Barbara Billingsley Movies

A change of pace for both director Vincente Minnelli and star Katharine Hepburn, this taut drama features the latter as Ann Hamilton, the daughter of a scientist (Edmund Gwenn), who after a whirlwind romance marries handsome but slightly mysterious inventor turned businessman Alan Garroway (Robert Taylor). But wedded bliss proves short-lived when Garroway refuses to discuss his brother Michael, whose presence is felt constantly despite the mystery surrounding his whereabouts. The missing Michael becomes an obsession for Ann, whose curiosity is piqued even more after a chance encounter with Sylvia Burton (Jayne Meadows), a young woman who figures in the lives of both brothers and who displays a strange resemblance to Ann herself. Despite Alan's dire misgivings, Ann feels compelled to solve the mystery of Michael, until, that is, she discovers that Alan may very well have murdered his own brother. Undercurrent marked the screen debut of Jayne Meadows and a breakthrough of sorts for Robert Mitchum, whom M-G-M borrowed from David O. Selznick for a reputed $25,000. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Only faintly related to the old stage play The Argyle Case, The Argyle Secrets is based on a half-hour radio program originally heard on CBS' Suspense. In the immediate postwar years, several above-suspicion Americans attempt to hide their past collaborations with the Nazis. Reporter William Gargan refuses to let sleeping dogs lie, however, and tracks down some of these fifth columnists. The film's "Macguffin" is a set of incriminating papers, which are stolen early in the proceedings. The supporting cast of this Film Classics programmer includes future Danny Thomas Show co-star Marjorie Lord and former "Dick Tracy" portrayer Ralph Byrd. The Argyle Secrets was written and directed by one-time MGM film editor Cyril Endfield, later the man behind the megaphone on Zulu (1964). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, an egomaniacal producer freely treads upon those around him without regard to the harm he does. The devoted wife of a novelist sees this after the producer foists himself on her during a party; she tries to warn her novelist husband who wants the man to produce his play, but he does not listen. Later the producer tries to destroy his own girl friend's career by spreading vicious rumors; he succeeds and she loses her contract. Meanwhile the writer and his wife, thanks to the producer's manipulation, have separated. The writer is then forced to revise the play. The result is so bad that he cannot attract the actor he wanted to play his leading man. The novelist's wife gets her revenge on the producer by showing an original draft of the play to the actor her husband wanted. He is impressed and helps her find another producer. When the husband hears about his wife's actions he immediately returns, but not before punching the egotistical producer in the eye. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this drama, an embittered widow, a former concert singer, can't help but blame Lassie for her son's death. Needing help with her chores, she hires an orphan from the local home. At first she remains aloof towards the charming lad who quickly bonds with the collie dog, but as time passes she can't help but develop feelings for the boy. Later Lassie redeems herself when she saves the boy from a terrible fire in the orphanage. After that, the widow suddenly realizes that she does indeed love the boy and adopts him and puts Lassie back in her good graces. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This cautionary fable was produced by the Protestant Film Commission. The main character is plant-manager Joe Hanson (David Bruce), who manages himself to be free of all forms of racial prejudice. Yet when he feels that his job is being threatened by Jewish co-worker Al Green (Bruce Edwards), Joe can't keep his inbred hostilities to himself. He inadvertently causes Al to be transferred to a less-desirable job, resulting in misery all around. The timely intervention of Joe's minister (James Seay) rights the wrongs caused by careless talk. Featured in the cast of Prejudice as Mrs. Green is none other than Barbara "June Cleaver" Billingsley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Best known to posterity as the third wife of Cary Grant, Betsy Drake enjoyed a substantial film career during the postwar era. In Pretty Baby, Drake plays Patsy Douglas, an enterprising young lady who always assures herself a seat on the subway by carrying a doll wrapped in baby bunting. Through a series of complications that could only happen in a movie, it is eventually assumed that the "baby" is genuine. Patsy's bosses, advertising executives Sam Morley (Dennis Morgan) and Barry Holmes (Zachary Scott), hope to use Patsy's bundle of joy to land an important client, grouchy baby-food tycoon Cyrus Baxter (Edmund Gwenn). Most of the film is a not-so-subtle swipe at radio and TV advertising, considered a rich source of humor back in 1950. Cast in a tiny role as a receptionist is future "June Cleaver" Barbara Billingsley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Western director Philip Ford switches gears by helming the crime melodrama Trial without Jury. Robert Rockwell stars as Bill Peters, a young playwright specializing in murder mysteries. Hoping to freshen up his latest play, Bill uses a recent real-life murder as inspiration. While on a research expedition, Bill arouses the suspicions of the investigating detectives. Sure enough, the hapless playwright finds himself on the suspect list -- meaning that he'll have to solve the mystery himself to stay out of jail. Among the supporting actors weaving in and out of the proceedings is Barbara Billingsley, playing a character far removed from her familiar "June Cleaver" TV persona. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Dependable supporting actor John Litel is top-billed in the independently produced Two Dollar Bettor. Litel plays John Hewitt, a respectable widower who takes the first step on the road to depravation when he makes his first-ever bet at the race track. Consumed by gambling fever, Hewitt is reduced to committing embezzlement to satisfy his urge. Things don't end too well for Our Hero, but redemption of sorts is provided from an unexpected corner. Marie Windsor steals the show in the atypical role of a con artist who is willing to take the hapless Hewitt for everything he's got. Two Dollar Bettor was directed by Edward L. Cahn with his usual ten-day-schedule efficiency. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pretty stewardess Marcy Lewis (Jane Wyman) must choose between Three Guys Named Mike in this frothy MGM concoction. There's Mike Lawrence (Van Johnson), a science student who moonlights as a bartender. There's Mike Tracy (Barry Sullivan), a wheeler-dealer ad executive. And finally, there's Mike Jamison (Howard Keel), a handsome airline pilot. Marcy's love life is counterpointed with her ever-increasing expertise on her job; the more self-assured she becomes, the more she changes her views about men. It wouldn't be cricket to reveal which "Mike" Marcy finally chooses, though the order of billing is something of a giveaway. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Kirk Douglas plays the corrupt and amoral head of a major film studio in this Hollywood drama, often regarded as one of the film's industry's most interesting glimpses at itself. Actress Gloria Lorrison (Lana Turner), director Fred Amiel (Barry Sullivan), and screenwriter James Lee Bartlow (Dick Powell) are invited to a meeting at a Hollywood sound stage at the request of producer Harry Pebbel (Walter Pidgeon). Pebbel is working with studio chief Jonathan Shields (Kirk Douglas), whose studio is in financial trouble and needs a blockbuster hit. If these three names will sign to a new project, he's convinced that there's no way he can lose. But there's a rub -- all three of these Hollywood heavyweights hate Shields's guts. He dumped Gloria for another woman, he double-crossed Fred out of a plum directing assignment, and he was responsible for the death of James Lee's wife. All three are ready to tell Pebbel to forget it, until they hear the voice of Shields, calling from Europe to discuss the project by phone. The Bad and the Beautiful won five Academy Awards, including Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Gloria Grahame. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The first season of Leave It to Beaver was originally telecast on CBS and seen in an early-Friday-evening slot. When first we meet that "lovable, spankable, unpredictable" Beaver Cleaver (Jerry Mathers), he is all of seven years old, and his older brother Wally (Tony Dow) is a mere 12. The boys and their parents, Ward (Hugh Beaumont) and June (Barbara Billingsley), are living in a different house than in later episodes, principally because the show was being filmed at the old Republic movie studios, and wouldn't move to its more familiar Universal stamping grounds until the 1958-1959 season. Wally's weaselly buddy Eddie Haskell (Ken Osmond), already practicing his two-faced trick of being effusively polite to Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver and abrasive and bullying to Beaver, makes his first appearance in the episode "New Neighbors" (a later installment, "Voodoo Magic," affords viewers the rare privilege of seeing Eddie's parents, played by Karl Swenson and Ann Doran). Another familiar juvenile supporting player, Frank Bank, makes his debut as Lumpy Rutherford in the episode also bearing that name; though he is instantly established as the son of Ward's coworker Fred Rutherford (Richard Deacon), Lumpy is depicted as a bully, and not the amiable oaf he would later become. Similarly, Ward Cleaver is not always the all-knowing, gently philosophical character whom we're familiar with: in the episode "The Black Eye," for example, Ward not only aggressively goads Beaver into a fight with the kid who gave him a "shiner," but also punishes Wally for informing him in a later scene that Beaver's "opponent" is a girl! And if we may digress for a moment: another first-season episode, "Water Anyone," marks the one and only time that June Cleaver is seen mopping the floor while wearing a pearl necklace and a fancy dress. (And, given the plot at hand, June's allegedly inappropriate outfit makes sense!) Other characters introduced during season one are Beaver's attractive blonde teacher Miss Canfield (Diane Brewster), his friends Larry (Rusty Stevens) and Whitey (Stanley "Tiger" Fafara), his classroom nemesis Judy Hensler (Jeri Weil), and Wally's off-and-on steady date Mary Ellen Rogers (Pamela Beard). Among the actors making guest appearances are silent-film star Madge Kennedy as Wally and Beav's hidebound Aunt Martha, and in two separate episodes, veteran character actor Lyle Talbot, whose son Stephen Talbot would join the cast two years later as Beaver's chum Gilbert. With such classic episodes as "Beaver Gets 'Spelled," "Beaver and Poncho," and "Beaver Runs Away," Leave It to Beaver performed admirably during its freshman season, though ratings-wise it lagged behind its ABC competition The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide