Keith Richards Movies

James Dunn guest-stars as Danny Lynch, an elderly Ponderosa ranch hand. Upon learning that his mother Nellie (Cheerio Meredith) has left Ireland to pay him a visit, Danny goes into a panic: For lo these many years, he has been lying to his mother that he is in charge of the Ponderosa. To make the old woman happy, the Cartwrights put on an elaborate charade, wherein Danny is lord and master of their ranch, and they are merely his hired hands. Naturally, this little deception snowballs into a major crisis. Written by Charles Lang, "The Auld Sod" first aired February 4, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Both Adam Cartwright and fugitive killer Luke Martin (Robert Vaughn) seek shelter from a storm in the way station run by old Jesse (Trevor Bardette) and his granddaughter Marty (Dawn Wells). Sensing that the impressionable Marty is fascinated by the charismatic Martin, Adam intervenes and tells the killer to leave the girl alone and clear out. Marty is crestfallen when Martin takes his leave, but before long the outlaw shows his true colors. Others in the cast include Dorothy Green as Lucy, Walter Reed as Tim and Raymond Guth as Lafe. Written by Frank Cleaver, "The Way Station" was originally shown on October 29 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hoss Cartwright is forced to kill neighboring farmer Willie Twilight (Keith Richards) in self-defense, whereupon Willie's brother Red (Adam Williams) promises to get even. When Hoss is shot in the back, it is Little Joe's turn to swear vengeance against Red. Beverly Tyler rounds out the guest cast as Mary, who is caught in the middle of the hostilities. First telecast February 11, 1961, "Vengeance" was written by Marion Parsonnet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite the glut of TV westerns in 1958, 20th Century-Fox's Regal Films subsidiary continued grinding out profitable sagebrushers. In Ambush at Cimarron Pass, cavalry sergeant Scott Brady is ordered to escort a prisoner through treacherous Indian territory. A diehard Union sympathizer, Brady is forced to rely upon a group of ex-Confederates to successfully complete his mission. This may be difficult, however: the Apaches drive off the troop's horses, forcing them to complete the arduous journey on foot. Billed third in Ambush at Cimarron Pass is Clint Eastwood, no longer a bit player but not yet a star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Buster Keaton Story is the sublimely inaccurate life story of immortal film comedian Buster Keaton, played by Donald O'Connor. The film begins with young Buster appearing in his parents' circus acrobatic act (the real Keatons never appeared in a circus, but were vaudevillians instead). After Buster's dad dies (an event that actually occurred when Keaton was in his 30s and already a star), the boy strikes out on his own. He makes it into silent films as a top slapstick comic (this much is accurate), but his private life is complicated by two loves, a "sweet" girl (Ann Blyth) and a wealthy temptress (Rhonda Fleming) (Buster was married three times, but not to either one of the ladies depicted in this film). When talkies come in, Buster is browbeaten by autocratic director Peter Lorre (all of Keaton's talkies were directed by Eddie Sedgwick, one of his best friends) and finds himself unable to handle dialogue (no comment). He turns to drink (true) and destroys himself in Hollywood (partly true). But through the love of good girl Ann Blyth, Buster makes a comeback in vaudeville, and finally decides to get married and settle down for the first time in his life (Buster did tour in vaudeville with wife Eleanor Norris, who was wife number three and whom he met nine years after the advent of talkies). The nicest thing about The Buster Keaton Story was that the amount Paramount paid Keaton for permission to film his "life story" ($50,000) was large enough for Buster to remain financially solvent for the rest of his life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the best of the High Noon derivations, At Gunpoint is the story of reluctant hero Fred MacMurray. When a band of gunmen invade a small frontier town, storekeeper MacMurray fires off a lucky shot and kills the leader. Hailed as a hero, MacMurray realizes deep down that he's a coward. When the surviving gunmen return to town, thirsting for revenge, the townsfolk expect MacMurray to singlehandedly stand up to the villains. When he asks for help, his neighbors turn their backs on him, ordering him to get out of town to avoid further trouble. Only doctor Walter Brennan and MacMurray's wife Dorothy Malone remain loyal. Facing certain death,MacMurray discovers that he's not as yellow as he thought he was-a revelation that brings about a change in the rest of the town. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After a troubled, seemingly sleepless night, Perry White (John Hamilton) arrives at work at the offices of the Metropolis Daily Planet, only to find that -- as part of a civic program that he himself approved -- his job, like that of the mayor, chief of police, and every other important figure in Metropolis, has been given over for one day to the most junior male employee on the staff, part of what is called "Boys' Day." As a result, cub reporter Jimmy Olsen (Jack Larson) is now editor-in-chief of the newspaper, and vows to make an impact in his one day on the job by breaking the Legs Lemmy case -- seven years earlier, Legs Lemmy (Herb Vigran) pulled off a major armored car robbery, but the police were never able to find enough evidence to arrest him, and the statute of limitations for prosecuting the crime is set to run out in 24 hours. Olsen prints a front-page story about having new evidence in the case, which shakes up the mobster enough so that he and his two henchmen arrive at the Planet offices and take Olsen and Lois Lane (Noel Neill) hostage. Clark Kent (George Reeves) and Perry White discover what is happening in White's office, but are helpless to do anything about it, for fear of Lois and Jimmy getting hurt -- even Superman breaking in might cause the hoods to open fire. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

The Dumas-inspired Blades of the Musketeers began life as an hour-long TV show, produced by Hal Roach Jr. as a possible series pilot. Robert Clarke, who'd previous headlined a pilot for a never-sold "Robin Hood" series, plays D'Artagnan, while the rest of the Musketeers are portrayed by John Hubbard (Athos), Mel Archer (Porthos) and Keith Richards (Aramis). The plot follows the traditional "Queen's Necklace" portion of Dumas' The Three Musketeers, with D'Artagnan and his brothers in arms defending Queen Anne (Marjorie Lord) against the machinations of Cardinal Richelieu (Paul Cavanaugh) and Rochefort (Peter Mamakos). Rounding out the cast are Don Beddoe as a comic-relief King Louis, Lyn Thomas as the courageous Constance, and Kristine Miller as the scheming Milady De Winter. Within the limitations of its tiny budget and 54-minute time span, Blades of the Musketeers is a not-bad rendition of a familiar adventure yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rebel City is a "B" western with "A" aspirations. Wild Bill Elliot plays gambler Frank Graham, who heads to Kansas in search of his father's murderer. This being 1864, the local military presence is more preoccupied with keeping Southern sympathizers out of the state to worry about Graham's problems. Thus, our hero undertakes the task of exposing the killer himself. As always, the least likely suspect is the guilty party (though sharp-eyed viewers were wise to the villain from the first reel). Marjorie Lord co-stars as Jane Dudley, the comely operator of the local freight line who helps Graham in his task. Producer Thomas M. Fennelly and director Thomas Carr later collaborated on the Richard Diamond TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cecil B. DeMille's The Greatest Show on Earth is a lavish tribute to circuses, featuring three intertwining plotlines concerning romance and rivalry beneath the big top. DeMille's film includes spectacular action sequences, including a show-stopping train wreck. The Greatest Show on Earth won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Story. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide

This 12-part serial concerns the efforts of the infamous James brothers (of which Jesse was a prominent member) to become normal everyday citizens. Of course, there's no room in the Wild West for reformed outlaws, and the duo inevitably find themselves caught up in showdowns and robberies. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Roy Rogers goes "PC" in North of the Great Divide. In this one, Roy champions the cause of the Oseka Indians, whose supply of salmon has been cut off. The perpetrator is fish-cannery owner Banning (Roy Barcroft), who has been hogging the salmon for his own business. Not only that, Banning contrives to frame the Oseka chief for murder. No matter how many obstacles are thrown in the good guys' path, Roy Rogers still finds time to sing three tunes with Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage. The pro-conservation, pro-Native American stance of North of the Great Divide makes this one of the most prescient of Roy Rogers' feature films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide