Robert Whiteside Movies
- 1958
Before there was Airport and its offspring, there was this aerial disaster film that stars Nancy Davis (later Nancy Reagan) as the devoted wife of an iron-willed sky pilot in charge of the doomed passenger plane. The trouble begins when the pilot realizes he must make an emergency landing in the Atlantic. Each of the diverse passengers has his or her own reaction to the impending disaster and many confessions are heard all around. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on what each person confessed) the water landing goes without a hitch and a US Naval ship is right there to save them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Merrill, Nancy Davis, (more)
- 1958
In this youthful drama, a young nephew is forced to live a highly restricted lifestyle by his two spinster aunts who will only bequeath him their fortune if he behaves like a proper gentleman. His aunts would have apoplexy if they new that their "perfect gentleman" had created a hot-rod club behind their backs. To make matters worse, he bankrolls his hobby by singing (in disguise) in Vincent's rock'n'roll band. He takes the money he earns to enter his car in a national race. Songs include: "Dance in the Street," "Dance to the Bop," "Baby Blue," and "Lovely Loretta." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ashley, Jody Fair, (more)
- 1958
The conflict between duty and conscience is explored in the WWII drama The Deep Six. Alan Ladd stars as Naval gunnery officer Alec Austin, a Quaker whose sincere pacifist sentiments do not sit well with his crew members. When he refuses to fire upon an unidentified plane, the word spreads that Austin cannot be relied upon in battle (never mind that the plane turns out to be one of ours). To prove that he's worthy of command, Austin volunteers for a dangerous mission: the rescue of a group of US pilots on a Japanese-held island. The ubiquitous William Bendix costars as Frenchy Shapiro (!), Austin's Jewish petty officer and severest critic. If the film has a villain, it is Keenan Wynn as ambitious Lt. Commander Edge, who seems to despise anyone who isn't a mainline WASP.The Deep Six was based on a novel by Martin Dibner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, William Bendix, (more)
- 1957
Miserly janitor John Gaminsky (Oscar Homolka) finds a wallet containing 5,000 dollars. John's nagging wife Anna (Jo Van Fleet) insists that he return the wallet and the money to the rightful owner, who has placed an ad in the paper. Though John claims to do so, Anna catches him in his lie and threatens to turn him over to the cops -- unless he shares the five grand with her. Predictably, the greed of both protagonists proves to be their undoing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Enemy Below is a study of submarine warfare from the vantage point of both sides. Robert Mitchum plays the captain of an American destroyer, who despite having lost his family in the war endeavors to let his head rule his heart in combat. Curt Jurgens co-stars as a German U-boat commander, depicted as being as honorable and compassionate as Mitchum. The two men develop a grudging mutual respect as they pursue one another throughout the North Atlantic. Based on a novel by D. A. Rayner, The Enemy Below was the last theatrical film directed by Dick Powell, who hereafter concentrated on his extensive television work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Curd Jürgens, (more)
