David Bradley Movies
David Bradley's largest contribution to Hollywood came not from his directorial efforts, which while initially promising, only blossomed into a mediocre career, but from his work as an archivist of Tinseltown's so-called Golden Age. He owned the largest private collection of film in the U.S. and every New Year's Day hosted lavish parties honoring the few survivors of the silent and studio eras. Bradley made sure these gatherings were filmed and the results provide invaluable resources for film buffs and historians.Born and raised in Winnetka, IL, Bradley started making films while attending Northwestern University. His received private financing for his initial ventures which were adaptations of classic literature shot on 8.5 mm and 16 mm film. His first two, versions of Oliver Twist and Treasure Island, were followed by Peer Gynt (1941), starring classmate Charlton Heston in his film debut. Heston also starred in Bradley's Julius Caesar eight years later. Bradley's version of Macbeth earned him considerable acclaim and led to his being dubbed "the 16 mm Orson Welles." He signed with MGM in 1952 where he made his Hollywood debut with Talk About a Stranger. Due in part to a poor choice of material, Bradley made only three more films through 1963, including They Saved Hitler's Brain (aka Madmen of Mandoras) (1963). His Peer Gynt was theatrically released in 1965. Bradley died on December 20, 1997, at the age of 77. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
After his head is surgically removed and sustained, Hitler is, essentially, still alive and living on an island in the Caribbean. When a young woman and her husband goes in search of her scientist-father and sister, they find a group of Nazis--still under the command of Der Fuhrer--who plan to resume their atrocities upon humanity in a scheme of world domination. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Walter Stocker, Audrey Caire, (more)
- 1965
The famed Henrik Ibsen play about a legendary traveler embarking upon a dangerous journey was the basis for the 1941 silent film Peer Gynt, originally created as a Northwestern University project, which features an early appearance by future film star Charlton Heston. It was shot along the shores of northern Illinois, Wisconsin, and Lake Michigan. Twenty-four years later, the picture was reedited with added footage and a voice-over by siilent film icon Francis X. Bushman, and released three years after that, in 1968. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- 1963
Science goes too far as one of the greatest villains of the 20th century makes a last stand in South America in this crackpot thriller. After government scientists develop a new and virulent variety of nerve gas, Professor John Coleman (John Holland) sets out to create an antidote until he mysteriously disappears. Coleman's daughter Kathy (Audrey Caire) and her husband, Phil Day (Walter Stocker), who works in U.S. intelligence, begin to suspect foul play; they're approached by a man named Teo (Carlos Rivas) who is trying to tell them about the professor and a strange place called Mandoras when he's suddenly shot to death. With no other clues to follow, Kathy and Phil travel to the tiny Latin American nation of Mandoras, where Kathy happens to meet her hepcat sister, Suzanne (Dani Lynn), at a nightclub. Suzanne tells Kathy and Phil that she and the professor had been kidnapped, and when they're introduced to Teo's brother Camino (also played by Rivas), they learn of a bizarre plot. According to Camino, scientists in a secret lab on Mandoras have kept the disembodied head of Adolf Hitler (Bill Freed) alive in a jar, and under the orders of "Mr. H" they're engaged in a deadly scheme to take over the world and resurrect the Third Reich. The film Madmen of Mandoras received a brief theatrical release in 1963; later, when it was sold to television, the movie (running a brief 74 minutes) was padded with additional sequences, reported shot by a group of film students, that feature a completely different cast and don't at all resemble the shadowy visual style of the original movie. The strange variant television cut of the film gained a cult following under its title, They Saved Hitler's Brain. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Walter Stocker, Audrey Caire, (more)
- 1960
Bumping along over several flaws, this is an odd sci-fi film directed by David Bradley, best known for his incredibly vast private film library rather than his stints in the director's chair. A very motley crew is winging its way through space with the moon as its objective. On board the spaceship are a dozen scientists, engineers, and researchers from the U.S., Sweden, Russia, Israel, Germany, and even Turkey. The flight captain has not only a variety of nationalities to juggle but must also contend with the dissension between the German and Israeli due to a certain holocaust tragedy in World War II. The romance between the magnificent Swedish chemist and the Turkish biologist is also heating up. But the worst is yet to come. After landing on the moon, the crew discovers that underneath the lunar surface is a whole civilization of peace-loving moon-beings who never asked for visitors. Their reaction is rather chilling. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michi Kobi, Tom Conway, (more)
- 1958
Teenager Rick Martin (Gary Clarke) promises his loving mom (Fay Wray) that he won't get into any fights any more-certainly no fights like the one that put him in jail a few months back. But Rick can't seem to stay out of trouble, especially when a bunch of motorcycle punks begin harrassing his drag-racing pals. During a fracas, one of the cyclists is killed, and the cops naturally blame Rick. He has to spend the rest of the film (which, at 68 minutes, isn't a lot of time) proving his innocence. Dragstrip Riot was originally released on a double bill with The Cool and the Crazy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yvonne Lime, Gary Clarke, (more)
- 1952
Young Robert Fontaine, Jr. (Billy Gray) lives with his hard-working father (George Murphy) and mother (Nancy Davis), who is soon to give birth to a second child, on their northern California citrus farm. He's lonely on the farm and has been saving to buy a dog. One day, a mysterious stranger (Kurt Kasznar), who gives his name as Matlock, moves into the empty house adjacent to the farm -- he's not only highly strung but downright hostile to any friendly overtures that Robert Sr. or anyone else makes. Meanwhile, young Robert finds a stray dog that he adopts, and his whole life seems to blossom with his new companion -- but one day he finds the dog dead. He becomes fixated on the notion that Matlock poisoned the dog, and insists that his father do something -- but when Matlock angrily denies knowing about it, the boy's frustrations start to build. He tries to report to the poisoning to the police; when they won't help, he tries to get Mr. Wardlaw (Lewis Stone), the owner of the newspaper that he delivers, to run a news story about it, and when Wardlaw tries to reason with the boy, his rage finally boils over and he goes out-of-control. The boy decides to try and gather evidence against Matlock and follows a trail that takes him across the state hitchhiking, to the home of the former owner of the house Matlock is living in, and there he confronts a rumor that the other man was murdered. Stories and whispers begin to spread through the town about Matlock that make him seem even more sinister. The populace are getting stirred up, and Robert Jr., in his rage, commits an act of vandalism that threatens the entire community. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Murphy, Nancy Davis, (more)
This drama tells of the powerful rise of emperor Julius Caesar along with his swift fall in this adaptation of William Shakespeare's play. ~ Rovi
This adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's famous play features 16-year-old Charlton Heston in his film debut. It is a silent film, and was part of a Northwestern University project. It was filmed in the Mid West and on the northern shores of Lake Michigan. The story concerns an adventurous world traveler who embarks on a perilous journey, yet remains faithful to his beloved. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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