Henry Jones Movies
Starting out in musicals and comedies, leather-lunged character actor Henry Jones had developed into a versatile dramatic actor by the 1950s, though he never abandoned his willingness to make people laugh. Jones scored his first cinematic bullseye when he re-created his Broadway role as the malevolent handyman Leroy in the 1956 cinemadaptation of Maxwell Anderson's The Bad Seed (1956). Refusing to be typed, Jones followed this triumph with a brace of quietly comic roles in Frank Tashlin's The Girl Can't Help It (1956) and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter. He returned to Broadway in 1958, winning the Tony and New York Drama Critics' awards for his performance in Sunrise at Campobello. Since that time, Jones has flourished in films, often making big impressions in the tiniest of roles: the coroner in Vertigo (1958), the bicycle salesman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), the hotel night clerk in Dick Tracy (1990) and so on. From 1963's Channing onward, Jones has been a regular on several weekly TV series, most notably as Judge Jonathan Dexter in Phyllis (1975-76) and B. Riley Wicker on the nighttime serial Falcon Crest (1985-86). Henry Jones is the father of actress Jocelyn Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Desperate for money, frontier rancher Van Heflin holds outlaw Glenn Ford at gunpoint, intending to collect the $200 reward. While both men await the train to Yuma that will escort Ford to prison, the cagey outlaw offers Heflin $10,000 if he'll set Ford free. The rest of the film is a sweat-inducing cat-and-mouse game between captive and captor, interrupted with bursts of violence from both Ford's gang (commandeered by Richard Jaeckel) and the vacillating townsfolk. 3:10 to Yuma is one of the best of the character-driven "psychological" westerns of the 1950s. Its only flaw is Ford's unconvincing character turnaround towards the end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Van Heflin, (more)
- 1972
That grand old barnstormer Henry Jones guests in this episode as a garrulous wino named Harry Craig. While Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) are investigating a murder, Harry staggers forward to declare that he can identify the killer. There's only one problem: In addition to being a boozehound, Harry is also one of the most notorious liars in Los Angeles County. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Middle-aged professor Clarence Rankin (Robert Emhardt) is spending his day off filling a hole in his basement with cement. His friends Wally Long (Henry Jones) and Bud Horton (Philip Coolidge) drop by, see the hole, and assume that Clarence has murdered his cheating wife Irene (Cara Williams) and is preparing to bury her body. Out of loyalty, and feeling that Clarence is justified in his actions, Wally and Bud offer to help him cover up his "crime." Thing of it is, Clarence never even suspected that Irene was unfaithful...up until now. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Much to the dismay of his wife Norma (Virginia Gregg), middle-aged Harry Parker (Henry Jones) is quite smitten by his new neighbor across the hall, sexy actress Lainie Elliott (Barbara Baxley). Thus it is that, when Lainie comes to Harry's door in a panic, he offers to help her in any way he can. It seems that someone fired a shot through Lainie's window, instantly killing her husband -- and rather than be blamed for the murder, Lainie begs Harry to help her dispose of the body. The viewer might conclude that Harry is being set up for a fall by Lainie...but the viewer would be only half right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
At his retirement party, Miles Cheever (Henry Jones) is disappointed by the tacky gift he receives for 25 years' loyal service. Goaded by his wife (Ruth Storey) to get a bigger piece of the financial pie, Cheever robs his former place of business. However, Miles has no intention of sharing his ill-gotten fortune with his wife -- not so long as he has a girlfriend (Rebecca Sand) waiting for him at the airport. What our "hero" doesn't know is that Mrs. Cheever has drawn up a set of retirement plans all her own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
This 1959 episode is set in "the future" -- precisely, July 13, 1980. Worn to a frazzle by his domineering old mother-in-law, John Treadwell (Henry Jones) joins the Society of Gerontology, an organization dedicated to eliminating those people who have lived too long to suit the younger members. Unfortunately, Treadwell learns from another member named Bunce (Dick York) that his worries won't end with his mother-in-law's demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Taxidermist George Tiffany (Henry Jones) is commissioned to stuff a horse named Napoleon, whose body will then be included in a time capsule being prepared by the town of West Warlock. While trying to complete his job, George suffers the constant annoyance of his boorish brother-in-law Wadron (Sam Buffington). Finally, George can stand no more -- at which point he takes advantage of the fact that the time capsule will not be opened for another 100 years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Based on Jenny Angel, a novel by Elise Oaks Barber, Angel Baby is a gloves-off study of the faith-healing racket. The title character, played by Salome Jens, is a mute whose speech is ostensibly restored by Bible-thumper George Hamilton. Angel Baby is then exploited on the evangelical circuit by crooked promoter Burt Reynolds (in his feature film debut). She becomes disillusioned, but her faith is restored when she apparently heals a crippled child. Any opportunity to see stage actress Salome Jens in one of her rare movie roles is always to be treasured; in this instance, Ms. Jens is backed up by an equally stellar supporting cast, including Mercedes McCambridge, Joan Blondell, and Henry Jones. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Hamilton, Mercedes McCambridge, (more)
- 1968
Minister Sam (Andy Griffith) and his wife Mary Elizabeth (Lee Meriweather) move to a Kansas town divided by political concerns that stall the town's progress. Will Sinclair (Henry Jones) and Alex Gresham (Edgar Buchanan) have allowed a long-standing family argument to impede the progress of the small rural community. Sam must contend with his mother-in-law (Kay Medford) and his wild brother-in-law Bubba (Jerry Van Dyke) when Bubba sets up a moonshine still in the church basement with the help of his friend Calvin (Parker Fennelly). Art Shields (Gary Collins) is the ambitious young country lawyer who runs for mayor in hopes of bringing peace to the families, and he works for the best interests of the divided community. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Griffith, Jerry Van Dyke, (more)
Referring to the fear of spiders, Arachnophobia features a particularly deadly species of spider that manages to make its way from the Venezuelan rain forest to a small California town, thanks to the many oversights of entomologist Julian Sands. Yuppie doctor Jeff Daniels, fed up with the dangers inherent in big-city living, has resettled in this town on the assumption that nothing untoward could ever happen here to himself and his family. Before long, however, Daniels is trying to make sense of a series of sudden deaths-and to figure out why each of the corpses has been drained of blood. The audience, of course, knows that the culprits are those pesky South American spiders, which grow larger with each kill. To make matters worse, Jeff Daniels suffers from a profound case of arachnophobia. John Goodman supports the cast as a slovenly exterminator, and Frank Marshall, longtime producer of Steven Spielberg's films, makes his directorial debut in Arachnophobia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Daniels, Harley Jane Kozak, (more)
- 1982
This is a soap opera about a rich, suave, but self-aggrandizing villain and the women who either love or hate him. The melodrama sudses up with Ernie Stoddard's (Tony Curtis) determination to bring legal gambling to an island off the California coast and a local councilman's equally strong determination to stop him. The catch is Stoddard's ex-wife Erin (Carol Lynley) is now married to the councilman, but her heart still skips a beat when Stoddard walks into the room. The councilman is her third husband; her first, Stoddard's partner, was apparently killed by parties unknown. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Carol Lynley, (more)
- 1966
Henry Jones guest stars as Brian O'Brien, a leprechaun who has lost his pot of gold. Hoping to snap Brian out of his doldrums, Samantha embarks on a search for the missing pot. It turns out that the elusive gold is in the possession of one James Dennis Robinson (Parley Baer), who, as luck would have it, is Darrin's newest client. Written by those darlin' lads Paul David and John L. Greene, "The Leprechaun" was first telecast on March 17, 1966 (Saint Paddy's day, don't ya know). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York, (more)
- 1964
Guest star Henry Jones plays a flamboyant eccentric who imagines himself to be King Arthur. Wearing full armor, "Arthur" rescues Adam Cartwright from stagecoach bandits. When Adam is accused of masterminding the holdup, he finds that no one believes his wild yarn about a "knight in shining armor"-and before long, virtually everyone in the cast is convinced that Adam has gone off the deep end. Also appearing are Robert Sorrells as Cyril, Charles Watts as Sheriff Munsey, Zeme North as Phoebe and Rodolfo Acosta as Juan. Written by Robert V. Barron, "A Knight to Remember" was originally shown on December 20, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1972
Written and directed by Bonanza star Michael Landon, "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother" is one of the series' zaniest episodes. It all begins when Hoss Cartwright is mistaken for one of the notorious Younger Brothers, who have recently resumed their criminal activities after a 12-year prison term. Thrown in jail, Hoss must depend upon Ben and Joe to bail him out-only to end up sharing a cell with his father and brother when they, too, are mistaken for Youngers. Meanwhile, the real Younger boys, led by Cole Younger (Strother Martin), demonstrate the monumental stupidity that landed them in the slammer in the first place. "The Younger Brothers' Younger Brother" first aired on March 12, 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1994
In this drama based on Anne Tyler's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, the long marriage of a couple en route to a funeral is seen from the viewpoint of those they encounter during the trip. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1969
- PG
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Opening with a silent "movie" of Butch Cassidy's Hole in the Wall Gang, George Roy Hill's comically elegiac Western chronicles the mostly true tale of the outlaws' last months. Witty pals Butch (Paul Newman) and Sundance (Robert Redford) join the Gang in successfully robbing yet another train with their trademark non-lethal style. After the pair rests at the home of Sundance's schoolmarm girlfriend, Etta (Katharine Ross), the Gang robs the same train, but this time, the railroad boss has hired the best trackers in the business to foil the crime. After being tailed over rocks and a river gorge by guys that they can barely identify save for a white hat, Butch and Sundance decide that maybe it's time to try their luck in Bolivia. Taking Etta with them, they live high on ill-gotten Bolivian gains, but Etta leaves after their white-hatted nemesis portentously arrives. Their luck running out, Butch and Sundance are soon holed up in a barn surrounded by scores of Bolivian soldiers who are waiting for the pair to make one last run for it. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Robert Redford, (more)
- 1981
An adventuresome author in 1849 travels to California's Sutter's Fort to work in a saw mill. After gold is discovered, the community is plagued by the antics of greedy treasure seekers. This made-for-television drama is based on the true stories by Bret Hart. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In this routine business-story-cum-romantic-comedy, James Garner is Cash McCall, a wheeling and dealing tycoon, and Natalie Wood is Lory Austen, the daughter of failing businessman Grant (Dean Jagger). McCall's expertise lies in acquiring businesses about to go belly up, attaching them to successful enterprises and then taking a large tax deduction on the resultant equation. Those deals are enhanced when the once-failing business is then sold at a profit. This is a savvy gambit for late '50s movie fare, but its proponent begins to have second thoughts when he comes up against the attractive Lory -- who is not afraid of baring all for a good cause. The well-known co-stars and others like Nina Foch and E.G. Marshall do their best with a limited script. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Natalie Wood, (more)
- 1985
After her ex-lover threatens to explode a nuclear warhead, a former CIA agent organizes a team of crack female operatives to bring him back to justice. The film is also known as Slay It Again Sam. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
Sidney Lumet provides another of his film adaptations of Broadway successes -- in this case Ira Levin's 1978 clever Broadway murder mystery that starred John Wood in a triumphant turn as down-on-his-luck playwright Sidney Bruhl. Wood's brittle airiness is replaced in the film version by Michael Caine's smoldering bitterness. Sidney Bruhl is a successful writer of Broadway mystery plays who was at one time considered the Neil Simon of Broadway mystery writers. Unfortunately, Bruhl is now struggling to live up to his own reputation, suffering through a series of four consecutive flops. But then Bruhl comes upon the manuscript of a brilliant suspense drama written by unknown writer Clifford Anderson (Christopher Reeve). Bruhl, desperate for a hit play, invites Clifford to come to see him, telling him that he is interested in collaborating with him on the play. Actually, Bruhl plans to murder Clifford and pass off Clifford's play as his own. What Bruhl doesn't know, however, is that Clifford has some surprise plot points of his own up his sleeve. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, (more)
Warren Beatty directed and starred in this big-budget action comedy featuring Chester Gould's square-jawed, two-dimensional comic strip detective. Ruthless gangster Big Boy Caprice (Al Pacino) touches off a gang war against underworld boss Lips Manlis (Paul Sorvino), with Big Boy and his minions rubbing out enough of Manlis's goons (along with Manlis himself) to take over his nightclub, and a healthy percentage of the city's criminal activities in the process. Caprice also gains proprietary rights to Manlis's girlfriend, nightclub chanteuse Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). Big Boy's next move to is unite the rest of the city's crooks under his command; this wave of corruption attracts the attention of lawman Dick Tracy, who is determined to smash Caprice's criminal network once and for all. As Tracy plots to put Big Boy behind bars where he belongs, Breathless uses her considerable charms in an attempt to sway Tracy from the path of righteousness; this causes no small amount of anxiety for Tracy's long-suffering female companion, Tess Trueheart (Glenne Headly), and the street-smart kid (Charlie Korsmo) they've been keeping an eye on. The various bad guys, heavily made up to resemble Gould's cartoon characters (though Beatty is not made up to resemble Tracy), include Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, R.G. Armstrong, and William Forsythe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warren Beatty, Charlie Korsmo, (more)
- 1973
Die, Darling, Die stars Jimmy Stewart as countrified lawyer/sleuth Hawkins. Julie Harris costars as a recent widow, the heir to a $2 million estate. Not surprisingly, Ms. Harris is suspected of facilitating her husband's death--especially since she was seen throwing away his medication. It's Hawkin's job to find out if she really "done it". Die, Darling, Die premiered as the October 23, 1973 episode of the TV series Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1970
- PG
Frank Sinatra stars in this bawdy western satire as Dingus Magee, a would-be outlaw who robs Hoke Birdsill (George Kennedy) while Hoke is en route to Yerkey's Hole, New Mexico. Hoke reports the theft to Belle Knops (Anne Jackson), the mayor of Yerkey's Hole and proprietor of the town's biggest business, a brothel favored by the enlisted men at the nearby Army fort. Belle appoints Hoke as the new deputy, and he tracks down Magee as he's enjoying a roll in the bushes with Anna (Michele Carey), a very friendly Indian maid. Hoke brings in Magee, but Anna then helps him escape; Belle uses Magee's unscheduled release to convince the commanding officers at the Army base that an Indian uprising is imminent, and that their planned relocation to Little Big Horn (where they hope to arrive before Gen. Custer and his troops) might be a bit premature (not to mention bad for her business). Soon Hoke is after Magee for robbing a stage and stealing the strongbox (which, of course, he can't open), the Indians are after Magee for running off with Anna, a sexually repressed schoolmarm named Prudence (Lois Nettleton) is after Magee after he awakens the woman within her, and John Wesley Hardin (Jack Elam) is after Magee, well, just because. "Catch-22" author Joseph Heller co-wrote the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, George Kennedy, (more)
- 1972
Henry Jones guest stars as Dr. Alexander Knott, an elderly country physician who helps Roy (Kevin Tighe) and John (Randolph Mantooth) during an emergency--and who goes to great lengths to hide his own physical frailties. Back at the station house, John becomes starstuck during a photo shoot in which he is surrounded by beautiful models. And in another show business-related incident, a pair of Hollywood stuntmen (played by real-life stunt performers Fred Gabourie and George Sawaya) are trapped on a studio-built waterfall. The same week that this episode originally aired on NBC, the cast of Emergency! appeared in a "crossover" episode on Adam-12, "ost and Found". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
- R
Enid only looks like she's sleeping. In fact, she's dead. Shortly after Enid caught her husband Harry (Judge Reinhold) in bed with her sister June (Elizabeth Perkins), a row ensued, whereupon June accidently killed Enid. June's problem now is to hide the truth from the authorities--including her police-officer husband Floyd (Jeffrey Jones). Then she decides to reveal Enid's demise, albeit rearranging the damning evidence to make the whole thing look like the accident it really was. Widely praised when it was sneak-previewed for critics, the darkly hilarious Enid is Sleeping was timorously re-edited by its distributor for its general release. Lovingly and laboriously, star Elizabeth Perkins and director Maurice Phillips reassembled the film into its original form. That version currently exists on videotape under the title Over Her Dead Body. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judge Reinhold, Elizabeth Perkins, (more)
