milquetoast29

This William Castle film of a Robert Bloch script may not be cricket for the modern moviegoer, force-fed junk like "Scream" or "I Know What You Did Last Summer", but it is actually a tidy little horror flick that utilizes some fine actors in the twilight of their careers. Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck, though rather subdued in these strange parts, both add a sense of depth to the proceedings; and whilst, the directing and pace are a bit clunky, it does instill a creepy mood, which goes a long way in this genre. Not a must-see by any means, but better than your average Saturday night on Cinemax.

This all but lost 1951 version of Arthur Miller's American masterpiece was nominated for several prestigious Academy Awards in 1952, including Best Picture. That it has never been officially released on video is a shame, for, quite simply, Fredric March's go around as Willy Loman is a absolute treasure. The supporting cast are uniformly excellent; the mood and tone are consistently melancholy; the sets are spare, even stagy; and, most important, the pace is as brisk as this play will allow. Please search out this one out on TV-- you will not be disappointed.