Maxwell Reed Movies

A young girl is deeply traumatized after she sees her mother burned to death in a house fire and spends the rest of her youth locked in a mental hospital. By the time she is released, her father has married a nasty woman who only wants his money. Knowing that the recently returned daughter is mentally unstable, the stepmom does all she can to drive the fragile girl over the edge. Unfortunately for the conniving bride, things don't quite turn out as planned. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This uneven farce by director Richard Quine has its hilarious and witty moments as American diplomat William Gridley (Jack Lemmon) inadvertently gets caught up in a jewel theft and mayhem. After William lands in London to take up his new position and get settled in his new digs, he becomes involved with his gorgeous landlady Carlye Hardwicke (Kim Novak). Carlye's husband is missing, and she is suspected of doing him in. But then he unexpectedly comes back home where an argument with Carlye over some jewels makes him as dead as everyone had assumed -- with her wielding the murder weapon. Carlye is eventually acquitted thanks to a witness who has designs on the jewels herself -- but the story is far from over. First there is an exciting helicopter ride and a wild chase to decide just who will end up with the loot. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Originally telecast March 11, 1961, "The Duke" stars Maxwell Reed as the title character, an egomaniacal and selfish British prizefighter. Arriving in Virginia City, the Duke of London challenges all comers to a public bout, goading several locals into fisticuffs by fooling around with their women. Ultimately, Hoss climbs into the ring with The Duke, leading to a denouement that will profoundly affect both the vainglorious boxer and his long-suffering manager/brother Limey (J. Pat O'Malley). Featured in the cast are Randy Stuart as Marge and Jason Evers as Lambert. One of several Bonanza episodes directed by Robert Altman, "The Duke" was cowritten by William Cox and Theodore and Mathilde Ferro. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this suspense film, a woman journeys home to Great Britain to attend the funeral of her parents, who according to the official report seemed to have died naturally at the same time. But the woman doesn't believe this. She thinks her stepmother, a nurse who took care of the aged couple had something to do with it. She goes to the authorities, but is unable to persuade them to look into it because the step-mother is a prominent, respected citizen in town. The young woman, who stands to inherit her father's considerable wealth when she comes of age, continues to look into it, even though she knows her own life is in jeopardy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Rossana Podesta may not quite possess the face that would launch a thousand ships, but she is otherwise convincing in the title role of Helen of Troy. Filmed in Italy, this super-epic costars Jacques Sernas as Paris of Troy, who sails to Sparta to secure a peace treaty between the two powerful Greek city-states. When he falls in love with Helen, Queen of Sparta, Paris loses all sense of diplomacy. Helen is willingly "abducted" by Paris and spirited off to Troy, thereby sparking a long and bloody war, which culminates with the legendary Trojan Horse. Torin Thatcher costars as warrior leader Ulysses, while Sir Cedric Hardwicke plays Priam, the pacifistic king of Troy who is overwhelmed by circumstances beyond his control. Also on hand is Stanley Baker as Achilles (who ends up with an arrow you-know-where) and Niall MacGinnis as Helen's husband Menelaus. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The British Roadhouse Girl was released in the US as Marilyn, but don't go looking for Ms. Monroe around these parts. Sandra Dorne plays Marilyn, the sexy young wife of ill-tempered garage owner Leslie Dwyer. Assuming that his wife is fooling around with mechanic Maxwell Reid, Dwyer begins punching Reid out. Defending himself, Reid accidentally kills his boss. Marilyn helps Reid cover up the crime, and together the two strike out to find a new life. Several months later, the couple is running a just-getting-by roadhouse. Wealthy Ferdy Mayne agrees to lend the couple some money, figuring the Marilyn will offer her affections as repayment. But things take a sorry turn when Mayne begins to suspect that Reid has committed a murder. Though based on a play by Peter Jones, Roadhouse Girl seems heavily indebted to James M. Cain's The Postman Always Rings Twice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The aggressively Irish Maureen O'Hara and the staunchly American Jeff Chandler are cast as Arabian Nights types in Flame of Araby. Chandler plays Tamerlaine, a Bedouin chief who is engaged in a hunt for a legendary black stallion. Also coveting the prize steed is Tunisian princess Tanya (O'Hara), who wants to capture the horse to race in competition against her hated brothers Borka (Lon Chaney) and Hakim (Buddy Baer). After reels and reels of deadly rivalry, Tamerlaine decides to join forces with Tanya to trap the stallion--and in the process, the two fall in love. Listed as associate producer of Flame of Araby is Ross Hunter, whose later cinematic efforts would eschew desert-sands escapism in favor of lush soap operas and frothy sex comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Dark Man is a killer who opens the film by committing double murder. This is witnessed by young aspiring actress Molly Lester (Natasha Parry). The rest of the picture concerns Dark Man's efforts to put Molly out of the way. The plot is nothing new, though the settings--a provincial repertory theatre, a military rifle range--are rather novel. It is giving nothing away to reveal that the title character is portrayed by Maxwell Reed; Edward Underdown co-stars as the obligatory Scotland Yard representative, while future "Dr. Who" William Hartnell plays Underdown's superior. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Lost People is a pedantic British drama set in a large, abandoned German theatre just after the War. A disparate group of homeless refugees huddle together within the structure. As they get to know each other, old wounds are opened, social and religious clashes break out, recriminations melt into reconciliations, and the theatre threatens to become a metaphor for the World At Large. In fact, it's not a threat but a foregone conclusion. The Lost People is based on Cockpit, a play by Bridget Boland. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Shortly after the end of World War II, a pair of British soldiers hold an increasingly hostile group if refugees in a German theater in preperation for returning them to their homelands. Confused by the seemingly constant struggle that still surrounds them despite the official declaration that the war has ended, the soldiers and their captives are briefly unified when word of a coming plague begins to spread. As time passes and the group remains, the British soldier's handle on the situation losens as their captives' momentarily placated hostility once again boils to the surface. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director David McDonald adapted the screenplay of The Brothers from a novel by L. A. G. Strong. Set at the turn-of-the-century, the story concerns the feud between two farming families on a remote Western Scottish island. Patricia Roc plays Mary, a serving girl who goes to work for the Macrae clan. This not only causes renewed hostility between the Macrae and the rival McFarish family, but also foments dissension between Macrae brothers Fergus (Maxwell Reed) and John (Duncan Macrae). In a break from tradition, the film substitutes the novel's unhappy ending with an even unhappier one. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The oft-used title Night Beat was applied to the 1948 British melodrama. After serving as commandoes in WW2, Felix (Maxwell Reed) and Andy (Ronald Howard) follow widely divergent paths in peacetime. Andy joins the London police, while Felix falls in with the Black Market. As a result, their friendship and fidelity is sorely tested. The women in the case include Andy's fretting wife Julie (Anne Crawford) and sultry nightclub chanteuse Jackie (Christine Norden). Though its starts out strong, Night Beat metamorphoses into standard melodramatics towards the end. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a wealthy man discovers that his wife is having an affair, he murders her lover, committing the perfect crime. ~ Rovi