Louis Solomon Movies
- 1951
MGM's Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse were loaned to Universal for the Technicolor period piece Mark of the Renegade. Set in 19th-century California, the film stars Montalban as Marcos, in league with a band of pirates. Marcos falls into the hands of Don Pedro Garcia (Gilbert Roland), a despot who hopes to become dictator of California. Planning to force the cooperation of benevolent politico Jose De Vasquez (Antonio Moreno), Garcia orders Marcos to court De Vasquez' comely daughter Anita (Cyd Charisse). It soon develops that Marcos is not the criminal he appears to be, and that he is dedicated to the vanquishing of the evil Garcia. Somehow, Mark of the Renegade finds an excuse for Cyd Charisse to perform a bewitching dance number. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ricardo Montalban, Cyd Charisse, (more)
- 1945
There were some theatres in 1946 that refused to display the anagramatic title of this film on their marquees: it was, after all, no secret that the letters S.N.A.F.U. did not precisely stand for "Situation Normal, All Fouled Up" as the studio insisted. Based on a stage play by Louis Solomon and Harold Buchman, Snafu details the misadventures of Ronald Stevens, a teenaged boy who is honorably discharged from the Army when it is revealed that he was too young to enlist. By the time he returns home, Ronald has become so acclimated to the military that he can't readjust to civilian life. In his final film appearance, Robert Benchley does a nice, subtle job as Ronald's flustered father, but Vera Vague (aka Barbara Jo Allen) seems to be having trouble with the role of the the mother. And yes, that is the same Conrad Janis who later played Pam Dawber's dad on TV's Mork and Mindy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conrad Janis, Robert Benchley, (more)
- 1944
The year is 1942: Mr. Winkle (Edward G. Robinson), a mild-mannered bank clerk, decides to quit his job and open a fix-it shop in his garage. Winkle's wife Amy (Ruth Warrick) disapproves of this, and orders her husband to move into his little shop. Tired of being browbeaten, Winkle is delighted when his draft notice shows up. Fitted for a uniform, Winkle has the wind taken out of his sails in basic training, but soon finds that army life agrees with him; when given a chance to go home when the draft age is lowered to 38, he refuses to do so. Transferred to the South Pacific, Winkle instinctively performs a conspicuous act of bravery. He returns home a much-decorated hero, but he's too shy to partake in the ceremonies in his honor, opting instead to return to his shop, and to his now-loving wife Amy. A tailor-made Edward G. Robinson vehicle, Mr. Winkle Goes to War was adapted by Waldo Salt, George Corey and Louis Solomon from a novel by Theodore Pratt. Watch for Robert Mitchum, Hugh Beaumont and Miss Jeff Donnell in unbilled bits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Ruth Warrick, (more)
