Anna Navarro Movies
Arnold Schwarzenegger appears as a pumped-up Shakespearian hero while an announcer bellows, "Something is rotten in Denmark -- and Hamlet is taking out the trash!" This gag sets the stage for the post-modernist action epic The Last Action Hero. The film concerns Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien), a lonely eleven-year-old boy who escapes from his bleak New York City reality by glorying in the action adventure movies of his favorite film character, Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Danny's friend is an elderly movie projectionist, Nick (Robert Prosky), who lets Danny into the shabby Times Square movie theater where he works so Danny can see Slater's new movie. He hands Danny a magic ticket given to him years ago by Houdini, and when Nick rips the ticket and gives Danny the stub, Danny finds himself catapulted from the theater into the back seat of Slater's speeding sports car in "Jack Slater IV." Danny becomes Slater's helper as Jack battles a trio of nefarious bad guys --Benedict (Charles Dance), Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and The Ripper (Tom Noonan). But things get out of hand when Benedict steals Danny's magic ticket stub and transports himself into Danny's reality. Benedict and The Ripper proceed to wreak havoc along Broadway, forcing Slater to cross into reality to get the villains and, in the process, learn about blood and pain. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin O'Brien, (more)
- 1988
In this the third in the "Angel" series, former hooker Angel is reunited with her mom just long enough to make friends (her mom left when Angel was a baby) and learn that she has a half-sister somewhere. Mom is soon the victim of some sort of hit squad and Angel decides to find her half-sister and avenge her mom's death. Her half-sister, it turns out, is a prostitute, and former-hooker Angel, virtuously "born-again," is dead-set against prostitution so she's out to save her sibling. Unlike its predecessors, there's lots of nudity in this film. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mitzi Kapture, Mark Blankfield, (more)
- 1980
The hospital where Quincy (Jack Klugman) works is in full security-lockdown mode when President Sarejo (Rudy Solari), a Latin American dictator, is rushed to the emergency room for a serious operation. It soon becomes apparent that a group of radicals has also arrived in Los Angeles, possibly planning to assassinate the ailing leader. But before this can happen, two members of the President's cabinet die of apparent heart failure--whereupon Quincy swings into action to determine if the deaths were mere happenstance, or the result of a vast and insidious conspiracy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The First Deadly Sin was Frank Sinatra's final starring movie vehicle. Based on a novel by Lawrence Sanders, it casts Sinatra as Edward Delaney, a big-city detective on the verge of retirement. Beset with profound personal problems--including a gravely ill wife (Faye Dunaway)--Delaney nonetheless tackles the case of an axe murderer who seemingly strikes at random. Be on the lookout for an unbilled Bruce Willis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Faye Dunaway, (more)
- 1972
NBC was seeking a little ethnic diversity (a la Shaft) in its Mystery Movie lineup when the network commissioned Cutter. Peter DeAnda plays Frank Cutter, an African-American private eye headquartered in Chicago. Cutter's current assignment is to locate a missing pro quarterback. Stepin Fetchit, an echo from an earlier, demeaning era in black entertainment, shows up in the brief role of "Shineman". Cutter received a single 90-minute showing on January 26, 1972; it failed to make the NBC Mystery Movie cut as a regular entry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
The case against a big-time racketeer may be dismissed because of a hung jury. Ironside (Raymond Burr) suspects that one of the jury members has been bribed to be the sole "holdout." With only 24 hours at his disposal, the Chief must find out which of the 12 jurors has been bought off--a difficult assignment in that the jury has been sequestered and is beyond his reach. This episode boasts a particularly strong supporting cast, including veteran Hollywood leading lady Marsha Hunt as a no-nonsense judge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
Robert Lansing is cast as Gunny, a former Army officer dishonorably discharged for desertion, and now the owner of a small freight-hauling concern. Though Ben Cartwright cannot forgive Gunny for his dereliction of duty, he is willing to let the man prove his mettle by delivering three 30-foot beams to a distant construction site-but only after the Cambeau Construction Company has turned down this highly dangerous mission. Once Gunny undertakes the job, the envious Mr. Cambeau (William Sylvester) is keenly interested in the ex-officer's success-or failure. First shown on January 11, 1970, "Danger Road" was written by Milton S. Gelman and Brian McKay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1970
Aranda (Rodolfo Acosta, the Mexican-born sheriff of Prince River, regularly betrays his own people by participating in a land grab perpetrated by ruthless miner Owen Driscoll (Warren Stevens). The Cartwrights become involved when Aranda frames Mexican farmer Ramon Cardenas (Jaime Sanchez) for murder, the first step in Driscoll's scheme to buy out the other farmers for ridiculously low prices. A shocker ending caps this Bonanza episode, which was written by Ken Pettus and Dick McDonough. "El Jefe" first aired on November 15, 1970. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
Filmed on locations ranging from Denmark to the Universal backlot, Alfred Hitchcock's Topaz is based on a novel by Leon Uris. Frederick Stafford, a veteran of European-filmed James Bond rip-offs of the 1960s, is cast as Andre Devereaux, a French secret agent assigned to snoop around Cuba in the months prior to the 1962 missile crisis. Someone is supplying Castro -- and, by extension, Moscow -- with NATO secrets; it is up to Devereaux to liquidate the "mole." Aiding Devereaux is CIA agent Nordstrom (John Forsythe) and aristocratic anti-Castro Cuban Juanita (Karin Dor), who happens to be the girlfriend of pro-Castroite Rico Parra (John Vernon). The director seems to be in awe of the fact-based storyline, and as a result, the film is more cut-and-dried than most Hitchcock efforts. Three different endings were filmed for Topaz; the Laserdisc version carries all three, as does the print available to the American Movie Classics cable service. According to the MPAA, the film was originally rated M but later changed to PG; however, a number of home-video issues of Topaz officially list it as "Not Rated." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederick Stafford, Dany Robin, (more)
- 1969
In the second episode of a three part story, the family is still in Spain, where Bill (Brian Keith) has fallen for attractive senorita Ana (Anna Navarro) and Cissy (Kathy Garver) has been swept off her feet by a lad named Ricardo (John Aladdin). Meanwhile, Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) conducts a frantic search for Buffy (Annisa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker), who have somehow gotten on the wrong bus during a sightseeing tour. After an encounter with a nun and some Spanish schoolchildren, and a spooky experience in an empty church, the worn-out twins seek refuge in an old barn, hoping against hope that somewhere, somehow, they'll come across someone who speaks English! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
In the conclusion of a three-part story, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) have managed to get lost while on a sightseeing tour of Spain. As Bill (Brian Keith) Cissy (Kathy Garver), Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) and several members of the local Civil Guard conduct a frantic search, the twins are given shelter by a kindly peasant couple named Carlos (Nacho Galindo) and Maria (Rosa Turich), who are worried that they'll be arrested should they reveal the kids' whereabouts. With all this going on, there's hardly time for the romance between Bill and Ana (Anna Navarro, to say nothing of the one between Cissy and Ricardo (John Aladdin). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
In the first episode of a three-part story, Bill takes Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) and the kids along on a business trip to Spain. Enchanted by the country and its people, both Bill and Cissy find romance, in the respective forms of a girl named Ana (Anna Navarro) and a boy named Ricardo (John Aladdin). Conversely, while taking a bus tour, poor Mr. French loses something--namely, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Over the protests of the Cartwrights, the Carttlemen's Association hires range detective Marcus Alley (Albert Salmi) to round up a gang of rustlers by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Alley is a psycho who shoots first and asks questions later-and as a result, several innocent people are killed. Also in the cast are Richard Carlson as Hollenbeck, Kenneth Tobey as Heath, Anna Navarro as Prudence and Myron Healey as Johannsen. First shown on January 21, 1968, "The Thirteenth Man" was written by Walter Black. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1967
Henry Darrow guest-stars as Amigo, a role originally written for Sammy Davis Jr.). Persecuted all his life merely because of his Mexican heritage, Amigo has cast his lot with a band of terrorists, led by the vicious Cap Fenner (Gregory Walcott). When Ben saves his life, Amigo's loyalties are torn between the Cartwrights and the outlaws-with Joe Cartwright finding himself a pawn in the struggle. It has been reported that Henry Darrow landed his costarring role on The High Chaparral on the strength of his performance in this episode. First shown on February 12, 1967, "Amigo" was written by John Hawkins and Jack Turley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1967
Having previously played a homicidal kidnapper during The F.B.I.'s inaugural season, Wayne Rogers upholds his villainous tradition in this episode as a bigoted extortionist. Harboring a pathological hatred for all Latinos, Tyler Cray (Rogers) devises a nasty method of extorting $200,000 from a Mexican-American rancher (Ray Avila). Can this be the same Wayne Rogers who appeared as an upright federal agent in the 1975 TV movie Attack on Terror: The FBI vs. the Ku Klux Klan? Stephen Brooks makes his final series appearance as Special Agent Jim Rhodes in this, the last episode of The F. B.I.'s second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In a variation on the classic Guy de Maupassant short story "Boule de Suif", gambler Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) is ostracized by his more "respectable" fellow passengers during a stagecoach ride. But when the coach is held up by a vicious bandit, the passengers must literally put their lives in Bart's hands, as he plays a game of poker to determine the fate of the bandit's captives. There are some fascinating interracial tensions in this episode--all the more fascinating when one remembers that it was filmed way back in the censor- and sponsor-controlled 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Escaped killer Joe Philips (Joe Maross) is hiding in plain sight as a worker at a Mexican construction site. Later on, another man is hired to work alongside Joe: Bret Johnson (Wayne Morris), who turns out to be the detective hired to bring Joe to justice. Things don't quite work out as planned, thanks to a near-disaster at the site -- followed by a daring rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Paul Drake (William Hopper) is hired to keep an eye on a lonely-hearts classified ad placed by heiress Marilyn Cartwright (Kathleen Crowley). No, Marilyn isn't looking for love: she's looking for con artist "Country Boy" Barnaby (L.Q. Jones), the man who drove her sister to suicide. All Marilyn wants to do is trap Barnaby into exposing himself as a crook--but when he turns up murdered, she finds herself accused of the crime. Inevitably, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is brought in to prove the girl's innocence. This episode is based on a 1948 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Dale Robertson stars as the Son of Sinbad in this tongue-in-cheek Arabian Nights romp. Hoping to rescue Bagdad from the forces of the dreaded Tamerlaine, Sinbad Jr. enlists the aid of the Khalif (Leon Askin) by promising to deliver the secret of "Greek Fire". To expedite this, he enlists the aid of the lovely Kristina (Mari Blanchard), who has memorized said secret. When the bad guys threaten the safety of hero and heroine, slave girl Ameer (Sally Forrest), who heads the all-female descendants of the original Forty Thieves, come galloping to the rescue. Personally produced by Howard Hughes, Son of Sinbad seems to be a clearing house for all of Hughes' voyeuristic fetishes; at one point, stripteaser Lili St. Cyr performs an exotic (and erotic) dance wearing the equivalent of a postage stamp, earning a Condemned rating from the Catholic Legion of Decency. The overabundance of feminie pulchritude gets a little wearing after a while, and it is up to Vincent Price to steal the show as Omar the Tentmaker, improvising passages of his unpublished "Rubiyat" (with a few anachronistic Shakespearean quotes thrown in) as he tries to keep apace with the hero. Also on hand is an uncredited (and fully clothed) Kim Novak as a handmaiden. More silly than sexy when seen today, Son of Sinbad is acceptable nonthink entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Robertson, Sally Forrest, (more)
- 1954
Based on a novel by Gwen Bristow, Jubilee Trail is a sprawling, all-star western from the Republic Studio mills. Despite is vaunted budget, the plot is strictly B-picture material. Ambitious California landowner Charles Hale (Ray Middleton) hopes to add to his riches by marrying off his brother Oliver (John Russell) to a wealthy Spanish family. But when Oliver weds a gal named Garnet (Joan Leslie) instead, Charles vows revenge against the new bride. Later, Oliver is killed, leaving Garnet to raise their baby alone. Charles intends to claim the baby for himself, but Garnet, who has subsequently fallen in love with John Ives (Forrest Tucker), isn't about to let that happen. Top-billed Vera Ralston plays saloon-hall chirp Florinda, a Woman With a Past who is peripherally involved in the plot proper, while Richard Webb, TV's "Captain Midnight", fills the obligatory "disgruntled suitor" role. The film is stolen hands down by Pat O'Brien as a drunken doctor who serves as last-minute problem-solver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Ralston, Joan Leslie, (more)
- 1953
The psychological makeup of a dangerous gunman is probed in Jack Slade. Beginning with his childhood, Slade (Mark Stevens) is shown to be extremely unbalanced; in fact, he kills his first man at age 13. Growing up in the West, Slade comes to the conclusion that his gun is his only friend. At first, he is regarded as a hero because he does his killings on the side of the law; eventually, however, his homicidal tendencies overwhelm him, and he shoots without discretion or even reason. It is a tribute to actor Mark Stevens that he is able to make this character fascinating, rather than totally repellant. The only fault that can be found in Jack Slade is its length; the film would be twice as effective if shorn by 15 minutes or so. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Stevens, Barton MacLane, (more)
