William Marshall Movies

Ths film takes an in depth look at the history of the vampire myth and its continuing hold on the public's imagination. Is there some truth to the legends and stories that would explain the endless fascination that humans have for the "children of the night"? William Marshall, star of the film Blacula narrates the show, which traces the vampire myth through various times and cultures. There is a wide sampling of vampire literature and lore, film clips from Hollywood's scariest vampire movies, and interviews with film stars whose work has led them to a deeper study of the vampire legend. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, Rovi

It's time to redecorate the Playhouse, and it promises to be a noisy event inasmuch as today's secret word is "House." (SCREAM REAL LOUD!) Borrowing a page from Tom Sawyer, Pee-wee tricks his friends Cowboy Curtis, Ricardo, and Miss Yvonne into doing all the work. When Reba the Mail Lady arrives to deliver Clocky, the gang unexpectedly meets two new friends: Floory and Mrs. Rene (Suzanne Kent). And to top it off, Miss Yvonne stages an impromptu tea party. William Marshall makes his debut as the King of Cartoons, bringing a vintage TV to the festivities. "Open House" was released on video in tandem with "Pee-wee Catches a Cold" in Volume 1 of Pee-wee's Playhouse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Season three of Pee-Wee's Playhouse finds the irrepressible Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) and the whole Playhouse gang (human and otherwise) back for even more hilarious adventures -- though not as many adventures as in previous seasons, inasmuch as only a handful new episodes were produced. In "I Remember Curtis," Pee-Wee reminisces about his old pal Cowboy Curtis (yes, that's a young Laurence Fishburne) with the help of clips from previous episodes. Future Law & Order co-star S. Epatha Merkerson is prominently featured as Reba the Mail Lady in "Reba Eats, Pterri Runs." Jimmy Smits guest stars as a muscular computer repairman in "Conky's Breakdown." In "To Tell the Tooth," Pee-wee must practice what he preaches after admonishing his friends not to be scared by the dentist. A frantic search is conducted for several of Pee-Wee's favorite playthings in "Mystery." A popular singing trio is spotlighted in "Dr. Pee-Wee and the Del Rubios" "Front Page Pee-Wee" finds our hero transforming the playhouse into a newspaper office. And rascally Randy accidentally causes a"Fire in the Playhouse," though Fireman Frank (Stephen Parry) prevents things from getting out of hand. ~ Rovi

The big news for season two of Pee-Wee's Playhouse is the selfsame Playhouse's "new look"--which extends to redesigning several puppet characters, notably Globey. Though Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens), Miss Yvonne (Lynne Stewart), Cowboy Curtis (Laurence Fishburne), and many other regulars are still in attendance, there are also several new faces including Suzanne Kent as neighbor lady Mrs. Rene and William Marshall as the King of Cartoons, replacing the previous season's Gilbert Lewis. The season's ten half-hour episodes include "Open House," in which Pee-wee supervises the Playhouse's makeover; "Puppy in the Playhouse," wherein our hero tries to adopt a doggy that already belongs to one of his best friends, Reba the Mail Lady (S. Epatha Merkerson); "Store," wherein Miss Yvonne goes shopping at Pee-Wee's imaginary convenience shop; "Pee-Wee Catches a Cold," an object lesson in how anything can be cured with a good dose of chicken soup; "Why Wasn't I Invited," in which a misunderstanding almost causes Pee-Wee to miss the Countess' big party; "Tons of Fun," highlighted by a lip-synched performance "That Certain Feeling" (original artist: Bob Hope); "School," which brings Christopher Columbus briefly back to the land of the living; "Spring," a study in disconsolation as Pee-Wee fails to make the baseball team; "Playhouse in Outer Space," which proves that even a secret word like "Zyzzybalubah" can crop up in casual conversation; and "Pajama Party," which delivers just what the title promises (and it's co-ed, too!) For its second season, Pee-Wee's Playhouse earned still another Emmy nomination for Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series. ~ Rovi

This is another adaptation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy. It is the sad story of Othello, Moor of Venice who is slowly driven insane by his jealous assistant Iago. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Mask of Sheba was the pilot film for a potential TV series titled Quest. Eric Braeden, Stephen Young and Corinne Camacho play three daring adventurers with a predilection for archeology. They are hired to locate a missing safari in Ethiopia. The safari had been searching for an ancient golden mask of the Queen of Sheba. Off our threesome goes to Ethiopia (which looks a lot like Mexico, where the film was shot), encountering dangers and double-crosses along the way. Mask of Sheba has enough plot for three TV movies--and none of them would have made it as a weekly series, either. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Enterprise is chosen to participate in the secret experimental testing of the M-5, a supercomputer that is designed to replace the human leaders of a starship, in this episode of the popular 1960s science fiction series. Kirk reluctantly agrees to temporary hand over his command for the duration of a test exercise, to allow the computer to prove itself amidst Starfleet military drills. A programming oversight, however, causes the M-5 to mistake the practice exercises for actual combat, leading to the destruction of a friendly vessel. Additionally, the Enterprise crew discovers that the computer will not return power to human hands or allow communication with other vessels who are unaware of the experiment. Captain Kirk and the others must discover a way to regain control of the ship or else face destruction as a rouge vessel at the hands of their own colleagues. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

This landmark Bonanza episode stars William Marshall (long before his tenure as "Blacula" and as "The King of Cartoons" on Pee-wee's Playhouse) in the role of celebrated black opera singer Thomas Bowers. Returning from a triumphant tour of Italy, Bowers encounters the rawest, most vicious forms of bigotry and prejudice when he arrives in Virginia City. Worse still, Bowers faces arrest as an escaped slave. The Cartwrights come to Bowers' aid. Others in the cast include Ena Hartman as Caroline, Kelly Thordsen as Sam, Jason Wingreen as Luke and Alice Frost as Mrs. Gable. This episode caused a stir in some areas due to its sensitive subject matter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

East Indian actor Sabu plays "himself" in this inexpensive Arabian nights farago. First we see him rescuing a abducted princess from thieves. Next we see him make like Aladdin when he recovers a magic ring. The twin plotlines are only tenuously connected, mainly because Sabu and the Magic Ring is comprised of two TV pilot films, filmed in color by the Superman production team. This is the sort of movie that only shows up on TV during baseball rain delays. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Demetrius and the Gladiators was the sequel to The Robe, and though they were released several months apart, the films were shot at the same time. Based on characters originally conceived by Lloyd C. Douglas, the film stars Victor Mature as the title character, an ex-slave who embraced Christianity after being present at the Crucifixion. Thrown in jail for defending an elderly merchant from a sadistic Roman legionnaire, Demetrius is forced to attend gladiator school and fight in the arena for the amusement of the mad, debauched emperor Caligula (Jay Robinson, likewise repeating his performance in The Robe). The well-proportioned Demetrius attracts the attention of Messalina (Susan Hayward), the nymphomaniac wife of Caligula's would-be successor Claudius (Barry Jones). Briefly losing faith in Christ, Demetrius is saved from himself by the apostle Peter (Michael Rennie). Because of contractual complications, Demetrius and the Gladiators was released to television seven years before The Robe. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This rather obscure drama has a background story more interesting than the film itself. It starred Errol Flynn who agreed to make it for long-time friend and director William Marshall. Part of Flynn's motivation was to escape a Warner's Brothers contract. The film caused controversy because it had a strong pacifistic message that did not fit the times. It is the story of an unknown soldier who describes the lives and deaths of four soldiers who died at Anzio during WW II. After making the film, Flynn and Warners came to a satisfactory agreement. He then decided he did not want the film released and so tried to have someone steal the negative of the film. Marshall, determined to release it, added outtakes, and new footage to the damaged original causing Flynn to angrily launch a lawsuit, claiming that such an anti-war film was bad for the public. The suits were never totally resolved, and the film was only shown briefly in Europe. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The 1987 portmanteau comedy feature Amazon Women on the Moon lampoons several film genres in general and the 1954 sci-fi cheapie Cat Women of the Moon in particular. Other sketches in Amazon Women include an opening bit with Arsenio Hall; a vignette titled "Son of the Invisible Man" wherein a naked Ed Begley Jr. runs around in full view of the nonplussed supporting cast; the It's Alive parody "Hospital", which offers the spectacle of Michelle Pfeiffer giving birth to Mr. Potato Head; and a Siskel & Ebert takeoff, featuring Arche Hahn as a TV viewer whose entire life is given a "thumbs down." Directed by several hands, including Joe Dante, Carl Gottleib, Peter Horton, John Landis, and Robert K. Weiss, Amazon Women on the Moon also features a satire of the Kroger G. Babb school of "sex hygiene" exploitation cheapies, with syphilis victim Carrie Fisher being counseled by unctuous doctor Paul Bartel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An intriguing blend of 70's "blaxploitation" and Exorcist clone, William Girdler's Abby is an effective and chilling film that incorporates elements of ancient African spiritualism into the conventions of the demon-possession genre. The story begins in Nigeria, where Professor Williams (Blacula's William Marshall) discovers a suggestive-looking fetish artifact in a cave once used by members of the sinister cult of "Eshu." When the relic is opened, it releases a foul-tempered Eshu demon which quickly kills several people and pursues Williams all the way back to America, where it soon enters the home of the professor's son Reverend Emmett (Terry Carter) and takes possession of the Reverend's proper and lovely wife Abby (Carol Speed). Emmett first begins to suspect something is amiss when Abby attempts suicide during a church picnic, but only after she begins vomiting in church and tormenting his congregation does he realize that her condition may not be mere insanity, and he consults his father for help. By the time the two men finally corner Abby in a sleazy bar, she has already seduced and killed several men. The exorcism is performed right in the bar, as dashiki-clad Williams incorporates both Western and African religious rituals to purge the foul spirit from Abby's body. Although Warner Brothers sought legal action against this film for its similarities to The Exorcist, this is no more of a rip-off than countless Italian variations on the formula, and its strong use of African religious traditions gives it a strength lacking in many low-budget blaxploitation films of the era. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi