Henry Morgan Movies

"The story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent." Thus began each and every episode of Dragnet, arguably the most famous police series in TV history. Originating in 1949 as a radio series, Dragnet was the brainchild of actor/producer/director Jack Webb, who wanted to give the public a tense, unglamorized, and realistic crime series as a contrast -- and an antidote -- to the myriad of fanciful and streamlined private eye shows then festering the airwaves. In the radio version, Webb established the series' documentary-style format, its meticulous attention to detail (extending to the use of authentic police jargon and acronyms, à la "A.P.B.," "M.O.," "R&I," etc.), and the flat, monotonic narration of the series' protagonist, Sergeant Joe Friday of the LAPD. ("My name's Friday. I'm a cop.") Also introduced in the radio Dragnet was the series' now-legendary theme music ("Dum-de-DUM-dum"), written by Walter Schumann. On December 16, 1951, with the radio version still flourishing, the filmed, half-hour TV version of Dragnet premiered on NBC, initially alternating weekly with Gang Busters. Jack Webb continued to play the leading role of Sgt. Joe Friday (under protest -- he'd wanted Lloyd Nolan to star in the TV adaptation), with Barton Yarborough repeating his radio characterization of Friday's partner, Sgt. Ben Romero. After Yarborough's death, several other actors were tried out as Friday's partner until Ben Alexander joined the cast as Officer Frank Smith, a role he'd hold down for the duration of the series.

Dragnet proved so successful that NBC decided to offer it on a weekly basis beginning in the fall of 1952. Before long, virtually everyone in the country was humming the series' theme song and repeating its catchphrases ("This is the city," "Just the facts, ma'am," et al.); and in a curious accolade, the series was satirized in Stan Freberg's unforgettable record "St. George and the Dragonet."Throughout Dragnet's eight-season TV run, Jack Webb upheld the series' lofty standards and high level of verisimilitude, even though he grew weary of doing triple duty as producer, director, and star early on, and sought escape in a variety of outside ventures, including such theatrical features as Pete Kelly's Blues and The D.I., and such non-Dragnet TV series as Noah's Ark and The D.A.'s Man. Nevertheless, Dragnet proved to be Webb's signature project, even more so when the property was converted into a high-grossing theatrical film in 1954. By the time the series entered its final season in 1958, Sgt. Joe Friday had been promoted to lieutenant, a ratings-boosting move that Webb wasn't overly fond of; also, the series switched from black-and-white to color (though current prints of the final season are in monochrome only).

After Dragnet's cancellation on September 6, 1959, Jack Webb all but retired from acting to focus on producing and directing, hoping to leave Joe Friday far behind him, even though the character had won him the undying devotion of hundreds of thousands of real-life police officers. However, after several fallow years, Webb was persuaded by NBC and Universal Pictures to revive his most famous character in a made-for-TV movie version of Dragnet, filmed in 1966. So impressed were the network and studio executive by the results that they commissioned Webb to revive Dragnet as a weekly series, which debuted January 12, 1967, as an emergency replacement for the failing NBC sitcom The Hero (the movie-length Dragnet was subsequently shelved, and not broadcast until 1969). Except for the fact that it was filmed entirely in color, the new series closely adhered to the format of the original, with Joe Friday (inexplicably demoted back to sergeant) working out of various LAPD divisions -- homicide, robbery, missing persons -- and working on cases culled from actual police files. Also, each episode began with the "true story" disclaimer, and ended with a wrap-up of the convictions visited upon the perpetrators, book-ended by the classic Walter Schumann theme music and the closing shot of a muscular pair of hands chiseling out the Mark VII logo signifying Webb's production company. With Ben Alexander busy with another cop series, The Felony Squad, Friday took on a new partner, Sgt. Bill Gannon, played by Harry Morgan. Although many of the supporting actors were culled from Jack Webb's familiar radio and TV stock company -- Virginia Gregg, Vic Perrin, Peggy Webber, and Harry Bartell to name but a few -- with rare exceptions, the revived Dragnet dealt with brand-new stories focusing on such contemporary issues as racial prejudice, the generation gap, and (especially) drug abuse. With each successive season re-titled to signify the year of its telecast (Dragnet: 1967, Dragnet: 1968, etc.), the new Dragnet remained on NBC until September 10, 1970, its 98 episodes enjoying even more success in syndicated and cable TV reruns than the rebroadcasts of the original series (which had been in syndication since 1953 under the title Badge 714). Since Jack Webb's death in 1982, Dragnet has been revived twice with different actors, first as a syndicated series in 1989, then as an ABC weekly (starring Ed O'Neill as Joe Friday) in 2003. In addition, the series was lampooned in the 1987 theatrical release Dragnet, starring Dan Aykroyd as Joe Friday's soundalike nephew, and with Harry Morgan recreating his role as Bill Gannon! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This full-blooded saga of the 19th century whaling industry stars Lionel Barrymore as tough old salt Captain Bering Joy and Dean Stockwell as his grandson Jed. Anxious to embark upon a life on the sea, Jed aligns himself with Joy's first mate, Dan Lunceford (Richard Widmark). The captain disdainfully regards Dan as one of the "new breed" of whalers, who, in his mind, aren't completely up to the rigors of maritime life. Dan gains Joy's respect when he rescues Jed, even though the captain sticks to the book and relieves Dan of his duties for leaving his post. A last-reel crisis involving an iceberg provides a satisfactory gathering of climaxes. Down to the Sea in Ships proved a moneymaker for 20th Century Fox, and also demonstrated that Richard Widmark could portray a character more sympathetic than the psychos and hoodlums he'd previously essayed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tyrone Power made his last screen appearance before a three-year stretch in the Marines in this World War II drama. Lt. Ward Stewart (Tyrone Power) has served with distinction as the commander of a PT boat, so his uncle, Adm. Bob Stewart (Minor Watson), gives him a new and more challenging assignment aboard a submarine. Before shipping out, Ward enjoys a night on the town, where he meets and romances a pretty schoolteacher, Jean Hewlett (Anne Baxter). However, when Ward reports for duty, he discovers he'll be serving under Lt. Cmdr. Dewey Connors (Dana Andrews), who happens to be Jean's boyfriend. On leave and on land, Ward and Dewey are soon caught up in a romantic rivalry, while on duty and under the water they must work together to ferret out Nazi U-boats. Crash Dive received an Academy Award nomination for the special effects work in the film's battle sequences. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

William Holden plays Boots Malone, a dishonest--and impoverished--jockey's agent. Malone sees a chance to crack the big time through the talents of young jockey John Stewart. Stewart's wealthy mother wants to remove the boy from the rarefied world of the race track, but it is Malone himself who destroys his friendship with Stewart by ordering the boy to throw the race, or else they'll be put on the spot by gangsters. Malone's last-minute regeneration restores Stewart's faith in him. Filmed on location, Boots Malone is a satisfying horse-race drama, though one might expect a little something extra from star William Holden and director William Dieterle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Another of the collaborations between actor James Stewart and director Anthony Mann, Bend of the River casts Stewart as a former outlaw, now working as trail guide for a group of Oregon-bound farmers. He is aided in this endeavor by Arthur Kennedy, a far-from-reformed horse thief. Upon arriving in Portland, Stewart gets in the middle of a scam operated by trader Howard Petrie, who has reneged on his promise to ship goods to the settlers. Unable to take action through legal channels, Stewart and farmer Jay C. Flippen steal the provision and scurry back to the settlement by boat. On their return, they discover that Kennedy has sold out to the crooked Petrie and intends to reclaim the supplies, taking Flippen and his daughter Julie Adams as hostages to ensure safe passage. It's up to Stewart to turn the tables on his former friend and save the day. As in the other Stewart-Mann productions, Jimmy breaks away from his usual easygoing screen persona to play a tough, self-serving rugged individual, whose true motives and loyalties remain in doubt until the very end of the film. Bend of the River was adapted by Borden Chase from Bill Gulick's novel Bend of the Snake. Watch for Stepin Fetchit, Rock Hudson, Royal Dano, and Frances Bavier in minor roles. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The breathtakingly beautiful Technicolor cinematography of Irving Glassberg is but one of the many small pleasures of the big-budget western Backlash. Set in post-Civil War Arizona, the film stars Richard Widmark as Jim Slater, who hopes to prove that his down-and-out father (John McIntire) was not involved in a gold robbery. To prove this, Slater has to find the money, which is also the goal of Karyl Orton (Donna Reed), the supposed widow of one of the thieves. Eventually, Slater discovers that his father is every bit as rotten as the law claims he is, though he can take some comfort in the fact that Karyl is now in love with him. As in his earlier Bad Day at Black Rock, Backlash director John Sturges is more concerned with building tension than with overt displays of wanton violence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Al Goddard, (Alan Ladd) special investigator for the U.S. post office, is assigned to collar two criminals who've murdered a postal detective. Goddard must first locate the only witness to the crime, attractive young nun, Sister Augustine (Phyllis Calvert). Posing as a crook, Goddard gains the confidence of the murderers' boss Earl Boettiger (Paul Stewart), who has worked out a scheme to defraud the post office of one million dollars. Once they've tumbled to the deception, the crooks take Goddard and the nun prisoner, leading to a fight to the finish in a lonely industrial district. Appointment with Danger tends to draw chuckles rather than shivers nowadays, thanks to the casting of future Dragnet co-stars Jack Webb and Harry Morgan as the murderers -- and as icing to the cake, viewers are treated to a scene in which Webb bumps off Morgan! As a whole, the film, the last of Alan Ladd's series of film noir, is uneven and generally unsuccessful. However, it contains some crisp, tough dialogue and some terrific action sequences which make it worthwhile. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on the play by Arthur Miller, All My Sons is a drama of man's duty to man that retains a potent impact. Edward G. Robinson plays a manufacturer of parts for World War II airplanes who lives a full, satisfied life in a small town. But his idyll is shattered by the arrival of the fiancée of the manufacturer's oldest son, who is missing in action. The younger son begins to fall in love with the girl, but her own brother is against the relationship because, he claims, the manufacturer and his partner delivered defective parts to the war effort. The younger son (Burt Lancaster) investigates, even going as far as visit his father's former partner in jail, and discovers the awful truth -- that his father's corrupt actions were responsible for both the partner's incarceration and the deaths of 21 U.S. pilots. The tale ends with a bitter and tragic confrontation that drives home the message that we are all our brother's keepers, and we cannot push aside that responsibility for personal gain. Thoughtful and intense performances by Robinson and Lancaster bring humanity and life to this powerful theme. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi

Former president Ronald Reagan may have genuinely believed that he was referring to a real-life act of selfless wartime bravery whenever repeating his "We'll bring this one down together" anecdote. In fact, he was merely quoting a scene from the above-average World War 2 drama A Wing and a Prayer. The setting is an American aircraft carrier, overseen by tough, unserving flight officer Don Ameche. When casualties begin piling up, the pilots blame Ameche, accusing him of being an indiscriminate butcher. Only when the tide of battle turns in favor of the Allies do the pilots realize that Ameche has been right all along. Director Henry Hathaway spent several weeks aboard an actual aircraft carrier, filming genuine combat scenes. Many of these authentic sequences appear as background footage in A Wing and a Prayer; sometimes the process work is convincing, sometimes it isn't, but please remember that this film was made long, long before the advent of computer technology. Dana Andrews, William Eythe, Richard Jaeckel, Harry Morgan (billed as 'Henry Morgan' here), Richard Crane, Glenn Langan, Reed Hadley and Bob Bailey are among the ready, willing and able Fox contractees appearing in A Wing and a Prayer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi