Louise Beavers Movies

In the third episode of Walt Disney's eight-part miniseries The Swamp Fox, Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion (Leslie Nielsen) must pretend to despise his sweetheart, Mary Videaux (Barbara Eiler), lest anyone suspects Mary is one of Francis' most valuable allies against the Redcoats. Despite this charade, Redcoat leader Col. Tarleton (John Sutton) smells a rat. Meanwhile, Marion's nephew, Gabe (Tim Considine), hopes to impress his girlfriend, Melanie (Sherry Jackson), and dons his new Continental Army uniform and rides off to visit her -- whereupon he is captured by British officer Col. Townes (Henry Daniell). "Tory Vengeance" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robert Wagner plays Chad Bixby, a role reportedly inspired by the life of jazz trumpeter Chet Baker in this romantic drama about two young couples linked by the out-of-wedlock baby spawned by Bixby and Salome Davis (Natalie Wood) before their current marriages. Pearl Bailey appears as a famous blues singer who dies of a broken heart after being jilted by her horn player, and George Hamilton is featured as Wood's current husband. A well-mounted production and potentially interesting idea -- that lives can be irrevoccably changed in one night -- are let down by a soapy and muddled screenplay. The film was suggested by Rosamond Marshall's novel The Bixby Girls. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

One of producer Walt Disney's more blatant efforts to duplicate the success of his early TV miniseries Davy Crockett, the eight-part Swamp Fox featured another flamboyant frontiersman hero who wore coonskin-style headgear and whose adventures were introduced with a catchy, memorable theme song. Based on a book by Dr. Robert D. Bass, The Swamp Fox stars Leslie Nielsen as real-life American patriot Francis Marion, a wealthy landowner who during the Revolutionary War led a hardy band of guerilla fighters against the Redcoats and pro-British tories in his native South Carolina. The villain of the piece (at least in the first few episodes) was another actual historical figure, the ruthless Banastre Tarleton (John Sutton), an officer in the British Green Dragoons (Marion and Tarleton later served as the models for the hero and villain, respectively, of the 1999 Mel Gibson film Patriot). In the first episode, Marion is prevailed upon by his friends and neighbors to help free South Carolina from the grip of British rule. His task is made difficult by the fact that his sweetheart, Mary Videaux (Joy Page), is from a pro-Tory family. "The Birth of the Swamp Fox" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Screenplay writer Paddy Chayefsky, and indeed everyone involved with the film, insisted that The Goddess wasn't really all about Marilyn Monroe. Nawww. Kim Stanley plays a neglected young woman living in poverty who aspires to be a movie star. She gets a few roles here and there on looks alone. She marries a washed-up athlete (Lloyd Bridges) who becomes fiercely jealous of her sex appeal. She sleeps her way to the top, then finds that her success is hollow. Regarded in many circles as the pinnacle of dramatic art in 1958, The Goddess is more likely to invoke howls of laughter from today's in-the-know audiences. The most famous bit: Patty Duke, playing Kim Stanley as a child, telling her pet cat that she got promoted in school. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This live Playhouse 90 episode dramatizes the life of celebrated Washington party-giver Perle Mesta, who had earlier served as the inspiration for the 1950 Irving Berlin Broadway musical Call Me Madam. The wife of prominent steel manufacturer and political adviser George Mesta (Robert Lowery, Perle (played as an adult by Shirley Booth) rises to prominence in the WW2 years by throwing lavish parties in which people who otherwise wouldn't have given one another the time of day were gently forced to commisserate like ladies and gentlemen. In recognition of her social achievements, Perle is ultimately appointed Minister to Luxembourg by President Harry Truman. Prominent in the supporting cast is gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, in rare dramatic role as Maizie Weldon. The real Perle Mesta makes an appearance in the closing segment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Teenage Rebel was the misleadingly lurid title bestowed upon this film version of Edith R. Sommer's Broadway play A Roomful of Roses. Ginger Rogers heads the cast as Nancy Fallon, a divorcee who has trouble communicating with 15-year-old daughter Dodie (Betty Lou Keim). Left in the custody of her father, Dodie feels as though her mother has deserted her. The situation doesn't improve very much when Nancy marries Jay (Michael Rennie), providing her daughter with another excuse for resentment and petulance. The responsibility for resolving this dilemma is laid at the feet of Jay's young son Larry (Rusty Swope). Teenage Rebel represents the film debut of Warren Berlinger, superbly repeating his stage role as one of Keim's school chums. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Self-centered Washington socialite Rosalind Russell joins the WACS in order to be near her boyfriend William Ching, a GI stationed in Paris. Russell is certain that her DC connections will enable her to get out of the service as easily as she got in. Unfortunately for her, Russell's ex-husband Paul Douglas decides to teach her a lesson by pulling a few strings himself. Several of the army-camp scenes are stolen by Marie Wilson as an amply proportioned chorus girl, who's joined the WACS to escape stage-door johnnies. Filmed in part on location at the Women's Army Corps training center at Fort Lee, Virginia, Never Wave at a WAC was produced by Rosalind Russell's husband, Frederick Brisson. The film was released in England as The Private Wore Skirts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The life of Stephen Foster, one of America's greatest and best-loved songwriters of the 19th century, sets the stage for this musical biography. Foster (Bill Shirley) is a shy bookkeeper who writes songs in his spare time. He is madly in love with Inez McDowell (Muriel Lawrence), but she isn't interested in him, and she eventually gives him the brush-off. However, Inez's sister Jeanie (Eileen Christy) carries a torch for Foster, and in time, he finds happiness with her. Jeanie's inspiration leads Foster to write some of his best known songs, which brings him success in the music business and allows him to leave bookkeeping behind. Along with the title tune, the soundtrack features such Foster classics as "My Old Kentucky Home", "Swanee River", "Camptown Races", "Oh! Susannah", "The Old Folks at Home", "A Ribbon in Your Hair", and "I Still See Her in My Dreams". ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this musical comedy with dramatic touches, Jack and Molly Moran (Dan Dailey and Betty Grable) are a show business couple who, after hosting their own radio show, have just been given a deal to star in a TV series. They're also thrilled to discover that Molly is expecting a baby, but their joy turns to sorrow after she loses the child in an auto accident, and her doctors tell her that she may not be able to conceive again. When they see how happy their friends Walter and Janet Pringle (David Wayne and Jane Wyatt) are with their five children, the Morans decide to adopt, but they discover that show people are not generally regarded as fit parents, regardless of their success or stability. However, good fortune eventually shines on Jack and Molly, as they find themselves with not one but two adopted tykes, and a big surprise around the corner. My Blue Heaven marked the film debut of musical star Mitzi Gaynor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Despite its lack of production values and box-office "names," The Jackie Robinson Story is one of the best and most convincing baseball biopics ever filmed. Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman Jackie Robinson plays himself, and quite well indeed. The film traces Robinson's career from his college days, when he excelled as a track star at Pasadena College and as UCLA's All-Sports record holder. Upon his graduation, Robinson tries to get a coaching job, but this is the 1940s, and most doors are closed to black athletes. After serving in the army, Robinson plays with the Negro Baseball League, where his uncanny skills attract the attention of Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Anxious to break down the "color line" that exists in major-league baseball, Robinson is chosen in 1946 to play for the Brooklyn farm team in Montreal. In a harrowing sequence, Rickey lets Robinson know what he's in for by bombarding him with insults and racial slurs. The manager is merely testing Robinson's ability to withstand the pressure: he wants a black ballplayer "with guts enough not to fight back." Robinson agrees to ignore all racial epithets for the first two years of his Brooklyn contract. Despite the unabashed hatred to which he is subjected during his year with Montreal, Robinson steadfastly continues to turn the other cheek, and in 1947 he graduates to the Dodgers lineup. After a slow start, Robinson justifies the faith put in him by Rickey. The Dodgers win the pennant race, and slowly but surely the ban on black players vanishes in the Big Leagues. Though a model of restraint by 1990s standards, The Jackie Robinson Story is surprisingly frank in its detailing of the racial tensions of its own era. It falters only in a couple of silly vignettes involving comic-relief ballplayer Ben Lessey. The cast is uniformly fine, including Louise Beavers as Robinson's mother, Ruby Dee as his wife Rae (Dee would later play Robinson's mother in the 1990 TV movie The Court-Martial of Jackie Robinson), Joel Fluellen as his brother Mac, Minor Watson as Branch Rickey, and best of all, Richard Lane as Montreal manager Clay Hopper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Small-town department store manager Sam Clayton (Gary Cooper) is a born "Good Samaritan", which in his case translates as "sucker." Much to the dismay of his wife Lu (Anne Sheridan), who'd like to save up enough cash for a new house, Sam habitually gives his money away to one "deserving" soul or other. But when Sam himself is in dire financial difficulty, none of the people to whom he's extended his generosity come to his aid. Disillusioned, he goes on a bender and disappears into the night. Thanks to Lu's not-so-gentle remonstrations, however, Sam's debtors finally own up to their obligations, and a happy ending is had by all. Producer/director Leo McCarey has a good thing going in the first few reels of Good Sam, but eventually loses control of the film, resulting in a great deal of illogical plot twists and character transformations in the final footage. Still, it's interesting to watch Gary Cooper doing what amounts to an imitation of Jimmy Stewart. Originally released a 128 minutes, Good Sam was pared down to 114 minutes for reissue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Deanna Durbin's career was clearly on the downswing when she starred in For the Love of Mary. Durbin plays a switchboard operator at the White House, whose hiccuping spells throw several incoming special-interest callers into a tizzy. The President himself cures Durbin of her hiccups, thereby becoming entangled with the girl's various romances. She, in turn, finds herself neck-deep in numerous political intrigues. A forgettable comedy with disposable songs, For the Love of Mary turned out to be Deanna Durbin's last picture. The onetime mortgage-lifter of Universal Pictures was tired of the Hollywood grind and of fighting a losing battle with her fluctuating weight; thus she retired to France with her director-husband Charles David. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lucille Ball stars as the wife of a war correspondent, anxiously awaiting her husband's return. Ball is convinced that hubby (George Brent) is looking forward to feminine companionship after four long years at the front. Imagine her surprise when it looks as though her husband wasn't quite as lonely as she'd thought--thanks to sexy combat photographer Vera Zorina. Ball files for divorce, but the outcome is tipped off by the title: the Lovers come back. Lucille Ball is merely decorative for the most part in this film, though she has one delightful comic scene involving an attempt to smoke a cigar. To avoid confusion with a 1962 Doris Day/Rock Hudson epic of the same name, Lover Come Back was retitled When Lovers Meet for television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide