William Haade Movies

A celebrated short story by Ray Bradbury is the source for this eerily entertaining episode. Detective Krovitch (Charles Bronson) shows up at a seedy vaudeville house to investigate the murder of one person and the disappearance of another. Among the suspects is an elderly ventriloquist named John Fabian (Claude Rains), who seems obsessed with his strangely alluring female dummy, named Riabouchinska. Ultimately, the detective solves both the murder and the disappearance -- but only with the help of Riabouchinska, whose voice is provided by radio actress Virginia Gregg (later the voice of another infamous character in the Hitchcock canon, namely Norman Bates' mother in Psycho). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Judy Canova is right in her element in the rowdy Republic musical Untamed Heiress. Canova plays Judy, the daughter of a famous opera singer who once bankrolled prospector Andrew "Cactus" Clayton (George Cleveland). Now Clayton hopes to repay the favor, but first he must reclaim his stash of gold from the crooked Williams (Hugh Sanders). Judy helps the old coot by taking on not only Williams, but duplicitous private detectives Walter Martin (Taylor Holmes) and Eddie Taylor (Chick Chandler), not to mention gangsters Spider Mike (Donald Barry) and Louie (Jack Kruschen). It'd be cute to say that too many crooks spoil the broth, but the truth of the matter is that Untamed Heiress is most entertaining, even for non-fans of the rambunctious Canova. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Next to Slightly Scarlet, Silver Lode is the best of the many 1950s collaborations between producer Benedict Bogaeus and director Allan Dwan. Clearly inspired by High Noon, the story covers three hours in the lives of a group of westerners. As the townsfolk prepare for the Fourth of July celebration, stranger Dan Duryea rides into view, followed by three tough-looking hombres. Duryea claims to be as US marshal, and further claims that he has a warrant for the arrest of the town popular sheriff, John Payne. A few hours away from his marriage to Lizabeth Scott, Payne assumes that no one will believe the troublemaking Duryea, and that his spotless record will speak for itself. But since it is impossible to confirm or deny Duryea's allegations, the seeds of doubt are planted in the minds of the townspeople, and before long virtually all of Payne's "friends" have turned against him. It soon becomes clear to the movie audience that Duryea is lying, especially after he guns down one of his own men. But Duryea is able to pin the blame of the killing on Payne, and in a twinkling the sheriff is a hunted man. The only person willing to give Payne the benefit of the doubt is town trollop Dolores Moran (Mrs. Benedict Bogeaus), who hides the sheriff while telegrapher Frank Sully tries to find out if Duryea is telling the truth. Building slowly and methodically to a slam-bang climax, Silver Lode is an above-average psychological western--and, like many "guilt by supsicion" films of the 1950s, a thinly veiled attack on McCarthyism. Best line: when Duryea bursts into Dolores' boudoir to see if Payne is hiding under the bed, she moans "Oh, what is this? A French farce?" ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Kansas City Confidential, Phil Karlson's low (low) budget, B-grade film noir, opens on a Kansas City armored-car robbery perpetrated by cynical, corrupt ex-policeman Timothy Foster (Preston S. Foster). Foster devises an outrageous scheme: he will recruit three of the most vicious and unrelenting criminals he can find (screen heavies Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand) to undertake a robbery, blackmailing them into the heist with incriminating evidence from other "jobs." As an eccentric and clever conceit, Foster forces each of the perpetrators to wear masks, thus concealing their identities from one another and preventing the old pitfall of the men squealing and backstabbing. The heist comes off without a scratch, but a complication arises when the ignorant cops pick up an unrelated fellow, Joe Rolfe (John Payne) for his ownership of a van similar to the one used in the caper. In time, Rolfe is cleared, but he grows irate over the accusations and sets off to find Foster and co. and teach them a lesson. He finally happens upon one of the perpetrators in Mexico, beats him nearly to death, and assumes the victim's identity - and that's when things really get complicated. Though produced under the Hays Code censorship regulations, Kansas City Confidential constituted one of the most brutal and violent crime pictures made up through that time; as such, it retains historical significance. It also claims a strong cult following. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Esther Williams generously shares screen time with Joan Evans and Vivian Blaine in Skirts Ahoy! The three leading ladies play WAVE officers who experience a daunting series of romantic misadventures. Whitney Young (Williams) had joined the WAVES after leaving her fiancé at the altar. Conversely Mary Kate Yarbrough (Evans) was jilted on her wedding day by her intended, while Una Yancy (Blaine) has donned a uniform in hopes of finding a husband. Much of the humor is of the gender-switch variety, with the three lady sailors ogling and whistling at every eligible male who crosses their path. Inevitably, Williams sheds her navy duds in favor of a swimsuit, while Blaine performs a comic torch song in the manner of her "Miss Adelaide" characterization in Guys and Dolls. Poor Joan Evans isn't given a musical number, but she does get her man (Keefe Brasselle) at the end. Guest performers include the singing DeMarco Sisters and youthful aquatic champs Russell and Kathy Tongay. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the original Broadway production of this William Inge play, Shirley Booth played Lola Delaney, the vulgar, dumpy, less-than-bright "shotgun bride" of recovering alcoholic Doc Delaney, played on stage by Sidney Blackmer, who won a Tony award for his efforts. When time came to film the play, Shirley Booth was retained as Lola, but Burt Lancaster replaced Blackmer as Doc. Although Lancaster seems far too youthful for the role, the film is a fascinating and sometimes funny study of an unhappy marriage made unhappier by the arrival of a sexy stranger. Young Marie (Terry Moore) rents a room from Lola, a tiresome creature who never stops talking, especially about the "imminent" return of her runaway dog Sheba. Doc is having enough trouble staying away from the bottle and resigning himself to his marriage without the curvaceous Marie arousing his baser instincts. The characters interact with gloomy consequences, in the typical kitchen-sink-realism style of Inge's Fifties plays, although a tacked-on happy ending, common to Fifties movie melodramas, pretends otherwise. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rawhide is a westernized remake of the 1936 crime melodrama Show Them No Mercy. Tyrone Power stars as Tom Owens, the assistant manager of a remote stagecoach way station. A coach arrives, bearing Vinnie Holt (Susan Hayward), who carries her baby niece in her arms. Having learned that an outlaw gang is in the vicinity, Owens advises Vinnie to hold up at the station until the next day. Shortly thereafter, the gang arrives and kills stationmaster Sam Todd (Edgar Buchanan). Outlaw leader Zimmerman (Hugh Marlowe), assuming that Owens and Vinnie are the baby's parents, decides not to kill them as well but to hold them prisoner while he and his men await the arrival of a gold shipment. Tension mounts as the relatively civilized Zimmerman argues with his psychotic henchman Tevis (Jack Elam) over the fate of the "married couple." Meanwhile, Owens tries to think up an escape plan for himself, Vinnie and the child. The film closes with a nail-biting shootout, with the baby in the thick of the fray. So as to avoid confusion with the TV series of the same name, Rawhide was retitled Desperate Siege for its first television showing in 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Ever in pursuit of novelty, Republic Pictures assembled a series of westerns in the early 1950s starring youngsters Michael Chapin and Eileen Janssen. In Buckaroo Sheriff of Texas, the kids are left virtually alone when their elders ride off to war. Bad guy Tristram Coffin tries to take advantage of the situation by going on a land-grabbing spree. With the help of old codger James Bell, the kids manage to foil the villains. Watch for future Wyatt Earp star Hugh O'Brian in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Republic "special" stars Rod Cameron as deep-sea diver Gunner McNeil. When his partner (James Brown) drowns under mysterious circumstances, McNeil investigates, all the while carrying out a salvage assignment for the lovely Suntan Radford (Adele Mara). The titular Sea Hornet is a vessel which was sunk during wartime while carrying a fortune in gold. Someone is willing to commit murder to claim the treasure for his (or her) own: is it Suntan, or second lead Ginger (Adrian Booth), or the disreputable-looking Johnny Radford (Richard Jaeckel), or even Gunner's first made Swede (Chill Wills)? Sea Hornet is capped by a thrill-packed action finale, in the fine tradition of Republic studios. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Oh! Susanna is a "big" western by Republic standards, decked out with lavish production values and an extended running time (90 minutes, as compared to the usual "B"-picture length of 60 or 70 minutes). Rod Cameron stars as Captain Calhoun, a cavalry officer dedicated to protecting the rights of Indians from greedy gold prospectors. Calhoun's superior officer Lt. Col. Ungar (Forrest Tucker) despises all Indians, and makes things difficult for those who try to enforce existing treaties. Other interested parties include saloon owner Ira Jordan (Jim Davis), who is counting upon plenty of revenue from the prospectors, and saloon thrush Lia Wilson (Adrian Booth), who carries torches for Calhoun, Ungar and Jordan. The highly anticipated action climax comes with a vengeance as the betrayed Indians lay siege upon Ungar's fort. Oh! Susanna was written by Charles Marquis Warren, whose later TV work included Wyatt Earp, Gunsmoke and Rawhide. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Aired originally on September 3, 1950, and restored by Gene Autry Entertainment in 2000, this The Gene Autry Show series entry features Stanley Andrews as Carl Meachem, the owner of the "Flying M" cattle ranch. Determined to keep the range free of fences, Meachem bars a right of way for neighbor Tim Carson (Francis McDonald) when the latter puts his part of the valley up for sale to settlers. The feud leads to murder, and Meachem is arrested. But foreman Gene Autry knows that his boss is innocent and puts his own life on the line to catch the real culprit. In between duking it out with a vicious land grabber, Gene sings his own "That's My Home." Leading lady Gail Davis went on to star in the 1954-1956 series Annie Oakley, also produced by Gene Autry's Flying "A" Productions. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

A woman is torn between a comfortable lie and the painful truth in this drama. After she is abandoned by her unfaithful boyfriend Stephen Morely (Lyle Bettger), Helen Ferguson (Barbara Stanwyck) discovers that she's pregnant, and she has no choice but to go home to her family. Shortly after boarding the train, Helen meets Hugh and Patrice Harkness (Richard Denning and Phyllis Thaxter), a recently married couple who are travelling to visit Hugh's parents, who have yet to met his bride. Patrice, who is also with child, strikes up a conversation with Helen, and allows her to try on her beautiful wedding ring. Moments later, the train becomes involved in a terrible accident in which Hugh and Patrice are killed; because she was still wearing Patrice's ring, Helen is mistaken for the late Mrs. Harkness by Hugh's parents (Jane Cowl and Henry O'Neill), and is taken home with them as she recovers and has her baby. Helen begins to feel a part of the family until Stephen arrives, demanding money to keep her true identity a secret. No Man of Her Own was remade in 1996 as the comedy Mrs. Winterbourne. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi