TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING (1977)

[Update 08/29/2021: I just added some newspaper clippings and after reading the review...I really want to go back and watch this film again! Maybe update some screenshots also.]

As a child growing up in the early 1980's, I loved (and still love) those overly dramatic Cold War thrillers where America and the USSR nearly go to war or where Russia invades America.  I had hopes that TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING was going to be such a film, but I quickly discovered that instead of those evil Ruskies being the bad guys it's actually Burt Lancaster as the bad guy!!!  It seems Burt was once a highly regarded soldier, but when he wouldn't shut up about the injustice of the Vietnam War, the military "railroaded" him and threw him into prison on some bullshit charges.  Now he's escaped (before the beginning of the film...how lazy of the filmmakers) and quickly takes over a nuclear missile compound that houses nine missiles that are all aimed at Russia.

This set up could lead to all kinds of interest, edge-of-your-seat thrills like the Russians finding out about it and threatening to strike first or maybe some super exciting attempts at breaking into the control room.  But no, instead the Russians are barely even mentioned and the portrayal of the soldiers trying to get into the control looks like something out of an Apple Dumpling Gang movie!  Just to give you an idea of how bad it is: they have John Ratzenberger (Cliff Clavin from Cheers) as one of the elite military soldiers.  Yeah.

So that leaves us with the negotiations.  They're not too bad.  The heated confrontations between Lancaster and Richard Widmark are the highlight of the movie.  I also enjoyed listening to Joseph Cotten.  The others were passable.  And as far as Charles Durning as the United States President goes, he was good, but he's nowhere as impressive as Rock Hudson in the superior WORLD WAR III.

Overall, TLG is an interesting historical timepiece, but it's kinda surprising this film was actually released in the theaters!  I have no idea how wide the release was (according to Wikipedia it lost money), but it honestly looks like a made-for-TV movie.  There are many "goofs" throughout the movie and the 2 1/2 hour running time is totally uncalled for with the material showed onscreen.

I am curious (Yellow) if Richard Widmark wore the exact same uniform a year later in THE SWARM?

THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON (1950)

Assistant district attorney Wendell Corey is hanging out one night at the office drunk as a skunk, brooding over his father-in-law not liking him (maybe because he'd rather get stinking drunk at work than go home to his wife and children???), when in walks Barbara Stanwyck.  She wants to file a complaint about some creepers creeping around her wealthy aunt's estate.  Wendell naturally takes an instant liking to Barbara and presses her into going out for a drink with her.  So starts their affair.

Things go okay for a few weeks with them sneaking off to be together, but then one night when an intruder murders the aunt during a botched robbery things quickly go from bad to worse when Barbara is arrested for the murder (she's also the rich aunt's sole heir) and Wendell is appointed the prosecutor.  Could it just be a case of bad luck or has Barbara been stringing him along the whole time?  I'm sure you can probably guess.

After a slow start TFOTJ really takes off.  I had a great time watching Barbara Stanwyck...but not so much Wendell Corey.  He's a fine actor, but he just doesn't have the on-screen charisma to stand toe-to-toe with somebody like Stanwyck.  And that's the biggest problem I had with the film.  Supposedly Barbara is head over heels in love with Wendell but it's just sooo unbelievable.  The filmmakers would have been much better casting somebody else.  Fred MacMurray would have been an excellent choice since he did so well with Barbara in the similar DOUBLE INDEMNITY.  Burt Lancaster would have been a good choice also.  Another thing that I found distracting was Wendell constantly complaining about his wife, except for the fact...she's really hot and waaay out of his league.  

Complaints about Wendell Corey's miscasting aside, I thought THE FILE ON THELMA JORDON was a entertaining film.  Nice photography, quick pace, exciting courtroom scenes and Barbara Stanwyck looking absolutely as radiant as ever.  I'd definitely watch it again.  Recommended for classic film fans.

 Uncredited Kenneth Tobey on the left as a policeman.

Those are some awfully big doors.

WALK EAST ON BEACON! (1952)

That exclamation point in the title is the most exciting thing about WALK EAST ON BEACON!  The film centers on a Communist terrorist sleeper cell operating in America and the FBI's efforts to unmask them and bring them to justice.  The story is told in a very dry procedural way.  There were a few moments during the middle (while the agents were trailing the taxi driver, the professor being blackmailed) that were entertaining, but for the most part the entire thing was a bore.  I think a lot of this comes for the lack of a strong leading role character, the extreme black/white (good vs. evil) portrayal of the FBI agents versus the KGB agents and then the plodding direction by Alfred L. Werker.

WEOB! is not a bad film just a low-key propaganda piece made at the early stages of the Cold War.  If you are looking for an interesting historical piece then this is a good choice (the early 1950's street scenes were great) , but if you're looking for an exciting crime procedural then you'd be better off watching the excellent T-MEN instead.

Since WEOB! was filmed in Boston is the early 1950's I can only guess that the "Timilty for Mayor" sign in the background was for Joseph F. Timilty who was the Boston Police Commissioner from 1936 to 1943 until he was "indicted on charges of conspiracy to permit the operation of gambling houses and the registration of bets".  He ended up losing the 1951 race for mayor.