Tony Martinez Movies
One of the earliest Latino actors to establish a television presence in the 1950s, bandleader-turned-actor Tony Martinez gained a loyal fan base for his role on the popular small-screen series The Real McCoys before taking to the stage for the role of Sancho Panza in a staggering 2,245 productions of The Man of La Mancha. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in January 1920, Martinez was a music scholar in his native city before relocating to New York to continue his studies at Juilliard. The founder of Tony Martinez and His Mambo-USA in the 1940s, the extremely talented musician was versed in five instruments as well as vocals, though it was in film and television that Martinez would find popularity. After studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse, he went on to appear with his band in the musical Rock Around the Clock (1956). Approached by television writer/producers Irving and Norman Pincus while playing with his band on the Sunset Strip, Martinez was offered the role of Pepino Garcia when the series debuted in 1957. The role served as a milestone in the representation of minorities on television, and Martinez would subsequently write for numerous Mexican films of the 1970s in addition to serving as executive director of Puerto Rico's Artists Variety Co. (an organization dedicated to helping citizens break into the entertainment industry) as well as executive director of Puerto Rico's Institute of Motion Pictures in the early '80s. Married to wife Myra in 1981, the couple would remain together until Martinez's death in September 2002. He was 82. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Once again, Tim (Bill Bixby) is victimized by the sinister minions of the enemy spy organization CRUSH. This time, Tim is held captive by CRUSH mastermind Butterball (Larry D. Mann), who thinks that our hero has information concerning the "good" espionage agency TOPSEEK. How will Martin (Ray Walston) extricate Tim from THIS predicament without revealing his own true identity? Featured in the cast is Tony Martinez, best known as the Hispanic handyman Pepino on The Real McCoys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Larry Storch pulls double duty in this episode as both Corporal Randolph Agarn and his lookalike cousin, Mexican bandit El Diablo. In order to clear his family name, Agarn must arrest El Diablo himself--a task that proves problematic when the bandit chief invades Fort Courage and takes Captain Parmenter (Ken Berry) and Wrangler Jane (Melody Patterson) prisoner. In addition to his aforemetioned dual role, Larry Storch also shows up as three other members of the Agarn family: Granny Agarn (who looks like Whistler's Mother), Gaylord Agarn and Carmen Agarnado (Reportedly, this episode was written as a favor to actor Storch, who wanted to show off his famous flair for comic dialects). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Two musicians whose dance band is going nowhere happen across a roadhouse in the sticks, where a pack of fun-loving youngsters are dancing to a new and different beat -- the kids call it rock 'n' roll! The band, Bill Haley and his Comets, leaves the two musicians mighty impressed, and they agree to manage Haley and his crew. They soon meet disc jockey Alan Freed, who immediately secures Haley and the boys a nightclub stand in the Big Apple, where the Comets become the hottest ticket in town. As stories go, Rock Around the Clock was not stunningly original, but at least director Fred F. Sears and producer Sam Katzman had the good sense to stay out of the way and let Bill Haley and his Comets do what they do best -- mix cowboy swing with rhythm and blues, make with the boogie, and have a fine old time doing it. Haley and Co. perform most of their best-known tunes here, including "See You Later, Alligator", "Razzle Dazzle", "Rudy's Rock" and (of course) the title tune, and if they look and sound a bit staid compared to what Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Gene Vincent would be serving only a few years later, their music is good, clean fun and swings a lot harder than most folks give it credit for. Rock Around the Clock also features performances from The Platters ("The Great Pretender" and "Only You") and Freddy Bell and His Bellboys. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Haley & His Comets, The Platters, (more)
- 1953
Even without its 3D/stereophonic sound gimmickry, Second Chance is a crackling good suspenser. Robert Mitchum plays Russ Lambert, a prizefighter who heads to South America to forget a recent tragedy in the ring. Here he meets Clare Shepard (Linda Darnell), who is likewise running away -- not from her bitter memories, but from her boyfriend, a vicious gangster. Also newly arrived in South America is Cappy Gordon (Jack Palance), the cold-blooded triggerman for Clare's ex-beau. After several close calls and near-misses, the three main characters converge in a disabled cable car, high above a deep abyss. Filmed on location at RKO Radio's Mexican facilities, Second Chance takes a while getting started, then rapidly builds to a heart-pounding finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Linda Darnell, (more)
- 1952
The Ring was directed by Kurt Neumann in a style best described as Hollywood neorealist. Based on a novel by Irving Shulman, the film focuses on a Mexican-American youth named Tommy (Lalo Rios). Unable to make any headway in a prejudicial, white-dominated society, Tommy turns to boxing, where he makes quite a name for himself. Just when he thinks he's gained the respect of the "Anglos," however, he discovers that they're only interested in his reputation, and still consider him an outsider because of his ancestry and skin color. Even the two white men who treat him decently -- his manager Pete (Gerald Mohr) and trainer Freddy (Robert Osterloh) -- have a vested interest. In danger of ending up a disillusioned, punch-drunk bum, Tommy is rescued by the unconditional love of his girl Lucy (Rita Moreno). Filmed entirely on location in greater Los Angeles, The Ring is for the most part an uncompromising glimpse at institutionalized bigotry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerald Mohr, Rita Moreno, (more)
- 1950
Gold-mine operator "Boss" Kruger (Raymond Massey) has certainly earned his nickname. A frontier dictator, Kruger runs his mine like a prison colony; indeed, most of the workers are fugitives from justice, given dubious "protection" by Kruger. Two of the laborers are Judith Burns (Ruth Roman) and Bob Peters (Dane Clark), both on the lam from the law. Judith and Bob befriend lawyer Milburn (Robert Douglas), who seeks to prove that Kruger is a murderer. A bit too talky for the tastes of most western fans, Barricade redeems itself with a spectacularly violent conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Roman, Dane Clark, (more)
- 1948
Angel on the Amazon gives the viewer a pretty good notion of what Lost Horizon or She might have looked like had they been produced by Republic Pictures. Vera Ralston stars as huntress Christine Ridgeway, who embarks on one of her many hunting expeditions in the company of her husband Anthony Brian Aherne. While deep in the jungles of the Amazon, the Ridgeways and their party come across the wreckage of a plane. Among the survivors are pilot Jim Warburton George Brent and Dr. Karen Lawrence Constance Bennett. Warburton is impressed by the fact that, though apparently well on in years, Christine has retained her youthful appearance. Dr. Lawrence eventually discovers the secret of Christine's eternal beauty, which by film's end has atrophied considerably. The rambling screenplay whisks the viewer from Brazil to the Riviera to Pasadena, all courtesy of the Republic back lot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Brent, Vera Ralston, (more)
