I. Stanford Jolley Movies
With his slight built, narrow face and pencil-thin mustache, I. Stanford Jolley did not exactly look trustworthy, and a great many of his screen roles (more than 500) were indeed to be found on the wrong side of the law. Isaac Stanford Jolley had toured as a child with his father's traveling circus and later worked in stock and vaudeville, prior to making his Broadway debut opposite Charles Trowbridge in Sweet Seventeen (1924). Radio work followed and he arrived in Hollywood in 1935. Pegged early on as a gangster or Western outlaw, Jolley graduated to playing lead henchman or the boss villain in the '40s, mostly appearing for such poverty-row companies as Monogram and PRC. Although Jolley is often mentioned as a regular member of the Republic Pictures' stock company, he was never under contract to that legendary studio and only appeared in 25 films for them between 1936 and 1954. From 1950 on, Jolley worked frequently on television and remained a busy performer until at least 1976. According to his widow, the actor, who died of emphysema at the Motion Picture Country Hospital, never earned more than 100 dollars on any given movie assignment. He was the father of art director Stan Jolley. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Giant Flesh-Eating Rabbits Ravage American Southwest After Scientist Slips Up! Such is the plot of this unintentionally campy horror outing. The trouble begins when a researcher's experiment to use hormone injections to control Arizona's burgeoning rabbit population goes terribly awry, causing the cuddly rodents to grow to enormous proportions. In order to facilitate their growth, the rabbits need extra protein, and what better source than the relatively slow-moving human population that surrounds their huge subterranean lairs? ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1969
The Cartwrights give food and shelter to a bedraggled, impoverish company of army veterans, who have been denied their pensions for various and sundry reasons. What the Cartwrights don't know is that the ex-soldiers intend to get even with the government by robbing the Carson City mint. Complicating matters is the fact that one of the veterans, Sgt. Mike Russell (James Gregory), is an old friend of ranch hand Candy. First broadcast on February 2, 1969, "Company of Forgotten Men" was written by Kay Lenard and Jess Carneol. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1966
In Sheriff Coffee's absence, Virginia City's mayor (Ted Knight) hires ruthlessly efficient lawman Wes Dann (Eric Fleming) as peacekeeper. At first an admirer of Dann, Joe Cartwright soon learns that the cold-blooded temporary sheriff is less interested in upholding the law than meting out his own sadistic brand of punishment. This episode marked one of the final TV appearances of former Rawhide star Eric Fleming; others in the cast include Roy Foster, Ray Stricklyn, Dee Pollack, Clyde Howdy, Grandon Rhodes, I. Stanford Jolley, and legendary serial villain Roy Barcroft. First telecast on February 6, 1966, "Peace Officer" was written by Don Mullaly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1966
Comic actor George Furth, who later cowrote the hit Broadway musical "Company", appears in this episode as by-the-book Army captain Jonathan W. Blair. Arriving at Fort Courage, Capt. Blair chooses O'Rourke (Forrest Tucker) and Agarn (Larry Storch) in a grueling survival test. Equipped with only a knife, a couple of a canteen cups and a self-contradictory Army manual, the two troopers face a horrible demise unless O'Rourke is able to cadge a few free meals from a few unwitting sources. Showing up as an undertaker is Arthur Julian, who wrote this and several other F Troop episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
Sombra, the Spider Woman is the feature-film abridgement of the 1947 Republic serial The Black Widow (which explains why a number of the listed actors had died by this film's listed year of release). The formidable Carol Forman stars as Sombra, whose fortune-telling establishment serves as a front for a vast criminal empire. Making things trickier for hero Steve Colt (Bruce Edwards) is the fact that Sombra is a master (or mistress) of disguise. Colt and plucky girl reporter Joyce Winters (Virginia Lindley) try to prevent Sombra from stealing the plans for a revolutionary atomic rocket engine. This is one serial in which the male actors are thoroughly overshadowed by the female leads. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
TV certainly makes strange bedfellows, as witness this Branded episode featuring veteran film star Pat O'Brien and recording entrepeneur Dick Clark as those colorful 19th century showmen P.T. Barnum and J.A. Bailey! Angrily turning down Barnum's offer to showcase him as "the greatest coward on earth" in a new Wild West show, Jason McCord (Chuck Connors)--who'd met P.T. when he won a $50 prize by defeating a circus strong man--learns that his gesture is futile, since Barnum intends upon using McCord's name whether he gets permission or not. In order to prevent this from happening, Jason somehow stage-manages a merger between Barnum and his up-and-coming rival "J.A." (whose last name is not revealed until the end of the episode, as if there was any doubt!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Held in thrall by a gang of rustlers, the local cattleman's association hires a professional gunman named Simmons (Robert Wilke) to deal with the outlaws. The Cartwrights vote against engaging the services of Simmons, fearing that he will cause more harm than good. Their predictions apparently come true when one of the rancher's wives is mysteriously killed. Also appearing are Earl Holliman as Clegg and Don Collier as Tatum. First telecast January 31, 1965, "The Flannel-Mouth Gun" was cowritten by actor Leo Gordon and Paul Leslie Wilke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1965
In this religious movie, a married pair of television writers begin researching a script on restless teenagers and end up as born-again Christians. Meanwhile their own adolescent son runs away with a pregnant teen who is looking for the child's father. When she cannot, she tries to kill herself. Later, the son goes to a Billy Graham crusade with his dad, and he too is saved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Dan Duryea plays a Western bounty hunter, expert in his job, but ill at ease with his conscience. He is shunned by the "good" townsfolk until they need him to track down and kill a criminal; the gratitude doesn't last long, and it's back to outcast status for Duryea. At one juncture, the embittered bounty hunter delivers a condemnation against the "hypocrites" who hire him -- but nonetheless takes one more job. Ultimately, Duryea meets his end at the hands of a younger man (Peter Duryea, Dan's son), who becomes a bounty hunter himself, starting the cycle all over again. Produced very economically by B-Western specialist Alex Gordon, The Bounty Killer is distinguished by Dan Duryea's superb performance and by the presence in the supporting cast of several cowboy film veterans -- including Hollywood's very first Westerner, Billy Anderson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Duryea, Rod Cameron, (more)
- 1963
A gang of bandits attacks the stagecoach carrying Hoss Cartwright and two nuns, elderly Mother Veronica (Ilka Windish) and young Sister Mary Kathleen (Judy Carne). When the younger of the nuns anxiously surrenders the money collected for a new convent hospital, the older nun rebukes her, informing the girl that she hasn't got what it takes to enter the sisterhood. Determined to prove her mettle to both Mother Veronica and herself, Sister Mary Kathleen sets out to recover the stolen money-with Hoss tagging along to make certain that the headstrong nun won't get in over her head. Written by Frank Cleaver, "A Question of Strength" first aired October 27, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1963
The Haunted Palace is a witches' brew of stories written by Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft--with the fine hand of sinister scenarist Charles Beaumont stirring the pot. Vincent Price plays two roles this time: A New England doctor burned as a sorcerer in 1745, and the dead man's great-grandson of 1855. Arriving in the village where his grandfather was killed, Price and his bride Debra Paget are shunned by the community. They are told that the mutant progeny of the "sorcerer"'s evil experiments are still roaming the countryside--with hulking manservant Lon Chaney Jr. a good example of these monstrosities. The longer he stays in the family mansion, the more Price is taken over by the spirit of his ancestor. The result: The possessed Price, together with Chaney and a warlock assistant, set about to create a mutant race to overtake the world. Concluding with the near-sacrifice of bride Debra Paget and the torching of the mansion, The Haunted Palace is a marvelous--and economically produced--exercise in Grand Guignol. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Debra Paget, (more)
- 1963
Having been repeatedly denied parole, imprisoned bootlegger Al Remp (J.D. Cannon) faces another setback when he is shunted off to Solitary. Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) figures that this is the right psychological moment to approach Remp with a deal. In exchange for a reduced sentence, Remp is to act as Ness' "undercover man" in the gang run by bootleg boss Fat Augie Strom (Peter Whitney). Remp does his job so well that before long he is Strom's right-hand man. Unfortunately, Remp has forgotten all about his arrangement with Ness...a lapse of judgment that will cost him dearly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Pat Hingle guest stars as Mike Decker, a Chicago newspaper columnist who has always believed in the innocence of accused murderer Richard Kimble (David Janssen). Managing to make contact with the fugitive Kimble, Decker agrees to mount a widespread search for the elusive One-Armed Man (Bill Raisch) who actually committed the murder. The fly in the ointment is Mike's alcoholic wife Paula, whose reckless behavior may end up betraying Kimble to his relentless pursuer Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Set in the mid-19th century during the California Gold Rush when the long-time Spanish residents of the territory found themselves being pushed off their ancestral lands by the avaricious prospectors, this exciting historical adventure tells of the exploits of a daring Spanish outlaw who plays Robin Hood to help his people. When prospectors ambush some of his band, the Firebrand rides out for bloody revenge against the killers and the one who betrayed him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In a variation on the classic Guy de Maupassant short story "Boule de Suif", gambler Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) is ostracized by his more "respectable" fellow passengers during a stagecoach ride. But when the coach is held up by a vicious bandit, the passengers must literally put their lives in Bart's hands, as he plays a game of poker to determine the fate of the bandit's captives. There are some fascinating interracial tensions in this episode--all the more fascinating when one remembers that it was filmed way back in the censor- and sponsor-controlled 1960s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
In this violent western, a Mexican gunslinger is permanently disabled while trying to save his boy from the hangman's noose. After the incident, the former gunfighter is sentenced to four years in prison. Following his release, he gets revenge upon the lawman responsible for his conviction by abducting eight people. He informs the sheriff that he will kill one hostage every ten minutes until he comes to see him. Following the death of three people, the sheriff finally agrees, the story ends on a brutal and ironic note. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
John Fox Jr.'s popular 1906 novel has been filmed several times, and converted into a number of theatrical presentations. The 1961 edition of Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come stars singer Jimmy F. Rodgers as a confused young man growing up in 1860s Kentucky. Sheltered from his brutal guardian by a friendly schoolmaster, Rodgers learns to love the tiny village of Kingdom Come and has no inclination of leaving. But when the Civil War breaks out, Rodgers finds himself at odds with most of his friends by joining the Union Army. His wartime experiences force Rodgers to grow up in a hurry, and he returns to Kingdom Come with a whole new outlook on his future existence. Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come was elaborately produced, but failed to establish Jimmy Rodgers as a movie star. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jimmie F. Rodgers, Chill Wills, (more)
- 1961
In this sci-fi fantasy, based on a Jules Verne story, two 18th-century men are preparing for a duel when they find themselves caught in the tremendous tailwind of a passing comet. They get sucked onto the comet's head where they find a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs and cave men. The rivals are forced to split up. When they see each other again, each has become the leader of rival cave-man clans during a war. Peace is restored when the heroes each fall for a woman belonging to the other's clan. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cesare Danova, Sean McClory, (more)
- 1961
Playboy Loring Lamont (Tony Travis) lures his father's secretary Arlene Ferris (Andra Martin) to his beach house, with seduction on his mind. The outraged Arlene smacks Lamont in the face and steals his car to escape his clutches. When Lamont turns up murdered, Arlene is accused of the crime, but attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) thinks that the killing is tied in with a mysterious phone call overheard by his client--and he is willing to risk serious injury at the hands of two hired thugs to prove his point. Based on a 1959 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, this is one of several fourth-season episodes in which series regular William Talman (DA Hamilton Burger) does not appear; his replacement on this and other occasions is Robert Karnes as Deputy DA Chamberlin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Ben Sutton (Richard Shannon) is having a high old time spending the royalties from his best-selling book, dealing with his experiences a Korean POW. In fact, Ben has apparently depleted his savings, else why would he be borrowing so much from the brother of his long-suffering wife Sylvia (Bethel Leslie)? As it happens, Sutton is being blackmailed by someone who knows that he is a fraud, and that the actual author of his book is recuperating in an Army hospital. Sylvia also knows that Ben is a phony--and as such, she is arrested when her husband is murdered. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must find out who else besides Sylvia knew Sutton's secret and was willing to kill him because of it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Based on the Edna Ferber novel, this engrossing period piece covers the triumphs, tragedies, loves, and sorrows of a few generations of Alaskan settlers between the first World War and the granting of statehood in 1959. Zeb (Richard Burton) is a local despot whose tough personality dominates the region. He is openly bigoted against the Inuit, and his greedy nature has led him to reject the woman he really loves to marry another with plenty of money. Thor (Robert Ryan) starts out as Zeb's ally and friend, but due to their diametrically opposed natures, that friendship turns into an entrenched hatred. In this unpredictable, harsh wilderness Zeb discovers that he ultimately cannot control his daughter and irony of ironies, he and Thor end up connected through the marriage of a son and daughter. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Robert Ryan, (more)
- 1960
This action film set just after the Civil War tends to stay on the surface of the story instead of diving deeper into character motivation. A group of Union Army soldiers is charged with protecting a box of gold and getting it to its rightful place within the government coffers. As might be expected, their biggest enemies are former Confederate soldiers who have their own ideas about what to do with the gold. Battles and skirmishes succeed each other as the fight for the gold begins, and even some of the Union men start to wonder if the gold would not be better off in their own hands. Dissension splits the ranks as the drama heads towards its conclusion. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grant Williams, Brad Dexter, (more)
- 1959
A routine western with a classic theme, the "lone Texan" of the title is Clint Banister (Willard Parker) who finds trouble at home when he returns after serving in the Union Army during the Civil War. Given his military history, he is hardly welcomed with open arms. In addition to the animosity of his former friends, he has to face an even more difficult issue. His lawless brother Greg (Grant Williams) is the town's sheriff, busy terrorizing the citizens, aided and abetted by his three chief deputies. Clint has no choice but to go against his brother, in spite of their family relationship and the town's attitude toward him. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willard Parker, Grant Williams, (more)
- 1959
Miracle of the Hills is a melodramatic, standard western with two ostensible "enemies" that fuel the plot: a decent town preacher, Scott Macauley (Rex Reason) and an "indecent" former prostitute, Kate Peacock (Betty Lou Gerson). The preacher is on his way to cleaning up his parish and the town but comes up against Peacock, who now owns the main source of employment in the town, a coal mine. In revenge for the way she was treated in the old days, she lords it over the town and her workers. Just as the preacher is mediating the best he can between Peacock and the rest of the community, three young boys get trapped in the mine. (Jay North, just before his Dennis the Menace fame on American TV, plays one of them). Sure enough, it is a potential disaster that galvanizes everyone and erases past battle lines. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rex Reason, Theona Bryant, (more)
- 1959
Caught gambling on a military post, Bart (Jack Kelly) is given the choice of spending several months in the stockage or working for the Army as an undercover agent. Bart's assignment is to root out a traitor in the ranks, a person who has done an excellent job covering his tracks up to now. Unfortunately, things don't quite go as planned, and it is Bart rather than the traitor who ends up with a noose around his neck. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
