George Mitchell Movies

If Selznick could make a Gone With the Wind, reasoned Paramount Pictures in 1941, anyone can. Paramount's own spin on Scarlet and Rhett was Virginia, starring British actress Madeleine Carroll as Southern belle Charlotte Dunterry. A first a showgirl, Charlotte arrives in Fairville, Virginia to take charge of her family plantation. Intending to sell the estate for a quick turnover, Charlotte is dissuaded when she falls in love with impoverished local aristocrat Stonewall Elliot (Fred MacMurray). Though devoted to Elliot, she must find a way to keep herself solvent, and to that she enters into a loveless marriage with wealthy northerner Norman Williams (Sterling Hayden). The rest of the story finds Charlotte wavering between Elliot and Williams, while the audience settles in for a good long nap. As in Gone with the Wind, Virginia is distinguished by the performance of one of its black supporting players, namely Leigh Whipper as an elderly ex-slave who returns to Fairville to die (he doesn't sing "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny", but one can hear it anyway). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Reading-of-the-will melodramatics substitute for the usual B-Western shootin' and fightin' in this late entry in the long running Hopalong Cassidy series, which has sidekick California Carlson (Andy Clyde) as one of six heirs to the supposedly worthless Baxter property. During the reading of Hiram Baxter's will, one of the heirs, Phineas Phipps (Joel Friedkin), is murdered, presumably by the same mystery figure who had earlier taken pot shots of the arriving Hoppy (William Boyd), Lucky (Rand Brooks), and California. Soon panels are sliding, spectral voices are heard, and shots are fired. Yet another heir, Ralph Baxter (Nedrick Young), is murdered and crooked attorney Potter (John Parrish) points the finger at Lucky. Meanwhile, Hoppy discovers that there is oil in them thar hills, a fact that Potter and co-conspirator Ogden (Robert B. Williams) conveniently forgot to mention to the heirs. After performing a bit of detective work, Hoppy catches the mystery killer in the act, so to speak, and the ranch is eventually returned to the surviving heirs, Ruth Baxter (Patricia Tate), housekeeper Mathilda Hackett (Una O'Connor), ranch hand Joshua Colter (Earle Hodgins), and California. The latter, however, relinquishes his share in favor of returning to the Bar 20 with his friends. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Based on actual events, The Phenix City Story tells the tale of a wide-open "Sin City" in Alabama (across a bridge from Columbus, GA, and just a stone's throw from the Ft. Benning Army base) where gambling, prostitution, and any number of other vices were tolerated openly by the law, most of it centered on the main downtown drag, 14th Street, thanks to the 50-year influence of organized crime on the local government. Reform groups, mostly in the form of vigilantes, had tried to clean up "the wickedest city in the United States" before, even taking the law into their own hands and wrecking some of the establishments, only to be stymied by the courts (which were otherwise indifferent to activities on 14th Street). At the outset of the movie, set in 1954 -- when the actual events took place -- a new reform group is trying to organize and attempting to get the city's most prominent attorney, Albert Patterson (John McIntire) on their side; so are the club owners on 14th Street, led by Rhett Tanner (Edward Andrews), a cheerful, affable sort with a mean streak not far from the surface. But Patterson wants no part of either side's activities -- he's been a reformer, even a successful candidate, only to see his efforts come to little, and has also successfully defended Tanner and the others on 14th Street in an investigation of a murder of which they weren't guilty. Now he's old, and he wants to sit back with his wife and enjoy the return of his army office/lawyer son, John (Richard Kiley), and his family from Germany. But when the 14th Street boys, led by Clem Wilson (John Larch), go too far beating up Patterson's friends, and involve his son John, and then turn to murder and intimidation, it forces the elder Patterson and his son to join the reformers.

The Phenix City Story runs 87 minutes, but most prints also include a 13-minute preface, compiled from newsreel footage and interviews with the original participants, that provides background on the events that inspired the film (and also spoils a few plot points). Ironically, given the negative image that it portrays of Alabama, the movie was surprisingly well-received in the state at the time; residents were simply fascinated by and taken with the notion of a feature film set in their home state and even including a couple of actual local residents in its cast. Director Phil Karlson was to enjoy even greater success 18 years later with a similar story about one man fighting a city turned bad, Walking Tall, which included many similarly staged action scenes amid its somewhat wider plot-canvas. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Desperate for money, frontier rancher Van Heflin holds outlaw Glenn Ford at gunpoint, intending to collect the $200 reward. While both men await the train to Yuma that will escort Ford to prison, the cagey outlaw offers Heflin $10,000 if he'll set Ford free. The rest of the film is a sweat-inducing cat-and-mouse game between captive and captor, interrupted with bursts of violence from both Ford's gang (commandeered by Richard Jaeckel) and the vacillating townsfolk. 3:10 to Yuma is one of the best of the character-driven "psychological" westerns of the 1950s. Its only flaw is Ford's unconvincing character turnaround towards the end. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this comical western, a curmudgeonly fur-trapper is hurt by an enraged bear and must send his nephew to town with his pelts so he can get much-needed supplies. En route, the young man passes a covered wagon and convinces the man who lives there to allow his daughter to travel with him. The two innocent mountain youths then make their way to the town. It is the first time for either of them. There they meet the sheriff who controls the town. As soon as the previously rag-tag girl has bathed and donned a pretty dress, the sheriff is attracted to her. He gets her a job in a "dance hall." The naive nephew thanks the sheriff for being so kind. He then falls in love with the dance-hall madam. Fortunately, a truly kind storekeeper removes the innocent veil from the boy's eyes. Quickly he moves in to save his traveling companion from a life of ill-repute. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

After a brief production hiatus, the Twilight Zone staff resumed the series' first season with this episode, scripted by Rod Serling from a story by George Clayton Johnson. The story begins in 1880, as western outlaw Joe Caswell (Albert Caswell) is about to be hanged. Before the startled eyes of his executioners, Joe suddnely disappears from view. He rematerializes in 1960, in the laboratory of experimental scientist George Manion (Russell Johnson). Joe's sudden "invasion" of the 20th century has disastrous results on several people, including a modern-day murderer named Johnson (Than Wyenn). "Execution" first aired April 1, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Anne Francis and Christopher Dark guest star as armored-car bandits Doreen Maney and Sheik Humphries in this thinly disguised retelling of the "Bonnie and Clyde" legend. Designed by the newspapers as "The Lovebirds", Doreen and Sheik have masterminded four major heists, the last of which netted the gate receipts from Yankee Stadium. This time, however, blood has been spilled, and Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is determined to avenge the deaths of the four armored guards mowed down by the Lovebirds' gang. Managing to capture Doreen, Ness hopes that she will reveal Sheik's whereabouts while being extradited to New York, but Doreen says nothing, confident that her boyfriend will help her escape--little imagining that she is being double-crossed not only by Sheik, but also by her own kid sister Maybelle (played by a pre-Mister Ed Connie Hines). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

At the height of the bloody feud between the McFaddens and the Hadfields, Alonzo McFadden (Douglas Spencer) hires the dreaded Slade brothers to kill Anse Hadfield (Jonathan Gilmore). As it happens, the Slades bear a remarkable resemblance to Hoss and Little Joe Cartwright. A strong supporting cast includes Henry Hull as B. Bannerman Brown, Ellen Corby as Lorna Doone, and George Mitchell as Jubal. Written by W. Carey Wilbur, "The Gunmen" first aired on January 23, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "rodeo week" festivities in the town of Placer City apparently include a barroom brawl, which is broken up by none other than Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), in town to deliver a subpoena to elusive prospector Amos Catledge (George Mitchell). Perry becomes more deeply involved in the situation when one of the brawlers, Ken Bascombe (Hugh Sanders) is murdered, apparently by the other brawler, Gerald Norton (Ray Sticklyn). Per the episode's title, Perry hinges his defense of Norton on the "testimony" of a burro! This episode was hastily inserted into Perry Mason's third-season manifest as a replacement for "The Case of the Credulous Quarry", which remained on the shelf until Season Four. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Mike Sullivan (George Mitchell) and his cronies pitch camp at the Ponderosa, claiming that they've been sold a generous portion of the ranch's best land. It turns out that Sullivan and others have been hornswoggled by a fellow named John Zink, or maybe John Polk. Ben Cartwright finds himself in a bind when Zink, er, Polk turns out to be none other than his old Army comrade Colonel Bragg (John McGiver. First broadcast on December 31, 1961, "Land Grab" was written by Ward Hawkins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After suffering a blow on the head, Phil Townsend (Richard Basehart) awakens to discover that he has long been suffering from amnesia. Realizing that he's slated to be married, Phil rushes to the house of his fiancée, only to discover that he is three years late. Soon afterward, he finds out that he has spent those three years living under the name of David Webber -- and as it happens, "David Webber" is suspected of murdering the wife of his ex-employer. This episode is based on a novel by Cornell Woolrich, previously filmed in 1942 as Street of Chance (with Burgess Meredith as the amnesiac protagonist) and thereafter adapted several times for the radio anthology Suspense. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This musical boxing drama finds Walter (Elvis Presley) as a recently discharged soldier looking forwork in New York's Catskill Mountains. He happens across Grogan's Gym, a boxing emporium that helps perfect the "gentle art." Proprioter Willie Grogan (Gig Young) and trainer Lew (Charles Bronson) run the camp for aspiring pugilists. Walter saves Grogan's long suffering girlfriend Rose (Joan Blackman) from an assault by a gangster when he knocks out the goon. He earns the nickname "Kid Galahad" and a chance to show off his talents in the boxing ring. While Walter trains for the big fight, Lew is approached by unsavory gamblers, who want Lew to be lax in repairing any cuts Walter sustains in the ring for a slice of the economic pie. Lew refuses and has his hands broken by the gambling goons. Although Walter knows the fix is on, he battles his way to victory against overwhelming odds and an intimidating opponent. Walter exacts revenge on the men who broke Lew's hands, which may be the first and only time in cinematic history that Charles Bronson needs any outside help. Presley delivers seven songs, the most memorable being "I Got Lucky." United Artists got lucky with the release of Kid Galahad, which drew legions of loyal Presley fans at the box office. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Famous for her collection of valuable rings, movie star Bunny Blake (Maggie McNamara) is inexorably drawn back to her home town by an unusual ring which seems to talk to her. Upon her arrival, Bunny continues heeding the messages conveyed by the ring, and in so doing averts a tragedy -- for everyone but herself. If Earl Hamner, Jr.'s script is carefully scrutinized, it could be suggested that Bunny brought about the tragedy herself, but let us not cavil. Vic Perrin, the unseen "Control Voice" on The Outer Limits, shows up briefly as a state trooper. "Ring-A-Ding Girl" made its Twilight Zone debut on December 27, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide