Carroll Baker Movies
The daughter of a traveling salesman, actress Carroll Baker joined a dance company after one year of college, then worked as a magician's assistant. After a brief marriage to a furrier, she went to Hollywood to act, but was unable to get anything more than a bit role (in 1953's Easy to Love) and so left for New York. At first finding work only in commercials (plus a walk-on in the Broadway play Escapade), in 1954 she enrolled at the Actors Studio; there she met director Jack Garfein, whom she married the following year (they were divorced in 1969). After her appearance in a few TV dramas and Robert Anderson's play All Summer Long (1955), she was noticed by Warner scouts and subsequently cast in James Dean's vehicle Giant (1956). Her success continued that same year when her role as the thumb-sucking wife in Baby Doll (1956) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She also delivered anexemplary lead performance in director Irving Rapper's The Miracle (1959). With the success of Marilyn Monroe, Hollywood started looking for other Monroe "types" and producers began grooming Baker for the role, as is evident from her work in such films as The Carpetbaggers (1964); in 1965, she played the doomed title role in the film Harlow, another attempt to cast her in the Monroe mold. However, she never caught on with American audiences; in the late 60s, she moved to Italy and began appearing in Italian productions. In 1977 she made her London stage debut in W. Somerset Maugham's Rain, then made a few Hollywood and UK pictures in the late 70s and 80s, as well as putting in a "camp" appearance in Andy Warhol's Bad (1977) and a more straightlaced role as the mother of Dorothy Stratten in Star 80). ~ All Movie Guide
- 1980
This 1980 British production is based on the trashy romantic novel of the same name by Jackie Collins. Fabulously-successful advertising executive David Cooper (Anthony Franciosa) is a jet-setting philanderer who has a woman in seemingly every port of call. His long-suffering wife Linda (Carroll Baker) finally gets fed up with his infidelities, and she sets out to even the score. Linda exacts her vengeance by having her own string of affairs at several exotic locations, and also by launching various nefarious schemes to entrap and embarrass her husband. Collins is credited as the screenwriter. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Franciosa, Carroll Baker, (more)
Penned by Dan Greenburg, Private Lessons details the plight of a rich, fifteen-year-old boy (Eric Brown) whose French maid (Sylvia Kristel of the Emmanuelle series) is hired to teach him the finer points of l'amour. A contrived subplot involving a blackmail scheme complicates matters but really only serves as padding between the erotic scenes. In the end, the boy ends up wiser for the wear in more ways than one as he learns all the sordid details. Typical of many early '80s adolescent-oriented T & A films, this entry includes plenty of leering nudity and debauchery, although it seems comparatively tame compared with many others. Surprisingly, Private Lessons was a box-office hit at the time of its release; presumably, many film-goers had seen Kristel in her role as Emmanuelle, although they would have been disappointed to learn a body-double stood in during her love scenes in this case. A similarly-themed film, My Tutor, was released soon after. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvia Kristel, Howard Hesseman, (more)
The final film released under the Andy Warhol moniker (which Warhol executive produced) is a much more polished affair than Flesh, Trash or Heat, but preserves the oddball wit and eccentric flair that made those films so memorable. Directed by Warhol film editor Jed Johnson, Andy Warhol's Bad focuses on Hazel Aiken, a New York housewife who has to support a houseful of relatives on her own. She pays the bills by operating an electrolysis service out of her home and also by running a murder-for-hire service staffed exclusively by women that specializes in unsavory jobs like killing children and house pets. As a result of her latter job, she has to deal with unwanted attention from Detective Hughes, a corrupt cop who wants her to surrender one of her employees so he can make an arrest. Hazel's complex life grows even more difficult with the arrival of her nephew J.T. (Perry King), a sleazy layabout who wants to join her hit squad. As the bodies pile up around her, Hazel discovers that her cold-blooded take on capitalism and family values comes with a price she didn't imagine. Andy Warhol's Bad differs from previous Warhol productions because of its higher production values and Hollywood-friendly casting, but retains its sense of underground credibility thanks to a wild story line that trashes every taboo in arm's reach to create a memorably bizarre satire. Some sources erroneously list the year of release in 1971; it was in fact produced in 1976 and issued to theaters by Roger Corman's New World Pictures in 1977. The MPAA classified that version of the film with an X. It was later reedited to receive an R, which is the version available on video. ~ Donald Guarisco, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, Perry King, (more)
The disaster genre gets the exploitation treatment in this gruesome tale of survival at sea from director René Cardona Jr. In the wake of a violent cyclone, the remaining passengers of a downed airplane find refuge on a passing boat carrying the survivors of a shipwreck. Without a clue where in the world they are, a shortage of food and water, and the surrounding waters teeming with man-eating sharks, the tensions are soon on the rise. El Ciclon was released in the U.S. as The Cyclone. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
Originally titled D.A.'s Investigator, Kiss Me Kill Me stars Stella Stevens as Stella Stafford, "leg woman" for the LA district attorney's office. The case at hand is the murder of a young, highly respected schoolteacher. Stella is certain that she has the killer dead to rights--but this is before she learns the down-and-dirty about the murder victim's secret life. Supporting Ms. Stevens is an impressive guest cast, including Dabney Coleman, Pat O'Brien, Bruce Boxleitner and Robert Vaughn. First telecast May 8, 1976, Kiss Me Kill Me was the pilot for an intended TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1976
A socially deviant man and his friends find themselves to be sacrificial targets of religious cult members. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1975
The title of the Italian At Last, At Last refers to sex. In fact, virtually every line of dialogue in this domestic comedy has an erotic tinge. The plot concerns a newlywed couple's attempt to cure the husband's impotence. You guessed it: "outside specialists" are brought into arouse hubby's libido. Carroll Baker, Edwige French, Renzo Montagnani and Ray Lovelock star. Originally titled La Moglie Vergine, the film has also been released as The Virgin Wife and You've Got to Have Heart. Though At Last, at Last couldn't get it up on American TV screens, it stood firm and proud on cable television, where it premiered in 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1974
In this thriller, a wheelchair bound beauty must escape the unwanted attentions of a homicidal maniac. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
This weird, psycho-sexual horror tale -- the kind they do so well in Italy -- is based on an S&M-flavored comic series by erotic artist Guido Crepax, creator of the popular character "Valentina" -- played here by Isabelle De Funes. Valentina is a fashion photographer who comes under the spell of the enigmatic witch Baba Yaga (Carroll Baker), who may in fact be the legendary sorceress of Russian folklore. It is in this magical abode that Valentina eventually becomes a captive, tormented mentally and physically... or is it all the product of her overactive imagination? Director Corrado Farina seems unable to make up his mind either, choosing instead to get lost in the sensual ambiance which only vaguely manages to re-create the dark, hedonistic fantasy-land of Crepax's works. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
This is yet another giallo thriller from prolific Italian filmmaker Umberto Lenzi and starring Carroll Baker, whom Lenzi had already featured in Paranoia and Orgasmo. Baker, best-known in America for her starring role in the controversial Baby Doll, stars as Martha Cauldwell, who was struck mute when she saw her parents die in a railroad accident at the age of 12. She was taken in by a family in Martinique, and her cousin Jenny Ascot (Ida Galli appearing as "Evelyn Stewart") comes to visit her as the story begins. Jenny is murdered shortly thereafter, and the police tie her death to the sex killing of a teenaged girl a few hours earlier. The prime suspect is a local hippie whom the locals believe to be a drug-addled Satanist. This touch, similar to the persecution of suspected witch Florinda Bolkan in Lucio Fulci's Non Si Sevizia un Paperino -- released the same year -- is reinforced by a scene involving a Donald Duck toy which suggests that the similarities between the two films aren't entirely coincidental (that film's original Italian title translates as "Don't Torture Donald Duck," later changed to Don't Torture a Duckling to avoid copyright issues). At any rate, the hippie is arrested but exonerated after two more murders occur while he is in jail, and so the other suspects (including Franco Fantasia as an unctuous doctor, Eduardo Fajardo as a sinister chauffeur, and Jorge Rigaud as the occultist uncle) fall under suspicion. The usual internal rivalries and family secrets are punctuated by numerous close-ups of characters' eyes (another Fulci trademark) and various occult red herrings, only to end up in a fairly predictable -- if highly improbable -- secular conclusion. Sergio Ciani and Carla Mancini co-star in this offbeat effort, which, despite its inconsistencies, should prove fascinating to genre devotees. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
A Native American working for the government must investigate the Indian Commissioner's death. Soon he uncovers the schemes of a wealthy land owner and an assassination plot which will further victimize the local natives. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Van Cleef, Carroll Baker, (more)
Carroll Baker, the blond starlet best known for her role in Baby Doll, ended her career in a number of Italian giallo thrillers including A Quiet Place to Kill, Paranoia, The Fourth Victim, and this giallo-tinged crime film from director Osvaldo Civirani. Baker plays a dual role as translator Julie Harrison and her twin sister Mary. The serpentine plot begins as Julie tells her lawyer Dave Barton (Stephen Boyd from Ben-Hur) that Mary's life is being threatened in London while Julie herself is being stalked by a mysterious stranger in Amsterdam. Dave's racecar-driving friend Tony Shane (George Hilton) saves her from both an attempted kidnapping and an attempted murder before putting her up with an old blind woman to hide. The blind woman is murdered that same night, and Luciano Pigozzi turns up as an insurance investigator who finds out that Mary has stolen a precious diamond from an Indian Maharaja, double-crossing her husband to do so. To reveal any more of the plot would rob the viewer of the jaw-dropping developments, but the film features an unbelievable prank played by Julie's knife-wielding co-worker in a gorilla mask, a speeded-up car chase reminiscent of Rat Pfink a Boo Boo, and a very odd denouement in an abandoned windmill. The cast is loaded with genre veterans like Lucretia Love, Carla Mancini, Franco Ressel, and Ivano Staccioli, and the familiar-sounding score is by the ubiquitous Stelvio Cipriani, making this a solid addition to any giallo library. Various versions run 89 and 87 minutes. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, Stephen Boyd, (more)
- 1971
Filmmaker and poet Eugenio Martin directed this Italian-Spanish co-production, a labyrinthine British-set giallo starring Michael Craig as Arthur Anderson, who finds the nude body of his dead wife Gladys floating in his swimming pool. After he and his housekeeper dress the corpse and call the police, it seems as if the determination will be that Gladys accidentally drowned, but the police open a murder investigation on the day of her funeral. Like the clever black widow in the later Dutch thriller De Vierde Man, it appears that Arthur has had three previous spouses die under mysterious circumstances. Fortunately for him, his housekeeper lies at the trial and gets Arthur off the hook. That's when the beautiful Julie Spencer (giallo veteran Carroll Baker) shows up in his pool late at night, leading to an instant romance and rapid marriage, but Julie has secrets of her own. Laced with a Piero Umiliani score reminiscent of Riz Ortolani's work in so many popular gialli, and Guglielmo Mancori's standard tightly framed cinematography, the film is a solid, if undistinguished addition to any Euro-completist's genre library. Marina Malfatti co-stars with Jose Luis Lopez Vasquez and Manuel Gallardo. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1969
The second of two films starring Carroll Baker and directed by Umberto Lenzi, this one was released in Italy as Paranoia, the American title of its 1968 predecessor, Orgasmo. Baker plays Helen, a racecar driver who recovers from a coma and is summoned to the Majorcan villa of her ex-husband Maurice (Jean Sorel). Constance (Marina Coffa) is Maurice's new wife and wants Helen to help her kill him. Unfortunately for Constance, Helen double-crosses her and she is killed instead. But there are more surprises ahead when Constance's daughter Susan (Anna Proclemer) shows up and tries to kill Helen because she wants to help Maurice, who is revealed to be her lover. The story (co-written by cult filmmaker Rafael Romero Marchent) is all quite complicated, but has very little dramatic impact due to static cinematography and weak performances. Alberto Dalbes and Luis Davila co-star in this ludicrous thriller. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- R
Before making the string of cannibal adventures which made him notorious, Umberto Lenzi directed three kinky giallo thrillers starring Carroll Baker (Baby Doll). This one is a bisexual round-robin, in which chemist Jean (Jean-Louis Trintignant) is married to Danielle (Erika Blanc), a lesbian who may be sleeping with Baker, who may in turn be sleeping with Trintignant. Baker is being stalked by a mysterious killer, Helga Line might be sleeping with any of them, and then there's Horst Frank, who may or may not be the killer. Everyone wants to kill everyone else, as in Trintignant's previous La Morte Ha Fatto l'Uovo (1967), and although it may not be quite as all-out bizarre as that film, its' still a lot of fun for genre fans. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, Jean-Louis Trintignant, (more)
- 1969
- R
Romolo Guerrieri directed this well-constructed thriller from a screenplay from genre specialist Ernesto Gastaldi. Returning to Geneva from their honeymoon, newlyweds Deborah (Carroll Baker) and Marcel (Jean Sorel) meet a man named Philip (Luigi Pistilli), who blames Marcel for the suicide of his girlfriend. Spaghetti-western star George Hilton appears as an artist-neighbor with a secret, and Evelyn Stewart (aka Ida Galli) also appears. The plot has many twists and turns, but Guerrieri manages to keep it on track until the intriguing conclusion. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, Jean Sorel, (more)
- 1968
This satirical comedy illustrates that women are just as likely to succumb to the pleasures of the flesh as their male counterparts. Carol Baker enjoys a series of unashamed romantic romps with three different men. She tells her story to a homosexual male friend and a six-month-old cheetah when she is not enjoining the benefits of her harem. Her cozy arrangement is upset quickly when the men in her life get together and decide to take charge of their situation. Its slight nudity marked this film as an "exploitationer," but those seeking pornographic titillation will be disappointed, as the story is its main focus. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1968
One of two thrillers starring Carroll Baker and directed by Umberto Lenzi, this one was released in the United States as Paranoia, the original title of the second one. Katherine West (Baker) is a wealthy alcoholic who travels to her late husband's Italian villa from New York. Soon, a slimy conman named Peter (Lou Castel) and his girlfriend Eva (Colette Descombes) move in on Katherine, taking advantage of her confused state with sex, drugs, and blackmail. One scene has the hapless Katherine served a toad for dinner, and there are some interesting moments, but this is clearly the lesser of the two films. The annoying score was composed by Piero Umiliani. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, Lou Castel, (more)
- 1967
The success of several 1960s-era cat-burglar movies depended upon the suave and agreeable machinations of the film's antiheroic hero, as he stylishly worked to remove surplus wealth from the obscenely wealthy. That formula reaped a box-office bonanza, and here the producers are back with it again, with Jeff Hill (George Hamilton) learning the ropes of being a gentleman-thief from the redoubtable Ace of Diamonds (Joseph Cotton). Unfortunately, there is a reason these fine gents weren't cast in the original films, and despite good performances (and direction) all around, the magic just didn't strike this time. Three female movie stars (Carroll Baker, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Lilli Palmer) play themselves as the burglar's wealthy victims. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Hamilton, Joseph Cotten, (more)
- 1965
Carroll Baker, the Sharon Stone of the sixties, plays another classy-looking blonde with a sordid background in Sylvia. Millionaire Peter Lawford is about to marry the glamorous but secretive Sylvia (Baker). Before taking the plunge, he hires private eye George Maharis to do a background check on the girl. Whew, what he finds out! Apparently the only sin Sylvia doesn't commit is robbing parking meters, but we have no idea what might happen after the final fadeout. Shortly before it opened, Sylvia was the subject of several magazine articles, trumpeting the fact that Carroll Baker had conducted extensive interviews with real-life prostitutes in order to prepare herself for her role. This apparently left her no time to consult an acting coach. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, George Maharis, (more)
