Robert Taylor Movies
Robert Taylor's cumbersome given name, Spangler Arlington Brugh, can be blamed on his father, a Nebraska doctor. As a high schooler, Taylor participated on the track team, won oratory awards, and played the cello (his first love) in the school band. Attending Pomona College to study music, Taylor became involved in student theatricals, where his uncommonly good looks assured him leading roles. Spotted by an MGM talent scout, the 23-year-old Taylor was signed to a contract with that studio -- though his first film, Handy Andy (1934), would be a loanout to Fox. Taylor was given an extended, publicly distributed "screen test" when he starred in the MGM "Crime Does Not Pay" short, playing a handsome gangster who tries to avoid arrest by purposely disfiguring his face with acid. It was another loanout, to Universal for Magnificent Obsession (1935), that truly put Taylor in the matinee-idol category. Too "pretty" to be taken seriously by the critics, Taylor had to endure some humiliating reviews during his first years in films; even when delivering a perfectly acceptable performance as Armand in Camille (1936), Taylor was damned with faint praise, reviewers commenting on how "surprised" they were that he could act. Nobody liked Taylor but his public and his coworkers, who were impressed by his cooperation and his willingness to give 110 percent of himself and his time on the set. Though never a great actor, Taylor was capable of being a very good one, as even a casual glance at Johnny Eager (1942) and Bataan (1942) will confirm. Taylor's contributions to the war effort included service as an Air Force flight instructor and his narration of the 1944 documentary The Fighting Lady. His film career in eclipse during the 1950s, Taylor starred for three years in the popular weekly police series Robert Taylor's Detectives (1959-1962); and when his friend, Ronald Reagan, opted for a full-time political career in 1965, Taylor succeeded Reagan as host/narrator of the Western anthology Death Valley Days. Robert Taylor was married twice, to actresses Barbara Stanwyck (they remained good friends long after the divorce) and Ursula Theiss. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1968
The search of the mythical Glass Sphinx, said to contain an elixir of immortality, provides the action in this adventure. The hunt is lead by a renowned archaeologist who travels to Egypt. He is accompanied by his secretary, who, unbeknownst to him is involved with a gang that also wants the potion. They also want to kill the archaeologist. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1968
- G
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Having scored big in 1966 with The Trouble With Angels, Columbia Pictures went back for a second bite of the apple with Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows. But it's two years later, and the world of Catholic education depicted in the first movie is confronting a raft of changes on all sides, from within and without. And Mother Simplicia (Rosalind Russell) not only has a new generation of students headed for graduation, but a young, progressive nun, Sister George (Stella Stevens), with whom to lock horns. And if top hell-raisers Marvel Ann (Barbara Hunter) and Rosabelle (Susan Saint James) can't cause her enough headaches to keep her busy, then Sister George will come up with something to get under her skin. The girls' adventures take them cross-country to a Catholic-themed peace rally, on the way to which they encounter mechanical problems with their bus, leading to an overnight stay at a Catholic boys' school and an encounter with some surly bikers; an interlude at a ranch owned by a millionaire (Robert Taylor), and a gradual loosening of the attitudes by the tradition-bound Mother Simplicia. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens, (more)
- 1968
In this espionage comedy, an American and a Russian agent find themselves double-crossed by a double agent who works for both of them. Also involved are a naive IBM computer operator, and the telephone operator at the hot-line center in Stockholm. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1967
Robert Taylor shares top billing with comparative newcomer Chad Everett in this good gunslinger vs. bad hombres opus. Ben Wyatt (Taylor) comes to the aid of Mexican girl Anisa (Ana Martin), whose parents have been killed by desperadoes. Of interest is the presence of Butch Cassidy (John Crawford) and the Sundance Kid (John Davis Chandler), a full two years before their cinematic canonization vis-à-vis Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Return of the Gunfighter was lensed for television, networkcast on ABC, then released theatrically abroad. The film picked up a third title, Wyatt, when it was released to videocassette. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Samuel Bronston Productions was pretty much obliterated in 1964 by the failure of The Fall of the Roman Empire. Three years later, Bronston tried to rebuild his old empire by teaming up with a pair of South American entrepreneurs; the result was Savage Pampas. Set in the Argentina of the 1890s, the film tells the story of a clever bandit leader (Ron Randell) who buys off the soldiers sent to capture him--then enlists the deserters in his own gang. But Army fort commander Robert Taylor can't be bribed, and takes it upon himself to defeat the bandit. Savage Pampas was a remake of a popular Argentinian historical epic of 1946, Pampa Barbara. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Ron Randell, (more)
- 1967
Released theatrically in Europe, Hondo and the Apaches was stitched together from the first two episodes of the Hondo TV series, telecast September 7 and 15, 1967, which in turn had been based on the Louis L'Amour novel Hondo and the 1953 John Wayne film of the same name. Ralph Taegar plays the title role of western U.S. Army agent Hondo Lane, with Noah Beery Jr. as sidekick Buffalo Baker. Guest-star Robert Taylor is given top billing, but his participation is secondary to the main plotline: Hondo is told to help make peace with Indian Chief Vittoro (Michael Pate), whose daughter--Hondo's wife--had been killed by the Cavalry. Once the peace pipe is smoked, Hondo must deal with a renegade Native American who threatens the peace by randomly attacking settlers. The original TV series Hondo lasted only 13 weeks, knocked off in the ratings by the competing Star Trek. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
George Dean (Robert Taylor) and his three children relocate when he takes a teaching position at a Seminole Indian reservation in Florida. He is overwhelmed by the poverty of the tribe and their ability to interact in society without giving up their treasured tribal customs. Sam (Ford Rainey) is the old Seminole chief who resents the white man and wants his grandson Johnny (Chad Everett) to renounce the white man's ways and assume leadership of the tribe. Johnny and George's daughter Barbara (Brenda Scott) fall in love, which leads to problems in both families. George falls for the pretty female physician (Geraldine Brooks), who is dedicated to healing the poverty-stricken people. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Geraldine Brooks, (more)
- 1965
A documentary drama on the American Revolution and the founding of the nation, with Jimmie Rodgers' music. ~ Rovi
- 1964
This drama tells the true story of one of Broadway's most successful madams in the 1920s. It is loosely based on the autobiography of Polly Adler. The story begins when young Polly is seduced and raped at her job by the sweatshop foreman. When her uncle, with whom she lived, learns of the act, he blames her and tosses her out. She then moves into an apartment owned by a racketeer. It is he who encourages her into her "helping" profession when he gives her money for bringing her pals to a gangster party. Soon she is beginning to build up her own clientele. As her business prospers, she begins to choose nicer locations. Her tiny cathouse becomes a haven for sleazy politicos, mobsters, and businessmen. The madame herself has a passionate romance with a young songwriter and she helps his career. He does not know of her vocation and she eventually breaks up with him to keep his reputation intact. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shelley Winters, Robert Taylor, (more)
- 1964
Irene Trent (Barbara Stanwyck) was married to the inventor Howard (Hayden Roarke) before the blind electronics genius blows himself up following an argument between the couple. Irene leaves after the arguments only to learn of her husband's demise later. When Irene has reoccurring dreams of a faceless lover, she confides in her friend and attorney Barry Moreland (Robert Taylor) of her vision. She also tells him that Howard had accused her of marital infidelity and had her trailed by a private detective. William Castle directed the suspenseful thriller written by Psycho author Robert Bloch. Taylor and Stanwyck appear in their first film together in 27 years. The two were married from 1939 to 1951 and appeared in two films before their marriage. Their mutual respect as friends and performers is evident in The Night Walker. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Barbara Stanwyck, (more)
- 1963
Robert Taylor closed out his MGM contract with the 1963 western Cattle King. Taylor plays a Wyoming rancher at odds with cattle baron Robert Middleton, who is dead set against barbed wire being erected on "his" land. Just so we know the film isn't kidding around, leading lady Joan Caulfield is shot full of holes some thirty minutes before the fade-out. Taylor finally vanquishes the evil Middleton, but not without help from Caulfield's previously spineless brother William Windom-not to mention the legal support of President Chester A. Arthur (Larry Gates). Cattle King was released in England as Guns of Wyoming. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Joan Caulfield, (more)
In a rather confusing and slow-paced manner, this wartime drama about a real-life dilemma is meant to highlight the dedication of Colonel Alois Podhajsky (Robert Taylor), the instructor at a prestigious Vienna equestrian school. The colonel is in charge of the safety and health of the royal Lipizzaner horses and he has a serious problem. He has not been able to secure German permission to leave for a safe haven with the horses and, at the same time, he has to get them together with the Lipizzaner mares in order to continue the species. The trouble is that the mares are in the hands of the enemy. And so the colonel sets out to get the horses through a German checkpoint, and convince General Patton (John Larch) to help him with his mission. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Lilli Palmer, (more)
- 1960
The late Anthony Newley's star was already rising when he shared billing just after Robert Taylor and before Anne Aubrey in this fast-paced adventure story set in Africa. Adamson (Taylor) is an engineer in charge of a project to set up a railroad track through East Africa, the first of its kind -- well, almost. A rival railway gang is around to give him trouble. Aside from that kind of trouble, Adamson has to handle the convicts who are working underneath him, hungry crocodiles, dangerous lions, rhinos, and similar wild beasts, as well as Jane (Aubrey), a woman along for the duration. His sidekick Hooky (Newley) is a stand-out with his high energy brand of whimsy. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Anthony Newley, (more)
- 1959
The Hangman is a stock western with a thin plot and cardboard characters, about a rigid, U.S. Marshal. Mackenzie Bovard (Robert Taylor) takes his job working for the federal government very seriously, and when he goes out to get the riff-raff that defy the laws of the land, he finds them and hangs them. This one-two punch does not sit well with a local community when he comes into their midst to pick up Johnny Bishop (Jack Lord). Johnny has turned himself around and is not only supported by his friends and neighbors, but also by the sheriff (Fess Parker). For the first time in his career, Mackenzie is faced with a serious challenge to his method of justice. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Fess Parker, (more)
- 1959
Reminiscent of the film noir detective films like The Maltese Falcon, The House of Seven Hawks is really the same type of bird. Aptly directed by Richard Thorpe, the story features Robert Taylor as John Nordley, the captain of a charter-boat service on the British sea coast. Nordley's problem is that he tends to ignore regulations, and when a passenger is murdered on board, his already tarnished reputation is no help in trying to prove his innocence. As the mystery of the murder is unraveled, the story jumps back to the end of World War II and a cache of valuable diamonds that suddenly disappeared. Nordley had been trying to track down the whereabouts of this treasure trove -- would that be connected to his passengers death? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Nicole Maurey, (more)
- 1958
Vicki Gaye (Cyd Charisse) is a dancer at a night club in early 1930's Chicago. A healthy cynic who still possesses some ideals, she entertains no illusions about the "invitation" (or the $100 that goes with it) that she gets to a party hosted by mob kingpin Rico Angelo (Lee J. Cobb) -- but she still won't let Angelo's head torpedo Louis Canetto (John Ireland) get near her. Angelo's attorney Thomas Farrell (Robert Taylor) is another story -- he's a more complicated than the men he defends, and still enough of an idealist so that when he and Vicki cross swords about who is the worse hypocrite, it actually affects him. Farrell, whose right leg has been crippled from birth and getting worse, took the easy way to success by pursuing a criminal practice, including getting Canetto off a murder rap -- but after meeting Vicki he starts to see another path to take, and also embarks on a year of surgical procedures to cure the worst of the pain in his leg. And he comes out a new man, with a new plan in life, including starting over in a practice that doesn't involve criminal law. But Angelo plans on having Farrell fight an old friend, prosecutor Jeffrey Stewart (Kent Smith), who is trying to indict Angelo's associate Cooky La Motte (Corey Allen). Farrell resists, until Angelo threatens to harm Vicki -- and when the case and the trail blow up in both sides' faces, he finds himself caught between the mob and the law, with Vicki urging him to do the right thing. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse, (more)
Although reformed and a town marshal Jake Wade (Robert Taylor) has one thing more to do before he can settle down and marry Peggy Carter (Patricia Owens): spring former comrade-in-arms Clint Hollister (Richard Widmark) from jail. Clint had done the same for Jake way back and the latter now considers the score settled. But Clint wants the loot from the gang's final heist, which the reformed Wade had buried before leaving for good, and to make sure that the marshal doesn't lead everyone on a wild goose chase, he brings Peggy along as leverage. An Indian raid complicates matters but all scores are settled in the end in this fine western originally lensed in Cinemascope. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Richard Widmark, (more)
Rod Serling's first original screenplay for the Big Screen was the psychological western Saddle the Wind. In one of his best performances, Robert Taylor plays Steve Sinclair, a world-weary gunslinger. Hoping to become a rancher, Sinclair is given a plot of land by patriarchal Dr. Deneen (Donald Crisp), on the proviso that Steve tries to curb the violent tendencies of his younger brother Tony (John Cassavetes). Unfortunately, Tony is not so easily controlled; he not only seethes with sibling rivalry, but also takes near-orgasmic delight in his gunslinging skills. Determined to prove to Steve and to his saloon-girl paramour Joan Blake (Julie London) that his shooting prowess somehow makes him a superior being, Tony brings tragedy to all concerned. Elmer Bernstein's overemphatic musical score is ideally suited to the larger-than-life histrionics of Saddle the Wind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Julie London, (more)
- 1957
In this 1957 psychological action drama, Robert Taylor plays Lloyd Tredman, a WWII American airman plagued by guilt over the war deaths of comrades in failed missions. Living in Spain, Tredman is despondent after losing all his money betting on a horse which ends up throwing its jockey and killing him. In order to get money and help a former comrade, Jimmy Heldon (Jack Lord), who is also broke, Tredman agreeds to a currency smuggling plot proposed by Bert Smith (Martin Gabel). In on the scheme is a Madrid native, Toto del Aro (Marcel Dalio). They smuggle the money and elude authorities after a long chase, but when they discover that their booty includes narcotics, they turn themselves in and implicate Smith. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Dorothy Malone, (more)
- 1956
Set in the West of the late 19th century, Richard Brooks' film stars Robert Taylor as Charles Gilson, a brutal buffalo hunter who kills purely for sport and enjoyment. Stewart Granger portrays Sandy McKenzie, a former hunter on whom Gilson is seeking revenge. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, (more)
- 1956
Based on a novel by Howard Swiggert, The Power and the Prize sets up a premise that had far more relevance in 1956 than it does today. Robert Taylor stars as a American business executive working in England. Taylor wants to marry European refugee Elizabeth Mueller, but is warned by his boss (Burl Ives) that such things just aren't done. Taylor digs in his heels, and at the end is supported in his marital decision by his less hidebound fellow executives. Power and the Prize was one of the last of the "corporate drama" cycle sparked in 1954 by 20th Century-Fox's Woman's World. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Elisabeth Müller, (more)
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