Ruth Roman Movies
Curvaceous brunette leading lady Ruth Roman came to Hollywood after graduating from the Bishop Lee Dramatic School in Boston. Her first major film assignment was the title role in the 1945 serial The Jungle Queen, a fact that embarrassed her fans far more than it bothered her. She climbed to stardom on the basis of several tough, uncompromising characterizations, often villainous in nature: Her better films of the 1950s include Dallas (1950), Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train (1950), Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951), and The Far Country (1955). In 1956, Roman survived the sinking of the Andrea Doria, finding herself the reluctant focal point of intrusive reporters as she waited in agony to learn the fate of her young son (who fortunately also survived). In films as a character actress until the 1980s, Ruth Roman also had recurring roles in the TV series The Long Hot Summer (1965) and Knots Landing (1986). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1989
Up for re-election as mayor of Cabot Cove, Sam Booth (Richard Paul) figures that his staunch anti-development platform will enable him to easily defeat his pro-development opponent. Unfortunately, Sam's campaign is seriously compromised when a strange woman shows up in town and accuses the confirmed-bachelor mayor of being the father of her five children! While Sam tangles with this embarrassing turn of events, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) temporarily takes his place as the mayoral candidate--just in time to solve yet another murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1989
In an episode clearly inspired by Peyton Place, a former student of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) scandalizes the town of Cabot Cove when she publishes a thinly-disguised "roman a clef" titled "The Sins of Castle Cove." The locals aren't too happy that their personalities and peccadilloes have been woven into the plotline of the book--and at least one person is willing to commit murder to suppress the novel's publication. Can it be that Jessica will find a clue to the killer within the pages of the book in question? Julie Adams, Gloria DeHaven, Kathryn Grayson and Ruth Roman return as Cabot Cove's four most garrulous gossips. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1987
Sheriff Amos Tupper (Tom Bosley) is understandably distressed when Audrey Martin (Antoinette Bower), the wife of Amos' bucolic deputy Jonathan Martin (Rick Lenz), apparently commits suicide. Further investigation reveals that Audrey was murdered, at which point Amos discovers that the seemingly harmless Jonathan was carrying on extramarital affairs with several of Cabot Cove's most eligible middle-aged ladies! With the help of Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury), Amos tries to determine if one of Jonathan's conquests could also be a murderess. Among the suspects in this episode are two of Angela Lansbury's former MGM colleagues, Gloria DeHaven and Kathryn Grayson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
Silent Sentence was originally released as A Knife for the Ladies. Either way, it was no cause for dancing in the streets. The film is set in a western mining town. The generally unseen villain is a serial killer of prostitutes. And you thought that Jack the Ripper was British! Jack Elam and Ruth Roman are among the able actors picking up pocket change in Silent Sentence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1983
- R
In this psychological horror movie, an art student begins to seriously question his sanity after a terrifying nightmare recurs over a long period of time. In the dream, his twin, who died at birth is trying to kill him. The dream eventually becomes so intense that the young man is barely able to function. The film is also titled Brainwaves. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Alfieri, Nathalie Nell, (more)
The made-for-television western The Sacketts combines the plotlines from two seperate Louis L'Amour novels, The Daybreakers and The Sacketts. In this film, the three Tennessee-raised Sackett brothers migrate to the West following the conclusion of the Civil War. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
An interesting low-budget entry in the post-Jaws animals-run-amok genre (which also owes more than a little to Hitchcock's The Birds), this noisy, violent thriller features the prophetic premise of a widening gap in the ozone layer (thanks to human indulgences in hairspray and other aerosol products) which unleashes brain-frying radiation and causes assorted woodland creatures to go for the throats of unsuspecting Sierra backpackers. As if that weren't horrific enough, the poor kids are also placed in the position of defending themselves against a rampaging Leslie Nielsen -- whose hammy performance will probably have fans of the Naked Gun series and their ilk waiting for a punch line that never arrives. Perennial B-movie couple Christopher George and Lynda Day George round out the cast. Day of the Animals is also known as Something Is out There. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christopher George, Leslie Nielsen, (more)
- 1976
In this drama, a man leaves his wife to join the circus. Many years later, he bumps into a pretty teenage girl who turns out to be the daughter he never knew existed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Impulse, is a tawdry, low-budget exploitation film about a maniacal murderer possessed by evil demons. Matt Stone (William Shatner) is a paranoid, con-man and gigolo who seduces lonely women and then bilks them of their savings using an investment scam. Then he kills them. When he begins seeing an attractive widow, her daughter Tina (Kim Nicholas) becomes suspicious of his motives. Then Tina herself is in danger. Impulse, directed by William Grefe, is the absolute nadir of Shatner's acting career and consequently has become a camp, cult classic and a must see for fans of Shatner. All others beware. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- 1973
"Alice" was the pseudonymous name of the teenaged author who wrote the book upon which this above-average TV movie was based. Jamie Smith-Jackson portrays a shy, slightly overweight high schooler who is so anxious for acceptance that she falls in with the drug crowd. In a methodical, almost casual matter, we see how Alice descends into a nether world of pushers, pimps and prostitution. Perhaps to make the point that this could be the story of any impressionable youth, few of the characters are identified by name: Julie Adams plays "The Mother," William Shatner "The Professor," Andy Griffith "The Priest," and so on. Filmed in a cinema-verite fashion, Go Ask Alice makes excellent use of relatively unfamiliar Los Angeles locations. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This genuinely perverse horror film stars John Savage as a young man forced to participate in the beachfront gang rape of Sue Bernard by his nasty friends. After two years in jail, he returns to the boardinghouse run by his mother (Ann Sothern), who does things like kissing him on the mouth and photographing him in the shower. Before long, he freaks out and strangles a cat while peeping at a new tenant (Cindy Williams), then almost drowns the poor girl in the pool before slashing her panties with a razor and choking her in the bathtub. He forces Bernard's car off a cliff, then makes his lawyer (Ruth Roman) drink herself stupid at knifepoint before setting her on fire. Savage and Sothern are fabulous and Luana Anders is creepy as the librarian next door who keeps trying to seduce the disturbed man. Quite a twisted little chiller, with several priceless bizarre moments like a dream sequence featuring a diapered Savage in a crib on the beach surrounded by laughing neighbors. The ubiquitous Gary Graver did 2nd unit photography. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Savage, Ann Sothern, (more)
- 1972
- PG
TV-movie perennial Ted Post served as director for the low-budget theatrical feature The Baby. Ruth Roman plays a boozy nutcase who, out of hatred for the husband who ran out on her years earlier, forces her teenaged son (David Manzy) to dress and behave like an infant. Social worker Ann Gentry (Anjanette Comer), understandably put off by the sight of a fully grown boy chewing on his toes in a playpen, sets about to rescue him. When sinister forces try to claim the "baby" from Ann, she resorts to murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1971
Posing as an elderly and very grouchy English professor, Ironside (Raymond Burr) infiltrates a convalescent home where many strange deaths have occurred. To lure the killer out of hiding, Ed (Don Galloway) and Fran (Elizabeth Baur) impersonate Ironside's grown children, carefully dropping hints that they'd be better off if "dad" was no longer alive. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that Ruth Roman delivers an outstanding performance as a grim-visaged nurse. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1970
An unusually popular ABC Movie of the Week, The Old Man Who Cried Wolf stars Edward G. Robinson as an elderly shopkeeper who witnesses the killing of his oldest friend (Sam Jaffee). Unfortunately Robinson can convince no one--not the police, his own family nor even those closest to Jaffee--that his friend was murdered. Though enfeebled by age and illness, Robinson sets about to prove that he's telling the truth. He does so, but at the cost of his own life. Edward G. Robinson was proud of his performance, as were his many fans (judging by the onslaught of fan mail); it's a pity that the pedestrian Old Man Who Cried Wolf wasn't worthy of his talent. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
Ruth Roman guest-stars as Riva Sentel, the Evita-like widow of a popular Latin American leader. Santel plans to make a television broadcast that will enable her to abolish democracy in her nations and set herself up as dictator. Banking on Sentel's notorious vanity, the IMF hopes to ruin her scheme by means of a "miraculous" eternal-youth formula. Written by Robert E. Thompson, "The Elixir" first aired on November 24, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Peter Graves, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1967
World-renowned humanitarian Juliet Sinclair (Ruth Roman) has arrived in America to deliver a cute Chinese orphan girl named Linh (Cherylene Lee) to loving couple named Kenyon (Gene Hackman, Phyllis Love). What the general public doesn't know is that Juliet is also a Communist courier, and that her American contacts are none other than Mr. and Mrs. Kenyon. Unfortunately, Linh has learned the truth about her benefactor--and unless Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) can act quickly, the Kenyons will follow orders and silence the girl permanently. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1965
Repeated infidelities and an unexplained death set the stage for this glossy soap opera. Kit Jordan (Lana Turner) is a wealthy woman slipping into middle age who likes attractive men and isn't averse to the notion of paying for their company. Her husband Pete (Cliff Robertson) is a one-time gigolo whom Kit met on the beach of the ocean side community in Acapulco she calls home. Neither are much on fidelity, and Pete sometimes has mistresses just as Kit has her boy-toys whom she meets in much the same way as she met him. One day, a dead body washes up to the shore wearing a bracelet with the inscription "Love Is Thin Ice." It turns out that the man was one of Kit's many former boyfriends, and the police are not sure if the death was an accident, suicide, or possibly murder -- with the Jordans as suspects. Carol Lambert (Stefanie Powers), the dead man's sister, arrives in town to get to the bottom of her brother's death, but she falls into a fling with Pete. Meanwhile, Hank (Hugh O'Brien), another beach bum, has been dallying with rich widow Margot Eliot (Ruth Roman), but with Pete getting more serious about Carol, he begins to think that Kit might be a more lucrative target for his affections. As the police step up their investigation of the death, the parties involved begin to realize that they're all going to have to settle on one partner, once and for all. Turner's costumes were designed by Edith Head, who spent a then-record $1 million on the many stylish beach outfits which are frequently changed by the cast. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lana Turner, Cliff Robertson, (more)
- 1964
In Volume 34 of a collection culled from the 1963-1965 science fiction anthology television series, an astronaut returns from Venus to find he can no longer stay warm in Earth's climate. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1964
In Volume 24 of a collection culled from the 1963-1965 science fiction anthology television series, the researchers on a military base on the Moon find a living organism. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- 1963
This episode is based on a story by Marie Belloc Lowndes, the author of Alfred Hitchcock's 1926 "breakthrough" film, The Lodger. Tyrannical Howard Raydon (Gene Lyons) fires his maid, Addie (Ruth Roman), much to the dismay of Howard's wife, Eve (Anne Francis), who feels that Addie is her only ally against Howard's domineering mother (Gladys Cooper). Vengefully, Addie poisons Howard -- but it is Eve who is accused of murder thanks to the persistence of her hateful mother-in-law. Figuring into the climax of the story is a dark secret harbored by both Addie and her late employer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anne Francis, Ruth Roman, (more)
- 1961
Ruth Roman proves the old adage about "the female of the species" in the role of ruthless mob wife Georgie Drake. A clever businesswoman, Georgie is the real brains behind the heroin-trafficking racket overseen by her husband Nick Dolov (Grant Richards); all she asks in return is Nick's total and unquestioning fidelity. Alas, Dolov has a yen for sexy showgirl Marian Keyes (Anne Helm), prompting Georgie to take out a contract on her own husband. But though she is able to keep Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) off her trail, Georgie hadn't figured on the vengeful determination of her rival Marian--nor the eleventh-hour treachery of her hired torpedo Maxie (Jay Adler). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1961
The only film directed by sometime actor and producer William Alland, Look in Any Window is an uninspired melodrama that relied on the star power of teen heartthrob Paul Anka to attract the younger set when it was released in 1961. Anka plays Craig Fowler, a disturbed kid whose main pleasure and pursuit in life is donning a mask and peeking into windows in his neighborhood. Craig's missing pistons are attributed to his dysfunctional family; his mother (Ruth Roman) favors the bottle over him, and his parents' marriage has gone down the tubes. As a host of unsavory characters wanders in and out of his life, it is obvious that Craig has a few reasons for being slightly wacko. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Anka, Ruth Roman, (more)
- 1959
A dated melodrama set around the year zero in the Christian calendar, Desert Desperadoes by director Steve Sekely focuses on a caravan trying to reach the city of Alexandria under adverse conditions. The caravan is headed by a wealthy merchant (Akim Tamiroff) and appears to be carrying a precious infant along with lesser cargo. Roman soldiers provide an escort, and when the caravan picks up a sensual woman stranded in the middle of nowhere, the merchant begins to take a manly interest in her. His attentions compete with those of a Roman soldier, as the caravan continues along its eventful journey. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ruth Roman, Akim Tamiroff, (more)
- 1959
Legendary stage actress Adah Isaacs Menken (Ruth Roman) brings her celebrated Mazeppa troupe to Virginia City. Ben Cartwright welcomes the opportunity to renew his longstanding friendship with the "lady in pink tights." As for Ben's sons Adam, Hoss, and Little Joe, they become convinced that Adah is trying to ensnare their father into marriage. Also in the cast is Don Megowan as Adah's persistent would-be suitor John Regan. Written by Donald S. Sanford, "The Magnificent Adah" was originally telecast on November 14, 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
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