Thurston Hall Movies

If Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) had ever bothered to discuss the matter with his brother Bret, he'd have known to steer clear of the lovely but larcenous Samantha Crawford (Diane Brewster in her second series appearance). Unfortunately for Bart, he has never met Samantha, and thus he completely swallows her claim that she is a government secret agent, determined to recover treasury plates used for counterfeit money from a phony spy. The climactic courtroom sequence features one of the final appearances by veteran character actor Thurston Hall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the most subtle and sophisticated of the musical comedies that came out of MGM's Arthur Freed Unit in the '40s and '50s, The Band Wagon stars Fred Astaire as Tony Hunter, a movie star whose career is in a downturn. Looking for a boost, Tony decides to try starring in a Broadway musical. His friends Lester and Lily Marton (Oscar Levant and Nanette Fabray) have written a show they feel would be just right for Tony, and the three team up with Jeffrey Cordova (Jack Buchanan), a self-styled "genius" director, who gets the idea to turn the play into a revised version of Faust. Cordova's more pretentious ideas don't always sit well with the Martons, and Tony isn't too happy with his leggy co-star, Gaby Gerard (Cyd Charisse), whom he's convinced is too tall (then again, she thinks he's too old). But when the show proves a disaster in out-of-town tryouts, everyone realizes they have to put aside their differences if they want a show that will be on Broadway for longer than four hours. The Band Wagon featured a rare American appearance for British musical star Jack Buchanan, who does a fine soft-shoe with Fred Astaire on "I Guess I'll Have to Change My Plan." Astaire also shines in the numbers "Shine on Your Shoes" and "The Girl Hunt," a witty Mickey Spillane parody. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Gene Autry and Pat Buttram are innovatively cast as Gene Autry and Pat Buttram in Night Stage to Galveston. Set during the wild-and-wooly days when the Texas Rangers were supplanted by various local corrupt police officials, the story finds Gene at odds with crooked police chief Gen. Slaydon (Robert Livingston). Our Hero's task herein is to stem Slaydon's underhanded activities, and to restore the Rangers to their former glory. Meanwhile, his sidekick Buttram makes with the comic songs and the slapstick sequences. The feminine interest is provided by Virginia Huston, cast as the daughter of crusading journalist Thurston Hall. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location in Mexico (one of several Hollywood-financed films of the 1950s to take advantage of the lower production and labor costs south of the border), One Big Affair stars Evelyn Keyes as Jean Harper, a scatter-brained American schoolteacher and Dennis O'Keefe as Jimmy Donovan, a stateside lawyer. When Jean is separated from her tour group, it is assumed that she's been kidnapped. In fact, she has fallen in love with fellow tourist Donovan, and has joined him in his journey to Acapulco. The local constabulary refuse to believe that Donovan isn't a kidnapper, and a zany chase across Mexico ensues. One Big Affair was produced by the estimable Benedict Bogaeus, on the verge of his lucrative association with RKO Radio, and director Allan Dwan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Irene Dunne made her final film appearance in the frothy fantasy It Grows on Trees. Looking at least two decades younger than her 52 years, Dunne plays Polly Baxter, the ebullient wife of Phil Baxter (Dean Jagger). Miracle of miracles, two of the trees in Polly's backyard garden begin sprouting paper currency! Assuming that it's genuine mazumah, Polly goes on a spending spree, and also pays off the long-standing mortgage on the house. The money-yielding trees soon become a nationwide sensation, drawing thousands of interested parties to the Baxters' tiny backyard. A major setback is inevitable, but the manner in which the dilemma is solved is both clever and logical. When it isn't concentrating on the plot proper, It Grows on Trees offers some amusing jibes at the U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, and small-town pretentiousness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this musical comedy, a rambunctious small-town girl inadvertently joins the Army and decides to make the best of it. Songs include: "Lovey," "If Only Dreams Came True," "Boy, Oh Boy," "Song of the Women's Army Corps." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Gene Autry stars in the 1951 sagebrusher Whirlwind. In this outing, Autry plays a frontier postal inspector known for his lightning speed in the saddle (hence the title). Travelling incognito, Autry and his sidekick Smiley Burnette endeavor to get the goods on the "respectable" head of an outlaw empire. It isn't fair to give away the identity of the villain, though seasoned moviegoers will be able to solve this little mystery in the first reel. Gail Davis, TV's Annie Oakley, once more shows up as Gene Autry's leading lady in Whirlwind. As a bonus, Autry performs three songs, including the title tune. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Allan Dwan's assured direction is the principal selling card of Republic's Belle le Grand. Based on a story by Peter B. Kyne, the film stars Vera Ralston as the title character, an ex-jailbird who becomes the gambling queen of old San Francisco. Upon meeting miner John Kilton (John Carroll), Belle increases her riches by selling shares of Kilton's silver lode. Despite Belle's anger over Kilton's dalliance with her younger sister Nan (Muriel Lawrence), she manages to save him from the evil machinations of all-purpose villain Montgomery Crane (Stephen Chase). Never much of an actress, Vera Ralston nonetheless delivers one of her better performances in Belle le Grand, though she is upstaged by such veteran barnstormers as Hope Emerson, John Qualen and Grant Withers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After several supporting and guest appearances, Latino singer-actress Estelita Rodriguez was given her own Republic starring vehicle, Belle of Old Mexico. The plot wasn't new in 1950--for that matter it wasn't new in 1920. Wealthy Kip Artmitage III (Robert Rockwell) honors his late wartime friend's request to look after the friend's "little sister." Surprise! Sis turns out to be all-grown-up Rosita (Estelita), causing no end of difficulty for Armitage, who's engaged to marry the avaricious Deborah (Dorothy Patrick). Most of the film's best moments are delivered by Florence Bates as Deborah's eternally inebriated mother. The 70-minute running time affords Estelita Rodriguez plenty of room to perform four peppery musical numbers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The federal agent "at large" in this Republic programmer is played by Kent Taylor. On the trail of gold smugglers in Mexico, Matt Reedy (Taylor) crosses the path of hard-boiled lady criminal Solitare (Dorothy Patrick). Her criminal tendencies softened by romance, Solitare decides to work with Reedy instead of against him. The gang's modus operandi is an ingenious one; equally clever are the means by which they are brought to justice. Second-billed Robert Rockwell delivers one of his better performances as a dedicated archaeologist, while veteran character actor Frank Puglia enjoys one of his largest screen roles as a reluctant outlaw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Columbia's Chain Gang combines biting social commentary with good old-fashioned melodrama. Reporter Cliff Roberts (Douglas Kennedy) intends to expose political corruption by posing as a convict and joining a prison chain gang. While a "guest of the state," Roberts gets the lowdown on how cheap convict labor is being brutally exploited by certain higher-ups. Unfortunately, his ruse is discovered, and soon Roberts is desperately clambering through treacherous hills and dismal swamps, with police bloodhounds hot on his trail. Producer Sam Katzman claimed that Chain Gang was "torn from today's headlines," but he was always saying things like that. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The hero of Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead is Howard Roark (Gary Cooper), a fiercely independent architect obviously patterned after Frank Lloyd Wright. Rather than compromise his ideals, Roark takes menial work as a quarryman to finance his projects. He falls in love with heiress Dominique (Patricia Neal), but ends the relationship when he has the opportunity to construct buildings according to his own wishes. Dominique marries a newspaper tycoon (Raymond Massey) who at first conducts a vitriolic campaign against the "radical" Roark, but eventually becomes his strongest supporter. Upon being given a public-housing contract on the proviso that his plans not be changed in any way, Roark is aghast to learn that his designs will be radically altered. Roark sneaks into the unfinished structure at night, makes certain no one else is around, and dynamites the project into oblivion. At his trial, Roark acts as his own defense, delivering an eloquent paean to individuality. He is acquitted, while the newspaper tycoon, upset that he could offer Roark no help during the trial, kills himself. This clears the way for a final clinch between Roark and Dominique on the skeleton of his latest building project. Ayn Rand's celebration of Objectivism didn't translate very well to film, with Gary Cooper coming off more selfish and petulant than anything else. The Fountainhead's saving graces are the solid direction by King Vidor, the rhapsodic musical score by Max Steiner, and the symbolism inherent in Cooper's manipulation of his power drill when he first lays eyes on Patricia Neal! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While searching for a stolen gold shipment, partners in a stagecoach line attempt to keep crooked ranch hands from stealing their employer's land. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide