Douglas Blackley Movies
- 1956
Disney's The Great Locomotive Chase is a dramatic retelling of the actual Civil War events which inspired the Buster Keaton comedy The General. Fess Parker stars as James J. Andrews, the famous Union spy who masterminded the theft of an entire Confederate train. To accomplish this mission, Andrews and his cohorts pose as Kentuckians, board the train, and bide their time until they can pull off the robbery. Unfortunately for the Northerners, plucky young conductor William A. Fuller (Jeffrey Hunter, in the "Keaton" role), resentful that his train was stolen out from under him, pursues Andrews' raiders by foot, handcar, and locomotive. No matter what obstacles are placed in his way by Andrews' men, Fuller persists in his chase. Eventually captured, Andrews and his cohorts plan a daring escape, which serves as the film's pulse-pounding climax. Filmed on location in Georgia, The Great Locomotive Chase was well-received by audiences and critics alike. The lone dissenter was Buster Keaton, who felt that Disney made a mistake by turning the Southern characters into the "bad guys." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fess Parker, Jeffrey Hunter, (more)
This seedy anti-marijuana tract was distributed as She Shoulda Said No. The star is one Lila Leeds, who gained notoriety in 1948 when she and Robert Mitchum were arrested during a Hollywood pot party. Leeds plays an impressionable chorus girl who is hooked onto marijuana by her collegiate brother. Going from bad to worse, the girl becomes a dope pusher to support her reefer habit. Ultimately, she goes "cold turkey" and becomes a narc, working with the feds to smash the dope peddlers once and for all. Like most films of its ilk, Wild Weed is an unintentional laugh riot when seen today. The cast is a surprisingly good one, including Alan Baxter, Lyle Talbot, Michael Whalen and pianist Rudolf Friml Jr. Director "Sherman Scott" also travelled under the name of Sam Newfield. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lila Leeds, Alan Baxter, (more)
- 1947
On February 17, 1947, two efforts from Paramount's Pine-Thomas productions were tradeshown in tandem. The first was I Cover Big Town; the second was Jungle Flight.The latter film stars Robert Lowery and Douglas Blackley as Kelly Jordan and Andy Melton, troubleshooting freight pilots engaged in shipping mining equipment to a remote Latin-American company. Hoping to make a quick financial turnover, Melton overloads his plane, and as a result dies in a fiery crash. These leaves Jordan to "fly solo" in every sense of the phrase, attempting to rescue the victims of a second plane crash--and to save runaway wife Laurey Roberts (Ann Savage) from her crooked husband Tom Hammond (Douglas Fowley). Barton MacLane glowers his way through the role of the mine's owner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Ann Savage, (more)
The stars of Shoot to Kill are Douglas Blackley and Susan Walters, both of whom later changed their professional names to, respectively, Robert Kent and Luana Walters. Blackley is a gangster who is framed by crooked DA Edmund MacDonald. Walters, Blackley's wife, secures a job as MacDonald's assistant, the better to find the proof of the DA's dishonesty. Reporter Russell Wade helps Walters expose MacDonald, falling in love with her along the way. The film is related in flashback by Walters, who lies hovering between life and death in a hospital bed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Russell Wade, Susan Walters, (more)
- 1936
Love Before Breakfast was the scintillating title Universal chose over Spinster Dinner, the Faith Baldwin novel upon which this airy comedy is based. Carole Lombard is a Park Avenue beauty squired by Preston S. Foster and Cesar Romero. Since neither gentleman is a prize catch, Lombard is fey and fickle throughout the film. That's all there is to Love Before Breakfast, which might have been completely forgotten had it not been for a famous 1930s-era painting in which a detailed poster for the film is the focus of attention. There's one iconoclastic alteration in the painting: Carole Lombard has been given a black eye. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Carole Lombard, Preston S. Foster, (more)
- 1935
In his first starring role (after being second-billed to Claudette Colbert in The Gilded Lily), Fred MacMurray plays officer Ross Martin of the Michigan State Police. After completing his training, Martin is pitted against dignified Professor Anthony (Sir Guy Standing), who uses his academic status as a cover for his bank-robbery activities. Keeping himself abreast of police maneuvers by listening to car radios and unobtrusively hanging around headquarters, Anthony ultimately uses his technological know-how to paralyze the police communications systems. But with the cooperation of the Massachusetts police department, whose radios are in full working order, rookie Martin and rustic sheriff Pete Arnot (Frank Craven) combine forces for a final assault upon Anthony's hideout. Its sometimes illogical plot twists notwithstanding, the screenplay is based on a series of factual articles, first published in Saturday Evening Post. Also given a career boost in Car 99 is another new Paramount contractee, Ann Sheridan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred MacMurray, Guy Standing, (more)
