Mary Webster Movies
- 1963
Landing on a distant planet, astronauts Paul Ross (Jack Klugman), Ted Mason (Ross Martin) and Mike Carter (Frederick Beir) believe that they're the first earthlings to arrive on this unchartered world. At least, they assume that this is true until they come upon the wreckage of an American spaceship. Investigating, they find the bodies of three space travellers. This is disconcerting enough, but what really makes the astronauts' hair stand on end is the fact that the three dead men look exactly like Ross, Mason and Carter. Adapted by Richard Matheson from his own short story, "Death Ship" made its Twilight Zone premiere on February 7, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Klugman, Ross Martin, (more)
- 1961
Master of the World was adapted by Richard Matheson from two Jules Verne novels, Robur le Conquerant (1896) and its sequel, Maitre du Monde (1904)--with more than a little of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea thrown in. Set in 1868, the story is galvanized by an ominous warning of impending doom, delivered in a disembodied but resonent voice from a huge mountain just outside Morgantown, Pennsylvania. Hoping to find the source of the warning, the members of the Weldon Balloon Society, headed by munitions manufacturer Prudence (Henry Hull), send a motorized balloon to investigate. Also aboard Prudence's balloon is his daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster), her fiance Philip (David Frankham), and taciturn pilot Strock (Charles Bronson). Before long, the little party is captured by the brilliant but unbalanced Robur (Vincent Price), captain of the gigantic, state-of-the-art airship "Albatross." Robur explains that he is a man of peace, and that he is using his huge airship to wipe out all warfare by obliterating every weapon of mass destruction on earth--and never mind that a few innocent bystanders may also be killed in the process. Admiring Robur's intentions if not his methods, Strock bypasses every opportunity to stop the madman in his tracks, and for this he is branded a coward by the hotheaded Philip, sparking a battle of words and fists that will persist throughout the film. Meanwhile, Robur attacks such strategic military locations as Paris, Madrid and North Africa (courtesy of stock footage from other films), and as the carnage continues, Prudence renounces his war-profiteering ways. As for Strock, his admiration for Robur does not prevent him from a desperate climactic effort to rescue Prudence, Dorothy and Philip by planting a time bomb in the "Albatross"--a bomb that very well may go off before the "good guys" get off. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Charles Bronson, (more)
- 1961
In this sentimental crime melodrama, an ailing clown dies while trying to take his son to a Texas convent school. The orphaned lad then hooks up with a fugitive who dons the late clown's make-up as a disguise. At first the boy doesn't know that he is traveling with an escaped convict, but when he finds out, he steals the crook's horse and gallops straight into the path of an oncoming tornado. The outlaw is about to set off after the youth when the police show up. A fight ensues and he escapes to continue his search. He finds the unconscious child and returns him to safety. He then gives himself up. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Written by Rod Serling, this episode represented the joint Twilight Zone debut of actor Jack Klugman (who went on to star in three additional episodes) and director Don Medford. Klugman stars as trumpet player Joey Crown, who, regarding his life as empty and futile, tries to kill himself. Instead, he is briefly hurtled into Limbo, where he learns a number of valuable lessons from a mysterious musician named Gabe (played by Twilight Zone "regular" John Anderson). Originally telecast May 20, 1960, "A Passage for Trumpet" was the first of four Twilight Zone episodes introduced by the "big-eye" opening logo. Also: watch for a brief "inside joke" when Joey Crown passes by a construction company named for series producer Buck Houghton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Klugman, John Anderson, (more)
- 1960
In big trouble after delivering some "hot" money, Lucy Stevens (Connie Hines) fakes her own suicide by driving her empty car into the ocean. She then assumes the identity of her own (fictional) cousin, Carole Morgan, and assumes that her problems are over. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) enters the scene when the body of Marjorie Ralston (Mary Webster) is found in the wreckage of the "empty" car and Lucy is charged with her murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Taciturn marshal-turned-bounty hunter Henry Fonda rides into a small town where greenhorn deputy Anthony Perkins is sole representative of the law. Sensing that the boy could use some seasoning, Fonda makes it his mission to teach Perkins how to protect himself against the criminal element. Though diametrically opposed in personality, the older Fonda and the younger Perkins find they are kindred spirits in their dedication to their work. Using the lessons taught him by Fonda, Perkins is able to prove his worth by taking on town hothead Neville Brand. Directed with a minimum of slack and flab by Anthony Mann, The Tin Star was later spun off into the TV series The Deputy, which starred Henry Fonda and Allen Case. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Anthony Perkins, (more)
- 1957
In this teenage exploitation drama, a young woman secretly marries. The trouble begins after her husband is killed while drag racing. She bears his child, but she cannot prove that she was married. Caring nothing for the child, she spends her time hitting on a jazz trumpeter who takes her to Las Vegas. Soon she figures out that he is not interested in marriage. She takes off and marries a DJ. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Webster, William Campbell, (more)
Jerry Lewis' first solo effort was also his first headlong plunge into pathos. The Delicate Delinquent stars Jerry as mixed-up teenaged janitor Sidney Pythias, a nice kid on the verge of throwing in with a not-so-nice street gang. Sensing potential in Sidney, police officer Mike Damon (Darren McGavin, in role originally intended for Lewis' ex-partner Dean Martin) takes the boy under his wing. To prove that Sidney can be weaned away from bad influences, Mike arranges for the boy to become a rookie cop, with fitfully hilarious results (the best scene, involving a monolingual Japanese gentleman, is also the most politically incorrect). Martha Hyer costars as an idealistic social worker with whom Mike (and briefly, Sidney) falls in love. The film's tenuous balance between juvenile-delinquent drama and slapstick comedy is never more pronounced than in the opening scene, wherein the clumsy Sidney, carrying a bulky garbage can, stumbles into the middle of a gang rumble. Though not Jerry Lewis' best film, Delicate Delinquent was a hit, proving he could carry a picture himself; as a bonus, Jerry gets to sing the significantly titled ditty "By Myself". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Darren McGavin, (more)
