Jack Little Movies
- 1990
- PG13
Gregg Champion, the son of dance stars Marge and Gower Champion, made his feature film directorial debut with this sitcom-influenced cop comedy. Dabney Coleman stars as Burt Simpson, a police detective one week short of retirement, who is told he has a rare blood disease called Wechsler's Curtain and that he will be dead within two weeks. Before receiving the dire news, Burt was the kind of guy who made it a point to be cautious when in pursuit of criminals. He also was unable to tell his wife (Teri Garr) that he loved her. But now that he has only two weeks to live, Burt undergoes a complete personality reversal -- much to the shock of his partner Ernie Dills (Matt Frewer). Burt throws his well-known caution to the wind and volunteers for double-duty in the city's most dangerous neighborhood to take on the notorious psychotic Carl Stark (Xander Berkeley). The reason for this sudden turnaround? Burt figures that if he is killed in the line of duty, his son can go to Harvard on the $320,000 worth of department insurance, rather than die after retirement and collect a paltry $22,000 on his regular insurance policy. Paradoxically, Burt finds that comedy is easy but dying is hard. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dabney Coleman, Matt Frewer, (more)
A simple case of mistaken identity causes a gold prospector to get mixed up in a grudge between two outlaws in this Western-thriller featuring Arch Hall Jr. in his sixth screen appearance. When Southern gold prospector Billy May (Hall) sets up camp in the Deadwood, the fearful inhabitants of the lawless town quickly mistake him for Billy the Kid. Unaware that Wild Bill Hickok is on the hunt for Billy the Kid and deeply in love with a beautiful squaw, Billy May sets out to seek revenge in Deadwood when his girl is raped by a pair of local troublemakers. As Wild Bill Hickok arrives in Deadwood awaiting the appearance of Billy the Kid, the stage is set for an explosive confrontation that could blow the whole Western frontier sky high. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1964
The devil is eager to lead a happy husband into temptation in this "nudie cutie" comedy. Business has been slow in Hell, and Lucifer U. Devil (Max Gardens, aka Manny Goodtimes) is being nagged by his wife about not luring enough folks into the Lake of Fire. Lucifer reads a magazine article about Ben Her-Ova (Little Jack Little), who has been hailed as the most faithful husband on Earth, and he makes it a point of pride to get Ben to stray from his wife and become eligible for entry into the land of Fire and Brimstone. However, on their first meeting Lucifer discovers Ben is more interested in watching television than in ogling beautiful naked women, and while Lucifer doesn't give up easily, his best efforts at tempting Ben prove largely fruitless. However, in time Lucifer learns there's a good reason why Ben can easily adhere to his personal "look but don't touch" policy. My Tale Is Hot features a brief appearance by Candy Barr, the famous stripper who appeared in the notorious stag reel Smart Alec. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
This parody takes a poke at Cold War espionage films as it tells the tale of two Red spies who sneak into the U.S. and onto a Western dude ranch with an infectious bunny. It is hoped that the little hopper will cause a deadly epidemic. Once on the ranch, the Soviet agents finds themselves surrounded by similarly disguised agents from all over the world. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mischa Terr, Arch Hall, Jr., (more)
- 1950
Hot on the heels of such Red Skelton slapstick comedies as The Fuller Brush Man and The Yellow Cab Man came The Fuller Brush Girl, starring Lucille Ball in a fascinating dry run for her wacky "Lucy Ricardo" TV character. Unable to hold a job because of her tendency to get into trouble, Sally Elliot (Ball) hires on at the Fuller Brush company as a door-to-door cosmetics salesman. After several misadventures involving obnoxious children and snooty matrons, Sally finds herself in the middle of a murder scheme. With reluctant boyfriend Humphrey (Eddie Albert) in tow, Sally gets mixed up in one hilariously life-threatening situation after another, culminating in a prolonged chase sequence on board a tramp steamer. Highlights include Ball's outrageous striptease scene (to the tune of Rita Hayworth's "Put the Blame on Mame") and a choice cameo by Red Skelton as an all-too-cooperative customer. Most of the sight gags in Fuller Brush Girl were cooked up by former cartoon director Frank Tashlin, who'd also contributed to Fuller Brush Man. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lucille Ball, Eddie Albert, (more)
Based upon an idea by Broadway columnist Mark Hellinger, The Roaring Twenties opens during World War I as doughboys Eddie Bartlett (James Cagney), Lloyd Hart (Jeffrey Lynn), and George Hally (Humphrey Bogart) discuss what they will do when the war is over. Bartlett wants to go back to repairing cabs, and Hart yearns to be a lawyer, but it becomes clear that Hally has less reputable plans in mind for himself. Come the end of the war, things are not as easy for veterans like Bartlett as they should be. He is unable to get his old job back and ends up driving a cab for little money. One night he is asked to deliver a package (which turns out to be whiskey) to an address that turns out to be a speakeasy. This starts him on a life of crime, as he gets deeper involved as a bootlegger. Things are not made easy by a rival bootlegger -- who turns out to be Hally. The two join forces and prosper. Hart shares in their prosperity, as Bartlett engages him to take care of his legal matters. Unfortunately, Hart is also interested in Jean Sherman (Priscilla Lane), a young woman that Bartlett has had an eye on for quite some time. He loses her to Hart at about the same time that his criminal empire crumbles, and he is reduced to driving a cab again while Hally continues to prosper with his ruthless ways. Eventually, Hart -- now a crusading prosecutor -- runs afoul of Hally, who tells Jean that he will kill him if he doesn't change his ways. Jean begs Bartlett to intercede with Hally; because he still is carrying a torch for her, Bartlett agrees -- but by doing so, he may have signed his own death warrant. ~ Craig Butler, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Humphrey Bogart, (more)
