, plus two of the immortal Three Stooges (Shemp Howard and Joe Besser), this is the silliest safari ever!

ALI BABA AND THE 7 SARACENS - The plot, if you can find one, concerns Ali Baba ( or it might be Sinbad) seeking to get the Golden Throne away from Omar the tyrant. Actually Gordon Mitchell play Omar pretty well, its just no motivation is ever given for his brutality. For that matter Ali Baba never seems very heroic either. Still there are some fun scenes, Jukki the midget is a different hero and the whipping of the harem girls and the half-crazed but good-hearted Eunnich is fun. The music here is very close to the themes heard in "The BLue Rose" with Steve Reeves. Same composer? This is probably more fun to watch with a group so you can boo and hiss at the appropriate times. The big plus here is Bella Cortez as Fatima, wow! For that alone, its worth a look.

THE AFFAIR - Natalie Wood stars as a crippled songwriter. Robert Wagner portrays the sensitive attorney who becomes her first love. Together, they light up the screen with the magic that made them one of Hollywood's most loved couples.

AT WAR WITH THE ARMY - First in the Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis features, At War with the Army set the tone for all collaborations to come with Dean Martin as a self-confident Don Juan who always has a smile and a song for the ladies, and Jerry Lewis as a lovable but hapless screw-up who has only the best intentions.

Beat the Devil is a witty, dry-humored, and well-plotted spoof of the classic capers popular at the time. The film, written by famed author Truman Capote, is centered on a group of four crooks, all of whom are traveling to Africa under the guise of selling vacuum cleaners. Their true motivation for the trip is to get rich off uranium by smuggling it out of East Africa.

THE BIG TREES - Kirk Douglas stars as money-hungry land baron Jim Fallon who has his eye on a valley full of majestic giant sequoias. Fallon knows he can make millions off the California redwood, but there's one giant problem preventing him from getting his hands on the giant timber: a Quaker colony occupies the land.

BLACKBEARD THE PIRATE - Set in 1674 reformed pirate Sir Henry Morgan is a government official in Jamaica. A man posing as a ship's surgeon is out to prove that Morgan is still a pirate.

BLOOD FIGHT - This was one of Bolo Yeung's earlier films, defenitely a classic considering the date the movie was made and for a low-budget film it didnt turn out too bad at all. Bolo Yeung is a known and feared fighter all over Hong Kong in the arena known as the kumite. A sensei and ex-champion of the kumite, takes on a new student with a talent for martial arts he decides to put the student in the ring with Bolo. However, the fight didn't go as planned and the student dies in the hands of Bolo who shows no mercy for his opponents. Devestated by the death of his student, the sensei becomes a drunk but then has an encounter with the students now ex-girlfriend reminding him of what has to be done. The sensei gets back into his own training and gets himself ready for the next kumite bout where he will challenge and fight Bolo to the death.

BORN IN EAST LA - Give us your tired and poor but keep Cheech Marin. Cheech Marin writes, directs and stars in Born in East L.A., a hip, outrageous comedy that's based on his best-selling record parody. The story follows Rudy (Marin), an American of Hispanic descent, whose south-of-the-border looks show him no mercy during an immigration raid in a migrant worker factory. As his luck goes, he is caught with neither money nor his ID and is deported to Mexico - without speaking a word of Spanish! Unable to contact his vacationing family or his newly immigrated cousin (played by comedian Paul Rodriguez), Rudy is in for a crazy ride as he tries every legal - and illegal - scheme he can think of to get back home to the States. He finds himself in jail, in love, and practically in-sane! Trouble follows him everywhere as he runs from la migra in this case of mistaken - or rather misplaced - identity.

The Borrowers tells the story of the inches-tall Clock Family, led by patriarch Pod (Eddie Albert, best remembered from TV's Green Acres) and Homily (Tammy Grimes). Judith Anderson plays Aunt Sophie, an invalid, whose eight year old nephew comes to live in her Victorian mansion. While peeking under the floorboards, what should he see, but the 'Borrowers', so named because of their propensity to live off bits and pieces 'borrowed' from the big people. Now discovered, the 'Borrowers' must scramble to avoid being captured and displayed as curiosities. 'The Borrowers' is based on the book by Mary Norton of 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' fame.

BRUCE LEE FIGHTS BACK FROM THE GRAVE - Can Bruce defeat the invincible and unbeatable Black Angel of Death?

CAPRICORN ONE - Thanks to repeated showings on cable television and home video, this speculative thriller has built quite a loyal following since its release in 1978. The provocative "what if?" scenario still packs a punch, even if it is not always believable. James Brolin, Sam Waterston, and O.J. Simpson star as three astronauts who agree to spare the government embarrassment by faking their historic landing on Mars after their spacecraft is determined to be unsafe for blastoff. When a scheming mission controller (Hal Holbrook) plots to kill the astronauts in a staged capsule fire, the trio embarks on a dangerous mission to expose the truth. Elliott Gould costars as the journalist determined to crack the conspiracy, and director Peter Hyams turns up the tension with an exciting chase sequence involving Telly Savalas as an eccentric barnstormer who comes to Gould's aid. --Jeff Shannon

CC & COMPANY - Motorcycle mechanic C.C. Ryder (Joe Namath) joins "The Heads," an outlaw biker gang. Fellow gang members menace fashion journalist Ann (Ann-Margret ) when her limo breaks down in the desert, but C.C. comes to her rescue.

THE CAPE TOWN AFFAIR - After a purse is stolen on a South African bus, this tale is set in motion involving secret information and communist espionage.

CHARADE - Audrey Hepburn plays a Parisienne whose husband is murdered and who finds she is being followed by four men seeking the fortune her late spouse had hidden away. Cary Grant is the stranger who comes to her aid, but his real motives aren't entirely clear--could he even be the killer? The 1963 film is directed by Stanley Donen, but it has been called "Hitchcockian" for good reason: the possible duplicities between lovers, the unspoken agendas between a man and woman sharing secrets. Charade is nowhere as significant as a Hitchcock film, but suspense-wise it holds its own; and Donen's glossy production lends itself to the welcome experience of stargazing. One wants Cary Grant to be Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn to be no one but Audrey Hepburn in a Hollywood product such as this, and they certainly don't let us down. --Tom Keogh

ESTHER AND THE KING - The wife of Persian King Ajasueuis has been murdered and a beautiful young Jewish woman Esther is selected to be queen. Trouble awaits Esther and her people however villainous Haman the king s first minister plot to take over the throne and remove all Jews from the land. Esther perseveres through trying times while remaining loyal to her husband and it is her patience and loyalty that makes this biblical story an inspiration for young and old alike.

THE FABULOUS DORSEYS - The biography of the Dorsey Brothers. Though the Big Band era crown The Dorsey Brothers as one of swingdom's greatest musical teams, their feuding since childhood was also legendary. Quarrelling brothers are reunited on the death of their father. This is their biography featuring many of their hit songs, such as "Marie" and "Green Eyes" highlighted by a jam session with Art Tatum, Charlie Barnet, Ziggy Elman and Ray Bauduc.

THE FAT SPY - A crazy business travels to a deserted island rumored to be the location of the fountain of youth. A mostly-deserted island, which is widely perceived to be the home to the fountain of youth, is off the coast of Florida. The island gets some visitors in the form of a teenage boy band, "the Wild Ones", and their girlfriends, who head there for a scavenger hunt — which annoys the island's wealthy owner, Wellington (Brian Donlevy). He recruits his daughter, Junior (Jayne Mansfield), to remove the teenagers from the island. Junior is looking forward to going there to see her love interest (and the island's only resident), Irving (Jack E. Leonard), who is asked to spy on the rowdy teenagers. They get some more visitors to the island when Herman (Irving's twin brother, whom Jack E. Leonard also plays) and his love interest, Camille Salamander (Phyllis Diller), come with their own evil plots. Who will find the fountain of youth?

Fists of Bruce Lee

THE FURY OF ACHILLES - This Italian epic movie really was a surprise for me. Except of the very clever way they changed the ending, it's quite true to the spirit of Homer's work (the relationship between Achilles and Patroclus is changed into a friendship, of course, and a female love interest for Patroclus is introduced). The lead is a little bit stiff, but on the other hand that's maybe just the way they wanted Achilles to be! The direction is fantastic, giving the battle scenes at night a very theatrical feeling through the uncommon use of the lightning. Editing is surprisingly good, too, as are all the other actors. Carlo Savina's score is also a gem. It's really funny that this 60s movie beats Petersen's version in every category! A must-see

HAPPY GO LOVELY - Niven plays a rich bachelor, the head of a successful greeting-card company in Scotland. An American troupe wants to produce a musical in town called Edinburgh but has trouble getting backers. Niven's character meets several of the leading ladies of the showl through a misunderstanding he doesn't correct they think that he's a newspaper reporter. He falls in love with one of the women. After a series of mishaps and comic incidents comes a happy ending.

HELP - After the worldwide success of A Hard Day's Night, the Beatles and director Richard Lester reunited for a follow-up film, Eight Arms to Hold You. Well, that wasn't the final title; a pleading Lennon-McCartney tune provided the catchier handle: Help! A loose semispoof of the globe-trotting James Bond pictures, Help! has always been considered a somewhat disorganized comedown from its predecessor; but it presents "the famous Beatles" even more clearly as the English cousins of the Marx Brothers. The plot has an Eastern religious cult declaring that the new ring on Ringo's finger is the key element in a human sacrifice; they will stop at nothing to obtain it. Meanwhile, a mad scientist (crazed Victor Spinetti, who also appeared in A Hard Day's Night and Magical Mystery Tour) believes that if he has the ring, he could--dare we say it?--rule the world. The songs, including "Ticket to Ride" and "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," are filmed with gleeful ingenuity, in locations such as the Bahamas, an Austrian ski resort, and the Salisbury Plain. The relentless nonsense becomes nearly the equivalent of a swinging-'60s Alice in Wonderland: for instance, Paul shrinks to the size of a gum wrapper, John fishes a season ticket out of his soup, George wears a top hat on the ski slopes, the lads sing the "Ode to Joy" to a lion. Oh, and the film is dedicated to Elias Howe, "who in 1846 invented the sewing machine." Brilliant. --Robert Horton

HERCULES IN THE HAUNTED WORLD - Hercules (Reg Park) must battle a monster made of stone, retrieve a golden apple from the tree of Hesperides, and brave the horrors of Hades to rescue his beloved from the clutches of the evil Lyco (Christopher Lee). Oracles, witches, and vampires abound in this delirious blend of sword and sandal adventure, horror, and psychedelia. Maestro Mario Bava's first color film is awash in a sea of primary hues, creepy atmosphere, and eye-popping imagery. Fantoma is very proud to present the original European cut of this widescreen wonder for the first time in the U.S.

HERCULES UNCHAINED - From back cover, "En route to Thebes, for an important diplomatic mission, Hercules drinks from a magic spring and loses his memory. He spends most of the movie in the pleasure gardens of Queen Omphale of Lydia. While young Ulysses tries to help him regain his memory, political tensions escalate in Thebes, and Hercules' new wife finds herself in mortal danger

His Girl Friday is one of the, oh, five greatest dialogue comedies ever made; Hawks had his cast play it at breakneck speed, and audiences hyperventilate trying to finish with one laugh so they can do justice to the four that have accumulated in the meantime. Russell, not Hawks's first choice to play Hildy, is triumphant in the part, holding her own as "one of the guys" and creating an enduring feminist icon. Grant is a force of nature, giving a performance of such concentrated frenzy and diamond brilliance that you owe it to yourself to devote at least one viewing of the movie to watching him alone. But then you have to go back (lucky you) and watch it again for the sake of the press-room gang--Roscoe Karns, Porter Hall, Cliff Edwards, Regis Toomey, Frank Jenks, and others--the kind of ensemble work that gets character actors onto Parnassus. --Richard T. Jameson

THE INSPECTOR GENERAL - Danny Kaye stars in this musical comedy about a case of mistaken identity and the poor fool caught in the middle of it. Georgi (Kaye) is an illiterate member of a traveling medicine show who is mistaken by a small Russian village as the Inspector General, a royal official with vast powers. While the local government officials plot to bribe or kill him, Georgi ingrains himself into the public's favor all the while trying to find a way out of his situation.

IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE - Now perhaps the most beloved American film, It's a Wonderful Life was largely forgotten for years, due to a copyright quirk. Only in the late 1970s did it find its audience through repeated TV showings. Frank Capra's masterwork deserves its status as a feel-good communal event, but it is also one of the most fascinating films in the American cinema, a multilayered work of Dickensian density. George Bailey (played superbly by James Stewart) grows up in the small town of Bedford Falls, dreaming dreams of adventure and travel, but circumstances conspire to keep him enslaved to his home turf. Frustrated by his life, and haunted by an impending scandal, George prepares to commit suicide on Christmas Eve. A heavenly messenger (Henry Travers) arrives to show him a vision: what the world would have been like if George had never been born. The sequence is a vivid depiction of the American Dream gone bad, and probably the wildest thing Capra ever shot (the director's optimistic vision may have darkened during his experiences making military films in World War II). Capra's triumph is to acknowledge the difficulties and disappointments of life, while affirming--in the teary-eyed final reel--his cherished values of friendship and individual achievement. It's a Wonderful Life was not a big hit on its initial release, and it won no Oscars (Capra and Stewart were nominated); but it continues to weave a special magic. --Robert Horton

LONG JOHN SILVER’S Return To Treasure Island In this continuation of Disney’s Treasure Island, Robert Newton reprises the role of Long John Silver that he made so famous. So set sail with this swashbuckling pirate classic and discover a cinematic treasure that will take you places far beyond the high seas!In this continuation of Disney’s Treasure Island, Robert Newton reprises the role of Long John Silver that he made so famous. So set sail with this swashbuckling pirate classic and discover a cinematic treasure that will take you places far beyond the high seas!

LOVERS & LIARS - “This is a weird little, low-budget, foreign film that oddly enough is the best movie I've ever seen Goldie Hawn in. My wife is a big fan of Goldie, so--by osmosis--I've ended up seeing her in all her movies, and I swear, this one is funniest, in a low key sort of way. It's about this world-weary, chain smoker, bag-eyed, married guy, who drives to his dad's house (the dad is dying) and takes Goldie along--he finds her at his mistress's house. The movie has got this nice lightness/freshness/breeziness to it that most movies no longer have, and you get odd glimpses of Italy as it was 30 years ago. The DVD unfortunately isn't wide screen, the print is less than spectacular, the soundtrack sounds like it has been badly dubbed, there is no scatalogical humor, there are no wonderful special features, but oddly enough you will feel utterly wonderfully, satisfied, and amused, when you finish with this charming little DVD.”

Melody (aka S.W.A.L.K. or Sealed With A Loving Kiss) is a 1971 British film about "puppy love." Although initially a box office disappointment in both the United States and Britain it has over the years become a cult classic. The film turned out to be an enormous hit in Japan, and in some Latin American countries like Argentina and Chile[1].  Two first year secondary school youngsters, Daniel and Melody, announce to her parents that they want to get married. Not sometime in the future, but now. However, the adults try to dissuade them. Told from the children's point of view, they are determined to go ahead with their plans. Starring Tracy Hyde Jack Wild Mark Lester.

MISTER JOHNSON - British East Africa, 1923. Harry Rudbeck, an ambitious army officer, wants to build a road to bring the outside world to the backwater town where he is posted. Struggling to find ways around Foreign Service bureaucracy, he relies on his resourceful African clerk, Mr. Johnson. But when Johnson's can-do attitude runs afoul of British law, Rudbeck must make a painful decision. The film is deliberately paced, and the topnotch cinematography, art direction, and soundtrack all conspire to immerse you into the sweltering heat of East Africa. Maynard Eziashi gives winning performance as Johnson, a man so intent on becoming important that it destroys him. Like many of director Bruce Beresford's movies, this is a clear-eyed look at the way a collision of two cultures can lead to tragedy. Rudbeck must ultimately face the fact that his own ambition leads to the death of his friend, and Pierce Brosnan (as Rudbeck) and Beresford refuse to sentimentalize the man at all. Among Beresford's films, this is much closer in tone to Breaker Morant than to the kinder, gentler Driving Miss Daisy. --Geof Miller

MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE - Ronnie Jackson (Bob Hope) tells the press a tragic tale just before his scheduled execution for murder. He wanted nothing more than to be a private detective like his charismatic office partner Sam McCloud (Alan Ladd in a cameo) whom he impersonates when dazzlingly beautiful Baroness Carlotta Montey (Dorothy Lamour) walks in to seek help. She tells an intriguing tale of greed and subterfuge revolving around Baron Montay (Frank Puglia) whose relationship with her seems to range from uncle to husband. At the center of an elaborate plot appears to be a geological map that is later revealed to lead to an invaluable source of raw uranium.
In on the game are the bewilderingly multifaceted Asian Kismet (Peter Lorre) , Major Simon Montague (Charles Dingle) and bouncer Willie (Lon Chaney). The stage is set for an ingenious and hilariously confused scheme. Given to believe that the beautiful Carlotta is in fact a raving schizophrenic, Ronnie tries to edge out of the commission to safeguard the map and protect her, but matters have gone beyond his volition. His bumbling efforts to do his job take both him and the Baroness to a mental asylum, the aristocratic dining room of the Poulet D or and Washington s Pilgrim Hotel. The way is littered with detective action of the kind that would have Raymond Chandler spinning in his grave.
Ronnie s efforts to untangle the situation do little but complicate it further. He is philosophically resigned to getting gassed to death for a murder he didn t commit. End of the story? Find out for yourself, if you haven t died laughing by then....

OUTPOST IN MOROCCO - It's no Gunga Din, but Outpost in Morocco (1949) is a fine example of B-movie resourcefulness, reviving a then-dying genre (the Foreign Legion adventure) with the time-honored appeal of a veteran star. In this case it's George Raft in his waning days of stardom, playing a playboy Legionnaire in North Africa who falls for the daughter of a local sultan (Marie Windsor, with arching eyebrows and sultry allure) when he's assigned to escort her to her native Moroccan enclave. Her father hates the French and is determined to win Moroccan independence, and the action-packed climax leads to a typically sobering comment on the hazards of colonialism. Routine stuff, overall, and this otherwise good-looking DVD suffers from inexcusable background hiss on its remastered soundtrack. Still, there's some welcomed comic relief from Akim Tamiroff as Raft's obligatory sidekick, and director Robert Florey makes excellent use of the film's authentic North African locations. --Jeff Shannon

RAGGEDY ANN AND ANDY A MUSICAL ADVENTURE - Bursting with color animation and storylines full of heart and humor, THE ADVENTURES OF RAGGEDY ANN & ANDY brings timeless entertainment to the whole family. When the lights go out in Marcella’s bedroom, Raggedy Ann, Andy and their delightful band of friends set off for the magical world of Raggedyland. Each exciting adventure brings them face-to-face with fabulous new creatures like Perriwonks, Mabbits and Pixleys. Can the world’s cuddliest couple save the day?

THE REAL BRUCE LEE - This program features clips of films from the young Lee along with footage from his funeral in 1973 and the full-length feature The Ultimate Lee, started by Bruce but finished by a look-alike.

RESCUE FROM GILLIGAN’S ISLAND - When a decaying Russian satellite crashes on the island, the Professor uses a key component for a barometer. With that device, he learns that a massive wave is going to swamp the island. In desperation, the castaways lash their huts together into one structure in order to have any chance to ride the disaster out. The wave strikes the island and the hut is swept out to sea. Once there, Gilligan accidents starts a fire trying to cook a meal and nearly burns the floating hut down. Occupied with stopping the fire, the gang fails to notice that the smoke caught the attention of a naval helicopter who summoned a ship to rescue the castaways. In triumph, they return to Hawaii, only to learn that things have changed over the years and they will have trouble fitting in. To further complicate matters, two Russian spies are after that the key component that Gilligan now wears as necklace.

ROAD TO BALI - The only color road film 6th in the series. The boys compete for the same girl.Lamour. Lots of cannibals and other perils as well as lots of great stars.

SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS - Martian children have become unhappy watching Earth television programs showing Christmas cheer among humans. The wise old Martian Chochem tells the adults that Mars needs Santa Claus to bring fun and jow to their children. A group of Martians arrives at the North Pole and kidnaps Santa, but the angry Martian Voldar wants to get rid of him instead. With the help of two Earth children and the clumsy Martian Dropo, Santa defeats Voldar and brings happiness to Mars!

THE STREET FIGHTER - Also known as Kung Fu Street Fighter, a mercenary karate master is hired by Yakuza and Mafia to kidnap an oil magnate's daughter. After the fee for her kidnapping is denied, Terry (Sonny Chiba) converts over to the good side of the law smashing heads in and tearing off limbs along the way.

THE SWORD OF LANCELOT - In the tradition of Prince Valiant, the Black Knight, and King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table, The Sword of Lancelot dwarfs them all in terms of cinematic excellence, and the performances of the leading actors. This wonderful medieval achievement is definitely recommended for those who can't get enough of Camelot.

THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD - With its modest special effects, lean plot, and small cast of lesser stars, this 1951 thriller remains a sturdy blueprint for fusing horror and science fiction. The formula has been employed countless times since, fleshed out with more extensive and elaborate production values, and manned by higher profiled marquee names, but the results have yet to improve on The Thing from Another World, Howard Hawks's lone foray into sci-fi.
The story begins as military airmen are dispatched to a remote Arctic research station where scientists have detected the crash of a spacecraft. An effort to retrieve the saucer-shaped vehicle fails, but the team returns to the station with the frozen body of its sole occupant. When the extraterrestrial pilot is accidentally thawed, the crew, headed by a tough-talking pilot (Kenneth Tobey), grapples with a massive, chlorophyll-based humanoid (James Arness) thirsty for blood and in no mood for galactic diplomacy.
Hawks takes only a production credit for this low-budget exercise, but his filmmaking style transcends Christian Nyby's nominal direction: rapid-fire, overlapping dialogue, an ensemble of comrades whose professionalism is tempered by wisecracks, and unsentimental female characters (embodied by feisty romantic interest Margaret Sheridan) recall Hawks's signature works, while propelling the plot over any potential gaps in credibility. It's hardly surprising, then, that The Thing from Another World remains among the most influential science fiction movies ever shot, or that it remains exciting entertainment a half century later. --Sam Sutherland

TWIN WARRIORS - Two young men--Jun-Bo (Jet Li) and Chin-Bo (Chin Siu Ho)--were taken in as boys by the monks of the Shaolin Temple, the famous school for martial arts. Jun-Bo is thoughtful and kind, but is easily swayed to misbehavior by the bullying, rebellious Chin-Bo. Their disobedient ways finally get them evicted in disgrace (after a fight with the entire school), and they wander to a nearby town, where they meet two attractive women, Miss Li (Fannie Yuen) and Siu Lin (Michelle Yeoh, a.k.a. Michelle Khan), who are part of a rebel band fighting a corrupt overlord. Chin-Bo's lust for wealth and status leads him to join forces with the overlord. Chin-Bo's treachery drives Jun-Bo insane; Jun-Bo's gradual recovery leads him to develop the discipline of tai chi, with which he ultimately topples the overlord. This plot summary of Twin Warriors doesn't do the movie justice; hardly 10 minutes go by without another spectacular fight sequence--and one of the great things about Hong Kong action movies is that women can often fight as well as the men. Early on in the movie, Siu Lin is searching for her lost husband; when she finds him, she gets into a knock-down, drag-out fight with her husband's new wife. It's unfortunate that the English language script is poor; though the characters are broad and melodramatic, they don't have to be as goofy as the dubbing makes them. Even so, it's a strong outing for Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, two of Hong Kong's action superstars. --Bret Fetzer

THE WACKIEST WAGON TRAIN IN THE WEST - Three episodes of dustys trail coupled together into a feature film. Dusty is a bumbling assistant to coachmaster callahan on a stage and wagon. Thanks to dustys bungling they are soon seperated from the wagon and lost in the wilderness.

WHERE THE BUFFALO ROAM - Bill Murray is in his early-career, shambling glory as Hunter S. Thompson, the gonzo journalist with a fondness for Wild Turkey and firearms. While Murray does not do as exact an impersonation of Thompson as Johnny Depp (in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas), he does capture Thompson's dazed, anarchic nature. Unfortunately, the movie around him is just anarchic: a series of episodes (true or invented) from Dr. Thompson's career, circa 1968-72. The haphazard structure is probably meant to suggest the spirit of the counterculture or something, but it's just flabby storytelling. Thanks to Murray's blissful delivery, there are scenes that have a stoned giddiness to them: Thompson and his attorney (Peter Boyle) terrifying an unsuspecting hitchhiker, or Thompson alone in a men's room with Richard Nixon. Neil Young contributes some music, and Murray warbles "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" while drunkenly piloting a plane. --Robert Horton

WHITE WARRIOR - In an unusual bit of casting, muscleman Steve Reeves plays a Caucasian, Hadji Murad, whom the natives call the "White Warrior", who leads a small band of mountain warriors to victory over the superior Russian army of Czar Nicholas I. Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy, this is a spectacular epic from Italy's "cult" director, Recardo Freda, with photography by Mario Bava.

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WESTERNS

ABILENE TOWN - Stiff-as-a-board town marshal Randolph Scott, with his laconic drawl and smiling as if at some personal joke, is the moral authority of an end-of-the-trail frontier town in this surprisingly intriguing 1946 Western. The community is literally split down the middle--shops and churches line one side of main street, saloons and taverns the other--and Abilene's citizens tolerate the rowdy, rough-and-tumble antics of trail hands and rambunctious cowboys as long as they remain on their side of the street. Lloyd Bridges plays the leader of a flock of newly arrived settlers who inadvertently tip the uneasy balance when they string up the open range and draw the fire of the cattlemen, who bring their reign of terror into the town. Edwin L. Marin's professional (if pedestrian) direction keeps the film plugging along, but the smart script, an ingeniously mercenary climactic battle plan, and a defiantly righteous performance from Bridges give the film bite. Hellfire in heels dance-hall girl Ann Dvorak's love-hate relationship with Scott provides comic sparks and a potent challenge to his chaste courting of shop girl Rhonda Fleming. Edgar Buchanan is suitably dry as a cowardly, card-playing county sheriff who knows the value of a voting constituency. --Sean Axmaker

ANGEL AND THE BADMAN - How can you go wrong with a movie featuring the great Harry Carey as a philosophical lawman named Wistful McClintock? Well sir (or ma'am), you can't, and this first production from John Wayne's personal unit at Republic is simply one of the loveliest Westerns anybody ever made. The producer-star plays gunslinger Quirt Evans who, wounded by his archrival Laredo Stevens (Bruce Cabot), is taken in and sheltered by a Quaker family--in particular, by the daughter of the household, a dark-eyed angel (Gail Russell) who could entice Satan himself to the path of virtue. Not that these good people get pushy about converting "Brother Evans." For his part, Marshal McClintock, who's amiably looked forward to hanging Quirt someday, keeps dropping by to see which happens first--Quirt's reformation, or Laredo's return to finish the job he started.
Entrusting the direction to screenwriter James Edward Grant, Wayne bolstered Grant's debut by tapping Yakima Canutt to handle the hard-riding second-unit stuff. The Duke also stole a few moves from a little project he'd been working on with Howard Hawks, Red River. Such larceny may have been superfluous. Grant wrote far and away the best script Wayne had ever had at Republic, creating a gallery of memorable characters (including comparative bystanders) and developing some very entertaining business for them--especially for such juicy character actors as Paul Hurst (the Quakers' mean-spirited neighbor), Olin Howlin (a braggadocious telegraph operator), and Hank Worden. The result was a minor classic deftly blending humor, romance, authentic sweetness, and just enough leathery menace to keep things on the generic up-and-up. This one's a real treat. --Richard T. Jameson

ANY GUN CAN PLAY - A gang robs a gold shipment from a train. A so called bounty hunter is sent to track down the robbers and decides to let them lead him to the gold.

BOOT HILL - A spaghetti  western that is decidedly tongue-in-cheek, “Boot Hill” follows the adventures of a though frontiersman named Cat Stevens (Terence Hill) and his hulkish partner known as Arch Hutch (Bud Spencer), These boys are not really looking for trouble, but trouble seems to have a knack of finding them anyway. When honey, the wealthy town boss decides to flex a bit of muscle, these two drifters have no choice but to meet challenge of his outlaw henchmen with guns blazing. Throw in a few eccentric performers, and a bunch of rowdy women from the local parlor, and you have a regular western six gun circus! There is no telling how this action packed shoot-em-up will end, but one thing is for sure – it will be great entertainment.

CHINO - A half-breed horse breeder lives alone and is unwelcome until a boy shows up looking for work. Chino teaches him how to care for and train horses and they bond.

ONE-EYED JACKS - I found this film quite remarkable on many levels. For one, it was the debut for Brando as director (and his only film direction since). Reportedly, it was taken after Kubrick left due to altercations. Well, this time, Brando has one foot in front of the camera, as well as one behind it. He does a great, solid job. In fact, this film never looked awkward or misguided -- it felt like an intelligent western helmed by an Anthony Mann or Raoul Walsh. To further boost the professional polish of the film, there is cinematographer Charles Lang (Magnificent Seven, How the West Was Won).

Within this polished piece of work, the muscle of the film is found in the wonderful character study. Here, the characters, like in many great stories, are complex, dark, tempermental. Although the film is about the hero's(or anti-hero's) thirst for revenge on a man who done him wrong, there's a romance in the film that is truly tender and fateful.  The magnet in this film would have to be Brando. (Karl Malden is great too). Brando's understated performance is of the subtle type, using his famous darting eyes to penetrate the characters and the viewer. He's one of my favorite all-time actors.

As with all great films, One-Eyed Jacks is a quiet masterpiece, displaying what every good film needs: great script, powerful acting, layered characterization, and be technically-sound.

THE OUTLAW - A fast-paced, entertaining lark of a film, The Outlaw is known today mostly for the buoyant performance of Jane Russell, whose career was engineered by the film's director, Howard Hughes, otherwise infamous for his reclusive millionaire ways. But more than that, the film boasts a set of finely tuned performances in the retelling of the story of Billy the Kid (Jack Beutel), whose burgeoning friendship with Doc Holliday (Walter Huston) arouses an intense hatred in Sheriff Pat Garrett (Thomas Mitchell, arguably the greatest character actor who ever lived). As Rio, Doc Holliday's girl, Jane Russell creates an irrepressible presence that lends an ample foundation to the story when her affections for Billy cleave his relationship with Doc. There are enough psychosexual rumblings to go around that the pace never sags. --Jim Gay

THEY CALL ME TRINITY - Terence Hills stars as Trinity, the fastest gun in the west, and Bud Spencer is his hard hitting brawler of a half brother. Together they’re out to save a helpless town from a crooked collection of ruthless rustlers, quick draw artists and an evil, corrupt sheriff as they fight, laugh and love their way into the sunset.

THE GROOM WORE SPURS - A pretty female attorney Abigail Furnival (Rogers) is hired to keep high-flying cowboy movie star Ben Castle (Carson) out of trouble in Las Vegas. Despite his many faults, Abigail falls in love with and marries Ben, with the hope that she can mold him into the virtuous hero he plays on the screen. But Abigail later becomes disillusioned when Ben does not meet up to her expectations and divorces him. When Ben later gets himself involved in a murder mystery, she comes to his defense in the court case. A zany slapstick comedy with the famous Rogers and Carson duo.

SANTA FE TRAIL - The story of Jeb Stewart, his romance with Kit Carson Holliday, friendship with George Custer and battles against John Brown in the days leading up to the outbreak of the American Civil War.