The next Film Master‘s release continues the love for exploring the catalogue of Roger Corman‘s films. In this third instalment of the series which looks at his time with Filmgroup, The Devil’s Partner, is the focus. And the joy comes from looking at how Ed Nelsen (who would later be best known as Dr. Michael Rossi in Peyton Place) handled switching back and forth between two characters.
At the start of the film, he’s the crazed Pete Jenson, an elderly man about to make a bargain with the devil. He dies, and in no time, a mysterious Nick Richards shows up to the dusty, fictional town of Furnace Flats, New Mexico claiming to be the nephew of the said individual, and nobody bats an eye. Not even the sheriff is wise to notice the two look similar. Usually, the genes pass on more than a trait. When Pete can’t get the affection of a woman, he’s developed an interest in, and he’s old enough to be her father, it’ll take a good ol fashioned story to show just how wrong he is to make a pact with some devil.
Although this tale doesn’t fully concern the Faustian bargain, what’s presented clearly takes a few inspiration from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s story, even though others would say it’s one of the early works to introduce the satanic panic. What’s written by Stanley Clements and Laura Jean Mathews presents that love interest from a different perspective. Nell (Jean Allison) already has a beau, and Nick plots to kill him. But David (Richard Crane) survives and eventually, that leads to the whole town wondering what’s going on.
Charles R. Rondeau heightens the mystery with his direction, and that’s when the fun really begins. Corman’s Filmgroup didn’t pick up the rights to distribute his film until after it was seen. It was packaged with Creature from the Haunted Sea, and to emulate that sense of viewing it at a drive-in theatre back in the day, the home video release offers the same experience. And for fans, the bonus materials offer up insights that are often missed since teens have other things in mind when there.
Also, the setting felt strangely familiar; I kept on thinking of the Andy Griffith Show. When the Sheriff’s office looks like everything I remember from that television program, I couldn’t get that thought out of my mind. Although the entrance isn’t positioned at the same place, that sense was validated when I finally got to listen to Larry Strothe, James Gonis, Shawn Sheridan and Matt Weinhold of the Monster Party podcast said on the commentary track.
And aside from a clear-cut case of not asking why Nick has opted to stay in this laid back town, that’s because sorting out the affairs of a deceased individual takes time!
The home video release offers both a theatrical and televised cut, where the significant difference is in the matting of the work in Devil’s and two versions of Haunted Sea where the runtime is noticeable. For the latter, there are portions which were hard to restore, and they were left as is. And to see what’s changed, a short is included to show the before and after. One problem concerned camera exposure which some elements still looked quite dark.
Amongst the special features are audio commentaries (which are great at looking at the working history of the talents involved in the making of), “Intruders: The Filmgroup Story Part 3” and “Roger Corman: Remembering Filmgroup.” Here, he talks how The Terror was handled. Although this bit doesn’t offer a lot of new information which was stated in the home video release of that film, to hear it late doesn’t feel out of place. Anyone who has been following these recent releases will be glad since these mini-docs are building upon one another, and I can’t wait to see what the next release will entail.
The Devil’s Partner Home Video Release Teaser
