Evelyn Rudie Movies
- 1958
The Gift of Love is a remake of 1946's Sentimental Journey, with Lauren Bacall in the role originated by Maureen O'Hara. Upon learning that she hasn't long to live, Bacall, the devoted wife of Robert Stack, adopts young Evelyn Rudie so that her husband will never be lonely. After his wife's death, however, the pragmatic Stack grows weary of little Evelyn, who prefers a "fantasy world" to real life. Stack returns the girl to the orphanage, whereupon Bacall's spirit intervenes to set things right. The material was maudlin back in 1946, and even more so in 1958; still, it's nice to see that Lauren Bacall could play a sweet, benign role when given the opportunity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, (more)
The Wings of Eagles is filmmaker John Ford's paean to his frequent collaborator--and, it is rumored, drinking buddy--Cmdr. Frank "Spig" Wead. John Wayne stars as Wead, a reckless WW1 Naval aviator who (it says here) was instrumental in advancing the cause of American "air power". In private life, Wead becomes estranged from his wife Minnie (Maureen O'Hara) after the death of their baby. Drinking heavily, Wead tumbles down the stairs of his home, and as a result he is apparently paralyzed for life. With the help of happy-go-lucky Navy mechanic Carson (Dan Dailey), Wead is able to regain minimal use of his legs, but it seems clear that his Naval career is over. Fortunately, he manages to find work as a prolific Hollywood screenwriter, and after the attack of Pearl Harbor he is called back to active duty to oversee the construction of "jeep carriers". Not one of John Ford's more coherent films--in fact, it's downright sloppy at times--The Wings of Eagles nonetheless contains several highlights, not least of which are the "I'm gonna move that toe" scene with John Wayne and Dan Dailey, and Ward Bond's inside-joke performance as irreverent film director "John Dodge". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Dan Dailey, (more)
- 1957
Another of director Allan Dwan's underrated but well-crafted westerns of the 1950s, The Restless Breed stars Scott Brady as a young gunslinger who lives for revenge. When Brady's father is killed by gun runners, he pursues the villains across the Mexican border. Gang leader Jim Davis, beyond the reach of American law, is confident that his henchman can get rid of Brady in short order, but he's wrong. As his hired guns drop like flies, Davis is forced to accept Brady's challenge to a showdown. Anne Bancroft is intriguingly if incongruously cast as an Indian girl who falls in love with Brady. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Brady, Anne Bancroft, (more)
- 1957
This surprisingly warm-and-fuzzy episode is narrated by child actress Evelyn Rudie, here cast as minister's daughter Hildegarde Fell. Against the wishes of her father (Hugh Marlowe), Hildegarde insists upon trying to make friends with crabby old John Anderson (Cedric Hardwicke), an elderly recluse whom everyone in town assumes to be a former judge, famous for his harsh and merciless sentences. Only after Anderson's death does the wide-eyed Hildegarde reveal the unvarnished truth about the "greatly beloved" man. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
This live Playhouse 90 episode dramatizes the life of celebrated Washington party-giver Perle Mesta, who had earlier served as the inspiration for the 1950 Irving Berlin Broadway musical Call Me Madam. The wife of prominent steel manufacturer and political adviser George Mesta (Robert Lowery, Perle (played as an adult by Shirley Booth) rises to prominence in the WW2 years by throwing lavish parties in which people who otherwise wouldn't have given one another the time of day were gently forced to commisserate like ladies and gentlemen. In recognition of her social achievements, Perle is ultimately appointed Minister to Luxembourg by President Harry Truman. Prominent in the supporting cast is gossip columnist Hedda Hopper, in rare dramatic role as Maizie Weldon. The real Perle Mesta makes an appearance in the closing segment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley Booth, Evelyn Rudie, (more)
- 1956
This highly anticipated and lavishly publicized semi-musical TV adaptation of Kay Thompson's "Eloise" stories stars 7-year-old Evelyn Rudie as the titular 6-year-old heroine. As devotees of the books written by Thompson and illustrated by Hilary Knight already know, Eloise is a precocious little girl who lives with her Nanny, her dog Weenie (actually a cat) and her turtle Skipperdee at New York's posh Plaza Hotel. Forever sticking her nose into other people's business, Eloise tries to promote a "storybook" romance between a visiting Prince (Louis Jourdan) and a hotel chambermaid (Inger Stevens). Despite the presence of several venerable guest stars playing themselves--including Ethel Barrymore, Monty Woolley, hotelier Conrad Hilton and Kay Thompson herself--"Eloise" was one of the biggest flops in the history of the CBS anthology Playhouse 90. What seemed cute and whimsical in print came off as loud and obnoxious, largely due to the overbearing personality of child actress Evelyn Rudie. Incredibly, several subsequent attempts were made to foist Rudie on the public, including a not-bad episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but the kid never quite became another Shirley Temple, and faded from view after a few years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Miscegenation, that old reliable bugaboo of many a Southern-based novel, is at the center of Hamilton Basso's The View from Pompey's Head. The film version stars Richard Egan as a New York lawyer who returns to his Southern home town to investigate an embezzlement charge. The victim is an ageing novelist (Sidney Blackmer), whose royalties are mysteriously disappearing; the novelist's wife (Marjorie Rambeau) suspects that her husband is being cheated. But it is the novelist himself who is siphoning off his earnings, in order to provide for his African-American mother, and to buy her silence regarding his mixed parentage. The wife is apprised of the situation, and agrees to keep mum. With all this going on, it's understandable that few viewers remember the love triangle between Richard Egan, Dana Wynter and Cameron Mitchell which motivates the rest of The View from Pompey's Head. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Egan, Dana Wynter, (more)
