Gus Schilling Movies

Producer-director David Butler once listed Glory as among his favorite films. Margaret O'Brien plays her first grown-up role as the owner of the eponymous racing filly. Despite the fact that the horse seems to be a dud, Margaret insists upon entering Glory in race after race. This proves financially draining to Margaret and her grandmother Charlotte Greenwood, but Walter Brennan, trainer for handsome horse breeder John Lupton, helps to raise the necessary funds to enter Glory in--what else?--the Kentucky Derby. The inevitable romance between Margaret and Lupton is less interesting than the combative (but basically affectionate) relationship between ageing ex-sweethearts Greenwood and Brennan. With the uncredited aid of Lawrence Welk Show costar Norma Zimmer, Margaret O'Brien warbles three songs. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In his first western since 1939's The Oklahoma Kid, James Cagney is a pillar of integrity in the Pine-Thomas production Run for Cover. Cagney plays Matt Dow, who at the beginning of the film has been released from prison after serving six years for a crime he didn't commit. Heading westward, Matt befriends young Davey Bishop (John Derek), whom he begins to regard as the son (or brother) he never had. When Davey is injured during a train holdup, Matt brings him to the farm of Mr. Swenson (Jean Hersholt) to convalesce. Here Matt falls in love with Swenson's daughter Helga (Viveca Lindfors). When word of Matt's prowess with a gun reaches the local townsfolk, he is offered the job of sheriff. Matt accepts, but on one condition: that the crippled Davey be appointed deputy. Matt's faith in Davey proves to be misplaced when the embittered boy throws in with the dreaded Gentry gang, but an 11th hour regeneration caps this "psychological western." The curiously Freudian relationship between Matt and Davey was par for the course for Nicholas Ray, who directed Run for Cover betwixt and between his more famous endeavors Johnny Guitar and Rebel without a Cause. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This landmark juvenile-delinquent drama scrupulously follows the classic theatrical disciplines, telling all within a 24-hour period. Teenager Jimmy Stark (James Dean) can't help but get into trouble, a problem that has forced his appearance-conscious parents (Jim Backus and Ann Doran) to move from one town to another. The film's tormented central characters are all introduced during a single night-court session, presided over by well-meaning social worker Ray (Edward Platt). Jimmy, arrested on a drunk-and-disorderly charge, screams "You're tearing me apart!" as his blind-sided parents bicker with one another over how best to handle the situation. Judy (Natalie Wood) is basically a good kid but behaves wildly out of frustration over her inability to communicate with her deliberately distant father (William Hopper). (The incestuous subtext of this relationship is discreetly handled, but the audience knows what's going on in the minds of Judy and her dad at all times.) And Plato (Sal Mineo), who is so sensitive that he threatens to break apart like porcelain, has taken to killing puppies as a desperate bid for attention from his wealthy, always absent parents.

The next morning, Jimmy tries to start clean at a new high school, only to run afoul of local gang leader Buzz (Corey Allen), who happens to be Judy's boyfriend. Anxious to fit in, Jimmy agrees to settle his differences with a nocturnal "Chickie Run": he and Buzz are to hop into separate stolen cars, then race toward the edge of a cliff; whoever jumps out of the car first is the "chickie." When asked if he's done this sort of thing before, Jimmy lies, "That's all I ever do." This wins him the undying devotion of fellow misfit Plato. At the appointed hour, the Chickie Run takes place, inaugurated by a wave of the arms from Judy. The cars roar toward the cliff; Jimmy is able to jump clear, but Buzz, trapped in the driver's set when his coat gets caught on the door handle, plummets to his death. In the convoluted logic of Buzz' gang, Jimmy is held responsible for the boy's death. For the rest of the evening, he is mercilessly tormented by Buzz' pals, even at his own doorstep. After unsuccessfully trying to sort things out with his weak-willed father, Jimmy runs off into the night. He links up with fellow "lost souls" Judy and Plato, hiding out in an abandoned palatial home and enacting the roles of father, mother, and son. For the first time, these three have found kindred spirits -- but the adults and kids who have made their lives miserable haven't given up yet, leading to tragedy. Out of the bleakness of the finale comes a ray of hope that, at last, Jimmy will be truly understood.

Rebel Without a Cause began as a case history, written in 1944 by Dr. Robert Lindner. Originally intended as a vehicle for Marlon Brando, the property was shelved until Brando's The Wild One (1953) opened floodgates for films about crazy mixed-up teens. Director Nicholas Ray, then working on a similar project, was brought in to helm the film version. His star was James Dean, fresh from Warners' East of Eden. Ray's low budget dictated that the new film be lensed in black-and-white, but when East of Eden really took off at the box office, the existing footage was scrapped and reshot in color. This was great, so far as Ray was concerned, inasmuch as he had a predilection for symbolic color schemes. James Dean's hot red jacket, for example, indicated rebellion, while his very blue blue jeans created a near luminescent effect (Ray had previously used the same vivid color combination on Joan Crawford in Johnny Guitar). As part of an overall bid for authenticity, real-life gang member Frank Mazzola was hired as technical advisor for the fight scenes. To extract as natural a performance as possible from Dean, Ray redesigned the Stark family's living room set to resemble Ray's own home, where Dean did most of his rehearsing. Speaking of interior sets, the mansion where the three troubled teens hide out had previously been seen as the home of Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Of the reams of on-set trivia concerning Rebel, one of the more amusing tidbits involves Dean's quickie in-joke impression of cartoon character Mr. Magoo -- whose voice was, of course, supplied by Jim Backus, who played Jimmy's father. Viewing the rushes of this improvisation, a clueless Warner Bros. executive took Dean to task, saying in effect that if he must imitate an animated character, why not Warners' own Bugs Bunny? Released right after James Dean's untimely death, Rebel Without a Cause netted an enormous profit. The film almost seems like a eulogy when seen today, since so many of its cast members -- James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Nick Adams -- died young. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Filmed on location in Mexico (one of several Hollywood-financed films of the 1950s to take advantage of the lower production and labor costs south of the border), One Big Affair stars Evelyn Keyes as Jean Harper, a scatter-brained American schoolteacher and Dennis O'Keefe as Jimmy Donovan, a stateside lawyer. When Jean is separated from her tour group, it is assumed that she's been kidnapped. In fact, she has fallen in love with fellow tourist Donovan, and has joined him in his journey to Acapulco. The local constabulary refuse to believe that Donovan isn't a kidnapper, and a zany chase across Mexico ensues. One Big Affair was produced by the estimable Benedict Bogaeus, on the verge of his lucrative association with RKO Radio, and director Allan Dwan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After a lengthy absence from the screen, Judy Canova returned in the raucous musical Honeychile. The plot had been utilized in several previous Republic films, but was good for yet another go-round here. Canova plays Judy, a would-be songwriter who sends one of her tunes to a big-city composer. When the song, published under another author's name, becomes a hit, music agent Eddie Price (Eddie Foy Jr.) heads to the sticks to negotiate a contract with Judy. By now, however, she doesn't want to sell her song: instead, she wants all the royalties for herself. Eddie's efforts to get her to change her mind are stymied by the presence of Judy's muscle-bound boyfriend Joe Boyd (Alan Hale Jr.) Somehow, everything is resolved during a climactic chuck-wagon race. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gasoline Alley was based on Frank King's popular comic strip of the same name. The strip's central characters, service station owner Walt Wallet (Don Beddoe) and his adopted son Skeezix (James Lydon), take a back seat to newlyweds Corky (Scotty Beckett) and Hope (Susan Morrow). Hoping to establish his independence from his family, Corky opens up his own restaurant, which results in nothing but headaches. The film tries as best it can within 76 minutes to recreate the 30-year continuity of the original comic strip. Director Edward Bernds, a graduate of Columbia's short-subject department, relies upon a couple of his 2-reeler colleagues, Dick Wessel and Gus Schilling, to provide a soupcon of slapstick. Because of legal entanglements, neither Gasoline Alley nor its sequel Corky of Gasoline Alley are available for TV showings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Joyfully preparing for her high-school graduation, and her 18th birthday, Gail Macauley (Ann Blyth) stumbles across a family secret. Contrary to what she's been raised to believe, Gail's parents (Jane Wyatt, Donald Cook) are not her biological parents; she was adopted. Setting a precedent that would be followed by many adoptees of the 1970s and 1980s, Gail will not rest until she tracks down her natural mother. A soap opera deluxe, Our Very Own should not be too closely scrutinized in terms of plot and logic. It is best to revel in the performances by such surefire veterans as Ann Dvorak (as Gail's biological mother) and Gus Schilling (as a flustered television installer), and by such talented "youngsters" as Joan Evans, Phyllis Kirk and Natalie Wood. And as a bonus to Baby Boomers, the film offers a glimpse of the legendary "Indian Head" TV test pattern (yes, it goes back that far!) Our Very Own was written by F. Hugh Herbert, produced by Sam Goldwyn, and directed by David Miller, none of whom make a false move throughout the film's 93 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Angel on the Amazon gives the viewer a pretty good notion of what Lost Horizon or She might have looked like had they been produced by Republic Pictures. Vera Ralston stars as huntress Christine Ridgeway, who embarks on one of her many hunting expeditions in the company of her husband Anthony Brian Aherne. While deep in the jungles of the Amazon, the Ridgeways and their party come across the wreckage of a plane. Among the survivors are pilot Jim Warburton George Brent and Dr. Karen Lawrence Constance Bennett. Warburton is impressed by the fact that, though apparently well on in years, Christine has retained her youthful appearance. Dr. Lawrence eventually discovers the secret of Christine's eternal beauty, which by film's end has atrophied considerably. The rambling screenplay whisks the viewer from Brazil to the Riviera to Pasadena, all courtesy of the Republic back lot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this whimsical fantasy, a young girl suddenly discovers that her horse is really a reincarnation of her beloved uncle who upon his death bed was heard to say that if could ever come back, he would want to be a race horse that wins the Kentucky Derby. When the girl's relatives learn of her beliefs, the greedily try to have her declared incompetent so they can get a hold of her estate. Fortunately, October the horse (it really is her reincarnated uncle!) intervenes, wins the Derby and gives them all pause for thought. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this Republic musical, all heck breaks loose when the girlfriend of an aspiring composer becomes a model for the starving artist who lives next door. The story takes place at the turn of the 19th century and is set in Miss Rich's boardinghouse, the temporary home of many young artists and performers hoping to make it big in New York. Songs include "Have I Told You Lately?" and "A Bluebird Is Singing to Me." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this drama, it is up to two young lawyers to save a business executive who has been framed for embezzlement. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

It's a Pleasure was the third release from International Pictures, the feisty independent that would later merge with Universal. Skating sensation Sonja Henie does her usual as ice-show star Chris Linden, who falls in love with hockey champ Don Martin (Michael O'Shea). A combative, troublesome sort, Martin is barred from hockey for life thanks to his numerous brawls and drinking binges. Meanwhile, Chris rises ever higher in her chosen profession, driving a wedge between herself and Martin. Since there was never a Sonja Henie picture with an unhappy ending, audiences were assured that things would aright themselves shortly after the climactic music-and-ice ensemble number. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

River Gang was another of Universal's attempts to tap the dramatic potential of their young singing star Gloria Jean. The actress plays Wendy, the niece of pawnbroker Uncle Bill (John Qualen). Outwardly a loveable teller of tall tales, Uncle Bill is actually the head of a robbery gang. When murder rears its ugly head, the impressionable Wendy discovers her uncle's perfidy for the first time-and faces the possibility of becoming the next murder victim. Young Keefe Brasselle plays Johnny, a neighborhood "tough" who turns out ot be the best friend Wendy could possibly have. River Gang was directed by Charles David, who ironically became the husband of Deanna Durbin, Gloria Jean's principal singing rival on the Universal lot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide