Brian Donlevy Movies
The son of an Irish whiskey distiller, Brian Donlevy was 10 months old when his family moved to Wisconsin. At 15, Donlevy ran away from home, hoping to join General Pershing's purge against Mexico's Pancho Villa. His tenure below the border was brief, and within a few months he was enrolled in military school. While training to be a pilot at the U.S. Naval Academy, Donlevy developed an interest in amateur theatricals. He spent much of the early 1920s living by his wits in New York, scouting about for acting jobs and attempting to sell his poetry and other writings. He posed for at least one Arrow Collar ad and did bit and extra work in several New York-based films, then received his first break with a good supporting role in the 1924 Broadway hit What Price Glory?. Several more Broadway plays followed, then in 1935 Donlevy decided to try his luck in Hollywood. A frustrated Donlevy was prepared to head back to Manhattan when, at the last minute, he was cast as a villain in Sam Goldwyn's Barbary Coast. In 1936 he was signed to a 20th Century-Fox contract, alternating between "B"-picture heroes and "A"-picture heavies for the next few years. The most notable of his bad-guy roles from this period was the cruel but courageous Sgt. Markoff in Beau Geste (1939); reportedly, Donlevy deliberately behaved atrociously off-camera as well as on, so that his co-workers would come to genuinely despise his character. From 1940 through 1946, Donlevy was most closely associated with Paramount Pictures, delivering first-rate performances in such films as The Great McGinty (1940), Wake Island (1942), The Glass Key (1942) and The Virginian (1946). His own favorite role was that of the good-hearted, raffish con-artist in Universal's Nightmare (1942). In 1950, Donlevy took time off from films to star and co-produce the syndicated radio (and later TV) series Dangerous Assignment. He went on to introduce the character of Dr. Quatermass in two well-received British science fiction films, The Creeping Unknown (1955) and Enemy From Space (1957). Brian Donlevy left behind an impressive enough filmic legacy to put the lie to his own assessment of his talents: "I think I stink." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Tom Destry (James Stewart), son of a legendary frontier peacekeeper, doesn't believe in gunplay. Thus he becomes the object of widespread ridicule when he rides into the wide-open town of Bottleneck, the personal fiefdom of the crooked Kent (Brian Donlevy). His detractors laugh even louder when Destry signs on as deputy to drunken sheriff Wash Dimsdale (Charles Winninger). But the laughter subsides when Destry casually proves himself a crack shot, despite his abhorrence of firearms. Later, when saloon chanteuse Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich), Kent's gal, takes umbrage at Destry's indifferent reaction to her charms, she vows to make a fool of the new deputy. A huge moneymaker, Destry Rides Again served as a spectacular comeback for Marlene Dietrich, who two years earlier had been written off as "box office poison." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, (more)
- 1957
This presentation of The DuPont Show of the Month represented the first time that a novel by A.J. Cronin had been adapted for American television. In the early part of the 20th century, Canadian youth Paul Burgess (Farley Granger) discovers that his father, long believed dead, is languishing in a British prison, serving a life sentence for murder. Heading to England to get the full story, Paul is disheartened when everybody whom he meets assures him that his father was convicted fairly and squarely. On the verge of returning home, Paul comes into possession of an unexpected piece of evidence, sending him off to a new direction, with the hopeful end result of clearing his dad's name--much to the dismay of the other people involved in the case. "Beyond This Place" was originally telecast live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farley Granger, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1945
Several of Paramount Pictures brightest stars make cameo appearances in this comedy set in "Duffy's Tavern," a favorite watering hole from old time radio shows. The trouble begins when the neighborhood bar is in danger of closing. The trouble begins when the proprietor, Archie, discovers that one of his regulars, Michael O'Malley, owner of a record company is going broke. This means that many veterans will soon be unemployed and therefore, unable to pay their tab at the tavern. Archie immediately begins recruiting famous stars to donate their services and help. They do, the record company is saved and so is the tavern. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, (more)
- 1958
In this Western, a rancher must perform a robbery lest the outlaw chief that holds his wounded brother hostage lets him die. The rancher does the job, then escapes to Mexico with his girl. En route, they marry. They soon find a cabin in the middle of Indian country. The Apaches had killed all the occupants, save for one baby. The couple begins raising the child. Soon the posse arrives to take the rancher back. He is charged with a murder that occurred during the heist. Later they realize that he is innocent and they protect him from another Apache attack. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Eilene Janssen, (more)
- 1967
Aspiring to be a building engineer like his Uncle Bill (Brian Keith), Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) hangs around a construction site and befriends an affable middle-ager named Owny (Brian Donlevy), who wears the regulation hardhat and bib overalls. Impressed by Jody's enthusiasm, Owny sees to it that the boy is given a few minor jobs around the site. Meanwhile, Bill is anxiously trying to arrange a business deal with elusive millionaire architect Owen Pennington--and if you haven't yet figured out what's going to happen next, please note the similarity between the names "Owny" and "Owen"! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1951
The Coast Guard is highlighted in this propaganda drama set during WW II. In addition to the usual blend of romance and military adventure, the film also features an interesting glimpse in to the training of the young Guards as they prepare for war. The story centers around a crew of shipyard workers who, upon learning of the attack on Pearl Harbor, immediately sign up for the Coast Guard's officer training program. The crew also dupes their shipyard boss into joining. After their training they are sent into the South Pacific to fight. The film contains actual battle footage. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Forrest Tucker, (more)
- 1967
While traveling through Hong Kong, Bob Mitchell (Robert Cummings) accidentally stumbles into the middle of criminal negotiations between a mean gang, the Five Golden Dragons, and the local mobsters. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
One of the most fearsome of the Japanese monsters to hit the screen in the early 60's makes his debut in sci-fi thriller. As tensions between America and the Soviet Union rise to a fever pitch, U.S. troops shoot down a Russian bomber which is flying low in an Arctoc region. The bomber crashes, and its payload of hydrogen bombs explode upon impact. The blast releases and awakens Gamera, a gigantic fire-breathing turtle which had been frozen under the ice since prehistoric times. The newly revived monster makes his way to Tokyo, Japan, where he begins to lay waste to the city. As emminent scientist Dr. Hidaka (Eiji Funakoshi) searches for a way to defeat the monster, a young boy named Yoshiro (Yoshiro Unchida) develops an unlikely friendship with Gamera. For the film's American release, additional scenes were added featuring U.S. actors Brian Donlevy and Albert Dekker. The spelling of the monster's name was also changed; he's Gammera with two M's in this movie, but just Gamera in the sequels which followed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Dekker, Brian Donlevy, (more)
- 1929
In this dark drama, based on a play by Ward Morehouse, the life of a tough newspaperman is chronicled. The man is a work-a-holic, and the demands of his job cause him to miss all the pleasures of his life. Because he is working on a story, he misses the birth of his daughter. He is not there for her wedding, and when she dies in labor--he is not there. Later the reporter begins reflecting upon all he missed out on. When he is interviewed by a Yale graduate about his career, the newspaperman strongly advises the young student to get out of it, because it is a poisonous business. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Huston, Charlie Ruggles, (more)
- 1961
In this Brazilian detective movie, a gringo gumshoe stalks a murderer. His investigations reveal a ring of counterfeiters. To catch them all, he engineers an ingenious double-cross. Justice prevails. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
In this murder comedy, a young woman is no sooner acquitted of poisoning her father when she finds herself suspected of poisoning another. A pushy, over-eager reporter attempts to badger her into a confession, but he changes his tune after he falls in love with her. This results in the loss of his job. The man is then determined to prove that the girl is innocent. After much searching, he succeeds in finding the real killers and clearing his true-love's names. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Dee, Brian Donlevy, (more)
Hangmen Also Die is set in Czechoslovakia during the Nazi occupation. Czech loyalist Brian Donlevy assassinates the vicious Gestapo leader Heydrich, then goes into hiding. The wounded patriot is sheltered by history professor Walter Brennan, who is already under surveillance by the Nazis thanks to his veiled classroom attacks on the Third Reich. Fifth columnist Gene Lockhart arranges for the professor and 400 other Prague citizens to be rounded up as hostages, to be killed if Heydrich's assassin is not revealed. Ultimately Lockhart himself is framed by the citizenry, giving the actor full scope to cringe and cower as only he could. Persuasively directed by Fritz Lang, Hangmen Also Die was based on a story by Lang and expatriate German playwright Bertold Brecht. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Walter Brennan, (more)
- 1947
Also released as Montana Mike, Heaven Only Knows is an offbeat western with fantasy overtones. Hard-bitten gambling boss Brian Donlevy rules his frontier community with brawn and bullets. To his dismay, Donlevy discovers that he has a guardian angel (Robert Cummings), who shows up in the guise of an Eastern tenderfoot. The angel has been sent from Above to save Donlevy's soul, and to that end encourages the one-time villain to squire a minister's daughter (Jorja Curtwright) rather than his usual dance-hall girls. Donlevy is also given tips on winning against his enemies without resorting to gunplay. The gambler finally redeems himself with Heaven by rescuing the angel from a lynch mob (how can you lynch an angel?) Heaven Only Knows deserves an "E" for Effort for bringing a fresh twist to the venerable western genre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Cummings, Brian Donlevy, (more)
- 1936
Blending equal amounts of comedy, romance and thrills, High Tension is a near-perfect 20th Century-Fox "B" effort. Brian Donlevy and Glenda Farrell co-stars as rough-and-ready Steve Reardon and equally feisty Edith McNeal. He's a deep-sea engineer for a telephone cable company; she's a magazine writer specializing in adventure stories. Though Steve is in love with Edith, he balks at the notion of marriage. But after rescuing his best pal Eddie (Norman Foster) during a particularly dangerous job in Hawaii, Steve realizes he needs some stability in his life, and finally pops the question to Edith. Allan Dwan directs this slam-bang actioner with his usual effortless expertise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Glenda Farrell, (more)
- 1941
Hold Back the Dawn begins with a shabby immigrant (Charles Boyer) wandering onto a Paramount sound stage and telling his life story to director Mitchell Leisen (who actually directed this film). In flashback, we see that Boyer was once a conscienceless gigolo, desperate to flee Nazi-occupied Europe. He makes it to Mexico, where he pretends to fall in love with shy schoolteacher Olivia de Havilland. It is his plan to marry her, thus be able to enter the United States; then he intends to dump her and pursue the woman he really loves. Boyer's regeneration, and the price he pays for his previous callousness, brings Hold Back the Dawn to its tearful conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, (more)
