Dolores Dorn Movies
Born Dolores Heft, this lead actress, onscreen since 1954, was occasionally billed as Dolores Dorn-Heft. ~ All Movie Guide- 1980
Jill Robinson's Bed-Time-Story, inspired by actual events, was the source for the made-for-TV A Cry for Love. Divorcee Susan Blakely, with no alimony and two kids to support, begins turning to amphetamines. While at her lowest ebb, she meets Powers Boothe, an alcoholic and three-time loser in marriage--who, incredibly, turns out to be the ideal man for her! Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor were the guiding hands behind the Cry For Love teleplay. The film debuted on October 20, 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Featuring Lila Kedrova and Melvyn Douglas as elderly couple Eva and David who, after forty years of a less-than-satisfying marriage, find the lost love they once had for each other as they travel to San Francisco to visit their grandchildren. Actress Lee Grant's first directorial feature, this drama is based on a novella by Tillie Olsen. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melvyn Douglas, Lila Kedrova, (more)
- 1978
Expectant mother Susan Saint James goes into labor and is carted off to a somewhat forbidding hospital. When she awakens, she is told that her baby has died. The grieving Saint James reluctantly resumes her life as a schoolteacher. But not long afterward, she is haunted by bizarre dreams, indicating that her child is in fact alive. Someone knows the whole truth: is it her helpful husband Michael Parks, jovial doctor William Conrad, slyly smiling nurse Dolores Dorn, or sinister Cathleen Nesbitt? The made-for-television Night Cries first spooked its way into American living rooms on January 29, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Ironside (Raymond Burr) is reunited with his old friend Dr. Juan Domingo (Desi Arnaz), an eccentric Cuban-born doctor currently residing in a small California town. When not being sidetracked by an odd assortment of patients (which include an expectant duck!), Dr. Domingo likes to dabble in crime-solving, much to the dismay of his nurse Big Sue (Linda Foster) and local police chief Cardiff (L.Q. Jones). At the moment, the good doctor is trying to prove that an alleged heart attack victim was actually murdered while flying his own plane. This episode was originally the pilot for a potential Desi Arnaz detective series called Dr. Domingo, which unfortunately failed to make a network sale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
- R
Mark L. Lester directed this exploitation feature that treats sex, violence, and sensationalism with love and affection. The story concerns a bloody turf battle between Smith (John Martino), a mob hit man, and independent gun moll Anna (Lieux Dressler) over Anna's prostitution and theft operation, originating out of a highway truck stop. Helping Anna to fight for her right to promote thievery and debauchery is her well-endowed daughter Rose (Claudia Jennings). As the plot and plenty of flesh is revealed, Rose is coaxed to Smith's side of the field with the incitement of some long green, while the body count on both sides continues to rise. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudia Jennings, Lieux Dressier, (more)
A gang of ruthless but inept kidnappers pull off a crime with startling and unexpected consequences in this tough, nervy thriller which has won a cult following. Candy Phillips (Susan Sennett) is a sixteen-year-old student at an exclusive private Catholic school who, while walking home from school, is suddenly dragged into a waiting van that quickly speeds away. Candy has been kidnapped by an unlikely team of criminals -- pretty but hard-edged Jessie (Tiffany Bolling), her psychopathic brother Alan (Brad David), and Eddy (Vincent Martorano), a misfit Army veteran who only wants to own his own bowling alley. Jessie and her cohorts have learned that Candy's father Avery Phillips (Ben Piazza) is the manager of an upscale jewelry store, and after burying Candy in a coffin-like box on the outskirts of the desert (with a pipe for ventilation), they send Avery a message informing him they'll release Candy in exchange for 500,000 dollars in jewels. However, come the next morning, Avery has failed to respond to their demands, and an attempt to coerce payment from him leads to the discovery he has no intention of rescuing Candy. The Candy Snatchers was the only directorial credit for television writer Guerdon Trueblood; his young son Christopher Trueblood (billed as Christophe) appears in the film as an autistic child who happens upon Candy and tries to help. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Leaning heavily on violence to ostensibly deliver a pacifist message, this standard drama by Philip Leacock looks at the problem of teen gangs from a slightly different angle -- these teens are all wealthy. Everything starts off when aerospace engineer Walt Sherill (Alan Ladd) is accosted and severely beaten by a group of young punks. The victimized man decides to hunt down the thugs on his own, at first just for curiosity and then increasingly for vengeance. His actions spark retaliatory measures, and before the credits roll, the body count is elevated by a few more victims in what amounts to nothing more than a blood feud. In the end, justice of the legal and politically correct sort makes a token appearance. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, Rod Steiger, (more)
- 1962
To improve the taste of his beer, Frank Nitti (Bruce Gordon) brings several expert German "braumeisters" into the country. This doesn't rest well with Nitti's rival Joe Kulak (Oscar Beregi), whose own revenue from bootleg beer takes a big hit. Caught in the crossfire are the hapless brewers, several of whom end up at the wrong end of a tommy-gun. To end the bloodshed, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is forced into an uneasy alliance with mob widow Mady (Dolores Dorn), who has been renting her country home to the German "visitors"--and whose loyalties are, to say the least, somewhat in doubt. Warren Kemmerling takes over from both Lawrence Dobkin and Robert J. Wilke as Dutch Schultz in this final episode of The Untouchables' third season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Cliff Robertson plays Tolly Devlin, an embittered ex-convict who has spent a lifetime tracking down the men who murdered his father. Desirous of handling matters on his own, Devlin pretends to be loyal to both the Mob and the Government, playing one against the other in hopes of flushing out the killers. He learns that the three surviving assassins are employed by a supposedly charitable "cover" operation known as National Projects. To get what he wants, Devlin ingratiates himself with mob boss (and outwardly solid citizen) Conners (Robert Emhardt). What Robertson didn't count on was falling in love with "Cuddles" (Dolores Dorn), which leads to his own downfall -- but not before justice is served. Producer/director/writer Fuller based Underworld USA on a series of "exposé" articles in The Saturday Evening Post; the film's release fortuitously occurred shortly after that infamous mob convention in Appalachin, New York. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cliff Robertson, Dolores Dorn, (more)
- 1958
Using his own money, actor Franchot Tone mounted this courageous film version of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. The cast is the same as the one seen in Tone's stage production of 1956, with one exception: Signe Hassso, who'd played Elena on stage, is replaced by Tone's then-wife, Dolores Dorn-Heft. Translated by Stark Young, the screenplay follows the Chekhov original faithfully: Tone is cast as Dr. Astroff, who falls in love with a woman beyond his reach. All the while, Sonia (Peggy McCoy), the woman who loves Astroff, is neglected and ignored. The titular Uncle Vanya (George Voskovec) watches the passing parade of humanity, embittered over the opportunities missed in his own life. The sets are cardboard and the lighting inconsistent, but the acting in Uncle Vanya is first rate. Completed in 1958, the film did not receive a general release until 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franchot Tone, Dolores Dorn, (more)
- 1954
Warner Bros.' followup to its 3D hit House of Wax, Phantom of the Rue Morgue bears only the slightest resemblance to its alleged inspiration, the Edgar Allan Poe mystery yarn Murders in the Rue Morgue. Karl Malden delivers one of the hammiest performances on record as mad scientist Dr. Marais, who uses a trained gorilla to exact revenge on those who've wronged him. At the top of Marais' hit list are the many beautiful women who've spurned his advances, including such French pastries as Yvonne (Allyn McLerie), Arlette (Veola Vonn) and Camille (Dolores Dorn). Each of these unfortunate ladies have been given bracelets decorated with bells, designed to attract the homicidal ape's attention. Psychology professor Paul Dupin (Steve Forrest) conducts a private investigation of the killings, only to be arrested for the murders himself by the supremely confident (and rather dense) Inspector Bonnard (Claude Dauphin). This leaves Dupin's sweetheart Jeanette (Patricia Medina) virtually defenseless when she is targetted for extermination by Doc Marais. Outside of such incidental pleasures as seeing Merv Griffin play a French medical student, Phantom of the Rue Morgue offers a vast array of unsubtle 3D "shock" effects, which come off as hilarious when the film is shown "flat" (as it always is these days). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Karl Malden, Claude Dauphin, (more)
- 1954
Randolph Scott once more contributes mightily to Warner Bros.' annual box-office gross in the well-mounted western The Bounty Hunter. Filmed in 3D but released "flat", the film casts Scott as the title character, who is hired by the Pinkertons to bring in three train robbers. Riding into the town of Twin Forks, Scott quickly ascertains that the outlaws are hiding somewhere in the vicinity. He then bides his time, hoping that the crooks will tip their hands, lead him to the stolen money, and let down their guard long enough to allow for a speedy capture. Scott's leading ladies on this trip are Dolores Dorn as the daughter of the town doctor, and Marie Windsor as the postmistress with Something To Hide. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Marie Windsor, (more)
Lucky Me is a mixed-bag musical from Warner Bros., adhering to a tried-and-true formula that was wearing just a bit thin in 1954. Candy (Doris Day), Hap (Phil Silvers), Duke (Eddie Foy Jr.) and Flo (Nancy Walker) are four small-time performers who find themselves stranded in Miami. Forced to take domestic jobs in a fancy hotel, the foursomes's spirits are lifted when songwriter Dick (Bob Cummings) checks in. On the verge of writing a big-time Broadway show, Dick invites the four entertainers to participate. The hitch: In order to bankroll the show, Dick must woo and win the daughter (Martha Hyer) of a Texas oil magnate. . .and Candy has fallen in love with Dick. Sharp-eyed viewers will spot Angie Dickinson making her uncredited feature-film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Day, Robert Cummings, (more)
