George Ball Movies
- 1983
In the first episode of Cheers' two-part season one finale, Sam's brother Derek (George Ball), a natural-born charmer, pays a visit to the gang. It doesn't take long for Derek to win everyone over -- everyone but Sam, who jealously remains impervious to his brother's appeal. Sam reaches his limit, however, when Derek asks Diane (Shelley Long) to accompany him to Paris. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Sam (Ted Danson) refuses to admit that he's jealous when his brother Derek (George Ball) sweeps Diane (Shelley Long) off her feet. Sam even feigns indifference when Derek begs Diane to accompany him to Paris. The situation intensifies when Diane shows up at Sam's apartment -- hoping against hope that he'll try to talk her out of going with Derek. One of the best-remembered Cheers episodes, this one brought the series' first season to a rousing (or is it arousing?) close. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
Taking time off from his villainous duties as "Wo Fat" on Hawaii Five-O, Khigh Deigh is no less sinister in this episode as a Hong-Kong based "fence" named John Chong. After a gang of hijackers led by Stan Chasen (Henry Silva) goes to a lot of trouble--including attempted murder--to steal an airborne cargo of blank travellers' checks, Chong double-crosses them by offering only a fraction of what he promised to pay for the checks. Meanwhile, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.conducts a wide-ranging search for the crooks, which comes to a rousing climax on the docks of Seattle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Directed by the veteran Robert F. Hill -- who also wrote the screenplay under the pseudonym of Rock Hawkey -- this Rex Bell Western was the first in a series of six produced by Arthur Alexander and his brother Max. Bell played Tucson Smith, a character well-known to Western fans from the writings of William Colt MacDonald. Tucson is an agent from the Cattlemen's Association investigating a case of "too much beef" at the Brown ranch near Saddlerock, AZ. As Tucson discovers, the rancher, Rocky Brown (Forrest Taylor), is framed for rustling cattle because he refuses to sell his land to the railroad. But everything isn't exactly what it appears in this generally well-paced if somewhat complicated Western, which benefitted from no less than two leading ladies -- Constance Bergen (whose name was misprinted as "Coney Bergen" in the opening credits) and Peggy O'Connell. A personable performer, Rex Bell was the husband of silent screen star Clara Bow and a future lieutenant governor of Nevada. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Produced for around 10,000 dollars by Gower Gulch entrepreneur Arthur Alexander, this the fourth of six Rex Bell Westerns was distributed through the newly founded Grand National exchanges. Jim Dean (Bell) and Dad Baxter (John Elliott) are postal inspectors assigned to investigate a series of gold shipment robberies from the mines near Goldflat. They quickly discover that the brains behind the robberies is Goldflat bank president Travis (Forrest Taylor, whose last name was misspelled "Tailor" in the onscreen credits). Travis is in league with young telegraph operator Billy Sawyer (George Ball), who warns his girlfriend, Laura Long (Joan Barclay), not to arrive on a certain stage earmarked for an attack. Laura never receives the message but Jim and Dad manage to get the passengers, including the girl, off the stage before the planned heist. Dad is later murdered by Travis' henchmen, Cole (Roger Williams) and Johnson (Charles King), and Billy is mortally wounded in the final shootout. Before he expires, Billy makes Jim promise not to tell Laura about his involvement. A handsome and personable former Fox star, Rex Bell was the husband of silent screen icon Clara Bow. He left films to successfully run for the office of lieutenant governor of Nevada. Men of the Plains was written by Robert Emmett Tansey who also functioned as Robert F. Hill's assistant director. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Bell, Joan Barclay, (more)
- 1936
Produced by low-budget company Supreme Pictures (which weren't), this middling B-western was saved somewhat by its personable star, the strapping former footballer Johnny Mack Brown. Mack plays Dan Doran, the rogue of the title, who rescues a pretty missionary, Tess (Phyllis Hume), from the ubiquitous runaway team. In town, Doran not only leaves the welfare of the girl to Stella, the saloon hostess (Lois January), but admits to having earlier robbed the stage. Sent up the river for 20 years, Dan makes the acquaintance of Jim Mitchell (George Ball), a fellow inmate, and the two make their escape together. Returning to the scene of the crime, Dan joins Jim's gang of stage robbers. The town's natty-looking banker, Lige Branscomb (Alden Chase aka Stephen Chase) is observed courting Tess, who now owns the Golden Nugget coffee shop. Dan, who is in reality an undercover G-man, has Stella rescue Tess from marrying the villainous Branscomb who, of course, is the secret leader of the gang of stage robbers. Leaving Tess to her coffee shop, Dan proposes to Stella, who accepts. Although already beginning to exhibit the middle-age spread that would mar his later appearances, Johnny Mack Brown once again proves that he was a better actor than most of his B- western rivals. The same cannot be said for Phyllis Hume, who plays the missionary girl with only one expression, bewilderment, and whose only film this seems to have been. Max Davidson, an old-fashioned "Dutch-style" comic who had been in films before Charles Chaplin and almost everyone else, appears briefly and for no apparent reason in order to perform a bit of timeworn shtick as a Jewish salesman. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Lois January, (more)
