Audrey Dalton Movies

Cissy (Kathy Garver) goes to work as a hospital volunteer, while Buffy (Anissa Jones) joins the Brownies. Before long, both girls have run afoul of "The Rules": Cissy gives water to a patient without consulting a doctor, while Buffy is short the Brownies' age of admission by several months. Ultimately, and surprisingly, 7-year-old Buffy proves a bit more mature in handling her problem than 16-year-old Cissy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An aspiring senator finds himself in deep trouble when he tangles with a sultry teenage girl gone bad in this campy drama. Ann-Margret stars as Jody, a tough customer who escapes from reform school by stabbing a matron and attempting to burn down the building and then takes refuge in a house owned by ambitious politician David Patton (John Forsythe). Despite the hellcat's ample charms, the would-be officeholder wants nothing to do with her and tries to drive her away. She responds by practically taking him hostage, with the help of a gang of delinquent friends. An unexpected act of violence causes more trouble, leading Jody to hijack David and force him to a drive a getaway car to Mexico. The stilted dialogue, over-the-top situations, and rampant sexual innuendo will prove particularly attractive to camp aficionados, who should be delighted by the presence of such recognizable figures as Ann-Margret and Forsythe in the central roles. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Mercedes McCambridge guest-stars as Deborrah Banning, the wife of Baltimore publisher Horace Manning (Hayden Rorke). Having married for money and social prestige, Deborrah ended up living in poverty and obscurity due to her husband's many financial failures. Now living vicariously through her daughter Melinda (Audrey Dalton), Deborrah is determined that Melinda will marry a Cartwright -- any Cartwright. The plot thickens when Melinda rejects Joe, who loves her dearly, in favor of Adam, who doesn't. First telecast January 14, 1962, "The Lady from Baltimore" was written by John Peyser. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Wealthy manufacturer and race-car enthusiast Walter Eastman (Jess Barker) imports a revolutionary new engine for an upcoming race. Along for the ride is famous European driver Vincent Danielli (Alejandro Rey)--who proceeds to betray Eastman's trust by deliberately sabotaging the engine. Not long afterward, Danielli is murdered, and Eastman is flagged as the Number One Suspect--whereupon Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) races to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A routine western with a classic theme, the "lone Texan" of the title is Clint Banister (Willard Parker) who finds trouble at home when he returns after serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. Given his military history, he is hardly welcomed with open arms. In addition to the animosity of his former friends, he has to face an even more difficult issue. His lawless brother Greg (Grant Williams) is the town's sheriff, busy terrorizing the citizens, aided and abetted by his three chief deputies. Clint has no choice but to go against his brother, in spite of their family relationship and the town's attitude toward him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Based on Terence Rattigan's play, Separate Tables is about a number of characters and their adventures at a British seaside hotel. Among the guests are an alleged war hero (David Niven), a timid spinster (Deborah Kerr) and her domineering mother (Gladys Cooper), and a divorced couple (Burt Lancaster, Rita Hayworth) trying to re-ignite their romance despite the presence of his mistress (Wendy Hiller). All of the characters' lives become intertwined in the course of the film as the story examines love affairs and secrets. Separate Tables is a fine, textured drama, filled with terrific performances and was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress (Deborah Kerr), Best Actor (David Niven), Best Supporting Actress (Wendy Hiller), Best Screenplay From Another Medium, Best Cinematography and Best Music. Niven and Hiller won Oscars for the film. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

The Monster That Challenged the World is the misleadingly title for one of the more well-regarded second-echelon horror films of the 1950s. An underwater earthquake in the Sargasso sea yields up the eggs of a long-extinct sea monster. Once hatched, the monster's offspring (which resemble huge snails) sustain themselves by sucking the life forces of various unlucky human land dwellers. Even worse, these horrendous creatures procreate at an incredible rate, laying 3000 eggs per sitting. Eventually, the monsters are neutralized by Modern Science, save for one stray snail that very nearly lunches on a little girl.. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sydney Chaplin (son of Charlie) heads the cast of the British meller The Deadliest Sin. Chaplin plays a slimy holdup man named Mike, who has recently double-crossed his partner in crime. When the partner shows up to claim his due, the man is killed by Alan (Peter Hammond), the boy-friend of Mike's sister Louise (Audrey Dalton). Alan is all for confessing his crime, but Mike, realizing that he'll be implicated in the original robbery, murders Alan. Alas, Mike's victim has already spilled the beans to Father Neil (John Welsh), leaving our "hero" no alternative but to knock off the priest as well-and it is this blasphemous decision that results in Mike's downfall. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bob Hope tries to capture the comic magic of his 1946 costume farce Monsieur Beaucaire with the splashy Technicolor romp Casanova's Big Night (filmed in 1952, released in 1954). Set in 18th century Venice, the film casts Hope as Pippo, the humble tailor of notorious ladies' man Casanova (an unbilled Vincent Price). When Casanova skips town without paying his debts, the local tradesman's guild, led by Casanova's butler Lucio (Basil Rathbone), conspire to pass off one of their number as the great lover and arrange a profitable marriage. Selected to impersonate Casanova is the hapless Pippo, who soon afterward is hired by the imperious Duchess of Castelbello (Hope Emerson) to test the fidelity of the duchess' future daughter-in-law Elena (Audrey Dalton). Along the way, Pippo is given lessons in etiquette and swordsmanship by both Lucio and tradeswoman Francesca (Joan Fontaine). Eventually, Pippo finds himself up to his neck in court intrigue, courtesy of the scheming Doge of Venice (Arnold Moss). Further complications include a couple of hilarious swashbuckling scenes, an interlude in a dungeon with addlepated prisoner Emo (Lon Chaney), and the obligatory disguise scene. The Pirandellian ending of Casanova's Big Night was later imitated by such films as The Maltese Bippy (1969) and Wayne's World (1992). Bob Hope is in fine form, the production is sumptuous and the supporting cast superb, but somehow there's a little something missing in Casanova's Big Night. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The 1912 sinking of the luxury liner Titanic is used as a backdrop for a several fictional subplots, chief of which involves snooty socialite Clifton Webb and his wife Barbara Stanwyck. Stanwyck has booked passage on the ill-fated passenger ship with her daughter (Audrey Dalton) and son (Harper Carter), leaving Webb far behind. Webb manages to board the ship at the last minute, and discovers that Stanwyck plans to divorce him; she further informs him that he is not the father of their son. When the Titanic sideswipes an iceberg and begins its slow descent in the Atlantic, the women and children are put on the lifeboats while the men stay behind to face death (except for cowardly cardsharp Allyn Joslyn, who disguises himself as a woman). The formerly class-conscious Webb acts with conspicuous bravery, seeing to it that several steerage passengers are ushered to safety. He is reunited with his son, who has given up his lifeboat seat to an elderly woman. All misunderstandings swept aside, Webb and his son face their final moments on earth together. In the film's best moment, a miniature recreation of the Titanic is seen sinking beneath the waves as the survivors watch from their lifeboats in numb horror. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Olivia de Havilland and Richard Burton star in this adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's gothic novel. In a reversal of Jane Eyre, it is the hero who arrives at the home of a mysterious woman. Rachel (de Havilland) is the widow of a Cornish man of property (John Sutton), who died in suspicious circumstances. Philip Ashley Burton is the dead man's cousin, who in probing his relative's demise immediately suspects Rachel -- and goes on suspecting her even after he falls in love with her. Going against the inheritance laws of the era, Burton turns over his cousin's estate to Rachel, but she refuses his entreaties of marriage. He soon falls ill, and it is whispered that Rachel has poisoned him. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi