Glen Kramer Movies
- 1957
Mister Cory represented the first of several successful collaborations between star Tony Curtis and director Blake Edwards. Adapted from a story by Leo Rosten, the story details the rise of Mr. Cory (Curtis) from summer-resort busboy to high-stakes gambler. Along the way, Cory uses several close associates to get ahead, including sluttish socialite Abby Vollard (Martha Hyer) and Abby's virtuous young sister Jen (Kathryn Grant). Charles Bickford delivers a sturdy performance as the worldly-wise older gambler who becomes Cory's partner and severest critic. Judging by the number of times it has recently popped up on Cable TV, Mister Cory is one of the most enduringly popular of Tony Curtis' 1950s vehicles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1956
A must-see for students of 1950s pop culture, Rock, Pretty Baby was Universal-International's earliest acknowledgement of the rock 'n' roll craze. John Saxon plays 18-year-old high schooler Jimmy Daley, who intends to pursue a musical career despite the objections of his physician father (Edward C. Platt). Daley organizes a student band, then tries his best to obtain bookings. One of Jimmy's musical cohorts is none other than Rod McKuen, cast as one "Ox Bentley". Inevitably, the film comes to a noissome conclusion during a televised "bandstand" show, hosted by LA deejay Johnny Grant. The supporting cast of Rock, Pretty Baby runs the age gamut from teenaged Sal Mineo to veteran film favorite Fay Wray. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sal Mineo, John Saxon, (more)
- 1956
Behind the High Wall is a remake of the 1937 Jackie Cooper-Victor McLaglen film The Big Guy. Tom Tully plays prison warden Frank Carmichael, who is kidnapped during a jail break in which a policeman is killed. In an ensuing car crash, all the escapees are killed except young Johnny Hutchins (John Gavin). Though he knows that Hutchins had nothing to do with the cop's murder, Carmichael refuses to intervene when Johnny is condemned to death. It seems that the escaping convicts had been carrying $100,000 in stolen money with them, which Carmichael has hidden away for his own use. By eliminating Hutchins, the warden is also getting rid of the only potential witness to his own perfidy. Sylvia Sidney is pure venom as Carmichael's crippled, greedy wife, while Betty Lynn (who later played Thelma Lou on The Andy Griffith Show) also registers well as Johnny's agonizing fiancee. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Tully, Sylvia Sidney, (more)
- 1956
Pillars of the Sky is the lyrical title bestowed upon this cinemadaptation of Will Henry's novel Frontier Fury. Jeff Chandler stars as Sgt. Emmett Bell, whose job it is to put down an Indian uprising. Since converting to Christanity, the local tribe has done its best to keep the peace. But Chief Kamiakan (Michael Ansara), understandably angered over an impending government plan to build a road through his territory, intends to break that peace, despite the strenuously pacifistic efforts of missionary Joseph Holden (Ward Bond). A subplot involves a romantic triangle between Bell, Calla Gaxton (Dorothy Malone), and Calla's husband Tom (Keith Andes), Bell's superior officer. Magnificently photographed in Technicolor, Pillars of the Sky is a better-than-average Universal oater. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jeff Chandler, Dorothy Malone, (more)
- 1956
Though both star Donald O'Connor and director Arthur Lubin had said goodbye to the "Francis the Talking Mule" series, Universal-International wasn't about to give up on so valuable a property. Thus, Francis in the Haunted House starred Mickey Rooney, with Charles Barton calling the shots. Likewise missing from the earlier series entries was the voice of Francis, Chill Wills; he is replaced by the ubiquitous Paul Frees, who also narrated the film's promotional trailer. The plot and comic content of Francis in the Haunted House is summed up by the title, as Francis and his new buddy David Prescott (Mickey Rooney) try to corral a gang of art thieves. Along the way, they get mixed up with a phony heiress (Virginia Welles), a series of murders (one of the victims is Richard Deacon!) and, of course, a spooky old house. Most of the "scare" gags in Francis in the Haunted House had been done earlier, and better, by Universal's own Abbott and Costello. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Virginia Welles, (more)
