Steven Geray Movies

Tarzan (Johnny Weissmuller) must once more contend with outsiders who invade his jungle domain to hunt for gold. Guarding the valuable ore is a tribe of hostile Amazons, led by Maria Ouspenskaya. The Amazons regard every man as their enemy, and very nearly kill Tarzan before he can rescue them from the villains. Also in the cast are Brenda Joyce as a blonde Jane, Johnny Sheffield as Boy, Barton MacLaine as the principal heavy, and "cult" horror star Aquanetta as an Amazon maiden. Tarzan and the Amazons was Johnny Weissmuller's ninth appearance as the Lord of the Apes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this sequel to the second-season episode "Panic in the Sky", Clark Kent's friend Gary Allen (Robert Lowery) has been missing ever since the night Kent's alter ego Superman (George Reeves) prevented a huge meteor from crashing into Metropolis. When Gary resurfaces, he is just as invulnerable and indestructible as Superman, the result of being exposed to the meteor's radiation. In fact, the public at large is now convinced that Gary and Superman are one and the same, especially since he, like Superman, is weakened whenever coming into contact with Kryptonite. This situation is exploited by a pair of crooks named Van Wyck (Steven Geray) and Rufus (Bob Foulk), with potentially dire consequences for Clark's fellow reporters Lois (Noel Neill) and Jimmy (Jack Larson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Casablanca-esque spy thriller set during WWII centers on the exploits of the notorious "Flying Dutchman," a fugitive resistance leader from Holland who heads for Lisbon where he hooks up with other members of the underground. One of them is a beautiful young woman, and none of the others trust her because she is married to an important German official. For the resistance leader, real trouble comes when he is framed for the murder of a fellow agent. Still he escapes from prison and hides out with his other colleague while he works to prove that he is innocent and carry out a major secret mission for the resistance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

An offbeat Universal murder mystery, Crimson Canary is set in the very special world of jazz musicians. A duplicitous songstress is murdered, and the prime suspects are members of a nightclub jazz combo. John Litel, the detective assigned to the case, is himself a jazz fan and thus takes proprietary interest in the band. As suspicion shifts from one musician to another, those involved with the case (notably Lois Collier, the girlfriend of one of the musicians) dig deeper into the clues, discovering at last that the culprit is someone with no music in his soul at all. Though the plot is nothing special, the wall-to-wall music and "hip" ambience of Crimson Canary result in a better than average Universal "B". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Comedian Godfrey Cambridge guest stars as federal agent Bond -- Harry Bond, that is -- who has been assigned to locate a supposedly deported gambler. It turns out that the best location for Bond's stakeout is the bedroom of Ritchie Petrie (Larry Mathews), meaning that Ritchie's dad Rob (Dick Van Dyke) must permit the government surveillance to be headquartered in his home. Though he has promised to stay out of the way of the feds, Rob cannot help but make a nuisance of himself as he expresses amazement and admiration over agent Bond's arsenal of high-tech gadgetry -- and as result, Bond's target may very well escape detection. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like so many other films that were once considered "lewd" and "scandalous", The French Line seems as harmless as Pollyanna when seen today. Essentially a remake of The Richest Girl in the World, the film stars Jane Russell as Mary Carson, an incredibly wealthy Texas oil heiress. Lucky in investments but unlucky in love, poor Mary can never keep a fiance: either they're fortune-hunters or they don't want to marry anyone so rich and powerful. Thus, while on an ocean voyage to France, Mary poses as the model of dress designer Annie Farrell (Mary McCarthy), hoping to attract a man who is interested in her for herself, and not her millions. That man turns out to be dashing stage star Pierre (Gilbert Roland), but there's many comic complications and misunderstandings before the happy ending. What shocked the censors in 1954 was Jane Russell's sizzling musical number "Lookin' for Trouble", in which she performed an uninhibited bump-and-grind while wearing nothing more than a seven-ounce glorified bikini. While Ms. Russell herself was offended by her skimpy costume, she saw nothing wrong with the dance itself, pointing out that she intended it as a parody of a "burleycue" number. The professional blue-noses disagreed, however: the film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency and denied a Production Code Seal. Eventually, producer Howard Hughes got the Seal--along with a million dollars' worth of free publicity, which is what he intended all along. Filmed in 3D, The French Line is the film that was ballyhooed with the classically tasteless ad campaign "J.R. in 3D--It'll knock both your eyes out!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

MGM was never quite sure what to do with their resident funster Red Skelton, and The Great Diamond Robbery betrays this uncertainty. Skelton plays Ambrose C. Park, a diamond cutter who is led to believe that he's the long-lost heir to a fortune. Actually, Ambrose has been duped by shyster lawyer Remlick (James Whitmore), who is in cahoots with criminal mastermind Louie (Kurt Kaznar). Convinced that he's being a dutiful nephew, Ambrose helps the crooks steal a valuable diamond, then agrees to cut the jewel himself. There's way too much plot and not enough Skelton in this 69-minute programmer, but Red manages to collect a few loose chuckles along the way. Great Diamond Robbery leading lady Cara Williams was later more memorably teamed with Skelton in the 1962 TV special "Freddie and the Yuletide Doll." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After surviving the hell of a Nazi death camp, a refugee faces even greater dangers in America in this tale of murder, deceit, and assumed identities. Victoria Kopwelska (Valentina Cortese) is a Polish woman imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp near the end of World War II. Desperate to survive, Victoria learns that her best friend has family in the United States, and if they are ever freed, she pledges to take Victoria to America with her. Victoria's friend, however, is killed shortly before American troops can liberate the camp. With nowhere to go, Victoria steals her friend's papers and sails to America, where she is accepted as her friend by her family. Victoria learns that she is now the godmother to a young boy, as well as the heir to a sizable fortune, following the death of her "aunt." Alan Spender (Richard Basehart), the boy's guardian, has been making secret plans to get his hands on the money, and Victoria's arrival causes him to draft a new scheme. Alan begins wooing Victoria, hoping to take her hand in marriage and then murder her, gaining her estate in the process. However, after several accidents befall the youngster, Victoria begins to believe that her new sweetheart is up to no good. The House on Telegraph Hill was directed by Robert Wise, who went on to helm such blockbusters as West Side Story and The Sound of Music. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Lucy (Lucille Ball) wheedles some extra money out of Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) by claiming she needs some medical treatment. What Mooney doesn't know is that Lucy is using the cash for a extended trip to the beauty parlor. Alas, the crew from a "Candid Camera"-style television show (hosted by real-life LA radio personality Dick Patterson) catches Lucy on film at the parlor, forcing her to hatch a scheme to prevent Mooney from witnessing her embarrassing network TV debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Zachary Scott made his screen debut in this clever bit of film noir that has gained a cult reputation in recent years. Dutch mystery novelist Cornelius Leyden (Peter Lorre) is travelling through Istanbul when he meets Col. Haki (Kurt Katch), head of the secret police and a big fan of Leyden's work. He offers to tell Leyden about Dimitrios Makropoulos (Zachary Scott), a notorious criminal whose body was just found washed up on the beach. It seems that Makropoulos was involved in nearly every sort of lawless act imaginable, from murder and blackmail to espionage and political assassination. Fascinated, Leyden decides that Makropoulos would be a fine subject for his next book, and he begins researching his life, beginning with Haki's dossier on the criminal. Leyden's research takes him through much of Europe; while en route by rail to Sofia, he meets a large man with an ingratiating chuckle, Mr. Peters (Sydney Greenstreet), who informs Leyden that "There is not enough kindness in the world," and tells him of a good hotel in town. Grateful for the advice, Leyden checks in, only to later find Peters ransacking his room and holding him at gunpoint; it seems that Peters had business with Makropoulos, and he isn't entirely convinced that the master criminal is dead -- especially since his body was found with shabby clothes and no money, and the police in Istanbul had never actually seen a photo of Makropoulos. Based on a novel by Eric Ambler, The Mask of Dimitrios also features Faye Emerson, who was in the news at the time, as she had just wed the son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This Technicolor retelling of the Gaston Leroux "grand guignol" classic The Phantom of the Opera has a little more opera than phantom, but that's because the stars are soprano Susannah Foster and tenor Nelson Eddy. Claude Rains carries the acting honors on his shoulders, playing a pathetic orchestra violinist who worships aspiring opera-singer Foster from afar. The girl is unaware that Rains has secretly been financing her music lessons with instructor Leo Carrillo. When he runs out of money, Rains attempts to sell the concerto that he's been working on all his life. Mistakenly believing that his precious concerto has been stolen from him, Rains attacks and kills the music publisher he holds responsible. Terrified, the publisher's mistress throws a pan full of acid into Rains' face. Rains runs screaming into the night, and is not heard from for the next reel or so. Soon afterward, the Paris Opera house is plagued by a series of mysterious accidents. The managers are informed via letter that the "accidents" will continue if Foster is not immediately promoted to leading roles. Only after reigning diva Jane Farrar is drugged into incapacitation is Foster given her big break. Farrar accuses Foster's boyfriend, police inspector Nelson Eddy, of doping her in order to advance Foster's career. Farrar is later strangled, and Eddy is accused of the crime. The culprit is, of course, Rains, who now poses as the masked-and-caped "phantom". Maniacally determined that no one will impede Foster's success, Rains causes a huge chandelier to crash down on the opera audience when Foster fails to appear onstage (she'd been kept from performing by police-chief Edgar Barrier, who hoped in this manner to flush The Phantom out of hiding). A chase through the catacombs below the opera house ensues, with Rains holding Foster prisoner. When Rains briefly lets down his guard, the tremulous Foster removes his mask. It's "yecccch," all right, but nowhere near as frightening as the unmasking scene in the silent Lon Chaney version of Phantom of the Opera. The same can be said for the rest of this 1943 remake, though in fairness it appears as though the film wasn't really designed to scare anyone, but instead to serve as a suspense yarn with musical interludes. Hume Cronyn makes his second film appearance in Phantom in a microscopic role. The huge sets designed for this picture were hastily reused for the 1944 Universal melodrama The Climax, starring Boris Karloff and (again) Susannah Foster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Louis Hayward goes the "stiff upper lip" route in the Allied Artists "B"-plus actioner The Royal African Rifles. Set in British East Africa during the early days of WW I, the story concerns the efforts by Royal African Rifle troops to get their hands on much-needed machine guns. Officer Denham (Louis Hayward) leads a group of soldiers on a "hunting party," the better to steal the valuable weapons. Michael Pate co-stars as Cunningham, the gun-running heavy of the piece. Veronica Hurst, whom Allied Artists had been grooming for stardom ever since The Maze, is the rather disposable heroine. As usual, director Lesley Selander paces his material like a western film, with salutary results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide