The cinematographers were clearly the real stars of this particular "B" festival. Lost amid the luminaries is Mack Stengler, who deserved a better showcase for his under-the-radar talents. Instead of the plodding ARGYLE SECRETS, a film Eddie insists on shoving down people's throats due to his man-crush on Cy Endfield, there is I WOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SHOES, a sterling B-noir from veteran director William Nigh that he continues to shun as he pursues his bizarre "anti-auteur auteurism."
SHOES now exists in a wonderfully restored print, with a very creepy performance from Regis Toomey--who probably deserves a marathon day on his own, if only to help us break out of the standard programming mold. The guy was all over the map from the late 30s into the early 50s, and you could mix A's and B's together for a very satisfying tribute. Here's a first cut at that:
12:00 noon SOCIETY SMUGGLERS (1939, 70m) Toomey and Preston Foster
1:30 I WAS FRAMED (1942, 61m)
2:45 MURDER IN THE BLUE ROOM (1944, 61m) For something completely different!
4:00 DARK MOUNTAIN (1944, 56m) Toomey as genial bad guy...
5:30 THE GUILTY (1947, 62m)
6:45 THE BIG FIX (1947, 63m) Toomey as corrupt cop...
8:00 I WOULDN'T BE IN YOUR SHOES (1948, 70m) Toomey as lust-riddled cop...
9:30 CRY DANGER (1951, 79m) Do you remember restoring this one, Eddie?!
11:00 JOY RIDE (1958, 60m) Toomey will regret buying that T-bird!
Of course, we're leaving out THE BIG SLEEP and PHANTOM LADY, where Toomey's parts are pretty small, but the above nine-film tribute has a couple of EM restorations and feels more like a Lavine-fest: what's not to like?
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