Noel Reyburn Movies
- 1956
A teenage boy learns about the dangers of alcohol while another man tumbles from booze into dope addiction in this exploitation drama. After his high-school-age son is found passed out by the side of the road in a drunken stupor, a father chooses an unusual form of punishment -- taking the boy to the sleaziest beer halls and juke joints in town. After an evening of watching hopeless drunks in their natural environment, the boy begins to learn his lesson. Later, we are introduced to Fred Garland (Noel Reyburn), an ambitious young man who owns his own candy shop while still in high school but dreams of bigger and better things. After enjoying some spiked punch at a party, Fred develops a taste for liquor and sells his shop to move to New York City. Fred lands a part in a vaudeville show and is enjoying life on the road until his drinking makes his unreliable, and a later job running a variety show for the owner of a drugstore goes no better. Fred fares a bit better when he opens a talent agency, but after he's talked into going into a confidence game with his partner, he's found guilty of fraud and takes it on the lam. Falling deeper and deeper into alcohol and despair, Fred's bad luck gets even worse when a "friend" introduces him to heroin. The Flaming Teen-Age was originally released as Twice Convicted and named for a play about the real-life travails of Fred Garland; the framing story of the teenage alcoholic was later added in order to sell the picture as a juvenile delinquency epic. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Noel Reyburn, Ethel Barrett, (more)
- 1951
John Derek plays a Polish-American immigrant who excels in high school sports. Though no great shakes academically, Derek wins a scholarship at an exclusive Southern university. Sidney Blackmer is a wealthy alumnus who sees to it that Derek is allowed to coast in his classes so that he can play football--and help Blackmer win a series of lucrative wagers on the games. When Derek is sidelined by an injury, Blackmer loses interest, but the rich man's niece (Donna Reed) remains faithful to the boy. The cold business of subsidizing (and exploiting) college athletes is given a critical scrutiny in Saturday's Hero, though the film ends happily with Derek bearing down on his classroom work and making something of himself without relying on football. Featured in a supporting role is ex-athlete Aldo DaRe, later known as Aldo Ray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Derek, Donna Reed, (more)
- 1950
In this musical comedy with dramatic touches, Jack and Molly Moran (Dan Dailey and Betty Grable) are a show business couple who, after hosting their own radio show, have just been given a deal to star in a TV series. They're also thrilled to discover that Molly is expecting a baby, but their joy turns to sorrow after she loses the child in an auto accident, and her doctors tell her that she may not be able to conceive again. When they see how happy their friends Walter and Janet Pringle (David Wayne and Jane Wyatt) are with their five children, the Morans decide to adopt, but they discover that show people are not generally regarded as fit parents, regardless of their success or stability. However, good fortune eventually shines on Jack and Molly, as they find themselves with not one but two adopted tykes, and a big surprise around the corner. My Blue Heaven marked the film debut of musical star Mitzi Gaynor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Grable, Dan Dailey, (more)
- 1950
The Lawless was director Joseph Losey's second feature-length film. The story concerns a group of Mexican-American migrant workers who are subjected to all sorts of abuse and intolerance by their California bosses. A violent clash between whites and Latinos at a dance results in a torrent of bigotry. Seemingly the only Californian willing to champion the workers' cause is crusading newspaperman Larry Wilder, and soon he too is the victim of senseless mob violence. The story boils to a manhunt for a fugitive fruit-picker who has been accused of fomenting the aforementioned riot. Director Losey, producers William Pine and William Thomas and screenwriter Geoffrey Homes (aka Daniel Mainwaring) are to be commended for tackling a controversial issue in an honest, no-nonsense fashion; even so, the film ends in standard Hollywood-liberal fashion with a white man coming to the rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- MacDonald Carey, Gail Russell, (more)
