House of Wax -- 1953 -- NR

The plot of a wax museum curator using corpses as wax models is a plot going way back and is doubtless the result of the lifelike appearance of wax dummies.

This version of the tale from 1953 with Vincent Price in the lead role is a good take on this tale. When his partner decides to burn the museum down in order to take advantage of the insurance money, the owner, who has an unnatural attachment to his work, takes on apprentices to do his work for him. At the same time, there are a series of murders and the corpse disappears, baffling the police. 

Only one person has seen this murderer and that is Sue Allen, but the cops don't believe her description of the assailant as he is badly burned. One might believe this to be the museum owner, but low and behold, when we see him, his face is not only normal, but he is in a wheelchair, and can't walk.

It tells a great tale in the style of a thriller approaching early slasher. The characters are decent and the only complaint I have in this one is the heroine getting herself into danger by going placs we know full well she shouldn't, though in this case, there is at least some measure of reasonable motivation.

Overall, the film works well as an old style horror tale with that macabre twist that is done so well in older films when they couldn't get much in the way of gore past the censors.

How To Marry A Millionaire -- 1953

This may be my third one of these for today, but believe it or not, I've been watching movies like crazy lately, and I've got three more backed up (four once I finish the other half of Grudge 2). Some may suggest I lay off the movies (like I'm on drugs or something), but hey, the job I want is making movies, and it is important that I study, right? :-p

Anyway, this flick comes out of the "Marilyn Monroe Diamond Collection," but ironically, Marilyn Monroe is not the lead character. She plays one of the main characters, but the film's lead is played by Lauren Bacall. Marilyn being Marilyn, I guess, she not only gets top billing now, but she's the only one on the outside of the DVD case. I guess Ms. Bacall just doesn't sell like she used to. Along with these two, even, this film has no shortage of star power for 1953 as we also get Betty Grable rounding out the top 3 here with the odd names of Loco (Grable), Pola (Monroe), and Schatze (Bacall).

The story involves 3 women moving into a plush, high class apartment they really can't afford in order to attract a millionaire husband for at least one of them. Bacall is the one making all the rules and telling him the standards she is laying down and the first person we get walking through the door is a guy who falls for Schtze, but since he isn't wearing a tie, she dismisses him as a "gas pump jockey" when in reality, he is the very millionaire she seeks. The other two are here and there as the film progresses finding their millionaires, but then finding actual love in chance meetings with other men while pursuing these million dollar guys. Our "gas pump" millionaire decides to pursue Schatze without ever telling her his worth, hoping to woo her with his charm, instead of his wallet.

The characters are all very cleverly constructed with each girl having her own unique traits and idiosyncrasies. Schtaze is miss practicality; Loco is as her name suggests and very scatterbrained, yet spoiled when it comes down to it; and Pola believes that men don't like girls with glasses, so she prefers to run into things rather than wear them, even though she is blind as a bat without them. Even the men they run with are given personalities and traits to make them a little more real than the cannon fodder they could have been.

It's a comedy and it's very funny in my opinion. The jokes and gags are delivered just right to engage the audience in some well placed laughs to enhance the enjoyment of the story.

So not only does this qualify as a classic, but it's a very enjoyable comedy as well. There are some points that feel a little dated, but if you take it as 1953, it's a lot of fun.