Steven Helmer Publications

Synopsis: Things move slow in Suddenly, California, giving Sheriff Tod Shaw plenty of free time to try to win the heart of a widowed mother, Ellen Benson. Tod's quiet routine experiences some upheaval, however, when it becomes a planned stop for the President of the United States and a group of would-be assassins led by gangster John Baron take him, Ellen, her father-in-law "Pop" and her young son, Pidge hostage in her home, intending to use the living room window to fire the kill shot. Who's in it? The movie stars Frank Sinatra, Sterling Hayden , James Gleason , Nancy Gates and Kim Charney. Review: I added the film Suddenly to my library a few days ago, partly because I haven't seen too many Frank Sinatra movies and partly because the plot sounded interesting. I found time to watch it this morning and was pleased with my choice. I'll start out by saying this film is very American. This includes plenty of talk about patriotism, including the idea of your l...

My wife has a photoshoot (very early) this morning and, while she was showering, getting her clothes together, etc. I amused myself by finding a movie to watch. This turned out to be The Blob, which I've seen more times than I can keep track of, though this was the first time I had watched it in its entirety in a while. Here are some of the thoughts I had as I re-watched the classic monster film: Casting a 28-year-old Steve McQueen as a teenager works about as well as you would expect. Don't get me wrong, I like McQueen and think he does an excellent job in the lead role. It's just I had to suspend quite a bit of believability to buy him as someone who was still in high school, along with 25-year-old Aneta Corsaut , who was closer to her character on The Andy Griffth Show , Helen Crump, than one of Ms. Crump's students. Jim Bert's (John Benson) past could have made a movie on its own. War veteran. Hates teenagers because of an accident involving his wife. Second-in...

Synopsis: Friendly but dim-witted backwoods resident Will Stockdale is drafted into the United States Air Force. Instead of putting him through basic training, his sergeant decides to make him "permanent latrine orderly." However, when the commanding officer finds out, the sergeant is given a week to help Stockdale pass all the necessary tests or risk losing his stripes. Who's in it?  The movie stars Andy Griffith , Myron McCormick, Nick Adams , James Millhollin and Don Knotts. You can read my review here:  Movie Review: No Time for Sergeants (1958) _____________________________________________________________________ Here are some reviews of other military comedies: Movie Review: Major Payne (1995) Movie Review: Sgt. Bilko (1996) Movie Review: Tanks a Million (1941)

Synopsis: After her brother is murdered by her ruthless neighbor, Buffer, Delores Carter seeks a professional gunfighter to get revenge and hires the mysterious Drake Robey. What Delores doesn't know is Robey is a vampire who is responsible for a series of mysterious deaths around the local old west town. Who's in it? The movie stars Michael Pate, Kathleen Crowley, John Hoyt , Bruce Gordon and Eric Fleming. Review: I had planned on watching another vampire movie this morning but came across Curse of the Undead first. The idea of a vampire movie mixed with the western genre was interesting and I did enjoy Billy the Kid Versus Dracula more than expected so I decided to give it a try.  Unfortunately, it failed to live up to expectations. As far as the western part of it goes, that truthfully wasn't terrible. It had the evil landowner (Gordon), a beautiful damsel in distress (Crowley), a small-town preacher (Fleming) who was obviously the movie's hero, and an unstoppab...

Synopsis: After his colleague, Dr. Karol Noymann, is killed during an atomic weapon experiment, Dr. Adam Penner resigns in protest of the weapons research. Soon after, he is visited by an alien possessing Noymann's body, warning him of an impending invasion and destruction if the humans don't surrender first. Penner's warnings are ignored and Earth soon is soon facing defeat. The planet's only hope is Penner being able to make the invisible aliens visible. Who's in it? The movie stars John Agar , Philip Tonge, Jean Byron, Robert Hutton and John Carradine . Review: I have had Invisible Invaders in my movie library for a few weeks and, since it had been a little while since I last watched a classic alien invasion film, I figured I'd give it a try this morning. Overall, it was OK but not a movie I would describe as particularly spectacular. The movie does have some good things going for it. For example, the aliens have quite a few advantages over the humans - t...

Synopsis: American newspaperman John Lawrence travels to a remote village in Scotland where Professor Elliott and his assistant, Dr. Mears, are using a telescope to study the newly discovered Planet X. When the professor's daughter, Enid, discovers an alien from the planet has landed in the moors, the men attempt to communicate with the creature. However, it instead uses a ray to take of control Prof. Elliott, Mears, Enid and several villagers and forces them to help it prepare for an invasion. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Clarke , Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert and David Ormont. Review: I've had The Man from Planet X in my movie library for some time now but, every time I planned on watching it, I always ended up picking a different movie instead. I finally changed that this morning. Overall, I thought it was an entertaining film despite falling short in some areas. As far as the premise is concerned, I thought it was a good one. This was mostly...

Synopsis: A giant, prehistoric ancestor of the praying mantis is released from an iceberg in the Arctic. After attacking a military-run early warning radar system, the bug flies south and attacks both New York City and Washington D. C. while military officials and scientists try to figure out a way to stop it. Who's in it?  The movie stars Craig Stevens, William Hopper , Alix Talton, Phil Harvey and Donald Randolph. Review : I like most classic monster movies, but giant bug movies are admittedly my favorite. So, since it had been nearly a decade since I last watched The Deadly Mantis , I decided to take time this morning to see it again.  My opinion of it was pretty much what I remembered it being the last time I saw it - It's a film with good things going for it but falls short of what it could be. The overall plot of the film is OK. Many movies like this have bugs that are abnormally large because of a science experiment or exposure to nuclear radiation but, in this case, ...

Synopsis: Two newly graduated private investigators, Bud Alexander and Lou Francis, are hired by boxer Tommy Nelson to clear his name after he is framed for murder by the mob. Tommy has taken an invisibility potion to help hide him from the authorities, putting Bud and Lou up against the clock as the potion slowly turns their client insane. Who's in it? The movie stars Bud Abbott , Lou Costello , Arthur Franz , Nancy Guild and Adele Jergens . Review: It's been a while since I've watched an Abbott & Costello movie and, when I came across Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man , I just had to give it a re-watch. While I still think Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is their best pairing against a movie monster(s), this one remains a close second. As much as I love the comedy duo, their routine was arguably getting a bit repetitive and stale by the 1950s. There are, however, still some films that manage to seem fresh and this is one of those movies. The thing th...

Synopsis: A newly discovered coelacanth is delivered to a college campus for study. However, because the fish has been exposed to radiation, it has the ability to devolve anything that comes in contact with its blood. Who's in it? The film stars Arthur Franz , Joanna Moore, Nancy Walters, Phil Harvey and Troy Donahue. Review: I remember watching Monster on the Campus with my oldest daughter several years ago but the only thing I could remember about it was not thinking it was very good, even by 1950s monster movie standards. Since I have had a history of re-watching movies and enjoying them more the second time around, I decided to give it another change.  Unfortunately, my opinion about the movie remains the same. More times than not, my dislike for a movie is the result of wasted potential - a film that has a promising plot but suffers from poor acting, crappy special effects or just poor overall execution. In a lot of ways, this film is the opposite of that. The acting isn...

Synopsis: A group of New York City bar patrons are being interviewed by a local television reporter about their political views when an enemy attacks Alaska.  As the successful invasion, aided by the use of atomic weapons, spreads to other parts of the country, the patrons find themselves facing the consequences of their apathy and opposition to the government's efforts to build its military defenses. Who's in it? The movie stars Gerald Mohr, Peggie Castle , Robert Bice , Tom Kennedy , Wade Crosby and Dan O'Herlihy . Review : I have come across Invasion, U.S.A on multiple occasions but always found an excuse not to watch it (usually because there was another movie I wanted to watch more). I finally decided to correct that this morning and, while it ended up being what I expected it to be, I was admittedly still entertained. A lot of war movies from the 1950s are basically pro-USA propaganda pitches and this film is most definitely not an exception to that. It's not-so-...

Synopsis: A successful cosmetic company owner, Janice Starlin is informed sales are decreasing because she is the face of the company and her customers see her getting noticeably older. When the eccentric Dr. Eric Zinthrop shows he can reduce aging with a serum he created using royal jelly from a queen wasp, Janice agrees to fund his research on the condition she is used as one of his test subjects. The serum works and she is soon twenty years younger. However, the serum comes with an unexpected side effect, she periodically turns into a deadly wasp-like creature. Who's in it? The movie stars Susan Cabot , Anthony Eisley , Michael Mark, Barboura Morris and William Reorick. Review: I am a fan of most Roger Corman movies and when I came across The Wasp Woman on Amazon Prime, I decided to add it to my watch list as a result. Truthfully, it wasn't one of my favorites from the director, but I also didn't hate it. The film is pretty much what you'd expect from a movie ma...

Synopsis: Three high school girls with troubled homes decide to runaway together and go to Los Angeles. Pursued by police and going further into delinquency by stealing a car and getting jobs at a seedy dance club, they soon find their lives getting worse until a tragedy strikes. Who's in it? The movie stars Marla English , Anna Sten, Mary Ellen Kay , Gloria Castillo and John Litel. Review: When I decided to watch Runaway Daughters this morning, I figured it would end up being yet another 1950s movie that focused on the corruption of youth and teenage delinquency. However, it instead turned out to be a pleasantly decent surprise. For the most part, the movie is what I had expected, Audrey (English), Mary (Kay) and Angie (Castillo) are rebellious and as the film progresses, grow increasingly delinquent to the point their reputations and lives are ruined. From that point forward, it was easy to predict what would happen to them, though there were also some admittedly decent surpr...

Synopsis: A pathologist becomes obsessed with fear and how the emotion can cause people to die. After conducting a series of experiments, he discovers a parasitic creature that grows when people are scared and can only be stopped when someone screams. He captures the creature in an effort to study it closer but, in doing so, puts people in danger. Who's in it?  The movie stars Vincent Price , Patricia Cutts, Judith Evelyn, Daryl Hickman and Philip Coolidge. Review: The Tingler was on my "to-watch" list for a few months before I finally got around to watching it with my daughter several years ago and was pleasantly surprised by it. Since it had been so long, I decided to re-watch it and it still proved to be an unexpected treat. The film takes a little while to get started, with the writers building up the suspense up until the point he finally finds and captures "the Tingler." Unlike way too many other movies though, it does prove to be worth the wait because o...

Synopsis: Barbara Beaurevel is an attractive woman and, thanks to an inheritance, also very wealthy. However, her grandmother's scandalous past is something she must keep secret to avoid being an outcast in 1890s New Orleans. As a result of this, and blackmail from her cousin, Paul, Barbara chooses not to travel with her lover, Dr. Mark Lukas, and when he returns to New Orleans, is devastated to learn Mark is now married to Corinne. Determined to get Mark back, Barbara offers Paul $50,000 to seduce Corinne and break up the married couple. Her plan has an unexpected twist however, Corinne's sudden and suspicious death. Who's in it? The movie stars Ava Gardner , Robert Mitchum , Melvyn Douglas , Janis Carter and Lucile Watson. Review: I came across My Forbidden Past on one of my movie channels last night and while I wasn't completely sure about the plot as it was described, I am a big enough of an Ava Gardner fan to give it a try. I was pleased to discover it was a g...

Synopsis: Three years after her test pilot boyfriend, Bruce, crashed in a restricted region in Mexico, Susan Winter, believing he may still be alive despite plenty of evidence to the contrary, insists on conducting a search. Despite warnings, she and three men fly into the region, which they learn has high levels of radiation. They discover the radiation has caused many of the native species to grow gigantic in size. However, their biggest surprise is the cyclops that traps them in a cave. Who's in it? The movie stars Gloria Talbott, James Craig, Tom Drake, Duncan "Dean" Parkin and Lon Chaney, Jr. Review: I had another movie in mind for this morning but while looking for that one, I came across The Cyclops . Since it had been a while since I watched a Lon Chaney, Jr. film, I figured I'd give it a try instead and wasn't disappointed. The movie is pretty much what you would expect from a 1950s science fiction film. The wild "monsters" are clearly just ...

Synopsis: Professor Clifford Groves has a controversial opinion about neanderthals, while his colleagues believe they lacked intelligence, he argues they were smarter than modern man. Determined to prove his theory, he injects himself with a serum that de-evolves him to neanderthal form. Meanwhile, local authorities are hunting for answers relating to the sabretooth tiger Groves created from a cat using the same serum. Who's in it? The movie stars Robert Shayne , Joyce Terry, Richard Crane , Doris Merrick and Robert Long. Review: I had another movie in mind this morning but came across The Neanderthal Man first and decided to give that one a try instead. It turned out to be what I would expect from a 1950s monster movie but was also slightly better than I thought it would be. I'll start out by giving the film some credit, unlike many "mad scientist" movies, the mad scientist in this one, Groves (Shayne) at least had a reason for conducting his experiment. I'm ...

Synopsis: After being caught with a plantation owner's wife, American expatriate Sam Wilton needs to get out of South America in a hurry and does so by taking the passport of the recently deceased Mr. Kroll and boarding a cargo ship on its way to the United States. Wilton is suspicious of the ship's captain, the heavily scarred Capt. Trednor, and his interest in two passengers, Dr. Yeager and his daughter, Elsa. He later learns Trednor and his crew are Soviet agents on a suicide mission to blow up the Panama Canal with an atomic bomb. Who's in it? The movie stars Barton MacLane , Leif Erickson , Virginia Grey , Peter Coe and Rudolph Anders. Review: I came across Captain Scarface last night and while it was different movie from what I was originally looking for, I was intrigued enough by the description to give it a try. I watched it this morning and decided it was a good decision. The film takes a while to get started, taking the time to introduce each of the passengers,...

Synopsis: Myra Hudson was born wealthy but is making her own fortune as a successful playwright. While traveling by train from New York to her home in San Francisco, she bumps into Lester Blaine, an actor she fired from her latest play because he didn't look right for the part. They bond on the long journey and, soon after arriving in San Francisco, marry. She believes he loves her until her dictating machine inadvertently records Lester and his secret girlfriend, Irene, plotting to kill her. Who's in it? The movie stars Joan Crawford , Jack Palance , Gloria Grahame , Bruce Bennett and Virginia Huston. Review: I had started out watching a different movie this morning but after discovering that one was in a different language and it was too early to read subtitles, I ended up watching Sudden Fear instead. Overall, I have to say it was a good second choice. The movie's story is well-written. I especially liked how the film took the time to show Myra (Crawford) and Lester...

Synopsis: Despite a tendency to disobey orders and apprehension from his commanding officer and brother, Chuck, Lt. Dan Prescott is chosen to be the first man launched into space. Once outside the Earth's atmosphere, Dan chooses to once again ignore his orders by pushing the ship to 250 miles above the planet and, as a result, loses control after passing through a mysterious dense cloud. The ship is later found encrusted in a rock-like material that is impervious to x-rays and other tests. Dan, meanwhile, has been turned into a blood-thirsty monster that is wandering New Mexico and killing people. Who's in it? The movie stars Marshall Thompson , Bill Edwards, Robert Ayres, Carl Jaffe, Bill Nagy and Marla Landi . Review: While I'm not a huge classic science fiction fan, I do enjoy the occasional movie filmed prior to mankind achieving space travel for real. Those movies often offer an interesting take on what space travel will do for the human race. In some cases, it'...

Synopsis: While conducting a nuclear weapons test in the Arctic Circle, a team of military scientists wake up and release a Rhedosaurus, a dinosaur that has been extinct for more than 100 million years. Even though Professor Tom Nesbitt witnesses the creature, nobody believes him. At least not until it begins sinking ships and attacks a city. Who's in it? The movie stars Paul Hubschmid, Paula Raymond , Cecil Kellaway , Kenneth Tobey and Donald Woods . Review: I've come across The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms multiple times but have always been reluctant to watch it because, at least from the description, it sounded like a Godzilla rip-off, even though the movie was released before that monster debuted. However, I finally decided to give it a try this morning and it ended up surprising me. As far as prehistoric monster movies go, this one turned out to be pretty decent. Yes, it was made 72 years ago, and the special effects are a bit limited as a result. However, if you're...