The Bold Adventure that Beats them ALL! (March, 1954)

 

 

 

 

 
Beat the Devil (1953) Rizzoli-Haggiag :: Romulus Films :: Santana Pictures Corporation :: United Artists / P: John Huston, Humphrey Bogart, Angelo Rizzoli, John Woolf / AP: Jack Clayton / D: John Huston / W: Truman Capote, John Huston, Anthony Veiller, Peter Viertel, Claud Cockburn (novel) / C: Oswald Morris / E: Ralph Kemplen / M: Franco Mannino / S: Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollobrigida, Robert Morley, Peter Lorre

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The William Castle Blogathon :: The Kookiest and Spookiest Ghost Doesn’t Walk in this Family — It Runs Riot! (December, 1963)

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently, the original The Old Dark House (1932) helped inspire artist Charles Addams to untold heights of ghoulishness. And so, he was recruited to design the opening title credits for this Castle / Hammer co-produced remake. Alas, the film is kinda all downhill from there. Now, I like Tom Poston, and found Zotz oddly endearing, but this version of The Old Dark House kinda stinks, locked in a morass where tedious and insipid meet on the graph. All is not lost, however, as its co-feature, Maniac,  is another Hammer Castle cash-in that’s well worth your time.

 

 
This post is part of Goregirl’s Dungeon and The Last Drive-In’s The William Castle Blogathan, a week long tribute to the King of Schlock. Follow the linkage, Boils & Ghouls. It’s gonna be a great week. And stick around, as we’ll be showcasing Castle’s film career from its fairly normal beginnings through it psychotronic glory days. Stay tuned!

The Old Dark House (1963) William Castle Productions :: Hammer Film Productions :: Columbia Pictures / P: William Castle, Anthony Hinds / AP: Dona Holloway / D: William Castle / W: Robert Dillon, J.B. Priestley (novel) / C: Arthur Grant / E: James Needs / S: Tom Poston, Robert Morley, Janette Scott, Joyce Grenfell, Mervyn Johns, Fenella Fielding, Peter Bull

Maniac (1963) Hammer Film Productions :: Columbia Pictures / P: Jimmy Sangster / D: Michael Carreras / W: Jimmy Sangster / C: Wilkie Cooper / E: Tom Simpson / S: Kerwin Mathews, Nadia Gray, Liliane Brousse, Donald Houston, George Pastell

The Price of Uncovering the Secret of this Film Comes High — Your Life! (July, 1965)

 

 

 

 

 
The Satan Bug (1965) The Mirisch Corporation :: United Artists / P: John Sturges / D: John Sturges / W: James Clavell, Edward Anhalt, Alistair MacLean (novel) / C: Robert Surtees / E: Ferris Webster / M: Jerry Goldsmith / S: George Maharis, Richard Basehart, Anne Francis, Dana Andrews, Edward Asner, Simon Oakland, John Anderson

Topkapi (1964) Filmways Pictures :: United Artists / P: Jules Dassin / AP: Roger Dwyre, Lee Katz / D: Jules Dassin / W: Monja Danischewsky, Eric Ambler (novel) / C: Henri Alekan / E: Roger Dwyre / M: Manos Hatzidakis / S: Melina Mercouri, Peter Ustinov, Maximilian Schell, Robert Morley, Akim Tamiroff