Mary Ellen Kay Movies

Ricky (Desi Arnaz) is worried about moving into a house in Connecticut, but Lucy (Lucille Ball) mollifies her husband by assuring him that a 20-year mortgage is easier to pay than monthly rent -- and besides, think of all the new furniture they will get. Thus persuaded, Ricky arranges with landlord Fred (William Frawley) to rent out the Ricardos' New York apartment to a young couple, who stipulate that they must take possession immediately. Unfortunately, circumstance dictate that Lucy and Ricky are unable to move to the country right away; thus they must temporarily move in with the Mertzes, bag and baggage. And then, Lucy suddenly gets sentimental over her "beloved" old furniture.... ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Advertised as an out-and-out horror picture, Voodoo Woman is more of a "greed and revenge" melodrama than anything else. Mad scientist Dr. Roland Gerard (Tom Conway) squirrels himself away in the jungle, hoping to create a race of super-beings. What he comes up with is a passel of hideous-looking female monstrosities, one of whom is played by ace monster creator Paul Blaisdell (who, last time we looked, was a guy). The film goes off on a slightly different tangent when mercenary murderess Marilyn Blanchard (Marla English) invades Dr. Gerard's private domain. It is inevitable that Gerard will transform Marilyn into a monster, leading to a lively if barely credible finale. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Lone Ranger western is comprised of three episodes from the TV series. He and Tonto look into a haunted canyon. They then take on Confederates, and face down a lynch mob. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Based on a novel by Mickey Spillane, The Long Wait stars Anthony Quinn as an amnesiac who may or may not have committed a murder. Picking up the pieces of his life, Quinn wanders into a hotbed of small-town intrigue and corruption. Characters essentially to the action are highly respectable bank president Charles Coburn, gangster Gene Evans, and silky femme fatale Peggie Castle. The climax, described by historian William K. Everson as "a typical Spillane head-on collision of sex and violence", finds the trussed-up Quinn and Castle struggling to kiss each other while being goaded on by sadistic gunsel William Conrad. As for the story's surprise outcome. . .well, some things are better seen than said. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A U.S. Army cavalry officer (Dane Clark) leads westward-bound settlers through Indian territory. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide

Vigilante Terror was one of the last of the "Wild Bill" Elliot westerns for Columbia. This time, Elliot comes to rescue an imperiled storekeeper. A band of masked vigilantes is laying waste to the countryside, and the storekeeper is blamed. Wild Bill saves the day by going undercover -- or under hood, as it were. Lewis Collins directed ably, as he did on most of the valedictory entries in the Wild Bill Elliot series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rather than the usual cattlemen vs. sheep men conflict, this above-average Rex Allen western contrasts ranchers of all kinds with the Hurley Lumber Mill company, whose destructive business methods cause flashfloods that threatens to destroy all the grazing land in Pine Valley. Assuming to be the sole heirs to the Zeke Reynolds estate, a ranch with plenty of possibilities for timber interests, Carrie Hurley (June Vincent) and her brother Dan (Fred Graham) are dismayed to learn that the dear departed also saw fit to include Slim Pickens and distant relative Jacqueline Reynolds (Mary Ellen Kay) in his bequest. Having already murdered an inquisitive forest ranger (Russ Conway), the Hurleys are not about to share the lucrative Reynolds property but the homicidal brother-and-sister team bargains without Slim's boss, Rex Allen. When not battling the glacial Carrie Hurley and her henchmen, Allen and The Republic Rhythm Riders (who received introductory billing) perform "I'm Leaving on the Pine Valley Stage" "Under Colorado Stars" and the traditional "Down By the Riverside". ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The Rodeo King and the Senorita stars Rex Allen (playing himself); it shouldn't be necessary to indicate which of the title roles he plays. In this Republic sagebrusher, Allen tries to determine whether or not a fatal accident was truly accidental. The victim's preteen daughter is Juanita Morales (Bonnie De Simone), the titular Senorita who now legally owns the Wild West show which employs singing cowboy Allen. With the help of heroine Janet Wells (Mary Ellen Kay) and sidekick Muscles Benton (Buddy Ebsen), Allen discovers who was behind the death of Juanita's father, and why. With such powerhouse villains as Roy Barcroft and Tris Coffin in the cast, the mystery is over almost before it begins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Allan "Rocky" Lane plays the title role in the Republic oater Wells Fargo Gunmaster. Lane is sent westward by his employers to stem a series of stagecoach holdups. To bring the crooks out into the open, Lane pretends to turn bandit himself. One by one, the minor crooks are bumped off as they try to fence their ill-gotten gains. By process of elimination, Lane is able to expose the mysterious mastermind behind the robberies. Featured in the cast of Wells Fargo Gunmaster are moppet performers Mary Ellen Kay and Michael Chapin, who'd soon be spun off into their own western series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Allan "Rocky" Lane is cleverly cast as Allan "Rocky" Lane in the Republic western Desert of Lost Men. The story finds Lane going undercover to trap the leader of an outlaw gang. His scheme is complicated by the fact that heroine Nan Webster (Mary Ellen Kay) is the daughter of a doctor who is deeply involved in the gang's activities. Veteran character actor Irving Bacon is second-billed as the film's comedy relief, an ineffectual sheriff named Skeeter Davis (no relation, of course, to the country-western star of the same name). Though nothing new, Desert of Lost Men is expertly assembled. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A fast-paced entry in Republic Pictures' fine Allan "Rocky" Lane series, Fort Dodge Stampede details the search for $30,000 worth of loot from a bank robbery which is ostensibly hidden in Fort Dodge, a Nevada ghost town owned by Skeeter Davis (Chubby Johnson). The latter, who knows nothing of the stolen money, is soon deep in trouble with an array of Bad Guys headed by the inevitable (but nevertheless always welcome) Roy Barcroft. Enter "Rocky" Lane, a lawman on vacation, and the bullets soon start flying. Lane, who later supplied the voice of television's Mr. Ed, was an attractive cowboy star whose vehicles, although low-budget, were consistently well-written and paced. Chubby Johnson replaced Lane's usual sidekick Eddy Waller for most of the 1951-1952 season. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Between Midnight and Dawn is a solid, no-frills detective drama from the Columbia studio mills. Mark Stevens and Edmond O'Brien star as police officers Barnes and Purvis, who tool around in their prowl car in the wee hours of the morning. Vengeful gangster Ritchie Garris (Donald Buka) would like nothing better than to get Barnes and Purvis out of his hair, especially after breaking out of jail. In a thrill-packed climax, Garris makes a desperate escape using a little kid as a shield, while Purvis tries to second-guess the homicidal gangster. As Kate Mallory, Gale Storm has little to do except serve as the bone of romantic contention between the two male protagonists. Curiously, Storm doesn't get to sing, though supporting actress Gale Robbins does--three times, in fact. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide