Brian Keith Movies
The son of actor Robert Keith (1896-1966), Brian Keith made his first film appearance in 1924's Pied Piper Malone, when he was well-below the age of consent. During the war years, Keith served in the Marines, winning a Navy Air Medal; after cessation of hostilities, he began his acting career in earnest. At first billing himself as Robert Keith Jr., he made his 1946 Broadway debut in Heyday, then enjoyed a longer run as Mannion in Mister Roberts (1948), which featured his father as "Doc." His film career proper began in 1952; for the rest of the decade, Keith played good guys, irascible sidekicks and cold-blooded heavies with equal aplomb. Beginning with Ten Who Dared (1959), Keith became an unofficial "regular" in Disney Films, his performances alternately subtle (The Parent Trap) and bombastic. Of his 1970s film efforts, Keith was seen to best advantage as Teddy Roosevelt in The Wind and the Lion (1975). In television since the medium was born, Keith has starred in several weekly series, including The Crusader (1955-56), The Little People (aka The Brian Keith Show, 1972-74) and Lew Archer (1975). His longest-running and perhaps best-known TV endeavors were Family Affair (1966-71), in which he played the uncharacteristically subdued "Uncle Bill" and the detective series Hardcastle & McCormick (1983-86). His most fascinating TV project was the 13-week The Westerner (1960), created by Sam Peckinpah, in which he played an illiterate cowpoke with an itchy trigger finger. Keith's personal favorite of all his roles is not to be found in his film or TV output; it is the title character in Hugh Leonard's stage play Da. Plagued by emphysema and lung cancer while apparently still reeling emotionally from the suicide of his daughter Daisy, 75-year-old Brian Keith was found dead of a gunshot wound by family members in his Malibu home. Police ruled the death a suicide. Just prior to his death, Keith had completed a supporting role in the TNT miniseries Rough Riders. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1964
After a dangerous tiger turns on its trainer and escapes from the circus, a small town in Texas finds itself in an uproar over its capture. As it is hunted by numerous parties, a young girl begins protesting and starts a nationwide movement to plead for the tiger's safety. As the situation gains more attention, the local attitude is torn by politics and outside pressure. At the time of its release, this feature (taken from a book by Ian Niall) was quite different for Disney as it portrayed realistic small-town politics rather than an ideal community. The titular tiger, on the other hand, seemed to have an uncanny knack of choosing baddies to prey upon while leaving all well-meaning folks alone. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, Vera Miles, (more)
- 1954
Alaskan salmon fisherman Matt Kelly (Robert Ryan) doesn't care who he runs over in race to get ahead in life. He even manages to exploit his friendship with Jim Kimmerly (Brian Keith) so he can make time with Kimmerly's fiancee Nicky (Jan Sterling). As a capper to his many misdeeds, Kelly's recklessness results in the loss of Jim's fishing boat during a glacier avalanche. Finally getting wise to himself, Kelly tries to make up for his past perfidy with an all-out act of self-sacrifice. Featured in the cast of Alaska Seas are two TV-stars-to-be: Gene Barry, of Bat Masterson and Burke's Law fame, and Ross Bagdasarian, who as "David Seville" was the creator/mentor of Alvin and the Chipmunks. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ryan, Jan Sterling, (more)
- 1960
Condemned for a murder he didn't commit, embittered death-row inmate Prof. Herbert Morrison (Brian Keith) has not only given up all hopes of a reprieve, but has informed his lawyer not to even bother getting him released. As his last hours tick away, Morrison is more annoyed than usual by the obnoxious ebullience of prison guard Pops Lafferty (James Westerfield). Figuring that he can only be put to death once, Morrison vows that his last act on Earth will be to shut Pops' mouth permanently! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Just at a point when he has everything to live for, wealthy Dave Ramey (Brian Keith) is stricken down with polio. Now confined to an iron lung, Ramey obsesses over the possibility that his wife, Cindy (Joanna Moore), plans to kill him. When Cindy falls for a handsome stranger named Arnold Barrett (Yale Wexler), it would appear that Ramey's fears are about to be realized -- but as we all know, appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents have a habit of being deceiving. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Elderly Mr. Marino (Eduardo Ciannelli) begs famous attorney Vernon Wedge (Brian Keith) to clear Marino's son Benjy (Rod Lauren) of a murder charge. This proves difficult in that the police have an airtight case against Benjy. But Wedge proceeds with his defense, demanding that a special forensic test be made of the murder weapon -- in full view of the jury. (Trivia note: in the original script, the accused murderer's last name was Bleeker, but this was changed when celebrated Italian-born character actor Eduardo Ciannelli was cast as the boy's father.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Arnold Shawn (Brian Keith), a brash young lawyer known for his unorthodox methods, is hired by wealthy Kenneth Jerome Sr. (Gordon Wynn) to defend his son Kenneth Jr. (Brian Hutton) on a hit-and-run charge. Among the courtroom spectators in Kenneth Jr.'s trial is Shawn's wife, Naomi (Leora Dana), who has long been aware of her husband's infidelities. Watching Shawn destroy the testimony of eyewitness Harry Babcock (William Hansen), Naomi suddenly comes up with a plan to destroy her husband as well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when Nader is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal. The reporter knows that the crook, who has been accused of an ambush murder, is innocent, and he sets about to collar the real killer. Nader goes "cold turkey" on the booze despite tempations at every turn, and gets his man. Appointment with a Shadow is one of a handful of films directed by onetime I Led 3 Lives star Richard Carlson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Nader, Joanna Moore, (more)
Adapted from a novel by W.R. Burnett (which hadn't yet been published when the film was released), Arrowhead is a tough, uncompromising western dealing with the delicate issue of White-Indian relations. Charlton Heston is at his most truculent as Indian agent Ed Bannon, who though raised by Apaches has a very low opinion of the tribe's trustworthiness. Bannon's warnings about Indian treachery would seem to be borne out by a series of bloody raids upon the cavalry, but the officers in charge refuse to believe him. It turns out that the man behind the Apache attacks is Toriano (Jack Palance), the chief's college-educated son, who has rejected the ways of the White Man and intends to reclaim his birthright. The film boils down to a mano y mano battle between Bannon and Toriano, personal enemies from way back. Hardly politically correct, Arrowhead is worth seeing if only for the multitextured performance by Jack Palance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Jack Palance, (more)
Boomerang, directed by Elia Kazan, is a chilling film noir, the true story about the murder of a priest, the subsequent arrest and trial of a jobless drifter, and the efforts of young state's attorney Henry Harvey (Dana Andrews) to uncover the truth. Closely based on the actual 1924 murder of Fr. Hubert Dahme in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the film was directed by the young Elia Kazan in a highly effective, semi-documentary style. Kazan shot most of the film on location, using high-contrast cinematography and an extremely mobile camera to create a palpable sense of urgency. The screenplay, expertly crafted by Richard Murphy received an Academy Award nomination. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, E.J. Ballantine, (more)
- 1964
Bristle Face is a stray hound with a fondness for hunting turtles. Orphaned Jace Landers (Philip Alford) adopts the personable mutt. With the help of Luke Swank (Brian Keith), Bristle Face learns how to hunt foxes. Trouble is, the dog doesn't know when to stop hunting. This made-for-TV Disney production boasts an impressive supporting cast, including Wallace Ford, Parley Baer, Miss Jeff Donnell (as she used to be billed on The George Gobel Show), Slim Pickens and George "Goober" Lindsay. Bristle Face was originally telecast January 26 and February 2, 1964, as a two-part entry on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The longest (26-1/2 hours), most expensive ($25 million) and most complicated (four directors, five producers, five cinematographers, almost 100 speaking parts, several hundred extras) project made for television up to that time, Centennial was shown in two- and three-hour installments over a period of four months. An adaptation of James Michener's best-selling novel, it told the story of the settling of the American West by looking at the founding of the fictional town of Centennial, Colorado, from the settling of the area in the late 18th century to the present. Emmy-nominated for film editing and art direction, it boasts of sterling performances from Richard Chamberlain as frontiersman Alexander McKeag, Robert Conrad as the French-Canadian trapper Pasquinel, and a surprisingly powerful performance from former football star Alex Karras as compassionate but iron-willed immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. ~ Brian Gusse, All Movie Guide
- 1980
- R
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Peter Ustinov plays the talented detective in San Francisco who attempts, with help/hindrance from his clumsy grandson (Richard Hatch), to solve a murder case in this mystery/comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Ustinov, Lee Grant, (more)
- 1957
Chicago Confidential may not have been the best of the late-1950s "expose" films, but it certainly boasted one of the most impressive casts. Based on the factual best-seller by Jack Lait and Lee Mortimer, the film stars Brian Keith as a State Attorney who vows to bring corrupt Chicago union officials to justice. It turns out that the union crooks are in cahoots with a gambling syndicate, conspiring to frame uncooperative union leader Dick Foran for murder. With the considerable assistance of his coworker-fiancee Beverly Garland, Keith strives to prove Foran's innocence and punish the genuine miscreants. Crucial to the plotline is nightclub comedian Buddy Lewis, cast as an impressionist who helps to frame the troublesome Foran; also in the cast are such crime-flick perennials as Elisha Cook Jr., Paul Langton, Douglas Kennedy, Jack Lambert, John Indrisano, Phyllis Coates, and Thomas B. Henry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, Beverly Garland, (more)
- 1982
In this mystery a psychiatrist and his wife are surprised to find that the quiet seaside town they just moved to is plagued by strange deaths that occur during mysterious storms. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this actioner, a battle-hardened Marine sergeant finds himself faced with single-handedly rescuing his former colonel from Middle Eastern terrorist abductors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Dryer, Brian Keith, (more)
- 1958
This melodrama tells the tale of a great battle between the French Foreign Legion and the rebellious Arab tribe, the Tuaregs, who fight it out upon the blistering Sahara sands. Just before the Legionnaires embark upon their dangerous mission, the commander discovers that he is being cuckolded by his lieutenant. Because the mission is urgent, there is no time to fight over the commander's wife. Unfortunately, as they travel, the tension between the two mounts and they begin squabbling over how to plan the attack. Their inability to work together results in tragedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, Barbara Hale, (more)
- 1957
Adapted from his own TV play by Reginald Rose, Dino stars Sal Mineo (who also appeared in the TV version) in the title role. Sent to reform school for his complicity in a gang killing, Dino is released in the custody of kindly settlement worker Sheridan (Brian Keith). Despite the efforts by Sheridan and parole officer Mandel (Frank Faylen) to set the boy on the right path, sullen Dino intends to rejoin his old gang at the first opportunity. Only when he realizes that his younger brother Tony (Pat DeSimone) is in danger of becoming an irredeemable juvenile delinquent does Dino gets wise to himself. It also helps when he falls in love with Shirley (Susan Kohner), a "plain-Jane" girl he meets at Sheridan's settlement house. Rarely seen today, Dino is one of the better "j.d." films of its era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sal Mineo, Brian Keith, (more)
- 1960
The first half of this Walt Disney Presents episode, "Rapids Ahead," is ostensibly a salute to John Wesley Powell, the first man to explore the Colorado River. The presence of such actors as Brian Keith and John Beal tips us off that this segment is actually a promo for the upcoming Disney theatrical feature Ten Who Dared, concentrating on the special photographic techniques required to complete the picture. The remainder of the episode is a full-length presentation of the Oscar-winning "True Life Adventure" short subject Bear Country (1953), filmed on location in Yellowstone National Park. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, John Beal, (more)
- 1961
The first half of this 1961 Walt Disney Presents episode shows the work that went behind the delightful animated opening titles of the upcoming Disney theatrical feature The Parent Trap. Famed studio artists Bill Justice, X. Attencio, and T. Hee are seen bringing the titles to life, from storyboard to final print; as a bonus, excerpts from The Parent Trap are previewed, and Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello are shown recording the film's hit title song The rest of the episode consists of Disney's Oscar-winning "True-Life Adventure" short subject Nature's Half Acre, originally released theatrically in 1952. Narrated by Winston Hibler, the film follows the four seasons of nature, from the viewpoint of several species of birds, insects, and plants. "Title Makers and Disney's Half Acre was Walt Disney's final TV-anthology episode for the ABC network, and the last one telecast in black-and-white. Beginning in the fall of 1961, the producer's series would air on NBC under the title Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Sands, Annette Funicello, (more)
- 1979
- PG
Though made in Britain and Europe, Eagle's Wing qualifies as a Western. Easterner Pike (Martin Sheen) does a lot of growing up in a hurry when he becomes a trapper out-West. By mid-film, Pike is accomplished enough to compete with Comanche chief White Bull (Sam Waterston, there's a masterpiece of nontypecasting!) over possession of a white, wild stallion. The film contains subliminal pro-ecological and pro-tolerance messages, courtesy of its politically-minded stars and the screenplay by future Gandhi scrivener John Briley. Supporting Sheen and Waterston are such never-fail performers as Harvey Keitel and Stephane Audran. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston, (more)
- 1959
In the seventh episode of Walt Disney's ten-part miniseries, Elfego Baca, gunslinger-turned-lawyer Baca (Robert Loggia) comes to the defense of the Mustangers, a nomad-like religious sect. Determined to establish a permanent homestead on a land recently opened up by the government, the Mustanger face fierce opposition from the local cattlemen who worry that they will lose their own grazing land. Ever the champion of the underdog, Elfego Baca hopes to prevent the Mustangers from being driven out by violence -- a task made difficult by the sect's hotheaded leader, Shadrack O'Reilly (Brian Keith). A young James Coburn appears in a supporting role. "Move Along, Mustangers" was originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In the eighth episode of Walt Disney's ten-part miniseries Elfego Baca, gunslinger-turned-lawyer Baca (Robert Loggia) has secured the legal rights of the Mustangers, a religious sect that has set up a homestead in the middle of cattle country. But though the Mustangers own their property fair and square, the local cattleman still regard the group with suspicion and contempt, putting pressure on local merchants not to sell to any of the sect's members. When Mustanger leader Shadrack O'Reilly (Brian Keith) is refused service at a feed store, he sparks off a huge brawl and ends up in jail -- which, of course, brings Elfego Baca back into the story. Featuring a young James Coburn in a supporting role, "Mustang Man, Mustang Maid" was originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
- PG13
This biographical drama was based on the true story of Dorothy Day, a devout Catholic who devoted much of her life to working with the poor and homeless on New York City's Lower East Side. Born in an Episcopalian household in 1897, Day (played by Moira Kelly) was a free-thinking agnostic in her young adulthood; she contributed to radical leftist journals and was friends with the likes of Eugene O'Neill (James Lancaste) and Mike Gold (Paul Lieber). After undergoing a painful abortion and giving birth to another child out of wedlock after her lover, Foster Batterham (Lenny Von Dohlen), abandoned her rather than marry, Day embraced Catholicism, a faith she would cling to strongly for the rest of her life. Day's leftist politics and her sense of personal activism remained; she established a political journal, "The Catholic Worker," in association with self-described Christian anarchist Peter Maurin (Martin Sheen), and was a tireless and outspoken champion of the rights of the poor and disenfranchised. Day came under heavy criticism for her political and social activism; as she put it, "If you feed the poor, you're called a saint, but if you ask why they're poor, you're called a Communist." However, Day continued her mission undaunted until her death in 1980, when she was called America's Mother Teresa. Entertaining Angels was produced by Paulist Pictures, a Catholic organization who also produced Romero, another film about a noted Catholic activist. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Moira Kelly, Martin Sheen, (more)
- 1990
- PG
The Canadian-financed Escape was directed by TV veteran Lamont Johnson. Brian Keith plays a deceptively happy-go-lucky Irish officer put in charge of a Scottish POW camp during World War II. The toughest and most fearsome of the prisoners (Helmut Griem), makes no secret of his escape plans. The breakout is inevitable, but the battle of wills leading up to the breakout is almost as tense as the actual event. The violence in Escape is kept carefully in check within the film's PG-13 limits. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
