Terry Kilburn Movies

"How did they make a movie out of Lolita?" teased the print ads of this Stanley Kubrick production. The answer: by adding three years to the title character's age. The original Vladimir Nabokov novel caused no end of scandal by detailing the romance between a middle-aged intellectual and a 12-year-old nymphet. The affair is "cleansed" ever so slightly in the film by making Lolita a 15-year-old (portrayed by 16-year-old Sue Lyon). In adapting his novel to film, Nabokov downplayed the wicked satire and sensuality of the material, concentrating instead on the story's farcical aspects. James Mason plays professor Humbert Humbert, who while waiting to begin a teaching post in the United States rents a room from blowzy Shelley Winters. Winters immediately falls for the worldly Humbert, but he only has eyes for his landlady's nubile daughter Lolita. The professor goes so far as to marry Winters so that he can remain near to the object of his ardor. Turning up like a bad penny at every opportunity is smarmy TV writer Quilty (Peter Sellers), who seems inordinately interested in Humbert's behavior. When Winters happens to read Humbert's diary, she is so revolted by his lustful thoughts that she runs blindly into the street, where she is struck and killed by a car. Without telling Lolita that her mother is dead, Humbert packs her into the car and goes on a cross-country trip, dogged every inch of the way by a mysterious pursuer. Once she gets over the shock of her mother's death, Lolita is agreeable to inaugurating an affair with her stepfather (this is handled very, very discreetly, despite the slavering critical assessments of 1962). But when the girl begins discovering boys her own age, she drifts away from Humbert. One day, she leaves without warning. This is humiliation enough for Humbert; but when he discovers who her secret lover really is, the results are fatal. We are prepared for the ending because the film has been framed as a flashback; what we are not prepared for is Stanley Kubrick's adroit manipulation of our sympathies and expectations. An incredibly long film considering its subject matter, Lolita is never dull, nor does it ever stoop to the sensationalism prevalent in the film's ad campaign. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Producer Sam Katzman once more rummages through stock footage from the 1953 Columbia costumer Salome and comes up with another "instant epic." Slaves of Babylon stars Richard Conte as Nahum, the muscular young representative of Hebrew leader Daniel (Maurice Schwartz). On behalf of his master, Nahum pulls strings so that Cyrus the Persian (Terence Kilburn) can reclaim Babylon from usurpers Balthasar (Michael Ansara) and Nebuchadnezzar (Leslie E. Bradley). Several Biblical incidents are thrown into the stew, with the added ingredient of a romance between Nahum and one "Princess Panthea" (Linda Christian). For another viewpoint of the historical events offered herein, the reader is referred to D. W. Griffith's Intolerance (1916). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rhys Williams is afforded the leading role in Columbia's Tyrant of the Sea. The film borrows a few pages from Jack London's The Sea Wolf by depicting Captain William Blake (Williams) as a power-hungry despot, who runs his ship like a private fiefdom. In contrast, Blake is a perfect gentleman on shore, especially when dealing with his pretty daughter Betsy (Valentine Perkins) and her various beaux. The story comes to a rousing climax during a pitched sea battle between English and French vessels, with Captain Blake not only contending with the enemy, but with a mutinous crew. Some of the action highlights have been culled from Columbia's stock-footage library, which did yeoman service for producer Sam Katzman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this revised adaptation of Oscar Wilde's famous comedy of manners, Lady Windermere's Fan, the middle-aged but still beautiful Mrs. Erlynne (Madeleine Carroll), well-known for her romantic adventures, has cast her eye upon Lord Windermere (Richard Greene), who is married to Lady Windermere (Jeanne Crain), a woman young and beautiful but socially conservative and harsh in her judgements of others. Lord Windermere is just as interested in Mrs. Erlynne as she is in him, and soon he's giving her money to live in the lavish manner to which she's accustomed. When Lady Windermere discovers this, she takes up with handsome rogue Lord Darlington (George Sanders), who makes no secret of his interest in her. When Mrs. Erlynne hears of Lady Windermere's indiscretion, she urges the younger woman not to make the tragic mistakes she has made and reveals a long-hidden secret: she is actually Lady Windermere's mother. The legendary Dorothy Parker co-wrote the screenplay for The Fan, which proved to be the last film for co-star Madeleine Carroll. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this episode of the Bulldog Drummond series, the amateur detective looks into the case of a murdered sea captain who was killed by his greedy heirs. They want to find the casket of gold he hid. Drummond must find the treasure. The clue is sewn into the sail of a model ship. Soon he finds the gold and brings the killers to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back was the second and last entry in Columbia's abortive attempt to revive the "Bulldog Drummond" B-series of the 1930s. As in Bulldog Drummond at Bay, Ron Randell stars as the dashing adventurer. The plot this time is the old saw about a phony heiress laying claim to a vast estate. Yes, that's Gloria Henry, future Dennis the Menace mom, as the heroine. This 1947 quickie is not a remake of the far superior 1934 Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back, which starred Ronald Colman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Black Beauty, Anna Sewell's classic tale of a beautiful horse is adapted in a disappointingly flat fashion by independent producer Edward L. Alperson. Unlike the novel, which is told from the horse's point of view, the film concentrates on the animal's first owner, a young English girl (Mona Freeman). Raising the horse into a prize-winner called "Black Beauty," the motherless girl is thrown into a panic when Beauty disappears. She locates the horse in a barn that is about to catch fire; knocked unconscious, the girl is saved by the valiant Beauty. The film's script utilizes only one of the many episodes in Sewell's 1879 novel, and not the most fascinating one at that. Had Black Beauty been produced by 20th Century-Fox instead of merely being released by the studio, the film might have had the saving grace of Technicolor photography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the novel by A.J. Cronin, The Keys of the Kingdom was the first big-budget effort of movie-newcomer Gregory Peck. This is the 137-minute chronicle of a Scottish priest (Peck), who is assigned a mission in China. Never very focused in his life or work, the priest finds plenty to keep his mind occupied in his new post; when he isn't coping with the starvation and poverty plaguing his flock, he must contend with China's bloody civil war. Nonetheless, he perseveres, and finds it difficult as an elderly man to retire. He returns to Scotland, where he finds a new purpose in life; that of ministering to youngsters who, like him, have trouble determining their place in the world. Keys of the Kingdom was one of the last 20th-Century-Fox films produced by Joseph L. Mankiewicz before his career-shift to directing; Rose Stradner, Mankiewicz' then-wife, has an important role in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

MGM's A Yank at Eton follows the same basic formula as the 1938 Robert Taylor starrer A Yank at Oxford, with a wartime angle thrown in. This time it's Mickey Rooney as the cocky young American who is shipped off to England to complete his education. Upon his arrival in the hallowed halls of Eton, Timothy Daniels (Rooney), bereft of common courtesy or a sense of tradition, wastes no time alienating the rest of the students. Eventually of course, Timothy knocks the chip off his own shoulder and becomes a model student and top athlete. Freddie Bartholomew, Rooney's costar in so many MGM classics of the 1940s, plays Timothy's upper-classman half-brother Peter Carlton, who applies a little "tough love" to bring our headstrong hero into line; also seen as the school bully is new MGM contractee Peter Lawford, who in 1938 had made his American film debut in the Rooney-Bartholomew starrer Lord Jeff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Johan David Wyss' novel Swiss Family Robinson had been in print for nearly fifty years before the first film version was made by RKO in 1940. Thomas Mitchell is top-billed as the patriarch of the Robinson family, who, as in the book, are shipwrecked on a tropical island and compelled to bring the edicts and values of civilization to their tiny patch of the world. To give the story a bit of topicality, screenwriters Walter Ferris, Gene Towne and Graham Baker contrive to depict the Robinsons as refugees from a foreign war (Napoleonic rather than Hitler-inspired). Produced independently by The Play's the Thing Productions and released by RKO, Swiss Family Robinson was completely withdrawn from circulation on the occasion of the 1960 Disney remake. Side note: The 1940 version represented the feature film debut of Orson Welles, who functioned as offscreen narrator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This musical drama follows a young ghetto kid who dreams of being a classical musician like his idol Jascha Heifetz. He first hears the renowned violinist after finding a ticket to Carnegie Hall on the sidewalk one day. The young man is so inspired by what he hears that he enrolls in Professor Lawson's inner-city music school. Unfortunately, the school teeters on the brink of bankruptcy. Fortunately the determined young boy convinces his street buddies to help him plead with Heifetz to help them save the school by doing a benefit concert. The master violinist agrees and saves the day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Goodbye, Mr. Chips, based on James Hilton's novel, is a melodrama about a shy British teacher named Mr. Chipping (Robert Donat) who devotes his life to teaching "his boys" after the death of his lovely, energetic American wife Katherine (Greer Garson). Told via flashbacks, the film features an aged Mr. Chipping looking back nostalgically at his long career, taking note of the people who've touched his life over the years. Donat was the recipient of a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the title character, and the film features the debut performance of a young Garson. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

For a generation of radio fans, Lionel Barrymore was the definitive Ebeneezer Scrooge. Alas, Barrymore was crippled by arthritis by the time MGM got around to filming Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol in 1938, so the Scrooge role went to contract player Reginald Owen - who, though hardly in the Barrymore league, does a splendid job. Hugo Butler's screenplay must make some adjustments from the source material. The Ghost of Christmas Past, for example, is played not by a robust middle-aged man but by a beautiful young woman (Ann Rutherford). Impeccably cast, the film includes such reliable character players as Leo G. Carroll (Marley's Ghost), Barry McKay (Scrooge's nephew Fred) and Gene and Kathleen Lockhart (Bob and Mrs. Cratchit). The Lockhart's teenaged daughter June makes her screen debut as one of the Cratchit children, while Terry Kilburn is a fine, non-sentimental Tiny Tim. Commenably short for a major production (69 minutes), MGM's Christmas Carol is one of the best adaptations of the oft-filmed Dickens Yuletide classic, and definitely on equal footing with the more famous 1951 Alastair Sim version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide