Murray Alper Movies
Supporting actor Murray Alper's earliest screen credit was 1930's The Royal Family of Broadway. For the next 35 years, Alper was an inescapable movie presence, playing dozens of cab drivers, bookies, cops and GIs. One of his few credited appearances in an "A" picture was in The Maltese Falcon; he plays the friendly cabbie who drives Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) on a mid-film wild goose chase. Frequently seen in comedies, Alper showed up in eight Bowery Boys farces of the 1940s and 1950s, and was prominently featured in the Three Stooges' Trick Dicks (1953) and The Outlaws is Coming (1965, as Chief Crazy Horse!). One of Murray Alper's least characteristic roles was the judo instructor in Jerry Lewis' The Nutty Professor (1963). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1966
Gidget (Sally Field) lands a part-time job at a florist's shop. Her duties require her to make delveries in the florist's truck. So far, so good--except Gidget is still not yet 16, and thus she not only has no license, but she doesn't even know how to drive. Veteran character actor John McGiver (The Manchurian Candidate, Breakfast at Tiffany's) guest stars as Franklin Whiting. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
A team of surveyors determines that the Shady Rest Hotel has been built right in the middle of the border between two counties. Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) hopes to exploit this phenomenon by building up the hotel as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, Joe hadn't reckoned with such exigencies as bureaucracy and taxes. The strong supporting cast includes radio veteran Sam Edwards (Dragnet, Gunsmoke etc.) and comic actor Milton Frome, the latter best known to contemporary viewers for his appearances on the Superman TV series and in the Three Stooges two-reelers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
In the conclusion of a three-part story arc, movie star Dash Riprock (Larry Pennell) tries his best to follow studio orders by dating Elly May Clampett. Unfortunately, he assumes that bank secretary Jane Hathaway is Elly. As a result, poor Elly is pointedly ignored by Dash -- while plain Jane cannot understand her sudden and inexplicable power over men! Jack Bannon, the son of former Beverly Hillbillies regular Bea Benaderet,is seen as "beefcake" star Bolt Upright. "Dash Riprock, You Cad" was first broadcast on January 27, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this comedy classic, Jerry Lewis plays Jerome Littlefield, an orderly in a mental hospital in this slapstick situation comedy that makes full use of Lewis's patented brand of screwball comedy. Dr. Jean Howard (Glenda Farrell) is the exasperated head of the sanitarium who almost becomes a patient after the antics of the frantic employee. Jerome takes on the symptoms of most of his patients and helps Susan Andrews (Susan Oliver) go from a woman considering suicide to an alluring woman of sensual confidence. When talkative patient Alice Pearce relates her maladies to Jerry, he hilariously has psychosomatic symptoms that mirror those of the woman. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Glenda Farrell, (more)
Toward the end of Jerry Lewis's Paramount studio period, Lewis slapped together this bitter comedy about Hollywood phoniness and fame that has to be the most rancid portrait of the Hollywood star system in the Rat Pack era this side of Clifford Odets. When a famous entertainer suddenly is killed in an airplane crash, his team of flunkies -- producer Caryl Fergusson (Everett Sloane), writer Chic Wymore (Phil Harris), press agent Harry Silver (Keenan Wynn), director Morgan Heywood (Peter Lorre in his final film role), valet Bruce Alden (John Carradine), and secretary Ellen Betz (Ina Balin) -- decide to continue their life style by finding a complete unknown and manufacturing him into a Hollywood star. That unknown turns out to be the nervous and inept bellboy Stanley Belt (Jerry Lewis). They train Stanley to become an over-night singing sensation, and despite a disastrous recording session and a failed nightclub performance, the public relations blitz makes Stanley's recording of "I Lost My Heart in a Drive-In Movie" a smash single. So much so that Stanley is given a shot at appearing on "The Ed Sullivan Show." Expecting the worst, Stanley's management team abandons him right before his performance. But Stanley musters up enough confidence to go on the live program alone and manages to surprise his pessimistic ex-staff. A collection of Hollywood celebrities circa 1964 --George Raft, Ed Wynn, Ed Sullivan, Mel Torme, Rhonda Fleming and Hedda Hopper -- make cameo appearances. High spots include an apocalyptic music lesson with voice teacher Dr. Mule-rrr (Hans Conried), Ed Sullivan performing a bizarre impersonation of himself, and an ending that would make even Jean-Luc Godard blush. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Ina Balin, (more)
- 1964
The Board of Education warns that Munsters that little Eddie's grades must improve immediately or he'll be expelled. To this end, Eddie (Butch Patrick) builds a robot for an upcoming science fair. Alas, the robot is accidentally sabotaged just before its unveiling--compelling Herman (Fred Gwynne) to come to the rescue in his inimitable flat-headed, flat-footed fashion! Dick Simmons, the former star of the popular 1950s adventure series Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, appears as Mr. Balding. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Professor Julius F. Kelp (Jerry Lewis) is an addle-brained, absent-minded chemistry instructor always incurring the wrath of the university administration by continually blowing up the classroom laboratory. The shy guy has his eyes on the student body of Stella (Stella Stevens). When a football-playing bully humiliates him, Kelp tries to concoct a chemical to help him gain physical strength and stature. The potion turns him into the handsome, hard-edged nightclub singer named Buddy Love. The mild-mannered professor's alter ego becomes a self-absorbed campus favorite at the Purple Pit, a hangout for hip cats and kittens. Stella falls for the enigmatic entertainer who wows the crowd with his jazzy, breezy delivery and cool demeanor. Buddy mixes it up with the bartender (Buddy Lester), who is instructed on how to mix the latest drinks by the professor-turned-party animal. The drawback of the potion is that it wears off at the most embarrassing an inopportune times for Buddy, turning him back into the helpless Kelp. Buddy performs at the annual student dance, and while on the dais, the elixir starts to wear off. The students and staff watch in amazement as he changes back into the professor. He gives an impassioned plea that people must learn to like themselves before others can like them in return. Stella still wants to be the teacher's pet, and the two make future plans together. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens, (more)
The second of Jerry Lewis' directorial endeavors, The Errand Boy, like its predecessor The Bellboy, is essentially a series of "spot gags," some hilarious, others only moderately amusing. The gossamer-thin plot finds Morty Tashman (Lewis) being hired by the CEO of "Paramutuel Pictures" (Brian Donlevy) to spy on studio employees and report any incidents of wastefulness and sloth. This gives Morty a chance to wander all over the Paramutuel Pictures lot, inadvertently interfering with work in progress, encountering strange characters and inexplicable events, and overall making as much of a nuisance of himself as possible. Some of the better gags include Morty's chaotic behavior at the "wrap party" for a vainglorious movie queen (Iris Adrian); his attempts to eat lunch while a noisy battle scene from a war picture rages all around him; his misguided effort to dub in the singing voice of a tone-deaf actress; the "Mr. Baebrosenthal" bit; and Morty's tete-a-tete in the studio swimming pool with a scuba diver. The weakest scenes involve Morty's sugary encounters with the Ritts Puppets, and a smug curtain speech about the importance of laughmakers in this troubled world. The huge supporting cast includes such reliable chucklemeisters as Howard McNear, Sig Ruman, Milton Frome, Benny Rubin, Fritz Feld, Doodles Weaver, Joey Forman, Dick Wesson and Joe Besser; also making fleeting appearances are actress/writer/director Renee Taylor, veteran movie tough guy Mike Mazurki (in drag!), silent film comic Snub Pollard, and the four stars from TV's Bonanza. Even non-Jerry Lewis fans will come down with a case of loose chuckles while watching The Errand Boy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Brian Donlevy, (more)
During a Los Angeles Christmas, a group of 82nd Airborne vets assembles under the leadership of gamblin' man Danny Ocean (Frank Sinatra) to rip off four Las Vegas casinos just after the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day. Playboy Jimmy Foster (Peter Lawford) joins in the scheme because he's sick of needing his oft-married mother's money, especially now that she's about to wed Duke Santos (Cesar Romero), a self-made man with all sorts of underworld ties. After he receives the news that he could die at any time, newly released convict Anthony Bergdorf (Richard Conte) reluctantly agrees to participate so he can leave some money to his estranged wife and young son. Ocean's own wife, Beatrice (Angie Dickinson), doesn't think much of her husband's promise of a big score to come, but her quiet protests don't dissuade him. With Las Vegas garbage man and fellow vet Josh Howard (Sammy Davis Jr.) and several casino employees among their number, the titular band of thieves have just a few days to get ready for their caper. When Duke Santos, Jimmy's mother, and one of Ocean's discarded paramours all show up in Sin City at the same time as the veterans, the crew's perfect plans face some serious hurdles. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, (more)
- 1960
Arrested for embezzling 20,000 dollars, mild-mannered Milton Potter (Paul Hartman) immediately surrenders to the police, explaining that he is "not the running type." Sentenced to 12 years in jail, Milton is given several opportunities to shorten his sentence by revealing the whereabouts of the stolen money, but he refuses each time. And then, upon his release, Milton promptly returns every penny of the 20 grand. So what was in it for him? You'd be surprised. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Bart (Jack Kelly) is framed for crimes he didn't commit by sadistic sheriff Horace Hadley (Edgar Buchanan) and his equally odious deputy Jones (played by future Oscar winner George Kennedy). The two crooked lawmen specialize in hunting down and murdering innocent men, then claiming that their victims are outlaws in order to collect the reward. In his efforts to expose Hadley and Jones' racket, Bart turns bounty hunter and solicits the aid of several familiar Warner Bros. TV-series stars--who prove to be no help whatsoever. Appearing in cameo roles are Clint Walker from Cheyenne, Will Hutchins from Sugarfoot, John Russell and Peter Brown from Lawman, and Edd "Kookie" Byrnes from 77 Sunset Strip (a title given a cute "westernization" in the context of the story). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
An uninspired horror film by Edward Dein, this ragged story begins in darkest Africa and in the even darker psyche of a mentally deteriorating woman. June Talbot (Colleen Gray) goes on a trip to Africa with her husband Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry), only to discover that she is to be the trial balloon in one of his experiments on an anti-aging compound. Not willing to jump off into the unknown, the already unbalanced June kills her husband after she learns of a tribal ritual that will keep her youthful if she can obtain a hormone from the pineal gland of a human male. The problem is that she will revert back to a wrinkled woman unless she keeps replenishing her stock of the hormone. That, of course, leads to gruesome killings and ultimately, one disastrous mistake. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Coleen Gray, Grant Williams, (more)
- 1959
This musical comedy takes an off-beat religious turn as it tells the tale of a show-biz priest (Bing Crosby) who runs a Broadway theater for spiritually kindred show-folk. His problems begins when a vivacious but troubled chorine (Debbie Reynolds) shows up with a sad story about her ailing father, a friend of the priest, needing an operation. Touched and eager to help her find work and earn the money to help her daddy. Unfortunately, she ends up performing in a sleazy dive owned by an oily wolf (Robert Wagner) who decides to prey upon the innocent gal. The protective priest tries to dissuade him, but its to no avail, the club owner wants to marry her. Meanwhile, the priest busily prepares to produce a charity television show in conjunction with other priests. It is upon this show that the real romantic and comical chaos occurs. Songs include: "The Girl Most Likely to Succeed", "The Secret of Christmas", and "The Night Rock 'n' Roll Died". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bing Crosby, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 1957
In this entry in the long-running series, The Bowery Boys must help their leader after he becomes hypnotized by an unscrupulous mesmerizer who sends him back in time to the swashbuckling days of Blackbeard the pirate. There he is to find a buried treasure. The lad finds it, but upon awakening, he finds the hypnotist holding a gun on him. The crook then escapes to find the loot. Fortunately the other boys beat him to it. At the location, they learn that the treasure is really the hidden loot from an old theft of a jewelry store. The honest boys hand the crook, and the treasure over to the police. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
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
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Carolyn Jones, (more)
- 1957
One of the more diverting byproducts of the short-lived Calypso craze was this quickie Allied Artists musical. What plot their is concerns a lover's quarrel between TV personality Ed Kemmer and stewardess Angie Dickinson. When Dickinson runs off to South America, Kemmer follows. As they try to patch up their differences, the viewer is regaled by a vast array of topnotch musical performers. Among the special guest stars spotlighted herein are Herb Jeffries (who in the 1930s was Hollywood's only black singing cowboy), the Easy Riders, Duke of Iron, Lord Flea and his Calypsonians and the Lester Horden Dancers. Conspicuous by his absence is the real Calypso Joe, a Hawaii-based entertainer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Herb Jeffries, Angie Dickinson, (more)
- 1955
With the exception of the vastly superior Caged, Columbia's Women's Prison was the quintessential "babes behind bars" drama of the 1950s. Ida Lupino (who else?) stars as Amelia VanZant, the sadistic supervisor of the titular prison. Unable to establish any sort of relationship with a man, Amelia takes it out on her long-suffering inmates. When prison psychiatrist Clark (Howard Duff) tries to improve conditions for the women, he too is targetted for destruction by the vituperous Ms. VanZant. The cast includes such perennial "hard-boiled dames" as Jan Sterling, Cleo Moore, Audrey Totter, Phyllis Thaxter, Gertrude Michael and Mae Clarke. Not taken very seriously in the first place, Women's Prison was elevated to the level of "high camp" by youthful film buffs of the 1960s and 1970s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling, (more)
- 1955
In this entry in the long-running series, the Bowery Boys must help a reporter who was beaten up during an undercover investigation at a local prison. With the consent of the reporter's editor, the boys pull off a phony jewel caper and two of them are imprisoned. In the pokey, they learn that the editor is the real thief and that they really are in prison. Hijinks ensue until they expose a scam surrounding prison guards on the take from inmates who pay them to give them easier jobs. This allows them to prove their innocence and eventually expose the evil editor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
A TV telethon is the "gimmick" in Allied Artists' The Big Tipoff. Richard Conte plays two-bit newspaper columnist Johnny Denton, who gains notoreity by printing tips on upcoming gangland activities. Denton heightens his fame by refusing to reveal the source of his information; the audience knows, however, that Denton's tip-off man is crime kingpin Bob Gilmore (Bruce Bennett), who is in the process of staging a phony telethon to scam the public. This plot element is mainly an excuse to offer a series of unrelated variety acts featuring such LA TV personalities as Spade Cooley, April Stevens, Chuy Reyes, and Ginny Jackson. The two male protagonists are given a chance for redemption through the auspices of Sister Joan (Cathy Downs), but an apparent murder muddies the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Conte, Constance Smith, (more)
- 1955
Alfred Hitchcock's second directorial effort for his popular suspense anthology is one of the series' best ever episodes. Joseph Cotten stars as William Callew, a hard-nosed and hard-hearted businessman who holds in contempt such human failings as sentiment, pity, and tears. While racing to keep an appointment in New York, Callew is involved in a spectacular car accident. Awakening, he finds that he is completely paralyzed, unable to move or speak -- though we hear his every thought on the soundtrack. Everyone who comes across Callew assumes that he is dead, including the police and the coroner...and as the episode draws to its conclusion, the horrified Callew is being wheeled into the autopsy room of the morgue! "Breakdown" was re-filmed for the 1985 revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, with John Heard in the Joseph Cotten role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Another "torn from today's headlines" crime drama, Las Vegas Shakedown stars Dennis O'Keefe as honest casino operator Joe Barnes. When not fending off gangster boss Sirago (Thomas Gomez), who wants a big piece of the action, Barnes endeavors to dodge pretty schoolteacher Julia Rae (Colleen Gray), who is writing a thesis on the futility of gambling. The episodic storyline occasionally cuts away to small-town banker Raff (Charles Winninger), who tries to have a little fun at the gaming tables despite the interference of his wife (Elizabeth Patterson), and a bevy of attractive divorcees who've set their cap for Barnes. Filmed on location, Las Vegas Shakedown comes to a head when the disgruntled Sirago resorts to all-out violence to take over Barnes' operation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis O'Keefe, Coleen Gray, (more)
- 1954
Despite its title, Tanganyika was largely filmed in the wilds of Universal City. Set in 1900, the film stars Van Heflin as safari guide John Gale, hired to launch a manhunt for the murderous Abel McCracken (Jeff Morrow). Deep in the territory controlled by the Nukumbi tribe, McCracken has been using the natives for his own reign of terror agains the British settlers of Tanganyika. Along for the chase are McCracken's honest brother Dan (Howard Duff), schoolmarm Peggy (Ruth Roman), and two precocious kids (Noreen Corcoran, Gregory Marshall). Gale's motives have nothing to do with justice, or even the charms of Peggy; he hopes to stake a claim on a piece of valuable African real estate. A climactic man-to-man battle between Gale and McCracken brings the proceedings to a rousing conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Heflin, Ruth Roman, (more)
- 1954
Highway Dragnet is best known to modern movie buffs as the first film to carry Roger Corman's name in the credits. Corman was one of six screenwriters contributing to this location-filmed suspense melodrama, which stars Richard Conte as an ex-Marine on the lam from a murder charge. Conte hitches a ride from glamour-magazine photographer Joan Bennett, who is travelling cross-country with her principal model, Wanda Hendrix. True to audience expectations, the murderer will at one time or another be an occupant of Bennett's car, though it won't be the person whom the police are looking for. The tense climax takes place in a flooded tract house, with the killer stalking the next potential victim. Criticized for its low production values at the time of its release, Highway Dragnet actually stands up pretty well when seen today. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Conte, Joan Bennett, (more)
- 1954
The staff of the "Daily Planet" investigates when the scavenger ship commandeered by Captain McBain (Peter Whitney) returns from a treasure hunt with a cache of low-value pirate doubloons. It turns out that McBain is actually pulling off a scam, converting stolen jewelry into phony coins. Alas, the demented modern-day buccaneer imprisons Lois (Noel Neill) and Jimmy (Jack Larson), then forces Clark (George Reeves) to walk the plank--thereby setting up a perversely amusing situation whereby Clark reappears as Superman in order to "save" himself from drowning! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
In this espionage drama, an FBI agent heads to California's Big Bear resort for R&R and ends up stopping the evil communists from carrying through with their plot to steal important documents from a recently murdered nuclear physicist. The scientist was killed by his own assistant. Later, the FBI agent's own girlfriend, who witnessed the killing, takes the papers and tries to sell them. As a result, she is killed by the assistant who is in turn killed by someone else. The FBI man then safely retrieves the paper and America is once again safe from the dreaded Red Menace. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ireland, Dorothy Malone, (more)
