Roscoe Ates Movies

The second of Jerry Lewis' directorial endeavors, The Errand Boy, like its predecessor The Bellboy, is essentially a series of "spot gags," some hilarious, others only moderately amusing. The gossamer-thin plot finds Morty Tashman (Lewis) being hired by the CEO of "Paramutuel Pictures" (Brian Donlevy) to spy on studio employees and report any incidents of wastefulness and sloth. This gives Morty a chance to wander all over the Paramutuel Pictures lot, inadvertently interfering with work in progress, encountering strange characters and inexplicable events, and overall making as much of a nuisance of himself as possible. Some of the better gags include Morty's chaotic behavior at the "wrap party" for a vainglorious movie queen (Iris Adrian); his attempts to eat lunch while a noisy battle scene from a war picture rages all around him; his misguided effort to dub in the singing voice of a tone-deaf actress; the "Mr. Baebrosenthal" bit; and Morty's tete-a-tete in the studio swimming pool with a scuba diver. The weakest scenes involve Morty's sugary encounters with the Ritts Puppets, and a smug curtain speech about the importance of laughmakers in this troubled world. The huge supporting cast includes such reliable chucklemeisters as Howard McNear, Sig Ruman, Milton Frome, Benny Rubin, Fritz Feld, Doodles Weaver, Joey Forman, Dick Wesson and Joe Besser; also making fleeting appearances are actress/writer/director Renee Taylor, veteran movie tough guy Mike Mazurki (in drag!), silent film comic Snub Pollard, and the four stars from TV's Bonanza. Even non-Jerry Lewis fans will come down with a case of loose chuckles while watching The Errand Boy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Comedian Jerry Lewis began directing movies in 1960, and this often unkind satire on the nature of American womanhood is one of his early efforts in that regard. The rubber-legged, rubber-faced Lewis plays Herbert, a man who is despondent over the break-up of his romance. While looking for a job, he comes across an impressive mansion (built as a set at the cost of $350,000) filled with women of all types -- and lo and behold -- they need a handyman. So Herbert gets to reside with a bevy of women of various types, all under the supervision of Mrs. Wellenmelon (Helen Traubel). In the end, the set itself outtrumps them all. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Bart (Jack Kelly) is framed for crimes he didn't commit by sadistic sheriff Horace Hadley (Edgar Buchanan) and his equally odious deputy Jones (played by future Oscar winner George Kennedy). The two crooked lawmen specialize in hunting down and murdering innocent men, then claiming that their victims are outlaws in order to collect the reward. In his efforts to expose Hadley and Jones' racket, Bart turns bounty hunter and solicits the aid of several familiar Warner Bros. TV-series stars--who prove to be no help whatsoever. Appearing in cameo roles are Clint Walker from Cheyenne, Will Hutchins from Sugarfoot, John Russell and Peter Brown from Lawman, and Edd "Kookie" Byrnes from 77 Sunset Strip (a title given a cute "westernization" in the context of the story). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A formerly rough-and-tumble Western mining town has lived in peace and tranquility ever since the arrival of gentle giants Jamie and Ben McMahon (Arch Johnson, Read Morgan). All this changes when an odd-looking little man (Norman Lloyd) shows up in town, promptly challenging the McMahon brothers' authority. Despite their combined brawn, Jamie and Ben prove utterly incapable of standing up to the Little Man -- who seems to possess demonic powers! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

En route from Tucson to the town of Ten Strike, Bret (James Garner) makes the acquaintance of Frankie French (Connie Stevens), a former saloon dancer. Frankie has been summoned to Ten Strike by a mysterious benefactor whom she has never met. Upon her arrival in town, Frankie discovers that her benefactor has murdered and that she is the main suspect--and when Bret tries to help the girl out, he is told to get out of town pronto. . .or else! In addition to a pre-stardom Connie Stevens (who would soon rise to fame on another Warner Bros. series, Hawaiian Eye), this episode affords TV buffs a glimpse of a young, pre-Batman Adam West, here cast as a vicious gunslinger. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In order to play in a high-stakes poker game, Bret (James Garner) and Bart (Jack Kelly) enter a pair of certified checks, each worth $10,000. Only after they've thrown the checks into the pot are the Mavericks informed by beautiful Jessamy Longacre (Patricia Barry) that the bank which issued the checks has gone bankrupt. The brothers' only hope to reclaim their money (minus a 10 % commission to Jessamy, of course) is to ride hell-for-leather through Indian territory to the bank's Deadwood branch, which hasn't been informed of the bankruptcy and still has $11,000 in its vault. Those familiar with the names of the Maverick production crew will get a chuckle out of the character name bestowed upon supporting actor Duane Grey. And incidentally, this was costar Jack Kelly's favorite episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After the death of her first husband, Judy (Joanna Moore) marries Steve (Steve Forrest), the man who sold her the insurance policy on her late hubby's life. When Judy and Steve quickly run out of money, Judy pins her hopes on a sweepstakes ticket that husband number one purchased just before his death. Unfortunately, the ticket stub is in the pocket of her dead husband's jacket -- the jacket that he was buried in. Based on a story by frequent Hitchcock collaborator Cornell Woolrich, "Post Mortem" had been previously been dramatized on the radio anthology Suspense. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tom (William Demarest) and Ben (Roscoe Ates) are a pair of old coots living in the Nevada desert. The local sheriff (Ben Johnson) shows up at their place with an eviction notice, but he agrees to let them stay on their property if they can get a dead rosebush to bloom within the next 30 days. Not long afterward, Tom and Ben are confronted by a fugitive from justice (Mike Kellin), leading to a fight and a killing -- and thereby hangs the conclusion of the story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

As a favor to an old friend, producer Alex Gordon, James Cagney turned director for the first and only time in his career with Short Cut to Hell. The film is a remake of the 1942 Veronica Lake-Alan Ladd starrer This Gun For Hire. Robert Ivers plays Kyle, a hired killer who is double-crossed by his employer Bahrwell (Jacques Aubuchon). Seeking revenge, Kyle is reluctantly teamed with Glory Hamilton (Georgann Johnson), who has been targeted for elimination by Bahrwell and his henchman Nichols (Murvyn Vye). Unfortunately, Glory is the girlfriend of detective Stan (William Bishop), forcing Kyle to go on the lam before he can settle accounts with the film's principal villain. Kyle is finally able to get even with Bahrwell, and in the process reveals his long-dormant "good" side. Though the film itself is nothing special, Cagney's direction is sharp and efficient; it's too bad that Short Cut to Hell was his only effort behind the cameras. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this upbeat drama, a reformed father returns to the Arkansas farm of his estranged family after having spent too many years living in the fast lane. Included in the family are his mute daughter and his baby son, whom he'd never seen. The father is determined to set things right and immediately begins fixing up the run-down farm. The film's climax occurs when the father, hearing screams, saves his heretofore mute daughter who has fallen into a mine shaft. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

An unusually matronly Jane Wyman plays the title character in Lucy Gallant. Adapted from a novel by Margaret Cousins, the story concerns the efforts by Lucy Gallant to make the wide-open spaces of Texas a mecca for High Fashion. Jilted at the altar, Lucy retreats to a booming oil town, where she courageously opens up a gown shop. Rancher Casey Cole (Charlton Heston) is disdainful of "working women", but he never hides the fact that he's madly in love with Lucy. As the film progresses, Lucy nearly loses her business due to financial reverses, but Casey secretly pumps money into her operation, all the while declaring publicly that she's doomed to failure. Lucy's gowns were actually designed by Edith Head, who makes an appearance towards the end of the film, as does the then-governor of Texas, Allan Shivers. Lucy Gallant was the last of the incredibly successful Pine-Thomas productions for Paramount Pictures; there might have been more had not William H. Pine died shortly after completing the film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Paramount's Pine-Thomas production unit takes the plunge into the 3-D craze in Those Redheads from Seattle. The titular carrot-tops are played by Rhonda Fleming, Teresa Brewer and Cynthia and Kay Bell, as members of a singing-sister act. Arriving in the Yukon during the Gold Rush days in the company of their mother (Agnes Moorehead), the four heroines get work at the saloon owned by Johnny Kisco (Gene Barry). What plot there is concerns Kathy Edmond's (Fleming) search for her father's murderer, who may or may not be Kisco. Despite all the heady competition, the film is stolen by the diminutive Teresa Brewer, who sings practically everything except "Music Music Music." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi