Peggie Castle Movies

Roy Rowland directs the musical Arrivederci Roma (The Seven Hills of Rome), intended as a showcase for the talents of famous operatic tenor Mario Lanza. American singer Marc (Lanza) gets into a fight with his girlfriend, Carol (Peggie Castle). He follows her to Rome in an attempt to win back her affections. On the train, he meets an Italian woman named Rafaella Marini (Marisa Allasio), who is supposed to be moving in with her uncle. Marc gives her a ride and they discover that the uncle has left for South America. With nowhere to go, Rafaella stays with Marc and his cousin Pepe Bonelli (Renato Rascel), which leads to eventual romance. The narrative allows for Lanza to do his serviceable impressions of popular singers like Perry Como, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong, and many others. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Filmed in England, The Counterfeit Plan was distributed in the US by Warner Bros. Zachary Scott is right in his element as Max, a sociopathic killer who sets up a counterfeiting ring in the home of country squire Louie (Mervyn Johns). Max forces Louie to participate in his racket by threatening to expose the latter's previous life as a forger. When Louie's daughter Carol (Peggie Castle) arrives for a visit, it's the beginning of the end for the coldly conniving Max. Halfway down the cast list of Counterfeit Plan is Lee Patterson, later a regular on the TV soaper One Life to Live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After arguing with gambler Ned Pickard (Tom Pickard) over a girl named Nita Tucker (Peggie Castle), Chester (Dennis Weaver) must take Ned into custody and escort him to jail. En route, Ned ends up shot to death in an alley--and the townsfolk suspect that Chester has committed murder. Though he wants to do everything he can to help prove Chester's innocence, Marshal Matt Dillon (Dennis Weaver) may be forced to honor the letter of the law instead. This episode is adapted from the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of January 15, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While on a fishing trip, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) and Paul Drake (William Hopper) reel in a most unusual "catch": a beautiful girl named Sally Fenner (Peggy Castle), who had jumped into the ocean while fleeing a pack of guard dogs on the island estate of George Alder (David Lewis). Naturally, Alder turns up murdered, and Sally is charged with the crime. Assuming Sally's defense in court, Perry finds that there is no shortage of people who would liked to have seen Alder dead--including someone who was very, very close to him. This episode is based on a 1950 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, and would be refilmed in 1965 as "he Case of the Impetuous Imp". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this western, a gunfighter is finally released from prison and returns to his hometown only to discover that it is being torn apart by conflicting forces. He is even more upset to discover that his girl has become the leader of the "evil" side of town and is completely committed to achieving a state of anarchy. He is disgusted by her and her new lover and so joins the good side of town. When the good politician leader and the sheriff are killed, the ex-gunfighter is blamed for the crime. Just as he is about to swing, the politician's daughter, who loves the ex-convict, forces the evil woman to sign a confession and save his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Singer Tony Martin plays the non-musical title role in United Artists' Quinannon, Frontier Scout. Sent on a top-secret mission by the government, Quincannon tries to find out who's been selling repeating rifles to the Indians. The culprit turns out to be an old friend of the hero--and, for plot purposes, the brother of heroine Maylene (Peggie Castle). Throughout the film, Tony Martin appears uncomfortable and uncertain, a bad combination when you're dealing with taciturn Indians and renegade whites. On the plus side, Quincannon, Frontier Scout is gorgeously photographed on location in the Utah desert. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Director Harold D. Schuster, heretofore more at home with "outdoor" fare, does a nice job with the film noir trappings of Finger Man. Frank Lovejoy plays the title character, a career criminal named Casey Martin. In exchange for immunity from prosecution, Martin agrees to help the Feds net a larger fish--namely, big-time mobster Dutch Becker (Forrest Tucker). Torn between the two men is good-time girl Gladys Baker (Peggie Castle). The moment she casts her lot with Martin, Gladys seals both her doom and Becker's. Finger Man is stolen hands-down by the saturnine Timothy Carey as Becker's wacko triggerman (reportedly, Carey was nearly punched out by Frank Lovejoy when the latter caught on he was being upstaged). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Moving up ever so slightly from Lippert Pictures to United Artists, Donald Barry is both star and director of Jesse James' Women. According to D. D. Beauchamp's screenplay, there were four women in Jesse's life. One was saloonkeeper Waco Gans (Peggie Castle); the second was singer Delta (Lita Baron); the third was prim banker's daughter Caprice Clark (Joyce Rhed) and the fourth was cattle baroness Cattle Kate Kennedy (Betty Brueck). Less sympathetic than most screen adaptations of Jesse's life, the film depicts the fabled outlaw as something of a snake, using his women to increase his financial status. Jack Buetel, Jane Russell's main squeeze in The Outlaw, costars as Jesse's brother Frank. Not much of a western, Jesse James' Women is recommended for fans of cinematic "cat fights." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This romantic adventure takes place in the jungles of Southern Mexico and centers upon an archaeologist and a photographer who have come to find a lost Toltec civilization. Their handsome guide takes them deeper and deeper into the jungle. As they progress, both the archaeologist and the guide become rivals for the photographer's affections. In the end, they are confronted by a great danger. To save his clients, the guide sacrifices his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The Yellow Tomahawk stars Rory Calhoun as a Wyoming Indian scout who forms a strong friendship with Cheyenne warrior Lee Van Cleef. Their relationship is sorely tested when martinet army major Warner Anderson inaugurates a vicious anti-Indian policy, targetted at the Cheyenne women and children. Despite valiant efforts to stem the carnage, Calhoun is eventually forced into a fight to the finish with the understandably vengeful Van Cleef. Much-needed comedy relief is provided by Noah Beery Jr. as a Mexican (!) and Rita Moreno as Beery's Indian bride. Peggie Castle costars as Calhoun's white love interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ernie Driscoll (John Payne) is an ex-fighter who came within seconds of winning the world championship. He's now forced to eke out a living driving a cab. A basically decent guy, he has lots of people who care about him, including Linda James (Evelyn Keyes), a slightly ditsy actress friend -- but Ernie also has a short fuse, especially where his wife Pauline (Peggie Castle) is concerned. His rage boils over when he spots her kissing another man, but her unfaithfulness turns out to be the least of his worries. The man she's seeing, Vic Rawlins (Brad Dexter), is a career criminal with both the police and his former partners after him, and he sees Ernie as the perfect fall-guy. The law and Rawlins' criminal associates are soon closing in on Ernie, while he tries desperately -- with Linda's help -- to buy the time he needs to unravel this nightmare. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

A heretofore unexplored chapter in the saga of female western desperado Belle Starr is detailed in this fanciful sagebrusher. Keith Larsen plays the title character, a young man forced into a life of crime because of his mom's reputation and because he's been framed on a holdup charge. Hoping that he can eventually get the goods on the man who set him up, the "Kid" joins up with a corrupt sheriff (Myron Healey). Participating in a gold robbery, the "Kid" absconds with the money, intending to use it to finance the search for his betrayer. By the time he's caught up with the real crook, however, he has himself become a hardened criminal. There's a lesson in all this, somewhere. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A handful of strangers are suddenly thrown together as America goes face-to-face against the Communist threat in this curious example of Cold War exploitation. A few people are enjoying drinks in a Manhattan cocktail lounge - television reporter Vince Potter (Gerald Mohr), vacationing tractor tycoon George Sylvester (Robert Bice), cattle baron Ed Mulfory (Erik Blythe), Congressman Arthur Harroway) (Wade Crosby), aimless party girl Carla Sandford (Peggie Castle), and cheerfully dunderheaded bartender Tim (Tom Kennedy). As they discuss the state of the world and their disinterest with U.S. defense and paying taxes, one Mr. Ohman (Dan O'Herlihy) begins swirling his brandy snifter, and before long the other patrons are lulled into a hypnotic state, where they're given a sneak preview of what to expect when an unnamed Communist nation invades the West Coast. Mulfory is able to return home just in time to see his ranch flooded by enemy sabotage, armed troops take over Sylvester's factory, the Congressman watches as Reds seize power, and the suddenly patriotic Carla falls in love with Vince as he covers the brave but futile resistance dished out by our ill-equipped and poorly-prepared military forces. Spectacularly paranoid and loaded with often tattered stock footage, Invasion USA was shot in a mere seven days on a budget of $127,000, and ended up earning its producers well over a million dollars upon its initial release in 1952. Superman fans take note: Phyllis Coates and Noel Neill, both of whom played Lois Lane in the 50's television series The Adventures of Superman, appear in Invasion USA's supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide