ShangLuda Admirable film.

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Griff Lees Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Michael_Elliott The Girl in Black Stockings (1957) ** (out of 4)Bizarre thriller set in a Utah resort where the body of a woman is found brutally sliced up. David Hewson (Lex Barker) was supposed to have gone out with the woman but instead went with someone else (Anne Bancroft) and soon he's looking into who did the brutal murder. It's important to note that THE GIRL IN BLACK STOCKINGS came out three years before PSYCHO or PEEPING TOM and while this film here isn't nearly as good as those two, it's worth saying that this one here beat them in regards to murder and mental illness. It also beat those two masterpieces by showing and discussing some graphic murder scenes first. This film here is too uneven and at times too poorly done to be considered "good" but I think fans of the genre are going to find enough interesting things here to make it worth viewing. I'm not going to ruin the ending but I will say that the final fifteen-minutes are extremely well done and manage to be quite creepy as well. I really liked how the film played itself out and once you see who is responsible and why the murders were done, well, it's very nicely handled. Barker, best known for his stint as Tarzan, does a pretty good job here as he's at least interesting enough to help the viewer go through the entire film. He manages to carry the film without a problem but Bancroft also deserves a lot of credit as she too is extremely good. Ron Randell is also good in his role as a paralyzed man and Marie Windsor, a noir vet, is good as his sister. Cult favorite Mamie Van Doren also briefly appears. Barker not only acted in the film but he also did the music score, which is quite effective. The problem with the film is that some of the supporting performances aren't all that memorable and there are times where the direction is a bit sloppy. Some of the dialogue could have been better written as well. Still, this film manages to set itself apart from a lot of other mysteries from this period and the good things here make it worth sitting through at least once.

dougdoepke A lot of talent is wasted in this turgid misfire. At this point in his career, director Howard W. Koch had proved himself an efficient overseer of crime dramas-- Big House USA; Shield for Murder et al. Here however his usual expert pacing dissolves into a number of static, uninvolving scenes with way too much dialogue for a slasher film. Then too, note the lack of reaction when suspect Frankie backs into a log-cutting machine. The sheriff (John Dehner) and his deputy merely stand there expressionless, with no help from the director, after observing what is presumably a very gory accident. My guess is that Koch took one look at the script and decided to walk through the rest.In fact, the real problem is the script, which is about as confusing as a whodunit gets. Note the five-minute explanation Dehner has to deliver in order to tie-up loose ends in the movie's last scene. Not only is his solution as complicated as a problem in higher math, but I suspect the audience has long since lost interest, anyway. Not helping either is Ron Randell's teeth-clenching attempt to play the role of a mordantly depressed cripple. But then, who could bring off all that goofy sarcasm that the script sticks in his mouth.The real crime is not using such ace performers as Marie Windsor and Anne Bancroft to better effect, especially Windsor whose role could have been filled by a dozen lesser actresses. Note also how sexpot Mamie Van Doren's one big high-cleavage scene is highlighted. No doubt that one showed up on all the promotion posters during the age of the busty blonde. Also wasted is the spectacularly scenic landscape around Kanab, Utah, where the movie was filmed. Instead, the action only leaves the nondescript resort grounds once, to go to the lumber mill. In fact the whole production seems a curious affair-- almost like a bunch of Hollywood types suddenly found themselves at the same Southwestern resort and decided to shoot a movie, typing up the script each night after a heavy cocktail hour. Anyhow, whatever the backstory, the resulting film amounts to a plodding and talky misfire that likely never got closer than the farthest drive-in from town.

Poseidon-3 Notable for its eclectic cast and authentic setting, this odd little murder mystery has entertainment value in spite of itself. Set at (and filmed on location at) the Parry Lodge in Utah, it stars Barker as a handsome and tan ladies man who finds himself investigating the people around him when a young woman is found brutally slain. Before the murderer is caught, several others wind up six feet under. A particularly oddball batch of characters make up the list of suspects including Bancroft as Barker's mousy girlfriend, Randell as a paraplegic with a strong resentment towards loose women, Windsor as his overprotective sister and Holland as a somewhat lecherous movie producer. Other faces include Van Doren as a platinum blonde starlet, Dehner as the local sheriff, Van der Vlis as a fellow motel guest and Chance as a stone-faced, heavy-drinking Indian. The story is as pat and tawdry as any pulp paperback novel, though the murders and the sex all take place offscreen. The film is aided immeasurably by the location shooting around a real motel that is still in operation today (and was the favorite boarding choice of many old time Hollywood stars and crews who were using the surrounding terrain when filming movies.) Barker, a former Tarzan, is bronzed and strong, offering several glimpses of his physique in and around the pool. His acting is adequate and unspectacular. Bancroft gives a pretty tightly reined and low-key performance through most of the film. Randell is the exact opposite. Sporting a truly bizarre accent and over-acting horrendously at every opportunity, despite (or maybe even due to) his character's disability, he is frequently a source of unintentional giggles. Windsor fares better in her clichéd role of the loving sister, devoting herself to his every need. Dehner does a nice job as the ineffectual lawman while Van Doren camps it up in tight dresses and dark lips with her white hair cascading to one side. Chance is another one who creates laughter with his robotic, off-center portrayal of a man with a low station in life. Small roles are played by future stars Whitman as a concerned husband and Blocker as the lodge's bartender. There's nothing life-changing about this rather run-of-the-mill movie, but it offers some decent black and white photography and an intriguing assortment of actors, along with an ending that may surprise some viewers. All of this is only partially tarnished by what appears to be a never-ending tribute to some of the ugliest wallpaper in film history! Costumes are by The Pink Pussycat, a retail store located right there at the lodge! Incidentally, the title of the film has little or nothing to do with the plot or characters as they exist in the finished product.

Ripshin Frankly, this a lame "B" flick, with hilarious dialogue, great locations and uneven performances.To even utter the phrase "film noir," in conjunction with this film, is ludicrous. Some of the comparisons found in previous posts are mind-boggling.Disposable characters, inane conversations and an annoying soundtrack are buffered by a wonderful setting - a kitschy, picture-perfect motel, straight out of a retro-fanatic's dream. Man, I want to stay at the "Parry Lodge" for a weekend!!Every time actor Ron Randell opens his mouth, you know you're in for some scenery-chewing, par none. Lex Barker is, well, Lex Barker. "Sheriff" John Dehner comes across the least scathed, although as a previous comment did point out, he appears to have wandered in from another movie set.All in all, worth a viewing, just to see what it meant to stay in a "motel" before Holiday Inn and Ramada ruined the experience.UPDATE: Lodge is still up and running - see parrylodge.com!