greenbudgie

Steve had fallen in love with Macao when he was in the Navy. Now he was content scratching a living there as a diver off it's coast. He's having his fortune read in a cantina when Vivian takes over the reading. She's done her homework on him and wants him to dive for some medical supplies from a wrecked plane in the sea. He checks himself when he discovers that he's actually recovered gold for her. His mistrust of her deepens when he finds out she has a husband interested in the gold. But Steve falls in love with Vivian just the same. Jeff Chandler looks every bit the sailor Steve. Evelyn Keyes is good as the dubious Vivian. I was drawn to this movie by it's title and the great German poster for it (Piraten Von Maco). I enjoyed the menacing setting of Macao where a 1,000 eyes watch. The scenes of Macao and Coloane give this adventure a touch of authenticity.

There has long been doubt about whether King Richard 111 ordered the killing of his two nephews in the Tower of London. In this SotD episode we see a woman convinced that the two princes survived their stay there. She organizes helpers to find evidence that the murder of the two princes has been propaganda started by the Tudors. A professional skeptic with a legal mind is called in to question the findings. He needs to be convinced that the two princes, Edward and Richard, are recorded somewhere after their stay in the Tower. I found it fascinating that the official history is being seriously challenged at long last. We see convincing-looking evidence that the younger son Richard did indeed survive after the trail of Prince Edward runs cold. We get to see long overlooked documents which need to be expertly dated.

With it's logo of a white elephant, Mammoth Studios send for an ordinary Joe to join them. Joe is champion movie-goer from his community who has received publicity. Mammoth hope his popularity will rub off on them. Joe fancies a Chicago ex-gangster will fit the part of Mammoth's next movie as authentic material. But when the gangster, Bugsy Malone, goes to Hollywood he wants to call all the shots. Joe negotiates with Bugsy's sister Molly who falls for Joe. This is Republic's send-up of Hollywood. It's targets include nepotism, the casting couch and the glorification of gangsters. Top honors go to wise-cracking, high-kicking Joan Davis as Molly. Her song and dance number It's Me Again is brilliant. She performs it athletically with Joe played by Eddie Foy Jr. Roscoe Karns as Mammoth's press agent also had me chuckling.