THE MAN IN THE VAULT (1956)

This easily forgotten RKO drama stars William Campbell as an expert but lowly locksmith named Tommy Dancer. Would you trust a locksmith with that underworld name? One cannot judge a book by its cover, but in Campbell’s case, I make an exception. Actually, Campbell comes off well in this one with help from other experienced actors. Anita Ekberg not one of them. Adding authenticity is some location filming, like at Art Linkletter’s La Cienega Lanes bowling alley. Perhaps the only time it was featured in a movie. 

Cute Karen Sharpe, with incredibly bouncy hair, is at the party because she gets want she wants in that crowd. I think that is her occupation. She is spurned by her on-and-off boyfriend/lawyer, played by a Chuck Woolery look-a-like. Pouting, she exits the party. Cocky Campbell has had enough of feeling out of place and also leaves, walking past Sharpe. She offers him a lift in her car but neither seems to have a destination. She asks him if he drives. I guess wondering if he might not have any experience with an automatic transmission or that big round ring on the left side of the dash.

Barry Kroeger, a smirking small-time hoodlum, gets his leg man, Paul Fix, to locate a good locksmith. Kroeger then pressures Campbell to break into a safe deposit box rented by a big-time mobster, James Seay, and make a duplicate key. But Fix double-crosses Kroeger and suggests Campbell take the 200k himself. Temptation is acted upon and Campbell stores the money at the bowling alley for a striking finale.

Fix, after killing Kroeger with an Oldsmobile, goes after the money with Campbell only armed with a bowling pin. Funny? He throws it through a window and sets off the burglar alarm. Smart. Paul is in a fix by then and is quickly apprehended. Campbell’s running is unintentionally comical with arms quickly swinging back and forth, left to right. I burst out laughing. Meanwhile, mob boss Seay is charged with murder and Campbell reunites with Sharpe, the dominant driver. Campbell will have some explaining to do at police headquarters.

Note: The excruciating song, “Let The Chips Fall Where They May” is sung by Vivianne Lloyd in her singing/acting debut and career closer. Why any song was planned for this film is a mystery...like Lloyd’s career. Kroeger throws a party at his home and requests she sing his favorite song. She makes her rounds in the small living room, slinking around chairs and a couch, giving a performance better suited for a nightclub setting. Her high-register crescendos are not very romantic as she blasts Campbell’s eyebrows back, angling them even more, from inches away. It is the most awkward and funny moment in the film. She sings well enough, but the 1950s-era lip-sync is off, coupled with her put-on expressions, made me vault to the kitchen.

THE BIG BLUFF (1955)

The big bluff is John Bromfield, looking dashingly untrustworthy with his rare pencil mustache and nearing the high point of his career. He loves a nightclub entertainer. They are both being pursued by her estranged husband. Untrustworthy is exactly how he sees Bromfield. Thankful that this is only seventy minutes, it is still an intriguing, if implausible, noir. The last ten minutes are the reason to see the film through with a slick double-twist. The film was produced by Planet Filmplays and distributed by United Artists. One word of caution, it is directed by W. Lee Wilder, the less-talented brother of Billy. On the brighter side, Fred Freiberger wrote the screenplay and cinematography by Gordon Avil. Freiberger gained notice about a decade later as a writer or producer for several popular television series.

The black and white film opens at the bedside of a rich widow, played by Martha Vickers, terminally ill with a heart condition. Her secretary and doctor think it best not to tell her, feeling a positive outlook would be best for her. The doctor also suggests a move to a more remote part of Los Angeles for peace and quiet. The views from her window are spectacular if the smog ever clears. Robert Hutton gives a rather comatose performance as the doctor.

While dining out the secretary meets Bromfield who learns about Vickers and her health, aka wealth. He wines and dines the rich widow, then marries. He does his best to wear her down with late-night parties and physical activity. But to his disappointment, all this exercise improves her health. Diabolically, the financially restrained con man speeds up the process by replacing her medication with sodium bicarbonate in a second pill container. The real medicine is his backup to his vow, "I'll take care of her" (for as long as he can stand it). Vickers is annoying, acting like a schoolgirl, constantly gushing over Bromfield, unable to see through his over-the-top behavior. But her secretary has no doubts after noticing two identical pillboxes. The doctor, along with a detective, tests the pills and confirms something is truly wrong with Bromfield. 

Bromfield suddenly becomes nasty to his wife, ranting and raving. It is simply a cover to storm off and arrange a future with his girlfriend, and then return to confess his intimate indiscretions. He puts the "sin" in sincerity. With some carefully planted evidence, the fix is in. And there is that estranged husband.

LOST, LONELY AND VICIOUS (1958)

Starting out as a pseudo-documentary, the narration by an authoritarian figure informs us that life can be troubling for young Hollywood thespians. He makes it a point to mention these are only actors portraying real people. These “actors” are a cast of wannabes who truly qualify as ordinary people because they lack acting ability. Each hoping for their own break in show business. This film is not going to help. Unlike the poster's promotion, they are not "the brightest stars of tomorrow." The main focus of this thin-budgeted film concerns confused youth with Rebel Without a Cause, fresh in Hollywood’s memory. Their dialogue is perfectly memorized, each ready for that one word, “Action!”

Ken Clayton plays the financially spoiled and troubled main character. His very first casting role becomes an overnight success indicating his fellow actors and actresses only have dreams of talent. They regularly meet around one area microphone for that realistic soda shop sound. One, a lumpy guy with a plaid driver’s cap, always standing around eating popcorn and staring. If that is not funny enough, old “Toots” fakes playing the Harmonetta with a bouncy rhythm unrelated to the tune that is playing. Yes. These teens are confused.

Decent location filming is used for a car chase, of sorts. Despite the phony automobile sound effects, it is the only “real” element in the film. But the rising star seems fixated on death, alternating between violence and kindness. Bipolar. He angers a jealous actor with his T-Bird convertible, trying to make him crash on a highway. He nearly hits a girl crossing the street and the script brings them together later in the library. After reconsidering that she might have been crippled for life, she makes googly eyes at this rich, cute guy. She becomes interested in his odd thinking and helps him consider other things besides death—like driving lessons. They even share two Cokes to seal their friendship.

His drama coach and life guide is the notable French actress, Lilyan Chauvin, who seeks counsel from a mental health expert, asking why this talented boy is consumed with death. Could be this picture. In another amateur scene, she tries to break through to him, hoping he will appreciate the talent he has to offer. They have a very close relationship but they never share a Coke. Their long conversations are excruciating to sit through which explains my own thoughts about death.

One dark and stormy night. Okay. It was not stormy. He drives his T-Bird at high speed seemingly ready to meet his Maker. In his possession is his self-portrait painting. He stops at the lake where he first fell in love with the library girl and realizes his life does have a future. His real intention was to toss the painting into the lake and symbolically drown his past. One look at his painting talent indicates it was a good plan. The film ends with some final wisdom from the adult narrator.  

Note: With a budget that would raise no eyebrows and a high school-level interior set, this HOWCO International production would have been more appropriately produced by HOWCOME International. As for the girl in the negligee featured in the above poster, she is not in this film.