Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: On his 18th birthday, Mugs McGinnis learns his father's wealthy ex-business partner, "Uncle" Pete Monahan, is coming to visit from Texas. Mugs, an only child, also learns his uncle, through a series of lies told by his now-deceased father, believes he has five brothers and a sister.  Wanting to protect his dad's reputation as well as his mother, who has been accepting annual birthday checks for her fictional children, he convinces his friends to pose as his family, with Glimpy dressed in drag as his sister. However, a local gangster, looking to score a big payday, complicates things when he learns of the ruse. Who's in it? The movie stars Leo Gorcey , Huntz Hall , Bobby Jordan , Noah Beery and Amelita Ward . Review: I added Clancy Street Boys to my movie library some time ago but as sometimes happens, it temporarily disappeared when I tried to watch it. It re-appeared in the library recently and I finally gave it a try this morning. While I wasn...

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,...