Anthony Caruso Movies

Natalie Wood plays what was touted as her first "grown up" role in the tense melodrama A Cry in the Night. Based loosely on the Caryl Chessman case, the film showcases Raymond Burr as a psycho who stalks and attacks young couples on Lover's Lane. Overpowering Wood's boyfriend, Burr kidnaps the girl and locks her up in a seedy one-room apartment. Though he barely lays a hand on her, Wood has every reason to be terrified of her captor, who has a disturbing habit of brutally killing small animals. Meanwhile, Wood's police-captain father Edmond O'Brien brusquely ignores all manner of civil liberties as he and fellow officer Brian Donlevy turn the town inside out in search of the girl and her abductor. Carol Veazie appears as Burr's blowsy, dominating mother, while Mary Lawrence offers an interesting characterization as Wood's plain-Jane sister, who is jealous of all the attention showered on her missing sibling. Cry in the Night is a surprisingly lively offering from the normally uninspired director Frank Tuttle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A lively espionage drama that reunited the stars and director of the previous year's The Maltese Falcon, Across the Pacific was originally envisioned as the story of a Japanese invasion of Hawaii. Real-life events of December of 1941, however, precluded such a scenario and the location was changed to the Panama Canal. For reasons known only to Warner Bros., the title was retained despite the fact that none of the action takes place in the Pacific. Humphrey Bogart plays Rick Leland, a disgraced ex-army man, who, after being turned down by the Canadian military, jumps a Japanese steamer bound for the Panama Canal Zone. Also onboard are Alberta Marlow (Mary Astor), a small-town girl claiming to be en route to Los Angeles; Dr. Lorenz (Sydney Greenstreet), a corpulent sociologist with a suspiciously friendly regard for all things Japanese; and Joe Totsuiko (Victor Sen Yung), a happy-go-lucky second generation Japanese-American on his way to visit the old country. But no one is exactly who he or she claims to be and the voyage from Halifax via New York City to Panama becomes a matter of life and death for the passengers in general, and for the future of the United States in particular. Director John Huston was forced to leave the film three weeks into the four-week shooting schedule when summoned to report to the Department of Special Services. According to Huston, he purposefully placed Humphrey Bogart's character in a highly precarious situation and left it up to his replacement, Vincent Sherman, to come up with the solution -- which Sherman did in an especially fiery climax. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

In this melodrama, a doctor returns to his home town to set out his shingle. He was born on the poor side of town and so has had a life-long anger towards the town's wealthiest family. When the daughter of this family comes in for treatment, he finds himself faced with a dilemma. A bout with meningitis has left her deaf. He has a new drug that can cure deafness. Will he use it, or will he let his anger prevent him from helping her? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Fittingly directed by Illinois native and bad-guy filmmaker Don Siegel, this action-packed film stars Mickey Rooney as the unflinching, trigger-happy member of the infamous Dillinger gang that besieged the Midwest circa 1933. Rooney is Lester "Baby Face Nelson" Gillis and Carolyn Jones his gun moll, Sue, in this fictionalized tale of a scrawny street tough turned psychotic gangster. After being released from prison, Nelson goes to work for mob boss Rocca (Ted De Corsia), who eventually recognizes that a madman is in his service and turns him in to the cops. Managing to elude capture, Nelson kills Rocca and takes Sue with him. He then joins Dillinger's gang in a series of savage robberies, obliterating anyone who gets in his way. Inevitably, FBI agents ambush and injure Nelson, who finally admits his own ruthlessness to himself and Sue, conceding that he would even murder children if necessary. He orders Sue to kill him before he commits any more savage acts. This is a coarse and deliberately aggressive film, distinguished by Rooney's frenzied performance as an unruly and deranged criminal. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

As a reward for saving Ben Cartwright's life, an Indian named Matsou (Ricardo Montalban) is given a small parcel of Ponderosa land. Ben's Indian-hating neighbor Ike Daggett (Karl Swenson) violently objects to Matsou's presence. When his wife is killed in a raid, Daggett, holding Matsou responsible, and kills the Indian's wife (Madlyn Rhue) in retaliation. Written by R. Hamer Norris and Leonard Heideman, "Day of Reckoning" first aired October 22, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Unscrupulous trader Mike Wilson (Jack Warden molests two Paiute Indian women, then manages to place the blame on Adam Cartwright. This incident, added to others sparked by Wilson, mushrooms into a full-scale war between the Paiutes and the California Militia. In the thick of the hostilities, the Indians take Adam hostage. Also appearing are Anthony Caruso as Chief Winnemuca and Mike Forrest as the Chief's son. First telecast October 3, 1959, "The Paiute War" was written by Gene L. Coon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

William Holden plays Boots Malone, a dishonest--and impoverished--jockey's agent. Malone sees a chance to crack the big time through the talents of young jockey John Stewart. Stewart's wealthy mother wants to remove the boy from the rarefied world of the race track, but it is Malone himself who destroys his friendship with Stewart by ordering the boy to throw the race, or else they'll be put on the spot by gangsters. Malone's last-minute regeneration restores Stewart's faith in him. Filmed on location, Boots Malone is a satisfying horse-race drama, though one might expect a little something extra from star William Holden and director William Dieterle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After several years of supporting parts, Victor McLaglen once more landed a leading role in Republic's City of Shadows. McLaglen plays Big Tim Channing, an ageing but powerful gangster who raises young newsboy Dan Mason as his own son. Upon reaching adulthood, Mason (John Baer) becomes a law student, with the covert (and illegal) help of Channing. Despite his checkered past, Mason opts for honesty when he falls in love with Fern Fellows (Kathleen Crowley). This decision ultimately spells the doom for Mason's mentor Big Tim. The all-character actor cast includes such familiar faces as Anthony Caruso, Paul Maxey, Frank Ferguson, Richard Travis, and Kay E. Kuter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this romantic desert adventure a handsome, Foreign Legionnaire survives a surprise attack and becomes the ward of a beautiful princess who takes him back to her splendiferous city in the remote mountains. After he heals, she begs his assistance, but still weakened from his injuries, he passes out. When he awakens, he is back in his fort. Though he tells everyone about his strange experience, no one believes him. Later the enigmatic princess gets a message to him. Teaming up with a fellow soldier, the two sneak out of the fort and follow the courier back to the magical city and meet the man in charge, another ex-Legionnaire. He is a good fellow, and worries that an evil sheik will succeed in his campaign. The brave hero does all he can to prevent that from happening while simultaneously falling in love with the beautiful princess. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It's nice to see perennial supporting player (and future TV sportscaster) Richard Lane in a full-fledged leading role, even in an inconsequential "B" like Columbia's Devil Ship. Lane plays a tuna-boat skipper whose business is in the dumpster. To pad his income, he agrees to ship convicts to Alcatraz Island. You don't need a crystal ball to predict what happens next. The Devil Ship was produced by Martin E. Mooney, a real-life ex-jailbird who put together several low-budget prison pictures in the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first episode of Walt Disney's four-part miniseries based on the life of frontiersman Daniel Boone, a fast-talking salesman convinces Daniel (Dewey Martin), a North Carolina farmer, to pull up stakes and move to the "promised land" of Kentucky. Daniel, his wife Rebecca (Mala Powers), and their friends are assured that if they travel along the "Warrior's Path", a secret Indian trail, their journey will be a safe one. Unfortunately, the Indians they encounter along the way aren't of the friendly variety. "The Warrior's Path" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this second episode of Walt Disney's six-part miniseries The Saga of Andy Burnett, easterner Andy (Jerome Courtland) and his trapper pal Joe Crane (Jeff York) have joined a group called the Mountain Men in their journey the west. In order to survive the rough terrain ahead, Andy trains himself to act, hunt and think like an Indian. But the trip may be over before it has begun: Bill Sublette (Anthony Caruso), head man of a rival group of mountaineers, has bribed the local blacksmith not to sell supplies to Andy and his pals. "Andy's First Chore" originally aired on the Disneyland anthology series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide