William Tannen Movies

A murder investigation uncovers a plot that could destroy the world as we know it in this thriller. When a scientist doing research on nuclear weapons is murdered during a hospital stay, federal investigator Dave Pomeroy (Howard Duff) is called in to find out who killed him and why. With the help of Dr. Paula Stevens (Linda Cristal), the late scientist's assistant, Pomeroy learns that the scientist fell victim to a group of communist renegades whose members include two brilliant but unstable weapons experts, August Best (Nehemiah Persoff) and Myra Pryor (Anne Jeffreys). Pomeroy discovers that Best and Pryor have constructed an atomic bomb of their own -- and that they're threatening to use it to start World War III, forcing the detective to take swift action to prevent worldwide devastation. Panic in the City also features Dennis Hopper in the small role of Goff, just a year before Easy Rider would make him a star. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Appropriately enough, the 271st and final episode of Perry Mason concerns a murder which takes place during the filming of a TV show. No sooner has Perry (Raymond Burr) been able to establish the innocence of chief suspect Jackson Sidemark (Denver Pyle) than Sidemark himself is knocked off by the real killer (and wait until you see who THAT is!) Several members of the Perry Mason production staff, including executive producer Gail Patrick Jackson, appear in cameo roles, while series creator Erle Stanley Gardner shows up unbilled as a judge. Longtime fans of the series will enjoy the multitude of "inside" jokes in the script (including a barbed reference to the show's NBC competition Bonanza), but the best is reserved for last when Perry and his longtime courtroom adversary Hamilton Burger (William Talman) exchange words for the final time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Great Sioux Massacre is an entertaining pack of lies about Custer's Last Stand. General Custer (Philip Carey) is herein depicted as a bastion of tolerance, whose efforts to secure fair treatment for the Indians lead to several confrontations with corrupt government officials. Custer is forced to retire, but is soon approached by a machiavellian senator (Don Haggerty) who convinces the General that he is presidential material. The best way to attain the White House, Custer reasons, is to wrest control of the upcoming Little Big Horn campaign from the officer in charge (Frank Ferguson). This, alas, proves to be "Yellow Hair's" undoing. The Great Sioux Massacre costars Joseph Cotten and Darren McGavin as Custer's fellow officers Reno and Benton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Charlie (Anthony Caruso) is an old and somewhat shabby Indian. Regularly taunted and persecuted by the self-righteous townfolk. Charlie has only two friends in the world: Ben Cartwright, and a little girl named Angela (Vicki Ros). Things take a nasty turn when Angela vanishes and Charlie is accused of killing the child. Also appearing is Virginia Christine, aka "Mrs. Olsen" in the Folger Coffee commercials, as Martha, and former B-western star Don Barry. Originally telecast on December 27, 1964, "The Saga of Squaw Charlie" was written by Warren Douglas. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The six Genna brothers have figured out a clever method to make and distribute illegal whiskey right under the noses of Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) and the Untouchables. The Gennas smuggle illegal immigrants into Chicago's Little Italy district, then force them to manufacture whiskey in their homes, lest they be turned over to the immigration authorities. Though Al Capone has warned gang boss Mike Genna (Marc Lawrence) never to put his trust in "greenhorns", the plan works beautifully--until a careless gang member makes the mistake of killing the daughter of immigrant bootlegger Carlo Giovanni (Frank Puglia). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

There's intrigue aplenty aboard the USS "Moray" when Navy submarine commander James Page (Hugh Marlowe) accuses seaman Robert Chapman (Jack Ging) of murdering a nightclub singer. Things get worse for Chapman when Cmdr. Page himself is killed. In his efforts to defend Chapman, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) exposes evidence of a complicated blackmail scheme involving an electronics firm owned by the victim's father-in-law Anthony Beldon (Robert F. Simon). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This gritty crime drama is based on the true story of a Mexican news reporter who single-handedly takes on a crime syndicate. The journalist begins by publishing the names of several prominent, corrupt politicians. The syndicate retaliates and the journalist is killed. The locals rebel and the reporter's son takes up his father's cause. By uniting, the community routs the crooks from their home. The story is narrated by the actual journalist. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

One of the best of Elvis Presley's pre-Army films, Jailhouse Rock offers us the sensual, "dangerous" Elvis that had won the hearts of the kids and earned the animosity of their elders. Presley plays a young buck who accidentally kills a man while protecting the honor of a woman. Thrown into prison, Elvis strikes up a friendship with visionary fellow-con Mickey Shaughnessy. Shaughnessy suggests that Elvis perform in the upcoming prison show. Ol' swivel-hips scores a hit, and decides to stay in showbiz after his release. Together with pretty Judy Tyler (the former Princess Summerfall Winterspring on Howdy Doody, who would die in a horrible traffic accident shortly after completing this film), Elvis sets up his own record company. Alas, success goes to his head, and soon Elvis plans to ditch Tyler in favor of signing with a big-time label. Shaughnessy shows up long enough to punch out Elvis for his disloyalty; as a result, Elvis' vocal chords are damaged and he is unable to sing. Deserted by his flunkeys and hangers-on, Elvis learns the value of friendship and fidelity when Tyler and Shaughnessy stay by his side in his darkest hours. His voice restored, Elvis climbs back up the charts--but this time, he's a much nicer fellow, and a lot more committed to Tyler. Usually the musical numbers in a Presley picture (this one has a doozy, complete with chorus boys dressed as convicts!) are more compelling than the plot. Jailhouse Rock is a perfect balance of song and story from beginning to end; seldom would Elvis be so well showcased in the future. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this thriller, a mentally unstable ex-GI escapes from the mental ward and goes searching for his ex-wife who only recently divorced him. The man is not dangerous; he just wants to talk to her. Meanwhile the woman is murdered by her lover, a married man, because she is pregnant with his child. The fugitive soldier is framed for the murder. He escapes, finds the real killer and gets his revenge. Fortunately, a clever police lieutenant also figures out the murderer's identity and gets there in time to save the soldier from killing him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Anthony Dexter, who had essayed the title role in the 1951 biopic Valentino, plays a beardless Captain Kidd. Eva Gabor, who would later costar with Arnold the Pig on TV's Green Acres, is the slave girl. Gabor has been dispatched by the villains to seduce Kidd and determine the whereabouts of the pirate's legendary buried treasure. She falls in love with him instead, standing by his side as he fights his way through reels and reels of stock footage from old Hollywood swashbucklers. Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl was produced by Edward Small--and is "small" in every sense of the word. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this entry in the Bomba series of jungle adventures, the jungle boy must retrieve a valuable Watusi statue after it is swiped by an Arab chieftain. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This western offers one of Hollywood's more historically accurate accounts of the Battle of Little Big Horn. The story centers on a major in the cavalry who believes the Indians have the same rights as other Americans. Despite his efforts to stop Custer from embarking on his ill-fated mission, the general carries on. Later the major is court-marshaled for being a traitor and ends up sentenced to die. Fortunately, Sitting Bull sends a petition to the President and pleads for the good major's pardon. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi