Paula Raymond Movies

Dracula carries on his blood-drinking tradition in modern-day California, joined by his bride in a castle into which an unsuspecting couple have just moved. (Talk about incompatible roomies!) The Count and Countess (Alex D'Arcy & Paula Raymond) abduct a smorgasbord of cuties in miniskirts and go-go boots and chain them up in the castle dungeon for later consumption. John Carradine loiters about this Al Adamson non-masterpiece on his way to an easy paycheck, though he does not actually assay the role of Dracula, playing instead a small part as the Count's butler. Unbelievably, the cinematography on this ultra-cheapie is credited to acclaimed DP Laszlo Kovacs. Well-photographed by Laszlo Kovacs, the film is still notoriously dreadful and includes far too much stock footage of Sea World along with the usual deadly Adamson pacing. Some versions feature additional violent footage involving a rampaging werewolf. Trivia buffs will note that Paula Raymond's role as the Countess was originally intended for Jayne Mansfield. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

The police are convinced that photographer Jacob Kadar (Eric Feldy) committed suicide. But model Judith Blair (Margo Moore) tells her lawyer Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) that she was present at Kadar's murder--and that she was pointing a loading gun at him at the time! Though Judith insists that she didn't pull the trigger, Perry is in a quandary: Should he go to the police with this information, or remain silent to prevent Judith from facing a murder charge that will be mighty hard to beat? Featured in the cast is the late Karen Kupcinet, daughter of Chicago columnist Irv Kupcinet, who ironically was the victim of a real-life murder that occurred two months before "The Case of the Capering Camera" originally aired--and which was never solved. This episode also marks the final appearance of Ray Collins as Lt. Tragg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Scientist Alex March (John Agar) is working on developing what he hopes will be a new, non-lethal form of nerve gas -- but following an accident in his lab, he discovers that not only is the gas deadly, but also that it has invaded his entire body, and his touch is instantly fatal to any other living thing. He also realizes that the only thing keeping him alive is the partial immunity that he has developed over the course of months of work, which will soon wear off. He goes into hiding in his employer's home, hoping that a cure can be found, but he's already begun to go mad, tormented by the deaths he's caused and the mounting pain as the gas begins to affect him. Finally, the gas transforms him into a scaly, misshapen creature (vaguely resembling the Lizard from Marvel Comics, who was also, interestingly, a stricken research chemist). He goes on a rampage through suburban Los Angeles while the police hunt for him, and his fiancée (Paula Raymond) desperately hopes that he'll come to his senses long enough to surrender and allow himself to be confined to a hospital. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

In this sequel to the first-season episode "Noise of Death", Henry Silva returns as drug kingpin Little Charlie Sebastino. After a little girl dies from an overdose, Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) persuades the Chicago media to bear down on the city's illegal heroin traffic. Withering in the glare of publicity, the higher-ups in the Mob shut down Little Charlie's operation--leading to a bloody chain reaction of betrayal and revenge. The episode's stellar supporting cast includes Eduardo Cianelli and Will Kuluva as fraternal mob kingpins, Paula Raymond as Kuluva's two-timing wife, and Conrad Janis, miles removed from his mild-mannered portrayal of Pam Dawber's father on Mork and Mindy, as a dope-addicted jazz drummer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bart (Jack Garner) offers a helping hand to farmer Henry Albright (John Qualen), who wants to start a gold mining company. Briefly putting his gambling activities on the back burner, Bart goes into the stockbroking business, issuing certificates for Albright's mine in a frontier "Chinatown" district. As usual, however, things go awry for Mr. Maverick, and before long the only thing he is brokering is a heap of trouble. The great Asian character actor Richard Loo plays a key role in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Hired by elderly Cynthia Parker (Eleanor Audley), Paladin heads to Cedar Wells to rout out the town's resident "bad guy" Amos Saint (Don O'Kelly) and his gang. Paladin is also supposed to persuade Cynthia's timid nephew, schoolteacher Laredo Perkins (William Joyce, to return to the East. But Laredo is anxious to impress his girl friend Ruth (played by Leave It to Beaver's beloved "Miss Landers", Sue Randall), and he begs Paladin to teach him how to handle a gun--at least long enough to take on the Saint gang himself! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Skeptical about paranormal phenomena, Arthur Douglas (Lin McCarthy) hypnotizes a woman named Ellen Larrabee (Jocelyn Brando), who claims to have experienced psychic visions. Awakening from her hypnosis, Ellen warns Douglas that he will soon be involved in a horrendous train wreck. Even so, Arthur has trouble believing Ellen's prognostications. . .until. . . Some sources have incorrectly identified this episode as "The Vision", which was telecast seven weeks later on One Step Beyond. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perennial loser Larry Benton (Wynn Pearce) is convinced that he has killed a guy named Mike during a poker-game argument. Actually, Larry is the victim of a blackmail scam, perpetrated by a shady customer named Johnny Clay. After Larry forges his brother Steve's name on a check to Johnny, the blackmailer is murdered, whereupon Steve (Dick Foran) tries to cover for his ne'er-do-well sibling. In his efforts to save Steve from the gas chamber, Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) must prove that the "late" Mike is still alive--if indeed he IS still alive! This episode is based on a short story by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Roundly panned when it was first released, this CinemaScope film version of Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman can now be enjoyed on a "high camp" level. George Sanders plays King Richard the Lionhearted, while his arch-foe Saladin is over-acted by Rex Harrison. One of Richard's objectives during the Crusades is to reclaim the Holy Grail from Saladin's Mohammedan hordes. On the home front, Richard must contend with a group of conspirators dedicated to toppling him from his throne. In the middle of all this is the fictional Lady Edith,a British noblewoman played by Virginia Mayo in a manner that can best be described as overbaked. It is Ms. Mayo who delivers the film's classic line "Oh, fight, fight, fight! That's all you ever think of, Dickie Plantagenet!" In his American film debut, Laurence Harvey is as hammy as the rest of the cast as Sir Kenneth, Richard's right-hand man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A longtime "dream" project of production designer-turned-director Eugene Lourie, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms sees the titular beast unleashed on the world via nuclear testing. Making its way from the Arctic Circle, the monster-a carnivorous "rhedosaurus"-begins advancing towards New York. It stomps its way around Wall Street, pausing to have a policeman for lunch. By the time it has reached Coney Island, the rhedosaurus is more of a danger than ever because of the deadly bacteria it carries within its system. It's up to researcher Paul Christian and sharpshooter Lee Van Cleef to try to liquidate the beast with a grenade chock full of radioactive isotopes. Beast From 20,000 Fathoms represented effects artist Ray Harryhausen's first solo effort, after assisting Willis O'Brien on Mighty Joe Young (1949). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This anthology film tells three stories of love involving the passengers of an ocean liner at sea. In the first, "The Jealous Lover," James Mason plays Charles Coudray, a well-known ballet director. When someone asks Coudray why he staged his masterpiece, "Astarte," only once, he tells the story of Paula Woodward (Moira Shearer), a superb dancer he found practicing in his theater. He was awestruck by her technique and her beauty, but he discovered that she had a secret -- due to a cardiac condition, she has been forbidden to dance too strenuously, as it could tax her heart and eventually kill her. Charles urges Paula to perform for him, so he may use her movements to choreograph his next great work; she agrees, but the exertion proves too much for her and she dies. He arranges for the work she inspired to be performed only once, in hopes that she will somehow see it from on high. In the second segment, "Mademoiselle," Tommy (Ricky Nelson) is a 12-year-old boy travelling with his French governess and tutor (Leslie Caron); she's tired of spending her days watching over a child, and he'd like to get away from Teacher for a while. Mrs. Pennicott (Ethel Barrymore), a older woman who happens to be a witch, hears Tommy wishing he could be a grown-up, and she grants his request: suddenly Tommy is a grown man (played by Farley Granger), but only for the next four hours. The Governess meets the mysterious stranger Tommy has become, and soon they fall in love. In the final segment, "Equilibrium," Kirk Douglas plays Pierre Narval, a high-wire artist who retired from performing after his partner died while performing a trapeze act, an accident Pierre blames on himself. He begins to reconsider his decision when he saves the life of Nina (Pier Angeli), a woman who attempted to drown herself; her husband died in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II, and she feels she is to blame for his death. Their shared fatalism equals fearlessness in Pierre's eyes, and he teaches Nina the art of the trapeze; however, when he begins to fall in love with her, he's no longer so certain that he wants her to risk her life. "The Jealous Lover" and "Equilibrium" were directed by Gottfried Reinhardt, while "Mademoiselle" was directed by Vincente Minnelli. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

MGM's new musical screen team of Esther Williams and Howard Keel were given plenty to do in the pleasant if unambitious songfest Texas Carnival. Williams plays Debbie Telford, one-half of a carnival performing team. The other half is Corny Quinnell (Red Skelton), who breaks up the act when he is mistaken for Texas millionaire Dan Sabinas (Keenan Wynn). Living high on the hog in Sabinas' absence, Corny manages to smooth the romantic path for Debbie and ranch foreman Slim Shelby (Keel), while he dallies with the luscious Sunshine Jackson (Ann Miller). Red Skelton is given more opportunity to shine than usual, especially during a riotous poker game (this scene was a particular favorite of screenwriter Dorothy Kingsley, who felt it could have been even funnier had director Charles Walters "punched it up" cinematically). Esther Williams' particular highlight is a swimming sequence in a waterless hotel room, a bit of special-effects wizardry that only the MGM tech staff could have dreamed up. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide