Cathy Merchant Movies

Overworked private nurse Stella Crosson (Dana Wynter) is relieved when a new assistant shows up to help her care for wealthy invalid Glendon Baker (John Kerr). Stella's happiness is, however, somewhat mitigated when she hears that a serial killer of nurses has struck in the neighborhood. Things get worse when the power goes out in Baker's house and the rest of the staff is nowhere to be found -- and it appears that someone has already attacked Stella's assistant. This episode originally aired amidst a flurry of publicity wherein the producers allegedly posted a guard on duty at the studio during filming, and the script was delivered to the actors with the last three pages missing, so that no one could reveal the shocking finale (although a casual perusal of the cast list gives the game away for showbiz-trivia buffs). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Haunted Palace is a witches' brew of stories written by Edgar Allan Poe and H. P. Lovecraft--with the fine hand of sinister scenarist Charles Beaumont stirring the pot. Vincent Price plays two roles this time: A New England doctor burned as a sorcerer in 1745, and the dead man's great-grandson of 1855. Arriving in the village where his grandfather was killed, Price and his bride Debra Paget are shunned by the community. They are told that the mutant progeny of the "sorcerer"'s evil experiments are still roaming the countryside--with hulking manservant Lon Chaney Jr. a good example of these monstrosities. The longer he stays in the family mansion, the more Price is taken over by the spirit of his ancestor. The result: The possessed Price, together with Chaney and a warlock assistant, set about to create a mutant race to overtake the world. Concluding with the near-sacrifice of bride Debra Paget and the torching of the mansion, The Haunted Palace is a marvelous--and economically produced--exercise in Grand Guignol. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Middle-aged shopkeeper George Davies (Dean Jagger) is responsive to the flirtations of local "fast girl" Lola (Cathy Merchant) -- but when Lola mocks him, he strikes her down and accidentally kills the girl. Later on, Lola's boyfriend, J.J. Fenton (Will Hutchins), is arrested for the murder...and George is chosen to serve on the jury. At first pondering the possibility of allowing Fenton to be accused of the crime that he himself committed, George instead devises a method to get the boy off without incriminating himself. In the end, however, both George and J.J. suffer mightily for their association with the unfortunate Lola. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When people refer to Doris Day as "the world's oldest professional virgin," they generally have the 1962 comedy That Touch of Mink in mind. It isn't that Cathy Timberlake (Day) is above a bit of hanky-panky; it's just that she wants such tangibles as a marriage license and wedding ring first. Thus, when playboy businessman Philip Shayne (Cary Grant) begins actively pursuing Cathy (they "met cute" when Philip's limo splashed mud on the hapless Cathy), she won't say "I will" until he says "I do." She is of the idealistic opinion that she can bring out the best intentions in him, even when he repeatedly tips off his worst intentions by inviting her to accompany him to Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Bermuda. After not a few complications and misunderstands, Cathy finally finagles a proposal out of Philip. The film is essentially much ado about nothing, but it is so well-acted and attractively photographed that the audiences are willing to go along for the ride. The high-powered supporting cast includes Gig Young as Roger, Philip's moralistic financial advisor; Audrey Meadows as Connie, Cathy's wise-cracking roommate; Alan Hewitt as Dr. Gruber, a confused psychiatrist; John Astin as Beasley, Cathy's slimy would-be beau; Dick Sargent as a neurotic honeymooner; and an unbilled Richard Deacon as an all-around letch. Best scene: the baseball-dugout rhubarb involving New York Yankees Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Yogi Berra. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi