Margaret O'Brien Movies
Thanks to the strenous efforts of her mother, a former dancer, American child actress Margaret O'Brien won her first film role at age four in the Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland musical Babes on Broadway (1941). MGM was so impressed by the child's expressiveness and emotional range that she was given the title role in the wartime morale-booster Journey For Margaret (1942). She was so camera-savvy by the time she appeared in Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case (1943) that the film's star Lionel Barrymore declared that had this been the Middle Ages, O'Brien would have been burned at the stake! Some of her coworkers may secretly have wished that fate on O'Brien, since she reportedly flaunted her celebrity on the set, ostensibly at the encouragement of her parents. Famed for her crying scenes, O'Brien really let the faucets flow in her best film, Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), in which her character also predated Wednesday Addams by two decades with a marked fascination for death and funerals. In 1944, O'Brien was given a special Academy Award, principally for work in Meet Me In St. Louis. As she grew, her charm faded; by 1951's Her First Romance, she was just one of a multitude of Hollywood teen ingenues. A comeback attempt in the 1956 film Glory was servicable, but the film was badly handled by its distributor RKO Radio and failed to re-establish the actress. A more fruitful role awaited her in a 1958 TV musical version of Little Women, in which O'Brien played Beth, the same role she'd essayed in the 1949 film version. In 1960, O'Brien had a strong supporting part in the period picture Heller in Pink Tights (1960), ironically playing a onetime child actress whose stage mother is trying to keep her in "kid" roles. In between summer theatre productions, O'Brien would resurface every so often in another TV show, reviewers would welcome her back, and then she'd be forgotten until the next part. The actress gained a great deal of weight in the late 1960s, turning this debility into an asset when she appeared in a "Marcus Welby MD" TV episode (starring her Journey for Margaret costar Robert Young) in which she played a woman susceptible to quack diet doctors. A bit thinner, and with eyes as wide and expressive as ever, O'Brien has recently appeared in a handful of episodes of "Murder She Wrote," that evergreen refuge for MGM luminaries of the past. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Framed by interviews with real life celebrities, director Ron Ford's Hollywood Mortuary chronicles the tale of recently fired horror make-up artist Pierce Jackson Dawn, whose method of exacting revenge is the invocation of an ancient voodoo ritual designed to resurrect horror icons Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi from the dead. Although Dawn's intent was for the zombies to help revive his career, the infighting between the rival stars leads to a decidedly more violent conclusion than what he bargained for. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randal Malone
- 1997
Narrated by Margaret O'Brien, this is a considerate look at the life and legacy of Princess Diana. A complicated woman, Diana was forced to live her life in public, taking on many roles from mother to princess to humanitarian. This video examines the important events of her life, up to and including her sudden and tragic death. ~ Rob Ferrier, Rovi
- 1994
This hour-long look at Lassie, the lovable collie, was produced by PBS in 1994 to commemorate Lassie's 40th year on television. June Lockhart narrates this documentary, which is crammed full of movie material and clips from the Lassie television shows. Included are interviews with actors such as Roddy McDowall, Janet Leigh, and Margaret O'Brien, as well as trainers, directors, and producers who worked with the lovable canine on radio, TV, and the movies. ~ Karla Baker, Rovi
- 1991
Imagine the astonishment of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) when she picks up a newspaper and reads that she has been killed in a Texas car accident! In truth, the dead woman was Marge Allen (Jane Withers), arguably the most obsessive member of the Jessica Fletcher Fan Club. While impersonating Jessica, Marge decided to investigate a scandal at a local dog-show, only to perish in the aforementioned "accident." Now that she's in the unique position of probing into her "own" murder, Jessica has time aplenty to grill the obligatory suspects, among them a kennel owner, the owner's wife, and a trigger-happy hunter. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1981
Amy Medford (Jenny Agutter) is a dutiful housewife of the early 1900s. But when her husband objects to a wife with a career, Amy leaves her husband and comfortable lifestyle. She goes on to devote her life to teaching sight-and-hearing-impaired students at a tradition-bound special school. This film betrays its Disney-studio origins with an audience-rousing action climax, in which Amy's students take on a team of "normal" kids at a football game. Amy was produced by onetime Hollywood leading man Jerome Courtland. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jenny Agutter, Barry Newman, (more)
- 1977
The inaugural presentation of the syndicated "Operation Prime Time" anthology, the three-part, six-hour miniseries Testimony of Two Men was based on the 1968 best-seller by Taylor Caldwell; it originally aired in three separate two-hour installments. Sprawled over the course of several generations following the Civil War, this epic begins in 1865. It covers the saga of idealistic, straight-arrow Pennsylvania surgeon Jonathan Ferrier (David Birney) and his irresponsible, hot-headed and slightly effeminate younger brother Harald (David Huffman). The Ferrier boys battle over professional ethics (Jonathan campaigns for medical reforms, Harald is interested only a quick financial turnover) and personal peccadilloes. The drama heats up when the philandering wife of one of the Ferriers is charged with murder, precipating a scandal that threatens to rock the medical profession to its foundations. In the climax, a group of envious physicians try to destroy Jonathan when he lobbies for antiseptic operating conditions--and the truth comes out about Harald's dalliance with Jonathan's late wife. Made available for syndication in May of 1977, Testimony of Two Men was seen in most markets on May 9, 16 and 23. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1974
Warning, Will Robinson! The "death in space" referred to in the title may have been suicide, or may have been murder. The crew of an orbiting space capsule must get to the bottom of things when their commanding officer vanishes during a space walk. If murder is indeed the verdict, then there's only a limited number of suspects to choose from (it's not likely to have been an outside job). George Maharis, Cameron Mitchell and former child star Margaret O'Brien head the cast of this videotaped ABC Wide World Mystery presentation. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
Officers Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) and Jim Reed (Kent McCord) break up a racket conducted by an elderly astrologer who moonlights (no pun intended) as a criminal. In other cases, the two cops provide words of comfort to a woman agonizing over her son's drug problems; and a zoning issue turns neighbor against neighbor. Finally, a hostile liquor store owner complicates Pete and Jim's investigation of a robbery by providing them with false information. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
In this second half of a two-part story (originally telecast as a single two-hour episode), Ironside (Raymond Burr) is in the hospital awaiting an operation that may cure his paralysis--or bring about his death if things go wrong. In typical fashion, the detective is able to put aside his own worries and solve a number of problems facing his fellow patients. Meanwhile, a homicidal drug thief steps up his efforts to bump off Ironside, who is the only witness to his most recent killing. The huge guest cast includes Joseph Cotten as the chief surgeon, Troy Donahue as a priest, former child star Margaret O'Brien as a patient, and future Jaws costar Lorraine Gary as a nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
Ironside departs from its usual one-hour format with this extended episode, originally telecast in a two-hour slot and later syndicated as a two-parter. While witnessing a murder committed by a drug thief, Ironside (Raymond Burr) incurs a shock to his spinal chord which may enable doctors to operate and cure his paralysis. The bad news is that the operation might also kill the detective--if the homicidal thief doesn't knock him off first! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1966
A curious cross-section of humanity is entombed by a mine cave-in. Among those trapped are two American privates, a pair of German officers, a French girl (played by former child star Margaret O'Brien) and her German-deserter lover, and an embittered Resistance fighter. As Hanley (Rick Jason) and his squad race against time in a rescue effort, the "prisoners" must somehow agree to pull together for their common survival. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
Thanks to the curbstone advice of Perry Mason (Raymond Burr), Sarah Breel (Lurene Tuttle) is cleared of a shoplifting charge. Not long afterward, Sarah's niece Virginia (played by former child star Margaret O'Brien) tells Perry that she believes her aunt is involved in a jewel robbery--or at the very least, is covering for her no-good brother George. When George's partner Austin Cullins (Blair Davies) is murdered, Sarah is found near the scene of the crime with the murder weapon and a cache of jewels in her purse. Naturally, Perry agrees to handle Sarah's defense--a job that becomes doubly difficult when dear brother George turns up murdered as well. Keep at eye out for a pre-"Mr. Spock" Leonard Nimoy in a supporting role. This episode is based on a 1938 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The talents of the cast and director George Cukor (A Star Is Born, My Fair Lady), combine to bring off this otherwise routine Western based on a Louis L'Amour novel. Sophia Loren is Angela Rossini, a woman who seems to create the situations she gets into, and Anthony Quinn is the strong, silent but soft-hearted Tom Healy. Rather than playing it straight, Cukor opts for satire and effective comedy in taking "The Great Healy Dramatic and Concert Co.," with its two-wagon loads of thespians and their gear, and turning it into a fun romp. As the troupe carries on with their performances heading through Wyoming, they are fighting for their economic survival and, as often as not, running like the devil from the law. There is a likeable villain in the piece, Mabry (Steve Forrest), a zany woman who has "sacrificed" her own dubious stage career for that of her daughter (Eileen Heckart), a so-called Shakespearean actor (Edmund Love), a banker with menacing undertones (Ramon Novarro), and a really hysterical Indian attack. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sophia Loren, Anthony Quinn, (more)
- 1956
Producer-director David Butler once listed Glory as among his favorite films. Margaret O'Brien plays her first grown-up role as the owner of the eponymous racing filly. Despite the fact that the horse seems to be a dud, Margaret insists upon entering Glory in race after race. This proves financially draining to Margaret and her grandmother Charlotte Greenwood, but Walter Brennan, trainer for handsome horse breeder John Lupton, helps to raise the necessary funds to enter Glory in--what else?--the Kentucky Derby. The inevitable romance between Margaret and Lupton is less interesting than the combative (but basically affectionate) relationship between ageing ex-sweethearts Greenwood and Brennan. With the uncredited aid of Lawrence Welk Show costar Norma Zimmer, Margaret O'Brien warbles three songs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Walter Brennan, (more)
- 1951
Former child star Margaret O'Brien is Betty Foster, the "all growed up" heroine of Her First Romance. Hoping to rendezvous with handsome teenager Bobby Evans (Allen Martin Jr.) at a fancy summer camp, Betty bamboozles her parents into sending her there. Once she's arrived, Betty proves her devotion to Bobby by committing a robbery on his behalf. She reasons that since she's robbing her own father's safe, her crime is none too serious. Boy, is she wrong! A curious blend of comedy, melodrama and sentiment, Her First Romance failed to establish Margaret O'Brien as an adult box-office favorite, though the film itself is easy to take. Featured in the cast are Jimmy Hunt, of Invaders from Mars fame, and future TV-series perennial Elinor Donahue. Margaret O'Brien's parents are played by Ann Doran and Arthur Space, who'd later be reteamed on the weekly TVer National Velvet. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Allen Martin, Jr., (more)
- 1949
The oft-filmed Frances Hodgson Burnett novel The Secret Garden was given the usual plush MGM treatment in 1949. Tempestuous orphan girl Mary Lennox (Margaret O'Brien) is sent to live with her reclusive, long-widowed uncle Archibald Craven (Herbert Marshall). The embittered Craven has an invalid son named Colin (Dean Stockwell), with whom the troublesome Mary constantly clashes. Her only real friend is neighbor-boy Dickon (Brian Roper). Things soon change after Mary discovers the key to the Craven household's garden, which has been locked up and neglected since the death of Craven's wife. Through the influence of the Secret Garden, Mary learns to think of others rather than herself, Craven drops his curmudgeonly veneer, and Colin's health slowly but steadily improves. In the tradition of The Wizard of Oz, the sequences taking place in the Secret Garden are lensed in Technicolor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Herbert Marshall, (more)
Of the many film versions of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, this 1949 MGM adaptation is by far the prettiest. Set in New England during the Civil War, the film relates the various adventures of the March sisters: Jo (June Allyson), Beth (Margaret O'Brien), Amy (Elizabeth Taylor) and Meg (Janet Leigh). Jo emerges as the main character, as she leaves hearth and home to try her luck as a novelist in New York. Moments of high comedy (the sisters' amateur theatricals) are counterpointed with grim tragedy (the death of the youngest March girl), with romantic interludes provided by the faithless Laurie (Peter Lawford) and the loyal Professor Bhaer (Rossano Brazzi). Unlike Selznick's 1933 Little Women or Gillian Armstrong's 1994 adaptation, this 1949 version tends to be more an extension of the old Hollywood contract-player typecasting system than a heartfelt evocation of the Alcott original. Even so, Little Women is consistently pleasing to the eye, especially when seen in its original Technicolor hues. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- June Allyson, Peter Lawford, (more)
- 1948
Filmed in 1946, Tenth Avenue Angel is yet another treacly vehicle for little Margaret O'Brien. The juvenile star is cast as Flavia Mills, an 8-year-old tenement dweller who insinuates herself into the lives of several down-and-outers, among them ex-convict Steve Abbott (George Murphy). Flavia's well-intentioned efforts to help Steve go straight, and to promote the blossoming romance between Steve and Susan Bratten (Angela Lansbury), are destined to hit several emotional roadblocks before the "End" title. Disillusioned by the contradictory behavior of her adult friends, Flavia eventually learns not to give up on the human race just because of a few setbacks. The Harry Ruskin/Eleanor Griffin screenplay was based on a story by Angna Enders, which in turn was based on a vaudeville sketch by veteran mystery writer Craig Rice. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, George Murphy, (more)
- 1948
MGM's all-purpose title The Big City was deployed once more for this treacly 1948 drama. To prevent orphaned Midge (Margaret O'Brien) from being sent to an institution, Protestant minister Andrews (Robert Preston), Jewish cantor Feldman (Danny Thomas) and Catholic cop Patrick O'Donnell (George Murphy) jointly "adopt" the girl. Midge grows up in Feldman's home, and all is rosy until O'Donnell, on the verge of marrying funloving "Shoe-Shoe" Bailey (Betty Garrett in her film debut), announces that he wants to take full custody of the child. It's up to Midge herself, with the help of kindly Judge Abercrombie (Edward Arnold), to sort things out. Meanwhile, the Reverend Andrews finds romance in the shapely form of Florence Bartlett (Karin Booth). Though it's hard to forget that Danny Thomas was one of show business' most prominent Catholics, he delivers a convincing performance as the tune-happy Cantor Feldman, at one point foregoing his usual Kol Nidres in favor of a rousing cowboy song! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Robert Preston, (more)
- 1947
An aspiring ballerina begins following a prima ballerina hoping that she will become her replacement. Unfortunately, another dancer is chosen, causing the determined twinkle-toes to cause a little accident to destroy the usurper's career. It works and the hapless ballerina's career is destroyed. In the end, the conniving one atones for her treachery and the two become fast friends. Danny Thomas makes his feature film debut in this musical. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Cyd Charisse, (more)
- 1946
Bad Bascomb is an expensive MGM western, tailor-made for the blubbery talents of Wallace Beery. Beery plays the badman of the title, whose heart is softened by a sweet little child (Margaret O'Brien at her most cloying). Just about to make a clean getaway, Beery realizes that the child is in danger of being killed by marauding Indians. He rides back to warn the cavalry, which results in his arrest but saves the girl. Sentenced to be hanged, Beery tearfully sends O'Brien off to her foster parents, never letting the precocious little tot know that he's about to have his neck stretched. Bad Bascomb is at its best whenever Beery shamelessly pulls every trick in the book to steal scenes from the estimable Margaret O'Brien. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Wallace Beery, Margaret O'Brien, (more)
- 1946
Even if the film had been released without opening and closing titles, it wouldn't have been hard to identify Three Wise Fools as an MGM production. Margaret O'Brien stars as Sheila O'Monhan, a wide-eyed Irish colleen who insists that she sees leprechauns (as, indeed, does the audience). She enters the lives of three dour, crusty old gentlemen: Dr. Richard Gaunght (Lionel Barrymore), Judge Thomas Trumbull (Lewis Stone), and industrialist Theodore Finley (Edward Arnold). Thanks to a curse imposed upon them by Sheila's grandfather, the three men have all found success at the expense of personal happiness. But there's still a chance for their salvation, and that chance manifests itself in an old tree which Sheila believes is the home of the leprechauns. The finale finds Gaunght, won over by Sheila's childish faith in The Unexplained, chaining himself to the tree to avoid its removal by Finley and Trumbull. Anyone who can't guess how this little bit of blarney turns out should have his or her film-buff card revoked. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret O'Brien, Lionel Barrymore, (more)
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