Madge Meredith Movies
- 1957
In this western, a cavalryman disobeys his officer's command to massacre Indians at Sand Creek, goes AWOL and heads for his home in Texas where he wants to protect the women who will soon bear the brunt of the Indians' revenge. Because he defected from the cavalry, his friends and neighbors consider him a traitor, but the young man disregards them. With his expert advice, the women become crack shots. He trains them at an abandoned mission. One of the women is a real smart aleck and it is she whom he falls in love with. When the angry Indians arrive, the ladies defeat them. Later, the young deserter is found not-guilty during court-martial proceedings. His C.O. is not so lucky and is charged with the Sand Creek slaughter. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Kathryn Grant, (more)
The highly variable Audie Murphy delivers his best screen performance as "himself" in Universal's To Hell and Back. Based on the star's autobiography, this is the story of how Murphy became America's most-decorated soldier during WW II. After dwelling a bit on Murphy's hard-scrabble Texas upbringing, the story moves ahead to 1942, when, at 18, Audie joined the army. Within a year, he was a member of the 7th Army, serving in North Africa, Italy, France and ultimately Germany and Austria. One by one, the members of Murphy's Company B are killed in the war, until only three men from the original company are left (the others appear at the finale as ghostly images, a standard visual cliché of 1950s war films). The bulk of the film is given over to Murphy's conspicuous acts of combat bravery, and his killing of 240 enemy soldiers. Highlighted by excellent battle sequences, To Hell and Back is a serviceable tribute to a most complex individual. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Marshall Thompson, (more)
- 1953
Audie Murphy plays wagon train scout Jim Harvey in Universal-International's Tumbleweed. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, Harvey is wrongly accused of saving himself while allowing the people under his protection to be slaughtered by Indians. With the help of sheriff Murchoree (Chill Wills) and his Native American friend Tigre (Ernesto Iglesias), Harvey breaks out of jail to prove his innocence. Figuring largely in the proceedings are horse-rancher Nick Buckley (Roy Roberts) and his wife Louella Buckley (K.T. Stevens), who provide Harvey with a "loser" horse that turns out to be a winner when the hero needs it most. The revelation of the film's true villain should be amusing for fans of TV's Gilligan's Island. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Lori Nelson, (more)
- 1947
Quick-draw legend Bat Masterson is summoned to Kansas to end a small-town feud between local farmers and criminal ranch owners in this western starring Randolph Scott. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Robert Ryan, (more)
- 1946
When a scientist discovers a way to create synthetic diamonds, a group of criminals kidnap his daughter Meredith (Louisa Braganza) in an attempt to ransom her for the valuable formula. Rescuing Meredith from her kidnappers, the Falcon (Tom Conway) becomes the prime suspect in a string of murders--including that of the scientist. It is then up to the Falcon to prove his innocence by discovering the identity of the true criminals. This film is the last of the Falcon series to star Conway. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Barrett, Steve Brodie, (more)
- 1946
A remake of 1934's Wednesday's Child (itself based on a play by Leopold L. Atlas) RKO's Child of Divorce stars 11-year-old Sharyn Moffett in the title role. When her parents (Regis Toomey and Madge Meredith) break up, Sharyn finds herself in the middle of a bitter custody battle. It soom becomes obvious that her mother and father really aren't all that interested in her welfare, but are merely using her as a pawn for their own selfishness. Unlike most other Hollywood divorce dramas, this one ends on a downbeat note, which undoubtedly adversely affected its box-office appeal. Made on a shoestring, Child of Divorce was probably not intended to be a hit, but instead a "prestige" picture for the studio. The production represented the feature-film directorial debut of Richard O. Fleischer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sharyn Moffett, Regis Toomey, (more)
