Joi Lansing Movies

Although the main character, Tony Manetta (Frank Sinatra), in this light comedy tends to tip the scales towards being unbelievably unrealistic, the story is pulled off because everyone else is convincing. Tony is a widower in need of a financial bailout for himself and his son, so he asks for help from his brother Mario (Edward G. Robinson), a wealthy New Yorker. Tony owns a small hotel in Miami Beach but his impractical ways have made it a losing proposition. After Mario and his wife (Thelma Ritter) arrive in Miami, thinking of taking custody of Tony's son, they suddenly decide to try to match Tony up with the widowed Mrs. Rogers -- maybe that will teach him some responsibility. This was one of the last movies directed by Frank Capra. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

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

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

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

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

Still on NBC after moving from CBS a year earlier, Love That Bob (originally The Bob Cummings Show) enters its fifth and final season in first-run prime time. Bob Cummings returns in his signature role as professional photographer and self-styled ladies' man Bob Collins, with Ann B. Davis as Bob's faithful assistant Schultzy, Rosemary de Camp as Bob's widowed sister Margaret, and Dwayne Hickman as Margaret's son Chuck, now a college sophomore. With the series' ratings in a slump, Love That Bob producer Paul Henning tries to freshen up the proceedings with a gimmick or two. First off, there are more guest stars this season than ever before, including Steve Allen, George Burns, Art Linkletter, Peter Lawford, Anna Maria Alberghetti, and, most memorably, Mamie van Doren, here hiding her considerable assets under a frizzy wig, an outsized pair of glasses, and a dumpy outfit. (It is explained that van Doren is "preparing" for a movie character role!) Secondly, a belated effort is made to "domesticate" the rakish Bob Collins by introducing child actress Tammy Marihugh in the role of six-year-old Tammi Johnson. Attracted to Tammi's widowed mother, Bob suddenly (and uncharacteristically) finds himself working overtime to win the little tyke's affection and respect, at one point hiring actor George Montgomery, then starring on the TV Western Cimarron City, to teach him how to be a "real cowboy"! Though Love That Bob would conclude its nighttime run at the end of its fifth season, the series' episodes were rebroadcast on ABC's daytime schedule from 1959 through 1961. ~ 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

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

This is the first of several episodes in which an ailing Bea Benaderet does not appear (it is explained that her character, Kate Bradley, is "out of town"). Taking his wife Betty Jo's advice to do a bit of "apple polishing" to attract cropdusting business, Steve begins wht Millicent Marshall, attractive daughter of a prospective client--and before long, Betty wishes that she could eat her words! Millicent and Mrs. Marshall are played respectively by Joi Lansing and Frank Wilcox, who has previously appeared as "Mrs. Flatt" and "Mr. Brewster" on Petticoat Junction's parent series The Beverly Hillbillies. ~ 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

So baseball pictures never make money, eh? Try telling that to MGM, which raked in a box office gross of $4 million on their 1949 baseball musical Take Me Out to the Ball Game. Set in 1906, the film concerns the adventures and misadventures of The Wolves, a champion ball club. The team's success is contingent upon the double-play combination of "O'Brien to Ryan to Goldberg." But while Goldberg (Jules Munshin) lives to play baseball, O'Brien (Gene Kelly) and Ryan (Frank Sinatra) would rather pursue their off-season vaudeville career. Both erstwhile song-and-dance men decide to stick around on the baseball diamond when they mutually fall in love with the Wolves' new owner, the lovely K.C. Higgins (Esther Williams). Though O'Brien wins K.C. for himself, Ryan is compensated with the aggressively affectionate Shirley Delwyn (Betty Garrett). Gambler Joe Lorgan (Edward Arnold), who has bet heavily against the Wolves in an upcoming Big Game, woos O'Brien away from the team with promises of a big role in an upcoming musical comedy. Having let down K.C. and the rest of the team, O'Brien vows to redeem himself by playing in the crucial game. Lorgan gets wind of this, and orders his henchmen to do away with O'Brien. Hoping to shield his buddy from harm, Ryan beans O'Brien with a pitched ball, thereby incapacitating the prodigal player. The crooks are vanquished, and K.C. forgives O'Brien. But upon learning that Ryan had knocked him out, O'Brien charges onto the diamond, thirsting for revenge. Believe it or not, this action results in no fewer than two winning home runs! We offer you this detailed synopsis because it's likely that you'll be too entertained by the film's musical numbers to pay any attention to the story. Outside of the title number and Gene Kelly's solo "The Hat My Father Wore on St. Patrick's Day," the picture's best songs are contributed by Betty Comden, Adolf Green and Roger Edens. Take Me Out to the Ball Game is so delightful as it stands that one can only wonder what the film would have looked like had MGM's first choice Kathryn Grayson--or the studio's second choice, Judy Garland--played the Esther Williams role (In a similar vein, the Frank Sinatra character was originally to have been played by real-life Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher!) ~ 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

Country and western stars Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs, who performed the theme music for The Beverly Hillbillies, make return guest appearances in this episode. Concerned that their old friend Jed Clampett is still unmarried, Lester and Earl ask Jane Hathaway to help find Jed a wife. The singers also take the opportunity to perform the title song from the upcoming feature film Mail Order Bride, which starred Buddy Ebsen (who also penned the song!) "A Bride for Jed" was originally telecast on March 4, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide