Joan Evans Movies
Actress Joan Evans' father was playwright Dale Eunson, and her mother was screenwriter/novelist Katherine Eunson. A stage performer from childhood, Evans was brought to Hollywood in 1949 with a fanfare of publicity as Sam Goldwyn's exciting new "discovery." She played the title role in Roseanna McCoy, a fanciful interpretation of the Hatfield/McCoy feud, then went on to co-star with Farley Granger in the uncharacteristically glum Goldwyn production Edge of Doom. When audience response to Evans failed to meet expectations, her option was quietly dropped by Goldwyn. Joan Evans spent her next nine years in Hollywood as a free-lancer, occasionally essaying worthwhile parts in such films as the cult-favorite western No Name on the Bullet (1959). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1960
In this crime drama, a man serves five years in the state pen for armed robbery. Upon his release, the man is anxious to retrieve the $260,000 in loot he hid before he went to jail. Unfortunately, he is still pursued by both the police and his former gang mates. He ends up severely beaten, robbed, and ultimately cheated by his own lover. Despite these set-backs, the fellow remains content because he now has the love of his former partner's widow. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
John Gant (Audie Murphy) rides into the town of Lordsburg and quietly checks into the hotel. He doesn't say much, nor does he need to -- his mere presence does the talking. Gant is a killer, a hired assassin, a gunman with 23 dead men to his credit, but he is not a murderer or a criminal; all of his killings have been legal, a result of self-defense when the men he was after drew on him. When he comes to a town, someone dies as surely as if he were the angel of death -- he even tells the town doctor in Lordsburg (Charles Drake) that he's in "a similar line of work," and ends up playing chess with him. Who has he come to "see" in Lordsburg? No one is sure, but as the sheriff (Willis Bouchey) tells his deputy, it will be mighty interesting watching the leading citizens over the next few days. Sure enough, the town banker (Whit Bissell) locks himself in his office with a gun, his business partner starts packing iron for the first time in his life, the man they cheated in their dealings is also going armed; and one guilty cuckold (Warren Stevens) is positive his ex-rival has paid Gant. Less than 12 hours after that, there's no law left in Lordsburg, every dirty little secret in every man's past starts bubbling to the surface, and gunplay has broken out in the streets between the men who think their respective rivals have brought Gant to town. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1959
The spectacle of the big top and flying trapeze artists provide a dramatic setting for this standard tale about an aerialist returned from Army service, looking to pick up where he left off. Rick Rias (Michael Callan) receives a double shock when he comes back from the Army: the woman he loved before he was called to duty is now married to someone else, and his father will not recommend him for an aerial act because he says he is not ready yet. Rick's broken heart starts to mend when he takes an interest in young Suzanne (Evy Norlund), the newest member of the "Flying Fontaines." The only drawback is that her heart is set on Bill (Rian Garrick) another trapeze artist. Rick's luck continues to deteriorate as one misfortune follows another. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Callan, Evy Norlund, (more)
- 1956
In this crime drama, a young man with a love of hot cars and fast women gets into real trouble when he finds himself involved with a beautiful bank robber who forces him to help her hijack an armored car. At her insistence they end up hiding out in a remote cabin in the High Sierras. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1955
The Christmas, 1955 presentation of the CBS anthology Climax! was based on a true story in the lives of the ancestors of co-scenarists Dale and Katherine Eunson. Set in rural Wisconsin in the 1860s, the story begins on a somber note, as both parents of 12-year-old Robbie Eunson (Brandon De Wilde die within a few months of each other. Now the man of the family, Robbie sets about to honor his mother's dying wish, that proper homes be provided for Robbie and his five younger siblings. Thus it is that on Christmas eve, Robbie visits several of his neighbors, offering to give away his brothers and sisters. Joan Evans, actress daugher of the Eunsons, serves as narrator. Adapted from the authors' Cosmopolitan magazine article, "The Day They Gave Babies Away" was later transformed into a theatrical feature film, All Mine to Give (1957); of the TV play's cast, only Stephan Woolton repeated his role (as Jimmie Eunson) in the movie, though Allen Reisner directed both versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Jet Cosgrave (John Derek) is The Outcast in this big-budget Republic western. Thanks to the chicanery of his crooked uncle Major Cosgrave (Jim Davis), Jet has been cheated out of his father's property and branded a pariah. He spends the rest of the film trying to regain his birthright and clear his name. The two women in Jet's life are Judy Polsen (Joan Evans), who chases him for so long that he finally catches her, and Alice Austin (Catherine McLeod), Major Cosgrave's fianee. The supporting cast is dotted with such weatherbeaten western "regulars" as Slim Pickens, Bob Steele and Harry Carey Jr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Joan Evans, (more)
- 1953
Audie Murphy is suitably cast as cavalry lieutenant Jed Sayre in Universal's Column South. Stationed in Navajo country, Sayre has a pretty good understanding of, and rapport with, the local Indians, but his new CO Lee Whitlock (Robert Sterling) is of the "only good Indian is a dead Indian" school of thought. Eventually Sayre is able to make Whitlock see the light -- and, as a bonus, he gets to romance Whitlock's sister Marcy (Joan Evans). Further complications arise when Confederate General Storey (Ray Collins) hatches an underhanded scheme -- one that will potentially cost many innocent lives -- to force the cavalry troops to join the Southern cause when the Civil War commences. Of interest to modern viewers is the presence of Dennis Weaver, here cast as Navajo chief Menguito. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Joan Evans, (more)
- 1952
Esther Williams generously shares screen time with Joan Evans and Vivian Blaine in Skirts Ahoy! The three leading ladies play WAVE officers who experience a daunting series of romantic misadventures. Whitney Young (Williams) had joined the WAVES after leaving her fiancé at the altar. Conversely Mary Kate Yarbrough (Evans) was jilted on her wedding day by her intended, while Una Yancy (Blaine) has donned a uniform in hopes of finding a husband. Much of the humor is of the gender-switch variety, with the three lady sailors ogling and whistling at every eligible male who crosses their path. Inevitably, Williams sheds her navy duds in favor of a swimsuit, while Blaine performs a comic torch song in the manner of her "Miss Adelaide" characterization in Guys and Dolls. Poor Joan Evans isn't given a musical number, but she does get her man (Keefe Brasselle) at the end. Guest performers include the singing DeMarco Sisters and youthful aquatic champs Russell and Kathy Tongay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Esther Williams, Joan Evans, (more)
- 1952
Irene Dunne made her final film appearance in the frothy fantasy It Grows on Trees. Looking at least two decades younger than her 52 years, Dunne plays Polly Baxter, the ebullient wife of Phil Baxter (Dean Jagger). Miracle of miracles, two of the trees in Polly's backyard garden begin sprouting paper currency! Assuming that it's genuine mazumah, Polly goes on a spending spree, and also pays off the long-standing mortgage on the house. The money-yielding trees soon become a nationwide sensation, drawing thousands of interested parties to the Baxters' tiny backyard. A major setback is inevitable, but the manner in which the dilemma is solved is both clever and logical. When it isn't concentrating on the plot proper, It Grows on Trees offers some amusing jibes at the U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, and small-town pretentiousness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Dunne, Dean Jagger, (more)
- 1951
On the Loose was produced by the Filmakers Organization, consisting of producer Collier Young and director Ida Lupino (Mrs. Young at the time). Joan Evans stars as Jill Bradley, a teenager with an undeserved reputation as a "bad girl." No one -- not even her parents Melvyn Douglas and Lynn Bari -- will give Jill the benefit of the doubt. Only when the girl attempts suicide are her selfish parents awakened to her plight. Intriguingly, On the Loose was scripted by the husband-and-wife team of Dale Eunson and Katherine Albert, who happened to be the real-life parents of star Joan Evans. Though most Filmakers productions were directed by Ida Lupino, On the Loose was helmed by screenwriter Charles Lederer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Evans, Melvyn Douglas, (more)
- 1950
Joyfully preparing for her high-school graduation, and her 18th birthday, Gail Macauley (Ann Blyth) stumbles across a family secret. Contrary to what she's been raised to believe, Gail's parents (Jane Wyatt, Donald Cook) are not her biological parents; she was adopted. Setting a precedent that would be followed by many adoptees of the 1970s and 1980s, Gail will not rest until she tracks down her natural mother. A soap opera deluxe, Our Very Own should not be too closely scrutinized in terms of plot and logic. It is best to revel in the performances by such surefire veterans as Ann Dvorak (as Gail's biological mother) and Gus Schilling (as a flustered television installer), and by such talented "youngsters" as Joan Evans, Phyllis Kirk and Natalie Wood. And as a bonus to Baby Boomers, the film offers a glimpse of the legendary "Indian Head" TV test pattern (yes, it goes back that far!) Our Very Own was written by F. Hugh Herbert, produced by Sam Goldwyn, and directed by David Miller, none of whom make a false move throughout the film's 93 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Blyth, Farley Granger, (more)
- 1950
An unusually morbid film from producer Samuel Goldwyn, Edge of Doom stars Farley Granger as a sensitive young man trapped in an impoverished slum existence. Granger becomes unhinged when his beloved mother dies, and when an unfeeling elderly priest refuses to provide the woman with a lavish funeral, Granger savagely kills the priest. The boy's subsequent moody behavior is chalked down to grief over his mother, but a younger and more compassionate priest (Dana Andrews) suspects something is amiss. In as gentle a fashion as possible, the priest persuades Granger to confess to the crime and seek divine forgiveness. Joan Evans, a Goldwyn contractee for whom "big things" were predicted, plays the totally forgettable love interest for the tortured Granger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Farley Granger, (more)
- 1949
The saga of the Hatfield-and-McCoy feud is romanticized in Samuel Goldwyn's Roseanna McCoy. Newcomer Joan Evans stars as the title character, whose elopement with Johnse Hatfield (Farley Granger) serves to further fuel the flames of the deadly mountain feud. The opposing patriarches, Devil Anse Hatfield and Old Randall McCoy, are vividly realized by Charles Bickford and Raymond Massey. In West Virginia and Kentucky, the debate still rages over what started the hostilities, but there's no question that the end result was tragedy for all concerned. In Goldwyn's version, the feud comes to a halt because Roseanna and Johnse demand it; would that real life were this simple and clear-cut. Based on a novel by Alberta Hannum, Roseanna McCoy was released through the distribution channels of RKO Radio. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Farley Granger, Joan Evans, (more)
