Karolee Kelly Movies
- 1956
In this convoluted thriller a manipulative woman gets entangled in her own web of deceit. The story is set in Mexico, where an unlucky wanderer has come to fish. There he falls for a woman that he spied on the beach. She begs the drifter to murder her domineering husband. The man refuses, but does not leave her. Upon learning that he has been cuckolded, the enraged husband fakes his own death in the hopes of framing his wife for the murder. A sleazy detective clears her name officially, but then he begins blackmailing her. If she doesn't pay, he will reveal the affair she has been having. She stops that game by murdering the gumshoe. She is shocked to discover that her husband is still alive. Finally, the three characters meet upon the beach. There she shoots her husband. As he dies he shoots her back. She dies in her lover's arms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Baxter, Sterling Hayden, (more)
- 1955
I Died a Thousand Times is a scene-by-scene remake of the 1941 crime-drama classic High Sierra. Jack Palance steps into the old Humphrey Bogart role as Roy "Mad Dog" Earle, the ageing bank robber who intends to pull off one last heist before retiring. Sprung from prison by likeable crime boss Big Mac (Lon Chaney Jr.), Earle is commissioned to mastermind the robbery of a resort hotel. His partners in crime include the hotheaded, immature Babe (Lee Marvin) and Red (Earl Holliman), as well as "inside man" Mendoza (Perry Lopez). Also along for the ride is Marie (Shelley Winters), a dance-hall girl whom Babe has picked up. Marie falls in love with Earle, but he has eyes only for Velma (Lori Nelson), the club-footed daughter of a farmer (Ralph Moody) whom Earle had earlier befriended. Intending to use his share of the loot to finance Velma's operation, Earle goes through with the robbery, only to be thwarted by the ineptitude of his partners, the treachery of the late Big Mac's successors, and, finally, the fickle Velma. With the faithful Marie by his side, Earle makes a desperate escape into the High Sierras, but fate is still against him. Essentially an itinerary of what has previously "clicked" in High Sierra, I Died a Thousand Times makes a few concessions to changing tastes and mores; the stereotype comedy-relief character played by black actor Willie Best in the original film, for example, has been replaced by the more "acceptable" (at least by 1950s terms) stereotyped Mexican played by Gonzales-Gonzales. While the 1955 film cannot match the excellence of its 1941 role model, I Died a Thousand Times works pretty well on its own terms. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1955
In this comedy sequel to Wonderful Town (a popular Broadway musical), Kim, a museum worker from Providence, Rhode Island, inherits half ownership of a Las Vegas hotel when her father dies. She and her Aunt Clara go there to learn more about it. Unfortunately, just before they arrive, the other owner, Ether Ferguson, gambles the hotel away. When Kim and Clara arrive, Kim is led to believe that the hotel she co-owns is the Flamingo Hotel which is really owned by Victor Monte. Victor finds the naive lass charming and so allows the delusion to persist. Eventually they fall in love. Songs include: "An Occasional Man," "Take a Chance," "We're Alone," "The Girl Rush," "Champagne," "Birmingham," "Out of Doors," "Choose Your Partner," and "My Hillbilly Heart." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosalind Russell, Fernando Lamas, (more)
- 1954
In this drama, a filmmaker emigrates to the States and ends up marrying the studio head's daughter. Later, he gets into trouble when he refuses to give the studio prima donna the part she wants. For revenge she slips him a mickey, frames him, and the blackmails him for $50,000. The desperate director does the only thing he can--he kills her and blames a nearby vagrant. In the end, he is captured and justice prevails. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugo Haas, Lance Fuller, (more)
