Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: A recently disfigured ex-violinist is wanted for murder and "haunts" a Paris opera house while taking extreme measures to help a young singer he has become obsessed with. Who's in it? The movie stars Claude Rains , Susanna Foster, Edgar Barrier , Nelson Eddy and Jane Farrar. Review: I recently watched another movie that had Claude Rains in it and thought to myself "it's been ages since I watched Phantom of the Opera ." So, when I had some free time early this morning before heading into the office, I decided to give it a re-watch.  The movie is as good as I remembered. For the record, I do still prefer the 1925 Lon Chaney silent film version slightly more because Chaney's version of the Phantom was quite a bit creepier. However, this movie is a very close second. A big part of the reason for this is Rains' overall performance, creating a Phantom character that was about as unlikeable as you could make a movie villain. He murdered people,...

Synopsis: When farmer Fred Morgan and his housekeeper, Sarah Watson, are murdered during a burglary, farmhand George Braden is arrested for the crime and to protect his wife, Ellen, signs a confession after 16 hours of interrogation. Doug Madison is asked to serve as Braden's defense attorney and initially declines until the pregnant Ellen convinces him of her husband's innocence. Madison remains determined to prove his client didn't commit murder, even after running out of money, having his girlfriend break up with him and Braden is convicted and sentenced to hang. Who's in it? The movie stars MacDonald Carey , Teresa Wright , Edgar Barrier , Adele Mara and Delores Moran. Review: I came across Count the Hours! a few nights ago and decided to add it to my library because I'm always game for a classic crime drama/mystery. I watched it this morning with no real expectations, but it turned out to be a great choice. There are quite a few things I liked about this m...

Synopsis: While fishing in the Midwest, journalist Matt Corbin gets caught in a rainstorm, slips on the rocks and hurts his head. After getting lost, he seeks medical attention in a nearly deserted town and finds the residents both secretive and hostile. When he learns the town once was a fishing destination, but a virus killed all the fish, Corbin senses a story and decides to investigate. Soon after, he discovers the residents are making it impossible for him to contact the outside world or leave. Who's in it? The movie stars Elliott Reid , Raymond Burr , Carla Balenda , Edgar Barrier and Otto Waldis. Review: I came across The Whip Hand a couple weeks ago and thought it sounded interesting enough to add to my library. I decided to finally watch it yesterday and this morning and it ended up being a good choice. The film does let the cat out of the bag a little bit in the opening scenes by suggesting it has something to do with the Cold War and the Soviet Union. However, there...