Jan Sterling Movies
Born into a prosperous New York family, Jan Sterling was educated in private schools before heading to England, where she studied acting with Fay Compton. Billed as Jane Sterling, she made her first Broadway appearance at the age of fifteen; she went on to appear in such major stage offerings as Panama Hattie, Over 21 and Present Laughter. In 1947, she made her movie bow--billed as Jane Darian for the first and last time in her career--in RKO's Tycoon. Seldom cast in passive roles, Sterling was at her best in parts calling for hard-bitten, sometimes hard-boiled determination. In Billy Wilder's searing The Big Carnival (1951), she played Lorraine, the slatternly, opportunistic wife of cave-in victim Richard Benedict, summing up her philosophy of life with the classic line "I don't go to church. Kneeling bags my nylons." In 1954, Jan was nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sally McKee, a mail-order bride with a questionable past, in The High and the Mighty. In a prime example of giving one's all to one's art, Sterling submitted to having her eyebrows shaved off for a crucial scene; her brows never grew back, and she was required to pencil them in for the rest of her career. Also in 1954, Sterling travelled to England to play Julia in the first film version of George Orwell's 1984; though her character was a member of "The Anti-Sex League," Sterling was several months pregnant at the time. Having no qualms about shuttling between films and television, she showed up in nearly all the major live anthologies of the 1950s. She was also a panelist on such quiz programs as You're In the Picture (1961) and Made in America (1964). Married twice, Sterling's second husband was actor Paul Douglas. Jan Sterling retired from films in favor of the stage in 1969; she returned before the cameras in 1976 to portray Mrs. Herbert Hoover in the TV miniseries Backstairs at the White House. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1988
Adapted from a true story and made for the video stores, Dangerous Company concerns convicted criminal Ray Johnson, who spent almost 30 years in prison before rehabilitating himself. ~ John Bush, Rovi
The election of Sandra Day O'Connor to the Supreme Court rendered the premise of First Monday in October anachronistic before the picture was even released; ignoring this, however, the film is supremely entertaining (no pun intended). Jill Clayburgh stars as Ruth Loomis, the first lady justice ever appointed to the Court. She's a conservative, while her principal foe on the bench, Dan Snow (Walter Matthau), is an old-line liberal. The film glides along on a predictable Tracy-Hepburn course until Snow comes to Loomis' defense when her late industrialist husband is accused of improprieties which might compromise Loomis' effectiveness. First Monday in October was adapted by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee from their own Broadway play, which starred Henry Fonda. Actress Martha Scott co-produced the film, while several other Hollywood veterans, including Herb Vigran and Ann Doran, dot the supporting case. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Jill Clayburgh, (more)
- 1980
Actor Sam Wanamaker directed this made-for-television drama about an abduction with a twist. When a disabled news vendor kidnaps a wealthy girl in an effort to get ransom money, he unexpectedly finds the emotionally disturbed young woman falling in love with him. The film was adapted from Oscar Saul's novel The Dark Side of Love. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
- 1979
Telecast on Sunday evening rather than the series' customary Monday-night slot, "The Little House Years" is a three-hour compilation of highlights from the series' five previous seasons. Gathered together for Thanksgiving, the Ingalls family recalls the most memorable events of their lives, with special emphasis on the growing pains endured by daughter Laura (Melissa Gilbert). Among the episodes excerpted are 1974's "The Lord is My Shepherd," featuring Ernest Borgnine as a hermit named Jonathan; the 1976 installments "Bunny" and "The Race," emphasizing the ongoing rivalry between Laura and the impossible Nellie Oleson (Alison Arngrim); and another 1976 entry, the two-part "Journey in the Spring," guest-starring Arthur Hill as Lansford Ingalls, father of Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon). For syndication purposes, "The Little House Years" has been re-edited as three separate hour-long episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
Based on the best-selling memoirs of Lillian Rogers Parks, the NBC miniseries Backstairs at the White House traces over five decades of American political history as witnessed from the vantage point of the servants' quarters. Played by Tania Johnson as a teenager and by Leslie Uggams as an adult, Lillian Rogers Parks served for 52 years as a maidservant at the White House. Though crippled early on with polio, Lillian diligently and loyally stuck to her duties -- and her own rock-solid set of principles and ideals -- through eight highly different Presidential administrations, often (and occasionally reluctantly) acting as friend and confidante to the First Lady of the moment. The large and stellar cast included a number of top-rank film and TV actors, obviously having the time of their lives impersonating such presidents as William Howard Taft, Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, and Dwight D. Eisenhower, and their respective wives. Also in the cast were several African-American veterans from the landmark TV miniseries Roots. Earning 11 Emmy Award nominations, the nine-hour Backstairs at the White House was seen in five installments from January 29 to February 19, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leslie Uggams, Olivia Cole, (more)
- 1976
Originally titled Giving Birth, Having Babies was the first of three pilot films for a TV series that eventually appeared under the title Julie Farr MD. In omnibus fashion, the film focuses in on four couples and their reactions to impending parenthood. Essentially, this is a feature-length "commercial" for the Lamaze method of natural childbirth. Adrienne Barbeau plays Lamaze-class supervisor Allie Duggin, while the mommies-to-be are portrayed by Karen Valentine (as tennis pro Beth Paterno), Jessica Walter (as middle-aged Sally McNamara), Linda Purl (as teenager Laura Gorman) and Vicki Lawrence (as unwed mother Grace Fontrell). Having Babies was originally telecast October 17, 1976. It was followed by Having Babies II in 1977, Having Babies III in 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1976
In the first episode of a two-part story, Arthur Hill guest stars as Lansford Ingalls, the father of farmer Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon). Sensing that his dad has lost the will to live since the death of his wife, Charles invites Lansford to move in with his family at Walnut Grove. At first, Charles' kids welcome Grandpa Lansford with open arms, but things turn unexpectedly sour. Matthew Laborteaux, who later joined the series' cast as the Ingalls' adopted son, Albert, is here seen as the younger Charles Ingalls in a flashback sequence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, (more)
- 1969
- R
Two versions of this lame exploitation film exist, one with 10 minutes of gratuitous sex, the other a more acceptable release for general audiences. Henry is an ambitious young executive who marries the older Louise (Jan Sterling). Her brother John (Michael Bierne) becomes jealous when Henry takes over the family business that was promised to him. When Henry tries to take over a second company, John arranges sex and money for the corruptible board members. He also sends some erotic female agents to spy on and sleep with the enemy to discover their trade secrets. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jan Sterling, Robert Rodan, (more)
- 1968
Johnny Taylor (Murray MacLeod) makes the rounds in Hollywood trying to peddle a screenplay given to him by his American army buddy in Vietnam. His attempts prove to be fruitless as he drifts into the life of a hermit on a Malibu beach. Johnny saves Diane (Lori Martin) from a motorcycle gang and discovers her father Vance Patton (William Windom) is a top film producer. She tries to convince daddy dearest to give the young man a shot at writing for films, but he refuses and castigates his daughter for being involved with an unknown. Vance ignores his wife Gloria (Jan Sterling) and Johnny is pursued by the homosexual agent Mori Thompson (Jan Murray) before the motorcycle gang returns for another round of fun and games. An LSD montage and a semi-nude exotic dancer spices up this feature about the hopes and shattered show-business dreams in a tarnished Tinseltown. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jan Sterling, James MacArthur, (more)
- 1967
Martin Sheen may be the Grey Eminence of movies nowadays, but back in 1967 he often as not played switchblade-wielding punks. This he does, in the company of Tony Musante, in The Incident. After mugging a helpless old man, Sheen and Musante take over a subway car, terrorizing its occupants. In Stagecoach fashion, all the best and worst qualities of the passengers are brought to the surface by the presence of danger. Among the passengers are angry black man Brock Peters and his supplicative wife Ruby Dee, ex-alcoholic Gary Merrill, timorous Jewish couple Jack Gilford and Thelma Ritter, blowhard Ed McMahon, and homosexual Robert Fields. It is furloughed army private Beau Bridges who puts an end to Sheen and Musante's reign of terror. Based on Ride with Terror a 1963 TV play by Nicholas E. Baehr, The Incident is an unpleasant but undeniably fascinating character study. And yes, that cute young blonde playing Alice Keenan is Donna Mills. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Musante, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1962
Corporate executive Peter Harding (Howard Duff) makes it his mission in life to save his friend Philip Bartel (Dan Dailey) from financial ruin. Not content with this, Harding hopes to save the philandering Bartel's soul as well. Aware that Bartel is cheating on his wife, Beatrice (Jan Sterling), with a woman named Lorna (Bettye Ackerman), Harding schemes to woo Lorna away from his friend. This results in a battle of wills and wits, resolved only by a cup of poisoned medicine. "The Tender Poisoner" is based on the same-named novel by John Bingham. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Howard Duff, Dan Dailey, (more)
- 1961
In this comedy drama, two troubled college freshmen find themselves united by their mutual family woes and so decide to spend the summer together in a beachhouse belonging to the boy's mother. They are platonic friends until the girl gets in trouble during a sailing accident and is rescued by a handsome Coast Guardsman who finds the pretty lass irresistible and starts showing up regularly at the beachhouse with his friends. Wild parties ensue and great fun is had until the boy's mom suddenly appears. Seeing that her son is cohabitating with a woman, she immediately makes lurid assumptions, the result of which makes the two mixed-up kids realize that they have somehow fallen in love. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tommy Sands, Fabian, (more)
- 1961
Third-rate escape artist Joe Ferlini (Keenan Wynn) hopes to make the big time with a particularly dangerous stunt, in which he will be manacled hand and foot and locked into a submerged trunk. Both Joe's wife Wanda (Jan Sterling) and his manager Phil (Dennis Patrick) try to talk Joe out of this stunt, but only Phil is sincere; the faithless Wanda intends to use Joe's big escape as a cover for her plan to murder him. As things turn out, Wanda "wins" -- at least until the day of Joe's funeral, that is. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
The "Kiss of Death girl" is Francey McKay (Jan Sterling), who runs the blackjack table at a mob-controlled gambling house. Every time a man falls in love with Francey, he ends up shot full of holes: her most recent "victim" was Whitey Barrows (Wesley Lau), who worked for Francey's bootlegger boss Lou Scalisi (David J. Stewart). Though Scalisi and his fellow hoodlums hold Francey personally responsible for the ongoing friction between the booze runners and a gang of hijackers, it really isn't the poor girl's fault. All she wants to do is get out of the rackets, and she's looking for a nice guy who'll show her the way--and can she help it if every guy she knows is mixed up with the rackets? Mickey Shaughnessy is seen as Henny Combs, a softhearted nightclub bouncer who shares Francey's dream of going straight...without, of course, committing the fatal blunder of cooperating with Elliot Ness (Robert Stack). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1960
Written by William Raynor and Myles Wilder, "The Blood Line" opens as Luke Grayson (played by former B-western star Allan Lane) goes on a violent drunken rampage, forcing Ben Cartwright to shoot and kill the man. Grayson's son Todd (David Macklin), newly arrived from the East, swears vengeance against Ben and the entire Cartwright clan. The powerful supporting cast includes Jan Sterling as Dianna Jordan, Lee Van Cleef as Appling, Norman Leavitt as Bert, and science-fiction film habitue Thomas Browne Henry as Jenkins. "The Blood Line" was originally seen on December 31, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1958
The husband of compulsive gambler Fran Holland (Jan Sterling) has threatened to leave her if she ever places another bet. At the same time, Fran's bookie demands that she make good a 25-dollar debt, or he'll go to her husband. In desperation, Fran turns to shoplifting -- thereby setting off a chain reaction of disastrous events, one of which involves an overly compassionate store detective. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1958
Harry Keller, the man who directed the extra scenes in Orson Welles' Touch of Evil, receives solo directorial credit in The Female Animal. Hedy Lamarr stars as Vanessa Windsor, a beautiful but ageing film star whose life is saved on the set by handsome extra Chris Farley (George Nader). Falling in love with Chris, Vanessa finds herself in competition with her own adopted daughter Penny (Jane Powell). Meanwhile, poor Chris struggles to become his "own man", and not merely the sexual plaything of two predatory females. Stealing the film from the nominal stars are Jan Sterling as a fading beauty with romantic notions of her own, and James Gleason as a crusty but likeable agent. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hedy Lamarr, Jane Powell, (more)
- 1958
A child star becomes a brat to hide her loneliness in this drama. The popular little actress is quite insolent and refuses to allow anyone to push her around. She becomes quite stubborn when a studio publicist asks her to do an interview with his ex-wife, a prominent columnist. He finally bribes her into it, and when the contrary miss meets the journalist she takes an immediate shine to her. The lonesome girl becomes so enamored with the woman that she runs away from home to be near her. Trouble ensues when the publicist is arrested for kidnapping. Fortunately the girl turns up, affects a new attitude and happiness ensues all around. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dan Duryea, Patty McCormack, (more)
Producer Albert Zugsmith serves up another all-star exposé with High School Confidential. Delivering a superb performance under the circumstances, Russ Tamblyn heads the cast as "typical" high schooler Tony Baker. Usually seen in the company of his voluptuous "aunt" Gwen Dulaine (the truly impressive Mamie Van Doren), Tony convinces one and all that he's looking for kicks of the controlled-substance kind. In truth, however, our hero is really an undercover narcotics agent named Mike Wilson, bound and determined to smash the operation of drug lord Mr. A. (Jackie Coogan). The once-in-a-lifetime cast includes such worthies as John Drew Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's daddy), Ray Anthony (then married to Mamie Van Doren), Charles Chaplin Jr., Michael Landon, and Jerry Lee Lewis as "himself." This updated Reefer Madness is not to be missed! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jan Sterling, John Drew Barrymore, (more)
- 1957
Though Slaughter on Tenth Avenue's background music relies heavily on the Richard Rodgers composition of the same name, the film itself bears no relation to the ten-minute ballet for which Rodgers wrote the piece. Instead, this Albert Zugsmith-produced crime meller attempts to expose waterfront union racketeering. In trying to solves a murder on the docks, deputy DA Richard Egan runs up against the stevedores' code of silence. It also dawns on Egan that his own boss (Sam Levene) shows little interest in pursuing justice in this instance. The DA is finally able to mount a case, but at the crucial courtroom moment he may have to pull out due to lack of evidence--a lack engineered by crooked boss Walter Matthau, who has several local politicians in his pocket. A last-minute dockside battle enables Egan to bring the racketeers to justice. Slaughter on Tenth Avenue was based on New York district attorney William J. Keating's memoirs The Man Who Rocked the Boat. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Egan, Jan Sterling, (more)
- 1957
A shipboard romance is the basis for this drama that chronicles the love between a beautiful woman and a man slated for execution as the cruise upon a ship headed for South America. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
An obviously ailing Humphrey Bogart made his final screen appearance in The Harder They Fall. Adapted from a novel by Budd Schulberg, the film is a thinly disguised a clef account of the Primo Carnera boxing scandal. Bogart is cast as unemployed newspaperman Eddie Willis, who sells his soul down the river when he signs on as press agent for slimy fight manager Nick Benko (Rod Steiger). It is Willis' job to stir up publicity for Benko's newest protégé, Argentinian boxer Toro Moreno (Mike Lane). Benko's boy quickly rises to the top of his profession, though everybody but Toro knows that all the fights have been fixed. Upon learning that Benko intends to bilk Toro of his earnings, Willis regains his integrity, tells the wide-eyed young pugilist the truth, then sits down to write a searing expose of the fight racket. Jan Sterling costars as Willis' estranged wife, while real-life boxers Jersey Joe Walcott and Max Baer are suitably cast as Toro's trainer and ring opponent, respectively. There is also a heartbreaking cameo appearance by ex-fighter Joe Greb, cast as a punchdrunk skid row bum. The Harder They Fall originally went out with two different endings: in one, Eddie Willis demanded that boxing be banned altogether, while in the other, Willis merely insisted that there be a federal investigation of the prizefighting business. The videotape version contains the "harder" denouement, while most TV prints end with the "softer" message. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Rod Steiger, (more)
- 1956
A prosaic filmization of George Orwell's cautionary novel, 1984 is set in a futuristic totalitarian society where individuality is forbidden. The ruler is the never-seen "Big Brother," whose minions have monitored and bugged the activities of the populace so that no one can harbor any "subversive" thoughts. Edmond O'Brien plays Winston Smith, a government functionary satisfied with his lot, until he commits the illegal act of falling in love with Julia (Jan Sterling), a member of the anti-sex league. The lovers try to escape the all-powerful influence of Big Brother, but their every move is recorded by listening and viewing devices. Both are captured and sent to rehabilitation centers; preying upon Winston's and Julia's innermost fears, the lieutenants of Big Brother break down their resistance and force them to betray one another. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Edmond O'Brien, (more)
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