Evelyn Scott Movies
- 1963
The "Thunder Man" is explosives expert William Poole (Simon Oakland), who in addition to his demolition skills, happens to be a serial killer. No sooner has the episode gotten under way than Poole has murdered Joe Cartwright's girlfriend Ann. The sole witness is Ann's father, who has suffered a stroke and can only remember the curious song whistled by the killer. The plot thickens when Poole is hired by Joe's father Ben. Featured in the cast are Evelyn Scott as Mrs. Gibson, Harvey Stephens as Uncle Fred, Bill Quinn as the doctor, and Bing Russell, making his first series appearance in the recurring role of Deputy Clem. Originally telecast on May 5, 1963, "Thunder Man" was written by Lewis Reed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1961
Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) heads to New Orleans to break up a smuggling ring that is delivering narcotics to Chicago. The mastermind of this operation is Emile Bouchard (Luther Adler), who is shamelessly using his family's 130-year-old shipfitting firm Bouchard et Cie to transport his illegal cargo. Suffering from delusions of grandeur, Bouchard is determined to become the "new" Al Capone, even unto building his own bulletproof limousine--which, in a typically ironic Untouchables grace-note, turns out to be Bouchard's undoing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
The Cartwrights rescue 11-year-old Gabrielle Wickham (Diane Mountford), a blind orphan girl whom they find wandering aimlessly in the snow. Gabrielle is hoping against hope to locate her grandfather, Zachariah Wickham (John Abbott). Alas, Zachariah turns out to be a contentious hermit who hates people in general and relatives in particular. Also appearing is Kevin Hagen as Everett. Written by Anthony Lawrence, "Gabrielle" originally aired December 24, 1961, as Bonanza's Christmas present to its many fans. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1959
Not long after trying to strike a deal with political "fixer" Wilfred Borden (George Neise), building contractor George Andrews (John Anderson) is in a car accident. When Borden is murdered and Andrews arrested for the crime, Perry (Raymond Burr) hinges his defense on locating swimsuit model Dawn Manning (Dolores Donlon), the girl who was with Andrews at the time of the accident--and that, folks, is why Mr. Mason is posing as a professional photographer. This episode is based on a 1958 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Determined to track down the man who murdered his wife, Flint Johnson (Onslow Stevens) forms a posse. Adam and Little Joe Cartwright, longtime friends of Johnson, join the posse to make sure that proper justice is meted out -- but Johnson has no intention of allowing the law to take its course. Also appearing are Adam Williams as Blackie and Arthur Hunnicutt as Piute. First broadcast on November 28, 1959, "The Posse" was written by Carey Wilbur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
Grim, almost unbearably intense, I Want To Live is the story of the life and execution of Barbara Graham (Susan Hayward) a perjurer, prostitute, liar and drug addict. The product of a broken home, Graham works as a shill, luring gullible men into crooked card games. She attempts to go straight, marries the wrong man, and has a baby. When her life falls apart, she returns to her former profession and is involved in a murder. Despite her claims of innocence, she is convicted and executed. Robert Wise directs the uniformly fine cast with grim efficiency, telling Graham's story in a series of adroitly crafted scenes that won him a well-deserved Academy Award nomination. However, the film belongs to Susan Hayward who gives a intense, shattering performance without one false note. Her performance is so grimly focused that she is, at times, almost unbearable to watch. The final scenes, which lead up to Graham's execution, are exhausting in their emotional intensity as the audience is spared nothing of Graham's agony, despair and desperation when she finally loses the long battle to save her life. Whether one sees Graham as a murderer or a hapless victim of society, the power and relentless, sordid reality of her story leaves an indelible memory in the mind of the viewer. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Simon Oakland, (more)
- 1957
In this routine possession potboiler, Peggie Castle plays a suburban housewife being slowly driven mad by the intrusive, restless spirit of her husband's first wife, whose soul has been tainted by her participation in a Satanic cult headed by high priest Father Renall (Otto Reichow). The woman's husband (Arthur Franz) and his sister (Marsha Hunt) decide to infiltrate the cult in order to put an end to its murderous practices, but it is only through the intervention of a former cultist (Marianne Stewart) that they are able to overthrow the evil master's reign of terror once and for all. The tepid screenplay by Catherine Turney is an adaptaion of her novel The Other One. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peggie Castle, Arthur Franz, (more)
- 1957
This drama is set inside a girl's reformatory. When one of the teens has a baby, the other girls rally together to conceal and care for the infant. The troubled young women soon become as a family until the guards discover the child and take it away. This angers the inmates who begin rioting and destroying their prison. During the scuffle, a young woman escapes and is able to join up with her lover. As they flee the police, their car crashes and both of them die. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Oliver, Beverly Long, (more)
- 1956
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are assigned to find out who has hijacked fourteen trucks in the past few weeks. Their only clues are some paint chips found at the scene of one of the hijackings, and the fact that a driver who'd been kidnapped and beaten by the criminals overheard the name "Leo." Combining state-of-the-art lab work with traditional "gumshoe" techniques, Friday and Smith narrow their search to an arrogant ex-convict. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of December 1, 1953. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Elderly simpleton Nip Cullers (John Dehner) shambles into Dodge City looking for a wife. Mercilessly taunted by the local dance hall girls, Nip is protected by Kitty (Amanda Blake)--whereupon the old coot declares that she will become his bride, going so far as to notify a preacher and arrange a church wedding. Outraged by Nip's presumptive behavior, Kitty threatens to blow him apart with a shotgun if he ever comes near her again. Shortly afterward, Matt (James Arness) and Chester (Dennis Weaver) find Nip lying in an alley, a shotgun wound in his back--and surrounded by the footprints of a woman. This episode is based on the Gunsmoke radio broadcast of July 30, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
An epidemic of unkown origin forces Matt (James Arness) to set up an makeshift hospital in the jail, with Kitty (Amanda Blake) and her girls taking care of the stricken patients. Racing against time, Doc (Milburn Stone) must pinpoint the source of the epidemic, but he may not be up to the task. Ultimately, Chester (Dennis Weaver) puts his own life on the line to save his fellow townsmen--and at the same time, the pompous Mr. Matthews (Patrick O'Moore) learns a lesson in tolerance when he is quarantined along with his "inferiors." Featured in the supporting cast is Howard McNear, who played Doc Adams in the original radio broadcast of The Pest Hole, first heard on April 14, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate when Rose Baker, a no-good, slovenly "party girl", disappears. The last person to see Rose was her sister Bernice (Irene Tedrow), who has been taking care of Rose's four children. Several other people come forth with contradictory stories, indicating that Rose was either going to return to her kids, move to another apartment, or leave the city on vacation. There is no question, however, of how Rose Baker ends up--and that's dead. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of March 27, 1952. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
Though Wicked Woman may look like one of those heavy-breathing Hugo Haas-directed melodramas, the film was in fact directed by screenwriter Russell Rouse. The title character, played by Beverly Michaels, is a trashy blonde who swivels into a small California town. Here she weaves her seductive web around a bar owner (Richard Egan), who leaves his alcoholic wife (Evelyn Scott) behind. The two lovers scheme to sell the bar for a profit and dash off to Mexico, but their scheme is foiled by their own perfidy. Wicked Woman represents perhaps the best-ever screen performance of ubiquitous, squeaky-voiced character actor Percy Helton, who deservedly ends up as the recipient of one of the most spectacular slaps in the face in movie history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beverly Michaels, Richard Egan, (more)
