Raphael Blau Movies
Screenwriter Raphael Blau frequently collaborated on scripts with Ted Berkman, his brother-in-law. Their best-known script was the campy Ronald Reagan comedy Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) in which the future U.S. president co-starred with a scene-stealing chimp. Blau made his screenwriting debut in 1949 with Mother is a Freshman. Before becoming a film writer, Blau specialized in writing scripts for radio mystery series. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1963
Adam Cartwright falls in love with Rebecca (Aneta Corsaut), the daughter of Orthodox Jewish peddler Aaron Kaufman (Ludwig Donath). But when Adam asks for Rebecca's hand in marriage, the tradition-bound Aaron refuses to give his consent. Things go way beyond cultural differences when Kaufman's wagon is attacked by bandits during the Sabbath. Also appearing are Harry Dean Stanton as Stiles, Jason Wingreen as Hank, and Sarah Selby as Mrs. Cardiff. Originally telecast March 10, 1963, "The Way of Aaron" was written by Raphael D. Blau. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1961
When June cannot find time to collect money for the Community Chest, Beaver volunteers to do so. He does an excellent job accumulating the money -- only to lose all the cash while enjoying an ice cream cone. Replacing the money is one thing, explaining what happened to his mother is another, dicier matter entirely. Watch for brief appearances by former Miss America and future Barnaby Jones regular Lee Meriwether, and by perennial horror movie character actor Bruno Ve Sota. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Talbot, Claudia Bryar, (more)
- 1960
Anne Francis stars as a young prostitute in search of a way out. She seeks out the help of a discreet psychiatrist (Lloyd Nolan), to find out why she has doomed herself to her sordid profession and why she can't seem to shake loose. At this point the film becomes a virtual monologue for Anne Francis, who is magnificent. Girl of the Night never quite rises above its exploitation trappings, but Ms. Francis' performance is worth the admission price alone. The film was advertised as a "case study", based on the book The Call Girl by Dr. Harold Greenwald. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Francis, Lloyd Nolan, (more)
Anthony Perkins stars as troubled baseball great Jimmy Piersall in Fear Strikes Out. Based on Piersall's shattering tell-all autobiography, the film traces Jimmy's ascent from the sandlots of Waterbury, CT, to the Boston Red Sox, with his domineering father (Karl Malden) pushing the boy beyond all reasonable limits. Unable to withstand the pressure, Piersall suffers a nervous breakdown and is confined to a mental institution. Through a long period of therapy, Jimmy realizes that he has excelled in baseball not for his own gratification but to please his father. This film was preceded by a 1956 TV version starring Tab Hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden, (more)
- 1957
As a favor to an old friend, producer Alex Gordon, James Cagney turned director for the first and only time in his career with Short Cut to Hell. The film is a remake of the 1942 Veronica Lake-Alan Ladd starrer This Gun For Hire. Robert Ivers plays Kyle, a hired killer who is double-crossed by his employer Bahrwell (Jacques Aubuchon). Seeking revenge, Kyle is reluctantly teamed with Glory Hamilton (Georgann Johnson), who has been targeted for elimination by Bahrwell and his henchman Nichols (Murvyn Vye). Unfortunately, Glory is the girlfriend of detective Stan (William Bishop), forcing Kyle to go on the lam before he can settle accounts with the film's principal villain. Kyle is finally able to get even with Bahrwell, and in the process reveals his long-dormant "good" side. Though the film itself is nothing special, Cagney's direction is sharp and efficient; it's too bad that Short Cut to Hell was his only effort behind the cameras. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ivers, Georgann Johnson, (more)
Forget what you've been led to believe: Bedtime for Bonzo is a most enjoyable film, and Ronald Reagan is not outacted by the chimpanzee. Reagan is cast as psychology professor whose reputation is sullied by the fact that his father was a convict. To prove that environment rather than heredity dictates a man's personality, Reagan uses Bonzo the chimp to test out his theories. The hairy little guy seems to be responding to the kindnesses lavished upon him--and then he is accused of robbery. Reagan nearly goes to jail in Bonzo's stead, but everything turns out all right in the end (we're not giving anything away; after all, everybody knows that there was a Bonzo Goes to College in 1952). While it's an uphill climb, Ronald Reagan and his able costars Diana Lynn and Walter Slezak manage to keep Bonzo from running away with the picture. And yes, director Fred DeCordova is the same guy who produced Johnny Carson's late-night show in the 1980s and 1990s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diana Lynn, Walter Slezak, (more)
- 1949
The same studio that brought forth Father Was a Fullback was responsible for Mother is a Freshman. Loretta Young stars as Abbigail Abbott, the widowed mother of coed Susan Abbott (Betty Lynn). In order to legally validate Susan's scholarship fund (a legacy of her late grandmother), Abigail enrolls in the university as a freshman. Here she is wooed by Professor Richard Michaels (Van Johnson)--much to Susan's dismay, since she'd set her cap for the professor herself. Rudy Vallee reprises the "stuffy middle-aged suitor" characterization he'd essayed in such previous comedies as The Palm Beach Story and Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer. Mother is a Freshman afforded audiences the opportunity of glimpsing 20th Century-Fox's familiar "college campus" sets in full Technicolor (these standing sets were also seen in black & white in such 1949 releases as Mr. Belvedere Goes to College and It Happens Every Spring). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Loretta Young, Van Johnson, (more)
