Harold Fong Movies

Then professional potheads Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong teamed up for Cheech & Chong: Up In Smoke, which features the drug-addled duo on a road trip throughout California; that is to say, a road-trip they hope will culminate in finding some quality weed. Instead, a series of mishaps result in their respective deportations to Mexico. Desperate to get back to the states so they can perform in their band's gig later that night, Cheech and Chong unwittingly agree to drive a very unique car across the border -- rather than steel and various metal bits, the vehicle is constructed entirely out of marijuana. Back in the States and accompanied by two extraordinarily out-of-it female hitchhikers, the stoned group meanders about in an attempt to get their musical performance together, and narrowly escapes from local law enforcement agencies on numerous occasions despite their complete inability to realize they were being tailed to begin with. The incredibly low-budget movie surprised critics, grossed millions, spawned a series of lesser follow-up films, and cemented Cheech & Chong's cult-status among potheads across the globe. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Jesse Royce Landis, who in an earlier episode played the aunt of Chief Ironside (Raymond Burr), is here cast as business executive Margaret Brainard, the widow of one of Ironside's oldest friends. When Margaret's purse is stolen, she asks Ironside to solve the crime--and to keep secret that the purse contained $200,000 worth of rare jewels. As it turns out, the real reason that Margaret wants Ironside to personally handle the case is that she is lonely and hopes that the Chief will keep her company! Featured in the cast is Solomon Sturges, the son of famed filmmaker Preston Sturges. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Mistakenly believing that they've been invited to a going-away party for the Gaynors, Buffy (Anissa Jones) and Jody (Johnnie Whitaker) end up all alone on the docks of New York. While seeking out their Uncle Bill (Brian Keith), the twins find a twenty-dollar bill--then embark upon an odyssey throughout Manhattan Island in search of the bill's owner! Ultimately, a kind stranger restores the kids to their frantic uncle, and receives an unexpected reward for his troubles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John Ford's last film to deal with World War II, Donovan's Reef is an alternately comical and sentimental look back on the fighting Navy men from that war, and how and where -- in Ford's eyes, and Frank Nugent and James Edward Grant's script -- they should have ended up. Michael "Guns" Donovan (John Wayne), Thomas "Boats" Gilhooley (Lee Marvin), and Dr. William Dedham (Jack Warden), a trio of navy veterans who fought on the Pacific island of Haleakalowa during the war, now live on the island. Donovan and Gilhooley, biding time and enjoying themselves, engage in rough-house hijinks among themselves, and are both part of the doctor's extended family, enjoying the good will of the islanders for whom they fought during the war. While Dedham is away on a call to a neighboring island, his grown daughter, Amelia (Elizabeth Allen), from his first marriage, whom he has never seen, announces that she is arriving from Boston to determine Dedham's fitness of character to inherit the majority shares in the family shipping business. Donovan contrives to present Dedham's three Polynesian children, whom the doctor had with the island's hereditary princess, as his own, and also squires Amelia around the island in her father's absence. In the process, the cold Bostonian woman discovers a whole world -- of passion, joy, heroism, and a life among men and women whose lives have been about something other than making money -- that she's never known. She also understands all of the good that her father has accomplished away from Boston, even though it entailed abandoning her. Sparks and even a few fists fly between Donovan and Amelia (and between Donovan and several other characters), in the usual Ford rough-house manner, before their eventual reconciliation and a romantic clinch at the end, in this sweet, sentimental comedy-drama. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Based on a play by Samuel Taylor and Cornelia Otis Skinner, The Pleasure of His Company is an old-fashioned romantic comedy. Fred Astaire plays Biddeford "Pogo" Poole, the long-absent prodigal father of Jessica Poole (Debbie Reynolds), who is just about to be married. Much to the dismay of his ex-wife, Katharine (Lilli Palmer), and her new husband, James Dougherty (Gary Merrill), Pogo shows up at the wedding. To get back into the family circle, he puts on the old charm, but before film's end realizes that charm alone is no substitute for parental responsibility. Charlie Ruggles makes a wry turn as Pogo's former father-in-law. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of Roger Corman's finest science-fiction endeavors of the 1950s, Not of This Earth is an excellent film by any standards. Paul Birch stars as Johnson, a taciturn gentleman in a dark business suit who hires nurse Nadine (Beverly Garland) to care for him. Curious that Johnson needs constant blood transfusions, Dr. Rochelle (William Roerick), Nadine's boss, discovers to his horror that Johnson has no blood of his own! Before he can make this information public, Rochelle is telepathically enslaved by the emotionless Johnson. It soon develops that Johnson is a space alien, sent from his home planet to see if the blood of earthlings can be used by his dying race -- the first step in their ultimate takeover of the world. The scenes involving hyperkinetic vacuum salesman Piper (Dick Miller) are the film's highlights, simultaneously hilarious and horrifying. Originally released on a double bill with Attack of the Crab Monsters, Not of This Earth was indifferently remade twice, in 1988 and 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were still referred to as Indo-China when this Sam Katzman-produced adventure quickie was filmed. John Archer (the father of actress Anne Archer) stars as the titular "yank," a devil-may-care pilot named Mulvaney. Together with his partner Clint Marshall (Douglas Dick), Mulvaney runs a profitable air-freight line in Indo-China. After antagonizing a band of Red Chinese, Mulvaney and Clint attempt to rescue two American women (Jean Willes and Ellen Murphy) who'd foolishly allied themselves with the bad guys. Shamelessly jingoistic, A Yank in Indo-China is a fascinating artifact from an era in which America thought of Southeast Asia in terms of Black and White. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Most of Storm Over Tibet is built around footage gleaned from a 1930 German documentary lensed in the Himalayas, portions of which had been previously glimpsed in Frank Capra's Lost Horizon. The 1930 film had been directed by Andrew Marton, who also helmed Storm Over Tibet. Concocted by Ivan Tors and Sam Meyer, the script of the later film concerns David, a WW II pilot, played by Rex Reason, who steals a valuable religious artifact from a Tibetan temple. Upon returning to civilization, David is plagued by guilt -- and by the likelihood that a curse has been placed on his head. Seeking redemption, David joins a UNESCO expedition into the Himalayas, hoping to return the artifact to its rightful owners. Diana Douglas, actress-wife of Kirk Douglas, co-stars as the pilot's long-suffering wife. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Submarine Command reunites the romantic leads from Sunset Boulevard, William Holden and Nancy Olsen. Holden is cast as Commander White, who during an enemy attack orders that his submarine dive to avoid destruction. Though his action saves his crew, it results in the death of the machine-gunner left topside during the attack. With the exception of vindictive chief torpedo-man Boyer (William Bendix), no one holds White to task for his decision -- save for White himself, who is plagued with guilt and doubt ever afterward. Helping to alleviate White's self-flagellation is his fiancee Carol (Olsen). The thrill-packed climax finds White's submarine engaged in a sabotage action against communist forces off the coast of Korea. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

With no stars or production values, Korea Patrol has the rough-edged look of a war documentary. Though billed third, veteran Asian-American actor Benson Fong is the star of the proceedings, playing a South Korean scout guiding a group of UN soldiers through hostile territory. Ordered to destroy a vital enemy bridge, the small troop is made smaller as the film progresses, and soon only three men are left to carry out orders. One of these men is played by Al Eben, who later gained a measure of prominence for his many supporting appearances on TV's Hawaii 5-0. Director Max Nosseck adds a veneer of verisimilitude by inserting newsreel footage of the actual Korean conflict. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One wonders if Donald O'Connor would have consented to star in Francis if he knew that a series was to follow. Adapted by David Stern from his own novel, the film stars O'Connor as GI Peter Sterling, who appears to be bucking for a Section Eight. Seems that Sterling keeps insisting that Francis, a cantankerous Army mule, has the power of speech. It turns out that Francis not only can talk, but is also a superb military strategist. With Francis' help, Sterling breaks up a Nazi spy ring and becomes a hero -- but this is only the beginning, as the future entries in Universal's Francis series would prove over and over. Providing able support to the hapless O'Connor are Patricia Medina, Ray Collins, and especially ZaSu Pitts as a bewildered Army nurse. The voice of Francis is provided by Chill Wills, who likewise showed up in most of the Francis sequels, and who, like O'Connor, bailed out before the final entry, Francis in a Haunted House (1956). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Edward Dmytryk's Back to Bataan stars John Wayne as Colonel Joe Madden. After General MacArthur decides to follow his order and leave the Philippines, Madden agrees to stay behind and organize an underground resistance movement. Anthony Quinn plays Andres Bonifacio, a captain who falls in love with a local woman (Fely Franquelli) who helps the army keep their rag-tag forces as organized as possible. Bonifacio must also deal with the pressure of being the grandson of a beloved Filipino leader. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi