Hugo Haas

Writer-Producer-Director-Star Haas is pretty good on all counts here in this story of a rich junkyard owner (Haas) who meets and marries a showgirl (Moore), making his mechanic and wingman Stevens very very jealous. The film could use another 10 minutes, however, to fill in a little more of the back story of Haas's character who at one point is said to have tortured his first wife to death. It's never quite clear if he is evil or just manipulative. But it's an interesting performance from a man who had an interesting life. There are also some performances that are well worth watching by little known, but fairly well-employed, character actors like Pat Goldin, who plays an undertaker. Haas' real-life girlfriend also turns up as a lion tamer. I have to pass along news of her death. Any time I watch one of the old movies, I find myself obsessively looking up all the cast on imdb.com to see what happend to them or if any are especially long-lived and still around. Here's the tragic end of lion tamer Dolores Reed: "In 1960, she married Boyce Leon Mosco, a salesman and heroin addict, who once was convicted of armed robbery. They had one daughter, Melody Mickles Mosco born on May 15, 1961. Falling on hard times three years later, he, Dolores and others tried to rob an armored truck but failed and managed to flee. A frightened Dolores hid out at home where she died of a heroin overdose the following day." Ms. Reed was just 30. Cleo Moore was lucky--she only died of a heart attack at age 48.… (altro)