Robert Morse Movies
Puckish comic actor Robert Morse had studied with Lee Strasberg before his film debut in 1956's Proud and the Profane. This bit role led to a Paramount contract, though this early attempt to make Morse a movie star went no further than his re-creation of his stage role in The Matchmaker (1958). He went on to show up on TV in a variety of roles (he was a juvenile delinquent on Hitchcock), but was more successful on Broadway, co-starring in the musicals Say Darling and Take Me Along. In Frank Loesser's 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Morse, as the ambitious J. Pierpont Finch, entered Broadway Valhalla when he sang the show's big romantic song "I Believe in You" -- while looking at himself in a mirror. Morse won a Tony award for this performance, and in 1967 reprised the role for the film version. One year later, he co-starred with E.J. Peaker in the experimental weekly TV musical-comedy series That's Life. His best post-How to Succeed film role was the philandering best friend of Walter Matthau in A Guide for the Married Man (1967). In the early '70s, Morse starred in another long-running Broadway effort, Sugar, a musical version of Some Like It Hot. Morse had some difficulty maintaining a starring career into the 1980s, but in 1990 made a triumphant return to Broadway (and won another Tony in the bargain) for his one-man Truman Capote-show Tru. In later years, Robert Morse starred on Broadway and the road as Captain Andy in Harold Prince's glittering revival of Show Boat, and was seen as Grandpa Munster on the 1995 "retro" TV movie Here Come the Munsters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1956
In this war romance, set during WW II, a widow falls for a Marine colonel. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Deborah Kerr, (more)
Thornton Wilder's 1938 stage play The Merchant of Yonkers was based on an old British stage farce by John Oxenford (which in turn served as the basis of an Austrian farce by Johann Nestroy). Merchant of Yonkers was a bomb, but Wilder was quite fond of the piece, so he revised it as the considerably more successful The Matchmaker in 1955. The 1958 film version stars Shirley Booth as 19th-century matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi (a character not found in the Oxenford or Nestroy versions; Wilder "borrowed" Dolly from Moliere's The Miser). Dolly is currently trying to arrange a marriage between Yonkers dry-goods merchant Horace Vandergelder (Paul Ford) and hatmaker Irene Molloy (Shirley MacLaine)-though she secretly harbors a desire to march Horace to the altar herself. Meanwhile, Vandergelder's chief clerk Cornelius (Anthony Perkins), celebrating a recent promotion, decides to head to New York for a "good time". Though he's supposed to be minding the store, Cornelius abandons the shop, with fellow-clerk Barnaby (Robert Morse, repeating his stage role) in tow. Inevitably, Cornelius and Barnaby wind up escorting Irene Molloy and her co-worker Minnie Fay (Perry Wilson) to a fancy restaurant, where Horace and Dolly are also dining. As the many plot twists wend their way through the proceedings, the camera occasionally pauses to allow the character to speak directly to the audience, expressing their innermost desires and philosophies; this purely theatrical device works quite well on screen, especially the monologue about honesty delivered by handyman Malachi Stack (played with alcoholic whimsy by Wallace Ford). While the name "Malachi Stack"may not be familiar to you, the other characters-and the basic plot-will be instantly recognizable to fans of Hello Dolly, the 1964 musical comedy version of The Matchmaker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley Booth, Anthony Perkins, (more)
- 1958
In this drama, a naive woman lets a magazine salesman into to her house to have him demonstrate his wares. She does not know that he is really a fugitive from a mental hospital. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Lumber tycoon Bill Fleming (Paul Douglas) knows that his wife, Laura (Dody Heath), is unfaithful, but he draws the line at killing Laura's love, Philip Baxter (Hugh Marlowe). However, Fleming changes his mind when a young acquaintance named Sandy (Robert Morse) cites an archaic but still viable law, which declares that Fleming cannot be prosecuted if he kills his rival in a duel. What Sandy doesn't tell Fleming is that this law has its own peculiar conditions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Charles Underhill (John McIntire) and his niece Anne (Suzanne Pleshette) offer a ride to Len (Robert Morse), the nice young man who helped Charles repair his stalled car. Shortly thereafter, Underhill learns that Len has spent several years in a reform school. Now in fear of his life, Underhill wonders how he can rid himself of the youthful hitchhiker -- but as it turns out, Len is the least of his worries. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Tom Tryon plays the title role in this Otto Preminger version of the Henry Morton Robinson novel. In his matriculation from Monsignor to the College of Cardinals, Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon) must undergo several grueling life experiences: standing up to bigots in Georgia, defying Nazis in Austria, and so on. The film boasts cameo appearances by Dorothy Gish, Cecil Kellaway, John Saxon, John Huston, Robert Morse, Burgess Meredith, Raf Vallone, Ossie Davis. Incidentally, Tryon eventually quit acting and became a popular novelist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Tryon, Carol Lynley, (more)
- 1964
Intending to marry Cynthia (Anne Helm), Jay Menlow (Robert Morse) is stranded at the alter on the day of the blessed occasion. Left with a paid Honeymoon vacation in the Caribbean, Jay takes along best man Ross Kingsley (Robert Goulet) to the Boca Boca, a "honeymooners only" resort. Ross soon finds an attractive companion in the resort's social director, Lynn Hope (Nancy Kwan). Jay, on the other hand, shows signs of weakening to Cynthia's telephone apologies and Ross desperately attempts to prevent their reconciliation so he may continue to enjoy the arrangement. When Ross' employer Mr. Sampson (Keenan Wynn) arrives on the scene with his blank-headed mistress, Sherry (Jill St. John), things begin to get a bit crazy. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Sampson's wife (Elvia Allman) arrives looking for her philandering husband. Finally Cynthia appears on the frantic scene to ensure chaos in the proceedings. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Goulet, Nancy Kwan, (more)
- 1964
In this comedy, an introverted journalist for a prominent magazine is assigned to do a story on "Little America" in Antarctica. Once there he gets in all sorts of trouble with the army, a rival, and the penguin Milton Fox. He also finds himself embroiled in a plot to ship some Kiwi women to the base, and in the attempted defections of a number of Russian scientists. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Maharis, Robert Morse, (more)
The satire in Evelyn Waugh's darkly comic novel The Loved One was originally double-edged. The book was not only an attack on the Southern California funeral industry but also a lampoon of Hollywood's "British colony," those clannish, cricket-playing English actors of years gone by who bemoaned the artificiality of Tinseltown while eagerly accepting the demeaning and insignificant movie roles they were offered. The film version of The Loved One, anxious to live up to its ad-campaign promise of containing "something to offend everybody," downplays the British-colony business (save for the presence of the magnificent Robert Morley) and pumps up the "death" gags. Innocent British poet Dennis Barlow (Robert Morse) falls in love with funeral-home cosmetician Aimee Thanatogenos (Anjanette Comer), who in turn is loved by prissy funeral director Mr. Joyboy (Rod Steiger). The latter lives with his obese mother (Ayllene Gibbons), whose eating sequence is far more hilarious (and more tasteless) than many of the film's calculatedly "black" jokes. A huge guest-star cast is headed by Jonathan Winters in a dual role as a funeral home manager and his covetous twin brother, who operates an elaborate pet cemetery. Musician Paul Williams is also on hand as a 13-year-old aeronautics genius who develops a method of sending corpses into "eternal orbit" (a plot device that Waugh neglected to include in his novel). Film historian William K. Everson has commented that The Loved One is one of the best and most underrated comedies of the 1960s. For others, especially those who might feel guilty chuckling at the sight of Anjanette Comer committing suicide with an embalming needle, it's purely a matter of taste...or lack of same. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morse, Anjanette Comer, (more)
Ed Stander (Robert Morse), with the help of an all-star cast, teaches Paul Manning (Walter Matthau) the fine art of philandering in A Guide for the Married Man. Paul, happily married to sexy Ruth (Inger Stevens), has no burning desire to cheat, but Ed makes the prospect sound very attractive. Finally taking the "big step" with a glamorous brunette after months of careful preparation, Paul finds that he loves his wife way too much to betray her -- while the ever-careful Ed ends up in divorce court. Among the myriad of "advisors" peppered throughout Guide for the Married Man are Art Carney, Lucille Ball, Jack Benny, Jayne Mansfield, Terry-Thomas, and Carl Reiner. The best guest-star vignette features Joey Bishop as a man caught in bed with another woman by his wife -- whereupon he calmly puts on his clothes, straightens up the room, and quietly responds to his wife's outrage by saying "What bed? What girl?" Adapted by Frank Tarloff from his book of the same name, Guide for the Married Man was directed by Gene Kelly, who makes a cameo "appearance" of his own as a voice on a TV set. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Robert Morse, (more)
- 1967
A domineering mother and her sheltered son fly face first into love, murder, and the meaning of family in this black comedy based on Arthur Kopit's Broadway play. Wealthy Madame Rosepettle (Rosalind Russell) and 25-year-old Jonathan (Robert Morse) arrive at the Port Royal Hotel on a tiny Caribbean island with the man of the family in tow, literally; he's been dead for many years and his stuffed corpse travels with them in a coffin. Madame is the kind of woman who keeps piranhas and Venus Flytrap plants as pets, and controls her son's life down to deciding what meal he'll have for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (a hamburger and a maraschino cherry). Jonathan is kept indoors at all times and isn't allowed to mix with the outside world, though the hotel "babysitter," Rosalie (Barbara Harris), slips in through the window and flirts with the easily rattled young man. Madame is being courted by drunken millionaire Commodore Roseabove (Hugh Griffith), and while she welcomes his advances, her attention is diverted by trying to make sure that her son stays "pure." Rosalie isn't one to be put off by the meddling matriarch, so she doubles her efforts to get at Jonathan, who wants Rosalie too but might be pushed over the edge by the attention. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosalind Russell, Robert Morse, (more)
- 1967
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Robert Morse recreated his Tony-winning stage role in this 1967 film version of Frank Loesser's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical. A humble window washer at the New York offices of World Wide Wickets, J. Pierpont Finch applies the lessons he's learned from a book called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying to wangle his way to the top of the executive heap. Though advised by the mailroom supervisor (Sammy Smith) to keep a low profile and play things "The Company Way," Finch follows his own skewed set of rules, endearing himself to bombastic company president J. B. Biggely (Rudy Vallee) by posing as a graduate of Grand Old Ivy, Biggely's alma mater. As he climbs to the top, Finch manages to dispose of an over-amorous rival by arranging a tryst between that rival and curvaceous secretary Hedy LaRue (Maureen Arthur)--who happens to be Biggely's live-in girlfriend. Finch also gets rid of the troublesome Mr. Ovington (Murray Matheson) by exposing the latter as an alumnus of Old Ivy's hated rival university. Graduating to vice-president, Finch feels secure enough to sing the show's one genuine love song "I Believe In You"--to himself! Actually, he's really in love with true-blue secretary Rosemary (Michele Lee), but won't admit to this until he suffers a career setback. Most of Loesser's songs survived the transition from stage to screen, with the exception of "Paris Original," which is heard merely as background music. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morse, Michele Lee, (more)
- 1968
This light romantic comedy is set during the November 9th power outage of 1965 that darkened New York and much of the East Coast. Margaret (Doris Day) is a theater actress who storms out on her architect husband, Peter (Patrick O'Neal), when a pretty female reporter spends too much time interviewing him for Margaret's liking. Later, Waldo Zane (Robert Morse), an embezzling business executive, has car trouble while fleeing his company. Margaret's house is nearby, so he sneaks in, and, after taking a drink of her elixir, he falls asleep beside her by mistake. Naturally, her husband soon appears, and comedy ensues in cases of mistaken identity and scheduling mix-ups. Columnist Earl Wilson makes a cameo appearance as does director Hy Averback. Steve Allen plays the radio announcer, Jim Backus a car dealer, and Pat Paulsen deadpans his usual facade in his role as a train conductor. Though this romantic comedy came out a couple years after the infamous New York City-wide blackout, it is based on French playwright Claude Magnier's production Monsieur Masure, which was written in the '50s. The actual power failure resulted in a population explosion exactly nine months later, and over double the average number of kids started school in 1971 as a direct result of the darkness. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Day, Robert Morse, (more)
The inept Ensign Garland (Robert Morse) battles a trio of jewel thieves in this Walt Disney comedy. Garland starts by spilling paint on the lovely Kate Fairchild (Stephanie Powers). Harry (Phil Silvers), Max (Norman Fell) and Charlie (Mickey Shaughnessy) try to recover the jewels accidentally dumped by Garland into a picnic basket. Garland's superior is Commander Taylor (Don Ameche), who hounds the harried ensign for being a constant bumbler. Jason Bennett (Wally Cox) is the playboy who has replaced his yacht engine with a wine cellar. Character actors Joe E. Ross and Al Lewis witness the sight gags and react to the seafaring shenanigans. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morse, Stefanie Powers, (more)
- 1971
The Day They Hanged Kid Curry is the syndication title for the 90-minute second-season opener of the TV series Alias Smith and Jones. This Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid derivation stars Peter Deuel as Hannibal Heyes and Ben Murphy as Kid Curry, a pair of handsome and lovable old-west bandits who've never killed anybody. The governor promises Heyes and Curry a pardon if they can stay out of mischief for one year; the boys agree, adopting the aliases of Joshua Smith and Thaddeus Jones. This "backstory" was well established when The Day They Hanged Kid Curry was telecast on September 16, 1971. The adventure at hand involves a trumped-up murder charge which finds the hapless Curry facing the gallows. His only salvation is a slick con man played by Walter Brennan, who goes to the sheriff and pleads for the Kid's release. Oh, almost forgot: Brennan shows up in female drag, passing himself off as Curry's doting grandma. Now you want to see this thing, don't you? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1978
Walter Matthau gives voice to Scrooge in this animated version of A Christmas Carol. Other noted voices include Tom Bosley, Theodore Bikel, Robert Morse and Dennis Day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
The 1979 Rankin/Bass production Jack Frost is a made-for-TV stop motion animation feature. Buddy Hacket narrates the story as the voice of groundhog Pardon-Me-Pete. The spirit of winter, Jack Frost (voice of Robert Morse) falls for a young woman named Elisa (voice of Debra Clinger). He asks Father Winter to make him into a human so he can win her love. However, she is already engaged to the brave knight, Sir Danny. When the villianous King Kubla Kraus (voice of Paul Frees) kidnaps her, Jack has to turn back into his spirit form in order to use his powers to save her. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Morse, Buddy Hackett, (more)
- 1984
Though Boss Hogg's crooked nephew Hughie is nowhere to be found in this episode, he is amply compensated for by his equally crooked brother Dewey (Robert Morse). Arriving in Hazzard County, Dewey announces that he is dying of an unknown illness, and hopes to establish his own memorial clinic before he cashes in his chips. What Uncle Boss (Sorrell Booke) doesn't know is that Dewey is actually in perfect health--and that he intends to cheat the county out of $100,000 and pin the blame on Jesse Duke (Denver Pyle). Except for a brief phone-call scene, John Schneider (Bo Duke) does not appear in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Just guess what this TV movie is about. Yes, that's right, someone is killing the centerfolds of a certain prominent girlie mag. Poor Miss March went out like a lion and now cops are trying to keep disaster from raining down on Miss April. One of the glamour girls in Calendar Girl Murders is none other than Sharon Stone, billed second in the film (but not at all in the print ads!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
This performance video is a tribute to the American musical theatre. Includes a collection of memorable songs from various Broadway shows. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1984
Featuring an all-star cast, this episode from the cable-television series Faerie Tale Theatre tells the tale of how a vain king gets his comeuppance. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1985
Celebrated Broadway musical star Vivian Blaine is cast as--what else?--a celebrated Broadway musical star, named Rita Bristol. Headling a new production costarring her daughter Patti (Lorna Luft) and produced by her son Barry (Gregg Henry), Rita is among those expressing concern when an aspiring actress is seriously wounded by an apparent mugger. Likewise on the scene is Jessica (Angela Lansbury), who suspects that the mugging is a set-up job--and who ends up going into her sleuth act when a murder occurs. Also on the call-sheet in this episode are a couple of show-biz newcomers named Milton Berle and Robert Morse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This witty version of Hans Christian Anderson's moral tale of a king whose vanity makes him an easy mark for con artists, features Sid Caesar and Art Carney. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sid Caesar, Clive Revill, (more)
Bradley Brinkman (Steve Levitt) is a computer nerd who makes a deal with the Devil (James Coco) in this teen comedy. He is transformed into Hunk Golden (John Allen Nelson), the muscular blonde-haired, blue-eyed California heartthrob. She-devil O'Brien (Deborah Shelton) threatens to change the popular Hunk back into the anemic Bradley if he refuses to serve the Devil on Earth. Rebecca Bush plays psychologist Sunny Graves and co-stars with Robert Morse, Constantine Constapopolis, and Avery Schreiber. James Coco, who died a few weeks before the debut of this film, gives memorable comic portrayals of a pirate, a Nazi, and a caveman in addition to a delightful devil. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Allen Nelson, Steve Levitt, (more)
- 1989
The idea of a real buried treasure has Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton very excited when he discovers a special map in this episode about treasures. The featured book of the program is Sunken Treasures, written by Gail Gibbons and read by Robert Morse. Burton discusses methods used to locate the sunken Titanic with its finder, Dr. Robert Ballard of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute of Massachusetts. The program also looks at another sunken ship that originated in Spain over 300 years ago. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
