Robert Shayne Movies
The son of a wholesale grocer who later became one of the founders of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Robert Shayne studied business administration at Boston University. Intending to study for the ministry, Shayne opted instead to work as field secretary for the Unitarian Layman's League. He went on to sell real estate during the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s before heading northward to launch an acting career. After Broadway experience, Shayne was signed to a film contract at RKO radio in 1934. When this led nowhere, Shayne returned to the stage. While appearing with Katharine Hepburn in the Philip Barry play Without Love, Shayne was again beckoned to Hollywood, this time by Warner Bros. Most of his feature film roles under the Warner banner were of the sort that any competent actor could have played; he was better served by the studio's short subjects department, which starred him in a series of 2-reel "pocket westerns" built around stock footage from earlier outdoor epics. He began free-lancing in 1946, playing roles of varying size and importance at every major and minor outfit in Hollywood. In 1951, Shayne was cast in his best-known role: Inspector Henderson on the long-running TV adventure series Superman. He quit acting in the mid-1970s to become an investment banker with the Boston Stock Exchange. The resurgence of the old Superman series on television during this decade thrust Shayne back into the limelight, encouraging him to go back before the cameras. He was last seen in a recurring role on the 1990 Superman-like weekly series The Flash. Reflecting on his busy but only fitfully successful acting career, Robert Shayne commented in 1975 that "It was work, hard and long; a terrible business when things go wrong, a rewarding career when things go right." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1951
Though made in 1951, Criminal Lawyer has the feel of a 1930s film, right down to the casting of Pat O'Brien in the lead. The star plays attorney James Regan, whose unethical methods have earned him the disdain of the American Bar Association. Eventually, Regan is even disgusted with himself, and accordingly crawls into a liquor bottle. Redeemed by the love of girl-Friday Maggie Powell (Jane Wyatt), Regan tackles a difficult make-or-break case which comprises the film's tense denouement. Critics in 1951 were impressed by the subtle performance by brutish Mike Mazurki as Regan's bodyguard; few of them were aware that the college-educated Mazurki was a sensitive, highly intelligent performer who was not at all like the thugs and pluguglies he played on screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pat O'Brien, Jane Wyatt, (more)
- 1951
The title Missing Women refers to only one woman, who is perfectly visible throughout most of the proceedings. Penny Edwards is cast as young bride Claudia Rankin, who hopes to avenge her husband's death at the hands of car thieves. To achieve this goal, Claudia goes "undercover," posing as a hardened criminal. She manages to infiltrate the stolen-car gang, proving her value by pulling off a couple of heists herself. Inevitably, she gets in over her head, and is about to be rubbed out by the crooks. Will the police, who haven't exactly been on top of things in the previous reels, be able to rescue Claudia in the nick of time? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penny Edwards, James Millican, (more)
- 1951
The Dakota Kid was the first of four Republic westerns built around the talents of preteen performers Michael Chapin and Eilene Jansen. In each of these films, Chapin played Red, the grandson of sheriff Tom White (James Bell), while Jansen co-starred as Judy, the boy's best friend and severest critic. Inevitably, the two kids would become involved in Big Trouble involving outlaws and such. In this film, Red and Judy reform the titular Dakota Kid (Dann Morton), who joins forces with them to rout the real villain, crooked saloonkeeper Ace Crandall (Robert Shayne). Featured in the cast as a schoolteacher is Margaret Field, the mother of Oscar-winning actress Sally Field. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Chapin, Eilene Janssen, (more)
- 1951
Columbia's Colorado Uprising was neither expensive enough to qualify as an "A" picture nor inexpensive enough to qualify as a "B." It was simply a "programmer," and as such was eminently suitable for solo playdates or double-feature berths. George Montgomery stars as cavalry captain McCloud, whose job it is to keep the peace between Indians and Whites. McCloud's efforts are undermined by gold speculators Alsop (Hugh Sanders) and Taggert (Douglas Kennedy), whose underhanded activities foment the Indian uprising of the title. Placed under house arrest by Indian-hating Major Stark (Robert Shayne), McCloud escapes, racing against time to mollify Geronimo (Miguel Inclan) and prevent an all-out massacre. Indian Uprising was one of several economical Columbia films produced by Edward Small, who'd been one of the founders of the studio back in the mid-1920s before striking out on his own as an "independent." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Audrey Long, (more)
- 1950
Warner Baxter made his final screen appearance in Columbia's State Penitentiary. Baxter plays airplane engineer Roger Manners, falsely accused of embezzling nearly half a million dollars from his company. Sent to prison, Manners escapes, hoping to track down the real culprit, his ex-partner Stanley Brown (Robert Shayne). Meanwhile, Manners' wife Shirley (Karin Booth) makes a play for Brown, hoping to help her husband trap the scoundrel. Onslow Stevens co-stars as government agent Jim Evans, who has a gut feeling that Manners is innocent, but must attempt to recapture him all the same. Though looking old and tired, Warner Baxter rises to the occasion, delivering an assured, convincing performance. Baxter died May 7, 1951, 11 months after the release of State Penitentiary. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Warner Baxter, Onslow Stevens, (more)
- 1950
Tim Holt and Richard Martin, RKO's resident western good guys, are back in Dynamite Pass. Usually cast as cowpunchers, Holt and Martin are construction workers Ross and Chito this time out. Someone is trying to prevent honest road builder Dan (Regis Toomey) from completing his job, and that someone is his unscrupulous rival Thurber (John Dehner), the owner of a profitable toll road. Had Thurber waited a few years, he could have found a job on the Pennsylvania turnpike. As it stands, however, Ross and Chito must stop Thurber before he destroys the road project permanently. Dynamite Pass is distinguished by better-than-usual performances from all concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Lynne Roberts, (more)
- 1950
William Eythe is the Customs Agent in this brisk Columbia programmer. The plot finds Bert Stewart (Eythe) stationed in China, where he goes undercover to join a gang of dope smugglers. His plan is to stop the wholesale stealing of valuable streptomycin, which the crooks are peddling to drug addicts. Marjorie Reynolds will surprise fans of her work in TV's The Life of Riley with her portrayal of the gang-leader's moll. Another TV favorite, Jim Backus, co-stars as one of the good guys. Customs Agent makes no demands upon the intellect but does succeed as slam-bang entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Eythe, Marjorie Reynolds, (more)
- 1950
Arizona rodeo champs Dave Saunders (Tim Holt) and Chito Rafferty (Richard Martin) head for Oro Grande, CO, to witness the marriage of their friend Tug Bailey (William Phipps) to Easterner Jane Whipple (Elaine Riley). But Bailey, a successful prospector, is in trouble with claim jumpers, notably Gypsy Avery (Veda Ann Borg) and her husband John (Robert Shayne), who don't shy away from murder to get what they want. Although accused of a killing actually committed by Gypsy and on the run from the law, Dave and Chito pin down the Avery gang near Tug's claim and the score is settled in a final shootout. The Rider From Tucson was filmed at Lone Pine, CA. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Holt, Elaine Riley, (more)
- 1950
Experiment Alcatraz stars John Howard as a doctor who develops a serum to cure radioactive poisoning. He tests it on several Alcatraz "lifers," who have volunteered for the experiment on the promise of freedom if they survive. A murder within the group casts aspersions on the doctor, but the mystery is solved before the allotted hour's running time is up. While hardly a surefire candidate for box office success, Experiment Alcatraz was purchased for release by RKO for a sum of $100,000. The film had been independently produced a year before its distribution, its lack of production polish betraying its shoestring origins. Coincidentally, leading man John Howard "continued" in the medical profession as the star of the mid-1950s TV series Dr. Hudson's Secret Journal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Howard, Joan Dixon, (more)
- 1950
When You're Smiling is distinguished by the presence of several top recording artists of 1950. The wafer-thin plotline concerns the misadventures of Texan Gerald Durham (Jerome Courtland), who arrives in the Big City to learn the ropes of the music business. Durham not only ends up with a recording contract, but also wins heroine Peggy Martin (Lola Albright) in the bargain. So much for the story. The principal selling card of When You're Smiling consists of the guest-star turns by Frankie Laine, Bob Crosby, The Modernaires, The Mills Brothers, Kay Starr and Billy Daniels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerome Courtland, Frankie Laine, (more)
- 1950
Former juvenile star William Henry is the all-grown-up hero of Federal Man. Henry is cast as a government agent who dogs the trail of illegal narcotics peddlers. This requires several trips south of the US-Mexico border and back again. Scenes of startlingly vivid violence are counterpointed with prosaic shots of the scientific paraphernalia used by modern-day crime fighters ("modern," of course, by 1950 standards). Though leading lady Pamela Blake is ill-served by her bland dialogue, veteran utility player George Eldredge enjoys one of the largest assignments of his career as the slimy gang leader. Like many crime films of the era, Federal Man adopts a documentary approach to its scripted scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Henry, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1950
Big Timber was another in a series of medium-budget dramas co-produced by actor Roddy McDowall for Monogram. McDowall himself stars as Jimmy, a novice tree surgeon who takes a manual-labor job at a logging camp. Jimmy develops into a fairly competent logger, but his efforts are sabotaged by a jealous rival. Just when all seems lost, Jimmy redeems himself during a rousing climax, wherein the lumber camp is endangered by a "log avalanche". This time, Roddy McDowall has two leading ladies, Miss Jeff Donnell and Lyn Thomas. More than one reviewer has cited the resemblance between Timber and the earlier self-produced McDowall vehicle Tuna Clipper. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roddy McDowall, Jeff Donnell, (more)
- 1949
Gloria Henry, best known to modern viewers as Alice Mitchell in TV's Dennis the Menace, was the winsome leading lady of Law of the Barbary Coast. As Julie Adams, Henry assists D.A. Michael Lodge (played by Robert Shayne, the future Inspector Henderson of Superman) in his efforts to clean up the Barbary Coast district of San Francisco. Impeding their efforts is Stefan Schnabel as gambling czar Boralof, not to mention the fact that most of the DA's eyewitnesses turn up dead. Stephen Dunne provides a romantic interest for Adams as assistant DA Phil Morton, while Adele Jergens breezes through another of her "hard-boiled dame" characterizations. Law of the Barbary Coast was assembled with Columbia's usual low-budget efficiency. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Henry, Stephen Dunne, (more)
- 1949
Homicidal criminal Charles McGraw busts out of jail, kidnapping the three people responsible for his incarceration. The hapless hostages include detective Michael O'Shea, district attorney Frank Conroy, and nightclub singer Virginia Grey. McGraw makes no secret of his plans to kill O'Shea and Conroy once he has successfully made a getaway; he has other plans for Grey, however, and for a while it seems as though she'll willingly play along with him. The cat-and-mouse game reaches its peak of tension some sixty minutes into this 65-minute thriller. Sparse and unpretentious, The Threat contained far more excitement than many a more expensive, star-studded film noir. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael O'Shea, Virginia Grey, (more)
- 1949
Forgotten Women is Monogram's cut-rate 65-minute spin on MGM's The Women. The film deals with four lovely ladies, each of whom is plagued with Man Trouble. Elyse Knox is on the verge of divorce, Veda Ann Borg has been separated from her husband for months, Theodora Lynch's hubby doesn't want her to pursue a singing career, and Noel Neill (yes, Superman's Noel Neill) is a lonely gal looking for an eligible guy. In real life, Elyse Knox was the wife of football star Tom Harmon and the mother of film star Mark Harmon. Approximately 65 minutes too long, Forgotten Women could just as well have been titled Forgotten Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Elyse Knox, Edward Norris, (more)
- 1948
Shaggy is a lovable dog, owned by equally lovable young George Nokes. The put-upon pooch is accused of killing sheep by a grouchy neighbor. The real villain is a wolf, which is eventually dispatched by faithful, fearless Shaggy. Before this happens, however, Nokes spends most of his screen time trying to establish a common ground with his new stepmother Brenda Joyce, who hates the great outdoors and everything connected with it. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brenda Joyce, George Nokes, (more)
- 1948
Sexual harassment can work both ways as can be seen in this romantic comedy when ad man endeavors to maneuver out of a relationship with his girlfriend. This is difficult as she controls a major account for his company and refuses to renew it unless he continues to go out with her. The frustrated fellow then begins having neurotic fits until, at last, he is taken off her account. For his new assignment, he must promote a psychiatrist's latest book. They meet and he is captivated by the lovely doctor. The nervous fellow then becomes her patient, and before long they both fall in love. Unfortunately, the other woman has not given up. His troubles are far from over when he later discovers that the shrink doesn't really love him--she is only using him for a case study. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hedy Lamarr, Robert Cummings, (more)
- 1948
Strange Mrs. Crane stars Marjorie Lord, later famous as the TV wife of Danny Thomas (and the real-life mother of actress Anne Archer) in the atypical role of female crook Gina Crane. Hoping to bury her criminal past, Gina settles into a comfortable existence as the wife of politician Clinton Crane (Pierre Watkin). When her former associate Floyd Durant (Robert Shayne) shows up to blackmail Gina, she has no choice but to murder the man. Things take a bizarre turn when Barbara Arnold (Ruthe Brady) is charged with Durant's murder-and Gina Crane is selected to serve on the jury! Director Sherman Scott was actually the prolific Sam Newfield, taking a brief respite from his multitude of B-western series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marjorie Lord, Robert Shayne, (more)
- 1948
Edgar Buchanan stars as a man who abruptly leaves his wife (Anna Lee) to "find himself". When he returns, he discovers that wifey has divorced him and has married stuffy Robert Shayne (later "Inspector Henderson" on the Superman TV series). Buchanan and Lee's son Gary Gray helps reunite the couple, which is bad news for those in the audience who've warmed up to Shayne. Question: How could The Best Man Wins be adapted (as it says in the credits) from Mark Twain's "Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County?" Answer: Because frog-jumping was what Edgar Buchanan was up to when he was off finding himself. One wonders if director John Sturges ever looked fondly back to the complex profundities of The Best Man Wins while he was directing such trifles as Bad Day at Black Rock (54) and The Great Escape (63). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edgar Buchanan, Anna Lee, (more)
Gene Autry goes in search of the man who killed his friend during a blackout in this action-packed western from Columbia. Someone cuts the lights and kills Ed Norton (Stanley Blystone) during a heated poker game and that someone, according to Sheriff Cramer (Chill Wills), may just be young hothead Larry Evans (Russell Arms). Gene, however, thinks otherwise and arranges for Larry to hide out in a cabin belonging to elderly prospector Jim Hedge (Clem Bevans). But the real killer is doing his best to incriminate Larry and Gene must not only fight the sheriff but also the accused man's pretty sister, Mary (Barbara Britton), in order to uncover the truth behind the killing. Despite a preponderance of action, Autry, backed by the Cass County Boys, manages to perform five songs in Loaded Pistols: "Pretty Mary", "Jimmy Crack Corn", "When the Bloom is on the Sage", "A Boy from Texas, A Girl from Tennessee" and the title tune. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Barbara Britton, (more)
- 1948
Few major directors made "small" films with such frequency and expertise than the ubiquitous Allan Dwan. Set in 1933, Dwan's The Inside Story tells the tale of a small Vermont town forced to tighten its belt during the Depression. When a wealthy visitor from New York places $1000 in the town's hotel safe, Horace Taylor (Gene Lockhart) the hotel's debt-ridden owner, "borrows" the money to pay off his creditors, intending to replace the cash once he's back on his feet. This act of larceny snowballs into a "collective crime," with everyone in town getting his or her hands on the money during the course of the story. By keeping the cash in circulation, the town manages to save itself from financial ruin -- but there's still that problem of getting the money back before the authorities find out. The husband-wife team of Richard Sale and Mary Loos scripted The Inside Story from an original screen treatment co-authored by former press agent (and future Hitchcock collaborator) Ernest Lehman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Florence Bates, Hobart Cavanaugh, (more)
A woman struggles to reassemble her broken life in this drama that features Susan Hayward in her first starring role. The woman started out as a night-club singer, but abandoned her career after marrying a budding radio star. At first she does everything she can to insure his success, but when he finally hits the big-time, the woman finds herself deeply depressed and turning toward the bottle for solace because he is increasingly absent from her life. She becomes a full-fledged alcoholic and her husband, unable to take it anymore begins divorce and custody procedures. It takes such extreme measures to wake her up to her problem. Fortunately, with hard work, and renewed support from her husband, she overcomes her addiction. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Lee Bowman, (more)
- 1947
This was the second entry in Pine-Thomas' film series based on the popular radio show Big Town. Philip Reed and Hillary Brooke return respectively as Steve Kilgore, crusading editor of the Illustrated Daily Press, and Steve's plucky Gal Friday Lorelei Kilbourne. In this one, Steve suspects that hard-luck Harry Hilton (Frank Wilcox) has been framed on a murder rap. Investigating on his own, our hero uncovers a conspiracy to bring financial ruin to a construction firm. He also discovers that the person behind it all is the actual murderer. A few scattered laughs are provided when Lorelei faces male chauvinism upon taking over the responsibilities of the Daily Press' police-beat reporter. To avoid confusion with the television version of Big Town, I Cover Big Town was retitled I Cover the Underworld for TV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phillip Reed, Hillary Brooke, (more)
- 1947
This minor 20th Century-Fox B picture received a great deal of TV play in the late 1950s. In a series of flashbacks, the audience learns that attorney John Morland (John Eldredge) has given a lift to a hitchhiker (Douglas Fowley) who turns out to be a murderer. As a result, Morland himself is implicated in a killing. A pair of detectives (Larry Blake and Richard Travis) discover that Morland has been having business problems and no end of difficulties with his wife Catherine (Jean Rogers). The trail of clues leads to a surprising revelation-especially surprising for those filmgoers conditioned to believe that the most obvious suspect is never guilty. Backlash is also available in a computer-colored version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Rogers, Larry Blake, (more)
- 1947
A curmudgeonly small-town doctor resents the presence of a new younger physician and his newfangled ways. He is especially dismayed by the new doctor's tendency to sing, a behavior the older fellow deems inappropriate. When the new doc meets a pretty young school teacher, romantic sparks fly. Unfortunately, she is engaged to the town pharmacist. This coupled with the older doctor's disapproval convinces the new fellow to leave town. The elder physician's maid intervenes and changes the young ones mind. It's a good thing too, for he saves the older one from a near fatal attack of appendicitis and earns both the veteran medic's gratitude and respect. Later the two take on a snooty new surgeon whose ambition has blinded him to simple common sense. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Beddoe, Bing Crosby, (more)
