Director Sam Fuller had a fascinating life but you wouldn’t know it from your post. A newspaperman and crime reporter. Infantry soldier during World War II. A man who deserved and got both a Bronze Star and a Silver Star.

He made unique, startling and stunning movies. Again, this seems to be a secret you are keeping from your readers. These include: Fixed Bayonets, Pickup on South Street, House of Bamboo, Run of the Arrow, Crimson Kimono, Shock Corridor, Naked Kiss, Big Red One. You might have briefly mentioned each of these amazing films and talked about why they are worth seeing. Fuller’s work is not as well known as John Ford’s.

So far, you also don’t care to bother the readers by revealing much of the plots. This is unlike your Morlock colleagues. One of your Morlock chums wrote about Crinsom Kimono and talked about its story. I read your review of Thieves After Dark and I still don’t know what the damn thing is ABOUT! The problem with talking about only a couple of scenes is that you – and I do mean YOU – generally write about movies few movielovers have heard of, much less viewed.
When you wrote about another film, Me and My Gal, you loved talking about its scene spoofing Strange Interlude. I know the movie and don’t think much of the scene myself and also know that other studios and stars bashed that play around that time; I believe Groucho makes fun of it in Animal Crackers.

You’re not the only one who can dredge up obscure stuff. You mention that Fuller got disenchanted and relocated to France when White Dog floundered. But in an interview in 1968 in his Los Angeles home with Eric Sherman and Martin Rubin he gave details on future projects that he wanted to do, including a couple movies he wanted to make in France. The one he did from that list of projects he mentioned was Big Red One.

Or, to sum this all up, You’re a Knucklehead.

Don’t take this too hard. I regretted that email to Moirafinnie after I sent it.

I also said that I could be wrong.

Years ago, when reviewing a play featuring actor Sidney Blackmer George S. Kaufman called him “the worst actor in the world.” Blackmer sued Kaufman and his paper and won. Inevitably, Kaufman had to write about Blackmer again. He saved his critique of his performance until the last line of his newspaper review. He wrote: “As for Sidney Blackmer, he wasn’t up to his usual standard.”

Yet, when you see Blackmer in films like Duel in the Sun, he seems quite accomplished.

Maybe there’s hope for you yet.

Also, I make you a promise. When I next respond to one of your posts I will not steal Kaufman’s line and say that you are not up to your usual standard.

Good luck!

Very interesting post on a film I knew nothing about, probably because I am a fair-weather Fuller fan. Love him when he’s great but not so loyal when he’s not so great.

But, nicely done.

Thanks for writing this appreciation, Rob. You’ve introduced me to a film I might never have known about otherwise.

It was supposed to be released on DVD by Fantoma years ago, but was caught up in rights squabbles. Christa Fuller even recorded a commentary track for it.

If you can, check out “Dead Pigeon On Beethoven Street.” It has far crazier story and style than “Thieves After Dark”, and is almost as obscure (“Dead Pigeon” at least got screened at the 2007 retrospective).