Lois Hall Movies
The star of Republic Pictures' notoriously bad Daughter of the Jungle (1949), and, she claims, a second cousin to both Charles Lindbergh and Gig Young, Lois Hall was discovered by an agent while performing with the famed Pasadena Playhouse. She had a walk-on in the Cary Grant comedy Every Girl Should be Married (1948) and then settled into a long stint as a leading lady to such B-Western stars as Charles Starrett, Johnny Mack Brown, and Whip Wilson. Hall also did the inevitable serials, The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949) and Pirates of the High Seas (1950), and was frequently seen on television's The Range Rider series until semi-retiring in 1958 to care for her family. Widowed in 1995, Hall works as an ambassador for the Baha'i One World Faith but has returned to acting on such television shows as Profiler (2000) and in the feature films Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) and Bad Boy (2002). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- PG13
- Add The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to QueueAdd The Curious Case of Benjamin Button to top of Queue
David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's story, re-teams the director with Brad Pitt, who takes on the title role. What makes Button such a curious case is that when he is born in New Orleans just after World War I, he is already in his eighties, and proceeds to live his life aging in reverse. This sweeping film follows the character's unusual life into the 21st century as he experiences joy and sadness, loves lost and found, and the meaning of timelessness. Cate Blanchett co-stars along with Tilda Swinton, Elias Koteas, and Julia Ormond. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, (more)
A woman is forced to prove her own sanity to save the life of her daughter in this taut thriller. Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) is a successful aircraft designer who has recently been dealing with the traumatic death of her husband. After traveling to Berlin on business with her six-year-old daughter, Julia (Marlene Lawston), Kyle falls asleep on their flight back to New York, only to discover that her daughter has gone missing. While not knowing where Julia has gone is troubling enough, even more disturbing is the insistence by sky marshal Gene Carson (Peter Sarsgaard) and Captain Rich (Sean Bean) that no records indicate that the child ever boarded the jet. As Kyle becomes increasingly desperate to find her daughter, she must prove to the men in charge that her daughter did in fact board the plane with her, and that this turn of events is not a product of her imagination. But if Julia has gone missing, who has taken her and why? Also starring Erika Christensen and Kate Beahan, Flightplan was the first English-language feature from German director Robert Schwentke. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Peter Sarsgaard, (more)
Doug "Dawg" Munford (Denis Leary) has had his way with the ladies since he was a boy. He's seduced and abandoned them. After losing his job due to one of his indiscreet assignations, Dawg has to attend his grandmother's funeral. He shows up late, and immediately begins hitting on a young woman whom he does not realize is his cousin. Soon thereafter, Anna (Elizabeth Hurley), a lawyer, approaches him with astounding news. His grandmother was a lot wealthier than he thought, and Dawg stands to inherit one million dollars. There's just one stipulation. He has to go find a dozen of the women he's slept with, chosen at random, and get them to say the words, "I forgive you," and Anna's going to tag along to make sure they say those words. Dawg uses whatever trickery he can to get each woman to say she forgives him. But along the way, there are some painful surprises, and he begins to realize the negative impact he's had on a few of the women's lives. Anna is disgusted by Dawg at first, but as she notices his attitude changing, her feelings toward him soften. Dawg was directed by Victoria Hochberg. The script for the film, written by Ken Hastings, won Final Draft's First Annual Big Break! International Screenwriting Contest in 2001. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denis Leary, Elizabeth Hurley, (more)
In this action thriller, a master car thief has his skills pushed to the limit. Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage) can steal practically any car that crosses his path. While he has done well in his life of crime, he knows that there's a short future in theft, and he wants to get out of the business. But his retirement plans are interrupted when his younger brother Kip (Giovanni Ribisi) gets in trouble with a dangerous crime boss. To get his brother out of harm's way, Randall agrees to a profitable but risky scheme to steal 50 luxury cars in one night, with the help of several other car thieves, including Sara "Sway" Wayland (Angelina Jolie). A rival group of thieves is trying to pull the same stunt at the same time, and detectives Castlebeck (Delroy Lindo) and Drycoff (Timothy Olyphant) are trying to shut down both operations. Also starring Robert Duvall as Otto Halliwell, and Scott Caan as Tumbler, Gone in Sixty Seconds is a remake of the 1974 low-budget action hit of the same name, best remembered for a 40-minute chase scene in which 90 cars were destroyed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, (more)
This debut feature film from music video director Dominic Sena is a romp through the world of serial killing, which in its bleakness and moral bankruptcy looks backwards to Terrence Malick's Badlands and forward to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Michelle Forbes plays hip, Mapplethorpe-esque photographer Carrie Laughlin, who wants to move to California for a fresh start. Her boyfriend, Brian Kessler (David Duchovny), is a writer who has an idea for a new book, a travel tome on the sites of serial murders. The two plan to go on a cross-country tour of the murder sites, with Brian writing the commentary and Carrie taking the pictures. But they need a couple to share the driving expenses; enter Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend, Adele (Juliette Lewis, in a warm-up for her role in Natural Born Killers). Grayce is an ex-con looking to jump parole, while Adele is a childlike naïf. Soon the four are off to California, but the yuppie couple doesn't realize how close they are to their serial killer topic. It seems Grayce has murdered his landlord before their trip and bodies begin piling up disturbingly behind them as they make their way across the country. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, (more)
Set in contemporary Los Angeles as well as the Los Angeles of the 1940s, Dead Again explores a romance between two star-crossed lovers -- and the doomed passion they shared in their last lifetime. Los Angeles detective Mike Church (Kenneth Branagh) comes to the aid of mute, amnesia-victim Grace (Emma Thompson) and falls in love with her. He sets out to discover her true identity and the source of her terrible nightmares. Mike is aided in his investigation by hypnotist/furniture dealer Franklyn Madison (Derek Jacobi) who discovers that in a past life Grace was Margaret Strauss (also played by Thompson), who may have been mudered by her husband Roman (Branagh). ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, (more)
- 1989
While studying the culture of the primitive Mintakans, a group of Federation anthropologists are injured in a reactor explosion. Rushing provisions to the anthropologists, Captain Picard unknowingly violates the Prime Directive. As a result, he is feted as a God by the Mintakans, who prepare the hapless Deanna Troi as a sacrifice. First telecast October 21, 1989, "Who Watches the Watchers" was written by Richard Manning and Hans Beimler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
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Based extremely loosely on the Stephen Vincent Benet story Sobbin' Women," Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of the best MGM musicals of the 1950s. Most of the story takes place on an Oregon ranch, maintained by Adam Pontabee (Howard Keel) and his six brothers, played by Jeff Richards, Russ Tamblyn, Tommy Rall, Mark Platt, Matt Mattox, and Jacques d'Amboise (it is no coincidence that five of those six boys are played by professional dancers). When Adam brings home his new bride Milly (Jane Powell), she is appalled at the brothers' slovenliness and sets about turning these unwashed louts into immaculate gentlemen. During the boisterous barn-raising scene, the brothers get into a scuffle with a group of townsmen over the affection of six comely lasses: Virginia Gibson, Julie Newmeyer (later Newmar), Ruth Kilmonis (later Ruth Lee), Nancy Kilgas, Betty Carr, and Norma Doggett (yep, most of the girls are dancers, too). Yearning to become husbands like their big brother, they ask Adam for advice. Alas, he has been reading a book about the abduction of the Sabine Women (or, as he puts it, the Sobbin' Women); and, in order to claim their gals, Adam explains, the boys must kidnap them--which they do, after blocking off all avenues of escape. Vowing to remain on their best behavior, the boys make no untoward advances towards their reluctant female guests--not even during one of the coldest winters on record. Comes the spring thaw, the angry townsfolk come charging up the mountain, demanding the return of the stolen girls (who, by this time, have "tamed" their men). A happy ending is ultimately had by all in this delightful if politically incorrect concoction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Keel, Jeff Richards, (more)
- 1953
Season Two of the Adventures of Superman opened with a bang, and a new level of sophistication in the writing and directing, with "Five Minutes To Doom". Clark Kent (George Reeves) and Lois Lane (Noel Neill) are at the death house in state prison to try and get an interview out of Joe Winters (Dabbs Greer), who is about to be executed for murder; but even for the Daily Planet's offer of $5000 for his honest account of the killing -- which Winters would dearly love to give to his wife and young son -- he can't bring himself to admit to a murder he didn't commit. Kent, using his super-powers, determines that Winters is telling the truth about being innocent; and a murder attempt against the two reporters while on their drive back to Metropolis convinces Lois and their editor, Perry White (John Hamilton), that Kent is onto something. The reporters find some shady aspects to the case surrounding Winters, and a connection to a ruthless, powerful businessman named Wayne, who seems to be hiding something. But can even Superman work fast enough to save a man scheduled to be executed in less than a day? ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Cowboy star Whip Wilson keeps whipping along in Monogram's Night Raiders. This time, Wilson and saddle pal Tom Farrell are federal marshals, assigned to stop the activities of a nocturnal terrorist group. These so-called Night Raiders lay waste to local ranches, but curiously never steal anything. The trail of clues leads to a motivation (fixing an upcoming election) and, inevitably, a Least Likely Suspect who turns out to be the brains of the organization. Fuzzy Knight supplies laughs, while Terry Frost and Marshall Reed provide menace. Whip Wilson's Night Raiders co-star Tom Farrell was the son of actress Glenda Farrell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whip Wilson, Tommy Farrell, (more)
Carrie is based on Sister Carrie, a novel by Theodore Dreiser. Dreiser's clumsy, unwieldy prose is streamlined into a neat and precise screenplay by Ruth and Augustus Goetz. Jennifer Jones stars as Carrie, who leaves her go-nowhere small town for the wicked metropolis of Chicago. Here she becomes the mistress of brash traveling salesman Charles Drouet (Eddie Albert), then throws him over in favor of erudite restaurant manager George Hurstwood (Laurence Olivier). Obsessed by Carrie, George steals money from his boss to support her in the manner to which he thinks she is accustomed. Left broke and disgraced by the ensuing scandal, Carrie deserts George to become an actress. Years later, the conscience-stricken Carrie tries to regenerate George, who has fallen into bum-hood. If Laurence Olivier seems a surprising casting choice in Carrie, try to imagine what the film would have been like had Cary Grant, Paramount's first choice, accepted the role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, (more)
- 1952
Johnny Mack Brown substitutes brains for brawn during most of Texas City. Cast once more as a U.S. marshal, Johnny investigates when several government gold shipments are hijacked. Someone has been tipping of the outlaws as to when and where the supposedly secret shipments will take place. The principal suspect is dishonorably discharged cavalry officer Kirby (James Ellison), but Johnny has a gut feeling that Kirby is innocent on all counts. Besides, someone has to romance leading lady Lois Hall, and Brown is frankly too mature and portly to handle this aspect of the story. Way down on the cast list as a cavalry sergeant is John Hart, who at the time Texas City was filmed was subbing for Clayton Moore on TV's The Lone Ranger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, James Ellison, (more)
- 1951
As was customary in his late Monogram westerns, Johnny Mack Brown plays an undercover agent in Colorado Ambush. Brown is sent to Colorado to stem the activities of a particularly vicious outlaw gang. The leader of the gang is played by Myron Healey, who also wrote the script. The best sequence involves Healey and saloon gal Christine McIntyre; it's the standard "We're neither one of us any good," dialogue exchange, but it's played with depth and finesse. Myron Healey also wrote and co-starred in the subsequent Johnny Mack Brown oater Texas Lawman (1951). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Myron Healey, (more)
- 1951
The Cinecolor "A" western Slaughter Trail anticipated High Noon by having its story narrated in song by troubadour Terry Gilkyson. The basic plotline is a traditional Indians-vs.-whites affair, with cavalry officer Dempster (Brian Donlevy) trying to undo the damage created by Indian-hating bandit Vaughn (Gig Young). Upon cold-bloodedly murdering two Navajos, Vaughn has fomented a deadly tribal war, with Dempster's cavalry post right in the middle. Other endangered species include a supposed damsel-in-distress (Virginia Grey), who turns out to be Vaughn's accomplice. Filmed in 1950, Slaughter Trail was purchased by RKO head-man Howard R. Hughes in 1951. Hughes withheld release of the film until he was able to reshoot all scenes involving Howard da Silva, who'd originally been cast in the Brian Donlevy role. Da Silva was under a political cloud as an alleged pro-communist at the time, and the xenophobic Hughes wasn't about to release any film with a "Pinko" in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Gig Young, (more)
- 1951
Paramount's Ray Milland and 20th Century-Fox's Gene Tierney star in Warner Bros.' Close to My Heart. The stars play, respectively, journalist Brad Sheridan and his wife Midge. Unable to have children of her own, Midge opts for adoption, thereby subjecting her husband and herself to the very exacting requirements of adoption agencies. Upon learning of an abandoned child left at a police station, Midge determines to claim the baby for her own, but Brad refuses to go along with his wife's plans until he can find out something more about the child's parents. Brad's feverish above-and-beyond search for the facts make him a highly unreliable adoption risk--but there's still hope for a happy ending. Ironically, star Gene Tierney was still trying to cope with the personal tragedy of giving birth to a severely retarded daughter while filming Close to My Heart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, (more)
- 1951
Republic's Secrets of Monte Carlo stars Warren Douglas as vacationing American businessman Bill Whitfield. In a twinkling, Whitfield finds himself in the middle of a search for an Arab potentate's missing jewels. In two twinklings, he is accused of stealing the gems. Susan Reeves (Lois Hall), the sister of detective Charles Reeves (Robin Hughes), comes to Whitfield's defense. Though inexpensively produced, Secrets of Monte Carlo is an effective suspenser, with Republic's back lot standing in admirably as Southern Europe. Another plus: a formidable array of villains, headed by the glamorous June Vincent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Douglas, Lois Hall, (more)
- 1951
Tall (and a bit heavy) in the saddle, Johnny Mack Brown stars in Blazing Bullets. Too long in tooth to pass a romantic lead, Brown permits his sidekick House Peters Jr. to pitch woo to leading lady Lois Hall. The plot is the same as in Brown's ten previous Monogram westerns; coming into a corruption-ridden town, our hero ambles around innocently, sizing up the situation, then slaps leather. Up until the finale, the film's excitement level is virtually nonexistent. Johnny Mack Brown would close out his Monogram contract the following year with his 66th release for the company. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1950
The title insurrection in this low-budget Whip Wilson Western consists mainly of Iron Eyes Cody, who is conspiring to raid the wagon trains with crooked sheriff Marshall Reed and nefarious Indian agent Forrest Taylor. Investigating the presumed revolt, the whip-wielding Wilson and grizzled sidekick Andy Clyde, United States Marshals, are aided by Canyon City's kindhearted judge (Sam Flint and his pretty daughter Lois Hall. The latter, almost needless to say, is kidnapped by the gang but rescued in the nick of time by Whip, whose famous weapon of choice disarms the crooked sheriff. By no means the worst of Wilson's low-budget oaters for Monogram, Cherokee Uprising was filmed at the picturesque Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, California. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde, (more)
- 1950
A Woman of Distinction serves as a tailor-made vehicle for Rosalind Russell. The star is cast as Susan Middlecott, a highly respected college dean. As can be expected, Susan is too busy for romance -- at least until handsome professor Alec Stevenson (Ray Milland) enters the picture. At first, the dean and the prof are thrown together by the overzealous machinations of a press agent, and they're none too pleased about it. No matter how hard they try to keep their distance from each other, Susan and Alec constantly find themselves in embarrassing situations in full view of the public. It takes the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of Susan's puckish papa (Edmund Gwenn) to straighten things out. Appearing in unbilled cameos are Lucille Ball as herself, and Ball's future TV cohort Gale Gordon as a railroad ticket agent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Rosalind Russell, (more)
- 1950
Joe Kirkwood Jr. once more plays Ham Fisher's comic-strip creation Joe Palooka. This time around, Joe's faithful girl Ann Howe is essayed by Lois Hall, while James Gleason replaces Leon Errol in the role of Joe's manager Knobby Walsh. The story gets under way when soft-hearted pugilist Palooka witnesses a gangland rubout. Joe is all for testifying, but the police can do nothing: the body has disappeared, and all evidence has been destroyed. Even so, Joe publicly identifies the killers, leading to any number of perilous situations. The climax borrows heavily from the 1944 thriller Murder My Sweet, with a doped-up Joe suffering hallucinations in the boxing ring. Joe's pal Humphrey Pennyworth is played by Robert Coogan, a little chubbier than he was when last we saw him in Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Kirkwood, Jr., Lois Hall, (more)
- 1950
Western star Charles Starrett does not disappoint his fans in Frontier Outpost. As usual, Starrett plays Steve Lawton, a lawman who is compelled to assume the identity of the masked avenger known only as "The Durango Kid." This time, the villains are gold raiders, preying upon Army shipments. Falsely imprisoned through the machinations of the head criminal (who, of course, is an "above suspicion" solid citizen), Lawton escapes, dons his Durango disguise, and brings the crooks to justice. Way down the cast list as "Lieutenant Peck" is Jock O'Mahoney, who also doubled for Charles Starrett in the tougher stunt sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1950
Buster Crabbe stars in this Columbia serial about a modern-day "Flying Dutchman" ghost ship. Costarring are Tristram Coffin, Lois Hall), and Symona Boniface as "The Lotus Lady." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Lois Hall, (more)
- 1950
Charles Starrett plays The Durango Kid in the 1950 Columbia western Texas Dynamo. In fact, Charles Starrett always played the Durango Kid, but this was what his fans craved, so why spoil a good thing? As a novelty, Starrett not only plays Durango and his "alter ego" Steve Drake, but also takes on a third identity, that of a hired gun in the employ of the film's bad guys. As one critic noted, this may be the only western in which the hero is obliged to chase himself. Jock O'Mahoney -- later known as Jock Mahoney -- plays a secondary role, and also doubles for Starrett during the riskier stunt sequences. The rest of the cast includes Fred Sears, who'd directed some of the past Durango Kid entries, and Emil Sitka, best known for his appearances in Columbia's Three Stooges comedies ("Hold hands, you lovebirds!") ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1950
In this musical comedy with dramatic touches, Jack and Molly Moran (Dan Dailey and Betty Grable) are a show business couple who, after hosting their own radio show, have just been given a deal to star in a TV series. They're also thrilled to discover that Molly is expecting a baby, but their joy turns to sorrow after she loses the child in an auto accident, and her doctors tell her that she may not be able to conceive again. When they see how happy their friends Walter and Janet Pringle (David Wayne and Jane Wyatt) are with their five children, the Morans decide to adopt, but they discover that show people are not generally regarded as fit parents, regardless of their success or stability. However, good fortune eventually shines on Jack and Molly, as they find themselves with not one but two adopted tykes, and a big surprise around the corner. My Blue Heaven marked the film debut of musical star Mitzi Gaynor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, (more)
- 1950
Back in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, artist George Petty was famous for his "Petty Girl" illustrations; lovingly detailed renderings of ripe young damsels wearing next to nothing, and sometimes not even that. In The Petty Girl, George Petty is portrayed by Robert Cummings, while Joan Caulfield co-stars as strait-laced college professor Victoria Braymore. The plot contrives to have Petty abandon his nubile creations in favor of avant-garde art, all because he's been told to do so by his new patroness (Audrey Long). Somewhere along the way, Petty and the prim Miss Braymore find themselves in a compromising situation at a Greenwich Village nightclub. Thus it is only a matter of time before Petty goes back to the sort of artwork he does best, and Miss Braymore loosens her inhibitions -- and everything else -- to serve as Petty's latest model. Incredibly, this amusing exercise in old-fashioned male chauvinism was based on a story by novelist Mary McCarthy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Cummings, Joan Caulfield, (more)
