The Intruder [The Stranger] **** (1962, William Shatner, Frank Maxwell, Beverly Lunsford) – Classic Movie Review 3777

Producer-director Roger Corman’s provocative and harrowing 1962 drama stars William Shatner as white-suited fervent habitual racist Adam Cramer, who comes into Southern American towns inciting racism and revolt over enforced school integration. But, as violence escalates, a newspaper editor called Tom McDaniel (Frank Maxwell) fights back.

This is a powerful, serious-minded low-budget ($90,000) movie from Corman, realistically and well made on location (Charleston, Missouri), and effectively written by Charles Beaumont (from his own novel), who also appears as Mr Paton.

The film’s box-office failure discouraged Corman from trying other serious subjects. Corman: ‘We risked our lives on this one and then the film bombed. Awful. My only solace was that it received many fine reviews.’

Corman allegedly blamed Shatner’s performance for the box-office failure, and Shatner jokingly suggested years later that the re-release title I Hate Your Guts! was probably aimed at him.

Also in the cast are Beverly Lunsford, Robert Emhardt, Jeanne Cooper, Leo Gordon, Charles Barnes, Katherine Smith, William Nolan, Phoebe Rowe, Bo Dodd and Walter Kurtz.

Beaumont had just worked on Corman’s Poe adaptation The Premature Burial (1962).

Corman celebrated his 90th birthday on April 5 2016. Film director Jonathan Demme said: ‘Roger is arguably the greatest independent film-maker the American film industry has seen and probably ever will see.’

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3777

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