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| Haunted Gold (1932); Mystery Photo #3 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Oct 6 2009, 03:02 AM (1,045 Views) | |
| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Oct 6 2009, 03:02 AM Post #1 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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John Mason (John Wayne) has been summoned, by letter, to return to the Sally Ann mine. He returns, with his cook Clarence (Blue Washington), 'cause he's half-owner. The other half-owner is Joe Ryan, a despicable cowboy, who has taken his share of the mine from the father of Janet Carter (Sheila Terry-a honey) by framing Mr. Carter (Janet's pop) for murder. Ryan is in the deserted mining town, with his posse of unshaven, smelly, gun-totin' and easily-scared baddies. Janet, who should be the rightful owner of half of the mine, was also summoned to the town with a letter from The Phantom (I didn't see an opera house in the town). The Phantom is usually seen running around in a hooded shroud. The town's only inhabitants are three elderly (read that as creepy) folks, 2 men and one lady (think Cloris Leachman in Young Frankenstein, only not funny). The buildings in the town have the usual secret passages, and movable objects on the wall, for somebody to peer around. The film as a whole isn't creepy, except to Clarence the cook. Did I mention that Clarence is black? Who would make a 1932 haunted house(s) movie without a black actor? Don't say James Whale! Clarence has the usual bug-eyed look when he's scared, but he has some line that I thought were pretty funny. Then of course there's the usual racial stuff that wouldn't be suitable nowadays. One scene that I found particularly funny has Clarence falling down a mine shaft. He likes to roll the dice to see if he's going in the right direction, or if there's trouble ahead. On whether he'll sleep alone in an abandoned shack, he rolls a 7 ("Lucky seven, I'se in heaven."). For the mine shaft he tosses snake eyes, and peddles backwards into the shaft. Halfway down he lands on a beam, and he (and the viewer) knows it's going to break, sending him further down into the darkness. But before it breaks, he lolls his head around in a daze and spouts, "Bye, bye, blackbird!" and down he goes. Did I mention that John Wayne is in the film? Don't call him Duke, 'cause that's the name of his horse. There are some really good scenes in the movie, including some decent fights, a great chase scene through a rickety old building. Even Duke has a fight scene with one of the bad guys brandishing a large piece of lumber. It's all here: Mystery, romance, fights, scares, thrills, chills, a cook whose actual name is Blue, and a horse that understands the English language better than Lassie. I enjoyed the hell outta this, and I wasn't expecting much from a Duke, er, 'scuse me, Wayne film from 1932. Runtime is about 59 minutes (I always look at the counter on my DVD player when I watch a film), and it is part of a John Wayne Collection. The same collection that includes Rio Bravo and The Cowboys. Those 2 films have a ton of extras, plus lobby cards, but this film has nothing, and I mean nothing, like no chapter breaks. I bought the thing for 3 bucks at Big Lots though, so it has enough for me. Stony's favorite scene: Clarence imitates The Phantom and he scares the bejesus out of 2 of the bad guys, until he tries to really add a little extra creepiness to ward of the spooked baddies by saying, "I is de Phantom." It is his undoing. Stony's Rating: 4 outta 5 Bong Hits. ![]() |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| mort bakaprevski | Oct 6 2009, 07:43 AM Post #2 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Produced by Leon Schlesinger?? Did Bosko say, "That's all folks!" at the end??? |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
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| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Oct 8 2009, 12:25 PM Post #3 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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This is sooooo far over my head, I can't comment on it. |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| mort bakaprevski | Oct 8 2009, 02:08 PM Post #4 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Stony, go here & all questions will be answered: http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/350000.html Leon Schlesinger was producing Looney Tunes at the same time he produced HAUNTED GOLD. |
| "Nov Shmoz Ka Pop." | |
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| Frank Hale | Oct 8 2009, 02:35 PM Post #5 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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I thought RR might comment on this, but here’s a bit of background: There were 6 of these Schlesinger/Wayne westerns, all released on 2 triple-feature DVD’s a few years ago by WHV. IMO they’re a step up from the long series of Monogram westerns that Wayne subsequently made. They’re all or mostly remakes of silent First National Ken Maynard westerns, hence the prominent presence of Duke to blend in with stock footage. (WB bought FN in 1928.) They all went out under the Vitagraph label, I guess to distinguish them from the usual WB-produced product. WB bought Vitagraph in 1925, and this is the last usage of that name that I’m aware of. Dick Foran made a series of B westerns at WB a few years later that I’d like to revisit, but so far they haven’t made the cut even in the Warner Archive. |
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| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Oct 9 2009, 03:03 AM Post #6 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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Gotcha. As clear as day now. Ya mean to tell me that the Warner Bros. ending was stolen from the British? |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| toddgault | Oct 9 2009, 06:29 PM Post #7 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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I remember seeing this on TCM some years ago and thought it was a really good, creepy western. Love the scene where Wayne gets the mine deed away from Woods and the Phantom pops up behind him, swipes it and disappears. |
| Todd Gault..........Serial Buff | |
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| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Oct 10 2009, 01:11 AM Post #8 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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I was looking at Wayne films on Netflix yesterday, and I read their synopsis of this film. They stayed that the Maltese Falcon prop was in the film. I didn't see it. |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| Sgt Saturn | Dec 1 2009, 01:35 PM Post #9 |
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Charter Member
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Was I drifting off to sleep or did Clarence (the black guy) actually pull a gun on the bad guys (all white) early in the film? I don't see any mention of this in the commentary on IMDB. If I'm not imagining it, I should think it would be noteworthy. |
| The Ol' Sarge | |
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| riddlerider | Dec 1 2009, 02:48 PM Post #10 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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I just noticed this thread. Frank Hale got the basic background correct; I would only add that the Maynard version, made in 1928, was THE PHANTOM CITY. Blue Washington played the sidekick in that one, too. |
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| Laughing Gravy | Jan 19 2011, 05:39 PM Post #11 |
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Look for In The Balcony on Facebook!
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VERY interesting film. I watched it today. First, to comment on some earlier stuff... the WB DVDs (low-cost) contain The Big Stampede, Ride Him, Cowboy, and Haunted Gold on one disc and The Telegraph Trail, Somewhere in Sonora, and The Man from Monterey on t'other. In the six films, John Wayne plays, respectively, John Steele, John Drury, John Mason, John Trent, John Bishop, and John Holmes. (Duke plays Duke, however, and not Muke, Tuke, Fluke, Cruke, Snuke, and Puke.) The opening credits include cartoon bats in a haunted house. Leon Schlesinger had an in with the Warner Bros. animation folks, it seems. It is suitably creepy, funny, and exciting. John Whatsisname has a thrilling fight aboard a mine cable car; highlight of the picture. Yes, Blue Washington, Negro, pulls a gun on the white guys. Umm... Blue killed the movie for me. He's terrible, and he's in more scenes than John Something-or-other is. Nothing funny about him. I like Mantan Moreland, I can take most of the other Negro comics of the era, but this guy's just impossible to enjoy in any way, shape or form. Kills the film. About a fourth of the way through the film, I about fell off the ol' Gravy couch: there was the Maltese Falcon! And when I find this thread, I discover to my dismay that I wasn't the first person in history who spotted it (this film was made only a few months after Warner's first Maltese Falcon film). So, since we've been finding reused props around here lately... Here ya go. Just pretend John Wayne is playin' Sam Spade. ![]() |
| "I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley | |
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| Sgt Saturn | Jan 20 2011, 07:12 AM Post #12 |
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Charter Member
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As an actor Wayne had a greater range than is often credited, but I can't imagine him playing Spade at this point in his career. I can imagine an older Wayne doing the part and doing it well. |
| The Ol' Sarge | |
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| Frank Hale | Jan 20 2011, 10:29 AM Post #13 |
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Balcony Gang, Foist Class
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Now THAT would have been interesting, but I don’t see it. He would certainly have had to reinvent the role. The combination of integrity and urban cynicism that we know from Bogart wouldn’t have worked at all. Personally I don’t agree that he had the range (at least we never saw it), and I can’t imagine him risking his screen image. Pretty early in the game it wouldn’t be Sam Spade anymore, but just another detective named John Wayne, as in “McQ”. |
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