Raymond Hatton Movies
Looking for all the world like a beardless Rumpelstiltskin, actor Raymond Hatton utilized his offbeat facial features and gift for mimicry in vaudeville, where he appeared from the age of 12 onward. In films from 1914, Hatton was starred or co-starred in several of the early Cecil B. DeMille productions, notably The Whispering Chorus (1917), in which the actor delivered a bravura performance as a man arrested for murdering himself. Though he played a vast array of characters in the late teens and early 1920s, by 1926 Hatton had settled into rubeish character roles. He was teamed with Wallace Beery in several popular Paramount comedies of the late silent era, notably Behind the Front (1926) and Now We're in the Air (1927). Curiously, while Beery's career skyrocketed in the 1930s, Hatton's stardom diminished, though he was every bit as talented as his former partner. In the 1930s and 1940s, Hatton showed up as comic sidekick to such western stars as Johnny Mack Brown and Bob Livingston. He was usually cast as a grizzled old desert rat, even when (as in the case of the "Rough Riders" series with Buck Jones and Tim McCoy) he happened to be younger than the nominal leading man. Raymond Hatton continued to act into the 1960s, showing up on such TV series as The Abbott and Costello Show and Superman and in several American-International quickies. Raymond Hatton's last screen appearance was as the old man collecting bottles along the highway in Richard Brooks' In Cold Blood (1967). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1991
A collection of action filled trailers from early westerns are included in this video. ~ All Movie Guide
Richard Brooks wrote and directed this stark black-and-white (with brilliantly evocative cinematography by Conrad Hall) study of two drifters who murder a family, based on Truman Capote's non-fiction novel In Cold Blood. The film takes place in Holcomb, Kansas, where four members of the Herbert Clutter family are roused from their sleep and brutally murdered. The killers, Perry Smith (Robert Blake) and Dick Hickock (Scott Wilson), are two ex-cons who plan to rob the Clutters of $10,000 kept in a safe in their home. But Dick and Perry find no safe and no $10,000 and end up leaving the murder scene with only $43. The police, led by Alvin Dewey (John Forsythe) of the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, try to track down the killers. Meanwhile, Dick and Perry take off to Mexico, where Perry has fantasies of prospecting for gold. But when his dreams of prospecting come to naught, Dick insists that they return to the United States. Confident that they have left no clues, they cash bad checks, and the police track them down in Las Vegas. During questioning, their alibis are broken when they are separated and tell conflicting stories. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Scott Wilson, (more)
- 1965
In this western, a gunfighter finds himself mistaken for a judge when he journeys to a beleaguered town that is under the oppressive influence of an outlaw and his evil gang. One couple knows the gunslinger's true avocation and they talk him into working as a lawman and putting one of the crooks on trial. Things go well until one of the outlaws recognizes him and tells all during the trial. This leads to a classic showdown in which the gunfighter shoots the gun from the villain's hand. He then discards his own weapon and literally rides off into the sunset to pursue a more peaceful life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1964
In this western, a cowboy finally returns to his home after a long absence precipitated by his killing a wicked rancher's son in a forced duel. The cowboy wants to live peacefully on his daddy's ranch and be with the woman that he loves. While on the trail home, he encounters a ruthless outlaw gang planning a bank robbery. Because most of the town men have gone on a giant cattle drive, the town is defenseless. The courageous cowpoke and his pal do all they can to keep the bad-guys at bay during a bloody battle. Eventually the good-guys prevail and the prodigal cowboy is appointed sheriff. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Merry Anders, (more)
- 1961
The town of Bad Dog, Oregon is populated by wealthy ranchers who refuse to pay their cattle taxes. Actually, it goes beyond a mere refusal: Three tax collectors have already been killed in their efforts to get the cattlemen to pay up. You guessed it: Paladin (Richard Boone) is hired as Collector Number Four--and he is not about to end up as just another statistic. The strong supporting cast includes such western-movie perennials as Roy Barcroft, Harry Carey Jr. and Raymond Hatton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Winning a high-stakes poker game, Bart (Jack Kelly) finds himself the owner of the Lucky Lady Saloon in Santa Leora. But when he shows up to claim his prize, he is confronted by the hired guns of Marquessa Luisa de Ruisenor (played byAdele Mara, the wife of Maverick producer-creator Roy Huggins). The Marquessa claims that she owns Santa Leora and everything in it, and she and her family are willing to back up that claim with guns, knives and fists. Rather than cut his losses and leave Santa Leora, Bart sticks around to find out if the Marquessa is the real villain of the piece, or if someone else is pulling the strings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Wealthy Morgan Gibbs (Robert F. Simon) hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to locate Gibbs' son David (Bud Slater), a fugitive from justice, and bring him back alive. Shortly thereafter, Paladin returns with David's dead body in tow. Accused of murdering the boy in order to collect a $500 body, Paladin is himself put on trial--and the jury has been hand-picked by the vengeful Morgan Gibbs. One of the best episodes of the series' third season, this one is a real treat for movie buffs, filled to overflowing with an abundance of familiar faces in the supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Paladin (Richard Boone) receives an urgent message from a notorious con artist named Simon Quill (Adam Williams), who hopes to avoid being hanged on a murder charge. Unfortunately, Paladin cannot forget that Quinn not only once swindled him with a phony gold mine, but also left him to die in Quill's place for his previous crimes. Thus it is that Paladin flately refuses to help Quill this time around--even though he can provide the man with an air-tight alibi. Can a beautiful go-between named Lily Leighton (Barbara Baxley) change Paladin's mind before it's too late? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Showing up in Virginia City to collect a $4000 debt from Captain Rory Fitzgerald (David Frankham), Bart has trouble believing that the prosperous-looking Fitzgerald is as penniless as he claims. Rather than absorb the loss, Bart decides to hang around in town until the Captain is able to make good his debt--which proves to be a big mistake when our hero ends up kidnapped and bound hand and foot. Roxane Berard appears in another of her duplicitous-damsel roles, while Robert Shore goes through much the same ingenue paces as in her later costarring gig on TV's The Virginian. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Set in the new state of Alaska, this 1959 "B" drama features both a romantic quadrangle, if not pentagon, and a failing trucking company. Al (Bill Williams) manages the company out of a small town where the trucks make regular runs to Fairbanks. On top of rock slides and bad weather, he now has to handle the visit of his off-site partner Mason (Leslie E. Bradley) and his wife Janet (Lyn Thomas). This is more complex than usual because the company is in the red, and Janet was Al's former girlfriend -- she left him for Mason and his money. Add in the attractive Tina (Nora Hayden) who has her own interest in Al, who is interested in Janet, who is not that interested in Mason anymore, and the story could be set anywhere. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Williams, Nick Dennis, (more)
- 1958
Cheated by con artist Paisley Briggs (Claude Akins), Bart trails the man to Denver, where Briggs is preparing to fleece a young widow named Nancy Gates (Laura Stunton), whose husband may or may not have been killed by Indians. Persuading Nancy that her husband is still alive, Briggs talks her into searching for a buried fortune deep in Sioux territory. Going along for the ride, Bart ends up being trapped with Laura by hostile Indians, who accuse the interlopers of desecrating a sacred burial ground--a crime punishable by a slow and horrible death. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Invasion of the Saucer Men can't make up its mind whether it wants to be a comedy, a j.d. melodrama or a horror outing. When a spaceship lands in the woods, Johnny (Steve Terrell) and Joan (Gloria Castillo) accidentally run over one of the aliens. In retaliation, the saucer-men kill Joe (Frank Gorshin), an opportunistic boozehound who stumbles across the body. Meanwhile, the hand of the extraterrestrial corpse detaches itself from its body and wreaks havoc on the countryside. But the aliens are foiled when it is discovered that they cannot withstand the glare of automobile headlights! The Saucer Men costumes were designed by Paul Blaisdell, who was certainly capable of better work. Lyn Osborn, the former Cadet Happy on TV's Space Patrol, makes his final screen appearance as Frank Gorshin's drinking buddy. Originally released on a double bill with I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Invasion of the Saucer Creatures was cheaply remade for television as The Eye Creatures (1966). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Terrell, Gloria Castillo, (more)
- 1957
Wally (Tony Dow) and his friends build a clubhouse and then (naturally) form a club, with one-dollar dues for their fellow eighth-graders. When Beaver asks to join the club, he is flatly informed that dues for younger kids amount to three bucks! Though it's daunting task, Beav canvasses the neighborhood in search of the ways and means to scare up the money. Veteran character actors James Gleason, Raymond Hatton, and Charles Wagenheim make this episode a treat for movie-trivia buffs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Gleason, Raymond Hatton, (more)
- 1957
Grandfather Jackson (Raymond Hatton) has sewn his life savings into the lining of an old coat. His grandson Bobby (Stephen Wooton) unwittingly donates the coat to a flood-relief fund drive. Reporters Lois (Noel Neill) and Jimmy (Jack Larson) endeavor to retries the coat back, but a couple of crooks intervene. Superman (George Reeves) must not only save his friends and the coat, but also prevent Metropolis from being engulfed in water after the dam bursts! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
George Montgomery stars in Pawnee as Paul, a white man raised by Indians. Upon attaining adulthood, Paul finds himself rejected by both the Pawnee tribe and the white community. He manages to attain a job as a wagon train scout, but even in this position of respect and authority he is treated with hostility and suspicion. When Wise Eagle (Ralph Moody), the Pawnee chief who raised Paul as his own son, dies, the tribe is taken over by Paul's lifelong enemy Crazy Fox (Charles Horvath). Thus, when the wagon train is attacked by Indians, Paul has no qualms about aligning himself with the passengers. Featured in the cast as Dancing Fawn is Charlotte Austin, the cult-favorite star of such horror cheapies as The Man Who Turned to Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Bill Williams, (more)
- 1957
The endearingly awful Shake, Rattle and Rock! serves as a showcase for four top rock-and-roll talents of the 1950s. Fats Domino heads the cast as "himself", performing "I'm in Love Again", "Ain't it a Shame" and "Honey Chile". Likewise, Joe Turner offers renditions of "Feelin' Happy" and "Lipstick, Powder and Paint", while Tommy Charles and Annita Ray let loose with "Sweet Love on My Mind" and "Rockin' on Saturday Night". The plot is one of the oldest known to man: a quartet of buttinsky do-gooders, played by screen veterans Douglass Dumbrille, Margaret Dumont, Raymond Hatton and Percy Helton, try to impose a ban on rock-and-roll, while TV producer Touch (later Mike) Connors does his best to convince the "squares" that the new musical style is harmless fun. Sterling Holloway is a riot as Connors' jive-talking assistant, who lays on the hipster slang so heavily in one scene that he requires English subtitles! Shake, Rattle and Rock was (sort of) remade for TV in 1994 as one of Showtime Cable's "Rebel Highway" entries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fats Domino, Lisa Gaye, (more)
- 1957
The title tells practically all in the American-International exploitationer Motorcycle Gang. The film's main conflict arises from the rivalry between "good" cyclist Randy (Steve Tyrrell) and his "bad" counterpart Nick (John Ashley). Recently released from a jail term, Nick forces Randy (who received probation for the hit-and-run accident which landed Nick in the slammer) into a clandestine race. Despite the fact that he's a "clean" cycle-hog who likes to keep on the right side of the law, Randy agrees to the race, with near-disastrous results. One of the featured cycle punks is played by Carl Switzer, who despite his raffish appearance still closely resembles the "Alfalfa" character he'd essayed in the Our Gang comedies. Motorcycle Gang was released on a double bill with Sorority Girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Neyland, Steve Terrell, (more)
- 1957
One of the least-known of the American-International "B" westerns of the 1950s, Flesh and the Spur offers the spectacle of the inimitable John Agar in a dual role. When his twin brother Mathew is killed, Luke Random goes gunnin' for his brother's murderer. Along the way, he teams up with gunslinger Stacey (Touch Connors, aka Mike Connors), who is also seeking out an old enemy. Five points to anyone who guesses before the fadeout who Mathew Random's killer turns out to be. Written by A-I regular Charles B. Griffith, Flesh and the Spur was originally released on a double bill with Naked Paradise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Agar, Marla English, (more)
- 1956
In this precursor to the "reality" series Survivor, the staff of the "Daily Planet" serve as referees for a treasure hunt conducted on a remote island by the three heirs to the fortune of Jonathan Skag (Raymond Hatton). It turns out, however, that the "late" Mr. Skag is very much alive, and is merely testing the mettle of his potential heirs. Naturally, not all of the participants play fair--and the result of this skullduggery could prove fatal to all concerned. Fortunately, Superman (George Reeves) is on hand to make sure that justice is served and the spirit of fair play is upheld, but this time he has to keep his presence a secret. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The Day the World Ended was filmmaker Roger Corman's modest entree into the realm of science fiction. The film begins at "The End"--or rather, the years following an all-out atomic war. A group of survivors find refuge in a well-protected valley owned by Maddison (Paul Birch) and his daughter Louise (Lori Nelson). Conflicts of a romantic nature erupt among Louise and her two erstwhile suitors, gun-wielding Tony (Touch--later Mike--Connors) and geologist Rick (Richard Denning), but these are shunted aside when it develops that the valley is infested with mutated, radioactive animals. Before long, a few similarly mutated human beings begin wandering into view (one of these is played by Jonathan Haze, the future star of Corman's Little Shop of Horrors). Carefully staying within its limited budget, The Day the World Ended is a well-crafted, thought-provoking apocalyptic fable. The film was inadequately remade in 1966 as Year 2889. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, (more)
- 1956
The Bowery Boys--Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall) et. al.--are suckered into buying a uranium mine near the western town of Panther Pass. Though the boys find none of the precious mineral, a gang of bad guys, led by Ron Haskell (Harry Lauter), are led to believe that mine is valuable. The crooks try to chase our heroes off their property, but before long the tables are turned, and the film wraps up with a zany jeep pursuit. Director Edward Bernds and screenwriter Elwood Ullman reuse several old Three Stooges gags in Dig That Uranium, including the poker game routine from the Stooges' Out West (1947). The film's best bit is an extended parody of High Noon, replete with really slow bullets. Incidentally, the doofus who sells the boys the uranium mine in the opening scene is none other than Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer. Filmed at Iverson's Ranch in the San Fernando Valley, Dig That Uranium was the final "Bowery Boys" outing for Bernard "Louie Dumbrowski" Gorcey, who died in a traffic accident shortly after filming was completed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
- 1956
Girls in Prison is a typical babes-behind-bars affair, elevated by a better than usual cast. Richard Denning stars as a prison chaplain who believes inmate Joan Taylor's story that she's been framed. But Joan's cellmates, convinced that the girl has salted away several thousand dollars of stolen money, stage a breakout and force the girl to join them. Adele Jergens and Helen Gilbert do their usual "hard-boiled dame" routines as Joan's so-called friends, while Phyllis Coates forever leaves "Lois Lane" behind with a chilling portrayal of a psycho. Veteran thespians Jane Darwell, Raymond Hatton and Mae Marsh also make worthwhile contributions to the proceedings. The 1994 Girls in Prison, produced as part of the cable-TV "Rebel Highway" series, utilizes the title of the 1956 film and nothing else. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Denning, Joan Taylor, (more)
- 1955
Zachary Scott heads the cast of the heavily plotted western Treasure of Ruby Hills. The son of a notorious outlaw, Haney (Scott) intends to settle down peacefully in Soledad, Arizona. This proves difficult when Haney finds himself in the middle of a violent feud over water rights. The heavy of the piece is ranch foreman Doran (Dick Foran), who plays both sides down the middle in hopes of grabbing control of the water for himself. Carole Mathews co-stars as Sherry, Haney's sweetheart, while Lola Albright steals every scene she's in as the voluptuous May. Treasure of Ruby Hills was lensed by Allied Artists in the same locations later utilized by the studio's "Bowery Boys" opus Dig That Uranium. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zachary Scott, Carole Mathews, (more)
- 1955
Twinkle in God's Eye, Mickey Rooney's second personal production for Republic Pictures, is at the very least an improvement upon the first (The Atomic Kid). More subdued than usual, Rooney stars as Rev. Macklin, a greenhorn clergyman who tries to spread the Good Word to a rowdy western town. Intending to rebuild a church recently destroyed by Indians, Macklin faces tough opposition from the local gambling hall owner (Hugh O'Brian), not to mention a trigger-happy outlaw (Don Barry). Using faith rather than fisticuffs, the reverend manages to win over his opposition, beginning with golden-hearted dance hall gal Laura (Colleen Gray). Though certain latter-day wiseguys have drubbed Mickey Rooney for this very mild western drama, Twinkle in God's Eye is more entertaining than its reputation would indicate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Coleen Gray, (more)
- 1955
Arriving in the western town of Dry Gulch to cover a rodeo, Lois (Noel Neill) and Jimmy (Jack Larson) attract the attention of brutish Gunner Flinch (Myron Healey). After forcing his attentions on Lois, Gunner orders Jimmy to leave town by sundown, or else he'll fill him full of lead--and to prove his gunslinging prowess, Flinch cold-bloodedly shoots down a local Mexican (Martin Garralaga). Before long, however, Clark Kent (George Reeves), aka Superman, has also shown up in town, and he's determined to expose Gunner Flinch as a fraudulent yellow-belly who's never killed anyone in his life! There's some truly hilarious dialogue in this one, especially during the scene in which Clark uses super-powers to win a poker game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
