Joi Lansing Movies

Fred Astaire had announced his retirement before the cameras began to roll on Easter Parade, but he decided to accept the film's leading role when its original star Gene Kelly became incapacitated. The thinnish plot, which finds Astaire trying to turn chorus girl Judy Garland into a star in order to show up his former partner Ann Miller, is hardly what keeps the audience's eyes riveted to the screen. All that truly matters are the 17 musical numbers, all written by Irving Berlin (ten were standards, while seven were new to this film). Among the many highlights are Astaire's slow-motion version of "Steppin' Out," the Astaire/Garland duet "We're a Couple of Swells," the opening rendition of "Happy Easter," and the closing performance of the title number. So successful was Easter Parade that plans were immediately drawn to reteam Fred Astaire and Judy Garland in The Barkeleys of Broadway; this time, however, it was Garland who withdrew, to be replaced by Astaire's most famous vis-à-vis, Ginger Rogers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With Maurice Conn as producer and Peter Stewart (aka Sam Newfield) as director, one suspects that 20th Century-Fox's The Counterfeiters was actually produced by one of the minor companies like Film Classics or PRC. Scotland Yard investigator Jeff McAllister (John Sutton) teams with the FBI to track down a gang of clever counterfeiters, headed by Philip Drake (Hugh Beaumont). The plot becomes as thick as London pea soup when McAllister falls in love with Drake's daughter Margo (Doris Merrick). After attempting to protect her father from prosecution, Margo realizes that she's on the wrong side and throws in with McAllister. Lon Chaney Jr. does another variation of "Lennie" from Of Mice and Men as Drake's moronic henchman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ronald Reagan plays a George Petty-type magazine illustrator who creates a "perfect girl" from a composite of the features of several models. While relaxing at the beach, Reagan meets a lovely young schoolteacher (Virginia Mayo) who is the living image of his imaginary girl. Sensing a terrific promotional angle, Reagan ingratiates himself with the girl and attempts to secure her services for a series of cheesecake poses. The film leads to a courtroom conclusion wherein Mayo must strut around in a bathing suit to win her case. Girl from Jones Beach is worth the admission price alone just to hear Ronald Reagan pose as a Czechoslovakian immigrant--complete with accent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Personally supervised by Howard R. Hughes, the RKO Technicolor musical Two Tickets to Broadway stars Janet Leigh as a small-town girl who hopes to make it big in the Big Apple. Moving into a Manhattan boarding house populated by such showbiz hopefuls as Ann Miller, Tony Martin, Gloria De Haven and Barbara Lawrence, Leigh aspires to appear on the popular TV variety program hosted by bandleader Bob Crosby. Two-bit agent Eddie Bracken promises to make her dreams come true, even though he doesn't know Crosby from Adam. Along the way, Leigh falls for Martin, though the course of true love seldom runs smooth--in fact, at one point it threatens to run all the way back to Leigh's home town. Injecting their time-honored routines into the proceedings are veteran vaudevillians Joe Smith and Charlie Dale, playing a couple of stagestruck deli owners (their roles were originally slated for Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, but Laurel's illness precluded any film work). Despite the creative input of choreographer Busby Berkeley, the film's best number is the simplest: Let's Make Comparisons, wherein Bob Crosby explains why he's not his brother Bing. Seemingly a surefire box-office hit, Two Tickets to Broadway inexplicably posted a loss of $1,150,000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the Riviera is a remake of 1941's Weekend in Havana, which in turn was a remake of 1934's Folies Bergere. The plot remains the same in all three incarnations: for business purposes, a nightclub entertainer is coerced into posing as his look-alike, a powerful financier/aviator. This time it's Danny Kaye who essays the dual role of American cabaret comedian Jack Martin and French financial wizard Henri Duran. While impersonating Duran, Martin is forced to make amorous advances towards Duran's neglected wife (Gene Tierney), proving himself the better lover in the process. Meanwhile, Martin must mollify his genuine sweetheart (and nightclub partner) Collette (Corinne Calvet) without revealing his ruse. A little too top-heavy in the plot department, On the Riviera must be regarded as a second-echelon Danny Kaye vehicle, though Sylvia Fine's specialty numbers -- especially the eerily autobiographical "Popo the Puppet" -- are well up to standard. One of the uncredited specialty dancers is future Broadway star Gwen Verdon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hollywood, 1927: the silent-film romantic team of Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) is the toast of Tinseltown. While Lockwood and Lamont personify smoldering passions onscreen, in real life the down-to-earth Lockwood can't stand the egotistical, brainless Lina. He prefers the company of aspiring actress Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), whom he met while escaping his screaming fans. Watching these intrigues from the sidelines is Cosmo Brown (Donald O'Connor), Don's best pal and on-set pianist. Cosmo is promoted to musical director of Monumental Pictures by studio head R.F. Simpson (Millard Mitchell) when the talking-picture revolution commences. That's all right for Cosmo, but how will talkies affect the upcoming Lockwood-Lamont vehicle "The Dueling Cavalier"? Don, an accomplished song-and-dance man, should have no trouble adapting to the microphone. Lina, however, is another matter; put as charitably as possible, she has a voice that sounds like fingernails on a blackboard. The disastrous preview of the team's first talkie has the audience howling with derisive laughter. On the strength of the plot alone, concocted by the matchless writing team of Betty Comden and Adolph Green, Singin' in the Rain is a delight. But with the addition of MGM's catalog of Arthur Freed-Nacio Herb Brown songs -- "You Were Meant for Me," "You Are My Lucky Star," "The Broadway Melody," and of course the title song -- the film becomes one of the greatest Hollywood musicals ever made. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like so many other films that were once considered "lewd" and "scandalous", The French Line seems as harmless as Pollyanna when seen today. Essentially a remake of The Richest Girl in the World, the film stars Jane Russell as Mary Carson, an incredibly wealthy Texas oil heiress. Lucky in investments but unlucky in love, poor Mary can never keep a fiance: either they're fortune-hunters or they don't want to marry anyone so rich and powerful. Thus, while on an ocean voyage to France, Mary poses as the model of dress designer Annie Farrell (Mary McCarthy), hoping to attract a man who is interested in her for herself, and not her millions. That man turns out to be dashing stage star Pierre (Gilbert Roland), but there's many comic complications and misunderstandings before the happy ending. What shocked the censors in 1954 was Jane Russell's sizzling musical number "Lookin' for Trouble", in which she performed an uninhibited bump-and-grind while wearing nothing more than a seven-ounce glorified bikini. While Ms. Russell herself was offended by her skimpy costume, she saw nothing wrong with the dance itself, pointing out that she intended it as a parody of a "burleycue" number. The professional blue-noses disagreed, however: the film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency and denied a Production Code Seal. Eventually, producer Howard Hughes got the Seal--along with a million dollars' worth of free publicity, which is what he intended all along. Filmed in 3D, The French Line is the film that was ballyhooed with the classically tasteless ad campaign "J.R. in 3D--It'll knock both your eyes out!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Intent upon preventing Ricky (Desi Arnaz) and Fred (William Frawley) from judging a bathing beauty contest in Miami Beach, Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Ethel (Vivian Vance) arrange for the foursome to "accidentally" run out of gas while taking a boat cruise. Unfortunately, the backup gas tank planted by Lucy is mislaid, and the two couples (as well as Little Ricky [Richard Keith]) end up on a seemingly deserted island. By a stunning coincidence, this island is also being used by a movie company to film a documentary featuring actor Claude Akins, and two gorgeous swimsuit-clad starlets, Joi Lansing and Jill Jarmyn. Taking Akins into their confidence, Ricky and Fred decide to teach Lucy and Ethel a lesson for marooning them -- and without giving any more of the plot away, it should be noted that Akins is made up as a fierce Native American warrior. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this crime drama, an amiable car salesmen must begin selling stolen vehicles to pay for his sickly baby son's medical expenses. He tries to escape the gangsters who have been strong-arming him. Meanwhile, a policeman is investigating the crooks. When he gets too close, they kill him and frame the car salesman for the death. The salesman and the head mobster have a thrilling, final conflict aboard a speeding roller coaster at an amusement park. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Happy-go-lucky photographer Bob Collins (Bob Cummings) continues to ardently pursue his lovely models -- and for that matter, any other lovely lady who tickles his fancy -- as Love That Bob (originally The Bob Cummings Show) enters its third season. Also still on hand are future Brady Bunch co-star Ann B. Davis as Bob's "gal Friday" Schultzy, who secretly pines for her boss; Rosemary de Camp as Bob's widowed sister Margaret, still hoping that her randy brother will stop playing the field and settle down to marriage; and Dwayne Hickman as Margaret's son and Bob's nephew, Chuck, now an 18-year-old who is even more determined to follow in his Uncle's footsteps as God's Gift to Women (late 1956 model). New to the series is Mary Lawrence as Ruth Helm, the wife of Bob's Air Force Reserve buddy Harvey Helm. Fully aware of Bob's reputation with the opposite sex, jealous Ruth keeps Harvey on a short leash, but she can't censor the gleam in her otherwise 100 percent faithful husband's eye whenever he gets a gander at Bob's harem of lady friends. Also conspicuous by her frequent appearances this season is Nancy Kulp as gangly bird-watcher Pamela Livingston, who'd like to feather Bob's nest someday (this character is virtually a "dress rehearsal" for Kulp's more famous role as Jane Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies, which like Love That Bob, was executive-produced by Paul Henning).
And finally, there are several more appearances this season by Bob's aged but spry grandfather Josh Collins, who is even more of a wolf than his grandson. (Both Bob and Josh are, of course, played by Bob Cummings.) Ol' Josh is in fact the focal point of the season opener, "Grandpa Meets Zsa Zsa" -- and it is surely unnecessary for us to mention who "portrays" Zsa Zsa! Of Season three's 35 episodes, several stand out. "Bob Clashes With His Landlady" is a film buff's dream, offering a romantic pairing of Amazonian character actress Hope Emerson and dialect comedian El Brendel. "Bob Meets Miss Sweden" introduces a new recurring player, real-life Miss Sweden Ingrid Goude." Former child actress Bonita Granville, on the verge of becoming co-producer of the TV series Lassiewith husband Jack Wrather, plays the cousin in "Bob Meets Schultzy's Cousin." And "Chuck at College" was originally intended as the pilot episode for a spin-off series starring Dwayne Hickman; though no such series materialized at the time, Hickman would eventually headline his own sitcom, Dobie Gillis. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Moving from its familiar Thursday night time slot to a Tuesday evening berth, and leaving CBS to return to NBC in the bargain, Love That Bob (originally The Bob Cummings Show) enters its fourth season. Even after all these years, Bob Collins (Bob Cummings), the series' cheerfully lascivious photographer hero, exhibits no signs of fatigue as he continues pursuing the lovely ladies who show up at his photographer's studio -- or even those who don't show up there! Likewise as hale and hearty as ever is Bob's supporting cast: Ann B. Davis as Mr. Collins' "gal Friday" Schultzy, who, though she has a few beaux of her own, still carries a torch for her boss; Rosemary de Camp as Bob's widowed sister Margaret, tireless in her efforts to marry her roguish brother off to a decent, homespun girl; and Dwayne Hickman as Bob's nephew Chuck, now in his second year of college and as determined as ever to prove himself every inch the ladies' man that his Uncle Bob is. Also on hand are such sideline players as Bob's Air Force pal Harvey Helm (King Donovan) and Harvey's benignly domineering spouse Ruth (Mary Lawrence); bandy-legged bird watcher Pamela Livingston (Nancy Kulp), who'd like to get Bob in her sights on a permanent basis; and rascally old "Grandpa" Josh Collins, who fancies himself as much a Lothario as his grandson Bob (and who, like Bob, is played by Bob Cummings).
While many of the Love That Bob episodeshave the "ageless" quality enjoyed by such sitcoms as The Honeymooners and I Love Lucy, a number of the fourth season installments are firmly locked into a 1957-1958 timeframe, notably "Bob Digs Rock 'n' Roll," "Bob Goes to the Moon" and the TV-Western spoof Bob the Gunslinger." And at least one episode is a portent of things to come: "Bob Goes Hillbilly," which anticipates producer Paul Henning's even more successful sitcom venture The Beverly Hillbillies by five years. As a bonus, several '50s vintage guest stars show up this season, among them Alan Ladd, Connie Stevens, Don Knotts, and Rose Marie. The last episode filmed for the season (though not the last one shown) is "Bob Frees Schultzy for Romance," which looks suspiciously like the pilot for a spin-off series starring Ann B. Davis. That the pilot (if it is one) did not sell is evidenced by the opening episode of Love That Bob's next season, "Bob and Schultzy Reunite." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Curvaceous cult actress Joi Lansing appears in this episode as policewoman Helen O'Hara, who upon meeting Superman (George Reeves) evidently exudes such an attraction that the Man of Steel instantly proposes marriage! This of course is all part of a scheme to bring elusive criminal mastermind Mr. X (John Eldredge) out in the open to attempt the kidnapping of "Mrs. Superman"--whereupon the police will slap the cuffs on the villain. Unfortunately, Mr. X not only manages to abduct Helen and bind her to a bundle of sputtering explosives, but he also seals Perry (John Hamilton), Lois (Noel Neill) and Jimmy (Jack Larson) in a leaky diving bell some 250 feet beneath the sea--and though he may be able to bend steel in his bare hands and change the course of mighty rivers, no way can Superman be in two places at once! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Riding into a small town, Bret (James Garner) and Bart (Jack Kelly) are amused when the locals mistake them for the notorious gunfighters Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. But it's a bit less amusing when gorgeous Doll Hayes (Joi Lansing) begins cozying up to the local sheriff (Frank Ferguson) as a diversion so that her cohorts can rob the town bank. To prevent this, the Mavericks decide to exploit their resemblance to Earp and Holliday to the hilt, A cute closing gag tops this final episode of Maverick's first season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide