Jason Robards, Sr. Movies
He studied theater at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. After establishing himself prominently on the American stage, he began appearing in silents beginning with The Gilded Lily (1921). He appeared in more than 100 films, the last of which was the Elvis Presley vehicle Wild in the Country (1961). He starred in a number of silents, often as a clean-living rural hero; in the sound era he began playing character roles, almost always as an arch villain. Due to a serious eye infection, he was absent from the big screen in the '50s. He was the father of actor Jason Robards, with whom he appeared on Broadway in 1958 in The Disenchanted. ~ All Movie Guide
Rock 'n roll king Elvis Presley stars as Glenn Talbot, a country boy with a problem temper and a yen for literary greatness in this typical Presley vehicle directed by Philip Dunne. After Glenn is sent packing by his father for mixing it up one too many times with his brother, the court makes him a ward of his uncle. His inner turmoil leads him into therapy with the older and very attractive Irene (Hope Lange), a patient-doctor relationship that is misconstrued by their small town. The two spend a platonic night in the same room in a motel, but no one is believing it was innocent. Glenn's romantic interests include Noreen (Tuesday Weld), with whom he shares a drink or two or more, and a song, and Betty Lee (Millie Perkins). Between the singing and carousing and fist fights, it still looks like a happy resolution looms large on the horizon. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, (more)
- 1961
Eagerly looking forward to a father and son kite-flying contest, Beaver (Jerry Mathers) and Ward (Hugh Beaumont) take great pains to build the most beautiful kite either one of them has ever seen. But the glue is not quite dry, and Ward admonishes Beaver not to fly the kite for a few days. Alas, Gilbert (Stephen Talbot) goads Beaver into a "test flight" somewhat ahead of schedule -- and sure enough, the kite breaks into a million pieces. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Keith Taylor, Richard Correll, (more)
In the vein of Spellbound and Rebecca comes this 1951 film noir from director James V. Kern. Robert Young stars as Jeff Cohalan, a successful architect who is tormented by the fact that his fiancée was killed in a mysterious car accident on the night before their wedding. Blaming himself for her death, Colahan spends his time alone, lamenting in the cliff-top home he'd designed for his bride-to-be. To make matters worse, ever since the accident, Colahan seems to be followed by bad luck. His horse and dog turn up dead without explanation, leading him to wonder if he has been cursed. Enter Ellen Foster (Betsy Drake), an independent and intelligent insurance investigator who just might be able to help Colahan figure out who or what's behind all of his misfortune. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Betsy Drake, (more)
- 1950
Despite its title, Western Pacific Agent is a contemporary crime melodrama. Kent Taylor stars as a railroad detective, assigned to track down an elusive robber-murderer. The audience knows from the outset who the culprit is (hotheaded Mickey Knox, who delivers an astonishingly vicious performance), but the plot requires the detective to methodically piece together the evidence before making his final move. Helping him solve the crime is the sister (Sheila Ryan) of a slain paymaster (Robert Lowery). The whole story is narrated in flashback by an uncredited Jason Robards Sr. One of the most brutal films of its era, Western Pacific Agent spares the audience nothing: at one point, the villain beats up his own father! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Knox, Sheila Ryan, (more)
- 1950
Charles Starrett once more rights wrongs as "The Durango Kid" in Horsemen of the Sierras. The story revolves around Robin Grant (Tommy Ivo), a young boy who's inherited a valuable range. Certain evil interests do their best to kill off Robin and claim the land for themselves. U.S. marshall Steve Saunders (Starrett) comes to the boy's rescue--and when Steve can't rely on the Law to back him up, he dons the guise of the masked Durango Kid. An uncredited Jock Mahoney performs some of Starrett's more dangerous stunts. Comedy relief Smiley Burnette is more obstreperous than usual, especially when he lets the bad guys slip right through his fingers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1949
Warren Douglas is Post Office Investigator Bill Mannerson in this diligent Republic programmer. Top billing, however, is awarded to Audrey Long as villainess Clara Kelso. The "maguffin" is a collection of rare stamps, which the baddies attempt to steal from stalwart Mr. Mannerson. Aiding and abetting the hero is his spirited fiancee April Shaughnessy (Jeff Donnell). The film's most interesting performances are rendered by Marcel Journet as a cosmopolitan criminal mastermind and former boxer Richard Benedict as Journet's deaf-mute henchman. Originally clocking in at 60 minutes, Post Office Investigator seems to be brisker and more entertaining in the 48-minute version prepared for television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audrey Long, Warren Douglas, (more)
Gene Autry's second 1949 release for Columbia was Riders of the Whistling Pines. As was customary for Autry, the title refers to one of the songs heard in the film, rather than the plotline at hand. The villains busy themselves destroying all the timber in a government forest preserve. When Autry steps in to stop the bad guys, they cook up a frame by accusing him of poisoning cattle. Jimmy Lloyd co-stars as an aviator who figures prominently in the action-packed finale. Autry's leading lady this time out is Patricia White, who later gained prominence on TV as Patricia Barry. At 72 minutes, Riders of the Whistling Pines was one of the longest of Autry's Columbia efforts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Patricia White, (more)
- 1949
Bargain-budget Screen Guild Productions was in the process of metamorphosing into Lippert Studios when Rimfire was filmed in 1949. This "government vs. gold thieves" affair has all of the virtues of the eager-to-please Lippert production team and none of the shortcomings of the pinchpenny Screen Guild operation. James Millican heads the cast as a special agent tracking down a lost shipment of Army gold. This leads him to a superstition-laden village where the townsfolk are convinced that the ghost of a hanged gambler is wreaking all sorts of havoc. It doesn't take Millican long to get to the bottom of the occult activity-and to locate the gold robbers in the process. With bigger star names, Rimfire might have secured better bookings; still, it did respectable business under the circumstances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Millican, Mary Beth Hughes, (more)
Though he doesn't know it at first, industrialist Walter Williams (Brian Donlevy) shouldn't trust his wife Irene (Helen Walker) any farther than he can throw her. Irene schemes with her lover Jim Torrance (Tony Barrett) to kill Walter in an "accidental" car crash. The plan fails, and it is Jim who is killed. When it develops that he is assumed to have also died in the accident, Walter changes his name and heads to a small town where no one knows him. Here he starts life all over again as a humble garage mechanic, falling in love with his boss Marsha Peters (Ella Raines) in the process. Disaster looms when detective Quincy (Charles Coburn) comes sniffing around; it seems that Lt. Quincy suspects the incognito Williams of murdering Torrance. To reveal any more would be giving the game away. Impact co-stars longtime favorite Anna May Wong, making her first screen appearance since 1942. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, (more)
- 1949
Country-western favorite Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys star in the Columbia musical western Smoky Mountain Melody. Not much happens plotwise: Acuff, playing "himself," is a tenderfoot who somehow manages to come out on top when he heads westward. The villains (who aren't all that villainous) try to promote a phony stock deal, but Roy and his pals foils their plans. The comedy honors go to Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as a blowhard sheriff. Smoky Mountain Melody was scripted by Barry Shipman, the son of pioneering female filmmaker Nell Shipman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roy Acuff, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, (more)
- 1949
Someone is unhappy with Steve Downey taking over his murdered brother-in-law's gold mine -- the Tavishes, for example, brothers Scotty and Tommy (Lee Roberts and Richard Emory) and their sister Molly (Gail Davis), who blame runoff from the mine for poisoning their cattle. When Tommy is killed, Scotty points the finger at Steve (Charles Starrett), who is promptly arrested by Sheriff (Smiley Burnette). Smiley's innocence allows Steve a free reign, however, and the hero is able to don his usual disguise as the Durango Kid, defender of all that is right and decent. Smiley Burnette performs his own inimitable "When You Go" and "The Ever-Lovin' Marshal" while country-swing artist Tommy Duncan takes care of "Saturday Night in San Antone" and a very unusual version of "Rock-a-Bye Baby." ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1949
Dauntless Navy intelligence officer Richard Travis is dispatched to the Frozen North to smash a spy ring. By a fortuitous circumstance, Travis is the exact lookalike of a recently deceased enemy agent. This plot contrivance is given surface credibility by the film's semi-documentary style. Onetime child actress Helen Westcott is second-billed in a cast busting to the seams with familiar faces, ranging from saturnine James Griffith to dignified Jason Robards Sr. Alaska Patrol was released by Film Classics, a reissue firm of the late 1940s that dabbled in production from time to time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Travis, Helen Westcott, (more)
- 1948
- NR
The success of 1947's Badman's Territory prompted RKO Radio to assemble another "outlaw rally," Return of the Badmen. Randolph Scott plays US marshal Vance, assigned to rid the Oklahoma Territory of outlaws. This proves to be quite a challenge, inasmuch as virtually every frontier bad guy has converged upon the territory. Led by the surly Sundance Kid (Robert Ryan), the rogue's gallery includes the Younger Brothers (Steve Brodie, Richard Powers, Robert Bray), the Daltons (Lex Barker, Walter Reed, Michael Harvey) and Billy the Kid (Dean White). For all the formidable villainy, the film's most fascinating conflict develops between the two heroines: feisty Cheyenne (Anne Jeffreys) and prim 'n' proper Madge Allen (Jacqueline White). Return of the Badmen posted a huge profit, spawning yet another "all-star" western from RKO, 1951's Best of the Badmen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Armstrong, Walter S. Baldwin, (more)
- 1948
Filmed at majestic Lone Pine, CA, this fine B-Western features Tim Holt and sidekick Richard Martin helping an elderly miner, Jason Robards Sr., with an obstinate wagon-wheel. But the two friends become instant suspects when the miner is found murdered for the map to his claim. Although she is attracted to Tim, even the dead man's pretty niece (Nan Leslie) believes in his guilt. But by using a bit of subterfuge, Holt and Martin break out of jail and are soon able to unmask the real culprits. It should come as no surprise that Holt and leading lady Nan Leslie look comfortable together; Guns of Hate was the third of six Westerns they would make together. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Nan Leslie, (more)
- 1948
Western Heritage was Tim Holt's first western vehicle for the 1947-48 season, discounting his previous appearances in RKO Radio's "Zane Grey" series. Together with his new saddle pal Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin), Holt mediates a feud between ranchers and land barons. The villains use a forged land grant as an excuse to plunder and pillage, but our hero puts a stop to all that. Nan Leslie makes her third co-starring appearance opposite Tim Holt, while former RKO cowboy star Richard Powers (aka Tom Keene) shows up as one of the bad guys. Also featured in the cast as a saloon singer is Lois Andrews, the highly publicized "child bride" of comedian Georgie Jessel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Nan Leslie, (more)
- 1948
In this dark crime drama, the trouble begins when a San Francisco bookie attempts to lead an honest life by marrying a comely widow. In preparation for his nuptials, the fellow stays on the straight and narrow, but when he learns that one of his cohorts has been murdered by an East Coast gang that is trying to horn in on West Coast territory, he reenters the underworld. A boyhood friend who became a cop tries to convince him to team up with the police, but the vengeful bookie remains determined to things his way. It proves to be a tragic mistake and shows the bookie that those closest to him are not what they seem. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, William Bendix, (more)
- 1948
Hoping for a success commensurate with his previous Show Business (1945), comedian Eddie Cantor poured a lot of his own money into the RKO Radio musical If You Knew Susie. Cantor and his Show Business co-star Joan Davis are reteamed herein as ex-vaudevillians Sam and Susie Parker, who retire to a small and rather cloistered New England town. Faced with the snobbery of the local "aristocracy," Sam and Susie come to believe that they aren't worthy of their new neighbors, nor of their own children. All this changes when the Parkers find a document signed by George Washington bestowing $50,000 on one of Sam's forebears! According to the government, Sam and Susie are now owed several billion dollars interest. Sam patriotically refuses to accept the money, thereby becoming a national hero -- but not before a plenitude of comic plot twists involving gangsters Sheldon Leonard and Joe Sawyer. Cast as the Parkers' daughter Marjorie is "newcomer" Margaret Kerry, who'd actually been in films since 1936 as child actress Peggy Lynch. One of the musical highlights in If You Knew Susie is a clip from Show Business, featuring Cantor, Davis, George Murphy and Constance Moore. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Cantor, Joan Davis, (more)
- 1948
Son of God's Country stars singing cowboy Monte Hale in his traditional screen role of do-gooder and last-minute problem-solver. This time, it's the old "evil land baron" plot again, with the villains eager to grab up all available ranch property, then sell it back to the incoming railroad. The chief heavy (Jim Nolan) orders the killings of several ranchers, carefully framing a former Confederate officer (Steve Darrell) for the murders. Hale puts an end to this perfidy with the assistance of comic sidekick Eli Walker (Paul Hurst). Surprisingly, Monte Hale is permitted to sing only once. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Hale, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1948
- NR
- Add Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House to QueueAdd Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House to top of Queue
Fed up with crowded big-city living, advertising executive Mr. Blandings (Cary Grant) decides to seek out a big, roomy house in the country. Armed with more enthusiasm than common sense, Blandings causes many a headache for his lawyer/business manager Melvyn Douglas, who tries to keep the costs within a reasonable amount. Alas, Blandings bulls ahead on his own, first purchasing an estate on the verge of collapse, then opting to build his dream house from scratch. An unpleasant legal squabble over the fact that Blandings purchased his new property without checking with the prior owners throws even more good money after bad. The construction of the new Blandings digs is slowed down to a walk by doors and windows that don't fit, plumbing that fails to function, doorknobs that break upon contact with human flesh, temperamental workmen, and various and sundry other homeowners' nightmares (if all this sounds like the much-later Tom Hanks/Shelley Long comedy The Money Pit, it only shows to go how little has changed in forty years--except, of course, for the costs of things). Attempting to keep a level head throughout the proceedings is Mrs. Blandings (Myrna Loy), though even she is guilty of pretensions and excess, especially in the classic "choice of colors" scene. The humor in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House springs so naturally from the central situation that it seems intrusive when the scriptwriters throw in an arbitrary French-farce scene wherein Blandings suspects that his wife and his lawyer are fooling around (a plot point that the original Eric Hodgins novel did just fine without). One of the best bits comes near the end, when Louise Beavers, the Blandings' cook, saves the day for everyone by ad libbing "If you ain't eating Wham, you ain't eating Ham." Why should we spoil your enjoyment by explaining that line? Now you'll have to see the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cary Grant, Louise Beavers, (more)
- 1948
"Boys Town" goes to turn-of-the-century St. Louis in this moving drama that chronicles the love of a determined priest struggling to turn around the lives of a street-wise gang of newsboys living at his homeless shelter. The good father has little money and must use his wits and ability to convince others to help out to supply the little shelter. Much of the story centers on his relationship with a troubled lad who accidentally kills someone. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Griff Barnett, (more)
RKO Radio's "Zane Grey" western series came to an end with the eighth entry, Wild Horse Mesa. Tim Holtstars as a cowboy who earns his keep by rounding up wild mustangs. When his boss is murdered after selling the horses, our hero and his Irish-Mexican sidekick Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) try to find out who's responsible. It would spoil the viewer's fun to reveal the identity of the killer, but it can be noted that the film's leading lady is the lissome Nan Leslie. Wild Horse Mesa had been previously filmed in 1925 (with Tim Holt's father Jack), then again in 1933. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Nan Leslie, (more)
Befitting his status as a genre star, Boris Karloff earns top billing over leading man Ralph Byrd in RKO's final Dick Tracy caper. The former Frankenstein monster plays an escaped convict masterminding a daring bank robbery. To get in and out of the bank without being noticed, the gang uses an asphyxiating gas that leaves anyone inside momentarily frozen in place. Everyone, that is, except for bank customer Tess Truehart (Anne Gwynne), who is able to contact Dick Tracy (Byrd) from a phone booth in the bank. With little or no clues, Tracy and his man Friday, Pat Patton (Lyle Latell), question the bank customers but none can shed any light on the mysterious goings-on. The disappearance of Dr. A. Tomic (Milton Parsons) and the odd behavior of his associate, Dr. I.M. Learned (June Clayworth), crack the case wide open, however, and Tracy is eventually able to track down both Gruesome and the surprising identity of his boss, L.E. Thal (Edward Ashley). According to some reports, RKO wanted to release Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome as "Dick Tracy Meets Karloff" but that title was vetoed by Karloff himself. The legendary horror star apparently later accepted his own box-office value and a 1949 Universal comedy was released as Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Byrd, Boris Karloff, (more)
Ralph Byrd returns to the character he had originated ten years earlier in the serial Dick Tracy. This time, Chester Gould's immortal comic strip hero is called in to handle a fur theft. The owner of Flawless Furs, Humphreys (Charles Marsh), has just signed on with the Honesty Insurance Company whose investigator, Cudd (Al Bridge), made him change the combination to the vault. The insurance policy --as the head of Honesty, Peter Premium (William B. Davidson), explains -- holds the company liable if the stolen furs haven't been recovered within 24 hours of the theft. The trail leads to Longshot Lily (Bernadene Hayes), a would-be fence who is promptly arrested. But when Tracy's snitch, Sightless (Jimmy Conlin), is found brutally murdered, the detective realizes that he has more than a simple fur theft on his hands. With the help of master thespian Vitamin Flintheart (Ian Keith) and ever-present sidekick Pat Patton (Lyle Latell), Tracy follows a series of clues that leads him to a deserted junkyard and a fateful confrontation with fiendish killer "the Claw" (Jack Lambert). Dick Tracy's Dilemma was followed by Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome (1947), after which RKO retired the series. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Byrd, Lyle Latell, (more)
Somehow the titles of the films of hardcase actor Lawrence Tierney seemed to be extensions of the man's personality, as witness such films as The Devil Thumbs a Ride and Born to Kill. In the latter picture, Tierney starts the ball rolling by committing a double murder in a jealous pique. Claire Trevor discovers the bodies, but says nothing to the police; she's leaving town and doesn't want to be impeded. Trevor and Tierney meet and fall in love on the train to San Francisco. Unfortunately, Trevor is married, so Tierney shifts his affections to her sister, Audrey Long (later the wife of director Billy Wilder). He marries Long, though he keeps up his illicit affair with Trevor. When detectives investigating the murders come snooping, they are bought off by Tierney's pal Elisha Cook Jr.--who is then murdered by Tierney, who suspects that Cook is carrying on with Trevor (Cook seldom survived to the end of any of his films). When Tierney finally does face arrest, it's at the instigation of the jealous Trevor, who is shot full of holes for her trouble. Born to Kill was based on James Gunn's novel Deadlier Than the Male. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lawrence Tierney, Claire Trevor, (more)
