Lost and Hard-to-Find movies; the ones that got away in Movie of the Day Forum

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Lost and Hard-to-Find movies; the ones that got away

Author	Comment
Dave Sindelar	Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1943)	#1461	[-]
Jul 1 12 4:14 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	And now, a few more from the hunt list that I've not been able to find. Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1943) Director unknown Featuring Henriette Gerard, Ferdinand Hart, Jany Holt Country: USA Company unknown Listed in "Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again" by John Stanley Fantastic content: Whatever if found from the movies whose footage it borrowed. Commentary: This one is fairly well known, which is to say, I've run into discussion on it before. Like the Amicus movie from the sixties that shares the same title, it's an anthology of several of different stories; unlike that movie, it gets its footage from those stories from already existing movies. If IMDB is correct, it borrows from WHITE ZOMBIE, THE GOLEM, VAMPYR, THE RETURN OF CHANDU, THE LIVING DEAD and THE FLAMING SIGNAL. It also says that seven stories or told, but since I only see six movies listed (and another source only lists five, omitting THE FLAMING SIGNAL), I wonder about that seventh one. The movie has 14 votes on IMDB, but I could easily see that happening due to people mistaking it for the Amicus version. As far as I know, nobody has seen this movie in years. I'm classifying the survival status as Unknown. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
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Dave Sindelar	The Heavenly Play (1942)	#1462	[-]
Jul 1 12 4:34 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The Heavenly Play (1942) aka Himlaspelet, The Road to Heaven Directed by Alf Sjoberg Featuring Rune Lindstrom, Eivor Landstrom, Anders Henrikson Country: Sweden Company: Wivefilm Listed in "Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again" by John Stanley Fantastic content: Witchcraft, visions of heaven, encounters with God, King Solomon, etc. Commentary: Now this is one I'd really like to see, if for no other reason than that it is reported to have been an enormous influence on the style of Ingmar Bergman. The plot descriptions vary somewhat, but the basic story seems to involve a man going to heaven to question the justice of someone close to him having been unfairly executed as a witch. It has 26 votes on IMDB, but the user comments both refer to viewings from a long time ago. Considering that some consider it a Swedish classic, it seems strange that it's not available. My hunch at this point is that it still exists, so I'm classifying its survival status as Hard-to-Find. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
Rick		#1463	[-]
Jul 1 12 4:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for mentioning Exhumed Movies, Doc. Don't think I'd heard of it before. And now I'm wishing I'd paid attention to those Spanish lessons back in 4th Grade...
Dave Sindelar	Kadoyng (1972)	#1464	[-]
Jul 1 12 4:50 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Kadoyng (1972) Directed by Ian Shand Featuring Leo Maguire, Teresa Codling, Adrian Hall Country: UK Company: Children's Film Foundation / Shand Pictures Ltd. Listed in "Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again" by John Stanley Fantastic content: Alien from outer space Commentary: You know, there are some plots that simply make me groan in pain at the thought of seeing the movie, and one of them is where aliens from outer space come down to Earth and help a family with their personal problems. That's the plot of this one. Granted, since this is one of the movies from CFF, I'm not really all that surprised. I like the title, though. It has five votes but no user comments on IMDB, so I don't know if the votes are from recent viewings or not. Since CFF movies are for kids, I wouldn't be surprised if the votes are from those that remember seeing it when they were young. At any rate, I'm classifying the survival status as Unknown. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
Dave Sindelar	A Lifetime (1974)	#1465	[-]
Jul 1 12 5:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	A Lifetime (1974) Director unknown Cast unknown Country unknown Company unknown Listed in "Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again" by John Stanley Fantastic content: I may not know in this lifetime. Commentary: Mystery time here. All I've got is a title and a year. The John Stanley guide has an entry for this movie, but the only comment I see is "See first edition". Now, I used to have the first edition of the John Stanley book, but it's long gone by now. There's no listing for it on IMDB or CITWF, and I don't see a listing for it in any of my other guides. Searches on the internet are useless, because you'll mostly find info about movies on the Lifetime network. So I probably know less about this movie than anything I've posted so far. My only hope is that someone out there has a copy of the first John Stanley book, and can pass on what it says about this movie; until then, I'm totally in the dark. Of course, I'm going to classify its survival status as Unknown. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
Rick		#1466	[-]
Jul 1 12 5:20 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Here ya go, Dave. From the first Stanley book: LIFETIME, A (1974) Claude Lelouch vision of a futuristic society controlled by a world ruler and inhabited by mutants. Marthe Keller.
Rick		#1467	[-]
Jul 1 12 5:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It's obviously TOUTE UN VIE (AND NOW MY LOVE). Hardly lost, since I've seen it a time or two. Never would have known it as A LIFETIME, however.
Dave Sindelar	Nightmare (1961)	#1468	[-]
Jul 1 12 5:34 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Nightmare (1961) Director unknown Featuring Senta Berger Country: Unknown Company: Unknown Listed in "Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again" by John Stanley Fantastic content: A nightmare comes true. Commentary: First of all, thanks to Rick for solving the mystery of A LIFETIME, not only do I know what the real title is, but I know how to get a hold of a copy as well. Still, we have another mystery here as well. According to the Stanley guide, a man dreams his wife is having an affair, and as he investigates, it starts coming true; it's apparently a comedy. No director is listed, and the only cast member listed is Senta Berger. However, no title for this exists on IMDB, and I've never been able to figure out from Senta Berger's filmography which film it could be. And when the title is as generic as NIGHTMARE, it's pretty hard to find information for it on the internet. If anyone has any insights into this one, it will be very helpful. For now, I'm classifying its survival status as UNKNOWN. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
doctor kiss		#1469	[-]
Jul 1 12 6:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Rick wrote: Thanks for mentioning Exhumed Movies, Doc. Don't think I'd heard of it before. And now I'm wishing I'd paid attention to those Spanish lessons back in 4th Grade... I think there have only been two issues so far,... cunningly disguising their Spanishness behind that English-language title! And continuing the theme of 'unexpected Spanishness'... Kadoyng (1972) Directed by Ian Shand Featuring Leo Maguire, Teresa Codling, Adrian Hall Country: UK Company: Children's Film Foundation / Shand Pictures Ltd. Since CFF movies are for kids, I wouldn't be surprised if the votes are from those that remember seeing it when they were young. At any rate, I'm classifying the survival status as Unknown. This certainly EXISTS: the British Film Institute has this on 35mm, but it also had a vhs release in the 1980s... in Spain, meaning that the movie was of course dubbed into Spanish. Copies online are ridiculously expensive at EUR85/US$107.50 [link], even though they come with a dvd-r copy thrown in! If ever a copy of this one turns up, though, it's possibly more likely to be Spanish-dubbed than the original English-language version... Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1943) Featuring Henriette Gerard, Ferdinand Hart, Jany Holt Country: USA Company unknown The movie has 14 votes on IMDB, but I could easily see that happening due to people mistaking it for the Amicus version. As far as I know, nobody has seen this movie in years. I'm classifying the survival status as Unknown. Max Rosenberg had distributed this first version, and liked the title so much... that he used it again twenty years later. I know that several people have actively looked for this one, and many clippings, a continuity script, full sets of lobby cards and 8x10 stills, etc. etc. have been turned up... but no print of the movie. For now, it has to be considered LOST. Nightmare (1961) Director unknown Featuring Senta Berger Commentary: First of all, thanks to Rick for solving the mystery of A LIFETIME, not only do I know what the real title is, but I know how to get a hold of a copy as well. Still, we have another mystery here as well. According to the Stanley guide, a man dreams his wife is having an affair, and as he investigates, it starts coming true; it's apparently a comedy. No director is listed, and the only cast member listed is Senta Berger. However, no title for this exists on IMDB, and I've never been able to figure out from Senta Berger's filmography which film it could be. And when the title is as generic as NIGHTMARE, it's pretty hard to find information for it on the internet. If anyone has any insights into this one, it will be very helpful. For now, I'm classifying its survival status as UNKNOWN. The title NIGHTMARE was used from 1970 when this first showed up on television in the US, and no-one can blame John Stanley for the scantness of information, because those few facts were precisely the ones given in contemporary tv column descriptions: Knowing that the husband is also a detective, though, confirms my suspicions that this can only possibly be IMMER ÄRGER MIT DEM BETT (1961; IMDb), a kind of blend of Krimi and sex-comedy in which, to be specific, the detective-husband believes his wife is a call-girl mixed up in a vice ring. The German title, literally meaning ALWAYS TROUBLE WITH THE BED, surely hits the mark more accurately than the title NIGHTMARE! The movie EXISTS, and is available (in unsubtitled German) as one of four movies in a Senta Berger DVD set which can be bought quite inexpensively through Amazon marketplace sellers in Germany (those marked 'Internationale und Inlandsversandkosten' will ship to the US): link.
dcwillis9		#1470	[-]
Jul 2 12 12:54 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	doctor kiss wrote: Nightmare (1961) Director unknown Featuring Senta Berger Commentary: First of all, thanks to Rick for solving the mystery of A LIFETIME, not only do I know what the real title is, but I know how to get a hold of a copy as well. Still, we have another mystery here as well. According to the Stanley guide, a man dreams his wife is having an affair, and as he investigates, it starts coming true; it's apparently a comedy. No director is listed, and the only cast member listed is Senta Berger. However, no title for this exists on IMDB, and I've never been able to figure out from Senta Berger's filmography which film it could be. And when the title is as generic as NIGHTMARE, it's pretty hard to find information for it on the internet. If anyone has any insights into this one, it will be very helpful. For now, I'm classifying its survival status as UNKNOWN. The title NIGHTMARE was used from 1970 when this first showed up on television in the US, and no-one can blame John Stanley for the scantness of information, because those few facts were precisely the ones given in contemporary tv column descriptions: >>>Ah ha! I thought. A movie about which even doctor kiss knows little or nothing!<<< Knowing that the husband is also a detective, though, confirms my suspicions that this can only possibly be IMMER ÄRGER MIT DEM BETT (1961; IMDb), a kind of blend of Krimi and sex-comedy in which, to be specific, the detective-husband believes his wife is a call-girl mixed up in a vice ring. The German title, literally meaning ALWAYS TROUBLE WITH THE BED, surely hits the mark more accurately than the title NIGHTMARE! The movie EXISTS, and is available (in unsubtitled German) as one of four movies in a Senta Berger DVD set which can be bought quite inexpensively through Amazon marketplace sellers in Germany (those marked 'Internationale und Inlandsversandkosten' will ship to the US): link. >>>Oh.<<<
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Camps		#1471	[-]
Jul 2 12 7:45 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	doctor kiss wrote: Dave Sindelar wrote: Shadow of the Past (1950) Directed by Mario Zampi Featuring Joyce Howard, Terence Morgan, Michael Medwin Country: UK Company: Mario Zampi Productions I've found no proof that the movie is lost, but the lack of votes or user comments on IMDB, along with my inability to locate it, does make me unsure if this one still exists. I'm classifying the survival status as Unknown. It hasn't turned up on television or at any other kind of public screening in decades, but it does certainly EXIST in the form of a 35mm print at the British Film Institute. Doctor, do you know anything about the status of Zampi's THE FATAL NIGHT ('48) with Patrick Macnee?
doctor kiss		#1472	[-]
Jul 2 12 10:13 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Camps wrote: It hasn't turned up on television or at any other kind of public screening in decades, but it does certainly EXIST in the form of a 35mm print at the British Film Institute. Doctor, do you know anything about the status of Zampi's THE FATAL NIGHT ('48) with Patrick Macnee? What I wrote for SHADOW OF THE PAST applies word-for-word to THE FATAL NIGHT as well... the most recent version of the BFI catalogue still lists a 35mm print in its holdings, but quite why all these Mario Zampi Productions features have disappeared so completely 'behind archival doors' in recent decades I can't explain. As you no doubt know, they received glowing reviews when originally released - and particularly so in the case of THE FATAL NIGHT.
Dave Sindelar		#1473	[-]
Jul 2 12 3:39 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks, Rick and doctor kiss, for your help on these movies. As for KADOYNG, even a fanatic like me can't bring myself to dish out that much money for a weak-sounding children's movie dubbed into Spanish so I can't understand it; maybe I'll just wait around and hope someone releases an affordable English language version. However, I'm really happy at having two big mysteries solved with the result that both of them are available. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
PhantomXCI		#1474	[-]
Jul 2 12 4:59 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	doctor kiss wrote: why all these Mario Zampi Productions features have disappeared so completely 'behind archival doors' in recent decades I can't explain. Both films were produced by "Mario Zampi Productions". Maybe there was no successor to the company... so the copyrights are still in effect, but there is no current claimant. It's a theory.
todmichel		#1475	[-]
Jul 3 12 12:08 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Another example is HAPPY EVER AFTER (US title: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT), 1954, with David Niven, Yvonne de Carlo and Barry Fitzgerald. I saw it in a Parisian theater when I was 15 or 16, under the title "Héritage et vieux fantômes" (= Heritage and Old Ghosts). A wonderful comedy of ghosts (real and fake ones). Loved it - then it apparently disappeared from the Earth's surface. And it was - you guessed it - another Mario Zampi production, directed by Mario Zampi. Last Edited By: todmichel Jul 3 12 12:10 AM. Edited 1 times.
dcwillis9		#1476	[-]
Jul 3 12 12:18 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	"Parisian theater"--then you had access, or nearness, to the Cinematheque Francaise! I bet they have a lot of rare/lost titles....
doctor kiss		#1477	[-]
Jul 3 12 12:57 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	todmichel wrote: Another example is HAPPY EVER AFTER (US title: TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT), 1954, with David Niven, Yvonne de Carlo and Barry Fitzgerald. I saw it in a Parisian theater when I was 15 or 16, under the title "Héritage et vieux fantômes" (= Heritage and Old Ghosts). A wonderful comedy of ghosts (real and fake ones). Loved it - then it apparently disappeared from the Earth's surface. And it was - you guessed it - another Mario Zampi production, directed by Mario Zampi. You may be pleased to hear that this came out on dvd in the UK last year, albeit in a 'no frills' version deriving from a completely unrestored print: Amazon UK link. A couple of the Mario Zampi Productions features that were originally released by Rank, THE NAKED TRUTH and TOO MANY CROOKS, have likewise made their way to dvd in the UK, via the collection of the Rank Library.
todmichel		#1478	[-]
Jul 3 12 6:22 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Well, I suppose it's better than nothing... Thanks for the info, doctor kiss. This release escaped me - not for long, now!
Dave Sindelar		#1479	[-]
Jul 3 12 8:21 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Sounds like I was pretty lucky with TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT (HAPPY EVER AFTER); I managed to find a copy about five years ago, which is when I reviewed it. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
Dave Sindelar	2069 A.D.: A Sensation Odyssey (1969)	#1480	[-]
Jul 26 12 8:14 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Time for a little more clearing of the hunt list. Here are a few other titles that have proved a little too elusive for me. 2069 A.D.: A Sensation Odyssey (1969) aka 2069 A.D. Directed by Sam Kopetzky Featuring Harvey Foster, Marsha Jordan, Harry Kay Country: USA Company: Hollywood Picture Recorders Listed in "Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again" by John Stanley Fantastic content: Reincarnation and time travel. Commentary: According to one of my sources, the story is about a man who is sent back in time to his previous incarnations to discover why he failed at love. It is not to be confused with the movie that most often comes up when I try to search for it - a softcore movie called 2069: A SEX ODYSSEY. In that movie, the choice of the year 2069 has an obvious sexual connotation; in this one, it may just be because it's one hundred years later than the year it was made. At any rate, the movie has only ten votes on IMDB, and I think there's a distinct possibility that those votes may be a result of confusion with the other movie. So, for the moment, I'm classifying its survival status as Unknown. Oh, Benson, dear Benson, you are so mercifully free from the ravages of intelligence!
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Lost and Hard-to-Find movies; the ones that got away