I mentioned to my dear friend, Mel that I discovered another oddball gem on TCM. To be honest, I was familiar with the movie by name, but it's the only William Castle picture that had eluded me.
It's a 1974, Frankenstein-ish tale called Shanks, starring the Master of Mimes, Marcel Marceau. In this instance, Marceau portrays a persecuted puppeteer named Malcolm Shanks who's guided by an elderly scientist, also pantomimed by Marceau, who teaches the performer the remote-controlled means to make the deceased walk and on occasion, even smile. (The movie holds a dash of Roger Corman's Little Shop of Horrors and Bucket of Blood within, accompanied by Alex North's exquisite score, which is sometimes reminiscent of what Fred Katz and Ronald Stein composed for that dark-humored set.)
Sweet Mel, enthralled by my praise of this quirky submission, gifted me the above featured 11" x 14" poster, as well as a trio of matching-scale stills. They're a tad weathered (unlike the examples shared here), but evermore special for their timeworn seasoning.
The first still features Shanks with his (stand-in) mentor; the second flaunts a closeup of the latter; and the third shows Shanks puppeteering one of his defunct but reanimated adversaries.
Bizarre stuff, indeed, but would one expect anything less from director/producer Castle? The nimble Marceau amazes with his characterizations, giving the story a creepy but empathetic warmth, as do his costars Tsilla Chelton, Phillipe Clay, Helena Kalliniotes, Biff Maynard and spry Cindy Eilbacher, though a heap of credit must also be given to writer Ranald Graham for bringing it all to unorthodox life.
It's so satisfying to befriend something so unique, and I thank Mel for commemorating the fortuitous turn for me. Once again your copious generosity has fulfilled me to the iniquitous end.
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