Edith King Movies

The prestigious CBS dramatic anthology The U.S. Steel Hour digressed from its usual format to present this lively musical adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic comedy of manners, The Importance of Being Earnest. The story, about two love struck young men who both pretend to bear the name of Earnest to please their respective sweethearts, remains substantially the same. However, the emphasis is shifted away from nominal leading man John Worthing (David Atkinson) and his aristocratic fiancée, Gwendolen Fairfax (Louise Troy), so that the characters of scampish Algernon Moncrieff and impressionable ingénue Cecily Cardew become the major roles. Edward Mulhare (who was at the time occasionally spelling Rex Harrison as star of the Broadway smash My Fair Lady) is seen as Algernon, with Dorothy Collins, an American vocalist best known for her work on Your Hit Parade, top-billed as Cecily. Also in the cast is Martyn Green, who in 1957 was the foremost interpreter of the works of Gilbert & Sullivan, in the somewhat expanded role of Rev. Chasuble. The original songs, by Lee Pockriss and Ann Crosswell, include "Mr. Bunbury," "Perfection,," "My Eternal Devotion," "A Wicked Man," "Metaphorically Speaking," "Lost," and "My Very First Impression." "Who's Earnest?" was originally broadcast live from New York. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the final episode of Dragnet's fifth TV season, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate a series of burglaries, all of which have occurred at local auto-rental agencies over a period of seven weeks. Chasing after one of the suspects, a police officer is seriously wounded, but is able to identify his assailant. When Friday and Smith catch up with the alleged perpetrator, the man insists that he was watching television at the time of the shooting--and "proves" it by naming the TV show he was viewing. Cliff Arquette, who had played character roles in several earlier Dragnet radio and TV episodes, here shows up in his familiar comic guise as witty hayseed Charley Weaver (and receives special billing for his efforts). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Columbia kept insisting upon placing its hottest new star Larry Parks in swashbucklers, and though Parks wasn't really suited to the genre, he always strived to please. Set in 17th-century France, the film stars Parks as Lt. David Picard, a peace-loving officer who is nevertheless handy with his sword when the need arises. Hoping to crush the burgeoning pacifistic movement in France, warmongering Marshall Mordore (Victor Jory) plots to abduct popular "people's general" Cadeau (George Macready, in a rare sympathetic role). Picard, Cadeau's adjutant, spends the balance of the film trying to shield the general from harm -- and to romantically pursue beautiful spy Nanton de Lartigues (Marguerite Chapman). The antiwar philosophies of The Gallant Blade would return to haunt Larry Parks when he was called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Alan Ladd stars in Calcutta as devil-may-care pilot Neale Gordon. With his equally fearless partners Pedro Blake (William Bendix) and Bill Cunningham (John Whitney), Gordon handles the air-freight route between Calcutta and Chungking. When Cunningham meets his death at the hands of jewel smugglers, Gordon vows to play judge and jury and bring the criminals to justice himself. Among the suspects are the film's two gorgeous leading ladies, sweetie-pie Virginia Moore (Gail Russell) and sultry nightclub singer Merina Tanev (June Duprez). Once Gordon figures out who his real friends are, he relies on his fists to mete out retribution, resulting in one sequence that's guaranteed to raise the hackles of every feminist in the crowd. Even with a short running time of 73 minutes, Calcutta secured top-of-the-bill bookings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide