Don Weis Movies
Leaving his Milwaukee home in 1942 in hopes of attending the University of Southern California, Don Weis secured work as a messenger at Warner Bros. After war service as a technician in Warners' army training film unit, Weis became a dialogue director at Enterprise Productions, working on such films as Body and Soul (1947) and Arch of Triumph (1948). Hired as a director for Ida Lupino and Collier Young's Filmakers Company, Weis was wooed to MGM by that studio's head man, Dore Schary. His first effort for MGM was a brief sequence in It's a Big Country (1951), followed by his first full-fledged feature, Bannerline (1951). Weis' helming of such lightweight MGM musicals as I Love Melvin (1953) and The Affairs of Dobie Gillis (1953) earned him a brief cult reputation with foreign film critics, though he was hardly confined to the song-and-dance genre. He entered television in 1956, eventually winning several Director's Guild Awards. During his TV years, Weis was busiest with comedy programs like The Jack Benny Show and The Andy Griffith Show, and slick adventure series like Burke's Law and It Takes a Thief; one of his more notable TV assignments was the 1959 pilot film Head of the Family, Carl Reiner's precursor to the popular Dick Van Dyke Show. In the mid-'60s, Weis directed several of the American-International teen-oriented musicals, among them Pajama Party, Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, and Looking for Love (which has earned latter-day notoriety as being the first and last film to star Johnny Carson). After completing the never-released Darren McGavin feature film Zero to Sixty (1977), Don Weis closed out his career with such episodic TV efforts as Charlie's Angels and MASH. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1950
Comprised of eight unrelated episodes of inconsistent quality, this anthology piece of American propaganda features some of MGM Studios' best directors, screenwriters and actors; it is narrated by Louis Calhern. Stories are framed by the lecture of a university professor. In one tale a Boston resident becomes angry when the census forgets to record her presence. Another sketch chronicles the achievements of African Americans while still another pays tongue-in-cheek tribute to Texas. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ethel Barrymore, Gary Cooper, (more)
- 1951
Bannerline was Don Weis' first solo directorial credit for MGM. Keefe Brasselle stars as cub reporter Mike Perrivale, who devises a heart-tugging promotional stunt. Upon learning that crusty old history teacher Hugo Trimble (Lionel Barrymore) is dying, Mike writes up a glowing tribute, ascribing all sorts of fabricated accomplishments to the venerable Trimble. The stunt backfires when crime boss Frankie Scarbino (J. Carroll Naish), angered that some of the civic reforms credited to Trimble may put the kibosh on his own operation, threatens to make trouble for Mike. As it turns out, it is the impulsiveness of Scarbino's hired thugs which sets the wheels of reform in motion--simply by beating Mike to a pulp. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keefe Brasselle, Sally Forrest, (more)
- 1952
You for Me stars Peter Lawford as a profligate playboy who's a nice guy underneath. After suffering a hunting accident which leaves him with a butt full of buckshot, Lawford is interred in the hospital that his donations have kept afloat. Nurse Jane Greer refuses to treat Lawford any better than any other patient, which of course makes him adore her all the more. Gig Young is once more the poor schlemiel who loses the girl--but this time Young deserves it, since he encourages Jane to make goo-goo eyes at Lawford so the donations will keep on coming (there's a word for that sort of thing where we come from, stranger). You for Me was directed by Don Weis, whose MGM films are often so lightweight that they're in danger of floating away. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lawford, Jane Greer, (more)
- 1952
Peter Lawford goes through his standard "rich, spoiled young playboy" paces in the MGM comedy Just This Once. In danger of squandering his entire fortune, the wastrelly Mark MacLene (Peter Lawford) is put on a strict allowance by an old family friend, Judge Samuel Coulter (Lewis Stone). To make certain that Mark stays within his weekly budget, Coulter hires pretty lawyer Lucy Duncan (Janet Leigh) to monitor the boy's spending. One of the provisions of Coulter's ruling dictates that Mark and Lucy live under the same roof--platonically, of course. Lucy agrees to this set-up; after all, she couldn't possibly fall in love with anyone as irresponsible as Mark, especially since she's already engaged to the scrupulously frugal Tom Winters (Richard Anderson). Anyone who can't figure out how this winds up should be drummed out of the theater in disgrace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Leigh, Peter Lawford, (more)
- 1953
Red Skelton does his best with the situation-comedy trappings of Half a Hero. A sort of poor man's Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, the story concerns one Ben Dobson (Skelton), whose wife Martha (Jean Hagen) talks him into leaving the big city and moving into a suburban housing development. Unfortunately, Ben doesn't make enough money to support his new life style, but Martha refuses to consider moving back downtown. When Ben's boss tells him to write a magazine article about the disadvantages of suburbia, Ben seizes upon the opportunity, hoping to teach his wife a lesson, and then, suddenly and improbably, our hero has a change of heart. Domestic comedy was not Red Skelton's forte, but he manages to extract a few laughs with the material at hand. Much funnier within the film's context is Kathleen Freeman as a "welcome wagon" lady and Willard Waterman as an unctuous real estate broker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Red Skelton, Jean Hagen, (more)
- 1953
Though the film may be titled The Affairs of Dobie Gillis, Dobie -- that is, Bobby Van -- takes second billing to Debbie Reynolds. The scene is a Midwestern university, where freshman Dobie Gillis and his pal Charlie Trask (Bob Fosse) court cute coeds Pansy Hammer (Debbie Reynolds) and Lorna Ellingboe (Barbara Ruick). Pansy's wealthy father (Hanley Stafford) can't stand Dobie and does everything in his power to keep them apart. Along the way, Dobie and Pansy manage to blow up the chemistry lab, while Dobie's officious English professor Pomfritt (Hans Conried) is misled to believe that the feckless Gillis is a literary genius. With Bobby Van, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Fosse, and Barbara Ruick in the cast, The Affairs of Dobie Gillis simply has to have a few musical numbers in its repertoire -- and it does. The film was based on the novel by Max Shulman, which subsequently served as the basis for the popular TV series of the late '50s-early '60s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Bobby Van, (more)
- 1953
Singin' in the Rain co-stars Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds were re-teamed in the ebullient little musical I Love Melvin. O'Connor plays Melvin Hoover, the hapless assistant to Look magazine photographer Mergo (Jim Backus). When he falls in love with chorus girl Judy LeRoy (Reynolds), Melvin claims that he's the magazine's head photographer. Carrying the ruse to the limit, Melvin arranges to shoot a portrait of Judy and her entire family, insisting that it appear on the cover of Look. On the verge of being found out, Melvin is saved when his boss decides that Judy is photogenic enough to be a cover girl for real. The plot is so lightweight that it threatens to blow away, but the stars are cute as can be, and the musical highlights even more so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 1953
"Slight" is right: this harmless comedy programmer is as inconsequential as it is enjoyable. It's the tale of two Army buddies: go-getter Geechy Cheevers (Mickey Rooney) and sedate family man Freddie Clopp (Eddie Bracken). Inveigling his way into Freddie's household, Geechy drives everyone bonkers with his get-rich-quick schemes. After convincing Freddie to quit his job and mortgage his home in order to set up a gas station, Geechy cooks up an underhanded scheme to tap the gas pipe of a rival station. Standing on the sidelines is Geechy's long-suffering girlfriend Beverly (Elaine Stewart) and Freddy's far-from-understanding wife Emily (Marilyn Erskine). An obligatory slapstick chase finale caps this exercise in lunacy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Eddie Bracken, (more)
- 1953
June Allyson plays a band singer working in New York City; Van Johnson is the manager of a fancy apartment house where a murder is committed. The victim is Allyson's wealthy uncle, and since she can't account for her actions at the time of the crime, Our Heroine is the principal suspect. The real murderer is an expert in hypnosis, who uses this skill to manipulate Allyson's actions--and to lure the girl to her potential doom. Johnson doesn't figure things out until it's almost too late. Remains to Be Seen was based on the Broadway comedy/mystery by Howard Lindsay and Russell Crouse, which originally starred Jackie Cooper and his then-wife Janis Paige. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- June Allyson, Van Johnson, (more)
- 1954
In the 1950s, historical spectaculars set in the Far or Middle East became the repository for exploitive tales of eroticism, pure lust, and concupiscent freedom. The "decadence" of previous times gave American filmmakers an excuse to satisfy viewers' libidinal and voyeuristic desires. All this holds true for The Adventure of Haji Baba, a racy, sex-soaked oasis of a film. John Derek stars as an Persian barber given a mission to escort the beautiful princess Fakzia across a desert to her wedding. Haji bets a friend that he will have succeeded in seducing her by the trip's end and the games begin. The two, elegant in their self-assurance, trade barbs and entendres until they're captured by robbers who are in turn captured by a group of renegade Amazons. The Amazons are all former harem girls who have taken to highway robbery and kidnapping to extract a measure of justice from the society that imprisoned them. Haji convinces the leader of the Amazons to let him live and she does as long as he can perform sexually. This buys him enough time to plan an escape with Fakzia and finally cross the desert. Haji, of course, collects on his bet. Redolent with offscreen hints of prodigious debauchery, The Adventures of Haji Baba is a unique, and unexpected, product of '50s cinema. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Elaine Stewart, (more)
- 1955
Barry Fitzgerald, who made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's 1930 theatrical film Juno and the Paycock, guests in this episode as Stretch Sears, a recently paroled thief. With Christmas approaching, Stretch has no trouble landing a job as a Santa at a big department store. But it isn't the Yuletide spirit that is motivating Stretch; he intends to rob the store, and is using his job to case the joint. But the scheme goes off on a entirely different direction when "Santa" Sears makes the acquaintance of a juvenile delinquent known only as the Tenth Avenue Kid (played by Bobby Clark -- not the Broadway comedian of the same name). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Ride the High Iron originated as the 74-minute pilot episode of the proposed TV anthology Command Performance. When the series failed to sell, the film was released theatrically by Columbia Pictures. Don Taylor stars as Hugo Danielchick, the son of poor but proud railroad worker Yanusz Danielchick (Otto Waldis). Hoping to find success in the Big City. Hugo is hired as the assistant of high-pressure PR man Ziggy Moline (Raymond Burr), whose job it is to keep his high-profile clients' indiscretions out of the newspapers. Endeavoring to protect the good name of socialite Elise Vanders (Sally Forrest), Hugo falls in love with the girl--much to the displeasure of Moline, who suffers from a bad case of class envy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Taylor, Sally Forrest, (more)
- 1956
Outraged over the infidelity of his girlfriend Goldie (Beverly Michaels), thuggish Sam Donleavy (George Mathews) decides to bump the dame off. Unfortunately, there is a more than somewhat stiff penalty for murder, thus Sam intends to provide himself with an airtight alibi -- and pays a huge price to a guy named Barney (George E. Stone), who specializes in such matters. The fly in the ointment on this occasion is Sam's old pal Al (Joe Downing), who happens to be a police lieutenant. "The Big Switch" is the first of several Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes to be based on a story by suspense specialist Cornell Woolrich. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sal Mineo, who'd previously registered well as the lead in the TV drama Drummer Man, essays a strikingly similar role in The Gene Krupa Story. The film details Krupa's troubled home life: (he wanted to be a musician; his father wanted him to become a priest), his rise to fame as drummer for the Benny Goodman orchestra, his years on top as a bandleader, and his ongoing problems with drug abuse. A fictional romantic subplot is grafted onto the proceeding involving clearly defined "good" and "bad" girls Ethel Maguire (Susan Kohner) and Dorissa Dinelli (Susan Oliver). Yvonne Craig has an entertaining scene as an anachronistically garbed good-time girl. Craig would later recall that, at the time of shooting The Gene Krupa Story, she weighed more than Sal Mineo, and that in the scene where he's required to lift her off the floor, she virtually had to lift him. Mineo, a drummer of some accomplishment, convincingly wields the sticks during the musical highlights, though the trickier drum solos were dubbed in by Gene Krupa himself. Real-life recording stars Anita O'Day, Red Nichols, Bobby Troup and Shelley Manne make cameo appearances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sal Mineo, Susan Kohner, (more)
- 1960
When a notorious criminal escapes from the state prison, Mayberry sheriff Andy Taylor (Andy Griffith) and his deputy, Barney Fife (Don Knotts), offer their assistance in tracking down the fugitive. Though the state troopers initially laugh off the bucolic Andy and Barney (especially after Barney not only allows the crook to slip through his fingers, but also gets bound and gagged for his troubles), they soon learn to appreciate Andy's uncanny ability to outguess and outsmart the outlaw. When this episode was originally broadcast on October 10, 1960, the TV Guide listings suggested that the fugitive was none other than town drunk Otis Campbell (Hal Smith), an error the magazine would not make in the future. As a further trivia note, this is the episode which established that Barney is Andy's cousin. "The Manhunt" was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
The people of Mayberry tend to be a bit resistant when an "outsider" sets up shop in town. Thus, several locals look askance when Ellie May Walker (Elinor Donahue), niece of the local druggist, takes charge of Walker's Drug Store. Almost immediately, Ellie's "modern" notions rub the traditionalist townsfolk the wrong way; for example, she refuses to sell sugar pills to the town's resident hypochondriac. Attempting to straighten things out, Sheriff Andy realizes that his interest in Ellie is more than professional. Written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart, "Ellie Comes to Town" first aired on October 24, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
James Best makes the first of two Andy Griffith Show appearances as itinerant guitarist Jim Lindsey. Tossed in the Mayberry jail, Jim is afforded an opportunity to crack the Big Time when Sheriff Andy Taylor "coincidentally" places the members of the Bobby Fleet Band-including Bobby (Henry Slate) himself-in an adjoining cell on a parking violation. Like many another first-season episode, this one was written by Jack Elinson and Charles Stewart. "The Guitar Player" originally aired on October 17, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
The Andy Griffith Show gingerly crosses over into Twilight Zone territory (or so it seems at first) in the episode titled "Stranger in Town." That stranger is Ed Sawyer (William Lanteau), who arrives in Mayberry armed with an amazing amount of familiarity concerning the town and its citizens. Ed's eerie ability to rattle off intimate details about everyone's lives leads the townsfolk to conclude that he is either a spy or a space alien-or both. Sheriff Andy ultimately discovers the truth, which is a lot more benign and not a little poignant. Written by Arthur Stander, "Stranger in Town" first aired on December 26, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Opie befriends 8-year-old runaway George "Tex" Foley (Pat Rosson-and also forms a strong bond with George's pet frog. Having been told by his father Andy to always keep his word, Opie dutifully refuses to divulge the fact that George has run away from home. An embarrassed Andy must set things right without disillusioning his son. First broadcast on November 7, 1960, "Runaway Kid" was written by Arthur Stander. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Sheriff Andy mistakenly believes he can second-guess the opposite sex in general and Ellie Walker in particular. Convinced that Ellie is trying to snare him into marriage, Andy escorts her to the church picnic and encourages three local bachelors to woo her away. When Ellie finds out what's up, she and Andy's son Opie conspire to teach the misguided Sheriff a good lesson. First broadcast on October 31, 1960, "Irresistible Andy" was written by David Adler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Mountaineer Josh Wakefield (Arthur Hunnicutt) wants to get hitched to his sweetheart Hannah Hoskins (Tammy Windsor). Alas, the Wakefields and the Hoskins have long been engaged in a feud, which though no longer a shootin' war is still churning up bad blood. Hoping to patch up the feud, Andy uses a bit of radical reverse psychology on Josh and Hannah's respective fathers. Written by David Adler, "A Feud is a Feud" originally aired on December 5, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Deputy Barney wants to ask Rosemary Benton (Amzie Strickland) for a date, but lacks the courage to do so. Sheriff Andy decides that Barney needs a quick and instant jolt of self-confidence. To that end, Andy and Ellie concoct a phoney crime that will transform Barney into a hero. "Andy the Matchmaker" was written by Arthur Stander, who penned several of the series' first-season installments. The episode first aired on November 14, 1960-at which time the TV Guide listed mistakenly noted that Andy played matchmaker for Barney and Ellie (who, of course, was the Sheriff's gal!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Sheriff Andy is coaxed into heading the fund-raising campaign for the children's charity established by Annabelle Silby (Lurene Tuttle), the wealthiest woman in Mayberry. Reasoning that charity begins his home, Andy scolds his son Opie for contributing a puny three cents to the charity. Andy soon discovers to his embarrassment that, in his own small way, Opie is actually the most charitable and generous person in town. First telecast November 28, 1960, "Opie's Charity" was written by Arthur Stander. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
James Howgill (Ronald Howard) hopes to divorce his wife, Margery (Patricia Donahue), whom he dismisses as drab and dull. On the advice of his attorney, James hires a private eye to dig up evidence of adultery that he can use against Margery. What the detective finds proves to be quite an eye-opener -- not only for Howgill, but also for the viewers at home. Watch for future Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In regular Arte Johnson in a key supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
At the urging of her boyfriend, Mark (Jack Cassidy), pretty young Charlotte Jameson (Hazel Court) accepts the marriage proposal of her wealthy old boss, Howard Rutherford (Ernest Truex). Inasmuch as Howard has been told he has only a year to live, Mark figures he won't have to wait long to cut himself in on Charlotte's inheritance. Unfortunately for Mark, Howard does not die -- and in fact lingers on for over two decades. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
