Frank de Kova Movies

Director George Pal is noted as a special effects maestro, both in films for children that feature his "puppetoons" and in sci-fi spectacles like the War of the Worlds. So it is no surprise that this sci-fi yarn about the fabled sunken continent of Atlantis should excel in the special effects department. Otherwise, the story is a clichéd tale about Demetrios (Anthony Hall) a Greek fisherman who is tempted into going to Atlantis by Antillia (Joyce Taylor), a princess of that doomed land. Demetrios is soon trapped into slavery, a situation which leads him to hobnob with the oppressed masses and plan a strategy to get them out of there before the rumblings of imminent submersion send the whole kit and caboodle into the briny deep. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Once again, Bart (Jack Kelly) wins big in a poker game. And once again, his prize is not a pile of cash but instead a piece of property--in this case, a bank. What Bart doesn't know is that the bank is about to go bust...and there are quite a few gun-toting depositors who will be sorely annoyed when their assets disappear. Featured in the cast as Blackjack Carney is Frank DeKova, who went on to play the timorous Indian chief Wild Eagle on F Troop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of a handful of Elvis Presley vehicles for United Artists release, Follow That Dream is a leisurely comedy/musical with a homey appeal that will delight even non-Presley fans. Based on Richard Powell's novel Pioneer Go Home, the film casts Elvis as Toby Kwimper, the most responsible member of an itinerant rural family comprised of Pop Kwimper (Arthur O'Connell) and nubile cousin Holly Jones (Anne Helm). Claiming "squatter's rights," the Kwimpers set up housekeeping, much to the dismay of local gamblers Carmine (Jack Kruschen) and Nick (Simon Oakland). In an attempt to force the family off their land, social worker Alicia Claypool (Joanna Moore) tries to prove that Toby is "degenerate," but succeeds only in making a fool of herself. Beyond a handful of pleasant songs, the film's highlights include Elvis' unwitting breakup of the local gambling casino, and the climactic trial scene featuring Roland Winters as a dyspeptic but basically likeable judge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Although his bootlegging operation has been smashed up and his boss Al Capone is in Federal Prison, Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) still has plenty of crooked irons in the fire. One his most lucrative enterprises is a Hollywood-based extortion racket, designed to control exhibition prices for theater operators. Hoping to break Nitti once and for all, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) uses an old warrant against Nitti flunkey Sidney Rogers (Richard Anderson) as the first step in his plan. This final episode of The Untouchables' first season feature the last appearance of Anthony George as "Untouchable" Cam Allison--but if you think that the explosive climax marks the exit of the formidable Frank Nitti, guess again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Capone's second-in-command Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) steps up his heretofore unsuccessful efforts to eliminate Anton Cermak (Robert Middleton), the incorruptable mayor of Chicago. Scheduled to appear at a public event in Miami with president-elect Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Cermak would seem to be a sitting duck for Nitti's torpedoes, but Elliot Ness and the Untouchables aren't about to let that happen. Meanwhile, a deranged anarchist named Giuseppe Zangara (Joe Mantell) may well succeed where Nitti has failed--assuming that Cermak is Zangara's intended target. Though historically inaccurate in many respects, this episode paints a vibrant picture of the euphoria surrounding the election of the first anti-Prohibition president in 14 years. Parts One and Two of "The Unhired Assassin" were later combined and released theatrically as the feature film Guns of Zangara. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set in the Kansas territory during the middle of the 19th century, this is a visually evocative but conventional western. The story deals with Darcy (Jeff Chandler), a ruthless man, one of the raiders known as "Jayhawkers" who wants more than what life is willing to offer. Starting out as anti-slavery activists, the Jayhawkers' origins are barely mentioned in the story, as Darcy uses them to support his growing power. Opposing his unscrupulous bid for control of the region is Cam (Fess Parker, of Davy Crockett fame on American TV) an ex-convict. Cam knows that Darcy is responsible for the death of his wife while he was in prison and he plans to bring him down. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Escaped killer Joe Philips (Joe Maross) is hiding in plain sight as a worker at a Mexican construction site. Later on, another man is hired to work alongside Joe: Bret Johnson (Wayne Morris), who turns out to be the detective hired to bring Joe to justice. Things don't quite work out as planned, thanks to a near-disaster at the site -- followed by a daring rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The real-life "Machine Gun" Kelly was a clumsy, two-bit petty thief, goaded into bigger and badder things by a publicity-hungry wife; legend has it that when Kelly was finally captured by the FBI, he had a smile on his face, as if relieved to get away from the gorgonlike Mrs. Kelly. This film version of Kelly's life alters the facts considerably: as played by Charles Bronson, "Machine Gun" is a cold-blooded sadist who kills because he's sensitive about his height. Together with his ever-lovin' moll Flo (Susan Cabot), Kelly decides to top off his criminal achievements with a high-profile kindapping, a decision that leads to his bloody downfall. Comedian Morey Amsterdam delivers a surprisingly effective performance as a stool pigeon who "gets his" from the business end of Kelly's eponymous weapon. Directed with sweaty intensity by Roger Corman, Machine Gun Kelly was originally released on a double bill with The Bonnie Parker Story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed under the title Prehistoric World, Teenage Caveman stars future Man From UNCLE Robert Vaughn as the eponymous hero, known only as The Boy. A member of a primitive tribe living in a desolate valley, The Boy has been warned never to journey into the Forbidden Area, lest disaster or death befall him. But after participating in a bear hunt, The Boy and his spear-carrying fellow tribesmen head into the Forbidden Area in search of fresh game. One by one, the intrepid hunters are killed off by quicksand, stock-footage dinosaurs and other such impediments to progress. Exiled by his tribe for venturing into the Forbidden Area, The Boy is compelled to live for a time in an isolated cave, where he is comforted by the Maiden (Darrah Marshall), who has fallen in love with him. Later on, the Boy once more risks life and limb by entering the Forbidden Area. It is at this point that he is told the horrible truth of the Valley's history by a very old man who is dressed in what looks like a 20th-century radiation suit. Without revealing the "surprise" denoument (surprising only to those who've never seen a post-apocalyptic movie), it can be noted that Teenage Cavemen comes to a close with the words "The Beginning." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dostoyevsky's novel The Brothers Karamazov is given a Hollywood screen treatment by producer Pandro S. Berman and director Richard Brooks. Yul Brynner plays Dmitri Karamazov, a callous Russian officer who cuckolds his domineering father (Lee J. Cobb) with the old man's mistress Grushenka (Maria Schell). Richard Basehart is Dmitri's intellectual brother Ivan, while William Shatner is the pious Alexey Karamazov; both men eventually enjoy the attentions of the willing Grushenka. The Karamazovs' half-brother is Smedyakov (Albert Salmi), an epileptic whose purpose in the story is clarified after the family patriarch's murder. It is now part of Hollywood folklore that Marilyn Monroe fought long and hard to be cast as the enigmatic Grushenka. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Several film historians, notably the late William K. Everson, have noted the striking resemblances between Run of the Arrow and the 1990 Oscar-winner Dances with Wolves. Rod Steiger stars as O'Meara, an Irish-brogued Confederate soldier with an intense dislike for Yankees. Unable to accept the South's defeat, O'Meara heads westward after the Civil War, to start life anew amongst the Sioux Indians. Surving a ritual rite of passage called the Run of the Arrow, O'Meara is accepted into the tribe, and shortly afterward marries Sioux woman Yellow Moccasin (played by Spanish actress Sarita Montiel, whose voice was dubbed by Angie Dickinson). The true test of O'Meara's fidelity to the Sioux comes when his adopted people come into conflict with a Cavalry troop, headed by Northerner Captain Clark (Brian Keith). The cast includes such western "regulars" as Charles Bronson, Olive Carey (the widow of Harry Carey) and Colonel Tom McCoy (a recognized Indian-lore expert). Produced by RKO Radio, Run of the Arrow was released by Universal-International. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Old codgers Peavy (Florenz Ames) and Rives (Frank DeKova) breeze into Dodge City for "one last fling." This less-than-dynamic duo causes more trouble than they're worth, and when Peevy makes a clumsy pass at Kitty (Amanda Barnes), she threatens to kill him if he ever comes near her again. Not long afterward, Peevy is shot, placing Matt Dillon in the awkward position of possibly having to arrest Kitty--but the real violence has yet to begin. This episode is adapted from the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of February 20, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide