Kroger Babb Movies
- 1951
This film was made to promote the annual Easter passion play of the Lawton Congregational Church in Lawton, Oklahoma. The first half of the film presents the history of the pageant, which began in 1926. The rest of the film presents the actual pageant which takes place in the Wichita Mountains during Holy Week. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Produced and distributed by legendary road-show entrepreneur Kroger Babb, One Too Many details the tragedy of alcoholism. Ruth Warrick stars as concert pianist Helen Mason, who destroys her life and career through drinking. Helen is finally saved from herself when she joins Alcoholics Anonymous. When originally released to theaters, One Too Many was screened in tandem with a live appearance by an ostensible expert on alcoholism, who delivered a cautionary lecture, then distributed pamphlets. Most Kroger Babb productions were shoddily put together: One Too Many is an exception, boasting a talented cast, competent direction (Erle C. Kenton) and reasonably attractive production values. As a bonus, the film features several guest stars, ranging from dancer Louis da Pron to Hollywood makeup artist Ern Westmore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ruth Warrick, Richard Travis, (more)
- 1949
Enterprising roadshow exhibitor Kroger Babb was largely responsible for the jerry-built "feature film" The Lawton Story. Most of the footage is devoted to the annual Passion Play at Lawton, Oklahoma, enacted by volunteers from several nearby communities. This portion of The Lawton Story was directed by Harold Daniels and narrated by radio announcer Knox Manning. To bring the film up to feature length, a fictional plotline concerning the preparations for the pageant was hastily assembled, featuring such familiar Hollywood character players as Forrest Taylor, Willa Pearl Curtis and Maude Eburne. These "wraparound" scenes were directed by old reliable William Beaudine. Certain recent publications have mercilessly poked fun at The Lawton Story, pointing out such "mistakes" as the telephone wires behind the crucified Jesus and the wristwatches worn by some of the Passion Play performers. Nowhere do these derisive accounts acknowledge that the audience is made aware that this is not meant to be a historical spectacle, but is in fact a filmed record of an outdoor-theater production. The Lawton Story is better known by its general-release title The Prince of Peace. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forrest Taylor
- 1947
The most controversial "road show" film of the 1940s, this was actually a rather innocent little morality play about a teenage girl (June Carlson) who gets in the "family way" during her very first date. The reason, of course, is that Mom (ois Austin) and Dad (George Eldredge) failed to tell their little darling about the birds and the bees. The father of the expected child (Hardie Albright) is killed before he can make the girl an honest woman, but there is the obligatory happy conclusion with the parents appearing suitably repentant. Nothing to get too excited about -- even in the mid 1940s -- Mom and Dad became a cause celebre courtesy of its producer, crafty promoter Kroger Babb, whose common-law wife Mildred Horn had provided the script. Babb added a live hygienic lecturer, the estimable Elliott Forbes, and inaugurated segregated screenings, not between black and whites, but a separation of the sexes. Women and teenage girls were admitted to the two early showings, while their menfolk had to wait until the late show, naturally getting more and more excited as time went slowly by. The Legion of Decency, a Roman Catholic organization, helped Babb no end by banning the film, and Mom and Dad went on to make money for the promoter well into the '50s. Another legendary "sleaze merchant," David Friedman, took over the film in the '60s, when it was finally allowed to be shown in the puritan city of Chicago. At one point, as Friedman recalled, the film played at 10 Chicago theatres simultaneously, still advertized as featuring a live lecture by the redoubtable "Elliott Forbes." No one apparently questioned how this man could be in 10 places at the same time! The actual filming of Mom and Dad had taken place at the Monogram studios in Hollywood on a one week shooting schedule courtesy of co-producer J.S. Jossey, a Mid-Western exchange man. Incredibly, the film proved to be the fourth highest grosser of the '40s behind three Disney cartoons. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
