Claude Hall Movies
Steve McQueen stars as the Cincinnati Kid, a crackerjack New Orleans stud poker player. Tired of chicken feed, the Kid decides to challenge The Man (Edward G. Robinson), the reigning poker champ, who is in town for a private game. The Shooter (Karl Malden), another gambling pro, arranges a game between the Kid and the Man, with the Shooter dealing. The game is compromised by the intervention of Slade (Rip Torn), an old foe of the Man's who tries to fix the outcome. The Kid finds out about this and tells Slade to get lost, preferring to win fair and square. The outcome is in the cagey hands of The Man, who is smart enough to do (as one reviewer put it) the wrong thing at the right time. The Cincinnati Kid was based on the novel by Richard Jessup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve McQueen, Edward G. Robinson, (more)
- 1965
Film favorite Joan Leslie appears in this episode as Mrs. Cooper, a Quaker widow who hires Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) as a ranch hand. It soon develops that Jason will also have to act as Mrs. Cooper's bodyguard, thanks to vengeful one-armed rancher Renger (John Ireland). Embittered over the fact that he was crippled in a war in which Mrs. Cooper's pacifist husband refused to fight, Renger is determined to drive the widow off her land--and he's not above committing extreme acts of violence to achieve his goal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Michael Rennie guest stars as Charles Briswell, an accused murderer whom Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) rescues from a miner's kangaroo court. Jason's motives aren't entirely humanitarian: Briswell claims to have been a witness at the battle of Bitter Creek, and thus is in a position to clear McCord of cowardice charges. But as Jason escorts Briswell to the nearest army post, he begins to suspect that the man isn't being entirely open and above-board with his "eyewitness" testimony. ~ 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)
- 1964
The nasty lives of a greedy family provide the basis of this rather lurid crime drama. It all begins when Norm and Della find out that Norm's brother Jim's ranch is sitting atop an untapped oil reserve. To get it, the two conspire to convince Jim that he is insane. Evil Della then betrays Norm by making Jim believe that Norm is the nutty one. Together, Jim and Della have Norm committed. Unfortunately, he escapes and returns to the ranch and things only get worse from there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
This is the third time around for the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. The action takes place in urban Texas instead of the traditional setting in rural Iowa. This film version contains five extra songs written exclusively by Richard Rodgers. Box office results were adequate at best, and movie going public deemed this version the least interesting of the three. The youth audience was lured by the casting of Ann-Margaret, Pat Boone and Bobby Darin. Alice Faye returned to the big screen after a sixteen year absence as Melissa Frake. Tom Ewell plays her husband, Abel. The plot finds a family traveling to Dallas for the Texas State Fair. Singing commences on the ferris wheel, the merry-go-round and in other locales. The only real action is the anticipation of a drag race between Wayne (Pat Boone) and the carrot topped, malevolent motorhead Red (Edward "Tap" Canutt). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat Boone, Bobby Darin, (more)
