Don Roberts Movies
After befriending a kind-hearted prostitute, a 12-year-old boy attempts to set her up with his widowed father in this family comedy. Young Frank Wheeler (Michael Patrick Carter) first meets working girl V (Melanie Griffith) when he and two friends pool their money to buy a glimpse of a naked woman. V does the job and agrees to drive Frank home; along the way, he becomes convinced that this nice call girl would be the perfect new wife for his dad (Ed Harris). V happens to be on the run from a group of evil gangsters, so when he invites her to stay at their house in the suburbs, she readily agrees. Masquerading as a math tutor, she strikes a chord with Mr. Wheeler, but this budding romance is soon threatened by the return of V's past. Despite the potentially off-color premise, Milk Money aims to be innocuous family fare, with juvenile jokes mixing with unthreatening romance. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melanie Griffith, Ed Harris, (more)
James Garner plays an Army officer who puts his hobby to practical use in Tank. Zach (James Garner) moves to a new post in a backwoods Georgia town. Accompanying him is his family --his wife LaDonna (Shirley Jones) and his son Billy (C. Thomas Howell)-- and his prize recreational activity --a restored Sherman tank. Zach strolls into town one night and engages in conversation with Sarah (Jenilee Harrison), a 17-year-old prostitute, who works for the town crime czar and law enforcement authority, Sheriff Buelton (G.D. Spradlin). When one of Buelton's goons gets rough with Sarah, Zach slaps him down. In retaliation for Zach's infraction, Buelton arranges for Billy to be sent to a brutal prison farm on trumped-up drug charges. Zach tries to get Billy released, but to no avail. So he jumps on his trailer, starts up his Sherman tank and heads into town. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, G.D. Spradlin, (more)
Two friends chart a daring path to freedom in this drama from Walt Disney Pictures. Peter Strelzyk (John Hurt) and Guenter Wetzel (Beau Bridges) are two men living in East Germany who can no longer tolerate the petty tyrannies of Communist rule. Together, they formulate a daring plan to escape to democratic West Germany in a hot air balloon, but Peter and Guenter realize that they have to build a very special lighter-than-air craft to carry both themselves and their families to safety. Night Crossing also features Jane Alexander, Doug McKeon, and Keith McKeon as members of the Strelzyk Family, and Glynnis O'Connor, Michael Liesik, and Geoffrey Liesik as the Wetzels. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hurt, Jane Alexander, (more)
- 1937
Carole Lombard stars as Helen Bartlett, a compulsive liar who always tips the audience to an oncoming whopper by sticking her tongue in her cheek. Helen is married to a Kenneth Bartlett, a scrupulously honest lawyer whose integrity has always held him back professionally. Hoping to help Kenneth get ahead, Helen confesses to a murder she obviously didn't commit, confident that he'll get her off and make his reputation. But things don't go exactly as planned, thanks largely to a mysterious eccentric named Charley (John Barrymore), who assures the heroine over and over that she'll "fry." Once considered a prime example of screwball comedy, True Confession is now regarded by film buffs as one of Carole Lombard's worst pictures: it wasn't much better when remade by Betty Hutton in 1946 as Cross My Heart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, (more)
- 1936
Aspiring actress Cicely Tyler (Margaret Sullavan) puts her career on hold when she marries ambitious newsman Christopher Tyler (James Stewart). Meanwhile, Tommy Abbott (Ray Milland), who secretly loves Cicely, arranges a big Broadway break for her. This causes a rift in her marriage when Christopher is assigned to his newspaper's Rome bureau, but he soon deserts his post and promises never to leave her again when he discovers that she's pregnant. This rash act loses Christopher his job, forcing him to start right at the bottom again? And so goes the rest of the story, as Cicely and Christopher struggle to balance their romance and their careers. James Stewart's first significant leading-man role turned out to be at Universal, rather than his home studio of MGM; the loan-out was arranged by his old University Players friend and co-worker Margaret Sullavan, who was briefly married to Stewart's best pal Henry Fonda. Among the uncredited contributors to the screenplay of Next Time We Love was Preston Sturges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, (more)
Ghost Town Gold was the second entry in Republic's long-running "Three Mesquiteers" western series. Ray "Crash" Corrigan and Robert Livingston return as Tucson Smith and Stony Brooke, while Max Terhune replaces Sid Saylor as Lullaby Joslin. Almost immediately, comic ventriloquist Terhune established a rapport with his two co-stars, though audiences could have done with a lot less of his garrulous dummy Elmer. As for the plot, our three heroes try to retrieve some stolen money before an innocent banker is blamed for the theft. Adding spice to the quest is the fact that the banker has a pretty daughter (Kay Hughes). Other highlights include a typical Republic saloon-brawl scene, in which Tucson cleans the clock of head-villain Frank S. Hagney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Livingston, Max "Alibi" Terhune, (more)
- 1936
The sequel to 1934's The Notorious Sophie Lang, The Return of Sophie Lang once more stars Gertrude Michael in the title role. Before reforming, Ms. Lang was a jewel thief; now she is the scrupulously honest traveling companion of an elderly dowager (Elizabeth Patterson). When the old lady's diamonds disappear during an ocean voyage, suspicion immediately falls upon Sophie. The ex-thief turns amateur sleuth, tracking down the guilty party in order to escape incarceration. A young but very self-assured Ray Milland provides the romantic angle in The Return of Sophie Lang. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gertrude Michael, Guy Standing, (more)
