Stephen McNally Movies
Former lawyer Stephen McNally was pushing 30 when he made his first film appearance. As an MGM contract player in 1942 and 1943, McNally acted under his given first name of "Horace," playing antiseptic leading men in such lower-berth efforts as Grand Central Murder (1942) and Laurel and Hardy's Air Raid Wardens (1943). His career took a tremendous upswing when he changed from "Horace" to "Stephen," simultaneously coarsening his screen image. His hateful villains in such films as Johnny Belinda (1948) and Winchester 73 (1950) are among the most indelible bad-guy performances in cinema history. There were times that McNally showed up in a heroic role, but his fan following was seldom satisfied unless their idol was seen scowling at the heroine or threatening to kick the teeth out of the juvenile lead. On television, Stephen McNally starred in the 1961 TV series Target: The Corruptors and made occasional appearances as a TV-network chairman of the board in the 1978 weekly W.E.B.. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1957
This wide-screen Republic western is yet another retelling of the James Brothers saga--albeit one with a few unexpected twists. This time, Jesse (Henry Brandon) and Frank (Douglas Kennedy) are supporting characters, while the film's dramatic weight is carried by Jesse's (fictional) friend and fellow outlaw Vic Rodell (Stephen McNally). After one holdup too many, Vic decides to retire from the robbery biz and settle down with his fiancee Paula Collins (Peggie Castle). It so happens that Paula's brother is another ex-James gang member, Bob Ford (Robert Vaughan). In exchange for full pardons, Vic and Bob agree to betray Jesse and Frank and bring them to justice, dead or alive. This may well be the only American film in which "dirty little coward" Bob Ford, the man who ultimately plugs Jesse in the back, is depicted sympathetically. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen McNally, Peggie Castle, (more)
- 1956
The catch-all title Tribute to a Bad Man had been floating around MGM for years (at one point, it was the working title for The Bad and the Beautiful) before it was finally affixed to this big-budget western. Originally intended as a vehicle for Spencer Tracy, the film was recast with James Cagney when Tracy walked out of his MGM contract. Cagney stars as no-nonsense land baron Jeremy Rodock, who plays by his own rules, his own sense of justice and his own code of honor. Young cowhand Steve Miller (Don Dubbins) learns the hard way what it means to incur Rodock's wrath when he falls in love with Jocasta Constantine (Irene Papas), whom Rodock considers his own personal property. Through the example of the even-tempered Miller, however, Rodock rediscovers his own essential humanity. The film's "money scene" takes place when Rodock punishes a group of scraggly horse thieves by forcing them to march barefoot through the sagebrush. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Don Dubbins, (more)
- 1955
Three bank robbers (J. Carroll Naish, Lee Marvin, Stephen McNally) case a small Arizona mining town prior to pulling a holdup. The audience get to know the various townsfolk as they're scrutinized by the crooks. Victor Mature plays a man who is a disappointment to his son because he didn't serve in the war. Tommy Noonan is a meek bank manager with a habit of spying on a pretty customer as she undresses in her second-story bedroom. Sylvia Sidney is a petty thief who has deposited her stolen funds in the bank. Margaret Hayes is the cheating wife of a local leading citizen, who is killed in the holdup. And Ernest Borgnine is a pacifistic Amish farmer, forced to take violent action when his children are threatened by the criminals (Borgnine's pitchfork-wielding scene was reproduced for the print ads of this film, leading some critics to assume that he was the villain!) The hero of the day turns out to be the "unheroic" Mature, who after being kidnapped by the crooks frees himself and prevents their escape. Violent Saturday is based on a novel by William I. Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Richard Egan, (more)
- 1955
Lex Barker is The Man From Bitter Ridge in this modest Universal western. Barker plays Pinkerton man Jeff Carr, who comes to the town of Tomahawk in search of a gang of stage robbers. The consensus of opinion is that sheepman Alec Black (Stephen McNally) is responsible for the holdups, but Carr senses a frame-up. Sure enough, the real villains are in the employ of would-be frontier dictator Ranse Jackman (John Dehner). Carr knows this, the audience knows this; but how to get the goods on Jackman? Mara Cordy costars as female sheep farmer Holly Kenton, the heroine of the piece. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lex Barker, Mara Corday, (more)
- 1954
A young woman (Jean Simmons) manages a remote California sheep ranch with her father (Brian Aherne). A plane carrying a sheriff (Stephen McNally) and a man indicted for manslaughter (Rory Calhoun) crashes nearby. Both men are cared for by the girl, who doesn't know at first which is the cop and which is the criminal. She falls in love with the convicted man and believes protestations of innocence, but the vindictive sheriff tries to dissuade her of these feelings. Given several chances to finish each other off, both sheriff and convict relent. Under the influence of the girl, they agree to return to Utah together, where (it is implied) the criminal will be given a bias-free trial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun, (more)
- 1954
A gangster is sentenced to prison for killing his wife, but the woman isn't really dead: she's alive and well, raising her daughter in New Mexico. After 18 years, though, the husband comes back looking for revenge. Dorothy McGuire and Stephen McNally star in the 1954 film. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy McGuire, Stephen McNally, (more)
- 1953
The Schlitz Brewing Company sponsored a TV playhouse series in the early '50s. Selected programs from the series appear in this compilation. Shows presented here are " No Compromise" and "Closed Door." ~ All Movie Guide
- 1953
Actor Dick Powell made an impressive film debut with the taut atomic-age suspenser Split Second. Convicts Stephen McNally, Paul Kelly and Frank DeKova escape to a ghost town in the Nevada desert. Only it isn't exactly a ghost town, but a "dummy village" constructed for the purpose of A-bomb testing. The criminals hold several hostages, including reporter Keith Andes, nightclub singer Jan Sterling, selfish socialite Alexis Smith, her doctor-husband Richard Egan and her newest boyfriend Robert Paige. Andes suspects that the deserted town is at Ground Zero of the latest bomb test, but he can't convince the convicts until it's almost too late. The best and most horrifying sequence occurs near the end, when the criminals, accompanied by the duplicitous Ms. Smith, discover that they're driving towards the A-bomb target instead of away from it. Novelist Irving Wallace collaborated on the script of Split Second with Chester Erskine and William Bowers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, (more)
- 1953
In this western, eight stagecoach passengers are stranded while Apache warriors lay siege upon a trading post. Among the travelers is a sheriff and his prisoner. It is the brave lawman who retains order in the post and eventually defeats the marauders. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen McNally, Hugh O'Brian, (more)
- 1953
RKO Radio's second 3D production, Devil's Canyon is a combination western and jail-break picture. The scene is Arizona Territorial Prison, wherein 500 desperate men are incarcerated. The inmates become even more desperate when female outlaw Abby Nixon (Virginia Mayo) is likewise locked up. As the prisoners draw up plans to escape, Abby is attracted to handsome but psychotic ringleader Jessie Gorman (Stephen McNally)--and to U.S. marshal Billy Reynolds (Dale Robertson), who is serving time for manslaughter. The climactic bust-out threatens to get out of hand until the marshal calms things down with a Gatling gun. Available for many years only in washed-out black-and-white prints, the original color version of Devil's Canyon was finally telecast over the American Movie Classics cable service in the late 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Virginia Mayo, Dale Robertson, (more)
- 1952
When undercover secret agent Tyrone Power is thwarted in his efforts to obtain a vital document with details of the Russian invasion of Yugoslavia by the death of the courier at the hands of two Russian agents, played by Mario Siletti and Charles Buchinski (aka Charles Bronson), it becomes his duty to go after the murderers and retrieve the papers. With more loops and turnabouts than a snake, the plot has surprises with agents, double agents, mistaken information and is, all in all, a surprisingly exciting spy vehicle. Michael Ansara and Lee Marvin also make brief appearances in this early cold war story. A script with a lot of holes in it is pulled off by the fine performances and tight direction given in this film. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Patricia Neal, (more)
- 1952
In this exciting Korean War-era actioner, two Marine combat photographers risk their lives on the front to chronicle the battles. When not behaving heroically up there, they are competing for the affection of a pretty Red Cross nurse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hodiak, Linda Christian, (more)
- 1952
Boris Karloff returns to his old Universal stamping grounds in the mild horror item Black Castle. The plot is motivated by a brace of 18th-century aristocrats, Beckett (Richard Greene) and Count Von Bruno (Stephen McNally). Invited to visit Von Bruno's castle in Austria, Beckett accepts, hoping in this way to prove that the count is responsible for the deaths of two of his friends. The sadistic Von Bruno toys with his guest, intending to subject Beckett to a horrible demise at the first opportunity. When Beckett meets the Count's reluctant bride Elga (Paula Corday), he vows to free her from the accursed castle. Karloff has a smallish role as the Count's humanitarian physician, while his fellow horror-star Lon Chaney Jr. does his usual as a mute but deadly manservant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Greene, Boris Karloff, (more)
A group of vicious claim-jumpers is killing the miners in a Western settlement. Their latest victim is Cromwell (Harry Harvey), who is shot to death at his mine just after his son Luke (Audie Murphy) leaves for town. Luke has three passions in life -- poker, guns, and the silver ornamentation he likes -- and is better known to most people as the Silver Kid; he kills one of the claim-jumpers but can't catch the rest. The marshal of Silver Creek, "Lightning Tyrone" (Stephen McNally), is also trying to cope with the claim-jumpers, and he has a problem of his own, thanks to a well-placed bullet in his shoulder -- he can still draw faster than almost anyone, but he can't pull the trigger like he used to, and he doesn't know how long he can bluff some of the tougher citizens he's been riding herd on, especially a fellow named Johnny Sombrero (Eugene Iglesias), who's been itching to draw on him. These two cross paths and the Silver Kid ends up as Lightning's deputy, just in time to become suspicious of newcomers Opal Lacy (Faith Domergue) and her brother Rod (Gerald Mohr), who are in the mining business. Lighting's attraction to Opal and the Kid's distrust of her could just cost him the services of a deputy who is, literally, his good right arm. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Faith Domergue, (more)
- 1951
The Raging Tide stars Richard Conte as San Francisco crime boss Bruno Felkin. After killing off a rival, Felkin tries to arrange an alibi with his girlfriend Connie Thatcher (Shelley Winters). Unfortunately, she isn't available, obliging Felkin to hide out on a fishing boat owned by Ilmael Linder (Charles Bickford) until Connie can be located. Far from the perfect guest, Felkin tries to inveigle Linder's son Carl (Alex Nicol) into doing his dirty work until the heat's off. Gradually, however, Felkin, and by extension Connie, are reformed by the essential decency of the Linder family -- though pursuing cop Kelsey (Stephen McNally) might not see things in this new light. The Raging Tide was based on Fiddler's Green, a novel by Ernest K. Gann. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Conte, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1951
The Lady Pays Off is a formative example of filmmaker Douglas Sirk's elegant exotica. Linda Darnell plays the title character, a vacationing schoolteacher and one-time gambler named Evelyn Warren. Unfortunately, that "one time" leaves Evelyn indebted to casino owner Matt Braddock (Stephen McNally) to the tune of seven G's. Braddock offers to absolve Evelyn of her debts if she will agree to tutor his troublesome preteen daughter Diana (Gigi Perreau). Chafing at being forced into servitude, Evelyn schemes to make Braddock fall in love with her, then dump him. But Diana takes a liking to Evelyn and cooks up a little scheme on her own to bring the teacher and her father together. It's a simple, unassuming comedy, given a veneer of class and polish by the inimitable Mr. Sirk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Darnell, Stephen McNally, (more)
- 1951
A remake of the 1931 film of the same name, Iron Man stars Jeff Chandler as up-and-coming boxer Cokie Martin. A relatively pleasant fellow outside the ring, Martin turns into a monster whenever he dons boxing gloves and trunks. As a result, he becomes "the man you love to hate" so far as the fans are concerned. Only his fiancee Rose (Evelyn Keyes) is willing to stand by him, but even her devotion is sorely tested when Cokie continues displaying his killer instinct. Only the intervention of "clean" fighter Speed O'Keefe (Rock Hudson) prevents Cokie from destroying himself. Told in flashback, Iron Man is at its best in its expository scenes, showing the hero working his way out of a coal mining town and into the championship. Joyce Holden co-stars as a good-time girl who enjoys a brief fling with the hero; in the original 1931 version, Holden's character was played by Jean Harlow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Chandler, Evelyn Keyes, (more)
- 1951
Universal's Air Cadet stars Stephen McNally as the obligatory tough topkick, here assigned to whip a bunch of green pilots into shape. McNally's hard-nosed attitude is rooted in his past: he still feels guilty over having lost so many buddies in World War 2. A climactic crash-and-rescue sequence solves many of McNally's problems-and, incidentally provides director Joseph Pevney an opportunity to hide the film's budgetary deficiencies by lensing the sequence at night. Hardworking Universal contractee Rock Hudson is billed seventh, as simply "Upperclassman". Air Cadet is at its best during its aerial sequences, evocatively lensed by Clyde Da Vinna. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen McNally, Gail Russell, (more)
- 1951
Shortly before his death, horror film producer Val Lewton switched creative gears by overseeing the Universal western Apache Drums. The scene is the potentially prosperous western town of Spanish Boot, built from nothing by a group of determined settlers. Before they can enjoy the fruits of their labors, the townsfolk are threatened with an imminent Apache attack. Delivering this sobering news is gambler Sam Leeds (Stephen McNally), previously kicked out of town by the "proper" citizens. At first, no one believes Leeds, but soon the Apaches prove the veracity of the gambler's claims. The rest of the film is light on action but heavy on tension, as the true personalities of all concerned are revealed while they await the final, fatal Apache assault. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray, (more)
- 1950
Wyoming Mail stars Stephen McNally as frontier postal inspector Steve Davis. Assigned to break up a gang of outlaws who prey upon mail trains, Davis goes undercover, posing first as a fugitive from justice. Joining the bandit gang run by the ruthless Cavanaugh (Howard da Silva), Davis discovers that the crooks have an "inside man" within the railroad company itself. Alexis Smith co-stars as the "bad" girl who turns good to save Davis. Universal-International's knack for turning out superior westerns on modest budgets is entertainingly demonstrated in Wyoming Mail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, (more)
Lin McAdam (James Stewart) and his friend High-Spade (Millard Mitchell) arrive in Dodge City for a shooting contest, in which the prize is a perfectly manufactured Winchester repeating rifle, referred to as "One of a Thousand" -- a gun so fine that Winchester won't sell it. Lin runs across Dutch Henry Brown (Stephen McNally) in a saloon and the two would kill each other right there but for the fact that town marshal Wyatt Earp (Will Geer) has everyone's guns. Lin wins the rifle in an extraordinary marksmanship match-up with Brown, but the latter steals the prize from him and sets out across the desert. Thus begins a battle of wits and nerves, and a pursuit to the death. The roots and raw psychological dimensions of that chase are only exposed gradually, across a story arc that includes references to Custer's Last Stand, run-ins with marauding Indians, a heroic stand with a a shady but well-intentioned grifter (Charles Drake), and a meeting with murderous sociopath named Waco Johnny Dean (Dan Duryea), plus a romantic encounter with a young, golden-hearted frontier woman (Shelley Winters). All of these story lines eventually get drawn together neatly and gracefully by director Anthony Mann, who balances the violence of the events with a lyrical, almost poetic visual language. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, Shelley Winters, (more)
A pioneering film about racial tensions, No Way Out stars Richard Widmark as a criminal named Ray Biddle, who despises African-Americans. Sidney Poitier (in his screen debut) is the black doctor, Luther Brooks, assigned to take care of the wounded Ray. Dr. Brooks, hired by the police hospital as part of an overall program to integrate the staff, keeps his temper in check as Ray spouts his racist invective. When Ray's brother, also wounded, dies in the hospital, the blustering bigot holds Dr. Brooks responsible and sends word to his gang to wreak vengeance on the city's black community. But the blacks turn the tables on the whites and fight them off. Ray then breaks out of the hospital with Dr. Brooks as hostage. His plans to kill the doctor are thwarted by Ray's girlfriend (Linda Darnell), who finally becomes fed up with his blind hatred. No Way Out was considered potent stuff in 1950; it was still regarded as a hot potato in 1962, when NBC dropped plans to telecast the film on "Saturday Night at the Movies." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell, (more)
- 1949
Sword in the Desert is set in Palestine during World War II. Dana Andrews plays an American seaman engaged in smuggling European Jewish refugees into the Holy Land, despite the restrictions levied by the British occupation troops. Fifth-billed Jeff Chandler makes his movie debut as an Israeli rebel leader; his performance garnered so much fan mail that Chandler was given a seven-year contract at Universal. Few of those letters came from Britain, where Sword in the Desert ran into distribution difficulties due to its blatant anti-British slant--especially as manifested in the underground radio broadcasts of leading lady Marta Toren. The principal complaint was that the British seemed to be the sole villains in the script, which virtually ignored the Arab resistance to the formation of Israel. Sword in the Desert represents a low-key warm-up to the blood-and-thunder excesses of Otto Preminger's 1960 Exodus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Märta Torén, (more)
- 1949
So far as the rest of the world is concerned, Deborah Chandler Clark (Ida Lupino) is dead, killed in a freak auto accident. But Deborah is alive, if not too well. Having discovered a horrible truth about her new husband (Stephen McNally), Deborah had intended to commit suicide. Now she is the "woman in hiding" of the title, living in mortal fear that someday her husband will catch up with her again. Howard Duff, Ida Lupino's husband-to-be, co-stars as a returning GI who turns out to be the hero of the piece. One particularly suspenseful sequence takes place during a noisy convention, with Joe Besser scoring as an obnoxious reveller. Woman in Hiding would make an interesting companion piece to Julia Roberts' Sleeping with the Enemy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ida Lupino, Howard Duff, (more)
- 1949
Barbara Stanwyck plays a woman whose addiction to gambling all but ruins her life. Stanwyck's husband Robert Preston tries to stand by her side, but even he is driven away by her gambling mania. Stanwyck lies, cheats and steals in order to raise capital for her addiction, descending from comparative wealth to grinding poverty in the process. Eventually she is reduced to gambling for penny-ante stakes in back alleys, before she is rescued by her still-faithful spouse. The Lady Gambles includes an appearance by young Tony Curtis, in the bit role of a helpful bellhop. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Preston, (more)
