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
This jerry-built Allied Artists musical is also known as Showtime, Fresh From Paris. The film's plot is constructed around a single evening's performance at Hollywood's Moulin Rouge (don't expect the level of nudity you'd see in real Parisian show). Forrest Tucker plays a threadbare entrepreneur who wants to open up his own dinner theatre. His "angel" is Lloyd Corrigan, ostensibly an eccentric millionaire but actually merely eccentric. The singing Whiting sisters-Margaret and Barbara--slightly overshadow the film's "official" leading lady Martha Hyer. Most of the onstage acts are surprisingly tame, notably the Sportsmen Quartet. Filmed in a fast five days, Paris Follies of 1956 could not help but make back its cost within a week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forrest Tucker, Margaret Whiting, (more)
- 1955
Phil Carey is his usual rough-and-tumble self in the Columbia western programmer Wyoming Renegade. Carey plays Brady Sutton, a former outlaw who wants to go straight. Trouble is, everyone is convinced that Sutton is still a no-good -- everyone, that is, except heroine Nancy Warren (Martha Hyer). When it appears as though Sutton has joined the "Hole in the Wall" gang headed by Butch Cassidy (Gene Evans), it looks like Nancy was wrong and everyone else was right. Ah, but Sutton's motives are honorable, though it takes him half the movie to prove it. William Bishop is fourth-billed as Butch Cassidy's cohort Sundance, while desperado Blackjack Ketchum makes a cameo appearance in the form of bit player A. Guy Teague. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Carey, Gene Evans, (more)
- 1955
Complaining that Francis the Mule was getting more fan mail than he was, Donald O'Connor bade adios to the "Francis" series with this 1955 entry. Once more, O'Connor plays Army lieutenant Peter Sterling, who heads to a navy base when it looks like his old pal Francis is about to be auctioned off as surplus. In short order, Sterling is mistaken for a bos'n's mate whom he resembles, and it's off to sea for both Peter and the mule. Among the able-bodied seamen in this film is a chap named Jonesy, played by a young Clint Eastwood in his second movie appearance. An eleborate slapstick finale brings this one to a rousing conclusion. Director Arthur Lubin likewise left the "Francis" series after Francis in the Navy; the next (and last) entry, Francis in the Haunted House, starred Mickey Rooney and was directed by Charles Lamont. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1955
Barbara Rush is at her most exotically beautiful in the lush costumer Kiss of Fire. Based on Jonreed Lauritzen's novel The Rose and the Flame, the film stars Ms. Rush as Lucia, princess of Spain, who while residing in New Mexico discovers that the king is dying and that she must return home immediately to save her throne from pretenders. Escorting Lucia westward to the Pacific Ocean is former Spanish nobleman El Tigre (Jack Palance). In spite of themselves, the Princess and El Tigre fall in love. But before they can act upon their impulses, hero and heroine must face various and sundry dangers in the wild Southwest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Barbara Rush, (more)
Billy Wilder directs the lighthearted romantic comedy Sabrina, based on the play by Samuel A. Taylor. Sabrina Fairchild (Audrey Hepburn) is the simple, naïve daughter of a chauffeur, Thomas Fairchild (John Williams). They live on an estate with the wealthy Oliver Larrabee (Walter Hampden) and his two sons: workaholic older brother Linus (Humphrey Bogart) and fun-loving younger brother David (William Holden). Sabrina adores the charming David, but he thinks of her as just a kid. Her father sends her away to Paris for chef school, where she meets Baron St. Fontanel (Marcel Dalio), and she returns a worldly, sophisticated woman. David immediately falls for her, but he is already engaged to marry heiress Elizabeth Tyson (Martha Hyer). Sabrina wants to break up the wedding in order to finally catch the man of her dreams, while Linus fights to keep the marriage on in the interest of family business and Mr. Tyson's (Francis X. Bushman) fortune. In order to keep Sabrina away from David, Linus pretends to court her himself. In doing so, they eventually realize their true feelings for each another. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, (more)
- 1954
Vic Barron (Mark Stevens) is an ex-detective from San Francisco whose career is ruined and family is destroyed because of his dedication to his job. Three years before, he'd been close to breaking a gang with ties to some very powerful people. Then they tried to kill him by bombing his car; he was permanently disfigured, and his wife and child died in the blast, and then he was set up with planted money and sentenced to prison. Now he's out, and he's no longer a cop, but that won't stop him from finishing his last case or finding the man who planted the bomb. Neither his former friends on the force (who know he was innocent) nor the "persuasive" efforts of Roxey (Skip Homeier), a psychopathic strong-arm man, can get him to change his mind or his plans. Vic thinks he knows one of the men responsible, Tino Morelli (Douglas Kennedy), but it turns out that Morelli's been hiding out in Alaska, just as desperate in his desire not to be found as Vic has been to get revenge, and hiding from the same man. No sooner does the ex-cop come to appreciate this fact then he is set up for another fall -- this time for murder. But in the process, he finally figures out who was behind the destruction of his family; and he finds some things in life worth living for, if he can manage to stay alive to enjoy them. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Stevens, Martha Hyer, (more)
Lucky Me is a mixed-bag musical from Warner Bros., adhering to a tried-and-true formula that was wearing just a bit thin in 1954. Candy (Doris Day), Hap (Phil Silvers), Duke (Eddie Foy Jr.) and Flo (Nancy Walker) are four small-time performers who find themselves stranded in Miami. Forced to take domestic jobs in a fancy hotel, the foursomes's spirits are lifted when songwriter Dick (Bob Cummings) checks in. On the verge of writing a big-time Broadway show, Dick invites the four entertainers to participate. The hitch: In order to bankroll the show, Dick must woo and win the daughter (Martha Hyer) of a Texas oil magnate. . .and Candy has fallen in love with Dick. Sharp-eyed viewers will spot Angie Dickinson making her uncredited feature-film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Day, Robert Cummings, (more)
- 1954
The Scarlet Spear was produced by George Breakston and stars John Bentley, the same creative team who later collaborated on the Kenya-filmed TV series African Patrol. Bentley plays African district officer Jim Morrison, while Martha Hyer is cast as girl reporter Christine Together, they try to persuade African chief Morasi from using a poisoned spear to dispatch a rival chief. In doing so, Morrison and Christine run afoul of centuries-old tribal tradition. Much of the film is devoted to the "rites of passage" ceremonies which Morasi must undergo to prove his worthiness to lead. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Bentley, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1954
George Montgomery heads the virile cast of the B-plus western Battle of Rogue River. Montgomery plays Cavalry major Frank Archer, assigned to protect the settlers in Oregon territory. Archer tries to find out why the previously peaceful Indians have suddenly become warlike. What he doesn't know is that duplicitous settler Stacey Wyatt (Richard Denning), working in concert with crooked land speculator Matt Parrish (Charles Evans), has been deliberately aggravating the Indians so that the other whites will be erased from the territory, thereby allowing Wyatt and his chums to plunder the land's rich mineral deposits. Curiously, the film's titular battle never takes place! Martha Hyer provides a dash of feminity to the otherwise all-male proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Richard Denning, (more)
- 1954
Coadapted by The Gordons from their novel Case File FBI, Down Three Dark Streets stars Broderick Crawford as a no-nonsense FBI agent. Hoping to avenge the death of his partner Kenneth Tobey, Crawford almost single-handedly takes on the three investigations which Tobey had been pursuing. One involves a gang of car thieves; the second concerns a fugitive gangster; and the third deals with an extortion racket. Of the three leading ladies--Martha Hyer, Ruth Roman, Marisa Pavan--Ms. Pavan turns the most fascinating performance as the blind witness to a murder. The climax is staged around the fabled "Hollywood" sign that dominates the hills bordering the film capital. Most of the production personnel involved with Down Three Dark Streets would later set up shop at Dick Powell's Four Star Productions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Broderick Crawford, Ruth Roman, (more)
- 1954
In this vintage sci-fi adventure, a team of scientists is studying meteors and is baffled by how and why they are often destroyed when they enter the Earth's atmosphere. In a desire to better understand this process, three astronauts with a background in research -- Richard Stanton (William Lundigan), Jerry Lockwood (Richard Carlson), and Walter Gordon (Robert Karnes) -- are sent into space in a specially designed spaceship to capture a meteor and bring it back safe and sound. Richard Carlson, who played Lockwood, also directed Riders to the Stars; noted sci-fi scribe Curt Siodmak wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Lundigan, Herbert Marshall, (more)
- 1953
This 1953 tear-jerker is the third film version of the Edna Ferber novel So Big. Stepping into the role previously essayed by Colleen Moore and Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Wyman plays Selina, a girl of wealth who comes to a Dutch community outside Chicago as a schoolteacher. Here Selina falls in love with poor but big-hearted truck farmer Pervus DeJong (Sterling Hayden). When Pervus dies, Selina is left a widow with a small son and little else to her name. Through grit and perseverance, Selina single-handedly raises the boy, who grows up to be architect Dirk DeJong (Steve Forrest). Taking a cue from his self-sacrificing mother, Dirk devotes himself to creativity rather than money-grubbing while pursuing his profession. Meticulously produced, So Big is one of the better "saga" soapers of the 1950s, with Jane Wyman repeating her "aging" process from 1951's The Blue Veil. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Sterling Hayden, (more)
- 1953
They don't really go to Mars, they go to Venus, but first they go to New Orleans. While working at a missile base, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello inadvertently launch a rocket ship with themselves aboard. After a wild ride around New York City (the Statue of Liberty ducks when the rocket heads her way), Bud and Lou land in the outskirts of New Orleans. The boys are convinced that they've reached Mars, and their faith in this supposition is affirmed when they come across several strangely costumed "creatures" (actually revellers at the Mardi Gras). Meanwhile, bank robbers Jack Kruschen and Horace McMahon stow away on A&C's rocketship. When Bud and Lou return, the crooks force them to make a quick getaway into outer space. After several days of weightlessness, the four space travellers land on Venus, a planet populated by the gorgeous winners of the Miss Universe contest (including Anita Ekberg). Venusian queen Mari Blanchard falls in love with Costello, only to order him and his companions to return to earth when Lou proves to be unfaithful. Reportedly, this bizarre melange of sci-fi and slapstick was based on a story by Charles Beaumont, who received no screen credit (it's worth noting that Beaumont's later Queen of Outer Space boasts a remarkably similar plotline). Long considered the team's worst film, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars ("and about time!" quipped the New York Times' TV-movie reviewer) is rather likeable in its own incoherent way. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, (more)
- 1952
Though Ben Johnson would have to wait until the 1970s before full stardom was bestowed upon him, 1952's Wild Stallion proved that, even at this early stage, Johnson had what it took to carry a picture. Harking back to his pre-movie rodeo days, Johnson plays inveterate horse-lover Dan Light, who spends a lifetime searching for his pet colt, who'd managed to escape when Light's parents were killed by Indians. The colt has grown to a magnificent wild stallion, much coveted by others, including the U.S. Cavalry. The color photography by Harry Neumann is superb, as are the supporting performances by Martha Hyer, Edgar Buchanan and Don Haggerty. The Wild Stallion was produced by Walter Mirisch, who later graduated to such big-budget westerns as Man of the West (1958) and The Magnificent Seven (1960). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan, (more)
- 1952
In this Yukon adventure, a gold mining community is rocked by a murder. A Mountie investigates and encounters a female gambler. Action ensues, but justice prevails. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Despite her top billing, Martha Hyer does not play the title character in Geisha Girl. Filmed on location in Tokyo, the story concerns the misadventures of airline hostess Peggy Burns (Martha Hyer) and her GI suitors Rocky (William Andrews) and Archie (Archer MacDonald). Somehow or other, the intrepid trio comes into the possession of a top-secret weapon, leaving them at the mercy of a sabotage ring. The plot is essentially an excuse to display for the edification of American viewers such Japanese traditions as a Kabuki theater presentation, a Buddhist religious ceremony, and--of course--a geisha house. With the exception of the three stars, most of the cast of Geisha Girl is Japanese. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martha Hyer, Archer MacDonald, (more)
- 1950
American actor/stuntman Jock O'Mahoney (aka Jock Mahoney) stars in the Australian The Kangaroo Kid. The star plays a 19th-century San Francisco detective named Tex Kinnane, who is sent "Down Under" to nab shyster lawyer Vincent Moller (Douglass Dumbrille). Several comparisons are made between the American Wild West and the equally treacherous Australian outback. Kinnane proves adept at adjusting to his new environment--much more so than the fugitive Moller. In addition to Jock O'Mahoney and Douglass Dumbrille, several other Hollywoodites contribute to the overall success of The Kangaroo Kid, including director Lesley Selander and actresses Martha Hyer and Veda Ann Borg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Veda Ann Borg
- 1950
Allan "Rocky" Lane rides again in Salt Lake Raiders. This time, action takes a back seat to mystery and suspense. Lane arrives in a ghost town where his saddle pal Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller) is being held captive by outlaws. Also on hand is accused murderer Fred Mason (Myron Healey). With only 60 minutes' screen time at his disposal, Lane must free Nugget and prove Mason's innocence. The villains are Roy Barcroft and Clifton Young, as if there was any doubt the moment that their names appeared in the credits. The heroine is played by Martha Hyer, a pretty young ingenue on the threshold of bigger things. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
- 1950
Frisco Tornado stars Allan "Rocky" Lane in his usual guise as a U.S. marshal. The lawman's target this time is a dishonest insurance company which offers protection against bandit raids. Thing of it is, the insurance folks are themselves orchestrating these raids. Eddy Waller once again supplies comedy relief, while Blackjack the horse once again provides locomotion. Allan Lane's leading lady is Martha Hyer, still serving her apprenticeship for the stardom that would be hers within a few short years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
- 1950
The Lawless was director Joseph Losey's second feature-length film. The story concerns a group of Mexican-American migrant workers who are subjected to all sorts of abuse and intolerance by their California bosses. A violent clash between whites and Latinos at a dance results in a torrent of bigotry. Seemingly the only Californian willing to champion the workers' cause is crusading newspaperman Larry Wilder, and soon he too is the victim of senseless mob violence. The story boils to a manhunt for a fugitive fruit-picker who has been accused of fomenting the aforementioned riot. Director Losey, producers William Pine and William Thomas and screenwriter Geoffrey Homes (aka Daniel Mainwaring) are to be commended for tackling a controversial issue in an honest, no-nonsense fashion; even so, the film ends in standard Hollywood-liberal fashion with a white man coming to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- MacDonald Carey, Gail Russell, (more)
- 1950
Charles Starrett is back as the masked do-gooder known as The Durango Kid in Columbia's Outcasts of Black Mesa. The plot follows the time-honored pattern established by previous Starrett vehicles. Once again, Our Hero is accused of a crime he didn't commit. Once again, he breaks jail to find the real culprits. And once again, he dons his Durango Kid disguise, whereupon stunt-double Jock Mahoney swings into action. Outcasts of Black Mesa is distinguished by the presence of a relative newcomer to the film game, leading lady Martha Hyer. This "new" film is actually comprised of a handful of freshly shot sequences, spliced together with scads of stock footage from earlier "Durango Kid" entries. (a common practice at Columbia, as witness all those look-alike "3 Stooges" comedies). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1949
- NR
Hovering somewhere between an "A" and "B" production, RKO's Roughshod is an expert blend of western and film noir. Robert Sterling and Claude Jarman Jr. star as young cattleman Clay Phillips and his kid brother Steve. Stalked across the Sonora Pass by an ex-con who has vowed to kill Clay, the brothers find themselves the reluctant escorts for a quartet of stranded dance-hall girls. While the puritanical Clay adopts a strict "hands off" policy, he finds himself falling in love with one of the girls (Gloria Grahame -- the other ladies are played by Martha Hyer, Myrna Dell and Jeff Donnell). The climax is a nail-biting wilderness showdown between the heroes and villain Lednov (John Ireland). On the strength of Roughshod, director Mark Robson was elevated to more prestigious film assignments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Sterling, Gloria Grahame, (more)
- 1949
Another of RKO's profitable Tim Holt western series, Rustlers costars Holt with his popular sidekick Richard Martin (as Chico Rafferty). Holt and Martin are arrested by sheriff Harry Shannon, who accuses them of being members of a vicious rustling gang. Actually Shannon is the head of the operation; he hopes to throw suspicion off himself by framing Our Heroes for the crime. Holt and Martin bust out of jail, prove their innocence, and fix Shannon's wagon. Rustlers was one of a handful of Holt westerns directed by Lesley Selander, later a minor favorite of auteur critics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Richard Martin, (more)
- 1949
The never-solved disappearance of Judge Crater in 1930 was the inspiration for RKO's The Judge Steps Out. Alexander Knox (who also co-scripted the film with director Boris Ingster) plays Bailey, a highly respected Boston magistrate who is fed up to the gills with his workload and his troublesome wife (Frieda Inescourt) and daughter (Martha Hyer). Thus, he decides to hit the road, eventually taking a job as a hash-slinger at a roadside diner. Here he is treated with compassion and understanding by his boss Peggy (Ann Sothern), who, unaware of Bailey's true identity, likes him for himself rather than his prestige. This offbeat comedy-drama manages to keep the audience guessing as to how things will turn out for everyone concerned. Filmed in 1947, The Judge Steps Out was withheld from American release for nearly two years; before making the rounds in the U.S., it was shown in Great Britain under the title Indian Summer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexander Knox, Ann Sothern, (more)
