Bill Ward Movies
- 1984
In this film, set in a British girls school just before the outbreak of WW II, two young girls build a beautiful friendship despite their disparate backgrounds. Their teachers disapprove of their close relationship and try to discourage it, which suggests to the viewer that they suspect a lesbian affair could evolve, but as was true to the era being portrayed, this was never verbalized. This film gently touches upon the vulnerable days of adolescence. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie-Therese Relin, Tara Mac Gowran, (more)
- 1978
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Perhaps the single most influential band in the history of heavy metal, Black Sabbath took the blues-based riffing of British hard rock, turned down the tempos while turning up the amps, added an extra dose of their own signature minor-key thud, and created a sound that changed the shape of rock and roll forever. Black Sabbath: Never Say Die -- Live In 1978 is a concert video recorded during a 1978 tour date which proved to be one of the last the band would play with their classic lineup of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Bill Ward and Geezer Butler; Osbourne left the band by the end of the year, and this lineup would not be heard from again until a concert tour in 1998 brought the original foursome back to the fold. Songs include "War Pigs", "Never Say Die", "Paranoid", "Dirty Women", and "Children of the Grave". ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1968
The British television series Til Death Do Us Part was the forerunner to the American TV hit All in the Family. The original series' Archie Bunker was Alf Garnett, a bigoted, profane cockney played by Warren Mitchell. The "Edith" was the dimwitted Else, portrayed by Dandy Nichols. The British series' catchphrase was not "Stifle yerself, dingbat" but instead "You silly moo!" Eschewing the heavy-handed social commentary indulged in by All in the Family producer Norman Lear, Til Death Do Us Part existed principally to invoke loud (and sometime embarrassed) gusts of laughter. Several feature films were spun off from the property: the first of these, Alf 'N' Family flashed back to Alf and Else's marriage, skipped ahead to the wedding of the Garrett's daughter Rita (Una Stubbs) to unwashed hippie Mike (Anthony Booth), and concluded with the family's move from their crowded flat to a home in the suburbs. Alf 'N' Family was scripted by Til Death Do Us Part creator Johnny Speight. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This film is taken from the popular British television series. Alf Garnett (Warren Mitchell) is a middle-aged bigot who loves the Queen and all that for which the kingdom (or what is left of it) stands, right or wrong. He puts up with his dizzy wife, Else (Dandy Nichols), his liberated daughter (Una Stubbs), and her long-haired, liberal-minded husband (Anthony Booth), who causes him no end of grief. Till Death Us Do Part is the exact blueprint used for the popular U.S. television series All in the Family. Alf dreams of being knighted by the Queen, gets drunk at a wedding reception, and struggles with the changing world within the framework of his narrow-minded stubbornness. Ray Davies of the Kinks provides the title track for this offbeat but true-to-life comedy feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Mitchell, Dandy Nichols, (more)
- 1964
Country singer Marty Robbins is featured as a Robin Hood of the West who robs stage coaches and gives the loot to the poor. When he and his outlaw buddy fall for the same dame, things get real rough and rowdy. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1963
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For all of its inexplicable weirdness, this monster musical from cult filmmaker Ray Dennis Steckler is not only the director's best-paced film, but also his most entertaining. Visiting a carnival with friends, happy-go-lucky Jerry (Steckler appearing as "Cash Flagg") is hypnotized by evil gypsy fortune-teller Madam Estrella (Brett O'Hara) and turned into a zombie murderer. Surprisingly, the most competent parts of this film are the dance numbers at the carnival's nightclub, The Hungry Mouth, with pretty showgirls and flashy costumes, some good singing, and a fun strip act by Erina Enyo. Estrella scars her victims with acid and keeps them in a cage, but they break loose, strangling her and her ugly assistant Ortega (Jack Brady). Jerry, now a scarred killer, escapes to the beach where he is shot by police. Cult-film regular Titus Moody (Pit Stop) appears as a hobo, and rumor has it that James Woods is in the film somewhere as an extra. Steckler's leggy erstwhile wife Carolyn Brandt, who stars in most of his films, plays Marge, an alcoholic dancer who gets so drunk that she falls down during her routines. Incomprehensible Greek actor Atlas King and co-screenwriter Gene Pollock also appear in this odd film, presented in "Hallucinogenic Hypnovision." When it was re-released as Teenage Psycho Meets Bloody Mary, men in zombie masks ran through theaters trying to scare people. Among the cameramen on this cheesy, but exceptionally good-looking production were such luminaries as Joseph V. Mascelli, Vilmos Zsigmond, and Laszlo Kovacs. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cash Flagg, Brett O'Hara, (more)
- 1958
This romantic melodrama centers on a love triangle shaped by the restless, dissatisfied girl friend of a crop-duster who refuses to marry her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1956
After closing down his film studio, producer Robert L. Lippert took charge of Regal Films, a subsidiary of 20th Century-Fox designed to turn out low-budget, non-CinemaScope productions. One of the first of these films was the modest western The Black Whip. Colleen Gray, Angie Dickinson, Adele Mara and Dorothy Schuyler play four women of questionable morals who conspire to help a notorious outlaw escape the law. The ladies are ushered into a stagecoach by the village elders and ordered to get out of town and stay out. En route to their next destination, the ladies' coach breaks down at a way station managed by Hugh Marlowe. As Marlowe repairs the wheels, an outlaw gang rides up, demanding that the girls be handed over to them. By this time, the ladies have no use for the bad guys, but Marlowe is too mild-mannered to intervene. He finally outfoxes the villains by using brains instead of brawn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Marlowe, Coleen Gray, (more)
Hidden Guns is not so much a western as a suspense melodrama. Bruce Bennett plays Stragg, a mean-spirited cardsharp with friends in high places. Though he has ordered the killing of a rival, Stragg is able to escape prosecution by greasing a few local palms. It is up to heretofore ineffectual sheriff Young (Richard Arlen) to bring justice to his corrupt community. Aiding Young is his callow son Faron (Faron Young), who likewise is considered too wishy-washy to be effective--at least until the slam-bang climax. John Carradine steals the show as Stragg's saturnine hired gun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Bennett, Richard Arlen, (more)
- 1956
Not to be confused with the popular David Zuckor comedy from the late '80s that starred Leslie Nielson, 1956's Naked Gun chronicles the adventures of a bored insurance salesman who spices up his drab life by heading to the Mexican jungle to search for an ancient Aztec treasure and return it to its rightful heir. Unfortunately, the treasure is cursed and creates all kinds of problems for the fellow. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Ted Ray, a seasoned veteran of London stage shows, music halls, and radio, was the front man for this live BBC TV series bearing his name in the title. In addition to the star, The Ted Ray Show was benefited by an excellent writing staff, including comic actor John Junkin and future Doctor Who contributor Terry Nation. Barry Lupino, scion of a venerable British performing family, served as producer, while among the supporting players was comedian Kenneth Connor. The 28 hour-long episodes of The Ted Ray Show were telecast by the BBC from 1955 to 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Lovers and Lollipops is a reverse "generation gap" quickie with a dash of charm to help it go down. Ruth Orkin plays an attractive widow with a headstrong daughter (Lori March). Ruth wants to marry a go-getting businessman, played by Gerald S. O'Loughlin. March won't hear of it, and digs in her heels at the prospect of momma taking the vows. Filmed in New York, Lovers and Lollipops is obvious but amiable stuff; its utter lack of star names doomed it to an early TV berth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lori March, Gerald O'Loughlin, (more)
- 1953
Son of the Renegade was the first of a short series of westerns produced and written by John Carpenter (not the horror-film specialist), who also starred. The villain, a chap named Three Fingers (Jack Ingram) frames Red River Johnny (John Carpenter) for a series of bank holdups. While trying to clear himself, Our Hero crosses the path of characters with the names Valley, Dusty, Wild Bill, Cherokee, Baby Face Bill and the Long Haired Kid, the Australian Kid, the Texas Kid. Evidently Carpenter isn't taking any chances: he wants the world to know he's making a western. John Carpenter made one more of these low-budgeters before he began billing himself as John Forbes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Carpenter, Lori Irving, (more)
War Arrow is another of Universal's efficiently produced A plus/B minus Technicolor westerns of the early 1950s. Maureen O'Hara and Jeff Chandler star as, respectively, army major Howell Brady and his former sweetheart Elaine Corwin. As Elaine awaits anxiously on the sidelines, Major Brady trains a group of Seminole Indians to aid the army in quelling an impending Kiowa uprising. Commanding officer Col. Meade, a man with a deep abiding hatred for all Indians, thinks that Brady is crazy to trust the Seminoles. Well, he might be, but it's best to wait until the climactic battle scene to decide whether or not Brady knows what he's doing. The ever-reliable Henry Brandon is a tower of strength as Maygro, the Seminole chief whose daughter Avis (Suzan Ball) falls in love with Brady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Hara, Jeff Chandler, (more)
Filmed in a record five days, Gold Raiders was an attempt by producer Jack Schwartz to inaugurate a new western series starring old favorite George O'Brien. Adding novelty value to the proceedings are the Three Stooges: Shemp Howard, Larry Howard and Moe Howard. The action is fairly divided between O'Brien, who plays a frontier insurance investigator, and the Stooges, cast as itinerant snake-oil peddlers. The star and his comedian cohorts team up to squash a gang of thieves who've been hijacking gold-mine shipments. It is no surprise to anyone that the villain is local bigwig Sawyer (Lyle Talbot), but the plot does manage to sneak in quite a few interesting twists, including a red-herring character who turns out to be a spy for the baddies, and then turns out to be working for the good guys! For all their buffoonery, the Stooges perform heroically during the climactic shootout (even Larry)! Sheila Ryan co-stars as the granddaughter of bibulous doctor Clem Bevans, while Monte Blue enjoys a larger part than usual as the local mine owner. Gold Raiders was reissued in a shortened version (shorter even than its original 56-minute running time!) as The Three Stooges Go West. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George O'Brien, Moe Howard, (more)
- 1946
Olivia De Havilland won the first of her two Academy Awards for To Each His Own. During World War I, De Havilland falls in love with a young soldier (John Lund). He is killed in battle before they can marry, leaving De Havilland to raise their child alone. She gives the baby up for adoption, then goes to work in the cosmetic business, working her way up to an executive post. While in London on business during World War II, Olivia comes face to face with her grown son (John Lund again), now a military officer himself. Though she resists revealing her true identity, mother and son are brought together by a wise old British peer (Roland Culver). Olivia De Havilland's Oscar win was doubly sweet in that To Each His Own was her first film after an enforced two-year absence, brought about when she sued Warner Bros. to get out of her restrictive contract. Long available only in washed-out TV prints, To Each His Own was eventually restored to its pristine 35-millimeter glory by the American Film Institute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia de Havilland, Mary Anderson, (more)
- 1945
- NR
Officially based on a novel by Margaret Carpenter, Experiment Perilous would seem to be more inspired by MGM's psychological thriller Gaslight. Set at the turn of the century, the film stars Hedy Lamarr as Allida, the beautiful young wife of an elderly "gentleman" named Nick (Paul Lukas). Treating his wife like a possession, Nick keeps her a virtual prisoner in their London town house, cutting off all contact with the outside world. The situation is exacting a terrible emotional toll on Allida and her stepson Alec (George N. Neise). Enter kindly psychiatrist Huntington Bailey (George Brent), who takes it upon himself to free Allida and Alec from the despotic control of the insanely jealous Nick. The film's "money scene" is a frenzied gun battle in an aquarium, replete with shattered glass, gushing water and floundering fish; this sequence would be imitated ad nauseum in such future films as Lethal Weapon (1988) and Mission: Impossible (1996). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hedy Lamarr, George Brent, (more)
- 1921
Tom Mix goes in for some laughs in this Western comedy. The Double Bit Ranch and the Rolling G Ranch are at odds over a valuable watering hole. Herbert Parker, owner of the Rolling G (Mix) has just graduated from Columbia and he brings home some new-fangled Eastern ideas. His ranch hands are thoroughly confused by his polite demeanor and bewildered when he insists that cars and airplanes can be useful in a roundup. Without revealing his identity, he becomes friends with Loretta Bramley (Ora Carew), daughter of the owner of the Double Bit (George Heranandez). But ranch hand Tex Marole (Sid Jordan), who is in love with Loretta, tells her the truth and Parker is ordered to get off of Double Bit's property. Tex continues to cause trouble by instigating a fight between the two sets of ranch hands and kidnapping Loretta. But Parker comes to the rescue and uses all his modern artillery to vanquish the bad guys. He gets the ranch hands calmed down and wins both the admiration of Bramley and the love of his daughter. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide
