Martin Garralaga
- 1969
- PG
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Mrs. Marrable (Geraldine Page) is a bereaved widow who takes to hiring housekeepers then kills them for their money in this shadowy macabre drama. When Miss Tinsley (Mildred Dunnick) disappears, her former employer Alice (Ruth Gordon) investigates. Posing as a maid, she gains employment with the murderous Mrs. Marrable. Her nephew Mike (Robert Fuller) helps Alice and manages to fall in love with the girl next door (Rosemary Forsythe). When Alice exposes the murderess, she risks her life, and her disappearance leads to the title of the film. Look for Second City alumnus Peter Bonerz in a minor role. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geraldine Page, Ruth Gordon, (more)
- 1967
Sr. Bertrille comes up with another of her sure-fire fundraising schemes for Convent San Tanco. This time, she persuades the other nuns to bottling and selling their own special brand of sea-grape juice. Alas, the beverage costs more to manufacture than it does to buy, and that's only the beginning of the problem facing Sr. Bertrille and her fellow stockholders. Originally telecast on November 2, 1967, "Days of Nun and Roses" was written by Austin and Irma Kalish. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
While employed at the winery owned by Pete Crandall (James Gregory), Kimble (David Janssen) happens to be on hand when the leader of a grape picker's strike is murdered by Crandall's treacherous son Carl (Roy Thinnes). As the only witness to the killing, Kimble could easily clear his fellow worker Morales (Carlos Romero), whom Carl has framed for the crime. Unfortunately, Kimble dare not contact the police for fear of being arrested himself, so he enlists the aid of Morale's wife Elena (Pilar Seurat)--while Carl dispatches a team of hired thugs to make certain that no one will ever tell anyone that he pulled the trigger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Based on the popular children's story by Scott O'Dell, this family movie tells of the true adventures of a young Native American girl. After her father is killed by a malevolent white trapper, Karana (Celia Kaye) joins her community as they leave their island home in the Pacific to live on the mainland. Upon her departure, Karana realizes that her brother has been left behind. She immediately swims back to be with him and the two remain on the abandoned island. Though Karana is able to domesticate a wolf, her brother is not so fortunate with the animals and is killed by a pack of wild dogs. She is left to survive against the odds for several years before she has a chance to journey to the mainland herslelf. The adept cinematography of Leo Tover (Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Day the Earth Stood Still) greatly contributed to this outdoor adventure film as did appropriate music from prolific film composer Paul Sawtell. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Celia Kaye, Larry Domasin, (more)
Elvis Presley stars as Mike Windgren, a former trapeze artist who's suffered from vertigo ever since accidentally dropping his partner during a performance. Working as a lifeguard/entertainer at an Acapulco resort, Mike falls in love with social director Margarita Dauphine (Ursula Andress). With her help, he overcomes his fear of heights in a spectacular high-dive finale. Presley songs featured include "Vino, Dinero y Amor," "Marguerita," "Bossa Nova Baby" and the title tune. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Ursula Andress, (more)
- 1963
Recognizing the man in a picture snapped by a sidewalk photographer as Richard Kimble (David Janssen), Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) rushes to Chicago in hopes of finally capturing the fugitive. Seeking a hideout, Kimble takes refuge in the home of two crotchety middle-agers named Jake (John McGiver) and Sam (John Fiedler), who by a strange coincidence are in the middle of a lengthy debate over Kimble's innocence. Legendary sportscaster Chick Hearn appears as a TV newscaster in this semi-comic episode, which brings the first season of The Fugitive to a close. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
A Mexican honeymoon turns into a nightmare when Laura Needham (Eileen O'Neill), the young wife of tourist Mark Needham (Peter Graves), is murdered. The police suspect that the crime was committed by wealthy businessman Theodore Bond (Albert Salmi), but they lack the evidence to make an arrest. Taking matters into his own hands, Mark vows to bring the elusive Bond to justice -- but it is another tourist couple, Louise and Alex Trevor (Sarah Marshall, Ed Nelson), who finish what Mark has started. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Albert Salmi, (more)
- 1962
Although it never quite escapes the pitfalls of pretension, this film was Kirk Douglas's bid for the affections of the art house crowd, and it remains one of his best efforts. The star plays unreconstructed "rugged individual" Jack Burns, who rides throughout the modern west knocking down man-made fences. Visiting his equally rebellious friend Paul Bondi (Michael Kane), Burns deliberately gets himself thrown in jail to be nearer his pal. Frustrated that Bondi doesn't want to join Burns on the road, Burns breaks out of jail, thereby becoming a fugitive. His trail is dogged by Sheriff Johnson (Walter Matthau), a frustrated frontiersman who secretly admires the freewheeling Burns. Meanwhile, a truck driver (Carroll O'Connor) is ominously driving down the highway with a truckload of toilets. If you think there's supposed to be some symbolism in this seemingly peripheral character, you're absolutely right. Bill Raisch, a genuine amputee who played the one-armed man on TV's The Fugitive, is Douglas' surly opponent in the café brawl sequence. Filmed on location in New Mexico, Lonely are the Brave was adapted by Dalton Trumbo from Edward Abbey's novel Brave Cowboy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Gena Rowlands, (more)
- 1961
This episode is based on an actual incident in the life of famed Mexican revolutionary and muralist Gerardo Murino Cornado, aka "Dr. Atl." On the run from the authorities, Atl (played by David J. Stewart) takes refuge in a convent that is allegedly haunted by the ghost of an aztec warrior. Of course, Atl is too intelligent a man to believe in such nonsense--until the Federale who is pursuing him is mysteriously strangled to death. The real Dr. Atl makes a guest appearance in the closing scene. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
San Francisco, 1906: As a fancy downtown hotel prepares for a concert by the legendary Enrico Caruso, overrage bellhop Gerald Perkins (David Opatoshu) has a disturbing premonition, involving widespread death, devastation and destruction. Alas, when Gerald tries to warn people of his visions, he is believed to be drunk and is booted out of his job. But at least one other person in San Francisco seems willing to believe Gerald...just before the earth begins to move. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The Left Handed Gun was adapted by Gore Vidal from his own TV play, The Death of Billy the Kid. 33-year-old Paul Newman stars as 21-year-old William Bonney, the hotheaded gunslinger known as Billy the Kid. Avoiding the usual Hollywood glamourization of this controversial character, Newman portays Bonney pretty much as he was: an illiterate, homicidal cretin. Treated with kindness for the first time in his life by rancher Tunstall (Colin Keith-Johnston), Bonney becomes devoted to the rancher; in fact, it is virtually a love affair. Soon after, however, Tunstall is killed, prompting Bonney to go on a murderous spree. In the end, Bonney must face down the other important father-figure in his life, Pat Garrett (John Dehner). In case anyone should miss the Freudian subtext in The Left Handed Gun, the closeups of Bonney fondling his six-shooter will make things crystal clear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Lita Milan, (more)
- 1957
The premiere episode of Have Gun, Will Travel finds cultured gunslinger Paladin (Richard Boone) already headquartered at a fancy hotel in San Francisco, casually thumbing through a pile of newspapers in search of an assignment. Heading to New Mexico, he offers his services to wealthy rancher Jesse Reade (Harry Shannon), accepting his usual thousand-dollar fee to head South of the Border to rescue Reade's daughter Nancy (Janice Rule) from the clutches of bandit Dave Enderby (a pre-Hawaii Five-O Jack Lord). Risking his life to infiltrate the outlaw-controlled town of Perdido, Paladin finds that Nancy is in no mood to be rescued; she is in love with Enderby, and in fact is now the bandit's wife. Now Paladin must figure a way to disillusion Nancy and prove Enderby to be a thorough rat--and to escape safely from Perdido in the process. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
In this western, the trouble begins when a ruthless outlaw impersonates a mine owner. When the sheriff begins to suspect him, the badguy kills him. A government agent, working undercover replaces the sheriff, exposes the crook and wins the love of a purty gal in the process. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Mark Stevens, (more)
- 1957
Western writer/director Charles Marquis Warren makes one of his periodic excursions into horror with The Unknown Terror. Filmed in Mexico, the story focuses on three American adventurers (John Howard, Mala Powers and Paul Richards) who search for a missing explorer. They stumble across the Cave of Death, the forbidden domain of a mad scientist (Gerald Milton) who has developed a "killer fungus." Before long, one of the trio has fallen victim to the homicidal mold. It is up to the survivors to escape the scientist's clutches and warn the rest of the world of the now-known terror that festers in the wilds of Mexico. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mala Powers, Paul Richards, (more)
- 1957
Man in the Shadow is a better-than-usual Albert Zugsmith production starring Jeff Chandler as the newly appointed lawman in a corrupt southwestern town. A Mexican laborer has been murdered, a crime which powerful land baron Orson Welles wants the sheriff to ignore. Chandler bucks Welles' wishes and investigates the killing, with the trail of evidence leading inexorably to Welles...but what's the motive? Man in the Shadow is unimportant enough on its own, but the fact that it was produced at all would have a far-reaching effect on cinematic history. It was during shooting of this western that producer Albert Zugsmith and actor Orson Welles agreed to collaborate on the Welles-directed masterpiece Touch of Evil (58). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Chandler, Orson Welles, (more)
- 1956
Blackjack Ketchum, the real-life gunslinger who'd previously been a peripheral character in several westerns, is herein afforded his own feature-length "vehicle". Howard Duff plays the title role, who at the beginning of the film is doing his best to live down his reputation. This proves impossible when land baron Jared Tetlow (Victor Jory) and his brood muscle into the territory. Hoping to champion the cause of his fellow ranchers, Ketchum once more straps on his guns and prepares to do battle against Tetlow's henchmen. Naturally, Ketchum's sweetheart Nita Riordan (played by Maggie Mahoney, the mother of actress Sally Field) would prefer that Our Hero abstain from gunplay, but.Blackjack Ketchum, Desperado was based on a novel by Louis L'Amour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Duff, Victor Jory, (more)
- 1956
Loosely based on a novel by James M. Cain, this romantic drama centers on the struggles of a humble vineyard worker (real-life opera star Mario Lanza) who rises to become a renowned opera star. In the original book, Damon, the protagonist, has a homosexual relationship with the patron who boosts his career, but in the film, the patron is a wealthy and manipulative young woman named Kendall (Joan Fontaine). As charming as she is selfish, poor Damon cannot help but fall in love with Kendall. Unfortunately, she is a fickle creature and soon grows bored with him, thereby breaking his heart and causing him to choke during his audition for the Met. Afterward, he flees to Mexico. There he comes down with a mysterious, debilitating movie disease. Fortunately, Juana, a beautiful ex-bullfighter's daughter is there to help him recover. Damon falls in love with her, but just as it looks like happiness will finally be his, conniving Kendall reappears. In addition to singing numerous selections from popular operas, Lanza also sings a pair of Sammy Cahn/Nicholas Brodszky pop tunes: "Serenade" and "My Destiny." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mario Lanza, Joan Fontaine, (more)
- 1955
Ray Milland made his directorial debut with the Republic western A Man Alone. Milland also starred in the film, playing fugitive gunslinger Wes Steele. While escaping a lynch mob, Steele stumbles onto an Arizona ranch that has been quarantined due to Yellow Fever. During his enforced stay, he falls in love with sheriff's daughter Nadine Corrigan (Mary Murphy), who is as much a "lost soul" as Steele. The only hope the lovers have for a happy future is Steele's exoneration, but this won't happen so long as crooked town banker Stanley (Raymond Burr) holds all the cards. A Man Alone did well enough to encourage future directorial efforts by Ray Milland, which included the well-paced espionager Lisbon and the above average sci-fi exercise Panic in the Year Zero! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Mary Murphy, (more)
- 1955
Arriving in the western town of Dry Gulch to cover a rodeo, Lois (Noel Neill) and Jimmy (Jack Larson) attract the attention of brutish Gunner Flinch (Myron Healey). After forcing his attentions on Lois, Gunner orders Jimmy to leave town by sundown, or else he'll fill him full of lead--and to prove his gunslinging prowess, Flinch cold-bloodedly shoots down a local Mexican (Martin Garralaga). Before long, however, Clark Kent (George Reeves), aka Superman, has also shown up in town, and he's determined to expose Gunner Flinch as a fraudulent yellow-belly who's never killed anyone in his life! There's some truly hilarious dialogue in this one, especially during the scene in which Clark uses super-powers to win a poker game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Set in the coffee fields of Colombia, Green Fires stars Stewart Granger and Grace Kelly. Granger plays emerald prospector Rian X. Mitchell, who intends to explore an old deserted mine despite the protests of his partner Vic Leonard Paul Douglas and the threat of death at the hands of local bandit El Moro Murvyn Vye. Ms. Kelly costars as Catherine Knowland, whose coffee plantation lies at the foot of the mine where Mitchell labors away. Such natural disasters as rain and flood, coupled with such man-made weapons of destruction as guns and dynamite, continually thwart Mitchell's search for riches. As the film winds down, he is forced to choose between the emeralds and Catherine. Largely filmed on location, Green Fire is good, old-fashioned Saturday matinee stuff, dressed up and prettified by MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Grace Kelly, (more)
- 1954
Based on a novel by Gwen Bristow, Jubilee Trail is a sprawling, all-star western from the Republic Studio mills. Despite is vaunted budget, the plot is strictly B-picture material. Ambitious California landowner Charles Hale (Ray Middleton) hopes to add to his riches by marrying off his brother Oliver (John Russell) to a wealthy Spanish family. But when Oliver weds a gal named Garnet (Joan Leslie) instead, Charles vows revenge against the new bride. Later, Oliver is killed, leaving Garnet to raise their baby alone. Charles intends to claim the baby for himself, but Garnet, who has subsequently fallen in love with John Ives (Forrest Tucker), isn't about to let that happen. Top-billed Vera Ralston plays saloon-hall chirp Florinda, a Woman With a Past who is peripherally involved in the plot proper, while Richard Webb, TV's "Captain Midnight", fills the obligatory "disgruntled suitor" role. The film is stolen hands down by Pat O'Brien as a drunken doctor who serves as last-minute problem-solver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Ralston, Joan Leslie, (more)
- 1954
Before Indiana Jones there was Harry Steele (Charlton Heston), an idealistic archaeologist determined to return an ancient Incan mask to the society from which it came. A greedy con-artist (Robert Young) has other ideas, though, and the two men race to fund an expedition to find the treasure, which has reportedly been buried by Spanish conquistadores somewhere in Machu Picchu. The con-artist (Young) seduces a beautiful tourist in order to reach his goal, leaving Steele (Heston) to locate the site through more honorable means. Twenty-seven years before directors George Lucas and Steven Spielburg collaborated to create Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jerry Hopper directed Secret of the Incas. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Robert Young, (more)
- 1954
Scott Brady plays a decidedly mature Billy the Kid in this Columbia western programmer. According to this acount, Billy was just a mixed-up kid who was forced against his will to become a gunslinger. Billy's friendship with sheriff Pat Garrett (James Griffith), which has always been a matter of historical speculation, is deepened in the film, with Garrett reluctantly tracking Billy down after the latter has tried to avenge the death of kindly rancher John H. Tunstall (Paul Cavanaugh). British leading lady Betta St. John is cast as Billy's love interest (and the unwitting cause of his ultimate downfall) while Alan Hale Jr. is far removed from his Gilligan's Island role as The Skipper, cast here as a scowling heavy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Brady, James Griffith, (more)
The first film version of W.R. Burnett's novel Saint Johnson was filmed as Law and Order in 1932. Essentially an all-names-changed retelling of the Wyatt Earp legend, the film scored on its humanity and restraint. The 1953 remake eschewed the shadings and subtleties of the original in favor of a traditional shoot-em-up, replete with gratuitous violence. Ronald Reagan stars as the Earp counterpart this time, who has sworn to bring criminal Preston S. Foster to justice. The original Law and Order had no love interest at all; the Reagan version pairs up the star with beautiful Dorothy Malone, and offers a second leading lady in the form of Ruth Hampton. The original had a hanging sequence which was treated as business as usual; the remake turns this sequence into a brutal lynching. Common to both films was the final showdown between Reagan and Foster, given added melodrama in the later version by the fact that Reagan had previously sworn to give up his guns for the love of his lady. Like most of Ronald Reagan's 1950s vehicles, Law and Order paid its way and was then forgotten. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ronald Reagan, Dorothy Malone, (more)
