Roscoe Karns Movies
Educated at California's Harvard Military academy and USC, Roscoe Karns was acting from age 15 with Marjorie Rambeau's stock company. By 1922, he was playing leads at LA's Morosco theatre, which led to film work at the Christie comedy studios. He showed up in several silent features, including the historic part-talkie The Jazz Singer (1927) and the very first Academy Award winner, Wings (1927). In the early talkie era, Karns returned to the stage, then made a movie comeback playing fast-lipped reporters and press agents, most often at Columbia studios. He was awarded strong supporting roles in such Columbias as It Happened One Night (1934) ("Shapely's my name, and shapely's the way I like 'em"), Twentieth Century (1934) (working with his idol, John Barrymore) and His Girl Friday (1939); he also starred in a brace of Columbia 2-reelers, Black Eyes and Blues and Half Shot at Sunrise (both 1941). His film assignments dwindling in the late 1940s, Karns wrote a letter to the DuMont TV network, asking if they had any work handy. The result was a five-year starring stint on Rocky King, Detective, one of the most popular weekly series of the early 1950s. Karns' last TV assignment was the role of the crusty Admiral Walter Shafer on the Jackie Cooper sitcom Hennessey (1959-62). Roscoe Karns was the father of actor/recording executive Todd Karns, who starred in TV's first filmed comedy series, Jackson and Jill (1949). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Roger Willoughby (Rock Hudson) is a super salesman of sporting goods who sells fishing equipment but knows nothing about the sport. Roger's boss Cadwalader (John McGiver) gets an idea from publicity director Abigail (Paula Prentiss) to enter him in a fishing contest, and the inept angler has a series of comic consequences before he wins the contest with some help from a bear. When Roger admits that his winning the event was merely luck, he turns in the prize and loses his job. Roger eventually wins Abigail's heart and gets his job back. Howard Hawks directs this slapstick comedy with his typical flair -- witty dialogue and effective sight gags included. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Paula Prentiss, (more)
- 1963
Ever in need of extra money, Lucy (Lucille Ball bluffs herself into a job as society columnist for the local newspaper. After several typically Lucy-like misadventures, the erstwhile newshound is on the verge of being fired. To save her job, Lucy tries to arrange an interview with a prominent millionaire--but to do this, she'll have to disguise herself as her roommate Viv (Vivian Vance). Veteran comic actor Roscoe Karns, fresh from a three-year stint on the classic sitcom Hennessey, makes a guest appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Vivyan, Roscoe Karns, (more)
- 1958
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)
- 1948
Speed to Spare is an efficient entry from the Pine-Thomas Productions assembly line. Ricard Arlen, who'd been a "regular" with the P-T output since the early 1940s, stars as daredevil auto racer Cliff Jordan. Opting for a safer profession, Jordan forms a trucking firm with his somewhat more even-tempered pal Jerry (Richard Travis). Before long, however, the reckless Jordan once more finds himself in hot water, courtesy of all-around villain Pusher (Ian McDonald), the head of a rival trucking concern. Though billed third, Jean Rogers has little to do other than register concern over the carefree Jordan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Arlen, Jean Rogers, (more)
- 1948
Few major directors made "small" films with such frequency and expertise than the ubiquitous Allan Dwan. Set in 1933, Dwan's The Inside Story tells the tale of a small Vermont town forced to tighten its belt during the Depression. When a wealthy visitor from New York places $1000 in the town's hotel safe, Horace Taylor (Gene Lockhart) the hotel's debt-ridden owner, "borrows" the money to pay off his creditors, intending to replace the cash once he's back on his feet. This act of larceny snowballs into a "collective crime," with everyone in town getting his or her hands on the money during the course of the story. By keeping the cash in circulation, the town manages to save itself from financial ruin -- but there's still that problem of getting the money back before the authorities find out. The husband-wife team of Richard Sale and Mary Loos scripted The Inside Story from an original screen treatment co-authored by former press agent (and future Hitchcock collaborator) Ernest Lehman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Florence Bates, Hobart Cavanaugh, (more)
- 1948
Dropped by RKO Radio in 1946, the "Falcon" mystery series was briefly revived by low-budget Film Classics productions in 1948. In Devil's Cargo, professional magician-turned-actor John Calvert takes over from Tom Conway in the role of amateur sleuth Michael Waring, aka The Falcon. The story gets under way when Raymond Delgado (Paul Marion), accused of murder, comes to Waring for help. Soon afterward, Delgado is poisoned to death in his jail cell. Among the suspects are Delgado's girlfriend Margo (Rochelle Hudson) and shady criminal lawyer Tom Mallon (Theodore von Eltz), while Lt. Hardy (Roscoe Karns) represents the Law. A pedestrian affair, The Devil's Cargo comes to life whenever John Calvert is given a chance to show off his magician's skills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Calvert, Rochelle Hudson, (more)
Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven deserves a historical footnote as director William Castle's only comedy western. Future Wild Bill Hickok star Guy Madison plays Eddie Taylor, a lonesome cowboy who falls in love with city-gal Perry Dunkin (Diana Lynn). The couple "meets cute" in Brooklyn, where the two have migrated to seek their fortunes. The plot veers into Runyonesque territory as Eddie tries to write the Great American Play, while Perry "adopts" pickpocket Mandy (Florence Bates) to pose as her mother. The loosely structured storyline permits several entertaining diversions, including a trip to Coney Island and a wild episode at a Brooklyn riding academy which hero and heroine have been conned into purchasing. Audie Murphy makes his second film appearance in a near-microscopic role. Based on a Saturday Evening Post story by Barry Benefield, Texas, Brooklyn and Heaven was released in England as The Girl From Texas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Madison, Diana Lynn, (more)
- 1947
A man's addiction to gambling almost destroys his life in this racetrack adventure. Joe Grange is nearly broke when he buys an ailing colt and brings it back to health. He then turns the horse into a promising champion. During the big race, Joe places a large amount of money upon the horse. It wins him a fortune, but his wife is still unhappy because he has neglected her in favor of his obsession. She takes off and his lucky streak ends. Soon he has nothing left but his retired horse. Desperate for cash, he brings the horse back to the track, wagers one final bet, and hopes for the best. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Catherine McLeod, (more)
- 1946
Avalanche offers an IRS man as a hero, meaning that there isn't much chance of this particular film being remade! Treasury agents Steve Batchellor (Bruce Cabot) and Red Kelley (Roscoe Karns) head to a mountain resort in the dead of winter to arrest a tax-evading businessman. Upon cornering their quarry, the two agents, along with everybody else at the resort, are trapped in the lodge by an avalanche. During their enforced stay, several murders occur, forcing Steve and Red to play detective. Stealing the show from the human actors is a live raven which carries empty shot glasses to the bartender (maybe the bird is the killer-who knows?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Cabot, Roscoe Karns, (more)
- 1946
Set at a major newspaper, this crime drama centers on a fellow who returns to newspaper reporting after he bombs as a playwright. Believing his grown son is in danger of marrying a gold digger, the paper's publisher assigns his new reporter to expose her. In order to do so, he cons the gal's maid into letting him into her apartment. There he hides a camera. Later that night, the gold digger is murdered there. Fortunately, the reporter's camera caught the killer in the act. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Gwynne, Robert Shayne, (more)
- 1946
A much celebrated bout between legendary prize-fighters Jim Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons becomes a hot issue in the Nevada community of Carson City in this above-average entry in Republic Pictures popular "Red Ryder" series. Leading citizen Molly McVey (Peggy Stewart) considers boxing to be a display of barbarism and does her utmost to have the fight cancelled. Red Ryder (Allan Lane), in contrast, permits Corbett (George Turner) and his manager Bill Delaney (Roscoe Karns) to use the Duchess's ranch as their headquarters. Our hero, however, almost comes to regret that decision when nearly ambushed by villainous Mckean (Roy Barcroft), who conspires to take off with the prize money. No sooner is McKean dispatched when Red finds himself kidnapped by a couple of ruffians hired by Molly, who still attempts to prevent the carnage. Molly, however, discovers her error and Red returns just in time to witness Corbett losing to Fitzsimmons (John Dehner). Supporting actor George Turner, who bears no resemblance to the real life Jim Corbett (1866-1933), later played the title role in the 1947 serial Son of Zorro. Coprbett, who had won the world heavyweight championship in 1892, did indeed lose the title to Fitzsimmons (1863-1917) in Carson City, NV, March 17, 1897. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ted Adams, Bobby Barber, (more)
- 1946
In this comedy, a Chicago team of radio scriptwriters must split up when he takes a job with his bride-to-be's father, and the other must write commercial jingles. Their agent then appears and tells them they have a $1,000 per week assignment in Tinseltown provided they work together. They accept and board a train with their girl friends. There they meet the sponsor and a millionaire who offers them twice the money to work for him. They take the latter offer, but then two orderlies from an asylum board the train and grab the millionaire who turns out to be a nut case. They quickly go back to the sponsor and re-sign their contract. Unfortunately, once in California, the learn that it is the sponsor who is bonkers, not the millionaire. Now the two couple reboard the train and begin looking for the millionaire. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willard Parker, Marguerite Chapman, (more)
- 1944
At least 30 percent of Universal's "vest-pocket" musicals of the 1940s included the word "Hi" in the title. Such was the case of 1944's Hi, Good-Lookin', an agreeable vehicle for songstress Harriet Hilliard and her bandleader husband Ozzie Nelson. The barely existant plot finds aspiring singer Kelly Clark (Hilliard) falling in love with incognito radio star King Castle (played by future Sky King star Kirby Grant). As a punch line, Castle, working under an assumed name, is hired as his own summer replacement, with Kelly in tow. Eddie Quillan provides chuckles as talent agent Dynamo Carson (who evidently doesn't lack for self confidence), while the Delta Rhythm Boys show up for a mellow rendition of "Paper Doll." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Quillan, Kirby Grant, (more)
- 1944
Unusually elaborate for a PRC film, Minstrel Man is a lively musical drama built around the talents of veteran vaudevillian Benny Fields. The star is cast as Dixie Boy Johnson, who rises from the ranks of minstrel shows to become a top Broadway attraction. On the opening night of his greatest stage triumph, Dixie Boy's wife dies in childbirth. Profoundly shaken, he walks out of the show, leaving the baby to be raised by his showbiz pals Mae and Lasses White (Gladys George, Roscoe Karns). The kid grows up to be an attractive young woman named Caroline (Judy Clark), who follows in her dad's footsteps by billing herself as-that's right-Dixie Girl Johnson. This leads to a tearful reunion between Caroline and the father she'd long assumed to be dead. If Minstrel Man seems at times to be a dress rehearsal for Columbia's The Jolson Story (1946), it shouldn't surprising: the PRC film was directed by Joseph H. Lewis, who went on to helm Jolson Story's musical highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benny Fields, Gladys George, (more)
Johnny Jersey (Robert Lowery) learns The Navy Way in this typical Pine-Thomas actioner. A product of the streets, Johnny has no time for authority and protocol, thus has a lot of difficulty adjusting to the regimen at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station (where much of the film was shot). Gradually, however, Johnny comes to appreciate the value of cooperation and teamwork. It helps a bit, of course, that he falls for pretty WAVE Ellen Sayre (Jean Parker). But even after losing Ellen to fellow seaman Mal Randall (Bill Henry), Johnny remains loyal to the Navy and all it stands for (which is evidently quite a lot!) Not so much a movie as a patriotic tract, The Navy Way is definitely a product of its times. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Jean Parker, (more)
My Son, the Hero was a rare comedy from the PRC studio mills-and rarer still, it was directed by melodrama specialist Edgar G. Ulmer. Roscoe Karns plays a third-rate fight manager misleadingly known as Big Time. Justifiably proud of his war-correspondent son Michael (Joseph Allen Jr.), Big Time tries to measure up to his son's accomplishments by writing letters to the boy, claiming to be a wealthy businessman. When Michael comes home on furlough, Big Time panics, worrying that he'll be exposed as a fraud. But he hasn't taken into consideration his golden-hearted ex-wife Gerty (Patsy Kelly) and punchdrunk prizefighter Kid Slug (Maxie Rosenbloom), who help Big Time come off as a hero in the eyes of his son. My Son, the Hero represented Patsy Kelly's last film appearance until her comeback role in Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patsy Kelly, Roscoe Karns, (more)
- 1943
No relation to the 1950 Frank Capra film of the same name, the 1943 Technicolor musical Riding High is a by-the-numbers vehicle for Dorothy Lamour and Dick Powell. Lamour stars as Ann Castle, a former burlesque queen who heads westward to claim her father's silver mine. Powell plays mining engineer Steve Baird, who like Ann has a vested interest in the worked-out mine. With the help of genial counterfeiter Mortimer J. Slocum (Victor Moore), Steve and Ann are able to peddle mining stock, thus saving her from bankruptcy. The stockholders are in a lynching mood when it appears that they've been flim-flammed, but a last minute "miracle" saves the day. Featured in the cast are Paramount stalwarts Cass Daley and Gil Lamb, the former doing her quasi-Martha Raye act and the latter swallowing his harmonica for the millionth time. Production values are excellent and the songs are exuberantly performed; it's only in its hackneyed plot that Riding High slows to a clip-clop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy Lamour, Dick Powell, (more)
After the box office success of The Old Maid, Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins were reunited for this catty drama. Kitty Marlowe (Davis) is a well-respected author who returns to the small town of her birth, where she becomes reacquainted with her childhood friend Millie Drake (Hopkins). While Millie is happy as a wife and mother and loves her husband Preston (John Loder), she's envious of Kitty's success, and Kitty's visit prompts Millie to sit down at the typewriter herself. Millie turns out a sexy potboiler that, with Kitty's help, attracts the attention of a publisher. To the surprise of them both, Millie's book is a runaway bestseller, and a decade later she's one of the most successful authors in America, easily eclipsing Kitty's more highbrow work. Preston finds himself growing disenchanted with Millie once success begins to go to her head, and he finds himself attracted to Kitty; while Kitty tries to dissuade Preston's advances, a scorned Millie believes that her old friend has been trying to steal her husband away from her. Old Acquaintance was remade in 1981 as Rich and Famous. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, (more)
- 1943
In this frothy musical comedy, Ann Carter (Deanna Durbin) is an aspiring singer from the Midwest who decides to move to New York in hopes of advancing her career. Her half brother, Martin Murphy (Pat O'Brien), is already living in the Big Apple, and has told her that he's doing well as a businessman; however, when she arrives at his door, she discovers that he's actually working as a valet for Charles Gerard (Franchot Tone), a well-known composer. This is good news for Ann, since Charles could doubtlessly do a great deal to give her career a boost, but Martin is hesitant to talk to his boss about Ann. Charles is inundated with pleas from semi-talented would-be musicians all day long, and putting another in his path would earn Martin no favors. However, Martin soon has bigger worries; it seems that Charles has developed an interest in Ann which Martin is convinced has nothing to do with music. As you might expect, Durbin sings several songs, including "In the Spirit of the Moment," "When You're Away," and an aria from Puccini. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deanna Durbin, Pat O'Brien, (more)
- 1942
In this musical comedy, a country bumpkin spends most of his free time watching movies and becomes such an expert that he can accurately predict which ones will be hits and which will fail at the box-office. An employee at a failing Hollywood studio finds the fellow and takes him back to Tinsel Town. Trouble ensues when the rube convinces the studio to put a no-talent gangster in the leading role of an upcoming gangster movie because he is involved with the mobster's sister. Eventually, the hayseed extricates himself from it all and happiness ensues. Songs include: "Comes Love," "It's Me Again," "Let's Make Memories Tonight," "I Can't Afford to Dream" (Lew Brown, Charles Tobias, Sammy Stapt), and "Jim" (Caesar Petrillo, Nelson Shawn, Edward Ross). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Dekker, Joan Davis, (more)
- 1942
An unusually sentimental endeavor from rough-and-ready Monogram pictures, Road to Happiness stars former 20th Century-Fox leading man John Boles. Recently divorced, Boles tries to make things pleasant for his son Billy Lee (who two years earlier had captivated the critics in The Biscuit Eater). Complications ensue in the form of Boles' ex-wife and a battery of lawyers. Roscoe Karns lightens the proceedings with his patented brashness. Road to Happiness was scripted by Robert D. Andrews, of If I Had a Million fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1942
In this crime drama, a news editor writes a scandalous expose about a notorious gangster. The gangster then has the gall to sue him for libel and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Brent, Brenda Marshall, (more)
- 1942
In this mystery, a married pair of sleuths enjoy solving the cases that stump the cops. The husband uses his popular radio show to solve the crimes; this does not endear him to the police. The pair end up being chased by the cops after they go to a friend's apartment and find the occupant slain. During their flight, the two bicker a bit and go to find the real culprit. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Howard, Margaret Lindsay, (more)
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn costarred for the first time in the delectable romantic comedy Woman of the Year. Tracy plays New York sportswriter Sam Craig, who becomes incensed at comments about the uselessness of sports made by foreign correspondent Tess Harding (Hepburn). Sam and Tess subsequently use their respective columns to carry on a feud-at least, until they finally meet face to face. After Sam takes Tess to her first baseball game (one of the funniest scenes ever committed to celluloid), the two fall in love. Once married, however, their happiness is threatened by their wildly divergent lifestyles (Sam hadn't intended to spend his honeymoon helping to hide a prominent European refugee from the authorities, nor is Tess prepared for her husband's rowdy sports-oriented pals). When Tess is voted "Woman of the Year", a jealous Sam walks out on her. She endeavors to win him back by cooking him breakfast-with disastrous results. Despite their oil-and-water relationship, Sam and Tess are made for each other, and they're back together for the final fadeout. A hands-down winner at the box office, Woman of the Year earned a "best original screenplay" Oscar for Ring Lardner Jr. and Michael Kanin. Nominated for an award was director George Stevens, an RKO contractee brought to MGM at Hepburn's insistence. And need we remind you at this late date of the subsequent lifelong romance between stars Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, (more)
