Steve Rowland Movies
American actor Steve Rowland, the son of director/producer Roy Rowland, played leading roles in a few minor Hollywood actioners during the '50s and '60s. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 2010
- PG
- Add Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore to Queue Add Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore to top of Queue
The epic struggle for control of planet Earth continues in this sequel to the 2001 comedy that confirmed everyone's worst suspicions about our furry four-legged companions. A former top spy for the clandestine feline espionage bureau MEOWS, Kitty Galore is determined to rule the world and finally gain the upper paw over her canine rivals. But when an unforeseen threat appears, cats and dogs must band together to defeat a common foe. Chris O'Donnell and 30 Rock's Jack McBrayer head up the cast of the production, with scripting duties being handled by Brother Bear's Ron J. Friedman and Steve Bencich. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Marsden, Nick Nolte, (more)
- 1996
This is a documentary video showing director Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Time Bandits) at work during the filming of his movie Twelve Monkeys, a dark, sardonic movie which depicts yet another dystopian future for mankind. Gilliam first became widely known for his irreverent cartoon collages in the BBC comedy series Monty Python, and he has not grown any more respectful of authorities since those early days. The "gag" of this documentary is that Gilliam was given complete artistic control of this film by the same studio (Universal) he had so completely horrified with his bizarre production, Brazil. He can only retain that control if he can stay under budget, get an "R" rating, and deliver a film with no more than 135 minutes in the final version. He (just barely) manages to do this. The studio was suitably horrified by the final product (as Gilliam knew it would be), and the test screenings would normally have resulted in massive changes. Gilliam stayed faithful to his original vision, however, and the film easily made back the small amount it had cost to make. Indeed, it was a minor box-office hit. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- 1967
This little aberration of the Sixties was originally released to theaters as The Hallucination Generation. Star George Montgomery does a Timothy Leary act as a charismatic LSD guru (one wonders if Montgomery offers woodworking hints between drug trips). Juvenile lead Danny Stone, upset at his mom, joins Montgomery's cult in Spain and turns on-tunes in-drops out in a biiiiigggg way. Eventually, Stone gets involved in murder--and let that be a lesson to all you other long-haired hippie freaks. Though most of Hallucination was filmed in black and white, the LSD scenes were lensed in color. Oh, wow...red, blue...orange.... ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Danny Stone, (more)
- 1965
In this western, a gambler wins a big Mexican ranch and decides to herd all of the cattle upon it into Texas. The crook enlists the aide of a few Mexicans, but they don't realize he plans to cheat them. En route, the cattle drivers are ambushed by banditos. They survive, but during the course of the struggle, the cattle hands learn the truth and ensure that justice gets served. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alex Nicol, Dick Bentley, (more)
In December of 1944, the Allied high command is convinced that German forces in Belgium are in a low state of readiness, and perhaps even about to withdraw. Only one officer on the front lines, intelligence specialist Lt. Col. Kiley (Henry Fonda), believes otherwise -- that the Germans are actually planning an attack. His opinion is rejected by his immediate superior (Dana Andrews) and his commanding general (Robert Ryan). Kiley spots several suspicious signs of German activity behind enemy lines on a reconnaissance flight, and he is at the front looking for evidence when the German counter-offensive starts. Taking advantage of Allied unpreparedness and a weather front that grounds all aircraft, their heavy tank units, supported by infantry, roll over the American forces, assaulting the lines at five different points in an attempt to ultimately divide the Allied forces in the west. The German top tank officer, Colonel Hessler (Robert Shaw), has planned his operation perfectly, but he is in a race against time, to take as much territory as possible before the weather front moves out and American aircraft can fly again, and to capture the American fuel supplies so that the offensive can continue right to the port of Antwerp. He has the total dedication of his men, but engenders doubts from his aide, Conrad (Hans-Christian Blech), who is weary of the fighting and wonders what it is all for. Meanwhile, Kiley is trying to uncover the weak spot in the German offensive, and he crosses paths with several other key players in this drama: Charles Bronson as a combat officer charged with the defense of the collapsing American position, James MacArthur as a neophyte lieutenant who becomes a leader, and Telly Savalas as a conniving sergeant in command of a tank who unexpectedly finds a nobler, less mercenary side of himself. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Robert Shaw, (more)
- 1964
- PG
Set during the Allied invasion of the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theater during WWII, this film is based on the novel by James Jones. Keir Dullea is Private Doll, who dreads the invasion and steals a pistol to help him protect himself. Sergeant Welsh (Jack Warden), a caustic, battle-scarred veteran, hates Doll, whom he considers a coward. In battle, Doll kills a Japanese soldier and is filled with remorse, which further angers the sergeant. The next day, an emboldened Doll wipes out an entire enemy machine gun post and begins to feel as sadistic as Welsh. The two must work together to clear away some mines, but as they do, their platoon is surprised by a Japanese raid. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Keir Dullea, Jack Warden, (more)
Juvenile delinquents run afoul of big-league dope dealers in this low-budget crime thriller. Frankie (Robert Arthur) is a hotheaded teenager whose impulsive streak has led him to the State Honor Farm for wayward boys. Frankie engineers an escape with the help of his curvaceous girlfriend, Donna (Jan Brooks), but he makes the mistake of bringing along fellow delinquent Switch (Steve Rowland), who's behind bars for attacking his father with a knife. Switch doesn't make a secret of his attraction to Donna, which slowly infuriates Frankie, and things become no more comfortable when their car breaks down and they're forced to hitchhike. The three teenagers catch a ride with Rivas (John Goddard) and his wife, Madge (Carol Ohmart), but this isn't the stroke of good fortune it might seem. Rivas is a ruthless criminal who has killed a narcotics agent en route from Mexico while smuggling a large parcel of heroin into the United States. When the delinquents discover they're dealing with a bona fide mobster, they part company with Rivas but inadvertently steal his stash, which is hidden in a large doll, putting the bloodthirsty gangster on their trail. Naked Youth was originally released as Wild Youth, but received more play under its more exploitive title, though doubtless a few viewers were disappointed that it didn't actually feature any youths naked. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- 1958
Ready to settle into their newly purchased homestead, Lucas McCain (Chuck Connors) and his son Mark (Johnny Crawford) are interrupted by Sam Montgomery (Lee Farr) and Billy Lehi (Steve Rowlands), a couple of thugs in the employ of cattle baron Oat Jackford. The latter has been using the spread as grazing grounds for his new Hereford stock but Lucas refuses to sell out and the henchmen burn the place down. Leaving Mark behind, McCain rides out to confront Jackford (Harold J. Stone). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1957
Originally titled Man of the West (the name of the Philip Yordan novel on which it was based), Gun Glory was rechristened to avoid confusion with a like-vintage Gary Cooper vehicle of the same title. Stewart Granger plays gunslinger/gambler Tom Early, who tries a bit too late to make amends for past misdeeds. Hoping to regain the respect of his community in general and his teenaged son Young Tom (Steve Rowland) in particular, Early vows to hang up his guns and live a respectable life. This proves well nigh impossible when the community is threatened by the incursions of evil cattle baron Grimsell (James Gregory). Rhonda Fleming costars as Jo, the only person in town who truly cares whether Early lives or dies. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Stewart Granger, Rhonda Fleming, (more)
- 1956
Frankie Dane (John Cassavetes) is the leader of the hornets, a local street gang that has had its share of rumbles and other trouble with the police. When one of his members is fingered to the police by a neighbor (Malcolm Atterbury) for having a gun, Frankie vows revenge, and when the same man humiliates him in public, he decides it's got to be murder. But only two members of the Hornets, mentally unstable Lou Macklin (Mark Rydell) and would-be full-fledged member "Baby" (Sal Mineo), are willing to go along, and even one of them is shaky -- the rest of the gang draws a line at killing. Social worker Ben Wagner (James Whitmore), who runs the local youth center, has been trying to reach out to the members of the Hornets and sees that something is splitting Frankie and a couple of the others off from the main gang, and is concerned enough to find out what it might be -- especially when Frankie's younger brother, a really nice kid named Richie (Peter J. Votrian), tells him that he thinks Frankie's planning to kill someone. He tries getting help from Frankie's mother (Virginia Gregg), who's too tired from her job to do much more than keep Richie from becoming like his brother, and Mr. Gioia (Will Kuluva), "Baby"'s father, who doesn't understand what went wrong between him and his son. A three-way battle of wills ensues as Frankie tries to hold his plan together and resist Wagner's efforts to intercede -- in the end, several lives are at risk, as Frankie ends up with his knife at the throat of his own brother, fully ready to use it. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Whitmore, John Cassavetes, (more)
- 1955
Edgar Buchanan enjoys a rare top-billed assignment in Lippert's The Silver Star. The film's leading man, however, is one Earle Lyon, who also produced the picture. Lyon plays a reluctant sheriff who turns tail and runs when three outlaws come to town intending to do him in. Ultimately, Lyon is shamed into behaving like a man by his predecessor Edgar Buchanan. As can be seen, Silver Star manages to emulate the High Noon formula without resorting to outright imitation. Lon Chaney Jr., one of the supporting players in High Noon, is third-billed in Silver Star as Lyon's disgruntled political opponent, while Marie Windsor registers well in a less aggressive characterization than usual. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Edgar Buchanan, Marie Windsor, (more)
- 1954
The 3D melodrama Dangerous Mission starts off with a bang when innocent Piper Laurie inadvertently witnesses the murder of her gangster boss. Though she doesn't get a particularly good look at the killer, she knows she's dead meat if she remains in town. Thus, Laurie skeedaddles to Montana's Glacier National Park, where most of the film takes place. Following her westward are Victor Mature and Vincent Price. One of these men is a federal agent, bound and determined to bring Laurie back to the East to testify; the other is the murderer, who intends to silence our heroine for keeps. Laurie doesn't know which is which, but the audience does. A bit poky at times (thanks in part to the uninspired editing of Gene Palmer), Dangerous Mission roars into life during a mid-film forest fire and a climactic chase through the glacier fields. Featured in the cast are William Bendix as a Montana ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Victor Mature, Piper Laurie, (more)
- 1954
Edmund Purdom plays Prince Karl, but Mario Lanza sings the bold tunes coming out of Purdom's mouth, in this MGM remake of the 1927 Ernst Lubitsch silent picture based on the renowned 1924 operetta by Sigmund Romberg and Dorothy Donnelly, which itself was based on the novel and play by Wilhelm Meyer-Foerster. Lanza was signed to play the German Prince of Heidelberg, but weight and temperament problems caused the director Richard Thorpe to use Purdom instead. Lanza's pre-recorded tenor tones come out of Purdom's lip-synching mouth in the many lusty tunes such as "Drink, Drink, Drink" and "Golden Days." Prince Karl's grandfather, the king (Louis Calhern), wants his sheltered grandson to see the world and sow a few wild oats before he returns to the marriage that has been pre-arranged with Princess Johanna (Betta St. John). The prince ends up in a tavern in Heidelberg and meets and falls in love with Kathie (Ann Blyth), the niece of the local innkeeper. But the King gets sick and dies, and Prince Karl must return to assume the throne. He can't have a peasant girl as his queen, so he must part with his secret lover. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, (more)
- 1954
Leave it to MGM to turn the Korean War into a splashy, big-budget, all-star extravaganza. Men of the Fighting Lady is set on the US aircraft career of the same name. Van Johnson stars as Lt. Howard Thayer, while other MGM stalwarts in the cast include Walter Pidgeon, Kennan Wynn and Louis Calhern. The film's highlight is the famous fact-based scene wherein Lt. Thayer "talks in" blinded pilot Kenneth Schechter (Dewey Martin), assuring a safe landing for the incapacitated flyer. As a novelty, no concessions are made to the "love stuff" addicts in the audience: there is no contrived romantic subplot in the film, nor are there any women in the cast. Men of the Fighting Lady was based on two literary works: "The Case of the Blinded Pilot" by Cmdr. Harry A. Burns, and "The Forgotten Heroes of Korea" by James A. Michener (who is impersonated in the film by Louis Calhern). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Van Johnson, Walter Pidgeon, (more)
- 1953
Disreputable wanderer Wes Anderson (Fred MacMurray) has been thrown in a frontier town calaboose, accused of being a "moonlighter" -- a cowpuncher who herds cattle by day and steals them by night. When Anderson escapes from jail, another man is falsely accused of Wes' crimes and is promptly lynched. Driven by guilt and revenge, Wes is determined to punish those responsible for the hanging, and to pay for a decent funeral for the innocent victim. In doing this, however, Wes turns from moonlighting to bank robbing, and it is up to his erstwhile sweetheart, Rela (Barbara Stanwyck) to bring him to justice. Along the way, Wes' criminal tendencies have tragic consequences for his hero-worshipping brother, Tom (William Ching). Originally released in 3-D, The Moonlighter is currently available only in 2-D, its only novelty value being the re-teaming of Double Indemnity stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck (who would again work together three years later in the low-key domestic drama There's Always Tomorrow). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, (more)
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