Cy Kendall Movies

In this dark crime drama, the trouble begins when a San Francisco bookie attempts to lead an honest life by marrying a comely widow. In preparation for his nuptials, the fellow stays on the straight and narrow, but when he learns that one of his cohorts has been murdered by an East Coast gang that is trying to horn in on West Coast territory, he reenters the underworld. A boyhood friend who became a cop tries to convince him to team up with the police, but the vengeful bookie remains determined to things his way. It proves to be a tragic mistake and shows the bookie that those closest to him are not what they seem. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Joe Palooka, Ham Fisher's famed comic-strip fighter, risks his life to clear the name of his manager in this series entry. In this episode, Palooka is blinded during a fight. Although surgery restores his vision, the doctors strongly caution him not to fight again for at least a year. Meanwhile Knobby Walsh, his manager, begins managing another heavyweight fighter who gets himself mixed up with gamblers. To save his manager's good name, Palooka disregards the doctors' advice and reenters the ring. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This boxing drama focuses on the manager rather than the fighter. The story begins as a corrupt manager fakes the death of his fighter's sparring partner after he refuses to take a dive knowing that it will push him over the edge and destroy his career as he accidently killed a man while boxing in the military. Fortunately, the boxer has a devoted, supportive girlfriend who investigates the "death" and brings the dead partner to ringside at the crucial moment. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

When Loretta Young stepped up to accept her Academy Award for The Farmer's Daughter, the ever-youthful leading lady, who'd been in films since 1928, sighed "At long last!" Young is cast as Katie Holstrum, an independently-minded Swedish girl who leaves her family's Minnesota farm to take a domestic job at the Washington DC home of congressman Glenn Morley Joseph Cotten. Katie's outspokeness and Scandanavian common sense immediately endears her to Morley, his mother Ethel Barrymore, and the family's crusty-but-kindly butler Clancy Charles Bickford. Sensing that the political machine backing Morley isn't thoroughly honest, Katie takes an active hand in Washington politics, leading to her own nomination for a congressional seat. The machine-boss villains (depicted rather provocatively as right-wing reactionaries) try to discredit Katie on the eve of the election, but she is rescued by Morley, who of course has fallen in love with her. Adapted from Juurakon Hulda (Hulda, Daughter of Parliament), a Finnish play written by Hella Wuolijoki (using the pen name Juhani Tervapää), which had originally been optioned as a potential vehicle for Ingrid Bergman, The Farmer's Daughter later matriculated into a weekly TV series, with Inger Stevens as Katie and William Windom as Morley. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this below-average western serial, a Texas ranger goes undercover as "The Scarlet Horseman," a legendary figure for the Commanche tribe whose leadership they respect. The reason for the ranger's sudden interest in Commanche affairs stems from a series of kidnappings of wives and daughters of senators in an attempt to force a partition of Texas. Behind the scheme is Matosca, a mysterious woman who turns out to be the daughter of a discredited senator. The cast of this serial is more interesting than the overly complicated plot or the rather pedestrian action sequences. Peter Cookson, a typically bland 4F leading man of the early '40s, earned star billing, although the title role is played by Paul Guilfoyle, a sneaky-looking character actor who usually played hoodlums. Even more surprising than Guilfoyle's sudden heroics is the presence of Virginia Christine ("Mrs. Olsson" of coffee commercial fame), a blond dialectician rarely found in such slam-bang surroundings. Victoria Horne, the wife of comedian Jack Oakie, played a treacherous Indian squaw and Janet Shaw, an all-purpose Universal starlet, was the little seen heroine. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Without Reservations has to be the least typical John Wayne picture of the postwar era. Top billing is bestowed upon Claudette Colbert as Kit, a best-selling novelist heading westward to oversee the film version of her latest novel. Taking it upon herself to select the man who should portray the hero of her novel, Kit chooses war hero Rusty (John Wayne), whom she meets during her train trip to Hollywood. Unaware of Kit's true identity, Rusty and his pal Dink (Don DeFore) rail against the factual errors in her book. One thing leads to another, and before long Kit, Rusty and Dink have all been thrown off the train for annoying the other passengers. After a hectic stopover at a New Mexico farm, Kit reveals who she really is to Rusty and Dink, who are understandably put out. All is forgiven in the end, of course, with Kit and Rusty altar-bound at fadeout time. The Hollywood scenes feature such guest celebrities as Cary Grant, Louella Parsons and Jack Benny; and yes, that is an unbilled Raymond Burr as Claudette Colbert's dancing partner. Without Reservations was based on Jane Allen and May Livingston's novel Thanks, God, I'll Take it From Here (too bad they couldn't use that title!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Number Three in PRC's "Michael Shayne" B-series was the fair-to-middling Blonde for a Day. Hugh Beaumont stars as Shayne, while his real-life wife Kathryn Adams (no, he wasn't married to Barbara Billingsley) costars as his secretary Phyllis. This time, Shayne gets involved with police reporter Helen Porter (Marjorie Hoshelle), who has in her possession damning evidence against a gambling ring. Since Helen has written several biting attacks on the police force, she turns to Shayne for help when her life is threatened. The climax finds Helen in the clutches of the crooks, forcing Shayne to resort to a clever subterfuge to effect her rescue. Purportedly, Blonde for a Day was based on Brett Halliday's very first "Michael Shayne" story. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Canadian WW II pilot Gerard (Dick Powell) intends to track down and kill collaborationist Marcel Jarne, the man responsible for the wartime death of Gerard's French wife. The trouble is, Jarne has never been effectively identified by the authorities -- and in fact could be just about anyone whom Gerard meets. Following the trail of evidence to Buenos Aires, Gerard's strongarm methods run afoul not only of the Argentine authorities, but also of a pro-French underground movement which also wants to bring the villain to justice. Weaselly Incza (Walter Slezak) plays all sides down the middle until he too is ruthlessly rubbed out by the bad guy. From start to finish, Cornered is a superb thriller, directed with graphic ingenuity and economy -- and with a dash of endearingly naïve left-leaning politicizing. (With Edward Dmytryk as director, how could it be otherwise?) Avoid at all costs the computer-colored version of this beautifully photographed black-and-white film. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, a garbage truck driver stumbles across $5,000. He decides to use the money for a wild night on the town. He and his girlfriend do not know that the money represents the spoils of a blackmailer's scheme. Somehow, the trucker and his girl accidently run across the blackmailer and wind up getting him convicted. The victim is so thankful that he gives the trucker the money. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

The third of Columbia's "Whistler" series, Power of the Whistler once more stars Richard Dix as the tortured protagonist. This time, Dix is cast as an amnesiac named William Everett, who is given aid and comfort by pretty Jean Lang (Janis Carter). Assuming that Everett has been victimized by someone, Jean tries to help him regain his memory. This proves to be a major mistake, which Jean's sister Frances (Jeff Donnell) discovers to her horror. Though it was fascinating to see Richard Dix in an off-the-beaten-track role, Power of the Whistler isn't up to the standard set by the first two "Whistler" films: even so, the climax, staged in the loft of a deserted barn, is a beaut. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Masterfully directed by Fritz Lang, Scarlet Street is a bleak film in which an ordinary man succumbs first to vice and then to murder. Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) is a lonely man married to a nagging wife. Painting is the only thing that brings him joy. Cross meets Kitty (Joan Bennett) who, believing him to be a famous painter, begins an affair with him. Encouraged by her lover, con man Johnny Prince (Dan Duryea) Kitty persuades Cross to embezzle money from his employer in order to pay for her lavish apartment. In that apartment, happy for the first time in his life, Cross paints Kitty's picture. Johnny then pretends that Kitty painted to portrait, which has won great critical acclaim. Finally realizing he has been manipulated, Cross kills Kitty, loses his job, and because his name has been stolen by Kitty, is unable to paint. He suffers a mental breakdown as the film ends, haunted by guilt. Kitty and Johnny are two of the most amoral and casual villains in the history of film noir, both like predatory animals completely without conscience. Milton Krasner's photography is excellent in its use of stark black-and-white to convey psychological states. Fritz Lang is unparalleled in his ability to convey the desperation of hapless, naïve victims in a cruelly realistic world. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

Veteran action specialists Ray Taylor and Lewis D. Collins co-directed this below-average Universal serial featuring brunette starlet Lois Collier as a young woman swept up in international intrigue in Darkest Africa. Although the serial's nominal (and much imperiled) heroine, Collier did not play the title role, however. That dubious distinction went to a very young Ruth Roman, in her screen debut, as an ethereal jungle girl whose presence in the film remained vague throughout. The muddled story is something about the Nazi High Command (personified by that notorious blackheart Douglass Dumbrille) attempting to infiltrate and sway an unfriendly jungle tribe. Considering the real-world situation in 1945, The Jungle Queen was frivolous entertainment at its mind-numbing worst. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Sam White, brother of Columbia Pictures' 2-reel-comedy maven Jules White, served as producer of the quickie Columbia musical Tahiti Nights. The lissome Jinx Falkenberg plays Tahitian princess Luana, who is promised in marriage to American bandleader Jack (Dave O'Brien). Luana is delighted by the arrangement, but Jack is less enchanted, and he spends most of the film trying to wriggle out of the wedding. In the meantime, Luana and a chorus line of sun-kissed sweeties dance to such tunes as "Let Me Love You Tonight," which in 1945 was a Hit Parade favorite. Featured in the cast of Tahiti Nights is hefty Hawaiian nightclub entertainer and radio star Hilo Hattie, who brightened many an otherwise dreary tropical musical of the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi