Customer Reviews

Forgotten Noir, Vol. 1 (Portland Expose / They Were So Young)

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VCI Entertainment presents "Forgotten Noir Vol. 1", a Kit Parker Double Features of "Portland Expose" (1957) and "They Were So Young" (1954) --- (Dolby digitally remastered)...featuring top performances by actors to die for from the '40s and '50s with outstanding drama and screenplays...from little known films that will leave you intrigued with all the suspense...so pop some popcorn, sit back and enjoy the movie.

First up we have "Portland Expose" (1957) (72 min. B/W)...under director Harold D. Schuster, producer Lindsley Parsons, screenplay by Jack de Witt, music score by Paul Dunlap ...the cast includes Ed Binns (George Madison), Carolyn Craig (Ruth Madison),Virginia Gregg (Clara Madison), Russ Conway (Philip Jacman), Lawrence Dobkin (Garnell), Frank Gorshin (Joe), Joseph Marr (Larry), Rusty Lane (Tom Carmody), Richard Bellis (Jimmy Madison), Lea Penman (Mrs. Stoneway), Jeanne Carmen (Iris), Joe Flynn (Ted Carl) ---- our story centers around gangsters, a syndicate and corruption with Edward Binns who is forced by a protection racket to go into partnership with open wide gambling in his tavern --- watch for Frank Gorshin who has a weakness for underage girls --- very gritty and realistic scenes for the '50s ------ special footnote, actor Frank Gorshin one of the top impressionists in Hollywood, turned the character called "The Riddler" into one of Batman's top five villains in the popular TV series during the '60s, Frank was the only member of the cast to receive an Emmy nomination, Gorshin's signature challenge line in the TV series "Batman" (1966) --- "Riddle me this, Batman!" became a catch phrase of the day.

BIOS:
1. Edward Binns
Birth Date: 2/12/1916 - Philadelphia, PA
Died: 12/04/1990 - Brewster, New York
2. Frank Gorshin
Birth Date: 4/05/1933 - Pittsburgh, PA
Died: 5/17/2005 - Burbank, CA

BONUS FEATURES:
1. Anamorphic Widescreen - Enhanced for 16x9 Monitors
2. Original Theatrical Trailers
3. Commentary by Assistant Director Lindsley Parsons Jr.
4. Original Advertising Material
5. Bios - Photo Gallery

Second on the double bill is a Lippert Picture release "They Were So Young" (1954) (78 min. B/W)....under director/producer/screenwriter Kurt Neumann, musical score by Michael Jary ....the cast includes Johanna Matz (Eve Ullmann), Scott Brady (Richard Lanning), Ingrid Stenn (Connie Voorhees), Raymond Burr (Jaime Coltos), Gisela Fackeldey (Mme. Lansowa), Kurt Meisel (Pasquale), Katharina Mayberg (Felicia),Gert Fr?be (Lobos), Erica Beer (Elise LeFevre), Hanita Hallan (Lena), Elizabeth Tanney (Emily), Gordon Howard (Garza), Eduard Linkers (M. Albert), Pero Alexander (Manuel), Caterina Valente ----- fine film has Scott Brady and Raymond Burr battling head to head over a white slavery theme --- watch for a brief appearance of Gert Frobe who later in 1964 played the villain "Goldfinger" in the much successful James Bond series --- the plot will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning till the final reel --- if you're into film noir you'll need to add this to your collection ------ special footnote, actor Scott Brady featured in leading roles of B-Westerns, detective, sci-fi and horror films, starred in a syndicated half-hour TV Western "Shotgun Slade" (1959-1961), a detective who roamed the west taking on cases for stagecoach lines, railroads, banks, and other businesses, usually tracking down bank/train robbers, embezzelers, relied instead on an over-and-under combination shotgun (the lower barrel fired a 12-gauge shotgun shell)rifle (the top barrel fired a.32 caliber rifle bullet) giving Slade both heavy stopping power at close range and distance when needed, younger brother of actor Lawrence Tierney who played roles on the opposite side of the law ------ second special footnote actor Raymond Burr had his film debut in "San Quentin" (1946), appeared in over 100 films various TV shows and was handed a winning role of "Perry Mason" (1957-1966) as a defense attorney, then Robert Ironside in "Ironside" (1967-1975), but who could forget "Rear Window" (1954) the Alfred Hitchcock thriller with Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter and of course Raymond Burr as the unseen killer from across the way Lars Thorwald, perfect casting for Burr ----- there's a great deal of entertainment here for all the film noir fans out there...all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and features like this one.

BIOS:
1. Scott Brady (aka: Gerard Kenneth Tierney)
Birth Date: 9/13/1924 - Brooklyn, New York
Died: 4/16/1985 - Los Angeles, CA
2. Raymond Burr (aka: Raymond William Stacy Burr)
Birth Date: 5/21/1917/- New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Died: 9/12/1993 - Sonoma, CA

Great job by VCI Entertainment for releasing the "Portland Expose" (1957) and "They Were So Young" (1954), digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more of the same from the '40s and '50s vintage...order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment, stay tuned once again with a top notch "Classic Film Noir" that only VCI Entertainment (King of the Serials) can deliver...just the way we like 'em!

Total Time: 152 mins on DVD ~ VCI Home Video KPF 543 ~ (4/25/2006)