Bruce Bennett Movies
When Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs set about to produce his own talking pictures based on his jungle-man creation, he decided to emulate the example of the MGM Tarzan pictures, which starred Olympic champion Johnny Weissmuller. Using the 1932 Olympics as his talent pool, Burroughs selected shot-put champ Herman Brix, who'd already played a few bits in such films as Student Tour (1934) and Death on the Diamond (1934). Brix was quickly dispatched to Guatemala to film the 12-chapter serial The New Adventures of Tarzan (1935). This low-budget endeavor brought Brix to the attention of independent producer Sam Katzman, who cast the gangly young athlete in a succession of action pictures and serials. In 1937, Brix took some time off to learn the rudiments of acting, then re-emerged on screen in 1938 with a new name: Bruce Bennett. Under contract to Columbia from 1938 through 1943, Bennett showed up in roles of all sizes in films of all kinds, ranging from George Stevens' big-budgeter Talk of the Town (1942) to such 3 Stooges shorts as How High Is Up? (1940) and So Long Mr. Chumps (1941). His parts increased in size and importance when he moved to Warner Bros. in 1945; here he was assigned such choice roles as Joan Crawford's ex-husband in Mildred Pierce (1945) and the lone prospector who is killed off in the middle of Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). A ubiquitous second lead and character actor throughout the 1950s, Bruce Bennett left films in the early 1960s to make a bundle in real estate, briefly returning before the cameras in 1972. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1990
A tribute to Hollywood's Tarzan as played by Johnny Weismuller, Gordon Scott and Ron Ely as well as all the of the accompanying Janes and chimps. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1977
Freddie Wilmot served as producer of the 110 minute musicale Hard Time 77. If you're a fan of Reggae, don't pass this one up. Assembled in this video are some of the better practioners of this singular form of entertainment. Among those present are Michael Spanner, Charles Hyatt, Peter Packer, Buddy Poohyatt and Alma Mokyen. The stars of Hard Time 77 may not all be "A List" Reggae artists, but they're all polished performers and surefire audience pleasers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- PG
A scientist (Michael Greene) discovers a plot whereby one of his co-workers (Stanley Adams) has been cloning the minds of geniuses in a nefarious attempt to control the world. With the help of a clone-chaser (Gregory Sierra), the scientist has a slim chance of saving the planet. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- 1972
One of Terrence Malick's early screenwriting efforts, this loosely-structured road movie finds a questionably sane long-distance trucker named Cooper (Alan Arkin) winding his way through the heart of America. An employee of a questionable hauling outfit who has been assigned to drive a newly hijacked rig to an as-of-yet undisclosed-location, Cooper quickly ditches his partner and points his eighteen-wheeler westward. Picking-up a hitchhiker (Paul Benedict) for some company in the cab, the unstable trucker's journey westward grows increasingly surreal as he runs into numerous eccentric characters, portrayed in cameo roles by such noted names as Ida Lupino, George Raft, Charles Durning, Loretta Swit, Richard Kiel and future director John Milius. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Arkin, Paul Benedict, (more)
- 1970
In this touching drama a disparate group of people rally together to save a dog that has fallen into a deep well. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In this adventure re-edited from the 1938 serial Hawk of the Wilderness, a savage white man (Bruce Bennett) rescues a band of shipwreck survivors. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Paul Drake (William Hopper) is hired to investigate when an unusually high number of heart attacks threaten to bankrupt the Safeline Insurance Company--an assignment that proves more hazardous than it first appeared to be. In his efforts to help Paul prove that some of the claims are fraudlent, Perry (Raymond Burr) forces ex-boxer Jack B. David (Hal Baylor) to reveal that he isn't a helpless invalid. When David ends up dead, Perry may well be facing a manslaughter charge! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
The unexpected arrival of notorious "coward" Jason McCord (Chuck Connors) in a small town proves to be both surprising and embarrassing for a young ne'er-do-well named Tuck Fraser (Larry Pennell). Thanks to a series of incredible circumstances, Tuck is being lauded by the local populace as the man who has finally killed the much-hated McCord. Now that Jason has turned up very much alive, Tuck is forced to desperate measures to retain his undeserved reputation. This is the first of several Branded episodes directed by Larry Peerce, whose later film credits include Goodbye, Columbus and Two-Minute Warning. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Reba Burgess (Audrey Totter) has managed to keep her late husband's mining company alive by securing big bank loans, using a shoebox full of uncut diamonds as collateral. All this may come to an end when Carl Bascom (Jeff Corey) appears out of nowhere, claiming to have a written agreement that gives him half of the mine. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) enters the scene when Bascom is killed with a weapon owned by Reba. This episode is topheavy with familiar character actors in the supporting cast, including Elisha Cook Jr. (The Maltese Falcon), Bruce Bennett (Treasure of the Sierra Madre), Ben Johnson (The Last Picture Show) and Roy Barcroft (who showed up in virtually every Republic serial and western ever made!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this actioner, a drug dealing "baron" functions as a dictator on the Caribbean island from which he runs his narcotics and gun-smuggling ring. All that power and wealth has made the baron lonely so he assigns his chief gun-runner to fetch him a comely white woman for his entertainment. The gun-runner brings him a nightclub singer. As soon as she realizes what the baron does for a living, the singer tries to leave the island with his lieutenant. The two are in love and together try to bring their boss's empire to ruin. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
This is an uneven melodrama on the tragic life of Pima Indian Ira Hayes, one of the men who raised the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima. The story picks up with Hayes (Tony Curtis) leaving his reservation in Arizona to join the Marines, enter boot camp, and start to adapt to the life of a Marine. Hayes becomes good friends with Sorenson (James Franciscus), and it is this friendship that sustains him in a white man's world. But as time goes by and the moment immortalized on Iwo Jima ends, Hayes goes into a decline, being unconvinced there was any heroism involved in his actions during the war and never being able to adjust to civilian life. At this point in time, no one recognized the afflictions common to all soldiers after long years in battle, and the death of Sorenson is blamed for Hayes' downfall. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, James Franciscus, (more)
- 1961
Perry (Raymond Burr) is summoned to Manzan Valley to settle a bitter land dispute. His client is Judy Bryant (Sarah Marshall), who claims the the boundary on her property was illegally changed when the river was rerouted. Judy's key witness is her no-good stepfather Amos (Robert Lowery), who agrees to testify on her behalf--but only if she ponies up $10,000. Soon afterward, Amos is blown to bits by a homemade bomb, and Judy finds herself facing a murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Once again, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) is called upon to defend an old war buddy on a murder charge. This time around, his client is Major Jerry Reynolds (Robert Rockwell), who is also the target of an investigation at Vandenberg Air Force Base concerning the mysterious crashes of several guided missiles. The murder victim was Captain Caldwell (Simon Oakland), who as chief investigator seemed to have a personal vendetta against Maj. Reynolds. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A confused horror yarn set in the Deep South, Alligator People stars Richard Crane as a husband who becomes accidently separated from his new wife (Beverly Garland) during a train ride. She tracks him down to the swamplands surrounding his family mansion. Her reunion with her husband is tarnished by the fact that he's been partially transformed into an alligator! This is the handiwork of doctor George MacReady, who's been conducting curious experiments with gators and humans. Garland must figure out a way to save her mutated husband from both the scientist and a drunken alligator hunter (Lon Chaney Jr.). The story is told in flashback, as psychiatrists try to figure out what has driven Garland insane. The Alligator People was the last film directed by Roy Del Ruth, light years away from his glory days at Warner Bros. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beverly Garland, George Macready, (more)
The Cosmic Man is a moralistic sci-fi tale that does not quite live up to the pretensions of its title. Everything starts when a strange sphere settles down in a California canyon, causing both the scientific and military communities to gather around in an instant. The object appears to have one figure inside but no clear way of penetrating the sphere. As the military brass argue for a destructive course of action, scientist Karl Sorensen (Bruce Bennett) defends the sphere and its passenger, advocating a reasoned approach to the enigma. In the meantime, a ghostly entity wanders around town and a man nearly hidden underneath heavy clothing checks into the lodge where the antagonistic investigators are staying. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Bennett, John Carradine, (more)
- 1958
Although the trial of young Theodore Balfour (Tyler MacDuff), who was accused of killing his father Lawrence (Bruce Bennett), had ended in a hung jury, Theodore's lawyer had advised him to plead to the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. Outraged that Theodore seems to have been railroaded into prison, his grandfather Addison (Richard Hale) asks Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) to reopen the case, clear the boy, and expose the real killer. This episode is based on a 1957 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this western a half-Sioux cavalry officer tries to mediate between settlers and the angry Sioux. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Set in the American West after the Civil War, this drama is the pull-no-punches story of a lethal family feud. Colt Saunders (Charlton Heston) fought for the Confederacy in the war, and he returns to his family's Texas cattle ranch after impulsively marrying Lorna Hunter (Anne Baxter) following a very short courtship. During the war, Mexican foreman Innocencio (Gilbert Roland) and his sons have run the ranch. Colt's one-armed brother, Cinch (Tom Tryon), who hasn't been much of a help, wants Colt to give him money for his part of the land. When Colt refuses to give him gold in exchange for his share of the inheritance, Cinch launches a scheme to sell the place to a wealthy Northerner. Colt chafes at the notion of selling to a former enemy. Lorna gets pregnant with their first child, and Colt then discovers that she once worked as a prostitute. Soon after, a plot to kill Colt is unleashed. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter, (more)
- 1956
Two brothers face their personal demons in this crime melodrama. Donald Martin (Van Johnson) is an alcoholic criminal who has escaped from prison and needs help crossing the Mexican border to freedom. Desperate, he arrives at the ranch of his lawyer brother Martin (Joseph Cotten). Martin has little respect for his brother and would prefer his neighbors not know he's housing a fugitive, so he tries to convince people that Donald is actually someone else. Donald is crushed by his brother's shame and rejection, and, after a drinking binge, he decides that he should try to make the journey into Mexico on his own. Martin's wife Nora (Ruth Roman), who has her own issues with Martin, convinces him to put his differences aside and help Donald however he can. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, Joseph Cotten, (more)
Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer was lensed in the Trucolor process. Brice Bennett plays the titular 18th century frontiersman, carving out a home for himself, his family and his fellow settlers in the wilds of Kentucky. The climax finds Boone and company defending Fort Boonesborough from a Shawnee Indian attack, fomented by unhinged renegade Simon Girty (Kem Dibbs). Lon Chaney does the strong-and-silent bit as Shawnee chief Blackfish. Daniel Boone, Trail Blazer was filmed in its entirety in Mexico. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Bennett, Lon Chaney, Jr., (more)
Elvis Presley made his motion picture debut in the Civil War drama Love Me Tender. Elvis, however, is not the star of the proceedings: that honor goes jointly to Richard Egan and Debra Paget. The story concerns three brothers--Egan, William Campbell and James Drury--who steal a Union payroll on behalf of the Confederacy, only to discover that the war is over and that they're now technically outlaws. Rather than return the money, the brothers divvy it up amongst themselves. Upon returning home, Egan discovers that his sweetheart (Debra Paget) has married Elvis, his youngest brother. Since Love Me Tender has been played incessantly on TV since the early 1960s, it is giving away nothing to reveal that the film is one of two in which Elvis Presley's character dies at the end. Naturally, Elvis is afforded plenty of opportunities to sing: the scene in which he launches into an anachronistic hip-swivelling performance at a county fair is one of the high points of mid-1950s kitsch. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Egan, Debra Paget, (more)
- 1956
In this western, three gringos deposit their loot in a Mexican bank and set up homes in a tiny village where they hope to live long, peaceful lives. Unfortunately other banditos rob their bank, forcing them to ride out after them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Hidden Guns is not so much a western as a suspense melodrama. Bruce Bennett plays Stragg, a mean-spirited cardsharp with friends in high places. Though he has ordered the killing of a rival, Stragg is able to escape prosecution by greasing a few local palms. It is up to heretofore ineffectual sheriff Young (Richard Arlen) to bring justice to his corrupt community. Aiding Young is his callow son Faron (Faron Young), who likewise is considered too wishy-washy to be effective--at least until the slam-bang climax. John Carradine steals the show as Stragg's saturnine hired gun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Bennett, Richard Arlen, (more)
- 1955
A TV telethon is the "gimmick" in Allied Artists' The Big Tipoff. Richard Conte plays two-bit newspaper columnist Johnny Denton, who gains notoreity by printing tips on upcoming gangland activities. Denton heightens his fame by refusing to reveal the source of his information; the audience knows, however, that Denton's tip-off man is crime kingpin Bob Gilmore (Bruce Bennett), who is in the process of staging a phony telethon to scam the public. This plot element is mainly an excuse to offer a series of unrelated variety acts featuring such LA TV personalities as Spade Cooley, April Stevens, Chuy Reyes, and Ginny Jackson. The two male protagonists are given a chance for redemption through the auspices of Sister Joan (Cathy Downs), but an apparent murder muddies the proceedings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Conte, Constance Smith, (more)
- 1955
Inspired in part by the true story of baseball great Ted Williams, who after serving in World War II was drafted to serve in the Korean War just as his baseball career was taking off, Strategic Air Command stars James Stewart as "Dutch" Holland, a star third baseman with the St. Louis Cardinals. "Dutch" served with distinction as a fighter pilot during World War II, and as the Air Force adds new B-36 and B-47 jets to their arsenal, they need experienced men to fly these new weapons in our atomic deterrent force, and Holland is called back to duty. He's not terribly happy about this development: he loves baseball, his team is doing well, and his wife Sally (June Allyson) is expecting a baby. But you can't fight Uncle Sam, and Holland becomes a reluctant but proud member of the S.A.C., where he and his fellow pilots man the jets that will be our first line of defense should the cold war turn hot. While Strategic Air Command's story hasn't dated well (and for a military drama, there's surprisingly little action), James Stewart and June Allyson make the most of their material, and the aerial footage remains impressive. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Stewart, June Allyson, (more)
