THE STORY OF MANKIND (1957)

In 1957 humans invent the "Super H-Bomb" sixty years ahead of time, so now the "High Tribunal of Outer Space" must convene to decide whether humans are worth keeping around or should we just be allowed to blow ourselves up.  Taking the side of the humans in this pathetic court room drama is poor Ronald Colman as The Spirit of Man.  On the other side is dapper Vincent Price (probably the only actor to get out of this disaster unscathed) as The Devil a.k.a. "Mr. Scratch".  Both sides present evidence for their case.  The Spirit of Man spouts off moralistic soliloquies about Joan of Arc, Moses, Shakespeare, early Christians, Alexander Graham Bell, Sir Isaac Newton and reads from the Bible (vomit!) while The Devil makes a much more convincing argument by showing Nero, Hitler, Cleopatra, Khufu, Attila the Hun and talking about stuff like genocide, slavery and the Salem Witch Trials.  Good thing he didn't mention SLIMED or we'd all be dead right now.  Anyway, as expected, the High Tribunal of Outer Space's final decision is a total cop out complete with a "Is This The End?" flashing across the screen in giant red letters.

As much of a train wreck as all that sounds it's actually more dull than anything else.  The historical events are all short with background sets that look like they were just slapped together with stuff found laying around the studio, there's a bunch of mysterious stock footage (the burning train came from 1939's DODGE CITY) and the actors all look pretty embarrassed.

Worth a watch for the curiosity value, but I'd be much more interested in reading about how this misguided turd ever got green-lit in the first place?  Also, what was the budget and did it make any money at all?  What did audiences and critics back in 1957 think?  In the book "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time" where they quote Newsweek as saying "...some of the weirdest casting ever committed".  A 44-year-old Hedy Lamarr as 19-year-old Joan of Arc or Harpo Marx as Sir Isaac Newton...yeah, I can see what they are talking about.

"The Great Clock of Outer Space"

SCAVENGER HUNT (1979)

A wealthy game inventor, Vincent Price, croaks while playing a frog game and leaves his entire $200 million estate to the person (or persons) who can collect the most points from a list of Scavenger Hunt items he left in his will. The potential beneficiaries (family, servants and a taxi driver) have until 5pm this afternoon to gather the items. Chaos ensues.

As far as IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD knockoffs go, SCAVENGER HUNT is an alright film. You’re not gonna soil your Ewok Underoos with piss from laughing so hard, but you might get a chuckle or two. The most notable thing about the film (thanks to the passage of time) is the cast. From Vincent Price and Arnold Schwarzenegger to Ruth Gordon and Scatman Crothers…this movie has a great cast! I was most impressed by the then 30 year-old Richard Masur playing the spoiled and mentally unwell son of Cloris Leachman. He was a trip. (It’d be a lot of fun to sit down and really analyze the entire cast of this film. Did you know that Carol Wayne, who played Vincent Price’s nurse, died just a few years later of suspicious causes at the age of 42?)

Simple story, impressive cast, interesting Southern California filming locations, quick pace, unfunny but not painfully unfunny humor, an ancient Jack in the Box, numerous vintage cars. Not the funniest movie ever (or even funny at all), but it has a certain charm to it. Worth watching for fans of 1970’s comedies.