MURDER HE SAYS
MURDER HE SAYS-
Anything with Hillbillies in it creeps me out and "Murder he says" is the creepiest of Hillbilly movie I have ever seen! This stars Fred MacMurray as Pete Marshall, Pete's out in the woods somewhere to look for a missing coworker. The coworker is presumed dead, murdered by a family of rednecks by the name of the Fleagles. This movie is a combination of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Beverly Hillbillies".
Grandma Fleagle is played by Mabel Paige, a mean old whiskey drinking, whip carrying, cold blooded killer, she is the leader of this band of inbreed. Peter Whitney plays a dual role of hillbilly twins and the strange raggedy daughter is played by Jean Heather, she is suppose to be mentally ill (they usually are when the parents are brother and sister) but she is the one who holds the key to the hidden treasure that everyone is looking for.
The clue to the secret it is locked in her mind via a little song she kept singing to herself. A catchy little number that all NPR listeners are familiar with, it shares the same opening notes to the theme song of "ALL THINGS CONSIDERED".
posted by M.G.M at
12:50 PM
1 Comments:
At last, a movie that I have actually seen, discounting "Strangers..." and "Dear Heart", both of which were viewed so long ago that I've become twice the person that I was then!
"Murder, He Says" is indeed quite a romp in the hayloft. The Master MGMster is quite correct in his description of the movie. I don't recall how he described it but it didn't rub me the wrong way so I have no issues with whatever it was he said. He is, however, mistaken in the name of the actress who portrayed the whip-wielding woman of the house. She was portrayed, of course, by Marjorie Main, paramour of Spring Byington and familiar voice talent of many a Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon, in particular "Fractured Fairy Tales". In this particular cinematic venture she combines terror and humor devilishly well in her role as a sadistic female head of the household. The basement scenes are , to borrow a bit of backwoods jargon, high-larious. The scene where Fred sits atop the fallen twin and interacts with his twitching legs is a fine example of masterful comic timing. Who knew Steve Douglas had such a knack for broad comedy? Word on the celluloid street is that Steve Martin viewed this scene endlessly as he developed his bi-gender walk in "All of Me".
"Murder, he says" is a neglected masterpiece of broad comedy and sadistic horror. Two glow-in-the-dark thumbs up!
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