Dial 1119 (1950)

Dial 1119 is not among the best known films noirs, but there is every reason it should. Dial 1119 was produced on a low budget, but is nonetheless a remarkable fan. Although it resembles a filmed play or the live television productions of its time (most of the film takes place on only two sets), it is still a very effective, very taught suspense movie. Besides this, in some ways Dial 1119 was prescient, addressing issues that would become discernible with the passage of time.

In Dial 1119 psychotic mental patient Gunther Wyckoff (Marshall Thompson) escapes from a mental hospital with the intent of finding and killing the psychiatrist who had him committed, Unfortunately, Wyckoff manages to get his hands on a gun and makes his way to Dr. Faron's apartment. Dr. Faron is not there, so Wyckoff goes to the Oasis Bar across the street. It is after the bartender realizes who Wyckoff is that the Oasis Bar finds itself hostage to the escaped mental patient as he waits for Dr. Faron.

Dial 1119 was one of the low-budget, messages films made at MGM when Dore Schary was head of the studio's "B" unit. It was also the first feature film to be directed by Gerald Mayer, the nephew of Louis B. Mayer. Gerald Mayer would go on to direct such movies as The Sellout (1952) and Bright Road (1953), but is perhaps better known for his work in television on such shows as Mission: Impossible and Mannix. The film had the working titles of The Violent Hour and The Standoff before finally being titled Dial 1119.

As a B-movie, Dial 1119 features no major movie stars, but much of its cast would be recognizable to fans of classic movies and television today Wyckoff is played by Marshall Thompson, who now may be best known s Dr. Tracy from the TV show Daktari. He already had a considerable resume, including appearances in The Clock (1945) and Mystery Street (1950). Sam Levene, who appeared in everything form After the Thin Man (1936) to Brute Force  (1947), played Dr. Faron. Leon Ames, now best known as father Alonzo Smith in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and District Attorney Kyle Sackett in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946). William Conrad played the ill-fated bartender Chuckles. Recognizable to many for the Seventies detective series Cannon, he appeared in several films noirs, including The Killers (1946) and Body and Soul (1947). He would also be the voice of Matt Dillon on the radio show Gunsmoke and the narrator on the Jay Ward cartoons Rocky and Bullwinkle and Hoppity Hooper.

Dial 1119 took its title from the telephone number "1119," a fictional police emergency number in the movie. This was part of a trend towards movie titles containing phone numbers that included Call Northside 777 (1948) and Southside 1-1000 (1950). At the time Dial 1119 was made, the only emergency number in use in the entire world was 999, which had been in use in London since 1937.The number 999 would expand other parts of Britain over the years, but it would not go into use to all of the United Kingdom until 1976. As to the emergency number 911 in the United States, it would not go into use until 1968. In many ways Dial 1119 was then well ahead of its time.

Dial 1119 was also ahead of its time in that television plays a central role in the movie. It is through the television set in the Oasis Bar that bartender Chuckles learns escaped mental patient Wyckoff is in the bar. Of course, the television set in the bar is extremely advanced for the era. For one thing, it is a flat screen television. In 1954 General Electric introduced a proposal for a flat screen display that would provide the basics for flat screen television sets to come, but there would not be a mass-produced, flat screen television until 1997. It was manufactured by Phillips. The TV set is also controlled by a remote. Zenith manufactured a remote in 1950 that was connected to the television, but it would not be 1955 that there would be a wireless remote (the Flash-Matic).

Beyond Chuckles learning that Wyckoff is in the bar through television, television also played a major role in the film in another way. It is one of the earliest movies to ever depict a television station conducting a remote broadcast. In the movie television station a remote  location from WKYL-TV pulls up outside the bar and the station begins coverage of the unfolding hostage crisis. In this way Dial 1119 also serves as one of the earliest critiques of television journalism. Indeed, WKYL-TV's coverage often gives away the police department's strategy, even was Wyckoff is in the bar with a television set.

Dial 1119 is also notable for addressing mental illness, particularly the negative attitude many had towards it at the time. As might be expected, Dr. Faron is sympathetic to Wyckoff, knowing that he cannot help having a mental disorder. Unfortunately, others are not so sympathetic. When Dr. Faron offers to go into the bar to talk to Wyckoff, the police refuse to allow him to do so. Captain Kiever of the police department even flatly tells Dr. Faron, a licensed psychiatrist, "Nobody's going to talk this guy into surrendering." While Wyckoff is the antagonist of Dial 1119, he is presented sympathetically for the most part. Indeed, he was rejected by the Army after failing his psychiatric evaluation, after which his mental disorder only got worse.

Dial 1119 was released on November 3 1950. It received a mostly positive review form The New York Times, which begins "Since crime does not pay, and melodrama about crime is only persuasive if it keeps the customers on edge, Dial 1119, the modest but effective adventure which came to the Globe on Saturday, can be listed as fitting those specifications quite neatly." Wylie Williams in the Los Angeles Evening Citizen News also gave Dial 1119 a good reviews, writing, " "Moviegoers of the fingernail-biting variety are promised a good chewing session in Dial 1119, a thriller with enough suspense to go around for everybody."

While Dial 1119 received positive notices from critics, audiences did not flock to the film in 1950. It was made for only $473,000, but only made $402,000 in the United States and Canada. As a result, it did not make a profit. While it failed at the box office on its initial release, Dial 1119 would be regularly shown on television in the Sixties and Seventies. It has since been shown on cable channels such as TNT and TCM.

Although made on the cheap, Dial 1119 is a taunt, suspense-filled film filled with some fine performances and meaningful dialogue. It was also in many ways ahead of its time, one of the earliest films to critique television journalism and one of the earliest films to treat mental disorders as something other than a plot device.

Dreamkeeper (2003)

While Native Americans are still largely absent from television and movie screens, they are more visible than they have been in decades. Television shows such as Reservation Dogs and Dark Winds and movies such as Killers of the Flower Moon (2023) and Rez Ball /(2024) have given American Indians a higher profile than they have had in many years. This was certainly not the case in 2003, when Native Americans were almost never seen on television. An exception to this rule was the two-part television movie Dreamkeeper. Dreamkeeper both centred on Native Americans and featured a primarily Native American cast.

Dreamkeeper centred on Lakota storyteller Peter Chasing Horse ((August Schellenberg) and his grandson Shane Chaing Horse (Eddie Spears) as they travel from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota to the All Nations powwow in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As they travel, Peter tells Shane legends and stories from various tribes in help his grandson embrace his Native identity. Among the stories Peter tells Shane are tales of Coyote and Iktomi the spider; the Cheyenne story of the Quillwork Girl and her seven star brothers; the story of a Chinook woman who sacrifices herself to cure her village; and the Northwest coast legend of Eagle Boy. Dreamkeeper was aired in two parts on ABC, with the first part airing on December 28 2003 and the second part on December 29 2003.

Dreamkeeper was produced by Hallmark Entertainment. Although today Hallmark is known for schmaltzy romantic comedies and Christmas movies, in 2003 they were still known for quality television movies and mini-series. They had produced the 1996 mini-series Gulliver's Travels, the 1997 mini-series The Odyssey, and the 2001 TV movie The Lost Kingdom (based on the novel Journey to the West).

While Dreamkeepr centred on Native Americans and featured a primarily Native American cast, its creators were not American Indians. It was produced by Ron McLeod, who had been a producer on the 1990s revival of The Outer Limits, and Matthew O'Connor, who was the supervising producer on the 1990 mini-series It and the 1996 TV movie Captains Courageous. It was written by John Fusco, who had written the screenplays for such films as Crossroads (1986) and Young Guns (1988). It was directed by Steve Barron, who had directed the 1984 cult film Electric Dreams and the 1990 live-action movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. While Dreamkeeper was not the creation of Native Americans, during filming advisors from the Lakota, Kiowa, Cheyenne, Pawnee, Blackfeet, Mohawk and Crow were on hand to ensure authenticity and suggest any changes that should be made.

As mentioned earlier, Dreamkeepr had a largely Native American cast, and many of those names remain recognizable to this day. Gary Farmer of Smoke Signals (1998) fame, actor and activist Floyd Red Crow Westerman, Tantoo Cardinal (known for Dances with Wolves and Smoke Signals), August Schellenberg from the Free Willy movies, and others.

Dreamkeeper had a longer production schedule than the average television movie. It was shot over four months. It also involved filming at a variety of locations, including Saguaro National Park in Arizona,  Ghost Ranch in  Abiquiu, New Mexico, Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico, Pine Ridge in South Dakota, and places around Drumheller, Alberta. Bringing some of the legends to life required considerable special effects. A few scenes even involved a stampede of 1500 bison.

Dreamkeeper received largely positive reviews. Jacqueline Cutler wrote in the December 28 2003 issue of The Los Angeles Times, "ABC’s Dreamkeeper is that rarest of miniseries for which it is worth setting aside family viewing time." Columnist Jerry Graham wrote of the TV movie, "Dreamkeeper is the best glimpse into the culture of American Indians that I have ever seen." Dreamkeeper proved popular with audiences as well. It was seen by 8 million viewers.

Dreamkeeper was released on DVD and remains available in that format. It is also available on streaming, on Peacock, Amazon, and Freeveee. The two-part movie also remains loved by many, as evidenced by a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It is easy to understand why Dreamkeeper would still be loved by audiences. It was in many ways a pioneering television movie. At a time when Native Americans were virtually invisible in movies and television, it presented both modern day Native Americans (Peter and his son) and legends from various Native American cultures. What is more, it was a very well-done production. Dreamkeeper may not be particularly well-known today, but it really should be.

Alan Rachins Passes On

Alan Rachins, who appeared on the shows L.A. Law, Dharma & Greg, and Rizzoli & Isles, died on November 2 2024 at the age of 72. The cause was heart failure.

Alan Rachins was born on on October 3 1942 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He grew up in Boston. He graduated from Brookline High School and then attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania for two years before he moved to New York City to pursue a career in acting.

Alan Rachins made his debut on Broadway in 1967 in After the Rain. In the late Sixties he appeared on Broadway in Hadrian VII and Oh! Calcutta!. It was in 1972 that he became a fellow in the writing and directing programs at the American Film Institute (AFI). He was an AFI intern to director Arthur Penn on the movie Missouri Breaks (1976). He went onto direct an episode of the short-lived show Paris, and to write episodes of Hart to Hart and The Fall Guy.

Alan Rachins made his television debut in 1975 in the television movie Fear on Trial. In the late Seventies he guest starred on the shows The White Shadow, Barnaby Jones, Dallas, and Paris. He made his film debut in 1982 in the movie Time Walker. In the Eighties he appeared in the movies Alway (1985), Thunder Rain (1985), and Heart Condition (1990). It was in 1986 that he began his stint as Douglas Brackman, Jr. on the hit TV show L.A. Law. He guest starred on the show Brothers, D.C. Follies, J.J. Starbuck, and Ferris Bueller. He appeared in the TV movie Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer.

In the Nineties Alan Rachins continued to appear on L.A. Law. It was in 1997 that he began playing Larry Finkelstein on the sitcom Dharma & Greg. He played the Clock King on Batman: The Animated Series. He guest starred on the shows Ferris Bueller, The Golden Girls, Tales from the Crypt, Courthouse, The Outer Limits, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Diagnosis Murder, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, Stargate SG-1, and Love Boat: The Next Wave. He appeared in the mini-series Lady Boss. He appeared in the movies North (1994), Terminal Voyage (1995), Showgirls (1995), Meet Wally Sparks (1997), Leave Ito  Beaver (1997), and Unwed Father (1997).

In the Naughts he continued to appear on Dharma & Greg. He was the voice of Norman Osborn on the animated series The Spectacular Spider-Man. He guest starred on the shows The In-Laws, Just Shoot Me!, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Close to Home, Eli Stone, and Surviving Suburbia.

In the Teens Alan Rachins played Stanley on Rizzoli & Isles. He guest starred on the shows Happy Endings, Good Luck Charlie, The Crazy Ones, Mom, The Middle, General Hospital, and Grey's Anatomy. He was a voice in the movies  Answers to Nothing (2011) and Scooby-Doo! Mecha Mutt Menace (2013). In the 2020s he guest starred on Young Sheldon and NCIS.

Alan Rachins was a remarkable character who could play a wide variety of characters. As Douglas Brackman, Jr., the Managing Partner of Mackenzie, Brackman, he was boorish, self-important, and pompous. Ageing hippie Larry Finkelstein couldn't be any further from Brackman. Larry believes in several different conspiracy theories (usually centred around Richard Nixon) and can generally clueless. Stanley on Rizzoli & Isles was different from either Brackman or Larry. Stanley is essentially a grumpy old man who is entirely devoted to Divisuon One Cafe at the Boston Police Department.  Alan Rachman had a knack for crafting a wide array of unusual characters, from lawyers to scientists to supervillains.

The Late Great Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones, the legendary record producer, composer, and songwriter who worked with artists from Count Basie to James Ingram, died on October 31 2024 at the age of 91.

Quincy Jones was born in Chicago on March 14 1933. His mother was committed to a mental hospital when he was 7 years old. His father later divorced his mother and remarried. It was in 1943 that his father moved the family from Chicago to Bremerton, Washington, They later moved to Seattle, where Quincy Jones attended Garfield High School. It was while he was in high school that he honed his skills as a trumpeter and took an interest in music composition and arrangement. Quincy Jones attended Seattle University for a semester before transferring to Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship.

Quincy Jones left college to play trumpet with Lionel Hampton. He left Mr. Hampton in 1954 and moved to New York City. It was in 1956 that he signed with ABC Paramount Records In the Fifties he played as a sideman for such artists as Clifford Brown, Dizzie Gillespie, and Art Farmer. His first album, recorded with drummer Roy Haynes, Jazz Abroad was released in 1955. During his career he released 36 albums, the last being Q Soul Bossa Nostra.

The first album on which Quincy Jones served as a composer was Standards by Ray Anthony in 1954. The first album he produced was Helen Merrill's self-titled debut album in 1955. Over the years he produced albums by such artists as Art Farmer, Billy Eckstine, Dizzie Gillespie, Little Richard, Leslie Gore, Sarah Vaughn, Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Patti Austin, and Frank Sinatra. He produced such hits as "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore and Michael Jackson's album Thriller. He served as an arranger for many artists, including Big Maybelle, Dinah Washington, Diahann Carroll, Ray Charles, Dizzy Gillespie, Count Basie, Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Frank Sinatra, and Lena Horne.

During his career Quincy Jones composed themes for such television shows as Ironside, The NBC Wednesday Mystery Movie, Sanford and Son ("The Street Beater"), and Now You See It. He also composed the soundtrack for the mini-series Roots .He composed the soundtracks for such movies as The Pawnbroker (1964), Mirage (1965), The Slender Thread (1965), Walk Don't Run (1966), The Deadly Affair (1967), Enter Laughing (1967), In the Heat of the Night (1967),  In Cold Blood (1967), Mackenna's Gold (1969), The Italian Job (1969), Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (1969), Cactus Flower (1969), The Anderson Tapes (1971), The Getwaay (1972), and The Wiz (1978).

Beyond his music career, Quincy Jones served as a producer on such movies as The Color Purple (1985), Stalingrad (1990), Steel (1997), and The Color Purple (2023). He produced such TV shows as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, In the House, and MADtv.

Quincy Jones did nearly everything in music. He played music. He arranged music. He produced records. He scored movies. Beginning his career as a remarkable trumpeter, he became a remarkable producer, arranger, and composer. Many of his compositions remain iconic, including the song "In the Heat of the Night" and the Sanford and Son theme "The Streetbeater." He produced some huge hits, from "It's My Party" by Lesley Gore to "Beat It" by Michael Jackson. Quincy Jones had an enormous impact on music that is still being felt.

The Late Great Greg Hildebrandt

Illustrator and artist Greg Hildebrandt, who worked both with his late twin Tim and on his own, died on October 31 2024 at the age of 85. The Brothers Hildebrandt were known for their iconic Star Wars (1977) and Clash of the Titans (1981) posters. Both with is brother and on his own, Greg Hildebrandt was also known for his work on The Lord of the Ring calendars, DC Comics, and Marvel Comics.

Greg and Tim Hildebrandt were born on January 23 1939 in Detroit. They were only six years old when they started drawing their own comic books. They were heavily influenced the style of classic Disney animated movies such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), and Fantasia (1940). Comic books, paperback covers, and the work of Maxfield Parrish and Norman Rockwell were also influences.

The Brothers Hildebrandt took a six-month class at the Meinzinger Art School in Detroit. By 1959 they were painting professionally. They did some work for the Detroit-based Jam Handy Organization, who created industrial films and sales films. It was in 1963 that they moved to New York City where they went to work for Fulton J. Sheen providing art for his TV series Life is Worth Living.

The Brothers Hildebrandt created the art work for the Lord of the Rings calendars that Ballantine Books published from 1976 to 1978. It was in 1977 20th Century Fox approached the twins about creating poster art for the release of the Star Wars (1977) in the United Kingdom. While a poster had already been created by artist Tom Jung, the studio considered it too dark. The Brothers Hildebrandt then created the famous Style"B" poster for Star Wars (1977). The Brothers Hildebrandt developed thier own idea for a fantasy movie called Urshurak. Failing to ever sell it as a film, Urshurak was published as a graphic novel in 1979. They later created the poster for Clash of the Titans (1981).

It was following their work on the Clash of the Titans poster that Greg and Time began to work separately. He did covers for the magazines Omni and Heavy Metal. He also illustrated covers for books from Dracula to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to The Phantom of the Opera. He created covers for the Trans-Siberian Orchestra's albums, as well as their merchandise. He also did work for DC Comics, Marvel Comics, and Wizards of the Coast. He also illustrated his own book, Greg Hildebrandt’s Favorite Fairy Tales (1984) and in 1999 began work on a series of 1940s-1950s style pinups called "American Beauties."

The Brothers Hildebrandt were very much a part of my childhood and teen years given their work with The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. And I always appreciated their art more so than many other artists of time. They had a realistic style with a richness of colour rarely seen in the work of other fantasy illustrators. Indeed, even after Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies had come out, it is still their illustrations that come to my mind when I think of the novel. Of course, Greg Hildebrandt worked separately from his brother, and he did a lot of great work. From the over of the Black Sabbath album The Mob Rules to his "American Beauties" pinup series, he created a wide variety of artwork. It has been nearly fifty years since I first saw Greg Hildebrandt's work, and he still remains one of my favourite artists.