Nan Morris Movies
- 1969
- R
Set up like a version of the Maltese Falcon, this routine detective yarn by Roger Corman features Vic Morrow as Harry Black, a hard-living, tough-skinned American in trouble. Two dangerous factions want to get their hands on some engraving plates stolen from the British mint, and Harry is trapped in the middle. The staged car chases, the seductive woman (Suzanne Pleshette) who wants Harry for her own reasons, Monte Carlo and Istanbul locations, the dramatic musical score, and all the earmarks of a low-grade James Bond spy thriller date this drama to the 1960s. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vic Morrow, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1965
The Beatles are coming! The Beatles are coming! Or so the members of the Alpha Beta sorority who are trying to raise $10,000 during Spring Break to save their sorority house believe. When the Fab Four do not show, the ingenious girls must create a passable imitation by imitating them themselves. The Beach Boys also appear in this film with an especially choice scene of Brian Wilson singing around a campfire. Songs in this musical comedy include: "Leave Me Alone," "It's Gotta Be You," "I Don't Want to Be a Loser" (sung by Lesley Gore), "Lonely Sea, La Bamba" (performed by the Crickets), "Girls On the Beach," and "Little Honda" (sung by the Beach Boys). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin West, Noreen Corcoran, (more)
Producer/director Roger Corman briefly abandoned Edgar Allan Poe for The Secret Invasion, a commendable attempt to make a war epic on a "B" budget. The story is a scaled-down precursor to The Dirty Dozen: Five criminals are given a chance at a pardon by agreeing to participate in a suicide mission for British Intelligence. They are smuggled into Yugoslavia (where this film was made) to conduct several commando raids against the Nazi invaders. The quintet is comprised of veterans of internationally-produced war films: Stewart Granger, Raf Vallone, Mickey Rooney, Edd "Kookie" Byrnes and Henry Silva (observe the cast and guess who gets killed first). Corman's skill at generating excitement through quick cutting and careful camera composition is given an exhilarating workout in The Secret Invasion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Mickey Rooney, (more)
