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Tom Conway Movies

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tom Conway was the son of a British rope manufacturer. After the Bolshevik revolution, Conway's family returned to England, where he attended a succession of boarding schools before graduating from Brighton college. Aimlessly wandering from job to job, Conway was working as a rancher when his older brother, George Sanders, achieved success as a film actor. Deciding this might be suitable work for himself, Conway gleaned some stage experience in a Manchester repertory company. Upon arriving in Hollywood in 1940, Conway was taken under the wing of brother George, who helped him find film work. When George quit the Falcon "B"-picture series at RKO in 1941, he recommended Tom as his replacement; the transition was cleverly handled in The Falcon's Brother (1942), with Tom taking over after George had been "killed." Achieving popularity as the Falcon, Conway continued in private-detective roles, playing Sherlock Holmes on radio and Mark Sabre on television. Though he reportedly amassed a fortune in excess of one million dollars during his Hollywood years, personal problems sent Conway into a downward spiral. Tom Conway died in 1967 at the age of 63; his brother George Sanders committed suicide five years later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
1964  
 
Appearing in Santa Barbara with her Shakesperean acting troupe "A Company of Four", former Broadway star Ramona Carver (Virginia Field) is confronted by a man who claims to be the son she gave up for adotion. Whether or not this is good news to Ramona seems inconsequential when she accused of murdering an old enemy, ex-drama critic Ogden G. Kramer (Sherwood Keith). Originally hired to help Ramona locate her son, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must now defend her life in court. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1964  
 
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This lavishly produced, big-budget comedy (it cost $20 million in 1964 dollars) stars Shirley MacLaine as Louisa, a widow who is worth $200 million dollars. However, she's convinced that her fortune is cursed, and she wants to give all her money to the IRS. As she explains her sad tale to her psychiatrist, Dr. Stephanson (Robert Cummings), it seems that when Louisa was young she had the choice of marrying rich playboy Leonard Crawley (Dean Martin) or poor but decent Edgar Hopper (Dick Van Dyke). She chose Edgar, but soon he became obsessed with providing a fine home and fortune for her; he got rich but worked himself to death in the process. Despondent, Louisa flies to Paris, where she strikes up a romance with expatriate artist Larry Flint (Paul Newman). When Larry invents a machine that creates paintings based on sounds, he becomes wealthy and famous -- and dies. Louisa returns to America, where she figures to break her streak by marrying Rod (Robert Mitchum), a business tycoon who already has lots of money. He resolves to take life easier and becomes a farmer, only to die in a strange accident with a bull. Louisa is drowning her sorrows one night at a sleazy night spot when she falls for second rate entertainer Jerry (Gene Kelly). They marry, and a now-wealthy Jerry develops a relaxed, carefree quality to his act that makes him a huge star, which leads to his being crushed by a mob of his biggest fans. What a Way to Go! boasted a screenplay by Betty Comdon and Adolph Green that featured many amusing film parodies and a score by Nelson Riddle; it also marked the final screen appearance of comic actress Margaret Dumont, best remembered as Groucho Marx's straight woman in several films. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Shirley MacLainePaul Newman, (more)
 
1961  
 
Paladin (Richard Boone) is intrigued when his morning mail yields one-half of a $500 bill and a stagecoach ticket to Yuma, Arizona. En route to Yuma, Paladin finds that he has been snared in a death-trap, courtesy of Mexican bandit Solomon (Anthony Caruso). The other stagecoach passengers are held at gunpoint by Solomon's cohorts--and it is up to Paladin to determine who will live and who will die. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1961  
G  
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This Disney animated classic is based on the children's story by Dodie Smith. The story involves the canine pets of a struggling composer and his wife: Dalmatians Pongo (male) and Perdita (female). Perdita gives birth to fifteen spotted pups, cuing the entrance of the scheming Cruella De Vil. She demands that the dogs' owners sell her the pups, but she is shown the door instead. Under cover of night, Cruella arranges for the pups to be stolen. The human police are baffled, but the "dog network" is alerted by Pongo and sent to rescue the pups. It is discovered that Cruella has been rounding up every Dalmatian she can get her hands on, hoping to use their pelts to make one spectacular fur coat. The dogs rescue the 15 pups, plus 86 others stolen by Ms. DeVil. After an eventful escape, the 101 Dalmatians make their way home--whereupon the composer pens a hit tune, "Dalmatian Plantation". 101 Dalmatians represents the Disney animation staff at its very best, and as a bonus introduces the world to Cruella De Vil, one of the greatest movie villains--cartoon or "real"--of all time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Rod TaylorJ. Pat O'Malley, (more)
 
1960  
 
Bumping along over several flaws, this is an odd sci-fi film directed by David Bradley, best known for his incredibly vast private film library rather than his stints in the director's chair. A very motley crew is winging its way through space with the moon as its objective. On board the spaceship are a dozen scientists, engineers, and researchers from the U.S., Sweden, Russia, Israel, Germany, and even Turkey. The flight captain has not only a variety of nationalities to juggle but must also contend with the dissension between the German and Israeli due to a certain holocaust tragedy in World War II. The romance between the magnificent Swedish chemist and the Turkish biologist is also heating up. But the worst is yet to come. After landing on the moon, the crew discovers that underneath the lunar surface is a whole civilization of peace-loving moon-beings who never asked for visitors. Their reaction is rather chilling. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

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Starring:
Michi KobiTom Conway, (more)
 
1959  
 
Seasoned serial director Spencer Gordon Bennett helmed this story of a one-eyed, octopoidal space alien, wreaking havoc upon atomic subs at the North Pole. The monster is determined to take over the world, though it seems ill equipped for that purpose. Heroes Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, and Brett Halsey head underwater to neutralize the alien's submerged flying saucer. The cast is peopled with such veterans as Tom Conway, Bob Steele, Victor Varconi, Selmer Jackson, and Jack Mulhall. Movie buffs may wish to take note of the exterior scenes in Atomic Submarine; several of them are played out in front of the easily recognizable studios of Allied Artists, formerly Monogram and later the home of LA's PBS channel 28. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Arthur FranzDick Foran, (more)
 
1959  
 
Heavily in debt, John Manbridge (Denholm Elliott) cannot wait to inherit the money promised him by his wealthy uncle Felix (Torin Thatcher). Hoping to speed up the process, John kills Uncle Felix, and then arranges a "perfect alibi." Only when Felix's body is found does John discover that the murder was entirely unnecessary -- but by then, he too has suffered his uncle's curious fate. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1957  
 
Season three of Alfred Hitchcock Presents gets under way with one of the series' best and most celebrated episodes -- and one which, surprisingly, is not directed by Alfred Hitchcock himself. As Jim Whitely (William Shatner) and his girlfriend Dorothy (Rosemary Harris) rummage through the possessions of Jim's late sister Julia (Jessica Tandy), they come across a curious item -- a large glass eye. In flashback, Jim recalls the history of this artefact, which stems back to the spinsterish Julia's infatuation with a mysterious, deep-voiced stage ventriloquist known as Max Collodi (Tom Conway). This brilliant episode earned an Emmy award for its director, prolific Alfred Hitchcock Presents contributor Robert Stevens. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1957  
 
Advertised as an out-and-out horror picture, Voodoo Woman is more of a "greed and revenge" melodrama than anything else. Mad scientist Dr. Roland Gerard (Tom Conway) squirrels himself away in the jungle, hoping to create a race of super-beings. What he comes up with is a passel of hideous-looking female monstrosities, one of whom is played by ace monster creator Paul Blaisdell (who, last time we looked, was a guy). The film goes off on a slightly different tangent when mercenary murderess Marilyn Blanchard (Marla English) invades Dr. Gerard's private domain. It is inevitable that Gerard will transform Marilyn into a monster, leading to a lively if barely credible finale. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Marla EnglishTom Conway, (more)
 
1957  
 
Looking rather spent, Tom Conway walks through the British programmer Operation Murder. Conway is a poverty-stricken doctor who happens to have a rich cousin. Conspiring with his partner Patrick Holt, Conway schemes to kill his cousin, passing off the death as a mishap on the operation table. The plan is almost foolproof, but.....Operation Murder was another of the multitude of inexpensive Danzinger Brothers productions, released throughout the English-speaking world by United Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1956  
 
In this thriller, a secret formula purported to prevent metal fatigue during supersonic flight is stolen. Now, rival groups search for it. A kidnapping is also involved. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1956  
 
Tom Conway essays one of his last starring roles in the British melodrama Murder on Approval. Conway is cast as special investigator Duke Martin (a character he'd later essay in the 1956 feature Breakaway), in London to investigate the authenticity of a rare postage stamp called the Barbados Overplate. Someone is willing to commit murder to get his or her hands on the stamp, which puts a crimp in Duke's efforts to romance every beautiful woman he meets. Delphi Lawrence is the principal female attraction, while Michael Balfour provides laughs as Martin's obligatory ex-convict assistant. Distributed in the US by RKO Radio, Murder on Approval was originally released in England as Barbados Quest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Tom ConwayDelphi Lawrence, (more)
 
1956  
 
The lovely assistant of an evil hypnotist has no idea that she is the descendant of a horrifying prehistoric sea monster she is mesmerized by her boss. When the monster comes forth, she goes on a killing spree. A promoter learns about the hypnotist's shenanigans and figures a way to cash in on the death and destruction. Meanwhile, each time the assistant is hypnotized and the monster emerges, she is able to better control it. The monster costume was created by master make-up artist Paul Blaisdell and is considered one of his best. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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Starring:
Chester MorrisMarla English, (more)
 
1956  
 
A contemptuous and self-serving immigrant, Clementi Sabourin (George Sanders) pulls himself up by his bootstraps by instrumenting a series of cons and seductions which bilk several very wealthy persons out of most of their money. Most of the action is related in a series of flashbacks after Sabourin's body is found dead in a Park Avenue apartment. Death of a Scoundrel is a fictionalized adaptation of the life and mysterious death of Serge Rubenstein. ~ John Bush, Rovi

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Starring:
George SandersYvonne De Carlo, (more)
 
1956  
 
Though his Hollywood career had petered out, Tom Conway continued to star in British films throughout the 1950s. In Last Man to Hang, Conway heads the cast as Roderick, who at present is on trial for his life. Accused of poisoning his wife, Roderick's fate rests in the hands of the jury, who must decide whether or not the death was accidental. The most damning evidence is provided by Roderick's housekeeper Mrs. Tucker (Freda Jackson), who will do anything to see her ex-employer swinging from a gibbet. The title refers to the British Parliament's mid-1950s efforts to outlaw capital punishment; this legislation would in fact not come about until after the miscarriage of justice dramatized in 1972's Ten Rillington Place. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Tom ConwayElizabeth Sellars, (more)
 
1955  
 
Stranger in the Night stars Joan Fontaine as a turn-of-the -century widow who moves into a somewhat foreboding seaside estate. Fontaine assumes that her only companion is her housekeeper Elsa Lanchester, but she's wrong: the house is also "inhabited" by the ghost of a handsome sea captain (Michael Wilding). Yes, this is The Ghost and Mrs. Muir in a 60-minute TV slot (the original theatrical film ran nearly twice that length). Tom Conway costars as an amorous author--the same role played by Conway's brother George Sanders in the original Ghost and Mrs. Muir. Originally telecast October 17, 1956, on the TV anthology Twentieth Century Fox Hour. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1954  
 
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Hal Foster's Sunday-comics saga of a young Viking prince in the service of King Arthur is brought to the screen in CinemaScope and Technicolor in Prince Valiant. Despite the fact that he sports a dutch bob that makes him look like actress Phyllis Kirk, Robert Wagner is quite virile and convincing as the title character. Trained for the Round Table by Sir Gawain (Sterling Hayden), Valiant takes time out to fall in love with the beautiful Princess Aleta (Janet Leigh). The villain of the piece is The Black Knight, aka Sir Brack (top-billed James Mason), who intends to topple King Arthur (Brian Aherne) from his throne, then conquer Valiant's people in Scandia. But Prince Valiant proves a fearsome opponent to the usurping Sir Brack. Sadly, most currently available prints of Prince Valiant have been panned-and-scanned, denying viewers the opportunity to revel in Henry Hathaway's creative utilization of the CinemaScope format. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
James MasonJanet Leigh, (more)
 
1953  
 
Paris Model is quickie producer Albert Zugsmith's answer to such multistoried films as Tales of Manhattan. Linking the four stories presented herein is a Paris-original gown, "Nude at Midnight." The gown is first purchased by "good bad girl" Gogo Montaine (Eva Gabor), who hopes to impress her date for the evening, the Maharajah of Kim-Kepore (Tom Conway, who happened to be Gabor's brother-in-law at the time, a fact that wasn't ignored in the film's publicity). Next, the gown is illegally copied in the U.S., leading to a major social gaffe involving secretary Betty Barnes (Paulette Goddard), her boss Edgar Blevins (Leif Erickson) and Blevins' wife Cora (Gloria Christian). Next, Marion Parmelee (Marilyn Maxwell) wears the gown to coerce her husband's boss (Cecil Kellaway) into giving hubby a promotion. And finally, Marta Jensen (Barbara Lawrence) dons the gown in hopes that her erstwhile beau Charlie Johnson (Robert Hutton) will pop the question. Tom Conway makes a return appearance in this final sequence, as does 1930s comedy favorite El Brendel and Hollywood restaurateur Prince Michael Romanoff. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Eva GaborTom Conway, (more)
 
1953  
G  
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A pet project of Walt Disney's since 1939, this animated version of James M. Barrie's Peter Pan reached full fruition in 1953. Eschewing much of Barrie's gentle whimsy (not to mention the more sinister aspects of the leading character), Disney and his staff fashioned a cheery, tuneful cartoon extravaganza, which cost $4 million and reaped several times that amount. The straightforward story concerns the Darling family, specifically the children: Wendy, Michael and John. Wendy enjoys telling her younger siblings stories about the mythical Peter Pan, the little boy who never grew up. One night, much to everyone's surprise, Peter flies into the Darling nursery, in search of his shadow, which Wendy had previously captured. Sprinkling the kids with magic pixie dust, Peter flies off to Never-Never Land, with Wendy, Michael and John following behind. Once in Peter's domain, the children are terrorized by Captain Hook, who intends to capture Peter and do away with him.

After rescuing Indian princess Tiger Lily from Captain Hook, Peter must save the children, not to mention his own "Lost Boys," from the diabolical pirate captain. In addition, he must contend with the jealousy of tiny sprite Tinker Bell, who doesn't like Wendy one little bit. Breaking with several traditions, Peter had been played by a girl in all previous incarnations, Tinker Bell had always been depicted by a shaft of light, etc ... this "Disneyized" version of Peter Pan may not be authentic James Barrie, but it has never failed to enthrall audiences of all ages. Adding to the fun are the spirited voiceover performances by Bobby Driscoll (Peter), Hans Conried (Captain Hook and Mr. Darling), Kathryn Beaumont (Wendy) and Bill Thompson (Smee), and the sprightly songs by Sammy Cahn, Sammy Fain, Ollie Wallace, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Frank Churchill and Jack Lawrence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Bobby DriscollKathryn Beaumont, (more)
 
1953  
 
A tired-looking Tom Conway plays a private detective who is framed for murder. Eva Bartok, the head of a smuggling, has arranged the frameup. Eva is herself "set up" by the actual killer, unreconstructed Nazi Robert Adair. At this point, Bartok belatedly sides with Conway. Only one of the three above-mentioned actors is still alive at fadeout time: guess which one. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1953  
 
Blood Orange is an early effort from the British "shock shop" of Hammer Films. Hollywood's Tom Conway stars as a former FBI agent, living in contented retirement in London. Conway's quietude is interrupted when gorgeous model Delphi Lawrence is murdered. Ere the "The End" sign looms into view, Conway learns that the girl's death was tied in with a jewel theft. The film's title refers to the most valuable of the stolen gems. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1953  
 
The title characters of Tarzan and the She-Devil are played by Lex Barker and Monique Van Vooren. He, of course, is the loin-clothed Lord of the Jungle; she is the beautiful-but-deadly Lyra, head of a gang of ivory thieves. To expedite her crooked operation, Lyra has managed to enslave an East African tribe to do her bidding. Tarzan intervenes, only to be captured, tied up (several times) and imprisoned for his troubles. Finally able to free himself, Tarzan rescues the tribe -- and, incidentally, his mate Jane (Joyce McKenzie) -- by summoning forth his elephant friends. Raymond Burr co-stars as Lyra's slovenly, unshaven chief henchman, who ends up trampled to death by the rampaging pachyderms. Many of the jungle scenes in Tarzan and the She-Devil were lifted from the 1934 Frank Buck documentary Wild Cargo. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Lex BarkerJoyce MacKenzie, (more)
 
1953  
 
This curiously little-known British mystery stars Tom Conway as an American FBI agent. Conway is sent to England to investigate the death of a model. It just might be that enemy agents are involved, and our hero wants to find out as much as possible before putting his own life on the line. The most familiar faces in the supporting cast belong to Delphi Lawrence, Eric Pohlmann and Richard Wattis. Three Stops to Murder is one of the earliest efforts of future "house of horror" Hammer Films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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