Arlene Dahl Movies

The history of color photography in motion pictures is lovingly detailed with vibrant film clips and first-person interviews in this 60-minute cable TV special. Beginning with such experimental processes as hand-tinting each frame of film (a specialty first of Edison, then perfected by the French Pathe company) and the "Kinemacolor" technique (a cumbersome procedure requiring special high-speed projectors and two separate strips of film), the special then moves on to the swaddling days of Technicolor, with rare vignettes from such silent films as The Toll of the Sea (1922), The Black Pirate (1926), and Ben-Hur. The two-color Technicolor process gives way in 1933 to an improved three-strip format, yielding such splendiferous results as Becky Sharp (1935), The Wizard of Oz (1939), and Gone With the Wind. But because of the dictatorial policies of Technicolor consultant Natalie Kalmus (who gained control of the company in a divorce proceeding), moviemakers were forced to adhere to firmly controlled policies of how the colors could be arranged and toned, with no wiggle room for individual creativity. Fortunately, Kalmus did not wield as much power over British filmmakers like Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger who freed the Technicolor process from the shackles of conformity and corporate thinking in the 1940s, yielding such visual feasts as The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. The special concludes with the final years of the three-strip format in the early '50s, with interviews from such Technicolorful stars as Esther Williams and Arlene Dahl. Drawing heavily from Turner's vast MGM film library, Glorious Technicolor originally aired over the Turner Classic Movies service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Vince Carden (Telly Savalas) is the violent Apache-hating landowner obsessed with driving the Indians from the region in this action-packed western. Cavalry troops are sent in to try and bring peace to the troubled area. Vince soon discovers the government plans to donate land for an Indian reservation, causing him to redouble his murderous efforts against the tribe. He and his thugs rob a stagecoach and make it look like an Indian attack. Vince's brother Paul (George Maharis) returns and the brothers resume a long-standing battle over a deceased former flame. As the Indians lay to waste the Forge River settlement, the two brothers face each other in a showdown where only one will ride away. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Behind every great woman, there's a man who isn't so sure he's happy to be there -- or at least that's the state of affairs in this gender-switch comedy. Leslie McCloud (Polly Bergen) makes history when she becomes the first woman elected to the office of President of the United States. However, while Leslie's achievement is a great step forward for women, her husband Thad McCloud is less enthusiastic about his own role in closing the gender gap. Thad soon finds his daily schedule is filled with meeting women from garden clubs, his official quarters are still filled with pink and frilly furniture from the previous resident, and Leslie's extremely busy schedule is putting a severe crimp in their love life. While Thad stews over his lowly status as a male "First Lady," Leslie is attempting to avoid an international incident by negotiating with Latin dictator Valdez (Eli Walach), who develops a less-than-diplomatic interest in the Leader of the Free World. Kisses For My President also features Arlene Dahl, Edward Andrews, and Ana Capri. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Oliver Branwell (Jack Hawkins) is an honest, decent man, dedicated to his job as an insurance claims assessor -- until he makes a business call, to assess the damage from a fire, on Tracey Moreton (Dennis Price) and meets Morton's wife Sarah (Arlene Dahl), with whom Oliver had been involved romantically five years earlier. He's thrown off balance by her presence and the seeming friendliness of Tracey and his mother (Violet Fairbrother), both members of the upper-class who have found their lifestyle squeezed and trimmed back by England's dire postwar economy and taxes. But soon, Oliver finds himself in more than a personally awkward position over his friendship with Tracey and lingering attraction to Sarah -- he accidentally uncovers evidence of a massive insurance fraud committed by Tracey, and doesn't want to report it for fear of implicating Sarah. And matters only get worse when Tracey's family home is burned to the ground, in a fire that was definitely arson, killing Tracey (or did it?) in the process. And just when Oliver's dilemma seemingly couldn't get worse, he and the newly-widowed Sarah are married. And then the police start sniffing around, along with a blackmailer (Bernard Miles) who is after a share of the 30,000 pounds insurance that Sarah collected on Tracey's life. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Wicked as They Come stars Arlene Dahl as Kathy Allen, whose sour attitude on life has been formed by a sexual assault in her childhood. Rising out of the shabbiness of the Lower East Side, Kathy ruthlessly climbs the social and financial ladder by using and then abandoning a series of gullible older men. When she finally gets what she wants out of life, it still isn't enough, and it is this insatiability that leads to her downfall. Extensive location filming in London and Paris adds an exotic touch to this predictable melodrama. Wicked as They Come is based on Portrait in Smoke, a novel by Bill Ballington. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this subtle 1954 comedy with feminist overtones, Clifton Webb plays Gifford, an executive with a large automobile manufacturer who is having trouble deciding who to hire as his chief sales manager. His three candidates are equally competent, so he brings their wives with them to New York headquarters, planning to hire the one whose wife is most suited to be an executive's wife. Elizabeth (Lauren Bacall) is the wife of Sid (Fred MacMurray), a company man. Elizabeth knows that Sid is such a workaholic that she will never see him if he gets the new job, but she is loyal to her husband and impresses the hiring team with her competency. Bill Baxter (Cornel Wilde) is handicapped in the competition by his wife Katie (June Allyson), a clumsy but sweet small-town girl from the Midwest. Katie dutifully tries to impress the big boss but proves inept at handling the social responsibilities. She would prefer to stay in Kansas City anyway. Jerry (Van Heflin) is married to Carol (Arlene Dahl), a seductive gold-digger who sexually teases various executives in the hopes that her assets can help land Jerry the job. Instead, her out-of-bounds behavior gets Jerry eliminated from the list, at least until Jerry tells Gifford that he doesn't sanction his wife's behavior. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Filmed in 3-D, Sangaree is a satisfactory swashbuckler adapted from a novel by Frank G. Slaughter. Fernando Lamas portrays the son of an 18th century slave whose fortunes take a radical turn when he inherits a huge cotton plantation in the American colonies. Arlene Dahl (later Mrs. Fernando Lamas) is the haughty aristocrat whom the rough-hewn Lamas tames, while Francis L. Sullivan is a pirate chieftain who plans to sack Lamas' property. Best unintentional laugh: Two different villains, in two separate scenes, say "I've waited this long...I can wait a little longer." Sangaree enjoyed its widest distribution when released "flat," thereby rendering pointless the various 3-D stunt effects. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic desert adventure a handsome, Foreign Legionnaire survives a surprise attack and becomes the ward of a beautiful princess who takes him back to her splendiferous city in the remote mountains. After he heals, she begs his assistance, but still weakened from his injuries, he passes out. When he awakens, he is back in his fort. Though he tells everyone about his strange experience, no one believes him. Later the enigmatic princess gets a message to him. Teaming up with a fellow soldier, the two sneak out of the fort and follow the courier back to the magical city and meet the man in charge, another ex-Legionnaire. He is a good fellow, and worries that an evil sheik will succeed in his campaign. The brave hero does all he can to prevent that from happening while simultaneously falling in love with the beautiful princess. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Caribbean was another box-office winner from Paramount's "two dollar bills," producers William H. Pine and William Thomas. Set in the 18th century, the film stars John Payne as adventurer Dick Lindsay, hired by pirate leader Charles Barclay (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) to pose as the long-lost nephew of wealthy slave-trader Andrew McAllister (Francis L. Sullivan). It's all part of Barclay's revenge scheme against McAllister, his bitterest enemy for the past 20 years. Through a series of exciting (if slightly incredible) plot twists, Lindsay manages to foment a slave revolt against McAllister and to settle the hash of Barclay. As the exotic leading lady, Arlene Dahl looks terrific in Technicolor. In one priceless moment, both Cedric Hardwicke and Francis L. Sullivan intone "I've waited this long, I can wait a little longer" within a few moments of each other--and the word-for-word repetition is not intended to be funny! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Gerry Mayer, nephew of MGM-head Louis B. Mayer, proved that nepotism had nothing to do with his hiring by turning out the first-rate historical melodrama Inside Straight. The film begins in 1870 San Francisco, as the city is threatened with financial disaster due to overspeculation on the Comstock Lode. David Brian stars as local tycoon Rip MacCool, who in a series of flashbacks recalls his rise to prominence. While wheeling and dealing with other people's money, MacCool loves and loses two wives: Lily Douvane (Arlene Dahl) takes him for every penny he's got, while Zoe Carnot (Paula Raymond) dies in childbirth. Back in the present, MacCool is forced to make a fateful decision that will, for once, benefit someone else rather than himself. In a supporting role as town banker Ada Stritch, Mercedes McCambridge figures prominently in the final sequence, in which everything hinges on the titular poker hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Watch the Birdie is a remake of Buster Keaton's The Cameraman; in fact, Keaton served as technical advisor, though it seems that most of his advice went unheeded. Red Skelton stars as photo-shop proprietor Rusty Cameron, who dreams of becoming an ace cinematographer. This gets him mixed up with a gang of crooked land developers, headed by Grantland D. Farns (Leon Ames). Rusty's photographic aspirations also mess up his romantic life with Lucia Corlaine (Arlene Dahl), who just can't understand why Rusty spends so much time with contest winner "Miss Lucky Vista" (Ann Miller). The best scene involves Rusty Cameron's man-to-man talks with his father and grandfather -- both of whom are also played by Red Skelton. Revived material from The Cameraman includes the scene wherein Skelton shares a crackerbox dressing room with surly Dick Wessel. Watch the Birdie winds things up with a zany slapstick chase, capped by one of the most abrupt endings in motion-picture history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ambush is a tight, well-paced western, expertly assembled by veteran director Sam Wood, whose last film this was. Robert Taylor stars as an Indian scout, sent to rescue a woman who is somewhere deep in Apache territory. The woman's sister, naturally, goes along for the ride: she is played by Arlene Dahl, then in her considerable prime. Outside of its feminine angle, Ambush is packed with action from first frame to last. Released to theatres at the tail end of 1949, the film was an unqualified success with holiday audiences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide