Martha Hyer Movies
The daughter of a Texas judge, Martha Hyer majored in speech and drama at Northwestern University. Her work at the Pasadena Playhouse led to a 1946 contract with RKO. Free from her contract in 1951, Hyer free-lanced in films made both in the U.S. and abroad. She earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of a prim small schoolteacher in Some Came Running (1958), but has also played "hot to trot" roles in films like Pyro (1966) and spoiled-little-rich-girl types in films such as The Happening (1967). The widow of producer Hal B. Wallis, Martha Hyer has set forth her life story in the 1990 autobiography Finding My Way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
John Wayne returned to the role that won him an Oscar in this sequel to the western classic True Grit. Rooster Cogburn (Wayne) has once again been stripped of his badge after some questionable behavior with his gun, but he's given the chance to earn it back after an especially appalling crime demands an experienced lawman. A gang of violent and ruthless criminals, led by Hawk (Richard Jordan) and Breed (Anthony Zerbe), have stolen a shipment of explosive nitroglycerine and cut a swath through a village led by a preacher and his flock. The preacher died, along with many others, and his daughter, Eula Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn), is determined that the outlaws will be brought to justice. Cogburn is given the task of tracking down the criminals, but he's less than enthusiastic about the fact Goodnight insists on tagging along. Rooster Cogburn marked the first (and last) time John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn would work together on screen; it was also the final film from noted producer Hal Wallis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Katharine Hepburn, (more)
- 1973
Another perfect crime is committed in this crime drama. This time, a tiny town finds itself terrorized and completely sealed off by seven strangely bearded men, who promptly begin stealing everything in sight. The only one who can save the town is the former sheriff. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1971
When a gangster takes control of the city, a U.S. Treasury agent works to stop the illegal activities. ~ All Movie Guide
Though Roger Moore was born in England and established himself as star of the British TV series The Saint, Crossplot represents Moore's very first British theatrical film. He stars as an advertising executive swept up in a plot to murder a visiting African statesman. Lensed in "swinging" London, the film is "mod" to an almost depressing degree, obscuring what is at base a solid espionage thriller. Moore ultimately thwarts the villains by decoding a message secreted in a crossword puzzle -- hence the film's title. A climactic shootout in Hyde Park tops this dry run for Roger Moore's subsequent stint as James Bond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Moore, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1969
- PG
Diana (Carol Lynley) is the wealthy, mentally unbalanced woman who seduces the local golf pro Jerry (Paul Burke). She proposes they each do the other a favor by eliminating their rivals. The drunken golfer laughs and agrees to kill Diane's psychiatrist Dr. Haggis (Whit Bissell), believing Diane is kidding. She is dead serious and kills the golfer's main competitor Mike (Philip Carey) by running him over with a golf cart. Diane tape records their conversation and uses it to blackmail the golfer into going through with his end of the bargain. Jerry goes to Dr. Haggis with the problem while police Lieutenant Gavin (Stephen McNally) is called in to solve the murder of the rival golfer. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Burke, Carol Lynley, (more)
- 1968
Vittorio Gassman stars in this uneven blend of sex and comedy where animals attempt to take over the world. Satirical jabs are taken at the advertising, politics and heroes. Gassman plays a model who makes his career by appearing on billboards and loses a battle of wits with a gorilla in a zoo. Our hero watches a striptease through a telescope in Rome. He also witnesses a giant moth devouring the bathing suits of bikini-clad beauties. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vittorio Gassman, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1967
In this war drama, an Army intelligence officer stationed in Saigon labors to discover the identity of the double-agent in his department who has been sending classified information to the Soviets. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Felix Manderville (Vincent Price) is a traveling magician who manages to make young women disappear in this exploitation thriller. The trouble is, Felix drugs the femmes and sells them to white slave traders with the help of his mind-reading assistant Rebecca (Martha Hyer). Marie Armstrong (Anne Smyrner) and her husband Stephen (George Nader) are American tourists who fall into the trap of the felonious flesh pedlars. Price plays the part with his usual suave and sinister manner in this routine production. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1967
Four neophyte criminals get some unexpected help from their first victim in this caper comedy. A quartet of Miami Beach bohemians -- Sureshot (Michael Parks), Taurus (George Maharis), Herby (Robert Walker Jr.), and Sandy (Faye Dunaway) -- are looking for kicks and some fast money, and they hatch a scheme that they're sure will bring them both. Roc Delmonico (Anthony Quinn) is a well-known local restaurateur believed to be connected with the Mafia; the four beach bums kidnap Roc and hold him for ransom. To the surprise of the first-time kidnappers and the great annoyance of Roc, neither his wife, Monica (Martha Hyer), nor his business partners are willing to pony up 200,000 dollars to set the former gangster free. The angry Delmonico soon joins forces with his kidnappers, and with his background in crime, he advises them on how to make a hostage situation work. Roc's advice is right on the money, and the price for his safety zooms from 200,000 dollars to three million dollars. Roc's new friends are happy about this unexpected windfall, and Delmonico likes the idea of putting the screws to the so-called "friends" who let him down, but actually getting their hands on the money turns out to be far more complicated than any of them expected. The theme song from The Happening proved to be a major hit for Diana Ross & the Supremes -- in fact, a much bigger hit than the movie itself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, George Maharis, (more)
- 1967
Ana Maria (Martha Hyer) feels ignored by her wealthy husband when he constantly has his mind on business. She turns her attention to former flame Andres (John Ronane), a successful artist with a wife of his own. Andres wants to rekindle the old romance, and Ana Maria is willing until her long-lost father (Fosco Giachetti) returns. There are moments of welcome comedy relief in Ana Maria's gossiping girlfriend, the whiny children, and the stalwart and honest taxi driver. However, the comedy is used to diffuse the potentially volatile marital disharmony that is never completely resolved. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martha Hyer, John Ronane, (more)
- 1967
Martha Hyer is appropriately cast as glamorous Hollywood movie star Carol Haven, who sweeps into the lives of Bill Davis (Brian Keith) and his family. Falling in love with Bill, Carol insists that she is willing to give up her career in order to assume the new roles of wife and mother. Bill of course is delighted--but it soon becomes obvious that Carol's heart is still firmly entrenched in the Hollywood Hills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
This WW II comedy centers upon a hapless German general (played by Buster Keaton in one of his last roles) who is stationed in Italy the night before the Allied invasion. Two Yankee POWs are planning to steal the plans for the Nazi offensive strategy. The Germans anticipate this and replace the real ones with phony plans. At least that's what they were supposed to do. Actually a mix-up results in the real plans being left out for the Americans to steal. During the offensive, the two soldiers are captured by the German general. The fellow is rather absent-minded and a tad confused so when the soldiers dress up as Hitler and an SS general, the poor man is totally fooled. Seeing that he isn't too bright, the Americans take pity upon him, disguise him as a scarecrow and help him escape with them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franco Franchi, Ciccio Ingrassia, (more)
- 1966
A young girl is deeply traumatized after she sees her mother burned to death in a house fire and spends the rest of her youth locked in a mental hospital. By the time she is released, her father has married a nasty woman who only wants his money. Knowing that the recently returned daughter is mentally unstable, the stepmom does all she can to drive the fragile girl over the edge. Unfortunately for the conniving bride, things don't quite turn out as planned. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Martha Hyer, (more)
All hell breaks loose in a Texas town when an escaped convict heads home in Arthur Penn's Southern gothic melodrama. Appointed by local kingpin Val Rogers (E. G. Marshall), benevolent Sheriff Calder (Marlon Brando) manages to keep the peace in Tarl, but the situation starts to fester one Saturday when news filters in that wild child Bubber Reeves (Robert Redford) has jumped prison. Bubber's impending arrival arouses hostility among Tarl's citizens, such as Edwin Stewart (Robert Duvall), who believes that Bubber will come after him to settle an old score, and Damon Puller (Richard Bradford), who, between grope sessions with Edwin's wife Emily (Janice Rule), uses Bubber as an excuse to terrorize black residents. As the atmosphere heats up, Calder wants to keep Bubber alive, and he convinces Bubber's wife Anna (Jane Fonda) and her lover, Val's son Jake (James Fox), to find Bubber and coax him into surrender. Val's fear that Bubber will kill his son, however, sparks a long confrontation that leaves rational law and order pummeled into the ground by the town's ignorant cruelty. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, (more)
- 1966
The title character in this Beverly Hillbillies episode is billionairess Tracy Richards, played by Martha Hyer. Accustomed to getting whatever she wants, Tracy has now set her sights on the Clampett mansion. Douglass Dumbrille, the veteran screen heavy who first uttered the immortal words "We have ways of making men talk" in 1935's Lives of a Bengal Lancer, appears as an attorney. "The Richest Woman" initially aired on January 5, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
- G
A small town is terrorized by a grizzly bear in this uninspired western. Jim Cole $Clint Walker} must defend his inherited property from the designs of his greedy, land-grabbing neighbor Jed Curry (Keenan Wynn). ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Walker, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1966
A woman who works for American Intelligence headquarters in Saigon relates important military information to her husband, a communist agent. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1965
Just before leaving on a business trip, Darrin is given a gift by Samantha: a tiny pin in the shape of a Siamese cat. Thus, when Darrin finds himself on board a yacht with gorgeous female client Margaret Marshall (Martha Hyer), he is convinced that Margaret's pet Siamese is really a jealous Samantha in disguise. This episode was co-written by veteran Hollywood scenarist Richard Sale and his wife, Mary Sale. "The Cat's Meow" was first telecast on January 21, 1965. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
Henry Hathaway directs the 1965 psychological Western The Sons of Katie Elder. Four sons reunite in their Texas hometown to attend their mother's funeral. John (John Wayne) is the gunfighter, Tom (Dean Martin) is the gambler, Matt (Earl Holliman) is the quiet one, and Bud (Michael Anderson Jr.) is the youngest. They soon learn that their father gambled away the family ranch, leading to his own murder. The brothers decide to find their father's killer and get back the ranch, even though they are discouraged to do so by local Sheriff Billy Wilson (Paul Fix). When the sheriff turns up dead, the Elder boys are blamed for the murder. Deputy Sheriff Ben Latta (Jeremy Slate) joins forces with the only witnesses of the murder: Morgan Hastings (James Gregory) and his son Dave (Dennis Hopper). A gunfight breaks out between the Hastings gang and the Elder gang. After his brother Matt is killed, John decides to settle the ranch dispute in a court of law with a judge (Sheldon Allman). However, Tom decides to take matters into his own hands by kidnapping Dave. After the final climactic gunfight, John and the wounded Bud retreat to a rooming house owned by Mary Gordon (Martha Hyer). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Dean Martin, (more)
- 1965
Jason (Chuck Connors) shows up at the Durango bank for the purpose of cash his employer's $10,000 draft. This transaction is interrupted by outlaw Frank Ross (Lloyd Bochner) and his gang, who proceed to make a large withdrawal--at gunpoint. It now falls to Jason to retrieve the stolen bank draft, lest he himself be implicated in the crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
There has never been any love lost between handsome, dissolute playboy Ernest Mullett (Peter Lawford) and his homely, hardworking brother, Farnum (Roger C. Carmel). The sibling rivalry intensifies when Farnum manages to take over Ernest's money, his job, his wife, Judith (Martha Hyer), and even his mistress, Barbara (Julie London). What we have here is a classic "Cain and Abel" situation -- and Ernest intends to literalize this Biblical allusion by eliminating Farnum for good. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Lawford, Julie London, (more)
Edward Dmytryk brings Harold Robbins' trashy, dirt-dishing Hollywood best-seller to the screen with George Peppard starring as Jonas Cord, a rancidly-sketched portrait of Howard Hughes. In 1925, when his father dies of a stroke, Jonas inherits the Cord Chemical factory, a manufacturer of dynamite and other explosives. Jonas proceeds with several cut-throat transactions, making a settlement with his sexy stepmother Rina (Carroll Baker) and liquidating the stock owned by cowhand Nevada Smith (Alan Ladd, in his final American film role). With the help of Mac McAllister (Lew Ayres), his father's attorney, Jonas builds his father's company into a multi-million dollar business, expanding into plastics and aeronautics. Meanwhile, Rina has become a top fashion model and movie star and Nevada Smith has parlayed his laconic demeanor into a career as a popular silent film cowboy idol. Jonas then marries, then ignores, the well-meaning Monica Winthrop (Elizabeth Ashley), and ruins her father's company in the process. Then, with the advent of sound films, Jonas helps Nevada Smith through the sound film crisis by offering financial backing for a film to star both Nevada and his ex-mother-in-law Rina. Jonas decides to direct the film himself, hoping to seduce Rina. But Jonas's insensitive and egomaniacal behavior causes Monica to leave him. Jonas invests all his time in film production but the alcoholic Rina dies in a car accident. The owners of the film studio -- Bernard B. Norman (Martin Balsam) and Dan Pierce (Robert Cummings) -- want to sell the studio to Jonas but hide the fact that Rina, the studio's biggest star, has died. Jonas buys the studio and when he finds his biggest asset is gone, he goes on a drunken binge. But Jonas quickly meets call girl Jennie Denton (Martha Hyer), who he decides to turn into a superstar modeled upon Rina. Despite having made her a star, Jonas's vile treatment of Jennie repulses both her and his old friend Nevada Smith, and Smith decides it's time to beat some sense into Jonas's head. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Peppard, Alan Ladd, (more)
- 1964
The Beach Party gang is back in this third episode. This time out, the gang is visited by the handsome British pop star Potato Bug (Frankie Avalon in a dual role) who has come to CA for a little r&r. When Potato Bug sees the perky Dee Dee (Annette Funicello), he falls head over heels. This doesn't set well with her boyfriend, Frankie. Later the kids all join forces to keep aged developer Harvey Huntington Honeywagon from buying their beach and using it to build a senior citizen's resort. Honeywagon is assisted by Brandoesque biker Eric Von Zipper while the kids are helped out by the adolescent supporter Big Drag. Songs include: "Bikini Drag", "Love's a Secret Weapon", and "Because You're You". Special guest artists include Little Stevie Wonder, the Exciters and the Pyramids. Boris Karloff has an un-credited cameo. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, (more)
