To the Last Man

“To the Last Man” (1933), a western about two feuding families and based on a Zane Grey novel, has one of the most unusual opening credit sequences I’ve ever seen.

The technical credits come up, but there’s no cast listed. The movie begins, and lo and behold, there’s a credit. Each time a major character is introduced in a scene, the actor’s name and the character he or she plays shows up at the bottom of the scene.

Randolph Scott appears in the 20-minute mark, which means we’re still reading credits 20 minutes into the movie. It’s odd, and it’s no wonder that this never became a favored practice.

This approach, though, heightens the fun of seeing who shows up in the cast. I didn’t look at the back of the DVD box, so didn’t know who was in it save for Randolph Scott and Esther Ralston. Imagine my surprise at what a rich cast the movie offers.

The Hayden and Colby families have been feuding and killing each other for years, with no let up. The meanest of the Colbys (Noah Berry) kills one of the Haydens in cold blood, and is sentenced to 15 years in jail.

His daughter Ellen (Esther Ralston) hates all the Haydens as well. That is, until she meets Lynn Hayden (Randolph Scott), not knowing he’s a Hayden. Their feelings for each other grow stronger, to the chagrin of the Colby family. The Haydens are more accepting of her and want the feud to be over.

On the Colby side is Noah Berry and Jack LaRue. Nasty, nasty men.

On the Hayden side is Barton MacLane, Buster Crabbe, Gail Patrick and Fuzzy Knight. They all get a credit card as they are introduced. At the 34-minute mark the youngest of the Colbys has her first scene, five-year-old Shirley Temple. She doesn’t get a credit card, but in only a few years she would be one of the biggest stars of the 1930s. Why the Colbys are so mean, they even take a pot shot at Temple while she’s outside playing!

This was filmed one year before the Production Code was enforced, so there’s some scenes that would not have been approved a year later. Randolph Scott first spies Esther Ralston as she’s taking a nude swim. The camera is kept at a discreet distance when he first spots her, but he rides closer to get a better look. Way to go, Randy!

When Noah Berry finds out his daughter is in love with a Colby he takes a whip to her and his face transforms into an ugly visage of hatred. That scene no doubt gave some 1933 youngsters a few nightmares.

Director Henry Hathaway was a master at outdoor adventure movies, and “To the Last Man” is no exception. No backlots here, this was filmed entirely on location at Big Bear Lake, California. Beautiful countryside, and a fitting backdrop to this engaging tale of feuding families.

Randolph Scott was born for these kinds of western roles. Esther Ralston makes a most fetching barefoot heroine. She was the leading lady in one of my favorite silent films, “Old Ironsides” (1926), a thrilling tale of the U.S. Constitution and its campaign against the Barbary Pirates. Anyone who thinks silent movies are dull should see “Old Ironsides.”

“To the Last Man” is exceptionally well photographed, has a splendid supporting cast and a pair of very likeable lead performances. There are far worst ways to spend 70 minutes.

Rating for “To the Last Man”: Three stars.

Flash Gordon

For the last several weeks, I’ve been watching the Universal “Flash Gordon” serial from 1936. I’ve seen this several times and have always enjoyed it. It’s probably my favorite serial of the ones I’ve seen.

For 13 chapters Flash Gordon (Buster Crabbe), girlfriend Dale Arden (Jean Rogers) and Dr. Zharkov (Frank Shannon) battle the nefarious forces of Ming the Merciless (Charles Middleton), who wants to rule the universe from the planet Mongo.

It’s one of the most perfectly cast serials you will ever see. Buster Crabbe, his hair dyed blonde, was born to play Flash. Jean Rogers is beyond adorable as girlfriend Dale Arden. True, she’s pretty ineffectual as a character, fainting away left and right at every opportunity and needing to be rescued by Flash, but gosh, she sure was pretty. I don’t think any movie character ever gazed as longingly and lovingly at another character as Dale does to Flash here. Her slinky costumes also must have escaped the eyes of the censors, figuring they didn’t need to bother reviewing a serial. Boy, were they wrong. Thankfully.

Charles Middleton makes a perfect Ming, willing to crush planets wherever they may be. I love the way he looks as he schemes to figure out a way how he can turn any situation to his advantage. By all accounts, Middleton was a most genial and gentle man off camera, nothing at all like the mean and dastardly villains he often played on screen. I remember reading an interview with one of his grandchildren and she remembers going to the theater to see Grandpa Charlie causing all kinds of havoc onscreen. Instead of being traumatized, they thought it was the funniest thing they had ever seen, knowing that the grandfather they adored, and who doted on them in return, was just playing pretend.

Unlike so many other serials that do nothing more than alternate action scenes with chase scenes, and then with fight scenes, “Flash Gordon” offers as much footage to the romantic rivalry between Flash, Dale and Ming’s daughter, Princess Aura (Priscilla Lawson). Many people think Flash should have shoved the fainting, helpless Dale aside for the more alluring Aura, but not me. Aura is too aggressively odd looking, with gobs of eye makeup, and besides, did I mention how pretty Jean Rogers is?

There’s also various enemies and allies of Ming, including Prince Barin, King Thun of the Lion Men, the avuncular King Vulcan of the Hawk Men (love those wings) and the Shark Men. In one scene, Flash fights an orangopoid, which is a gorilla with a curved horn jutting out from the forehead. It’s a terrific gorilla suit, and a look at the IMDB says the orangopoid was portrayed by Ray “Crash” Corrigan. When not starring in B westerns at Republic, Corrigan owned one of the best gorilla suits in Hollywood and would rent it - with him inside it - to producers of horror, science fiction and jungle movies. I’m assuming Universal provided the curved horn. There are giant fire dragons to overcome, as well as The Mighty Masked Swordsman of Mongo.

Who’s playing King Thun of the Lion Men but James Pierce, who has earned his piece in cinematic history by playing Tarzan in the silent film “Tarzan and the Golden Lion” (1927). The man certainly had a thing for lions.

For the movie buff who grew up watching Universal horror movies, it’s fun to spot the props and sets familiar from previous movies. Isn’t the statute of the Great God Tao the same one used in the climax of “The Mummy?”(1932). There’s Flash and Dale creeping down a long, curved castle stairway, the same one from “Frankenstein.” (1931). The music cues are a compilation of classical music and familiar cues from previous scores from Universal horror films, including “Bride of Frankenstein.” (1935).

Sure the rocketships are toy models, and the fight scenes are beyond amateurish, but I enjoyed ever chapter of “Flash Gordon” (all 300 minutes!) and look forward to the sequels.

Crabbe, Rogers, Shannon and Middleton all returned for the sequel “Flash Gordon’s Trip to Mars” (1938). I haven’t seen it since it ran on Sunday mornings on Channel 9 but I remember it being good, especially the entrance scenes of the Clay People. Unfortunately, Jean Rogers is now a brunette (boo, hiss) and is considerably more covered up. Guess the censors caught up after all.

All returned for the third and final serial, “Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe” (1940) save for Rogers, who was getting ready to go on to bigger things at MGM. She was replaced by another brunette, Carol Hughes. I don’t remember much about it, save the costumes have changed and everyone runs around in Robin Hood-like garb. Some serial buffs think its best of the three, so I’m looking forward to it, but I don’t see how it can top the sheer fun and enjoyment of the original.