Robert Foulk Movies

This light romantic comedy finds a young widow with three young boys investigated by the Navy. Amy Martin (Shirley Jones) has a curious child who inadvertently sends out a distress signal in Morse code by the blinds on his upstairs bedroom window. Commander Weedon (Gig Young) and crew observe the signal from their ship and investigate. The commander falls for the young mother and proposes marriage. Amy is reluctant to have her family live out of a suitcase and initially declines. Gramps (Edgar Buchanan) tries to bring her on board to sail the sea of love with the commander, but it's the youngest son Alex (Billy Mumy) who flies high an hits the mark as Cupid. Alex sets sail with some helium balloons and floats out over the ocean. The commander must save the boy and return him to his mother, creating another opportunity for his mother to be captured by the romantic suitor. Red Buttons and Carolyn Jones also find romance in this feature directed by George Sidney. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A derelict named Goodfellow (Robert Newton) comes into possession of an IOU written by Ralph Cowell (Phillip Reed) to his principal creditor. As luck would have it, Goodfellow has also witnessed the murder of said creditor at the hands of Mr. Cowell. Thus it is that Goodfellow and a fellow bum named Shanks (Johnny Silver) are able to blackmail their way into Cowell's expensive apartment and hock all of the poor man's belongings. Ultimately, Cowell gains the upper hand in the situation -- or so he thinks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The breathtakingly beautiful Technicolor cinematography of Irving Glassberg is but one of the many small pleasures of the big-budget western Backlash. Set in post-Civil War Arizona, the film stars Richard Widmark as Jim Slater, who hopes to prove that his down-and-out father (John McIntire) was not involved in a gold robbery. To prove this, Slater has to find the money, which is also the goal of Karyl Orton (Donna Reed), the supposed widow of one of the thieves. Eventually, Slater discovers that his father is every bit as rotten as the law claims he is, though he can take some comfort in the fact that Karyl is now in love with him. As in his earlier Bad Day at Black Rock, Backlash director John Sturges is more concerned with building tension than with overt displays of wanton violence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this gritty urban drama, war veteran Richard Dadier (Glenn Ford) wants to begin his career as a teacher and is given an assignment at a boys high school in inner-city New York. However, he soon discovers the school is overrun by delinquents, led by Artie West (Vic Morrow), an insolent hood who likes to call Richard "Mr. Daddy-O." Artie and his gang steal, destroy property, refuse to respect authority, and threaten the female teachers with rape. While most of the faculty have given up and meekly let the delinquents do what they want, Dadier is determined to bring order back to his classroom, even after Artie's thugs threaten Richard's pregnant wife. Keep your eyes peeled for a bit part by Jameel Farah, years before he would change his name to Jamie Farr. Blackboard Jungle was also the first major studio film to use rock & roll on the soundtrack; the film's success kick-started sales of "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & His Comets, which helped to spark the rock & roll boom of the 1950s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A ricocheting bullet catches Little Joe Cartwright in his-er-nether regions. Seeking answers to his brother's non-fatal but certainly embarrassing injury, Hoss tries to communicate with world-weady female gunslinger Willie Mae Rikeman (Louise Latham) and her two uncontrollable sons Judd (Mark Slade) and Jeb (Robert Doyle. Both Cartwright boys emerge from the experience with a better appreciation of their own family. Written and directed by Herman Hoffman, "A Real Nice, Friendly Little Town" was first shown on November 27, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Fifteen years after Ben Cartwright's testimony sent a man named Preston to the gallows, Preston's son Colter arrives in Virginia City. A self-styled troubador, Colter sings a bitter ballad denouncing Ben and proclaiming his own father's innocence, forcing the authorities to re-open the case. Colter even goes so far as to shoot himself so that Ben will be arrested for attempted murder. Also appearing are Ann Doran as Lisa Stanley, Roger Davis as Harold Stanley, and John Archer as Dave Sinclair. The teleplay, by series costar Michael Landon and Rik Vollaerts, manages to include a reference to long-department Cartwright brother Adam. "Ballad of the Ponderosa" was first shown on November 13, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally broadcast April 17, 1966, "The Big Shadow on the Land" was the first of three Bonanza episodes focusing on the Rossis, an immigrant Italian family. Headed by bombastic Giorgio Rossi (Jack Kruschen), the family encamps on the Ponderosa, intending to revitalize their winemaking business. Ben Cartwright's efforts to force the Rossis to leave his property are compromised by his growing fondness for the family. Also appearing are Penny Santon as Giorgio's wife Maria, Brioni Farrell as their daughter Regina and Michael Stephani as their son Lorenzo. "The Big Shadow on the Land" was written by William F. Leicester and Richard H. Bartlett. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comic episode, mail-order huckster Gideon Flinch (Ian Wolfe), alias Homer T. Cranston, fleeces ornery Bullethead Burke (Harry Swoger) of 5,000 dollars. When Bullethead shows up in Virginia City seeking revenge, Gideon's quick-thinking niece Jennifer (Sue Anne Langdon) convinces the surly bruiser that Little Joe Cartwright is really the elusive Flinch. Arnold Stang co-stars as Jake the Weasel, while venerable character actors Burt Mustin and Clem Bevans function as a sort of Greek chorus, weaving in and out of the proceedings. Written by Robert Vincent Wright and first broadcast November 5, 1961, "The Many Faces of Gideon Flinch" was one of several Bonanza episodes directed by Robert Altman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lloyd Nolan guest-stars as New Orleans police inspector Charles Leduque, a man who harbors a deep and festering grudge against Ben Cartwright. On the eve of Ben's gubernatorial campaign, Leduque shows up in town bearing a warrant for Ben's arrest -- on a charge of murder. Though it appears that the charges will hold up in court, Joe conducts his own investigation to learn the truth behind Leduque's vendetta. Also appearing are Joan Staley as Dixie, Robert Foulk as the sheriff, and Hal Baylor as Tom Cole. Originally broadcast on February 27, 1960, "The Stranger" was written by Leonard Heidieman and Oliver Crawford. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Would you believe Bette Davis and Ernest Borgnine as a pair of free-spirited hippies on a crime spree? That's the premise of this unlikely comedy starring the two Oscar-winning veterans. Bunny O'Hare (Bette Davis) is an elderly woman living in New Mexico who is trying to keep herself afloat financially while supporting her two grown children, both of whom have fallen into bad straits. Thanks to a mistake by her bank, Bunny is evicted from her home, which is quickly torn down, but not before one Bill Green (Ernest Borgnine) can repossess her commode. Bunny is left with nowhere to go, and Bill allows Bunny to tag along in his trailer after he leaves. Bunny soon learns that Bill was once a bank robber who is still on the run from the law, and she persuades him to show her the ropes so she can steal her nest egg back from the bank. Dressed as hippies, Bunny and Bill pull the job, but rather than escape to Mexico, Bunny decides to stay in the Southwest and rob more banks with Bill to help keep her kids out of hock. Bunny O'Hare also features Jack Cassidy, John Astin, and Jay Robinson; ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Carrie is based on Sister Carrie, a novel by Theodore Dreiser. Dreiser's clumsy, unwieldy prose is streamlined into a neat and precise screenplay by Ruth and Augustus Goetz. Jennifer Jones stars as Carrie, who leaves her go-nowhere small town for the wicked metropolis of Chicago. Here she becomes the mistress of brash traveling salesman Charles Drouet (Eddie Albert), then throws him over in favor of erudite restaurant manager George Hurstwood (Laurence Olivier). Obsessed by Carrie, George steals money from his boss to support her in the manner to which he thinks she is accustomed. Left broke and disgraced by the ensuing scandal, Carrie deserts George to become an actress. Years later, the conscience-stricken Carrie tries to regenerate George, who has fallen into bum-hood. If Laurence Olivier seems a surprising casting choice in Carrie, try to imagine what the film would have been like had Cary Grant, Paramount's first choice, accepted the role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Christmastime TV perennial, Come to the Stable is the gentle saga of two French nuns (Celeste Holm with accent, Loretta Young without) who come to America in hopes of raising funds for a children's hospital. Travelling to a small New England town presciently named Bethlehem, the nuns befriend eccentric painter Elsa Lanchester, who allows them to use her studio (actually a stable) for their base of operations. Utterly ingenuous when it comes to American mores and customs (they tear up a parking ticket, assuming it to be an advertisement), the sisters raise money in a variety of amusing fashions. One of their "agents" is outwardly tough gambler Mike Mazurki, who gets his equally raffish pals to invest in the hospital. And towards the end, the nuns even play a little professional tennis to raise money. Careful not to overwhelm the viewer with sentiment and religiosity, Come to the Stable (based on a story by Clare Booth Luce) is ideal holiday film fare. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the fourth episode of Walt Disney's 17-part miniseries The Tales of Texas John Slaughter, Slaughter (Tom Tryon) has captured outlaw leader Mrs. Barko (Beverly Garland) who, though she faces the gallows, refuses to explain why she was trying to join forces with another notorious bandit, Dan Trask (Dan Duryea). With the nervous approval of his Texas Rangers superior officer Captain Cooper (Judson Platt), Slaughter formulates a plan whereby he and his fiancée Adeline Harris (Norma Moore) will impersonate Mrs. and Mr. Barko and infiltrate the Trask gang. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology, "Showdown at Sandoval" and the previous episode "Killers From Kansas" were edited together in 1961 and released overseas as the "feature film" Gunfight at Sandoval. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide