Aldo Ray Movies
Born Aldo DaRe. A leading man of Hollywood and some European films with a husky frame, thick neck, and raspy voice, he specialized in playing brawny but lovable tough guys. In World War Two he served as a Navy frog-man; later he was briefly the constable of Crockett, California, during the campaign for which he was spotted by Hollywood scouts. Ray debuted onscreen in the small role of a cynical football player in Saturday's Hero (1951), going on to frequently portray American rednecks and military men. His career went downhill rapidly in the '70s -- he made a string of low-budget films as a beefy character actor. His last film was Shock 'Em Dead (1990). Briefly married to actress Jeff Donnell, Ray is the father of actor Eric DaRe, best known as the character Leo in the TV series Twin Peaks. ~ All Movie Guide- 1968
A team of research scientists believe they have discovered a superior intelligence. Jim Tanner (George Hamilton) and his pretty partner Margery Lansing (Susan Pleshette) have discovered the entity through their work on human endurance. The Power is able to control the minds of others, but Jim can't substantiate his suspicions that the force comes from one of the members of the scientific staff. A series of murders has Jim under suspicion by the police, as he tries to uncover the identity of the killer. Yvonne De Carlo, Earl Holliman, and Miss Beverly Hills also star in this sci-fi mystery. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Hamilton, Suzanne Pleshette, (more)
- 1967
Gravel-voiced Aldo Ray stars as Sgt. Cloadec in the Italian-Spanish Suicide Commandos. As you've probably already guessed, the film takes place during World War 2. Cloadec is one of the many Allied guerilla fighters assigned to destroy an enemy airport deep within occupied territory. Pamela Tudor is on hand to do the Lili Palmer bit as a resistance fighter. Based on a novel by Piet Legay, Suicide Commandos was also released in the US as Man Without Mercy (and guess who that man is!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
In this actioner, a group of islanders begin claiming ownership of a load of nitroglycerin that has washed up on their beach. The chemical's owner, anxious for its return, threatens to blow up the island. Unbeknownst to him, an island hero sneaks off the island and head to nearby Hong Kong where he asks an American for help. He agrees and enlists the aid of two martial artists to overcome the evil owner of the explosive. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Palance, Fernando Lamas, (more)
- 1967
In this drama set during the real life riots of the mid-1960s, an LA police sergeant attempts to service the Strip businessmen who object to the hippie youths that hang out, by setting a curfew. Unfortunately, the cop also believes that the kids have a right to be there, until he discovers that his estranged daughter, whom his drunken ex-wife took away from him, has come back to LA and has joined the counter-culture crowd. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Mimsy Farmer, (more)
- 1967
Long before he scored with the epic Ragtime, novelist E.L. Doctorow wrote a minor novel upon which this stark 1967 film is based. It was adapted for the screen by veteran western director Burt Kennedy. In a forlorn town called Hard Times in the Old West, a cowardly mayor, Will Blue (Henry Fonda), does little to protect the citizens from the rampages of a ruthless criminal known as The Man from Bodie (Aldo Ray). The cold-blooded killer gets away with murder -- and then he burns down the town as he leaves. The citizens rebuild, and a newcomer named Zar (Keenan Wynn) injects some life into the desolate place by opening a saloon that attracts a bevy of interesting women, including Molly Riordan (Janice Rule) and Adah (Janice Paige). However, things again look bleak when The Man from Bodie returns to town. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Janice Rule, (more)
James Coburn stars in this comedy-melodrama as Eli Kotch, who uses his charm to obtain a parole from prison by having an affair with a female psychologist. Eli's plan upon getting out of jail is to rob a bank at the L.A. International Airport. The date of the bank robbery coincides with the arrival of the Russian premier, so that bank security will be minimal with the premier attracting most of the airport security forces. Harrison Ford appears in his film debut in the bit part of a bellhop. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Coburn, Camilla Sparv, (more)
- 1966
- Add What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? to QueueAdd What Did You Do in the War, Daddy? to top of Queue
In this service comedy set during World War II, Capt. Cash (Dick Shawn) and Lt. Christian (James Coburn) are given orders to invade a small but strategically important village in Sicily. To their surprise, none of the natives offer the slightest resistance to the Americans taking over their town, who present only one stipulation -- the main event on the town's annual social calendar, a football match followed by a wine festival, is scheduled to happen in a few days. If the Americans would be kind enough to let them have their party, they'll hand over the town without a fight. Cash and Christian think that this plan sounds reasonable enough, and a few days later they and their men are drunkenly whooping it up with the townspeople when both German and U.S. surveillance planes spot the festivities. Thinking the wild party looks more like some sort of battle, both the Germans and Americans make plans to send in troops. Screenwriter William Peter Blatty would enjoy greater success a few years down the line with The Exorcist, a novel about a different sort of conflict. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Coburn, Dick Shawn, (more)
- 1965
Carroll Baker, the Sharon Stone of the sixties, plays another classy-looking blonde with a sordid background in Sylvia. Millionaire Peter Lawford is about to marry the glamorous but secretive Sylvia (Baker). Before taking the plunge, he hires private eye George Maharis to do a background check on the girl. Whew, what he finds out! Apparently the only sin Sylvia doesn't commit is robbing parking meters, but we have no idea what might happen after the final fadeout. Shortly before it opened, Sylvia was the subject of several magazine articles, trumpeting the fact that Carroll Baker had conducted extensive interviews with real-life prostitutes in order to prepare herself for her role. This apparently left her no time to consult an acting coach. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carroll Baker, George Maharis, (more)
- 1964
"The Wild One" is ornery Lafe Jessup (Aldo Ray), a pugnacious horse wrangler who'd sooner pick a fight than eat or sleep. While trying to pummel Hoss Cartwright, Lafe is interrupted by Prudence (Kathryn Hays), the Quaker wife whom he'd deserted a few months back. Prudence announces that Lafe is about to become a father-but in his typical bullheaded fashion, he wants nothing to do with either his wife or his unborn child. First telecast October 4, 1964, "The Wild One" was written by Jo Pagano. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1964
In this crime drama, a bored, but seductive wife of a wealthy old ranch goes cruising for trouble and finds it when she picks up a hapless hitchhiker who soon falls under her sexy spell. Like a fly to a spider's web, he is drawn to her bedroom. Unfortunately, the old rancher sees him leaving and flies into a rage, killing his cheating wife. The crooked county sheriff is delighted by the events as he can now begin blackmailing the rancher. To cover for the crime, he arrests the poor drifter who doesn't even know the woman is dead. In the end, the rancher kills the sheriff and confesses all. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1961
Father Carey (Nigel Patrick) is a priest who must decide whether or not an amnesia victim (Aldo Ray) is responsible for the murder of the alcoholic Irish writer Mulcahy (William Bendix) in this routine thriller. The question posed to Carey is whether or not the murderer acted on the word of God when the writer asked the Almighty to strike him dead. Father Carey comes to believe the killing was masterminded by Johnny's sweetheart Miss Floyd (Yvonne Mitchell). The small Irish village is put under public microscope with the murder and the sensational trial. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nigel Patrick, Yvonne Mitchell, (more)
- 1960
A daring escape from prison whips open this actioner right at the beginning, and though the action continues from that moment onward it does not sustain the same break-neck pace. Matt Kirk (Aldo Ray) is in jail, wrongly accused of a crime, and along with three other inmates he escapes by hiding out in an ambulance. Circumstances then lead Matt and the others to set off in a small boat that ends up drifting toward an island called Pinchgut in Sydney's harbor. As the fugitives hole up on the island, Matt devises a way to call attention to his demand for a retrial that instead calls attention to more police... and a siege of the island begins. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Neil McCallum, (more)
- 1960
The Italian Musketeers of the Sea transports cast and crew to Maracaibo, then barely takes advantage of the attendant scenic wonders before settling into its creaky plot. The story has something to do with locating vast amounts of gold, and the greed and treachery resulting in the race for the valuable ore. If nothing else, the film allows us to see the lengths that faded Hollywood stars of 1960 would take to stay in the limelight. In this instance, the unfortunate lost Tinseltown souls are Robert Alda, Aldo Ray and Pier Angeli. There must have been good solid reasons for all three of these worthies to omit Musketeers of the Sea from their official resumes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
This crime caper based on a legendary robbery stars Aldo Ray as Norgate, the ringleader of the thieves out to steal a bundle from the Bank of England. But it is a young Peter O'Toole as the guard Fitch who steals the show -- two years before Lawrence of Arabia would make him an internationally acclaimed star. The year is 1901 and Norgate is an avid supporter of Irish Home Rule, avid enough to plan this robbery to get the bullion needed to make his independence wishes come true. He gathers together the necessary crew of brains, brawn, and bravado, and the would-be thieves make their way through a sewer system that runs under the bank. What they do not count on is that Fitch may not be quite as dumb as he seems. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Elizabeth Sellars, (more)
Erskine Caldwell's steamy novel God's Little Acre was given a film adaptation in 1958. A heavily grayed-up Robert Ryan plays Ty Ty Walden, the patriarch of a slovenly backwoods family. As Ty Ty digs around his farm in search of gold (which he has yet to find), his son in law Bill Thompson (Aldo Ray) carries on an adulterous affair with the sluttish Griselda (Tina Louise). Comedy relief is provided by the dimwitted Pluto (Buddy Hackett). Others in the cast include future TV stars Jack Lord as Buck Walden and Michael Landon as Ty Ty's albino farmhand. A flop when first released, God's Little Acre made back its cost on the TV rental circuit; today, it is in the public domain, available to everyone, even the "under 18s" who were prohibited from seeing it back in 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1958
Despite an ad campaign wherein RKO Radio congratulated itself for its "guts", this long-delayed film version of Norman Mailer's bestselling WW2 novel The Naked and the Dead still had to pull most of its punches (especially when it came to four-letter words). Aldo Ray heads the cast as sadistic sergeant Croft, who'd as soon kill one of his own men as he would the Japanese. Sensitive, moralistic Lieutenant Hearn (Cliff Robertson) tries to put a leash on Croft, but he's ordered to keep out of the situation by psychotic General Cummings (Raymond Massey), who is convinced that soldiers will fight harder the more they hate their superiors. The film wavers uncomfortably between excessive violence and excessive moralizing, with time out for a few ill-conceived slapstick setpieces (including an outsized barroom brawl) and romantic interludes with such zaftig beauties as stripteaser Lili (Lili St. Cyr) and good-time girl Mildred (Barbara Nichols). In one of his first film appearances, comedian Joey Bishop plays Pvt. Roth, whose reaction to Sgt. Croft's relentless anti-semitism culminates in a spectacular death scene. Distribution of The Naked and the Dead was taken over from the failing RKO Radio operation by Warner Bros., who also changed the name of the film's widescreen process from SuperScope to WarnerScope. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1957
Anthony Mann, best known for his intelligent Westerns and hard-boiled crime films, directed this unflinching look at the realities of war set against the backdrop of the Korean conflict. Lt. Mark Benson (Robert Ryan) is the leader of a platoon that has just been given orders to advance to Hill 465, where they are to join awaiting troops and advance on the territory. While Benson and his men are weary, they have little choice but to comply. Needing a transport for their weapons, Benson and his men commandeer a truck, only to discover that it's not empty -- Sgt. "Montana" Williamette (Aldo Ray) has been ordered to escort a colonel (Robert Keith) suffering from extreme battle fatigue to a field hospital for examination and treatment. While Benson's loyalty is to his troops and his mission, Montana refuses to turn over the truck; the colonel is one of the only men he's been able to rely on during his stretch in the Army, and he is determined to stand by him in his time of need. Either way, the men find themselves frequently confronted by danger, and their numbers are decimated when they're ambushed by enemy troops. The supporting cast includes L.Q. Jones, Nehemiah Persoff, and Vic Morrow, who five years later would confront the dark side of war on a weekly basis as star of the TV series Combat. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1956
Commercial artist James Vanning (Aldo Ray) and his friend, Dr. Edward Gurston (Frank Albertson), are on a hunting and fishing trip in Wyoming when they stop to help two men whose car has crashed. The pair, John (Brian Keith) and Red (Rudy Bond), turn out to be escaped bank robbers, on the run with 350,000 dollars in stolen cash after a clean getaway, and they don't plan on leaving any witnesses -- Gurston is shot dead by Red, using Vanning's hunting rifle, but Vanning survives by accident, knocked cold but alive. He awakens to discover the stolen money, accidentally left behind, and runs with it from the returning killers -- he gets away but loses the bag in the blizzard that hits. He manages to make it to the nearest town, but not before the doctor's body is found, with a bullet in it from Vanning's rifle. Now the prime suspect in the murder, Vanning takes it on the lam, hiding out for months -- unbeknowst to him, however, he's been under observation for most of that time by Ben Fraser (James Gregory), an investigator from the insurance company whose policy covered the bank that was robbed; and has been found by John and Red -- and all of them think that Vanning can lead them to the missing money. But John and Red are perfectly prepared to torture and even maim Vanning to get the money, and they get their chance when he lets his guard down one night to talk to Marie Gardner (Anne Bancroft), a young model he meets in a bar. He manages to get away from his captors after a fierce struggle and makes his way to her place; after convincing her that it's not the police he's running from (which is not entirely true), they take off together, with Fraser and the two hoods only a half-step behind, headed to Wyoming and the spring thaw so he can hunt for the bag and the missing money and prove his innocence. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Brian Keith, (more)
- 1955
Three Stripes in the Sun was based on The Gentle Wolfhound, a New Yorker article written by E. J. Kahn Jr. Set in postwar Japan, the film concerns the activities of three U.S.-occupation soldiers: Sergeant Hugh O'Reilly ( Aldo Ray), the Colonel (Phil Carey) and Corporal Neeby Muhlendorf (Dick York). Though he hates the Japanese with a passion, Sergeant O'Reilly softens as he gets to know the local citizenry. Soon, the hard-bitten sergeant is sneaking food provisions to Japanese children and donating his GI pay towards the building of an orphanage; he also falls in love with lovely interpreter Yuko (Mitsuko Kimura). Meanwhile, the Colonel handles his responsibilities with slick, military precision, while Corporal Muhlendorf spends his time looking for "action." Serving as technical advisor on Three Stripes in the Sun is Master Sergeant Hugh O'Reilly, the real-life model for the Aldo Ray character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Philip Carey, (more)
Adapted by Leon Uris from his own novel, the film follows a group of World War II marines, from Basic Training to Battlefield. Major Van Heflin knows that his men are spoiling for a real fight, but must make do with the desultory skirmishes assigned them by the Brass. All this changes with an onslaught of heavy-duty battling in the South Pacific. Aldo Ray plays a tough leatherneck who falls in love with demure Nancy Olson, while James Whitmore, Tab Hunter, Dorothy Malone and Raymond Massey costar. And watch for young Justus McQueen, cast as private L.Q. Jones; McQueen liked his character name so much that he adopted it as his professional cognomen. Composer Max Steiner's musical score earned him an Oscar nomination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Van Heflin, Aldo Ray, (more)
Samuel and Bella Spewack's English adaptation of French playwright Albert Husson's morbidly humorous stage piece My Three Angels was brought to the screen as the heavily laundered but still wickedly funny We're No Angels. The scene is French Guiana, a few days before Christmas. Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Ray play three Devil's Island "lifers" who escape from the infamous prison and hide out amongst the free colonists. In need of clothing and money, the trio makes plans to rob milliner Leo G. Carroll and his family. "We'll cut their throats for a Christmas present", Bogie, a convicted forger, remarks laconically. "That might spoil one's belief in Santa Claus" replies philosophical wife-murderer Ustinov. The three escapees are deflected from their larcenous intent when they grow fond of Carroll, his wife Joan Bennett and their daughter Gloria Talbott. Discovering that Carroll is on the verge of bankruptcy, the convicts offer their services as household help (the sight of Bogie in an apron is worth the admission price in itself). Complications ensue when Carroll's nasty, wealthy cousin Basil Rathbone comes calling to audit the store's books. Not wishing to see the family evicted, the convicts calmly discuss the possibilities of murdering the troublesome Rathbone. They are saved the trouble when Adolphe, the pet poisonous snake owned by Ray, slithers out of its box and accomplishes what the convicts had only contemplated. Adolphe also helps smooth the path of happiness for Carroll's daughter Gloria, who thinks she's in love with Rathbone's duplicitous nephew John Baer. From all reports, the set of We're No Angels was a happy one, a fact reflected in the warm, engaging performances of its stars. The film represented the final screen collaboration between star Humphrey Bogart and director Michael Curtiz. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1953
This tuneful remake of 1937's The Awful Truth centers on the rocky marriage of a philandering composer and the wife who has her fill and decides to get even by having an "affair" of her own. Actually, hers is quite innocent. Unfortunately, her husband doesn't known this and the couple get a divorce. But somehow, beneath all their anger, the two are still in love and show it by trying to make the other jealous at every opportunity. The wife allows a handsome Alaskan tycoon to court her while the composer uses a pretty young woman. Of course, it doesn't take the pair too long to realize the awful truth and reunite. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Wyman, Ray Milland, (more)
- 1953
Set in New Caledonia (though filmed in Hawaii), Miss Sadie Thompson is a heavily laundered adaptation of Somerset Maugham's Rain, with Rita Hayworth in the title role and José Ferrer as the pious Alfred Davidson. To satisfy the censors, Sadie is no longer a whore but a nightclub entertainer "with a past," while Davidson is not a minister but a lay preacher. The end result, however, is about the same, with Davidson trying to save Sadie's soul, only to lose his own in the process. Aldo Ray co-stars in the beefed-up role of the marine sergeant who harbors a crush for the colorful Miss Thompson. Highlights include Rita Hayworth's rendition of the musical numbers "The Heat is On" (later parodied by Muriel Landers in the 1957 Three Stooges comedy Sweet and Hot), "Blue Pacific Blues," and ""Hear No Evil, Seek No Evil."" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rita Hayworth, José Ferrer, (more)
A master blend of comedy, domestic drama and sudden tragedy, The Marrying Kind remains one of the best collaborations between star Judy Holliday, screenwriters Garson Kanin and Ruth Gordon, and director George Cukor. The film begins at the end, with married couple Florence and Chet Keefer (Judy Holliday and Aldo Ray) seeking a divorce. Both parties state their cases before understanding judge Carroll (Madge Kennedy)--whereupon the story of their marriage unfolds in a series of revelatory flashbacks. After an amusing recap of their courtship days, the film details the many major and minor trials and tribulations of married life. In the film's most unforgettable sequence, one of the couple's children dies by drowning while Florence and Chet are obliviously engaged in one of their petty squabbles. Throughout the testimony, the Judge gives equal time to both parties, and in so doing demonstrates that all aspects of marriage work both ways. In the final scenes, the Judge allows the Keefers to reconsider their impending divorce, but not before offering a few understanding and unobtrusive words of advice. Judy Holliday is in top form, while Aldo Ray delivers what may be his finest performance. Featured in the cast as Ray's sister-in-law is Peggy Cass in her film debut. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Holliday, Aldo Ray, (more)
Pat (Katharine Hepburn), a college phys-ed instructor, enters into professional competition as a golf and tennis player. Mike (Spencer Tracy), a likeable but unscrupulous sports promoter, first attempts to bribe Pat to lose, but later becomes her manager. Pat performs brilliantly until her insufferable fiance Collier West (William Ching) shows up; West always manages to make Pat so nervous that she can't win to save her life. At long last, West walks out, having found Pat in a compromising situation with Mike. Though she'd previously kept her distance from Mike, Pat suddenly realizes that she's fallen in love with him and--after a few crooked gamblers are disposed of--Pat and Mike become partners on a permanent basis. Pat & Mike reunited Tracy and Hepburn with their favorite director, George Cukor, and their favorite scenarists, Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin. Watch for real-life golf and tennis champs Gussie Moran, Babe Didrickson Zaharias, Don Budge, Alice Marble, Frank Parker, Betty Hicks, Helen Dettweilerand Beverly Hanson as "themselves" -- and also keep an eye out for ex-ballplayer Chuck Connors, making his acting debut as a highway patrolman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, (more)
