Two on a Guillotine
Two on a Guillotine | |
---|---|
Directed by | William Conrad |
Screenplay by | John Kneubuhl Henry Slesar |
Story by | Henry Slesar |
Produced by | William Conrad |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sam Leavitt |
Edited by | William H. Ziegler |
Music by | Max Steiner |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Two on a Guillotine is a 1965 American horror film produced and directed by William Conrad and starring Connie Stevens. The screenplay by John Kneubuhl and Henry Slesar is based on a story by Slesar.[1][2] The movie would be the first in a series of low-budget suspense dramas made by Warner Bros in the vein of the successful William Castle films,[3] and was followed by My Blood Runs Cold and Brainstorm, both also released in 1965 with Conrad as director. A fourth movie, The Thing at the Door, was proposed, but never made.[4]
Plot
John Harley Duquesne, a
Reporter Val Henderson offers to stay with her when he learns Duquesne promised to return in spirit form during Cassie's week-long vigil. As the days pass, the two encounter a number of spooky happenings, leading to a climax in which the very-much-alive Duquesne attempts a recreation of his guillotine trick, this time with his daughter as an unwilling assistant.
Henderson fights Duquesne, trying to prevent him from activating the guillotine, but accidentally releases the catch; a dummy's head falls from the guillotine causing Duquesne to break down thinking his wife has been killed. Henderson rescues Cassie as the police come to arrest Duquesne.
Cast
- Connie Stevens as Cassie/Melinda Duquesne
- Dean Jones as Val Henderson
- Cesar Romero as John Harley Duquesne
- Parley Baer as Buzzy Sheridan
- Virginia Gregg as Dolly Bast
- John Hoyt as Carl Vickers
Production
Two on a Guillotine was one of a series of movies financed by Warner Bros which were made by directors who had previously worked primarily in television, such as Conrad, Lamont Johnson and Jack Smight.[5]
Filming started in June 1964, and lasted three weeks.[6]
Stevens was under contract with Warner Bros. She said, "I thought the script was stupid when I read it but I came away thinking, 'yeah, it could have happened.' That's the challenge, to make something like this believable."[7] She made the movie immediately before her series Wendy and Me, and asserted that it "could have been a Class A thriller if they'd spent more money on it." She noted that the feature did garner Conrad a seven-year contract with the studio, however.[8]
Two on a Guillotine was the last movie scored by Max Steiner. He commented, "it wasn't a picture, it was an abortion ... The guillotine was placed in the wrong place ... they should have cut off William Conrad's head for producing the thing."[9]
Critical reception
In his review in The New York Times, Howard Thompson called the film "a dull, silly, tedious clinker" and "an old-fashioned, haunted-house spooker."[10] The Los Angeles Times called it "an unusually appealing love story" with "genuinely spine-tingling suspense."[11]
TV Guide rates it two out of a possible four stars, calling it "a standard haunted house thriller."[12]
Home media
The film was released on DVD on June 22, 2010.[13]
Comic book adaptation
See also
References
- ^ Two on a Guillotine DVD – Warner Bros.
- ^ "Two on a Guillotine". Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 33, Iss. 384, (Jan 1, 1966): 112.
- ^ "Two on a Guillotine". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ "Warner Bros. Pictures' Net Rose in 3 Months: Improvement Is Termed General; 2nd Fiscal Quarter Earnings Expected After Year-Ago Loss". Wall Street Journal 4 Feb 1965: 6.
- ^ "Warner Gambling on New Directors: Hugh Griffith, Schell Signed: Rita Tushingham Has 'Knack'". Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 27 Oct 1964: C9.
- ^ "Harve Presnell Signs for Non-Singing Role". Los Angeles Times 9 June 1964: C8
- ^ "Connie Stevens Makes a Big Hit: Teen-Agers Go Wild When They See Her". Maher, Mary. Chicago Tribune 15 Feb 1965: b1.
- ^ "An Eager Connie Stevens Casts an Eye on the Big Star Category". Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times 10 Jan 1965: B6.
- ^ McClelland, Doug (1989). Hollywood talks turkey: the screen's greatest flops. Faber and Faber. p. 85.
- ^ Thompson, Howard (January 14, 1965). "Two on a Guillotine (1965) Double Chop Chop". The New York Times.
- ^ "Thriller Is Stylish, Romantic". Thomas, Kevin. Los Angeles Times 12 Feb 1965: C14.
- ^ "Two on a Guillotine". TV Guide.
- ^ Remastered Sixties Classic Two on a Guillotine Heading to DVD
- ^ Dell Movie Classic: Two on a Guillotine at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Dell Movie Classic: Two on a Guillotine at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
External links
- Two on a Guillotine at IMDb
- Two on a Guillotine at the TCM Movie Database
- Two on a Guillotine at AllMovie
- Two on a Guillotine at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Review of film at Cinema Retro
- Two on a Guillotine at BFI