Felicia Farr Movies
Penn State alumnus Felicia Farr always seemed much too intelligent for the standard western leading lady parts she was usually saddled with in films. It was a far more rewarding experience to watch Farr essay such roles as the drunken, frustrated housewife who--almost in spite of herself--seduces pop star Dean Martin in Kiss Me, Stupid. In 1962, Farr became the second wife of actor Jack Lemmon, a union that stands to this day. Felicia Farr has acted with her husband in That's Life (1986), and was directed by him in Kotch (1971). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideRobert Altman takes a scalpel to Hollywood ethics in the 1990s (or the lack thereof) in his acidic satire The Player, adapted from Michael Tolkin's novel. (Tolkin also wrote the screenplay.) The film concerns a sleek and smooth Hollywood studio executive who starts receiving death threats from a disgruntled writer because he has committed the ultimate Hollywood sin -- he promised the writer he would call him back and he never did. This is particularly ironic because the studio executive, Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), is considered "writer-friendly," spending his days listening to pitches from such noted screenwriters as Buck Henry, who is pushing "The Graduate, Part II" and Alan Rudolph, who is hawking a Bruce Willis action film described as "Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate." But The Player finds Griffin's comfortable life style in danger of collapse. He is trying to find a way to unload his girlfriend (Cynthia Stevenson) whose independence and intelligence make her a poor candidate for a trophy wife. More importantly, it seems that Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher), a slippery executive from Twentieth Century Fox, is angling for his job. And then there are those nasty postcards and faxes from a screenwriter threatening to kill him. Altman cast over 65 stars in cameo roles as texture for his scabrous tale. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, (more)
Blake Edwards co-wrote and directed this seriocomedy about a couple of rich and famous Malibuans forced to re-examine their lives and values during a weekend party celebrating the husband's 60th birthday. Jack Lemmon and Julie Andrews star as Harvey and Gillian Fairchild. Harvey is a successful architect who has attained his wealth by flattering his rich clients and compromising his ideals. Although he has everything he could want out of life, he is still unhappy. He looks at himself in the mirror and sees a middle-aged man who hates himself, feels that his children don't love him, and thinks that he is dying. Gillian, a successful singer, tries to bolster his self-confidence so that he can have a wonderful birthday. But she has problems of her own -- she has just returned from her doctor, who has informed her that she may have throat cancer. The doctor won't know for sure until the tests come back on Monday. In the meantime, Gillian tries to keep up a brave front for Harvey's celebration. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Julie Andrews, (more)
Don Siegel directed this offbeat crime thriller which stars Walter Matthau as the titular Charley Varrick. Varrick is a small-time stick-up man who, in tandem with his partner Harman Sullivan (Andrew Robinson), makes plans to rob a small bank in New Mexico. Varrick and Sullivan are expecting a modest payday for a simple heist, but to their surprise they walk away with $750,000 in cash. But it turns out this isn't entirely good news; the bank was flush with cash because a number of well-connected Mafia chieftains have been using the bank to launder their ill-gotten gains, and they're determined to get their money back. Before Varrick can figure out a way to return the money, sadistic hired killer Molly (Joe Don Baker) is on his trail, forcing Varrick to outwit both the cops and the robbers if he is to stay alive.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Joe Don Baker, (more)
For his only directorial effort, Jack Lemmon selected his old friend and habitual co-star Walter Matthau to play the central character. Joseph P. "Kotch" Kotcher (Walter Matthau) is an irksome 72-year-old who lives with his son (Charles Aidman) and daughter-in-law (played by Lemmon's wife Felicia Farr). Kotch is far from senile, but there are times that his family wishes he was a little more docile and doddering; he insists upon expressing his unwarranted opinions on all matters, both large and small, forever challenging his daughter-in-law's authority. When it is suggested that Kotch find himself a nice retirement home, the rebellious old man decides instead to take a long bus ride, hoping that his family will have cooled off by the time he returns. Before leaving, he tries to make amends with the family's former baby-sitter Erica (Deborah Winters), whose dismissal he has brought about. Upon learning that Erica is pregnant, Kotch loans her some money; and when she moves away to Palm Springs, he moves in with her, hoping to be of some help. As they get to know one another, Kotch and Erica discover that they're very much alike: both have been cast aside by their relatives due to their independent airs. Kotch was adapted by John Paxton from a novel by Katharine Topkins. Watch for director Jack Lemmon in a bit as a bus passenger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Deborah Winters, (more)
This TV movie is set in the old Northwest. Belinda J. Montgomery wants to marry young Tim Matheson, but her father (Claude Akins) is against it. Matheson takes matters in his own hands by "kidnapping" Belinda and heading for Oregon. With Montgomery's daddy and her goonish brothers in hot pursuit, the elopers encounter several thrilling adventures in the woods and wilds. The marriage nearly ends before it begins when Montgomery and Matheson take to quarreling, but they're husband and wife by fadeout time. The pilot film for an unsold series, Lock, Stock and Barrel was remade in 1973 as Hitched (another TV pilot) with Sally Field in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this spy thriller, Robert Vaughn, who then starring on TV's The Man from U.N.C.L.E., plays Bill Fenner, an ex-CIA agent who is called upon by his former boss, Frank Rosenfeld (Ed Asner), to investigate an apparent murder-suicide in Vienna. An American diplomat exploded a bomb at a peace conference, killing himself and all the attendees. Rosenfeld fired Fenner because his wife, Sandra Fane (Elke Sommer), was unmasked as a Communist. Now Rosenfeld tells Fenner that his wife may have been involved with Soviet agents behind the Vienna incident. Fenner eventually finds Sandra, who is hiding from the real bombing culprit, Robert Wahl (Karl Boehm). The story was based on a novel by Helen MacInnes. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Vaughn, Elke Sommer, (more)
Asylum for a Spy stars Robert Stack as a CIA agent who becomes an alcoholic, believing himself responsible for the death of two close friends. The Russians believe that Stack would be useful in fingering potential soviet defectors. The Americans plans to use Stack's inebriated state to get him into a mental hospital, and there locate an enemy spy. Stack's girl friend (Felicia Farr) merely wants to get him to pull himself together. Asylum for a Spy was originally telecast on April 2 and April 9, 1965, as Memorandum for a Spy, a two-part drama on NBC's Bob Hope Chrysler Theatre anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Catholic League of Decency gave Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid! a "condemned" rating. The Moral Majority charged the picture with debauchery and movie theaters across the nation discontinued its run. The bed-trick comedy had America's panties tied in a knot; one could not imagine a story so distasteful. Dean Martin is Dino, a Las Vegas crooner, alcoholic, and celebrity playboy. Dino requires women like oxygen -- a companionless night leaves him with a headache. Ray Walston is Orville, a provincial piano teacher, aspiring songwriter, and jealous husband. Orville violently obsesses over his wife Zelda's (Felicia Farr) fidelity -- any man she encounters becomes his sworn enemy. When a chance detour brings Dino to Orville's hometown of Climax, NV, it is the perfect opportunity for the piano teacher and his songwriting partner, Barney (Cliff Osmond), to pitch their tunes. Yet, Orville predictably fears the possible combination of Dino's libido with Zelda's childhood crush on the singer. Before the two can meet, Orville deceitfully bullies Zelda out of their house and Barney hires local roadhouse prostitute Polly the Pistol (Kim Novak) to pose as Orville's wife. Zelda turns to drink for solace, ending up at the exact bar where Polly plies her trade and, eventually, in the call girl's empty trailer. By the next morning, Orville is with Polly and Dino (looking for a prostitute) finds his way to Zelda -- and husband, wife, hooker, and Barney will all reap the benefits of infidelity. This tale may be tasteless, but Kiss Me, Stupid! is now a cable favorite. Its modern rating? PG. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Kim Novak, (more)
Housewife Marcia Fowler (Felicia Farr) has become the target of an obscene telephone caller, but the authorities are unable to catch the culprit. Marcia suspects that her tormentor is Roy Bullock (Bruce Dern), a shifty-eyed young man new to the neighborhood, who has all the characteristics of a peeping Tom. Trouble is, Roy has managed to ingratiate himself with Marcia's husband, Jack (David White), who begins to wonder if his wife is only imagining those phone calls. At her wit's end, Marcia makes a desperate move to expose Roy once and for all. This episode represents the first collaboration between producer Alfred Hitchcock and actor Bruce Dern, who ultimately starred in Hitch's final theatrical feature Family Plot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Felicia Farr, Bruce Dern, (more)
The third of the "Ben Cartwright's Wives" trilogy (his marriages to first wife Elizabeth and second wife Inger were recounted in 1961 and 1962, respectively), "Marie, My Love" originally aired on February 10, 1963. While his son Joe hovers between life and death after suffering a fall, Ben Cartwright recalls his years with Joe's mother, New Orleans belle Marie (Felicia Farr), and also recalls the scandal which nearly tore the couple asunder. Also appearing are Eduard Franz as Marius and George Dolenz as Marcy. The script, by Anthony Lawrence and Anne Howard Bailey, provides a satisfactory resume of the eventful life and untimely demise of Marie Cartwright, even though certain "facts" do not jibe with those set forth in previous Bonanza episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
Hell Bent for Leather is a standard western that features Audie Murphy in the role of Clay, a cowboy hunted by a posse out for blood. Clay deals and trade in horses in an honest way, and he does not suspect that a crooked U.S. Marshal (Stephen McNally) interested in furthering his career, is determined to nab him as a killer though he knows full well Clay is innocent. When first attacked, Clay grabs a hostage (Felicia Farr) who eventually sides with him and helps him in the long chase that follows. Clay's challenge is not only to get away from the Marshal and his posse but to somehow prove his innocence as well. Murphy, the most decorated soldier in World War II was still riding the popularity of his own real-life story in 1955's To Hell and Back when this western was released. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Felicia Farr, (more)
In his third starring feature, Onionhead, Andy Griffith plays a character somewhere inbetween the bucolic ingenuousness of Will Stockdale in No Time for Sergeants and the hotheaded truculence of Lonesome Rhodes in A Face in the Crowd. Griffith is cast as Al Woods, a college student majoring in girls and parties. When his grades drop and his relationship with girlfiend Jo Hill (Erin O'Brien) sours, Al joins the Coast Guard as assistant cook on the SS Periwinkle, fully expecting to sit out WW2 in peace and quiet. Instead, he runs afoul of navy protocol in general and mess officer Red Wildoe (Walter Matthau) in particular. In or out of trouble, Al remains a stubborn individualist, and it is this quality that attracts him to Wildoe's erstwhile fiancee Stella (Felica Farr). Strong support is provided by Roscoe Karns as Al Woods' crusty father, James Gregory as the skipper of thePeriwinkle, and Joey Bishop is the inevitable Brooklynite. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Griffith, Felicia Farr, (more)
Desperate for money, frontier rancher Van Heflin holds outlaw Glenn Ford at gunpoint, intending to collect the $200 reward. While both men await the train to Yuma that will escort Ford to prison, the cagey outlaw offers Heflin $10,000 if he'll set Ford free. The rest of the film is a sweat-inducing cat-and-mouse game between captive and captor, interrupted with bursts of violence from both Ford's gang (commandeered by Richard Jaeckel) and the vacillating townsfolk. 3:10 to Yuma is one of the best of the character-driven "psychological" westerns of the 1950s. Its only flaw is Ford's unconvincing character turnaround towards the end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, (more)
Richard Widmark once again essays a character who could be either hero or heel in the rugged western The Last Wagon. After cold-bloodedly shooting down the three men responsible for the death of his wife, Widmark is captured, chained up, and thrown into a wagon heading eastward. Soon afterward, the wagon train is attacked by Indians; the only survivors are Widmark and a group of orphaned children. Freed from his shackles, Widmark proves he's made of the right stuff by shepherding the children to safety. Marred only by a too-pat ending, The Last Wagon is one of the best of the Delmer Daves-directed westerns, as well as an excellent showcase for such "new talent" as Felicia Farr, Susan Kohner, Tommy Rettig, Nick Adams and James Drury. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Widmark, Felicia Farr, (more)
In this suspenseful detective yarn, an insurance investigator finds himself unbearably bored by his routine life and decides to become a criminal. Following the robbery he engineers, he begins to investigate the theft himself. Unfortunately, he is trailed by a determined railroad cop, a dear friend who remains professional despite the mixed emotions he feels. The film is the feature debut of TV actor Jack Klugman. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Stevens, King Calder, (more)
In this western, the tables are turned and the Indians get revenge on the whites. The story centers around a man, who is part Indian, as he buys a cattle ranch in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the local whites hate all Indians, especially his neighbors, three brothers who recently were tried and found innocent of killing two Indians who had wandered on their land. Meanwhile a woman, falls in love with him while he takes on the racist trio. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Madison, Felicia Farr, (more)
The Country Husband is one of a handful of episodes from the classic TV anthology Playhouse 90 that was filmed, rather than telecast live. As such, it was later syndicated by Screen Gems as a "movie", though in fact it was never shown theatrically. Frank Lovejoy stars as advertising executive William Wiley, who has a brush with death while flying to a business conference. Upon his return, Wiley decides to break from his rat-race routine. Unfortunately, this willingness to kick over the traces results in an extramarital affair. Barbara Hale costars as Wiley's wife Julia, while Felicia Farr plays his "good friend" Anne Murchinson. Also on hand is Kerwin Mathews, a year before he was elevated to stardom in Seventh Voyage of Sindbad. When it was originally broadcast on November 1, 1956, The Country Husband was introduced by comedian Red Skelton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Cashing in on the popularity of TV's Davy Crockett and the jukebox favorite "Yellow Rose of Texas", Allied Artists came up with the CinemaScope biopic The First Texan. The title character is Sam Houston, played with rugged assuredness by Joel McCrea. The film begins when Houston leaves Tennessee for Texas, where at first he keeps to himself and avoids politics. As events overwhelm him, however, Houston evolves into the territory's most conspicuous patriot. His efforts to thwart Mexican general Santa Ana's efforts to recapture Texas for Mexico culminate in the battle of the Alamo, which is recreated in brisk, economical fashion. Somewhat perversely, Davy Crockett is reduced to a bit part in The First Texan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Felicia Farr, (more)
Jubal could just as easily have been titled Othello Out West, even though it was officially based on a novel by Paul I. Wellman. The Othello counterpart is likable (and extremely gullible) ranch owner Shep Horgan (Ernest Borgnine). Horgan hires handsome drifter Cassioer, Jubal Troop (Glenn Ford) as a cowhand, much to the delight of the film's "Desdemona", Horgan's hedonistic wife Mae (Valerie French). The "Iago" of the proceedings is psychotic ranch hand Pinky (Rod Steiger), who, envious of Jubal and hoping to enjoy Mae's sexual favors, sows the seeds of suspicion in Horgan's mind by falsely accusing Jubal of messing around with Horgan's wife. Amidst all this nastiness, there is at least one wholly virtuous character, pretty Naomi Hoktor (Felicia Farr), so guess who Jubal eventually winds up with? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Ernest Borgnine, (more)





















