Michael St. Angel Movies
James Coburn stars in this comedy-melodrama as Eli Kotch, who uses his charm to obtain a parole from prison by having an affair with a female psychologist. Eli's plan upon getting out of jail is to rob a bank at the L.A. International Airport. The date of the bank robbery coincides with the arrival of the Russian premier, so that bank security will be minimal with the premier attracting most of the airport security forces. Harrison Ford appears in his film debut in the bit part of a bellhop. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Coburn, Camilla Sparv, (more)
- 1954
Like so many other films that were once considered "lewd" and "scandalous", The French Line seems as harmless as Pollyanna when seen today. Essentially a remake of The Richest Girl in the World, the film stars Jane Russell as Mary Carson, an incredibly wealthy Texas oil heiress. Lucky in investments but unlucky in love, poor Mary can never keep a fiance: either they're fortune-hunters or they don't want to marry anyone so rich and powerful. Thus, while on an ocean voyage to France, Mary poses as the model of dress designer Annie Farrell (Mary McCarthy), hoping to attract a man who is interested in her for herself, and not her millions. That man turns out to be dashing stage star Pierre (Gilbert Roland), but there's many comic complications and misunderstandings before the happy ending. What shocked the censors in 1954 was Jane Russell's sizzling musical number "Lookin' for Trouble", in which she performed an uninhibited bump-and-grind while wearing nothing more than a seven-ounce glorified bikini. While Ms. Russell herself was offended by her skimpy costume, she saw nothing wrong with the dance itself, pointing out that she intended it as a parody of a "burleycue" number. The professional blue-noses disagreed, however: the film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency and denied a Production Code Seal. Eventually, producer Howard Hughes got the Seal--along with a million dollars' worth of free publicity, which is what he intended all along. Filmed in 3D, The French Line is the film that was ballyhooed with the classically tasteless ad campaign "J.R. in 3D--It'll knock both your eyes out!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Russell, Gilbert Roland, (more)
- 1952
The Las Vegas Story features two of Hollywood's most impressive physiques. Victor Mature stars as Dave Andrews, a gambler, while Jane Russell plays Linda, the love of his life. Assuming that Andrews has forgotten her, Linda marries Lloyd Rollins (Vincent Price) on the rebound. All three main characters are reunited in Las Vegas, where they become enmeshed in a robbery scheme that results in murder. Clearly inspired by Casablanca, the film even includes a philosophical piano player, portrayed by Hoagy Carmichael who also wrote the film's incidental songs. Though Las Vegas Story was largely scripted by Paul Jarrico, producer Howard Hughes refused to give Jarrico screen credit because of the latter's alleged pro-communist sympathies. Jarrico promptly sued Hughes and RKO, sparking one of the more famous cause celebres of the Blacklist era. As it turned out, nobody came out ahead with The Las Vegas Story: the film posted a loss of $600,000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Russell, Victor Mature, (more)
- 1952
The title refers to the euphoric pleasures of motorcycle racing, a sport that is exploited to the breaking point in this film. Reckless racer Bill Williams and his cycle-designer buddy Steve Flagg come to blows over the lovely Carla Balenda (a blonde in this picture, a brunette in other films). This tenuous plot device is used as a framework for an endless flow of film clips shot at real-life racing events--crashes, hairbreadth rescues and all. Since this was made before The Wild One, the correlation between motorcycles and leather-jacketed hoodlums is not touched upon. The Pace That Thrills is recommended primarily for motorcycle buffs; other viewers will be less than thrilled. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Williams, Carla Balenda, (more)
- 1952
- NR
This Korean War drama is essentially a vehicle for RKO's top male star Robert Mitchum. He plays war-weary "Colonel Steve," obliged to contend with the North Korean forces while keeping troublesome UN official Linda Day (Ann Blyth) at arm's length. Some authentic Korean combat footage is well-integrated into the story. For all its talk about jet planes, Reds and atomic energy, the film is at base a redressed WW II drama. Good supporting performances are provided Charles McGraw as a tough sergeant and William Talman as a jet pilot. Reportedly budgeted at over two million dollars, One Minute to Zero had trouble making back its cost, despite the box-office pull of Robert Mitchum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth, (more)
The Technicolor adventure epic Flying Leathernecks offers two things that film cultists can never get enough of: star John Wayne and director Nicholas Ray. Filmed at the behest of RKO chieftain Howard R. Hughes, Leathernecks is a paean to the Marine Flying Corps of World War II. Wayne plays Major Dan Kirby, a squadron commander, whose no-nonsense attitude is sharply at odds with the easygoing approach of executive officer Captain Carl Griffin (Robert Ryan). Griffin eventually learns the value of discipline at all costs, while Kirby becomes more humanized as he gets to know his pilots. Jay C. Flippen steals the show as a supply sergeant who "borrows" from other companies to keep his men happy. Though not entirely cliché-free, Flying Leathernecks is one of the more solid war films of the 1950s, and one that has remained readily available in theaters, on TV and in video stores to the present day. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Robert Ryan, (more)
If one is a subscriber to cable TV's American Movie Classics, it is virtually impossible to avoid seeing the John Wayne starrer Operation Pacific; judging by the frequency of its showings, the film must be someone's very special favorite down at AMC. Set during WW II, the film casts Wayne as Duke Gifford, two-fisted submarine commander. Patricia Neal co-stars as Mary Stuart, Duke's former wife. Duke's hopes of staging a reconciliation are constantly interrupted by a series of life-threatening circumstances, capped by the rescue of a group of orphans from a Japanese-held island. Featured in the cast are old John Wayne cronies Ward Bond and Jack Pennick, as well as TV's future Jim Bowie, Scott Forbes. Operation Pacific might prove a fascinating companion feature to 1964's In Harm's Way, which reteamed John Wayne and Patricia Neal in another WW II Navy yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Patricia Neal, (more)
- 1951
An all-supporting-player cast graces the Republic actioner Million Dollar Pursuit. Top billing goes to Penny Edwards as nightclub chanteuse Bonnie Laverne, but the film's leading character is small-time crook Monte Norris, played by Norman Budd. Planning a major heist, Norris gets in over his head when he enlists the aid of more experienced criminals, headed by cabaret owner Carlo Petrov (Grant Withers). So fascinating are the villainous characters in Million Dollar Pursuit that nominal good guy Lt. Whitcomb (Steve Flagg) seems downright intrusive. The film was an early TV arrival, where it has shown up with startling frequency on the nation's many Late Late Shows. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penny Edwards, Grant Withers, (more)
- 1950
This latest in Republic's semi-annual "Hit Parade" series stars John Carroll, Marie McDonald and Estelita Rodriguez. Carroll plays a dual role, as a high-rolling gambler named Joe Blake and a radio crooner named Eddie Paul. Faced with mounting debts, Joe persuades Eddie to take his place, with the expected results. As the erstwhile girlfriend of both John Carrolls, Marie McDonald amply demonstrates why she was nicknamed "The Body," while Estelita Rodriguez, as the gambler's moll, renders a couple of mildly satirical Latin-American tunes. Appearing as a dimwitted gambler is Frankie Fontaine, doing a virtual dry run of his "Crazy Guggenham" character. Unlike previous "Hit Parade" musicals, Hit Parade of 1951 was not given a new title for its TV release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Carroll, Marie McDonald, (more)
- 1949
The Dangerous Profession of the title is the bail-bond business. George Raft stars as Kane, a former cop turned professional bail-raiser. When one of his customers, robbery suspect Brackett (Bill Williams), is mysteriously murdered, Kane wants to know why. His reasons are twofold: he has an insatiable curiosity, and he's fallen in love with Brackett's widow Lucy (Ella Raines). As his business partner Farley (Pat O'Brien) looks on in mute bewilderment, Kane risks life and limb to solve the mystery. The plot doesn't always make sense, but in 1949 it was reassuring to see George Raft and Pat O'Brien harking back to their cinematic halcyon days of the 1930s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, Ella Raines, (more)
- 1949
No relation to the 1937 screwball comedy of the same name, Easy Living is a film about the world of professional sports. Victor Mature plays Pete Wilson, star halfback of the New York Chiefs. Well past his prime, Wilson would like to retire to a coaching job, but his rival Tim McCarr (Sonny Tufts) beats him to it. Financially, Wilson is really in no position to retire; unfortunately, he has learned that he suffers from a potentially deadly heart condition. To make matters worse, he's on the outs with his wife Liza (Lizabeth Scott), who has become disillusioned with the status of "team wife." A brief dalliance with team secretary Anne (an excellent performance from Lucille Ball) results in Anne's selfless efforts to help Wilson put his marriage -- and his life -- back together. Though he was ignored by contemporary reviewers, future talk-show host Jack Paar has an amusing supporting role. Most of the football players seen in Easy Living were drawn from the ranks of the real-life L.A. Rams. The film was based on a story by novelist Irwin Shaw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Lizabeth Scott, (more)
- 1948
In this dark crime drama, the trouble begins when a San Francisco bookie attempts to lead an honest life by marrying a comely widow. In preparation for his nuptials, the fellow stays on the straight and narrow, but when he learns that one of his cohorts has been murdered by an East Coast gang that is trying to horn in on West Coast territory, he reenters the underworld. A boyhood friend who became a cop tries to convince him to team up with the police, but the vengeful bookie remains determined to things his way. It proves to be a tragic mistake and shows the bookie that those closest to him are not what they seem. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, William Bendix, (more)
- 1948
Based upon a story by William Mercer, The Velvet Touch stars Rosalind Russell as Valerie Stanton, a celebrated Broadway actress whose latest smash comedy is coming to the end of its successful run. The play's producer, Gordon Dunning, has produced all of Stanton's hits for the last decade, and takes credit for making her the star she is today. He is therefore upset when she informs him that she wishes to make a break with him by both marrying Michael Morrell, a renowned architect, and by taking a stab at one of the classic roles -- namely Hedda Gabler -- under the auspices of another producer. Dunning has no intention of letting her move forward with her plans, and he tells her that if she refuses to continue working with him in light, profitable comedies, he will reveal unflattering information about her to Morrell. Frightened that this will destroy her relationship, Stanton picks up a statue from Dunning's desk and delivers a fatal blow. Fortunately, because she is wearing her trademark long black gloves, there are no fingerprints, and Stanton creates a plausible alibi. Suspicion therefore shifts to Marian Webster, a rival of Stanton's who finds the body and was once romantically involved with Dunning. Stanton seems to have gotten away with murder -- but can she avoid making any mistakes as police captain Danbury proceeds with the investigation? ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosalind Russell, Leo Genn, (more)
- 1946
In this courtroom drama, a husband finds himself accused of murder after his wife, a photographer, is found dead in her studio. The DA is determined to prosecute, but the lawyer soon has troubles of his own when his girl friend, convinced of the husband's innocence, elects to defend him. With the aid of a lie detector, she proves he was not the murderer. Fortunately, the love between the lawyers manages to hold up under all the strain. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonita Granville, Morgan Conway, (more)
- 1945
This WW II drama is the first to deal with the fateful atomic bomb attack on Japan. Originally, the film centered on the acquisition of a new kind of gun, but as it was in production during the time the Bomb was dropped, the producers were quick to change the story to suit the times. It tells the story of a straight-arrow American pilot who was raised in Japan and is asked to return there to get a captured scientist to garner valuable information about the A-bomb. The pilot, Major Ross, realizes that he will not survive the mission, but as he has just lost his lover, he cares little for life. Before he goes, his face is surgically altered so he looks Japanese and he then infiltrates the camp where the scientist is being held. There he finds his girl friend, an army nurse, who has also been captured. Unfortunately, she has fallen in love with a fellow inmate. The determined Major Ross remains focused and completes his mission, but not before encountering considerable danger at the hands of enemy officers. The end of the film features actual newsreel footage of nuclear bombings from Pathe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Hale, Richard Loo, (more)
- 1945
What a Blonde gets under way when wealthy lingerie manufacturer Fowler (Leon Errol) runs out of valuable gas-ration coupons. Knowing that he can secure additional coupons if he forms a car pool, Fowler orders his butler Pomeroy (Richard Lane) to seek out a few "riders." Pomeroy returns with a group of brassy showgirls, headed by boisterous blonde Pat (Veda Ann Borg). In the fine tradition of RKO Radio's Leon Errol 2-reelers, Fowler is saddled with a jealous wife (Lydia Bilbrook) who looks askance when her husband piles into his car with a bevy of gorgeous girls. Hardly the "mirthquake" advertised by the studio, What a Blonde is still an enjoyable time-killer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Errol, Richard Lane, (more)
- 1945
John Loder plays a prominent London actor, lately starring in a play about a maniacal strangler. When the theatre is bombed by the Nazis, Loder suffers a head injury. Thereafter, he cannot separate fact from fiction, and periodically becomes the strangler that he is playing on stage. Loder's lady love June Duprez puts her own life on the line in attempting to save Loder from himself. The Brighton Strangler benefits from its brisk 67-minute running time, which allows the story to unfold without undue padding or muddled psychological overtones. Interestingly, John Loder's character is triggered into becoming a murderer whenever someone inadvertently recites one of the lines from his play--a dramatic device later utilized to fuller effect in Richard Condon's The Manchurian Candidate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Loder, June Duprez, (more)
- 1944
Bride by Mistake is a remake of the 1934 Miriam Hopkins vehicle The Richest Girl in the World, with a wartime angle providing topicality. Tired of being romanced by fortune hunters and being rejected by poor-but-proud suitors, fabulously wealthy Norah (Laraine Day) decides to pose as her own secretary Sylvia (Marsha Hunt), and vice versa. The plot thickens when Norah falls in love with convalescing fighter pilot Tony (Alan Marshall)-while he in turn falls for the very married Sylvia. All sorts of manic complications ensue, with Sylvia's hapless husband (Allyn Joslin) the "odd man out". RKO Radio revived Richest Girl in the World for a third time in 1954 as the Jane Russell musical The French Line. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Marshal, Laraine Day, (more)
- 1944
Ostensibly a vehicle for RKO Radio's new comedy duo Wally Brown and Alan Carney, Seven Days Ashore actually casts Brown & Carney in subordinate roles. The plotline is carried by furloughed sailor Dan Arland (Gordon Oliver), who while docked in San Francisco gets mixed up with three amorous females. Hoping to avoid breach-of-promise suits from two of the girls, Arland palms them off to his pals Monty (Brown) and Orville (Carney), while he devotes his time to debutante Annabelle (played by future news journalist Elaine Shepard). One of the "castaway" girls is portrayed by Virginia Mayo, on the verge of stardom. Musical relief is provided by Dooley Wilson ("Sam" in Casablanca), Freddie Slack and His Orchestra, and the zany "corn aggregation" led by Freddie "Schnickelfritz" Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wally Brown, Alan Carney, (more)
- 1944
The murder of a wealthy, much-married rancher (Lyle Talbot) in a posh Manhattan nightclub is the catalyst for The Falcon Out West. Amateur sleuth Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway), aka The Falcon, deduces that the victim was killed with rattlesnake venom. He follows the trail of evidence to a dude ranch in a frontier town. The suspects include pretty Marion (Barbara Hale) and Vanessa (Carol Gallegher) and not-so-pretty Bates (Minor Watson) and Hayde (Don Douglas). Though Tom Conway seems bored and distracted throughout The Falcon Out West, the film itself is an above-average "Falcon" series entry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Carol Gallagher, (more)
- 1943
In this wartime propaganda film, two Marine officers and their company go on leave when the Army takes over during the Guadalcanal invasion. Their leave is spent in Australia where one of the officers falls in love with a woman. His pal, afraid that there will be no turning back for his buddy, receives orders that send them both back to the US to train recruits. Naturally, his enamored friend is quite upset by this sudden turn and refuses to talk to his pal until a subsequent mission gives them the chance to stop briefly in Australia. There the lovers are finally wed, just before he goes to battle. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Robert Ryan, (more)
- 1943
In this drama, set at a WW II munitions plant, the lives of five workers are chronicled. Their stories are told via flashback. Though they all ride together to work everyday, and they think they know each other very well, the stories they tell show them otherwise. The group of workers is made up of: a fighter for the French underground who came to America to help her countrymen back home; a race-car driver who, while racing, sustained serious injuries that rendered him unfit for military service; a disillusioned "Miss America"; a prison warden who was ordered to execute his own brother; and a hobo who decided to do something to help his country. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margo, John Carradine, (more)
