Ben Baker Movies

Four siblings -- Edmund (Skandar Keynes), Lucy (Georgie Henley), Peter (William Moseley), and Susan (Anna Popplewell) -- are sent from their London home to the country estate of an eccentric professor in order to ensure their safety during World War II. The house is very dull, except for a large, ornate wardrobe discovered by young Lucy during a game of hide-and-seek. Venturing inside of it in the hopes of finding a hiding place, Lucy is transported to a snowy alternate universe: a magical world called Narnia. The land is populated by talking animals and ruled over by the benevolent lion god Aslan (voiced by Liam Neeson), but sadly, the world is also in a state of perpetual winter. The white witch Jadis (Tilda Swinton), lustful for power and governed by narcissism, has cursed Narnia with a tyrannical decree that it will always be winter but never Christmas. Now, the children must fight alongside Aslan for the salvation of Narnia, but one of them, seduced by the charisma of the white witch, may choose to fight on the wrong side. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

With a cast starring such comic veterans as Harvey Korman, Anne Meara, Jack Weston and Tim Conway (who also wrote the script), and executive produced by Mike Nichols, it is normally a safe bet that hiliarity will ensue. Unfortunately, this sure thing does not pay off and is disappointingly dumb as it tells the tale of four luckless gamblers who in desperation borrow a large sum for a local loanshark so they can bet on a particular horse. Unfortunately, they bet on the wrong nag and suddenly the foursome must scramble around for quick cash before the loanshark's thugs show up for some bruising payback. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Although penned by the same screenwriter, David S. Ward, this sequel to The Sting (1973) is tarnished by comparisons to its predecessor. Jackie Gleason fills the shoes of Paul Newman as Harry Gondorff and Mac Davis slips into the Robert Redford role of Johnny Hooker, two con men pals whose latest "sting" involves Hooker pretending to be a down on his luck boxer. Their goal is the fixing of a prizefight, which will rook a tacky nightclub owner (Karl Malden) out of a fortune while simultaneously getting revenge on their old nemesis, Doyle Lonnegan (Oliver Reed). On their side is Veronica (Teri Garr), a seasoned scam artist, but what Gondorff and Hooker don't know is that Lonnegan is manipulating events behind the scenes. Director Jeremy Paul Kagan followed up this terribly unfunny and inferior sequel with the much better received The Journey of Natty Gann (1985), while Ward became a director of such comedies as Major League (1989) and King Ralph (1991). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

After a retired police officer is found beaten, Kojak discovers that the ex-cop had been keeping an over-the-hill thoroughbread race horse in the police stables, in defiance of department rules. Now the old nag is missing, and Kojak wants to know why. Meanwhile, the horse's abductors are spreading the word throughout the racing world that they have a very valuable foal for sale to the highest bidder. Future Taxi costar Jeff Conaway appears in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A boy (Robby Benson) is forced to become a man when he is left orphaned in the Old West. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Ironside (Raymond Burr) is still in Montreal, still trying to determine if a group of militant Separatists are responsible for a fatal bombing. Reluctantly teamed with flamboyant, cigar-smoking female mystery writer Ernestine Mugford (Hermione Gingold), the Chief must figure out the connection between the death of an old friend and the theft of a priceless chess set. Further complicating matters is Ironside's renewed romance with Jeanine Duvalier (Karin Dor)--whose son Robert (AlaIn Patrick) is among the Separatists who may be planning a major terrorist assault on an upcoming parade. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After a debut on Broadway in 1951, Paramount spent an estimated 17 to 20 million dollars in production costs for this Lerner and Loewe musical. With Loewe's permission, Lerner wrote five additional tunes for the film with Andre Previn. Ben Rumson (Lee Marvin) is the grizzled prospector trying his luck panning for gold in California. Pardner (Clint Eastwood) is his companion. When Ben buys a woman from a Mormon, Elizabeth (Jean Seberg) expects equal rights for her gender and chooses to live with both men. Ben and Pardner tunnel under the boomtown to gather the fallen gold dust that has filtered through the cracks of the saloon and other places. The musical comedy features 13 songs, the most recognizable being "They Call The Wind Maria". The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band helps out on the song "Hand Me Down That Can O' Beans". Both Clint Eastwood and Lee Marvin are given a chance to show their vocal ability (or lack of it) in several songs. The initial release fell far short of regaining the millions put into the production, and most critics dipped their pens in poison to pan the picture -- though the film plays better than the critics would lead anyone to believe. Many jumped on the Paint Your Wagon smear campaign after the film proved to be not nearly as successful as other musicals. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Larry Storch pulls double duty in this episode as both Corporal Randolph Agarn and his lookalike cousin, Mexican bandit El Diablo. In order to clear his family name, Agarn must arrest El Diablo himself--a task that proves problematic when the bandit chief invades Fort Courage and takes Captain Parmenter (Ken Berry) and Wrangler Jane (Melody Patterson) prisoner. In addition to his aforemetioned dual role, Larry Storch also shows up as three other members of the Agarn family: Granny Agarn (who looks like Whistler's Mother), Gaylord Agarn and Carmen Agarnado (Reportedly, this episode was written as a favor to actor Storch, who wanted to show off his famous flair for comic dialects). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This final episode of F Troop's first season--and the final one filmed in black and white--opens with a takeoff of the TV western Branded, as Sgt. O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) is unceremoniously stripped of his rank. In flashback, we discover the reason for O'Rourke's disgrace: It seems that he had taken pity on town drunk Charlie (Frank McHugh), who wanted to make a good impression on his daughter Cindy (Linda Foster). This resulted in an elaborate ruse wherby Charlie was passed off as the commander of Fort Courage--with disastrous results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is in Reno, helping Pete Warren (Peter Breck) finalize his divorce from his wife Myrna. When an incriminating photo reveals that Myrna (Myrna Fahey) is mixed up in a counterfeit gambling-chip scam at a local gambling casino, Pete tells a pack of lies to the authorities to save his soon-to-be "ex" from prosectuion. Before long, Pete is facing a far more serious charge than counterfeiting: Myrna has been murdered, and all the evidence points to him. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It looks like curtains for Captain Parmenter (Ken Berry) when he manages to offend the notorious outlaw Sam Urp (played by veteran western heavy Jack Elam). The fastest gun in Kansas, Urp challenges Parmenter to a shoot-out. How will the combined efforts of O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker), Agarn (Larry Storch) and Wrangler Jane (Melody Patterson) prevent Parmenter from biting the dust? Series semi-regular Don Diamond, usually seen as Crazy Cat, is here billed merely as "Brave." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This charming tale is about a young girl's father and his slightly erratic behavior after sampling a refreshing alcoholic beverage. Although Papa Jack Griffith (Jackie Gleason) never appears to be drunk, his "delicate condition" is well known to his family. His wife is definitely unhappy over his penchant but loves him just the same. He is adored by his youngest daughter, six year old Corinne (Linda Bruhl). When he tries to buy a pony for Corinne, he not only gets the pony but the entire broken down, debt ridden circus as well. This is too much for wife Ambolyn (Glynis Johns), who packs up the kids and heads for her father's house in Texarkana. Jack follows with the entire circus in pursuit to take his loving family back home. He also hoodwinks some local investors to put money into a proposed drug store, thereby circumventing a blue law that forbids the sale of alcohol. Gleason's performance contain many fine moments that run the full spectrum of human emotions and clearly illustrates why he has deservedly been referred to as "The Great One." ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Mac Hyman's hilarious barracks novel No Time for Sergeants was adapted for TV by Ira Levin in 1955, with newcomer Andy Griffith as bumptious Air Force draftee Will Stockdale. This TV version was soon afterward transformed into a Broadway play, and then a movie, again with Griffith in the lead. Brought to the Air Force base in handcuffs because his farmer father has been hiding his draft notices, good-natured Will becomes the target of ridicule for the other transcripts. Especially nasty is Private Irvin (Murray Hamilton), but Will is able to forgive him because he knows that Irvin is suffering from some mysterious disease called ROTC. Will's best pal is hot-headed private Ben (Nick Adams), who wants to be transferred to the Infantry and convinces Will to try for the same goal. Slowly becoming aware that the trusting, naïve Will may prove to be a troublemaker, career sergeant King (Myron McCormick), who wants nothing more out of life than a little peace and quiet, tries to keep Stockdale out of mischief by appointing him "PLO" -- Permanent Latrine Orderly, a dubious distinction in which Will takes enormous pride. Later on, King tries to pull strings to get Will transferred, succeeding only in losing his sergeant's stripes. The story goes off on a zany tangent when Will and Ben find themselves on a crippled plane in flight. They manage to escape with their lives, but all evidence suggests that they've been killed in the plane's crash. Imagine the dismay of newly reinstated Sergeant King when Will and Ben show up in his office -- just as the entire base is gathered for a memorial service for the two "fallen heroes." Featured in a minor role as a "coordination officer" is Griffth's future TV cohort Don Knotts, while Sammy Jackson, who played Stockdale in a 1964 sitcom version of No Time for Sergeants, shows up in an unbilled bit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide