Alan Fordney Movies
Those who worried that the Disney studio would collapse without the presence of the late Uncle Walt were put at ease when the profits starting rolling in for The Love Bug. The "star" is Herbie, a lovable little Volkswagen with a personality all its own. Abused by a bad guy race-car driver (David Tomlinson), Herbie is rescued by a good guy racer (Dean Jones). Out of gratitude, Herbie enables the luckless good guy to win one race after another. The real fun begins when the ruthless hot-rodder connives to get Herbie back through fair means or foul. Based on a story by Gordon Buford, The Love Bug inspired two equally lucrative sequels, Herbie Rides Again and Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jones, Michele Lee, (more)
There's a few million dollars' worth of star power and a nickel's worth of plot in the lavish race-car melodrama Grand Prix. Among the participants in this annual cross-continent competition are characters played by James Garner, Yves Montand, Brian Bedford, and Antonio Sabato. Interested parties include Toshiro Mifune (his voice dubbed by Paul Frees), Adolfo Celi, and Claude Dauphin, while the women who agonize on the sidelines include Eva Marie Saint, Jessica Walter, and Françoise Hardy. The racing sequences are top-rank, cleverly utilizing those 1960s devices of helicopter angles and multiple screens. Oscars went to editor Frederic Steinkamp (among others) and the sound-effects supervisor Franklin E. Milton. Filmed on location, Grand Prix made back its cost about half a week into its run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Eva Marie Saint, (more)
- 1966
Raymond Burr essays a dual role in this offbeat episode, appearing as both Perry Mason and Mason's evil lookalike, a scurrilous merchant seaman named Grimes. It seems that someone has hired Grimes to pose as Mason in order to discredit the lawyer's testimony in a hearing over a million-dollar patent dispute. Subsequently, the winner of the dispute, Otis Swanson (Oliver McGowan), is murdered, and innocent Barbara Kramer (Indus Arthur) is arrested for the crime. To save Barbara from the gas chamber, Perry must literally chase himself by tracking down the elusive--and dangerously short-tempered--Mr. Grimes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is taken by surprise when a young woman (Mary Mitchell) sweeps into his office, begging him to "identify" her. Claiming to be Dorrie Ambler, the girl explains that she has been hired by private eye Joe Billings (Paul Lambert) to pose as her lookalike, heiress Minerva Minden, allegedly to verify if Minerva was involved in a hit-and-run accident. It turns out, however, that Dorrie really is Minerva, and that Billings is blackmailing her. Before long, Perry is not only defending Minerva on a charge of murdering Billings, but also of bumping off the "real" Dorrie Ambler, who may or may not have perished in the accident. Wesley Lau makes his farewell appearance as Lt. Anderson in this final episode of Perry Mason's eighth season, which is based on a novel by series creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Viva Las Vegas, one of Elvis Presley's most popular vehicles, adheres as rigidly to formula as a Kabuki dance. Elvis plays a race-car driver competing in the Las Vegas Grand Prix opposite his principal rival, Cesare Danova. To finance his entry, Elvis takes a job as a casino waiter. Naturally, he is occasionally prevailed upon to sing, making one wonder why he didn't choose this talent as a means of making some quick cash. As always, Elvis chases all the wrong girls, only to ignore the "right" one, portrayed by Ann-Margret in her considerable youthful prime (We're supposed to believe that A-M is the daughter of irascible William Demarest. So much for the reliability of gene pools). With a pre-fat Presley, an indescribably gorgeous Ann-Margret, and no fewer than 12 songs on the soundtrack, how could Viva Las Vegas help but reap a fortune at the box office? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, (more)
