Arch Johnson Movies
Actor's Studio graduate Arch Johnson was first seen off-Broadway in 1952's Down in the Valley, and on-Broadway the following year in Mrs. McThing. Johnson's most famous Broadway role was bigoted NYPD detective Schrank in West Side Story (1956). In films from 1953, the burly Johnson was usually cast as western heavies, occasionally with a swarthy tongue in cheek and a roguish twinkle in the eye. Some of his non-western movie assignments include The Sting (1973), Walking Tall (1977) and The Buddy Holly Story (1978). In the spring of 1961, Arch Johnson was seen as Captain Gus Honochek on the weekly TV version of The Asphalt Jungle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Belated honeymooners Polly (Jean Peters) and Ray Cutler (Casey Adams) arrive at their Niagara Falls cottage only to find that Rose (Marilyn Monroe) and George Loomis (Joseph Cotten) have not yet checked out. Though the Cutlers temporarily take another cabin, the lives of the two couples are bound together for the next two days. Polly discovers that Rose is having an affair and that George, though emotionally unstable, has good reason for his jealous rage. George accurately suspects that Rose openly flaunts her sexuality to make him act crazy in front of witnesses. This is part of Rose's plan: her lover Patrick (Richard Allan) will kill George and make it look like suicide or a disappearance. Instead, George kills Patrick, and he returns to kill Rose, but finds Polly instead. As she had been sympathetic to him, he asks her not to tell anyone that he is alive so he can simply disappear. But, realizing that he wants to kill Rose, Polly informs the police. What follows is escalating terror, with George stalking Rose, Rose desperately trying to leave town, the police searching for both of them, and finally George and Polly adrift in a boat heading for the precipice. In Henry Hathaway's Technicolor film noir, Niagara Falls serves as an apt metaphor for the destructive power of out-of-control carnal and murderous obsessions. ~ Steve Press, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, (more)
- 1956
- NR
Once you get past the fact that handsome Paul Newman could never pass for plug-ugly boxer Rocky Graziano in real life, you will be able to accept Somebody Up Their Likes Me as one of the more accomplished movie biopics of the 1950s. Based on Graziano's autobiography (co-written with Rowland Barber), the film accurately depicts the teen-aged Rocky as an unregenerate punk, evidently doomed by his slum environment, and his own lousy attitude, to a life of petty crime. Determining that the only way he'll make a living is with his fists, Rocky becomes a boxer, at first willing to participate in a series of fixed fights. Eventually, Rocky develops a conscience and sense of self-respect, no small thanks to his sweetheart (and later wife) Norma (Pier Angeli). The film ends on an optimistic note after Rocky wins a "clean" bout with Tony Zale (playing himself). Training extensively with Graziano prior to and during production, Newman is quite impressive in his first worthwhile film role (this was only his third film, following the execrable The Silver Chalice and the forgettable outing The Rack). The title song in Somebody Up There Likes Me was written by Bronislau Kaper and Sammy Cahn, and performed by Perry Como. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Anna Maria Pier Angeli, (more)
- 1957
Originally titled Man of the West (the name of the Philip Yordan novel on which it was based), Gun Glory was rechristened to avoid confusion with a like-vintage Gary Cooper vehicle of the same title. Stewart Granger plays gunslinger/gambler Tom Early, who tries a bit too late to make amends for past misdeeds. Hoping to regain the respect of his community in general and his teenaged son Young Tom (Steve Rowland) in particular, Early vows to hang up his guns and live a respectable life. This proves well nigh impossible when the community is threatened by the incursions of evil cattle baron Grimsell (James Gregory). Rhonda Fleming costars as Jo, the only person in town who truly cares whether Early lives or dies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Rhonda Fleming, (more)
- 1959
Showing up in Virginia City to collect a $4000 debt from Captain Rory Fitzgerald (David Frankham), Bart has trouble believing that the prosperous-looking Fitzgerald is as penniless as he claims. Rather than absorb the loss, Bart decides to hang around in town until the Captain is able to make good his debt--which proves to be a big mistake when our hero ends up kidnapped and bound hand and foot. Roxane Berard appears in another of her duplicitous-damsel roles, while Robert Shore goes through much the same ingenue paces as in her later costarring gig on TV's The Virginian. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Arrested for gambling in Dakota City, Beau Maverick (Roger Moore) is given a choice by Col. Gaylord Summers (Arch Johnson: Go to prison, or work as an undercover agent for the Army. Weighing the two options, Beau agrees to thwart a plot hatched by an Irish rebel group called the Fenians to invade and "liberate" Canada from the British Empire--or at least, liberate the chunk of Canada that the group really wants. This episode is a slight reworking of the earlier Maverick installment "Trooper Maverick", which focused on Beau's cousin Bart (Jack Kelly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
On a cold and blizzardy night, a man named Lorca (Ricardo Montalban) saunters into the Last Chance Saloon in the Western town of Buffalo Bend. Upon realizing that a wanted poster for Lorca hangs on the saloon's wall, the patrons of the bar hold a raffle to see who will turn the outlaw in and collect the reward money. Surprisingly, Lorca seems amused to be the "prize" in the raffle, and even more so when the winner turns out to be a woman named Shasta Cooney (Constance Ford). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
A formerly rough-and-tumble Western mining town has lived in peace and tranquility ever since the arrival of gentle giants Jamie and Ben McMahon (Arch Johnson, Read Morgan). All this changes when an odd-looking little man (Norman Lloyd) shows up in town, promptly challenging the McMahon brothers' authority. Despite their combined brawn, Jamie and Ben prove utterly incapable of standing up to the Little Man -- who seems to possess demonic powers! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Raucous comedianJudy Canova plays it straight in this episode as Helen Parch, a small-town gossip who shares a telephone party line with two other ladies, Betty (Gertrude Flynn) and Emma (Ellen Corby). Years earlier, Helen had relinquished the phone to a man claiming to be making an emergency call, only to find out that the man was simply contacting his bookie. Subsequently, Helen refused to hang up during an actual emergency that resulted in a death. Now, it is Helen's turn to find herself in a desperate situation -- and this time, it is her "friends" Betty and Emma who won't give up the party line. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Elvis Presley stars in GI Blues as Tulsa McLean, a soldier stationed in Germany, who pulls strings to stage a big show for his fellow GI's. In the tradition of the musical chestnut The Fleet's In, Tulsa also bets his buddies that he can date "ice princess" entertainer Lili (Juliet Prowse). Song highlights include "Wooden Heart," "Blue Suede Shoes" and the title number. The spectacular box-office performance of G.I. Blues proved that Elvis' popularity had not only survived his Army tenure, but had actually increased. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Juliet Prowse, (more)
- 1960
Beau (Roger Moore) finds himself in the middle of some deadly intrigue (not to mention a bitter family feud) when he wins half-ownership of the Golden Wheel Casino. Shortly after this windfall, Bart's new partner Rand Storm is shot and killed in self-defense by dance-hall gal Flo Baker (Kathleen Crowley). When Flo disappears, Rand's brother Luke (played by Bing Russell, the father of film star Kurt Russell) takes advantage of the situation by framing Bart for murder and claiming the Golden Wheel as his own. This episode was cowritten by actor Leo Gordon, whose wife Lynn Cartwright (best known as the "older" Geena Davis in the 1992 theatrical feature A League of Their Own) appears in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
In big trouble after delivering some "hot" money, Lucy Stevens (Connie Hines) fakes her own suicide by driving her empty car into the ocean. She then assumes the identity of her own (fictional) cousin, Carole Morgan, and assumes that her problems are over. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) enters the scene when the body of Marjorie Ralston (Mary Webster) is found in the wreckage of the "empty" car and Lucy is charged with her murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this socially conscious drama, based on a true-story, a high school teacher gets in trouble for having his students write compositions describing their feelings about sex. He is suspended; his students unite to defend him. A confrontation with the prudish school board ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Shatner, Lee Kinsolving, (more)
- 1961
While deep-sea fishing with his colleague Paul Drake (William Hopper), Perry (Raymond Burr) receives word from his old friend Scott Cahill (Jeff York) that the Coast Guard has boarded Cahill's vessel looking for stolen gold bullion. Unfortunately, the officials not only find the gold, but also the body of Cahill's alleged partner Karl Magovern (Arch Johnson). This is the episode in which Perry inveigles his "friendly enemy" Hamilton Burger (William Talman) to take a crucial voyage on a Coast Guard cutter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Dean Jagger stars as Ed Lindsay, a cranky middle-aged man living in a boarding house with several other old-timers, including his former fiancée Vinnie Brown (Carmen Mathews). Fed up with television, Ed squirrels himself away in his room, where he begins tooling around with the antique radio he's found in the cellar. Before long, he is receiving broadcasts from the 1930s and 1940s -- live broadcasts, not reruns. Having opened a window to the past, Ed desperately tries to correct several mistakes he's made in life. Scripted by Charles Beaumont from a story by OCee Ritch, "Static" was one of six videotaped Twilight Zone episodes and was originally telecast March 10, 1961 (and yes, that voice emanating from Ed's old-time radio does belong to future Hogan's Heroes star Bob Crane). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Jagger, Carmen Mathews, (more)
- 1962
Dan O'Herlihy guest-stars as Matthew Raine, a brilliant artist who has gone blind. Wallowing in self-pity, Matthew begins coming out of his self-imposed exile when he befriends housekeeper Ann Loring (Virginia Grey). But a nasty character named Gavin (Arch Johnson), is determined to keep the former artist in a debilitated state. First telecast on October 7 1962, "The Artist" was written by Frank Chase. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1962
Larry Blyden stars in this hilarious Twilight Zone entry as egocentric TV western star Rance McGrew, who, while filming a fight scene, is knocked cold by a prop bottle. Upon awakening, Rance finds himself in the real west, circa 1880 -- and at the mercy of none other than Jesse James (Arch Johnson). It seems that old Jesse isn't too thrilled as to how he and his fellow outlaws have been depicted on Rance's series, and he intends to teach the vainglorious actor a lesson. Best line: "And you won an Emmy? Shoot, you can't act any better than you can draw!" This episode reunited two alumni of the classic 1951 sci-fi thriller The Thing: actor Robert Cornthwaite, and director Christian Nyby. Scripted by Rod Serling from an idea by Frederic Louis Fox (which in its original form wasn't a comedy at all), "Showdown with Rance McGrew" first aired February 2, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Blyden, Arch Johnson, (more)
- 1963
Former TV leading man Richard Chamberlain plays a young lawyer about to take on an important murder case. He is shepherded through this big break by veteran attorney Claude Rains. The client is the disreputable Nick Adams, who seems determined to sabotage his own case. But a last-minute scrap of evidence saves the day and establishes Chamberlain's reputation. Based on a novel by Al Dewlen, Twilight of Honor was released in Britain as The Charge is Murder. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Joey Heatherton, (more)
- 1963
Taking on the alias of Jim Fowler, fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen) finds work as a delivery man in a farming community. Unfortunately, he runs afoul of little Jenny Ammory (Gina Gillespie) a compulsive liar who accuses Kimble of trying to assault her. The only person in the community who believes in Kimble's innocence is schoolteacher Emily Norton (Patricia Crowley), who is jealously shunned by the local ladies because of her beauty. Later on, the spiteful Gina claims that Kimble and Emily are having an affair--and when Kimble steps forward to defend the beleagured teacher, he finds himself facing a lynch mob. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
First telecast March 22, 1964, "Return to Honor" served to introduce onetime Zorro star Guy Williams in the role of Ben Cartwright's nephew Will-a potential replacement for Adam Cartwright, should Pernell Roberts make good on his repeated threats to leave Bonanza. As the story opens, Ben receives word that Will has been murdered in the neighboring town of Pine City. In truth, the wounded Cartwright cousin is hiding out from a gang of counterfeiters whose engraving plates he has "borrowed." Others in the cast include Arch Johnson (Butler), Robert Wilke (Marshal), Hugh Sanders (Doctor), Gregg Palmer (Gannett) and Bill Clark (Jenner). "Return to Honor" was written by Jack Turley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1964
Nancy Banks (Joyce Bulifant) may not be too bright, but she is intensely loyal. Finding it impossible to believe that her brother Rodney (Dick Davalos) embezzled from his job to gamble at the race track, Nancy sets about to help Rodney in any way she can. Could it be that Nancy's zeal has resulted in the murder of Rodney's former boss Marvin Fremont (Arch Johnson)? That is what the police believe, and that is what Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must disprove in court. This episode is based on a novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
The Board of Education warns that Munsters that little Eddie's grades must improve immediately or he'll be expelled. To this end, Eddie (Butch Patrick) builds a robot for an upcoming science fair. Alas, the robot is accidentally sabotaged just before its unveiling--compelling Herman (Fred Gwynne) to come to the rescue in his inimitable flat-headed, flat-footed fashion! Dick Simmons, the former star of the popular 1950s adventure series Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, appears as Mr. Balding. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
The title of this Monkees episode is "The Chaperone," though it could easily have been christened "Charlie's Aunt, 1966." Davy falls in love with Leslie Vandenberg (Sherry Alberoni), the debutante daughter of a retired general (Arch Johnson). Alas, Davy will not be able to escort Leslie to a party unless he finds a suitable female chaperone. Obligingly, Micky dresses up as a middle-aged lady -- only to have General Vandenburg fall head over heels in love with him! Songs: "Take a Giant Step" and "You May Just Be the One". Written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, "The Chaperone" originally aired on November 7, 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
The fourth season of The Fugitive begins with the series' first color episode, as Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen), wrongfully accused of murder, continues his search for the One-Armed Man who killed his wife--even as the relentless Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) steps up his efforts to recapture Kimble. On this occasion, Kimble is using the alias "David Morrow" as he arrives in Arizona, where Sheriff Prycer (Arch Johnson) is waiting to arrest him. Though Kimble eludes the trap, Prycer's deputy Steel (Mark Richman) is certain that he has wounded the fugitive and disobeys the Sheriff's orders to give up the chase. Meanwhile, Kimble has taken refuge in an Indian school, where he finds a kindred spirit in lonely teacher Annie Johnson (Hope Lange). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
After he is robbed and beaten by a gang of punks, Richard Kimble (David Janssen)--or as he is currently identifying himself, "Richard Taylor"--falls under the scrutiny of ambitious policewoman Jane Washburn (Shirley Knight). Her suspicions aroused by the fact that Kimble refuses to report the mugging to the authorities, Jane handcuffs herself to the fugitive, determined not to let him leave her side until she finds out his whole story. This fascinating gender-bending variation on the 1957 "chase" film The Defiant Ones) reaches a nailbiting climax when both Kimble and his lovely captor find themselves at the mercy of a gun-wielding backwoodsman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Not only is Ethel Andrews (Pippa Scott) jilted by her fiance Bruce Strickland (Hunt Powers) on her wedding day, but she is also blamed for a $50,000 theft masterminded by her erstwhile sweetheart. Fleeing town, Ethel ends up swapping identities with Peggy Sutton (Althea Milgrave), who is likewise on the lam. This proves to be yet another tragic blunder for Ethel when it turns out that Peggy is carrying $50,000 in the trunk of her car. Subsequently, the cops find the 50 grand, put two and two together, and charge poor Ethel with the murder of Bruce Strickland! It is up to Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to end Ethel's incredible bad-luck streak and clear her of all charges. This is the second Perry Mason episode based on Erle Stanley Gardner's novel The Case of the Footloose Doll (the first was filmed under that title in 1959). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
