Ice Palace (1960)

Warner Brothers studio had a hit on their hands with Giant back in 1956. It was a dynastic epic of Texan cattle barons and oil tycoons that was adapted from Edna Ferber's best-selling novel of 1952. Since they struck black gold with that film, they instantly snatched up her latest creation "Ice Palace", which was penned in 1958. 

Ferber had spent four years researching and writing about Alaska, the salmon fishing industry, and the land's ongoing struggle for statehood in the legislature. The novel quickly became another best-seller for the author and some thought it helped contribute to Alaska becoming a state in 1959. 

Warner Brothers caught wind back in 1957 that Ferber had another sweeping novel in the works, so they quickly signed a deal for the film rights to it. Two years later, they announced that Richard Burton and Robert Ryan were to star in the upcoming film Ice Palace. One can only imagine the excitement an actor must feel when they sign on to a film expecting it to be another box-office hit, an Academy Award winner, or possibly the role they may become associated with as "their greatest screen performance". If Richard Burton or Robert Ryan had any such thoughts, they were sadly mistaken... as was the studio for investing $3.5 million into what would become a huge loss for them. 

Ice Palace in itself is not that bad of a film, especially if it were only an hour and half long, but it stretches for 2 hours and 23 minutes (yaaawn!) and one feels like the characters you are supposed to care about (Zeb Kennedy and Thor Storm) were not developed enough to begin with. By the time the story reaches into drama dealing with their children, it was already tiresome. Sadly, when granddaughter Diane McBain made her entrance, I would imagine most of the audience had already fallen asleep. 

Ice Palace tells the story of Zeb Kennedy (Richard Burton), a cannery worker who falls into the waters off Seattle after a brawl and gets pulled into a fishing boat by Thor Storm (Robert Ryan). Kennedy makes friends with Thor who teaches him salmon fishing. Later, when they arrive in Alaska, they agree to become partners and open up their own cannery.... that is, until Zeb sees Bridie Ballantyne (Carolyn Jones), Thor's fiancée, and falls in love with her. She loves him, too, so when he goes back to Seattle to obtain financing for their new venture, she expects that they will both tell Thor about their feelings for each other and get married. Wrong! Zeb instead finds out that his former employer's daughter Dorothy (Martha Hyer) has always had a soft-spot for him and he sees this as a great way to get the financing he needs from her father. So when Zeb returns to Alaska, he brings his bride Dorothy with him. Bridie confesses her shock to Thor and that's what starts a 40-year battle between Zeb Kennedy and his soon-to-be cannery empire and Thor Storm and the fishermen and Alaskan rights that he represents. 

The story to Ice Palace is enthralling and the novel is probably enjoyable but this film version just comes off as flat. The drama the characters get involved in escalate to such proportions that the film becomes a farce. I almost bust out laughing when Shirley Knight almost had her baby in a dogsled in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere - at the same time a bear was about to attack! Robert Ryan, Carolyn Jones, and Martha Hyer all do a great job with their parts but they aren't "heavy weight" entertainers who could pull off such dramatics as their roles called for. Perhaps Liz Taylor and Rock Hudson could have made this another Giant, but even with their talent I doubt it. 

Nevertheless, when you watch Ice Palace in small parts (as I did), it becomes an engrossing soap opera... even with its improbable plot. The film was shot on location in Alaska and the snow scenes are beautiful. If you can stand the dramatics, then you might enjoy watching Ice Palace on a snowy Sunday afternoon but don't go out of your way to track it down. 

"Mayday, Mayday - We're ditching this film!"

First Men in the Moon ( 1964 )

Charles Schneer and Ray Harryhausen, two of the foremost producers of sci-fi films of the 1960s, had in 1963 recently completed their sea-faring mythology extravaganza " Jason and the Argonauts "  when they decided to embark upon a screen-telling of H.G Well's famous Victorian fantasy novel "First Men in the Moon".

Filmed in astounding "Dynamation!" the movie begins in modern times with a UN space ship rocketing to the moon. Amidst cheers on Earth for the historic moment, the very first men walk on the surface of the moon.....but lo! within steps from their rocket ship these astronauts discover a flag - a Union Jack flag.  And along with the flag, a declaration ( written on the back side of a summons for Katherine Callender ) claiming British subjects had honorably walked that solitary surface in 1899....and had claimed the moon for her majesty, Queen Victoria.

Quickly a UN investigation team is dispatched to the tiny village of Dymschurch to question Katherine Callender, but when they discover that she had since died, they seek explantations from her husband Arnold who is now living in a nursing home.

After his initial shock at seeing photographs of the flag he had helped to place on the moon, he relates the story of their voyage.....

In the secluded country village in England, Arnold Bedford ( Edward Judd ) is working ( or rather....not working ) on his play. Always looking for a new way to make some money, he becomes fascinated with the scientific substance his neighbor, an eccentric scientist named Joseph Cavor ( admirably played by Lionel Jeffries ) has recently invented....Cavorite it is called. A liquid substance it be, and it deflects the force of gravitity on any object that it is painted unto. Seeing a very lucrative business opprotunity here, Arnold talks his way into becoming partners with Cavor.

Cavor explains that his main use for Cavorite will be to apply it to the surface of a bathysphere that he has constructed in his greenhouse with the intention of flying to the moon...and of course, Arnold is astonished at this fool hardy scheme...UNTIL that is, he hears the reason why. "There be gold in them thar mountains!" Ah yes, to the depths Man would fanthom for the pursuit of wealth.

And so, in no time at all our merry duo hastily prepare for their sojourn to the Moon. Unlike the book, where Bedford and Cavor remain the only passengers on this journey, the film added a female character - Bedford's fiancee, Katherine ( Martha Hyer ) known simply as "Kate" to tag along with the boys on their ride through space. A pretty addition she is too.

" Stop calling me Mrs. Bedford. We are not married! " ....." Not married?!... Madam ....kindly leave the room! "

Once on the moon we see the handiwork of model-maker extrodinaire Ray Harryhausen with magnificent space sequences, a gigantic brained Grand Lunar ( seated on a throne behind a veiled screen, much like the Wizard of Oz ), a caterpillar-like mooncalf, and a number of little Selenites....which are actually children in suits, so maybe that doesn't count as Harryhausen handiwork.

"First Men in the Moon" has always been my favorite of all of the Charles Schneer/Ray Harryhausen pictures because of the mood it evokes. There is a beautiful Victorian flavour throughout the film and the pre-moon scenes are my especially favorites ( oddly enough, these are the ones that have no special effects at all and make up about 45 minutes of the picture ).

" It's....simply.....imperial "

Laurie Johnson, one of England's most renowned television and film composers at the time, wrote a haunting and atmospheric theme to "First Men in the Moon" as well as a lovely romantic ballad that can be heard softly in the background whilst our characters are at Cherry Cottage and during the greenhouse sequences. The complete soundtrack to the film has been released on audio cd but unfortunately, is quite a rare album to find today.

Peter Finch happened to stop by the set one day to visit his good friend, Lionel Jeffries, and found himself being used for a guest spot as the baliff who serves Kate her legal summons. Aside from his appearence there are not too many well-known character actors with the exception of Milles Malleson who does one of his characterisitc dithery/absent-minded impersonations as the church registar.

" Poor Cavor...he always did have that nasty cold "

"First Men in the Moon" takes us on a wonderful light-hearted sojourn to a Victorian era, a period when the spirit of exploration was at its peak and there were new and exciting worlds just waiting to be explored....and conquered. Some say this film drags on until the scenes when they land on the moon and see the "creatures" but I disagree. But then, that may be because I have never been much of a sci-fi film fan.

Anyway, overall the film is a delight to watch and the recent DVD release has just astounding sound and remarkable color restoration. Details you never thought to notice stand out bright and bold. It is a relaxing movie and what I like best of all about it is the carefree way our heroes go about on their expedition to the moon. They pack a few cans of sardines, a couple of chickens and are off on their way in no time at all. Where modern scientists take months and months of planning and preperation for a routine space flight, Bedford and Cavor simply put on their jackets, hop in their sphere....and enjoy the ride! What comes, comes.

Quite right.....the only way to travel.

Two chumps having a jolly good time on the Moon

This post was originally published on The Absent-Minded Buccaneer blog.