Gilbert Roland Movies

Posing as "Johnny Sherman", Richard Kimble (David Janssen) befriends his fellow worker Gus Priamos (Gilbert Roland), who manages to learn Kimble's true identity as a fugitive from justice. Upon finding out that he has but a short time to live, Gus volunteers to pose as Kimble to throw Lt. Girard (Barry Morse) off the trail. This Gus does not out of friendship, but to make an impression on his much-younger girlfriend Sophie (Madlyn Rhue)--who up till now has proven mighty difficult to impress. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this action drama, ranchers and lumberjacks are at loggerheads over the proper usage of the land. When the logging team finds a prime stand, the ranchers beg the loggers not to harvest it because the lack of trees will cause deadly mud slides during the rainy season that will destroy their homes. The battle becomes quite heated as the ranchers and the lumberman begin blowing each other up. In the midst of explosive tempers and fighting, a romance blooms between lovers on each side. Finally the lead forester sees that he is wrong after the head rancher's daughter, the woman he loves, is almost blown to bits. Unfortunately, his partner doesn't and continues to fight until he is shot and killed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In the concluding episode of a two-part Zorro adventure, bandit leader El Cuhillo (Gilbert Roland) has been thwarted in his plans to rob Los Angeles' warehouse by dashing masked do-gooder Zorro (Guy Williams). Somewhat playfully, Zorro's alter ego, Don Diego, keeps tabs on the incognito El Cuhillo by looking out for the bandit's coat, upon which Zorro had previously carved a "z" with his sword. But it is no laughing matter when El Cuhillo and Zorro have their final showdown. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology, "Adios El Cuhillo" was a one-hour spin-off of Disney's popular weekly series Zorro, which ran from 1957 to 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

George Nader plays a reporter whose career is ruined by liquor. A comeback opportunity presents itself when Nader is a bystander at the arrest of a well-known criminal. The reporter knows that the crook, who has been accused of an ambush murder, is innocent, and he sets about to collar the real killer. Nader goes "cold turkey" on the booze despite tempations at every turn, and gets his man. Appointment with a Shadow is one of a handful of films directed by onetime I Led 3 Lives star Richard Carlson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this tense murder mystery, a San Francisco traffic officer vows to find the killer of the kindly priest who raised him. Unfortuantely, his superiors assign the case to others. Angrily the cop quits the force and launches his own investigation. The cop's prime suspect is the priest's best friend. When this friend invites the cop to live with him and his lovely cousin, the cop accepts, hoping that he can prove the friend's innocence. Sure enough, the priest's friend is innocent. Relieved, the cop begins a romance with the cousin that culminates in their marriage. It is then that a terrible secret is revealed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Razzle-dazzle showman Michael Todd hocked everything he had to make this spectacular presentation of Jules Verne's 1872 novel Around the World in 80 Days, the second film to be lensed in the wide-screen Todd-AO production. Nearly as fascinating as the finished product are the many in-production anecdotes concerning Todd's efforts to pull the wool over the eyes of local authorities in order to cadge the film's round-the-world location shots--not to mention the wheeling and dealing to convince over forty top celebrities to appear in cameo roles. David Niven heads the huge cast as ultra-precise, supremely punctual Phileas Fogg, who places a 20,000-pound wager with several fellow members of London Reform Club, insisting that he can go around the world in eighty days (this, remember, is 1872). Together with his resourceful valet Passepartout (Cantinflas), Fogg sets out on his world-girdling journey from Paris via balloon. Meanwhile, suspicion grows that Fogg has stolen his 20,000 pounds from Bank of England. Diligent Inspector Fix (Robert Newton) is sent out by the bank's president (Robert Morley) to bring Fogg to justice. Hopscotching around the globe, Fogg pauses in Spain, where Passepartout engages in a comic bullfight (a specialty of Cantinflas). In India, Fogg and Passepartout rescue young widow Princess Aouda (Shirley MacLaine, in her third film) from being forced into committing suicide so that she may join her late husband. The threesome visit Hong Kong, Japan, San Francisco, and the Wild West. Only hours short of winning his wager, Fogg is arrested by the diligent Inspector Fixx. Though exonerated of the bank robbery charges, he has lost everything--except the love of the winsome Aouda. But salvation is at hand when Passepartout discovers that, by crossing the International Date Line, there's still time to reach the Reform Club. Will they make it? See for yourself. Among the film's 46 guest stars, the most memorable include Marlene Dietrich, Charles Boyer, Jose Greco, Frank Sinatra, Peter Lorre, Red Skelton, Buster Keaton, John Mills, and Beatrice Lillie. All were paid in barter--Ronald Colman did his brief bit for a new car. Newscaster Edward R. Murrow provides opening narration, and there's a tantalizing clip from Georges Méliès' A Trip to the Moon (1902). Offering a little something for everyone, Around the World in 80 Days is nothing less than an extravaganza, and it won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The CinemaScope process gets a rugged workout in Henry Hathaway's The Racers. Kirk Douglas stars as an Italian bus driver who dreams of entering the Grand Prix as a world-famous race car driver. Being Kirk Douglas, he achieves his goal, racing in all the major events around the globe. Dedicated to the philosophy of "winning is the only thing", Douglas alienates his fellow racers and everyone else with whom he comes in contact. Only when he is on the verge of losing his sweetheart Bella Darvi does our hero put his priorities in order. Adapted from a novel by Hans Ruesch, The Racers was remade in a 60-minute version as Men Against Speed, an entry in the weekly TV anthology The 20th Century-Fox Hour. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Both Jane Russell and her uncredited stunt double look great in skimpy swimwear throughout the Technicolor and SuperScope romantic adventure Underwater. Ms. Russell is cast as the wife of fortune-chasing Richard Egan, who takes her along to the Caribbean on a treasure hunt. The couple is accompanied by mercenary Gilbert Roland, priest Robert Keith, and Egan's blonde-doxy secretary Lori Nelson. While exploring the depths in search of untold riches, the little party is menaced by a band of modern-day pirates, led by Joseph Calleila. Partially filmed on location in Mexico, Underwater was completed in a newly-constructed underwater tank in an RKO Radio soundstage. For its world premiere, Underwater was projected on a submerged movie screen at Silver Springs Florida, and the invited guests were encouraged to don aqualungs and bathing uits so that they could watch the picture while swimming! A similar publicity ploy was utilized nine years later at Marineland of the Pacific for the premiere of The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1955). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like so many other films that were once considered "lewd" and "scandalous", The French Line seems as harmless as Pollyanna when seen today. Essentially a remake of The Richest Girl in the World, the film stars Jane Russell as Mary Carson, an incredibly wealthy Texas oil heiress. Lucky in investments but unlucky in love, poor Mary can never keep a fiance: either they're fortune-hunters or they don't want to marry anyone so rich and powerful. Thus, while on an ocean voyage to France, Mary poses as the model of dress designer Annie Farrell (Mary McCarthy), hoping to attract a man who is interested in her for herself, and not her millions. That man turns out to be dashing stage star Pierre (Gilbert Roland), but there's many comic complications and misunderstandings before the happy ending. What shocked the censors in 1954 was Jane Russell's sizzling musical number "Lookin' for Trouble", in which she performed an uninhibited bump-and-grind while wearing nothing more than a seven-ounce glorified bikini. While Ms. Russell herself was offended by her skimpy costume, she saw nothing wrong with the dance itself, pointing out that she intended it as a parody of a "burleycue" number. The professional blue-noses disagreed, however: the film was condemned by the Catholic Legion of Decency and denied a Production Code Seal. Eventually, producer Howard Hughes got the Seal--along with a million dollars' worth of free publicity, which is what he intended all along. Filmed in 3D, The French Line is the film that was ballyhooed with the classically tasteless ad campaign "J.R. in 3D--It'll knock both your eyes out!" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thunder Bay was another inspired collaboration between star James Stewart and director Anthony Mann. Stewart plays an ex-GI named Steve, who has a hankering to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Together with his army buddy Gambi (Dan Duryea, in a rare good-guy role), Steve attains the financial backing of irascible oil-company chieftain Kermit MacDonald (Jay C. Flippen) and the two head southward. Before they can even place their drills in the clamps, Steve and Gambi run afoul of local shrimp fishermen who consider the presence of oil speculators as a threat to their livelihoods. Things get dicey when Steve falls in love with Stella (Joanne Dru), the daughter of combative fisherman Dominique Rigaud (Antonio Moreno). Mob mentality threatens to overcome common sense until a clever -- and mutually beneficial -- compromise between the drillers and the fishermen is reached. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Apache War Smoke was a remake of Apache Trail (42); both films were based on a story by Ernest Haycox. Haycox had previously written Stage to Lordsburg, a western yarn filmed by John Ford as Stagecoach (39). Apache War Smoke adheres to the Stagecoach formula by trapping several strangers in a dangerous situation, in this instance an incipient Apache uprising. Included in the group are the passengers of a stagecoach, and the gang of bandits who've just held up the coach; there's also a notorious Indian hater in the bunch. Apache War Smoke spins its yarn in a brisk 67 minutes, with only a few slow stretches here and there. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Authentic New Orleans locations enhance the overall enjoyment of the prizefight melodrama Glory Alley. A mere few seconds before a championship bout, Socks Barbarrosa (Ralph Meeker) decides to throw in the towel so far as his boxing career is concerned. Socks' friends, family and handlers assume that he's turned yellow. A series of complex flashbacks, coupled with a subsequent tour of duty in Korea, prove otherwise. For those not interested in cinematic pugilism, Glory Alley offers such sidelines pleasures as the jazz music of Jack Teagarden and the dancing of leading lady Leslie Caron. Kurt Kazner also provides some choice moments as a blind "boxing groupie" who happens to be Caron's father. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide