Rod Lauren Movies

Actor Don Murray wrote, produced, and starred in this drama about an alcoholic former serviceman who falls in with gangsters until he has a spiritual awakening and decides to devote his life to helping others. The supporting cast includes Linda Evans, Logan Ramsey, and Angelique Pettyjohn. Also shown under the titles Childish Things, Tale of the Cock, and Cockadoodle-Do. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Familiar character actor Jan Merlin plays Erich, the sole survivor of a German squadron that has been wiped out by Saunders (Vic Morrow) and his men. Vowing retribution, the wounded Erich goes into hiding, grabs his weapon, and begins picking off Saunders' squad one by one, saving the sergeant for last. Ultimately only Saunders and Littlejohn (Dick Peabody) remain standing--and it doesn't look like they're going to live through the ordeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This is the first of numerous westerns produced by A.C. Lyles which became famous not for their stories but for who played in them--all the stars being veterans not often seen on the screen anymore. As far as plot line, essentially we have a badguy who has become a good guy (read that ex gunfighter turned judge) and meets his past in his own court room. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

Allied Artists' Gun Hawk puts Rory Calhoun through his usual paces as an aging gunman. Calhoun has pretty much retired from shoot outs, and now runs a small town populated by outlaws. He befriends hotheaded fast gun Rod Lauren, who behaves as impulsively as Calhoun had in his earlier days. When the outlaws turn on Calhoun and shoot him down, the mortally wounded gunslinger tries to goad Lauren into a fight so that he can die with a modicum of dignity. Producer Richard Bernstein co-wrote the screenplay of Gun Hawk from his own story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This tuneful romp offers about an hour of good, trashy low-budget fun as it tells the tale of wealthy teens' struggles to keep their favorite hot spot intact after they learn that a real estate dragon-lady has set her avaricious eye upon it with the hopes of building a new high-rise there. Much of the tale centers on the land magnate, Roberta Crawford, and her vivacious teen-age niece, Vicki, who visits the club with her blue-blooded, arrogant beau Roger Kelly. Vicki is in the dark concerning her aunt's machinations until she hears the club's handsome star singer Mel Hudson talking about how he is trying hard to resist Roberta's onslaught of pressure to sell. Vicki falls for Mel right away and immediately decides to help him. Trouble ensues when the club mysteriously burns down and Roberta Crawford is accused of arson. Fortunately, the truth is revealed, someone has a change of heart, and amidst much celebration, a romance blooms. Songs include: "Come to the Party," "Mad, Mad, Mad," "Come A-Runnin'," "Watusi Surfer," "Greenback Dollar," "I Can't Get You out of My Heart," and "You Pass Me By." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Elderly Mr. Marino (Eduardo Ciannelli) begs famous attorney Vernon Wedge (Brian Keith) to clear Marino's son Benjy (Rod Lauren) of a murder charge. This proves difficult in that the police have an airtight case against Benjy. But Wedge proceeds with his defense, demanding that a special forensic test be made of the murder weapon -- in full view of the jury. (Trivia note: in the original script, the accused murderer's last name was Bleeker, but this was changed when celebrated Italian-born character actor Eduardo Ciannelli was cast as the boy's father.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide