SHACK OUT ON 101 (1955) ¢ ¢ ¢ 1/2
D: Edward Dein
Keenan Wynn, Lee Marvin, Terry Moore,
Frank Lovejoy, Whit Bissell, Jess Barker
A nutty, fast-paced, low-budget thriller from a time when the Cold War was raging and a commie was thought to be hiding under every bed. The setting's a greasy-spoon diner - the "shack" of the title - run by nice-guy World War Two vet Keenan Wynn. Lee Marvin plays a cook called "Slob". Terry Moore's the waitress. The regulars include a watch salesman (Whit Bissell), a professor (Frank Lovejoy) and a few others - all men - who stop by to bicker and banter and ogle the waitress and sample the cherry pie. Who would guess that somebody in this bunch would be engaged in treason, aiming to subvert the American way of life? Not to give anything away, but if you ever end up in an out-of-the-way cafe and you happen to hear the cook's called "Slob", don't order the hamburger.
