Buddy Baer Movies
Buddy Rich was one of the best drummers in his day, a man that Frank Sinatra enjoyed touring with whenever possible. This tape features the October 3, 1998 concert held in New York City to honor Rich. Five rare clips of Rich's past performances are included. As many know who saw this man play, he had a gift for rhythm and a level of stamina that made him a consummate entertainer. Both Dennis Chambers and Steve Smith perform, along with international superstar Phil Collins who sings such tunes as "That's All." Each of these guest performers is accompanied by the Buddy Rich Band. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
Told via flashback by a saloon keeper to a census taker in a tiny Texas town, this brutal, adult-oriented western offers the tale of a drifter who settles down to marry a woman he doesn't love so he can get at her inheritance. When that is exposed, the drifter flees and does not return for eleven years. He rides back into town with a fortune that he earned while hunting buffalo. The town's crooked banker and two thugs ride out to greet him. Thinking that the only way the reprobate could have gotten so much money is from rustling cows, they engineer a brutal reception that results in his being branded with a big "T." Naturally, the drifter passes out during his painful ordeal and when he finally comes to and learns the truth about the situation immediately gallops off to get his bloody revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chuck Connors, Michael Rennie, (more)
- 1962
Filmed in Germany with an American production crew, The Bashful Elephant isn't really about the title character. Most of the screen time is taken up with the elephant's trainer (Helumut Schmid), who is in the midst of an unpleasant divorce. Producer/directors Dorrell and Stuart McGowan had just come off several years of TV's Death Valley Days, and were hoping to crack the family-movie market with The Bashful Elephant. Unfortunately, this middling project never got any farther than bottom-of-bill bookings and occasional engagements in church basements. The brothers had better luck with their next project, the Canadian-based TV adventure weekly The Littlest Hobo--which starred a dog rather than a pachyderm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Molly Mack, Helmut Schmidt, (more)
- 1961
This is a slightly uneven presentation of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about two evil princes, their pure-hearted brother, and a dying king. As the three siblings stand vigil by their father's bedside, they agree that they must go and look for the Magic Fountain, the fountain of life that will restore their father to good health. Their separate quests are filled with adventures involving captivating characters like a sorcerer-dwarf and beautiful maidens and most of all, a charming princess who lives in the castle that harbors the Magic Fountain. The good-hearted brother is betrayed as being villainous by his nasty siblings but even their treachery cannot overcome the forces of good and in the end, all is resolved to the benefit of everyone concerned, even the king. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Nestler, Helmo Kinderman, (more)
- 1961
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In this family-oriented comedy, Snow White is taken to the woods to be killed at the behest of her evil stepmother and ends up abandoned and alone. Fortunately she stumbles across a charming cottage inhabited by the Three Stooges, and comical fairy-tale chaos ensues. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carol Heiss, Edson Stroll, (more)
- 1958
This episode was apparently inspired by the vintage Lon Chaney Sr. movie vehicle The Unholy Three. A trio of circus performers--magician Harmon the Great (Sid Tomack), "human fly" Pallini (Rick Vallin) and strong man Atlas (Buddy Baer)--combine their talents in order to commit a string of robberies. The logic behind this scheme is that the crimes will appear to have been impossible to pull off by any single person. . .except Superman (George Reeves). Reluctantly taking the Man of Steel into custody, Inspector Henderson (Robert Shayne) "accidentally" allows him to escape so that he can solve the case and round up the real perpetrators. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Having gained a measure of TV fame by 1958, the nightclub comedy duo of Dan Rowan and Dick Martin decided to give movies a try with Once Upon a Horse. Dan and Dick play Dan Casey and Doc Logan, a pair of nitwitted cowboys who turn to outlawry because they can't make a go at any honest profession. Stealing a valuable herd of cattle, the boys' dreams of financial security are dashed when they're forced to raise money to feed their stolen bovines. Martha Hyer costars as Miss Amity Babb, a resourceful saloon hall owner who applies 20th century business methods to her 19th century operation. For nostalgia buffs, several western-movie favorites (billed as "Our Old Pals") make cameo appearances, including Tom Keene, Bob Livingston, Kermit Maynard and Bob Steele. Hal Kanter's screenplay is full of clever, satirical touches, most of which proved to be too smart for the room in 1958. A financial disappointment, Once Upon a Horse (aka Hot Horse) would be Rowan and Martin's last joint film effort until 1969's The Maltese Bippy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Rowan, Dick Martin, (more)
In Richard Cunha's Giant from the Unknown, scientists come upon a petrified lizard in the California Mountains. The lizard revives, proving the theory of suspended animation. Excitedly, scientist Wayne Brooks (Ed Kemmer) begins searching for a legendary Spanish giant called Vargas, who disappeared in the region 500 years earlier and who also may be in a suspended-animation state. Brooks discovers all too soon that his instincts a correct: a bolt of lightning releases Vargas (Buddy Baer) from his centuries-long slumber, whereupon the big brute goes on a homicidal rampage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Kemmer, Sally Fraser, (more)
- 1957
In this western, a sheriff attempts to exact his revenge against the desperadoes who cost him his job. The former lawman successfully gets rid of the bad hombres and clears his name. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Ubiquitous western villain (and future Oscar winner) Strother Martin is seen in an uncharacteristically sympathetic role as Dooley Delaware, a former circus acrobat fallen upon hard times. In need of booze money, Dooley wagers that he can cross a tightrope stretched across the roof of a salloon. Noticing that the man with whom Dooley placed the bet is willing to cheat to win his money, Paladin (Richard Boone) places a counter-wager, betting $3000 that Dooley will be able to cross a huge canyon by tightrope--an act designed not only to thwart the villain, but restore the acrobat's tattered self-respect. John Dehner, soon to be cast as Paladin in the CBS radio version of Have Gun--Will Travel, is cast as duplicitous gambler Ben Marquette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This little film noir is freely adapted from James M. Cain's novel Love's Lovely Counterfeit, the story of a gangster working for a powerful Don who is fighting to retain control of the city's criminal activities when an honest mayoral candidate launches a strong anti-crime campaign. In a desperate attempt to derail his career, the Don assigns the hood to go digging for any dirt that can be used against the troublesome candidate. He finds some, but during the investigation he has fallen in love with the candidate's beautiful red-headed secretary and ends up double-crossing his boss. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Arlene Dahl, (more)
- 1954
Based on a novel by Gwen Bristow, Jubilee Trail is a sprawling, all-star western from the Republic Studio mills. Despite is vaunted budget, the plot is strictly B-picture material. Ambitious California landowner Charles Hale (Ray Middleton) hopes to add to his riches by marrying off his brother Oliver (John Russell) to a wealthy Spanish family. But when Oliver weds a gal named Garnet (Joan Leslie) instead, Charles vows revenge against the new bride. Later, Oliver is killed, leaving Garnet to raise their baby alone. Charles intends to claim the baby for himself, but Garnet, who has subsequently fallen in love with John Ives (Forrest Tucker), isn't about to let that happen. Top-billed Vera Ralston plays saloon-hall chirp Florinda, a Woman With a Past who is peripherally involved in the plot proper, while Richard Webb, TV's "Captain Midnight", fills the obligatory "disgruntled suitor" role. The film is stolen hands down by Pat O'Brien as a drunken doctor who serves as last-minute problem-solver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Ralston, Joan Leslie, (more)
- 1953
Republic Pictures' notion of an "epic", Fair Wind to Java manages to pack in enough entertainment value to send the adventure fans home happy. Tough South Seas skipper Fred MacMurray goes hunting for pearls on a forbidden Javanese island. Native girl Vera Ralston (never mind her Czech accent) falls in love with MacMurray and defies local laws to help him. She is punished by the island rulers, compelling MacMurray to spirit both Vera and the pearls off the island. As they make a last desperate attempt to escape, a lava-spewing volcano threatens to destroy the island. While the shipboard scenes in Fair Wind to Java are as shoddy as a high school production of Pirates of Penzance, the climactic volcanic eruption is masterfully staged by miniature experts Howard Lydecker and Theodore Lydecker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Vera Ralston, (more)
- 1953
- NR
Clemson Reade (Cary Grant) is the kind of man who wants to marry an old-fashioned girl, one who will stay home and take care of her husband. However, he's fallen in love with Priscilla "Effie" Effington (Deborah Kerr), who has an exciting career with the State Department that she has no intention of giving up. Clemson has the poor timing of proposing marriage to Effie just as she's in the middle of trying to resolve a major political crisis with the Middle Eastern nation of Bukistan; the United States wants to stay on Bukistan's good side, thanks to their plentiful reserves of oil. Tired of waiting for Effie, Clemson decides that he needs to find a potential bride who will follow his lead instead of her own, and he soon meets Princess Tarji (Betta Saint John), daughter of the King of Bukistan, who has spent her life learning to faithfully serve her man. Clemson half-seriously sends a telegram proposing marriage to Tarji, which touches off a political tempest in a teapot when Tarji responds by visiting the United States. The State Department decides that someone should look after Tarji while she's in America, and who should be given the assignment but Effie; to Clemson's chagrin, Effie uses her time with Tarji to enlighten her about the more liberated status of women in the West. By the way, don't bother looking for Bukistan in your atlas, the country doesn't really exist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, (more)
- 1953
To fully appreciate the western comedy The Marshal's Daughter, one must be aware that its star, a zaftig, wide-eyed lass named Laurie Anders, was in 1953 a popular TV personality. A regular on The Ken Murray Show, Anders had risen to fame with the Southern-fried catchphrase "Ah love the wi-i-i-ide open spaces!" Striking while the iron was hot, the entrepreneurial Murray produced this inexpensive oater, which cast Anders as Laurie Dawson, the singing daughter of a U.S. marshal (Hoot Gibson). Teaming with her dad to capture outlaw Trigger Gans (Bob Duncan), Laurie briefly disguises herself as a masked bandit. Amidst much stock footage from earlier westerns and a plethora of lame jokes and dreadful puns, The Marshal's Daughter is a treat for trivia buffs, featuring such virile actors as Preston S. Foster, Johnny Mack Brown, Jimmy Wakely and Buddy Baer as "themselves." Ken Murray himself makes a supporting appearance as a leering frontier wiseacre named "Sliding Bill Murray." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurie Anders, Hoot Gibson, (more)
In 1952, the comedy team of Abbott and Costello entered into a joint agreement with producer Alex Gottlieb and Warner Brothers, whereby two color musical comedies would be produced: Bud Abbott would serve as producer--owner of one of the films, while Lou Costello would do same for the other. Costello's contribution to this agreement was Jack and the Beanstalk, a kiddie-matinee adaptation of the famed fairy tale. Constructed along the lines of The Wizard of Oz, the film begins in black and white. Jack (Costello) is a professional baby-sitter, while Dink (Abbott) is Jack's "agent." After a run-in with a gargantuan cop (Buddy Baer) and a statuesque waitress (Dorothy Ford), Jack and Dink show up at the home of Eloise Larkin (Shaye Cogan), there to look after Eloise's troublesome nephew Donald (David Stollery) while the girl and her boyfriend Arthur Royal (James Alexander) rehearse at their community theatre. While reading the story of Jack and the Beanstalk to the bratty Donald, Jack falls asleep, and begins dreaming himself, and his cohorts, into the story as the impoverished boy sent out to sell the family cow. While en route to town with his cow, he encounters a shady butcher (Abbott) who bilks him out of his broken-down bovine for the price of a few 'magic' beans. In keeping with the traditional tale, Jack plants the beans and from them a magnificent vine grows and reaches into the clouds. Along with the butcher, Jack climbs into a fantastic world inhabited by a terrifying giant (Baer) and other magical creatures, including a gold egg-laying hen, a singing harp, and a distressed prince and princess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1952
- NR
The Big Sky is based on a popular novel by A.B. Guthrie. Kirk Douglas and Dewey Martin play a pair of Kentucky frontiersmen who embark upon the first keelboat trip up the Missouri River way back in 1830. Joining Douglas and Martin are Martin's grizzled old uncle Arthur Hunnicutt and garrulous Frenchman Steven Geray. Running afoul of various Indian tribes, Douglas nonetheless romances Sioux princess Elizabeth Threatt (their off-screen relationship was on the kinky side, as an embarrassed Douglas reveals in his autobiography). Director Howard Hawks leavens the Boys' Own Adventure atmosphere of the film with a few isolated comic sequences, including a sidesplitting scene in which Douglas' gangrenous finger is cut off. Produced for RKO Radio by Hawks' own Winchester Pictures, The Big Sky was released at 141 minutes, though the TV print runs 122 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Dewey Martin, (more)
- 1951
Personally supervised by Howard R. Hughes, the RKO Technicolor musical Two Tickets to Broadway stars Janet Leigh as a small-town girl who hopes to make it big in the Big Apple. Moving into a Manhattan boarding house populated by such showbiz hopefuls as Ann Miller, Tony Martin, Gloria De Haven and Barbara Lawrence, Leigh aspires to appear on the popular TV variety program hosted by bandleader Bob Crosby. Two-bit agent Eddie Bracken promises to make her dreams come true, even though he doesn't know Crosby from Adam. Along the way, Leigh falls for Martin, though the course of true love seldom runs smooth--in fact, at one point it threatens to run all the way back to Leigh's home town. Injecting their time-honored routines into the proceedings are veteran vaudevillians Joe Smith and Charlie Dale, playing a couple of stagestruck deli owners (their roles were originally slated for Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, but Laurel's illness precluded any film work). Despite the creative input of choreographer Busby Berkeley, the film's best number is the simplest: Let's Make Comparisons, wherein Bob Crosby explains why he's not his brother Bing. Seemingly a surefire box-office hit, Two Tickets to Broadway inexplicably posted a loss of $1,150,000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Martin, Janet Leigh, (more)
Originally advertised as "Colossal Quo Vadis," this opulent MGM production is far and away the most elaborate of the many versions of Henryk Sienkiewicz' novel. The plot, as always, concerns the romance between a beautiful early Christian woman (Deborah Kerr) and the initially agnostic Roman soldier Marcus Vinicius (Robert Taylor). This love story is laid against the larger intrigues of the debauched emperor Nero (Peter Ustinov), who hopes to gain immortality by destroying Rome with a fire and remaking it in his own image. Part of Nero's master plan is the elimination of the Christian "threat," leading to the climactic lion picnics in the arena. In spite of the many more celebrated highlights (the burning of Rome, the rescue of Lygia [Deborah Kerr] from a rampaging bear, the upside-down crucifixion of Simon Peter), the scene that remains most vivid in the memory is the posthumous "final insult" delivered to Nero by his contemptuous former aide Petronius (Leo Genn). Sophia Loren can be briefly spotted as an extra during one of the crowd scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, (more)
- 1951
The aggressively Irish Maureen O'Hara and the staunchly American Jeff Chandler are cast as Arabian Nights types in Flame of Araby. Chandler plays Tamerlaine, a Bedouin chief who is engaged in a hunt for a legendary black stallion. Also coveting the prize steed is Tunisian princess Tanya (O'Hara), who wants to capture the horse to race in competition against her hated brothers Borka (Lon Chaney) and Hakim (Buddy Baer). After reels and reels of deadly rivalry, Tamerlaine decides to join forces with Tanya to trap the stallion--and in the process, the two fall in love. Listed as associate producer of Flame of Araby is Ross Hunter, whose later cinematic efforts would eschew desert-sands escapism in favor of lush soap operas and frothy sex comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Hara, Jeff Chandler, (more)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello temporarily leave their usual Universal stamping grounds to star in the Huntington Hartford production Africa Screams. Costello plays the colorfully inept Stanley Livingstone, a meek book salesman who poses as a big-game hunter at the behest of his shifty pal Buzz Johnson (Abbott). It's all part of a scheme to extract some money from adventuress Diana Emerson (Hillary Brooke), who intends to search for a lost diamond mine in the heart of Africa. It seems that Stanley has committed to memory a long out-of-print book which contained a map to the mine. Despite his mortal fear of wild animals, Stanley accompanies Buzz, Diana, and Diana's henchmen on the African expedition. The subsequent comic complications involve a legendary giant gorilla, a cannibal tribe, and a friendly orangutan who falls in love with Stanley. Animal trainer Clyde Beatty and big-game tracker Frank Buck make cameo appearances while character comics Shemp Howard and Joe Besser provide laughs as, respectively, a nearsighted gunman and a sissified flunky. Also on hand are boxer brothers Max Baer and Buddy Baer, who engage in an amusingly unconvincing display of fisticuffs. But the film belongs to Abbott & Costello, who are in fine form. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1937
The riotous world of boxing provides the backdrop of this comedy that centers on young-fighter Kid Brody who is taken under the wing of the lovely coquette Lady Foxham after he beats her previous favorite. Together the two embark on a cruise to England. During the voyage, the Kid's manager finds himself pursued by a gold digger who thinks he is a millionaire. When she learns he is not she drops him and sets her sights on the kid. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
