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The Main Attraction (1962)
Pat Boone totally miscast
The official story is this was an attempt to allow Pat Boone to portray a grittier side in order to prepare him for meatier roles. However, watching it, I got the impression this was intended for Elvis Presley, but he, or rather Col. Parker, turned it down. This feeling was reinforced by the fact that the opening scene was practically duplicated, with minor variations, a few years later in Elvis' Roustabout. The film's failure is due to the fact that Boone doesn't have the acting talent to portray a less than savory character. This also affects the performances of the rest of the cast, all who have proved themselves elsewhere, because they have nothing, and no one, to play against. Only Kieron Moore, playing leading lady Nancy Kwan's brother-in-law, manages to accomplish a fully fleshed-out performance.
One Step Beyond: The Captain's Guests (1959)
Flip side of Dead Part Of The House
In my review of Dead Part Of The House, I pointed out how the episode belied its title and was actually benign. Here we have the opposite. The word "Guests" is intended ironically. An architect seeking escape from NYC to better concentrate on his work, moves with his wife to the New England coast. Finding a house he likes, he seeks out the realtor, who places prohibitive terms in hopes of dissuading the transaction. But the man is set on this house and accepts said terms. It turns out the house was owned by a sadistic sea captain whose crew mutinied and keel-hauled him and whose paranoia caused him to suspect his wife of infidelity and, presumably kill her. In short order, the new owner becomes possessed by the spirit of the captain.
Robert Webber, one of my personal favorite actors, handles the possession scenes well, avoiding histrionics that sometimes mar this series. The program loses credibility when a physical transformation occurs, but that is the fault of the script and director, not the actor. Jon Lormer, a serviceable supporting player, who rarely had the opportunity to perform in a role with any substance, has some nice moments as the realtor. The rest of the cast perform capably in non-demanding roles.
One Step Beyond: The Dead Part of the House (1959)
Not as scary as title implies
Warning: contains spoilers.
Despite the ominous sounding title, this is one of the most, if not *the* most, benign episodes of One Step Beyond. A recent widower (wife died in an auto accident) and his 11 year old daughter relocated from Delaware to California to move in with his sister. Father's gruff attitude leads young Ann to believe he wishes she had been the one killed. When we, the audience, are privy to his thoughts when he's alone, we realize she is not completely wrong.
The "dead part" merely refers to the fact that Aunt Minna, living alone, doesn't use the second floor. But Ann is drawn to the staircase. To placate the child, the adults take her to "explore" upstairs. While there, someone, or something beckons her to a particular room. She requests that this be her bedroom. The adults protest as to its suitability for that but agree to fix it up as a playroom.
Despite father's growing belligerence, in spite of himself, Ann makes every effort to be a loving daughter. She makes reference to her new friends who live in the room, and even named the dolls Minna gave her as a welcoming gift after them, so she says. Further along into the story, Minna becomes convinced something is there. And by program's end, even father is not totally disbelieving, for something is responsible for a parent-child reconciliation.
Phillip Abbot and Joanne Linville, both always reliable, are in fine form here, as usual. But Mimi Gibson as Ann gives what is arguably the best performance of her brief career. The one jarring note is the character of the Chinese butler, no fault of Philip Ahn, who invests his role with dignity. While it is he who explains the "secret" of the room, it is in a semi-pidgin English. While it's not as bad as other portrayals of Asians, it lacks the eloquence of Master Kan, his Kung Fu role. Why didn't Hollywood scenarists of the past believe minorities are capable of speaking in complete, grammatically correct, sentences?