Jennifer Lea Movies
- 1968
Cissy (Kathy Garver) is upset because all the boys at school ignore her, except for nerdy Wendell Owen (Charles Herbert). Taking the advice of several professional models who happen to be friends of her Uncle Bill (Brian Keith), Cissy undergoes a complete fashion makeover, whereupon the boys fall over themselves trying to make her acquaintance--but as it turns out, this isn't what Cissy really wants at all. And in a related development, little Buffy (Anissa Jones) is dogged by a goonish 7-year-old admirer of her own! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
The twins (Anissa Jones, Johnnie Whitaker) enter a cereal contest, in hopes of winning an outboard motor. Instead, they receive a consolation prize: a very noisy baby lamb. When the neighbors complain about the lamb's incessant nocturnal bleating, Bill (Brian Keith) is faced with the problem of getting the kids to give up their new pet without breaking their hearts. With this episode, Sebastian Cabot returns to the role of Bill's butler Mr. Giles French--and as a bonus, Cabot's real-life daughter Annette Cabot also appears in a supporting role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
Six year-old Davey Cleaves (Danny Martins) is trapped in a moving van with two killers after witnessing a murder in this low-budget crime drama. Bull (Don O'Kelly) is the brains of the outfit, with the spineless Eddie (Harry Dean Stanton) as his vacillating accomplice. The boy is hiding in the van that contains his family's possessions. When the killers stop to bury the dead man, they discover the boy and try to silence the only witness to the crime. Davey runs to the safety of a nearby farmhouse, but Bull convinces the rural rubes that Davey is his runaway son. The police have been notified by Davey's panicked parents and they begin a race against time to find the wayward kid before the killers can silence him. Eddie considers turning himself over to the law just to end the ordeal. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don O'Kelly, John Carradine, (more)
- 1967
Elly May has finally come of age (after five seasons of The Beverly Hillbillies, it's about time!) and the Clampetts are planning a mountain-style coming-out party for the girl. Fearing the worst, snooty Mrs. Drysdale draws up plans to sabotage the party. Robert Strauss guest-stars as the inappropriately yclept "Society Sandy." The series' 160th episode, "Elly Comes Out" made its original network appearance on February 15, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Accused of murder, Adam Mirakian (Brian Hutton) claims that the crime was actually committed by his twin brother Sam (also Brian Hutton). Insisting that he's being frame, Adam hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to prove his innocence. As it happens, however, the only person who can tell Adam and Sam apart is Adam's wife Beth (Jennifer Lea)--and she may well be pursuing her own agenda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Joel McCrea essays the title role in this moody little western. McCrea is a Union officer wounded in battle, who joins up with a wagon train heading westward. He is ostracized by those passengers who'd fought on the Confederate side, though leading lady Virginia Mayo welcomes his presence. McCrea redeems himself in the eyes of the ex-Confederate homesteaders when he acts as mediator in a range dispute with a land baron (Barry Kelly)--who happens to be McCrea's own half brother. Tall Stranger is based on a novel by the prolific Louis L'Amour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Virginia Mayo, (more)
- 1957
Kim Novak is clearly out of her depth as legendary Broadway actress Jeanne Eagels, but one can't fault her for trying very hard. As this filmed biography gets under way, wide-eyed Eagels finds herself stranded in a tank town by a smooth-talking traveling salesman. Carnival operator Sal Satori hires Eagels as a kootch dancer, but her ambition is to become a serious dramatic actress. When she and Sal reach New York, she signs up for acting lessons under the tutelage of a Mme. Neilson (Agnes Moorehead). Before long, Jeanne is understudying on Broadway, and in 1922 she takes audiences and critics by storm with her unforgettable portrayal of Sadie Thompson in Rain, a role she landed by ruthlessly double-crossing the actress originally slated for the part (Virginia Grey). When her rival commits suicide, the chastened Jeanne turns to booze and drugs to assuage her conscience. The real-life Jeanne Eagels died of narcotics addiction in 1929, a fact that the Hollywood version skims over. Eagels' family sued Columbia Pictures over the "distortions" offered in Jeanne Eagels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Novak, Jeff Chandler, (more)
- 1956
Joel McCrea stars in this leisurely paced Western from Allied Artists (formerly Monogram) originally released in Cinemascope. Having lost his wife in childbirth en route to California, Dr. John Brighton (McCrea) builds a new home for himself and his baby daughter in an Oklahoma backwater town, lodging with kindhearted Mrs. Fitzgerald (Esther Dale). As the town grows up around him, Brighton becomes a well-respected local medico, championing the rights of the area's Indian population when nasty rancher Cass Dobie attempts to buy them out cheap. Unbeknownst to the townspeople, Dobie has discovered oil on the land belonging to Charlie Smith (Michael Pate), whose beautiful daughter, Maria (Gloria Talbott), is working as little Louise Brighton's (Laurie Mitchell) nursemaid. When Charlie is forced to kill Cass' brother, Mel (Douglas Dick), in self-defense, Cass vows revenge. Aided by female rancher Anne Barnes (Barbara Hale), Brighton learns about the discovery of oil and there is a final confrontation on main street. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joel McCrea, Barbara Hale, (more)
