Alan Dinehart III Movies
Mason Dinehart III -- who also worked under the names Alan Dinehart, Alan Dinehart III, and Mason Alan Dinehart -- was born into the entertainment business. His grandfather, Alan Dinehart (aka Alan Dinehart Sr.), was a veteran character actor and one of the movies' great heavies; his father, Alan Dinehart Jr., was a successful stage character actor and writer, whose play Separate Rooms was for many years among the longest-running non-musical plays in the history of Broadway; and his mother, Mozelle Britton, was in the casting department at Columbia Pictures, and later starred in Separate Rooms. When the young Dinehart was 12 years old, a tenant in the family's home, Harold Rossmore, who worked in the casting department at Republic Pictures, persuaded him to audition for a role in the Roy Rogers film Eyes of Texas. That constituted the younger Dinehart's professional introduction to acting, and was followed by a featured role in the Blondie movie Blondie's Big Deal (1949), and a small role in the Columbia serial Superman -- from there, he went on to appear in a string of mostly Western movies and television series, including The Lone Ranger, Death Valley Days, 26 Men, and The Texan, in roles of various sizes. His big television role, however, was as the young Bat Masterson in the series The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, which he played in dozens of episodes. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide- 1962
Fred enters into a friendly game of marbles with Arnold the newsboy, but soon things get serious when Fred's long-suppressed compulsive gambling streak resurfaces. As a result, our hero goes heavily into debt, and must sell off the family furniture to square things. Meanwhile, neighbor Barney figures that Fred has "lost his marbles" in another fashion, and a wild comedy of errors ensues. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
If Jet Pilot seems hopelessly out of date today, imagine how filmgoers in 1957 reacted when this relic from 1949 was taken off the shelf. Many, many years in the making due to the maniacal tinkering by producer Howard Hughes (who reportedly lost $4 million on it - a massive sum back then), the film was deemed unreleasable upon completion; only when Universal-International took over distribution of a handful of RKO Radio productions did it finally see the light of day. John Wayne stars as an air force colonel stationed in an Alaskan outpost only 40 miles or so from the Soviet Union. Wayne is put in charge of Russian jet pilot Janet Leigh, who claims that she wants to defect. Actually, Leigh is a Communist spy, but thanks to Wayne's affectionate attentions she is won over to the side of Democracy. Thus it is that Leigh rescues the Duke when he is kidnapped and nearly brainwashed by her Commie comrades. Jet Pilot was eventually bought back from U-I by Hughes for his personal collection; not only did he buy into the propagandistic plotline, but he was also enthralled by the aerial scenes, some of which were staged by legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager. The 1949 production date for a number of sequences explains not only why so many of the actors look young for 1957, but the existence of several supporting cast members who had died in the interim (such as Jack Overman and Richard Rober). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1957
Former child actor Dean Stockwell makes his first grown-up appearance in The Careless Years. Stockwell plays a mixed-up high schooler who wishes to marry Natalie Trundy, but the girl's parents (played by John Stephenson and Barbara "June Cleaver" Billingsley) feel the couple should complete school first. Dean and Natalie impulsively run off to elope, while Natalie's anguished parents inaugurate a nationwide search for the wayward kids. Though it is fairly clear that Dean and Natalie have gotten to know each other intimately during their flight, they meekly return home and agree to "wait" until school is out. Careless Years served to introduce promising young actress Natalie Trundy, whose starring career was cut short by an auto accident that kept her off-screen until the late 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Stockwell, Natalie Trundy, (more)
- 1950
Owen Johnson's novel The Lawrenceville School Stories (compiled from short stories originally published in The Saturday Evening Post) was the basis for The Happy Years. The film is set at an early 20th-century boy's prep school; Dean Stockwell plays an habitual troublemaker sent to this school as a means of straightening him out and making a man of him. At first bullied by the older kids, the pugnacious Stockwell stands his ground until he earns his fellow students' respect. The film adheres strictly to MGM's factory-tested Boys Town formula by having Stockwell cleaning up his act and becoming a worthwhile Lawrenceville student. Watch The Happy Years carefully and you'll spot an unbilled Robert Wagner, in his film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Stockwell, Darryl Hickman, (more)
Set just after the close of the Civil War, a former Confederate officer (Ray Milland) joins a vaudeville target-shooting show to avoid detection by the Union army. Working his way West, he falls in league with a group of Southern copper-miners being harassed as they try to make a living. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Hedy Lamarr, (more)
- 1950
- NR
In this 1951 comedy Irene Dunne stars as Kay, a Manhattan-based songwriter who marries widowed rodeo cowboy Chris (Fred MacMurray). In the tradition of The Egg and I, Kay suffers a great deal of culture shock when she moves into Chris' western ranch. When she isn't being bedeviled by her new step-children, poor Kay is subjected to bumps and bruises as she tries to become an expert horsewoman. Nothing happens in Never a Dull Moment that isn't thoroughly predictable, though the stars bring a degree of freshness to the proceedings. This film was one of several produced for RKO by Harriet Parsons, daughter of gossip columnist Louella Parsons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Dunne, Fred MacMurray, (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)
- 1949
Blondie's Big Deal was the 24th entry in Columbia's popular "Blondie" series. Since the actors were getting a bit too long-in-tooth to be thoroughly convincing in their characterizations, Big Deal is for the most part played on a farcical level. This time around, Dagwood (Arthur Lake) invents a nonflammable paint, much to the delight of his boss Radcliffe (Jerome Cowan), who hopes to snag a lucrative contract. Dishonest competitors plan to sabotage Dag's invention, but Blondie (Penny Singleton) and neighborhood boy-genius Rollo (Alan Dinehart III) do a little detective work and save the day. Director Edward Bernds handles the material in the manner of his "Three Stooges" 2-reelers: At one point, Blondie is decorously tied to a chair by the villains, while at another juncture Dagwood causes an outsized slapstick explosion. Bernds' breezy approach may not have pleased diehard "Blondie" fans, but it turned out to be a much-needed booster shot for this flagging film series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, (more)
- 1949
In this drama, an embittered widow, a former concert singer, can't help but blame Lassie for her son's death. Needing help with her chores, she hires an orphan from the local home. At first she remains aloof towards the charming lad who quickly bonds with the collie dog, but as time passes she can't help but develop feelings for the boy. Later Lassie redeems herself when she saves the boy from a terrible fire in the orphanage. After that, the widow suddenly realizes that she does indeed love the boy and adopts him and puts Lassie back in her good graces. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeanette MacDonald, Lloyd Nolan, (more)
