Lenny Kent Movies
- 1974
In one of his occasional undercover assignments, Kojak (Telly Savalas) poses as a chemist. It's all part of a plan to flush out a gang of crooks who have stolen a valuable shipment of morphine in order to sell it back to the rightful owners for an exorbitant price. Naturally, Kojak pretends to be corruptible enough to attract the crooks' attention--a dangerous game which could cost him his life at any moment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
Two parents worry about the feelings of their love-struck teenage son in this engaging romantic comedy. Grif (James Garner) and wife Jenny (Debbie Reynolds) are concerned about their son Davey (Donald Losby). When his girlfriend is slated for a tour of Europe, the teenage boy is heartbroken. Grif, a photographer by trade, draws the assignment as a photo journalist to cover the girl's tour. Jenny is swindled by Mr. Tilly (Terry-Thomas) who takes her money as rent payment on a Riviera villa. The house is owned by a French playboy who allows the pretty mom to stay. Comedy ensues when a jealous Grif discovers wife Jenny in a bikini given to her by the amorous Frenchman. Prolific songwriter Jimmy Webb provides the music for this feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Garner, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
This lavishly produced, big-budget comedy (it cost $20 million in 1964 dollars) stars Shirley MacLaine as Louisa, a widow who is worth $200 million dollars. However, she's convinced that her fortune is cursed, and she wants to give all her money to the IRS. As she explains her sad tale to her psychiatrist, Dr. Stephanson (Robert Cummings), it seems that when Louisa was young she had the choice of marrying rich playboy Leonard Crawley (Dean Martin) or poor but decent Edgar Hopper (Dick Van Dyke). She chose Edgar, but soon he became obsessed with providing a fine home and fortune for her; he got rich but worked himself to death in the process. Despondent, Louisa flies to Paris, where she strikes up a romance with expatriate artist Larry Flint (Paul Newman). When Larry invents a machine that creates paintings based on sounds, he becomes wealthy and famous -- and dies. Louisa returns to America, where she figures to break her streak by marrying Rod (Robert Mitchum), a business tycoon who already has lots of money. He resolves to take life easier and becomes a farmer, only to die in a strange accident with a bull. Louisa is drowning her sorrows one night at a sleazy night spot when she falls for second rate entertainer Jerry (Gene Kelly). They marry, and a now-wealthy Jerry develops a relaxed, carefree quality to his act that makes him a huge star, which leads to his being crushed by a mob of his biggest fans. What a Way to Go! boasted a screenplay by Betty Comdon and Adolph Green that featured many amusing film parodies and a score by Nelson Riddle; it also marked the final screen appearance of comic actress Margaret Dumont, best remembered as Groucho Marx's straight woman in several films. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Paul Newman, (more)
This amusing romantic comedy concerns Dr. Gerald Boyer (James Garner), a successful gynecologist with a wife and two children. Wife Beverly (Doris Day) focuses on maintaining the household and watching the kids. One of Gerald's patients, Mrs. Fraleigh (Arlene Francis), overhears Beverly talking up a new product she's discovered called 'Happy Soap' - whose manufacturer just happens to be Mrs. Fraleigh's father-in-law, Old Tom Fraleigh (Reginald Owen). She introduces Beverly to him; hugely impressed, the old man offers her $80,000 a year to pitch a new product called "Happy Soap." Beverly's career takes her away from her family responsibilities and causes a series of comedic commotions for Gerald and the kids. He comes home from work one morning and accidentally drives his convertible into a freshly dug swimming pool ordered by Beverly without his knowledge. The furious physician throws a bevy of boxes of Happy Soap into the pool, causing the house to be engulfed in suds by morning (which the kids mistake for snow). The family maid Olivia (Zasu Pitts) is nearly driven crazy with the events and has many harried scenes of comedic frustration. Directed by Norman Jewison, this thouroughly engaging comedy was written by Larry Gelbart and Carl Reiner. Reiner provides the screenplay for the feature which turned out to be the last film appearance of Zasu Pitts. With her passing marked the end of a long and successful career as a comedic and well respected actress that began in 1917. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Doris Day, James Garner, (more)
- 1961
Unlike some of the "twist" movies that hit the theaters in the early '60s when the dance craze flourished, Twist around the Clock has something resembling a plot. Mitch Mason is an out-of-work promoter who sees people doing the "twist" in a regional backwater -- and immediately understands that the dance could be a real hit. His problem lies in getting anyone to believe him, and making money in the process. It turns out that the daughter of the head of a major agency could be his ticket to fame and fortune but he ignores her interest in him, at least for awhile. In the end, this teen-oriented tale is best remembered for two of Dion's hit songs, Runaround Sue and The Wanderer. Other vocals are supplied by Chubby Checker, The Marcels, and Vicki Spencer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- 1959
Lou Costello made his only film appearance without Bud Abbott in 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock. Lou plays a bumbling junk dealer who fancies himself a great inventor. One of his creations transforms his girlfriend Dorothy Provine into a towering giant! The subsequent shenanigans involve Lou, the humongous Ms. Provine, her bombastic uncle Gale Gordon, and the entire US Army. Before Dorothy can be returned to normal size again, Lou's invention transmogrifies into a time machine and rocketship. 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock tries to be a satire of Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, a slapstick comedy, a marital farce, and a sci-fi epic all in one, but it never really jells. Ill with rheumatic fever during shooting, Costello seems more solemn and reserved than usual; still, whenever the material is up to par, he rises to the occasion, offering some choice comic moments in the climactic chase sequence. The special effects are a bit grainy, but convincing within their medium-budget limits. Our favorite bit: the "barking Sputnik", a cute comment on the US-Russian space race. By the time 30-Foot Bride of Candy Rock hit the theaters, Lou Costello was dead, precluding any followups (if, indeed, any were planned). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lou Costello, Dorothy Provine, (more)
- 1951
Evidently Monogram had high hopes for the modestly produced Disc Jockey, else why would the studio release the film through its "prestige" subsidiary Allied Artists? Songstress Ginny Simms stars as Vickie Peters, an unknown selected for stardom by radio deejay Mike Richards (Michael O'Shea). It is Richards' contention that he can create a singing star exclusively through exposure on disc-spinning radio programs, without resorting to that upstart medium called television. Along the way, Mike falls in love with Vickie, though she has eyes only for her manager Johnny (Tom Drake). Guest stars in this pleasant bit of fluff include Russ Morgan, Tommy Dorsey, George Shearing, Nick Lucas, Herb Jeffries, Sarah Vaughan, The Weavers, Foy Willing and the Riders of the Purple Sage, and a veritable legion of real-life disc jockeys. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ginny Simms, Tom Drake, (more)
