Wednesday, February 23, 2011

WHO SLEW AUNTIE ROO?



WHO SLEW AUNTIE ROO? - 1972


Is a twisted version of "Hansel and Gretel". First we meet Auntie Roo (Shelly Winters) singing a lullaby to her daughter... a mummy lying in a crib. Roo; a former show girl and the wealthy widow a magician; lost her daughter when the little girl hit her head falling down a banister.

Ever since then, Roo was never the same. She sings to the corpse every night in the cradle. Each year she hosts an extravagant Christmas party for the children of the local orphanage. 10 to 20 children were hand picked by the mean matron to spend Christmas eve and Christmas Day at Auntie Roo's mansion.



Christopher and Katy, 2 mean selfish orphans that weren't invited to Christmas party because they tried to run away from the orphanage many times. But eventually they crashed Roo's party; but Roo graciously accept them into her home.



Later Katy forced her way into nightly seance, where she discovered Roo's hidden jewels and cash. Roo took Katy's appearance as return of her dead daughter and decides to hold Katy captive in her house with many secret passages and traps. Later we wonder who is the true evil villain in the story; Is it Roo the crazy lady? Or Christopher and Katy the two brats who think they are the real life "Hansel and Gretel"? Or Roo's psychotic butler out to get his hands on her money and jewels?



Friday, February 11, 2011

TOO YOUNG TO KISS- 1951




TOO YOUNG TO KISS


A direct imitation of "The Major And The Minor" "Too young to kiss" featured an unconvincing June Allyson as a 30 year old woman pretend to be a 14 year old to take part in an audition for young musicians.
Van Johnson plays Eric Wainwright is the fool who thought he discovered a musical prodigy.

Even back in 1951 June Allyson already look like the old lady on the adult diapers commercials from the latter part of her career. At first I thought the Eric Wainwright character was in on the joke, but things became creepy when I realized he was not; as a matter of fact Johnson decided to take the young Molly (Allyson) away from her legal guardian and older sister Cynthia (Allyson as a grown up) to his playboy mansion to mentor her!






This is a suggests some really sick pedophile joke but it's 1951 so it seemed even humorous to see Wainwright putting "little' Molly across his knees to spank her for misbehaving!
Of course things get even more disgusting as you see Wainwright a grown man in his late 30's falling in love with this 14 year old, even though the audience know she too is in her late 30's but still the concept sends all kinds of creepiness!!
I didn't buy into the Ginger Rogers in Bobby socks act in "The major and the minor", I find this one even less appealing... But I am so wrong here because June Allyson won a golden globe award as best actress in a comedy in this feature.