Roy Engel Movies

In terms of content, Outrage was well-ahead of its time. Mala Powers, who'd previously starred opposite Jose Ferrer in Cyrano de Bergerac, plays Ann Walton, a naïve young girl who is attacked and raped while walking home from work. As if the horror and humiliation of the sexual assault wasn't enough, Ann must endure the scrutiny of her neighbors, some of whom are convinced that she "asked for it." Unable to stand any more, she runs away from her hometown and her fiancé Jim Owens (Robert Clarke), hoping to start life anew in another town. With the help of compassionate clergyman Ferguson (Tod Andrews), Ann slowly regains her faith in humanity, as well as her own self-esteem. Oddly, director Ida Lupino chooses to tackle her material with a complete lack of subtlety. The subject matter of Outrage deserves far more sensitive treatment than it received from the usually reliable Lupino. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Striking while the iron was hot, actor/producer Mikel Conrad registered the title The Flying Saucer for copyright not long after UFOs were allegedly spotted in Washington State. Filmed on location in Alaska, Flying Saucer stars Conrad (who also co-wrote) as a secret agent, dispatched by the government to find out whether or not the UFO reports constitute a threat against American defenses. He goes on a "pub crawl" in Alaska, looking for eyewitnesses to the flying-saucer phenomenon. After a series of slow-moving complications, the agent rounds up a group of Russian spies who've been using the saucer for evil purposes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gerald Mayer proved once more that he had talent above and beyond being the nephew of MGM-head Louis B. Mayer with his direction of The Sellout. The story begins with a bang, as big-city newspaper editor Haven Allridge (Walter Pidgeon) falls victim to the small-town tyranny of corrupt sheriff Kellwin C. Burke (Thomas Gomez). Poised to launch an investigation of Burke's underhanded activities, Allridge is suddenly intimidated into silence. Crusading state's attorney Chick Johnson (John Hodiak) discovers that Burke is keeping Allridge quiet by threatening to reveal the criminal activities of Allridge's son-in-law Randy Stanton (Cameron Mitchell). The final reels illustrate the thesis of Edmund Burke that evil will triumph so long as good men do nothing -- except that this time, they do something. Though hardly a big-budget effort, The Sellout boasts an unusually strong cast, including the aforementioned actors, as well as Karl Malden and Everett Sloane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rogue River stars Rory Calhoun as Ownie Rodgers, the nephew of crooked Oregon police chief Joe Dandridge (Frank Fenton). A $70,000 windfall, bequeathed to Dandridge by a man he'd once framed on a bank robbery charge, unleashes innumerable family skeletons. Ownie is obliged to solve the long-ago bank job himself, and in so doing he discovers that his "faithful" girl friend Judy (Ellye Marshall) was in on the scheme. The last-minute return of Dandridge's estranged son Pete (Peter Graves) leads to an ending that cannot truly be described as happy. More talky than most westerns of the era, Rogue River still contains much to please the eye, especially when one is lucky enough to see an original Cinecolor print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Well is a modest but generally effective plea for racial tolerance. Based loosely on a real incident, the film tells of the disappearance of a little African-American girl in a small, segregated community. Caucasian Claude Packard (Harry Morgan, the nephew of the town's richest man (Barry Kelley), is the last person seen with the little girl. Sensing a coverup when Morgan is not immediately charged, the black community is on the verge of a riot. But when it's discovered that the little girl has fallen down a well, all racial differences are forgotten as black and white neighbors work shoulder to shoulder to rescue the child. The Well tries very hard to be equitable by 1951 standards, and is heartfelt enough to overcome its occasional lapses into stereotype and condescension. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An inexpensive but atmospheric sci-fi film, Man from Planet X takes place on a lonely Scottish island. Science professor Raymond Bond is monitoring the orbit of the mysterious "Planet X," which has entered the solar system and is travelling close to Earth. A spaceship lands from this planet, out of which pops a strange little man who looks something like an Easter Island statue. He has come to make contact with friendly Earthlings, but evil scientist William Schallert wants to exploit the spaceman's highly developed intellect for his own selfish ends. Schallert's nastiness turns the alien against the other Earthlings; the creature enslaves their minds and transforms them into zombies. Both Schallert and the alien are eventually destroyed--as Planet X, failing to establish a bond with Earth, spirals off into deep space. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Low-budget Realart Films managed to pick up an above-average property when it secured the screen rights to the Robert Abel play The Samson Slasher. Retitled Breakdown, the story concerns a heavyweight boxer, played by William Bishop. Framed for murder, Bishop is sent to prison, but is released after a few years on good behavior. Putting two and two together (no mean feat when you're wearing boxing gloves), Bishop surmises that the real killer is linked up in some way with his girl friend Anne Gwynne. Richard Benedict, a real-life boxer who turned actor in the mid-1940s, appears in the supporting cast as "Punchy." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

As was his custom, director Andrew L. Stone filmed most of Confidence Girl away from the studio on actual locations. The title character, Mary Webb (Hillary Brooke), is in league with sharpster Roger Kingsley (Tom Conway). The pair's latest scam is to pose as a clairvoyant and a detective while trimming their unwitting victims. After making a tidy profit, however, Mary has a change of heart. But Roger knows when he's got a good thing going, and he'll do anything--anything--to keep Mary from turning herself in and spilling the beans. The huge supporting cast of Confidence Girl includes such ever-reliables as Jack Kruschen, John Gallaudet, Walter Kingsford, Tyler McVey, Paul Guilfoyle, Edmund Cobb, Roy Engel and Duke York. Andrew Stone's wife Virginia handled the editing duties. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the most subtle and sophisticated of the musical comedies that came out of MGM's Arthur Freed Unit in the '40s and '50s, The Band Wagon stars Fred Astaire as Tony Hunter, a movie star whose career is in a downturn. Looking for a boost, Tony decides to try starring in a Broadway musical. His friends Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) have written a show they feel would be just right for Tony, and the three team up with Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan), a self-styled "genius" director, who gets the idea to turn the play into a revised version of Faust. Cordova's more pretentious ideas don't always sit well with the Martons, and Tony isn't too happy with his leggy co-star, Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse), whom he's convinced is too tall (then again, she thinks he's too old). But when the show proves a disaster in out-of-town tryouts, everyone realizes they have to put aside their differences if they want a show that will be on Broadway for longer than four hours. The Band Wagon featured a rare American appearance for British musical star Jack Buchanan, who does a fine soft-shoe with Fred Astaire on "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan." Astaire also shines in the numbers "Shine on Your Shoes" and "The Girl Hunt," a witty Mickey Spillane parody. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Although a few character names and minor details are different, Vicki is a fairly faithful remake of the 1941 murder melodrama I Wake Up Screaming. The title character, Vicki Lynn, played by Jean Peters, is a waitress who is transformed into a top fashion model by press agent Steve Christopher (Elliot Reid). When Vicki is murdered, psychotic detective Ed Cornell (Richard Boone) tries to pin the blame on Christopher. In fact, Cornell knows who the real killer is, but he was so desperately (and hopelessly) in love with the dead girl that he intends to railroad Christopher into the electric chair. With the help of Vicki's sister (Jeanne Crain), Christopher tracks down the genuine culprit and exposes Cornell for the nutcase that he is. Featured in the cast is future TV producer Aaron Spelling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Producer-director-star Hugo Haas attempts a costume melodrama in Thy Neighbor's Wife. Plotwise, it's the usual Haas formula: a middle-aged man, his voluptuous young wife and a handsome interloper. In the 19th century, a Moravian magistrate (Haas) swears vengeance when his gorgeous bride (Cleo Moore) renews her romance with her ex-flame (Ken Carlton). When the young man's uncle is murdered, the judge prosecutes his wife's lover for the crime, despite the fact that he's already heard a confession from the village-idiot (Tom Fadden). To make sure that the young man is hanged, the judge kills the real killer; this is witnessed by the judge's wife, who is likewise promptly murdered by her over-zealous husband. Eventually, justice -- or rather, conscience -- emerges triumphant. The ad campaign for Thy Neighbor's Wife included an alluring 8 X 10 of the bare-backed Cleo Moore being flogged, though this is hardly an important moment in the film's course of events. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The 3D melodrama Dangerous Mission starts off with a bang when innocent Piper Laurie inadvertently witnesses the murder of her gangster boss. Though she doesn't get a particularly good look at the killer, she knows she's dead meat if she remains in town. Thus, Laurie skeedaddles to Montana's Glacier National Park, where most of the film takes place. Following her westward are Victor Mature and Vincent Price. One of these men is a federal agent, bound and determined to bring Laurie back to the East to testify; the other is the murderer, who intends to silence our heroine for keeps. Laurie doesn't know which is which, but the audience does. A bit poky at times (thanks in part to the uninspired editing of Gene Palmer), Dangerous Mission roars into life during a mid-film forest fire and a climactic chase through the glacier fields. Featured in the cast are William Bendix as a Montana ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide