1964 - FATHER GOOSE, is all about Cary Grant

Cary Grant is one picture away from wrapping up his career with Father Goose.  Grant was probably in his middle to late 60's when he made this film and Father Goose is a good example of how his comedy timing and sensibilities can enhance a rather routine comedy.

Grant plays a coast watcher stuck on a Pacific island during World War II his job is to report the movements of the Japanese fleet.  Grant plays an antisocial beach bum.  He's not dressed impeccably and it looks like he hasn't shaved in a couple of days, but he's still Cary Grant.  With the usual plot twists, Grant ends up saving the lives of a French school teacher and her students played by Leslie Caron.  You can probably figure out the rest of the story from this point.

 

Cary Grant was so good at these kind of light comedy performances that he can easily overwhelm a bunch of scene stealing kids.  The writers don't work very hard to whip up a relationship between Caron and Grant.  I would venture to say that Grant's best partner in this film is Trevor Howard as the navy commander he reports to.

 

The film is credited to three writers one of them being Peter Stone who was a clever writer but in this case inspiration in the story department seems a little lacking.  The film is certainly a pleasant enough entertainment.  Ralph Nelson directed and he was usually good working with actors when he had a decent script

Written by Peter Stone and Frank Tarloff, the running time is 118 minutes.

1966 - DUEL AT DIABLO, tough violent western

James Garner is the frontier scout on a mission to find the men who killed and scalped his Native American wife, Sidney Poitier is a former Army Sergent who is now some kind of gunslinger, Bill Travers is the army lieutenant looking to make a name for himself, Dennis Weaver is the racist owner business man looking to make a buck and Bibi Andersson is Weaver's wife who was kidnapped by native American Indians.  That's a strange cast to put it mildly.

Besides the tough violence, the film was noted for Poitier's color blind casting and the odd sight of Ingmar Bergman regular Bibi Andersson showing up in a western of all things.

 

The film wants to make a reasonable statement about the treatment of Native Americans but it basically descends into just another shoot em up western, although a well done shoot em up western.

 

The film was shot on impressive Utah locations, the rather strange score is by Neal Hefti of The Odd Couple fame.

The film was written by Marvin H. Albert and Michael M. Grilikhes the running time is 103 minutes

1972 - THE WRATH OF GOD, offbeat action film to put it mildly.

Robert Mitchum is a machine gun packing priest, or is he?  This is one nutty western. He's mixed up in a rebellion in Mexico when he would rather be robbing banks.

Ralph Nelson is the director and he doesn't appear to have gotten a hand on the story. Apparently the film was plagued with production problems.

The film moves from one crazy scene to another.  Still it's entertaining and has an interesting cast which includes Frank Langella, Victor Buono, Rita Hayworth and John Colicos.  

Ralph Nelson and Jack Higgins wrote the screenplay the film runs 111 minutes.

1963 - SOLDIER IN THE RAIN, odd but very well made comedy drama

Ralph Nelson was the director but Blake Edwards was the writer/producer of Soldier in the Rain and it's loaded with his sensibility.  The film is a mixture of comedy and drama about the friendship between two soldiers on an army base. 

This film is extremely well acted.  Jackie Gleason is the overweight Army staff sergeant who is friends with the goofy Steve McQueen a supply sergeant who seems to not have all of his oars in the water.  Tuesday Weld is a little piece of jail bait they get involved with who is more than just an empty headed blonde.  All three of these actors really brought their "A" game to this film.

Gleason is remembered as a comedian but he was capable of giving very sensitive performances when he needed to.  Steve McQueen's career evolved into an anti-hero action star but he was a trained New York actor.  Tuesday Weld had talent but never really got past her sexpot image.  

It's difficult to know what to make of this film, it jumps from comedy to drama to tragedy and it's all well done it just doesn't seem to have a point to it other than as a character study about two different kinds of men who just happen to be friends.

96 minutes, written by Blake Edwards and Maurice Richlin.