Lois Hall Movies
The star of Republic Pictures' notoriously bad Daughter of the Jungle (1949), and, she claims, a second cousin to both Charles Lindbergh and Gig Young, Lois Hall was discovered by an agent while performing with the famed Pasadena Playhouse. She had a walk-on in the Cary Grant comedy Every Girl Should be Married (1948) and then settled into a long stint as a leading lady to such B-Western stars as Charles Starrett, Johnny Mack Brown, and Whip Wilson. Hall also did the inevitable serials, The Adventures of Sir Galahad (1949) and Pirates of the High Seas (1950), and was frequently seen on television's The Range Rider series until semi-retiring in 1958 to care for her family. Widowed in 1995, Hall works as an ambassador for the Baha'i One World Faith but has returned to acting on such television shows as Profiler (2000) and in the feature films Gone in Sixty Seconds (2000) and Bad Boy (2002). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1948
- NR
Cary Grant met his future wife Betsy Drake on the set of the appropriately titled Every Girl Should be Married. Grant plays well-known baby specialist Madison Brown, who is Dr. Spock in everything but name. After a chance meeting with headstrong young Anabel Sins (Drake), poor Brown finds his every move and thought monitored by Anabel, who intends to become his wife come heck or high water. Upset that Brown steadfastly resists her charms, Anabel decides to make him jealous by playing up to her boss Roger Sanford (Franchot Tone). When Brown still won't bite, our plucky heroine mounts a campaign enlisting everybody in town to wear down the doctor's resistance. Nowadays, this is called "stalking"; in 1948, it was called "funny." Produced, directed and written by Don Hartman, Every Girl Should be Married was a box-office winner to the tune of $775,000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cary Grant, Franchot Tone, (more)
- 1948
In this family farce, an older couple falls in love and decide to marry and embark upon a peaceful honeymoon without the bride's three bratty children. Unfortunately, the way things work out, the whole family ends up tagging along. The little darlings are less than pleased that their widowed mother has remarried and behave as monstrously as possible. Eventually their frustrated step-daddy has his fill and gives each of the brats a well-deserved licking. After a major quarrel, they each return home alone. Meanwhile a sly seductress who has her eye on the husband for a while, and who just happened to be staying at the same hotel, rushes back home and plans a little party designed to further humiliate the bride. Fortunately, a change of heart scuttle's the vixen's plans and happiness ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, Fred MacMurray, (more)
- 1949
The legendary Knights of the Round Table came to the screen in 1949 courtesy of penny-pinching serial producer Sam Katzman. A pre-Superman George Reeves starred in the title role, a knight who, in order to join King Arthur (Nelson Leigh) and his famous table, must obtain the missing sword Excalibur whose powers can render a person invisible. Sir Galahad is hindered in his quest by the occupying Saxons in general and by Merlin the magician (William Fawcett) and a mysterious Black Knight (Leonard Penn) in particular. All the legendary characters appear in this serial, including Morgan Le Fay (Pat Barton); Sir Lancelot (Hugh Prosser); Queen Guinevere (Marjorie Stapp); and Sir Gawain (Rick Vallin). Katzman and screenwriters George H. Plympton, Lewis Clay and David Mathews added a rotund sidekick, Bors, played, surprisingly, by veteran B-Western menace Charles King. Unfortunately, producer Katzman's pernicious methods rendered the serial less than first class. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
The Marx Brothers' final starring feature Love Happy began life as a solo vehicle for Harpo. The financiers wouldn't go for this, insisting that all three Marx boys appear on screen. Thus, Chico was hastily written into the proceedings, while Groucho made what amounted to a guest appearance as narrator and last-minute problem solver. The story concerns a group of aspiring actors who are putting together a musical review called "Love Happy." Harpo, the troupe's mascot, keeps the actors from starving by cleverly filching canned goods from a local grocer. On one such excursion, he accidentally gets hold of a sardine can containing a fortune in stolen diamonds. This makes Harpo the target of icy adventuress Madame Egilichi (Ilona Massey) and her henchmen (Melville Cooper, Raymond Burr, Bruce Gordon). When he isn't fending off the villains, Harpo is making life a little brighter for "Love Happy"'s leading lady Maggie (Vera-Ellen). Chico shows up sporadically as Faustino the Great, an itinerant musician, while Groucho plays private eye Sam Grunion, who does the best he can with some pretty weak dialogue. Groucho's best scene is his one-minute confrontation with a gorgeous blonde client, played by a decidedly pre-stardom Marilyn Monroe. Most of the comedy routines in Love Happy are either underwritten or underdeveloped, save for the spectacular finale, wherein Harpo evades the villains by climbing over, under and around neon advertisement signs for such products as Fisk Tires, Mobilgas and Kool Cigarettes. The fact that Ben Hecht wrote the original story upon which Love Happy was based caused the film to be banned in Great Britain, due to Hecht's improvident comments about the British occupation of Palestine. Though dyed-in-the-wool Marx Brothers fans tend to dislike Love Happy, the film manages to deliver quite a few solid laughs when seen today. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, (more)
- 1949
In his second-to-last Monogram Western, country & western singer Jimmy Wakely does hardly any singing at all as he and sidekick Cannonball (Dub Taylor) attempt to catch the villain who caused the death of 16-year-old Perry Andrews (Buddy Swan), a student at the Sheriff's Association School. Perry was shot by Marshal Jim Braden (Jack Ingram), who mistook him for a murderous claim jumper. Due to young Perry's suspected involvement in a crime, the foundation supporting his school is threatening to withdraw all funding. To save the school, Wakely and Cannonball tracks down the claim jumper (Nolan Leary) by pretending to be outlaws themselves. A clean-cut veteran of Gene Autry's radio show, Wakely became Monogram's best bid in the Singing Cowboy sweepstakes. His series ran from 1944 to 1949, almost exclusively in the hinterlands. By that late date, B-Westerns were facing stiff competition from television and Wakely left to form his own record label. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1949
In this boxing drama, Jimmy Brody, a retired middle-weight champion turned publisher, must return to the ring when his company encounters financial difficulties. He is set up by some bad-news bookies who try to convince Brody to take a dive. The ex-champ refuses and triumphs even though his hand was broken during the bout. Furious, the gamblers attempt to kill him. Fortunately the cops arrive in the nick of time. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Brown, Audrey Long, (more)
- 1949
In this low-budget Africa-set jungle adventure, the excitement begins when a small plane crash-lands deep in the dense tropical forest. Everyone survives the landing, but now they must survive the many dangers there as they journey through the jungle to safety. It doesn't help that two of the passengers are notorious Chicago gangsters who were being extradited to the US by the police. En route the little group runs into an eccentric millionaire, who simply vanished years before and was presumed dead. With the tycoon is his lovely, feral daughter who, using her expertise at jungle living, helps the travelers successfully make the arduous, danger-fraught journey. Among the terrors they face are vicious gorillas, and angry natives. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lois Hall, James B. Cardwell, (more)
- 1950
The title insurrection in this low-budget Whip Wilson Western consists mainly of Iron Eyes Cody, who is conspiring to raid the wagon trains with crooked sheriff Marshall Reed and nefarious Indian agent Forrest Taylor. Investigating the presumed revolt, the whip-wielding Wilson and grizzled sidekick Andy Clyde, United States Marshals, are aided by Canyon City's kindhearted judge (Sam Flint and his pretty daughter Lois Hall. The latter, almost needless to say, is kidnapped by the gang but rescued in the nick of time by Whip, whose famous weapon of choice disarms the crooked sheriff. By no means the worst of Wilson's low-budget oaters for Monogram, Cherokee Uprising was filmed at the picturesque Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, California. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whip Wilson, Andy Clyde, (more)
- 1950
A Woman of Distinction serves as a tailor-made vehicle for Rosalind Russell. The star is cast as Susan Middlecott, a highly respected college dean. As can be expected, Susan is too busy for romance -- at least until handsome professor Alec Stevenson (Ray Milland) enters the picture. At first, the dean and the prof are thrown together by the overzealous machinations of a press agent, and they're none too pleased about it. No matter how hard they try to keep their distance from each other, Susan and Alec constantly find themselves in embarrassing situations in full view of the public. It takes the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of Susan's puckish papa (Edmund Gwenn) to straighten things out. Appearing in unbilled cameos are Lucille Ball as herself, and Ball's future TV cohort Gale Gordon as a railroad ticket agent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Rosalind Russell, (more)
- 1950
Joe Kirkwood Jr. once more plays Ham Fisher's comic-strip creation Joe Palooka. This time around, Joe's faithful girl Ann Howe is essayed by Lois Hall, while James Gleason replaces Leon Errol in the role of Joe's manager Knobby Walsh. The story gets under way when soft-hearted pugilist Palooka witnesses a gangland rubout. Joe is all for testifying, but the police can do nothing: the body has disappeared, and all evidence has been destroyed. Even so, Joe publicly identifies the killers, leading to any number of perilous situations. The climax borrows heavily from the 1944 thriller Murder My Sweet, with a doped-up Joe suffering hallucinations in the boxing ring. Joe's pal Humphrey Pennyworth is played by Robert Coogan, a little chubbier than he was when last we saw him in Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Kirkwood, Jr., Lois Hall, (more)
- 1950
Western star Charles Starrett does not disappoint his fans in Frontier Outpost. As usual, Starrett plays Steve Lawton, a lawman who is compelled to assume the identity of the masked avenger known only as "The Durango Kid." This time, the villains are gold raiders, preying upon Army shipments. Falsely imprisoned through the machinations of the head criminal (who, of course, is an "above suspicion" solid citizen), Lawton escapes, dons his Durango disguise, and brings the crooks to justice. Way down the cast list as "Lieutenant Peck" is Jock O'Mahoney, who also doubled for Charles Starrett in the tougher stunt sequences. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1950
Buster Crabbe stars in this Columbia serial about a modern-day "Flying Dutchman" ghost ship. Costarring are Tristram Coffin, Lois Hall), and Symona Boniface as "The Lotus Lady." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry "Buster" Crabbe, Lois Hall, (more)
- 1950
Charles Starrett plays The Durango Kid in the 1950 Columbia western Texas Dynamo. In fact, Charles Starrett always played the Durango Kid, but this was what his fans craved, so why spoil a good thing? As a novelty, Starrett not only plays Durango and his "alter ego" Steve Drake, but also takes on a third identity, that of a hired gun in the employ of the film's bad guys. As one critic noted, this may be the only western in which the hero is obliged to chase himself. Jock O'Mahoney -- later known as Jock Mahoney -- plays a secondary role, and also doubles for Starrett during the riskier stunt sequences. The rest of the cast includes Fred Sears, who'd directed some of the past Durango Kid entries, and Emil Sitka, best known for his appearances in Columbia's Three Stooges comedies ("Hold hands, you lovebirds!") ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1950
In this musical comedy with dramatic touches, Jack and Molly Moran (Dan Dailey and Betty Grable) are a show business couple who, after hosting their own radio show, have just been given a deal to star in a TV series. They're also thrilled to discover that Molly is expecting a baby, but their joy turns to sorrow after she loses the child in an auto accident, and her doctors tell her that she may not be able to conceive again. When they see how happy their friends Walter and Janet Pringle (David Wayne and Jane Wyatt) are with their five children, the Morans decide to adopt, but they discover that show people are not generally regarded as fit parents, regardless of their success or stability. However, good fortune eventually shines on Jack and Molly, as they find themselves with not one but two adopted tykes, and a big surprise around the corner. My Blue Heaven marked the film debut of musical star Mitzi Gaynor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, (more)
- 1950
Back in the 1930s, '40s and '50s, artist George Petty was famous for his "Petty Girl" illustrations; lovingly detailed renderings of ripe young damsels wearing next to nothing, and sometimes not even that. In The Petty Girl, George Petty is portrayed by Robert Cummings, while Joan Caulfield co-stars as strait-laced college professor Victoria Braymore. The plot contrives to have Petty abandon his nubile creations in favor of avant-garde art, all because he's been told to do so by his new patroness (Audrey Long). Somewhere along the way, Petty and the prim Miss Braymore find themselves in a compromising situation at a Greenwich Village nightclub. Thus it is only a matter of time before Petty goes back to the sort of artwork he does best, and Miss Braymore loosens her inhibitions -- and everything else -- to serve as Petty's latest model. Incredibly, this amusing exercise in old-fashioned male chauvinism was based on a story by novelist Mary McCarthy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Cummings, Joan Caulfield, (more)
- 1950
Charles Starrett once more rights wrongs as "The Durango Kid" in Horsemen of the Sierras. The story revolves around Robin Grant (Tommy Ivo), a young boy who's inherited a valuable range. Certain evil interests do their best to kill off Robin and claim the land for themselves. U.S. marshall Steve Saunders (Starrett) comes to the boy's rescue--and when Steve can't rely on the Law to back him up, he dons the guise of the masked Durango Kid. An uncredited Jock Mahoney performs some of Starrett's more dangerous stunts. Comedy relief Smiley Burnette is more obstreperous than usual, especially when he lets the bad guys slip right through his fingers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1951
As was customary in his late Monogram westerns, Johnny Mack Brown plays an undercover agent in Colorado Ambush. Brown is sent to Colorado to stem the activities of a particularly vicious outlaw gang. The leader of the gang is played by Myron Healey, who also wrote the script. The best sequence involves Healey and saloon gal Christine McIntyre; it's the standard "We're neither one of us any good," dialogue exchange, but it's played with depth and finesse. Myron Healey also wrote and co-starred in the subsequent Johnny Mack Brown oater Texas Lawman (1951). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, Myron Healey, (more)
- 1951
The Cinecolor "A" western Slaughter Trail anticipated High Noon by having its story narrated in song by troubadour Terry Gilkyson. The basic plotline is a traditional Indians-vs.-whites affair, with cavalry officer Dempster (Brian Donlevy) trying to undo the damage created by Indian-hating bandit Vaughn (Gig Young). Upon cold-bloodedly murdering two Navajos, Vaughn has fomented a deadly tribal war, with Dempster's cavalry post right in the middle. Other endangered species include a supposed damsel-in-distress (Virginia Grey), who turns out to be Vaughn's accomplice. Filmed in 1950, Slaughter Trail was purchased by RKO head-man Howard R. Hughes in 1951. Hughes withheld release of the film until he was able to reshoot all scenes involving Howard da Silva, who'd originally been cast in the Brian Donlevy role. Da Silva was under a political cloud as an alleged pro-communist at the time, and the xenophobic Hughes wasn't about to release any film with a "Pinko" in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Gig Young, (more)
- 1951
Paramount's Ray Milland and 20th Century-Fox's Gene Tierney star in Warner Bros.' Close to My Heart. The stars play, respectively, journalist Brad Sheridan and his wife Midge. Unable to have children of her own, Midge opts for adoption, thereby subjecting her husband and herself to the very exacting requirements of adoption agencies. Upon learning of an abandoned child left at a police station, Midge determines to claim the baby for her own, but Brad refuses to go along with his wife's plans until he can find out something more about the child's parents. Brad's feverish above-and-beyond search for the facts make him a highly unreliable adoption risk--but there's still hope for a happy ending. Ironically, star Gene Tierney was still trying to cope with the personal tragedy of giving birth to a severely retarded daughter while filming Close to My Heart. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Gene Tierney, (more)
- 1951
Republic's Secrets of Monte Carlo stars Warren Douglas as vacationing American businessman Bill Whitfield. In a twinkling, Whitfield finds himself in the middle of a search for an Arab potentate's missing jewels. In two twinklings, he is accused of stealing the gems. Susan Reeves (Lois Hall), the sister of detective Charles Reeves (Robin Hughes), comes to Whitfield's defense. Though inexpensively produced, Secrets of Monte Carlo is an effective suspenser, with Republic's back lot standing in admirably as Southern Europe. Another plus: a formidable array of villains, headed by the glamorous June Vincent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Douglas, Lois Hall, (more)
- 1951
Tall (and a bit heavy) in the saddle, Johnny Mack Brown stars in Blazing Bullets. Too long in tooth to pass a romantic lead, Brown permits his sidekick House Peters Jr. to pitch woo to leading lady Lois Hall. The plot is the same as in Brown's ten previous Monogram westerns; coming into a corruption-ridden town, our hero ambles around innocently, sizing up the situation, then slaps leather. Up until the finale, the film's excitement level is virtually nonexistent. Johnny Mack Brown would close out his Monogram contract the following year with his 66th release for the company. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Cowboy star Whip Wilson keeps whipping along in Monogram's Night Raiders. This time, Wilson and saddle pal Tom Farrell are federal marshals, assigned to stop the activities of a nocturnal terrorist group. These so-called Night Raiders lay waste to local ranches, but curiously never steal anything. The trail of clues leads to a motivation (fixing an upcoming election) and, inevitably, a Least Likely Suspect who turns out to be the brains of the organization. Fuzzy Knight supplies laughs, while Terry Frost and Marshall Reed provide menace. Whip Wilson's Night Raiders co-star Tom Farrell was the son of actress Glenda Farrell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whip Wilson, Tommy Farrell, (more)
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
- Starring:
- Laurence Olivier, Jennifer Jones, (more)
- 1952
Johnny Mack Brown substitutes brains for brawn during most of Texas City. Cast once more as a U.S. marshal, Johnny investigates when several government gold shipments are hijacked. Someone has been tipping of the outlaws as to when and where the supposedly secret shipments will take place. The principal suspect is dishonorably discharged cavalry officer Kirby (James Ellison), but Johnny has a gut feeling that Kirby is innocent on all counts. Besides, someone has to romance leading lady Lois Hall, and Brown is frankly too mature and portly to handle this aspect of the story. Way down on the cast list as a cavalry sergeant is John Hart, who at the time Texas City was filmed was subbing for Clayton Moore on TV's The Lone Ranger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Mack Brown, James Ellison, (more)
- 1953
Season Two of the Adventures of Superman opened with a bang, and a new level of sophistication in the writing and directing, with "Five Minutes To Doom". Clark Kent (George Reeves) and Lois Lane (Noel Neill) are at the death house in state prison to try and get an interview out of Joe Winters (Dabbs Greer), who is about to be executed for murder; but even for the Daily Planet's offer of $5000 for his honest account of the killing -- which Winters would dearly love to give to his wife and young son -- he can't bring himself to admit to a murder he didn't commit. Kent, using his super-powers, determines that Winters is telling the truth about being innocent; and a murder attempt against the two reporters while on their drive back to Metropolis convinces Lois and their editor, Perry White (John Hamilton), that Kent is onto something. The reporters find some shady aspects to the case surrounding Winters, and a connection to a ruthless, powerful businessman named Wayne, who seems to be hiding something. But can even Superman work fast enough to save a man scheduled to be executed in less than a day? ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
