Pamela Blake Movies
Pamela Blake used her real name (Adele Pearce) when decorating the background in Eight Girls in a Boat (1934) and when she returned to Hollywood after a four-year hiatus to study acting in her hometown of Oakland. The diminutive brunette charmer played opposite Tex Ritter in Grand National's low-budget Utah Trail (1938), a less than pleasant experience, she later recalled, but she was obviously going somewhere when director John Farrow (Mia's father) took her under his wing at RKO. Farrow, who, according to Pearce, could be quite the tyrant, directed her in Sorority House (1939) and Full Confession (1939), but her biggest chance came at Paramount, where she tested with Alan Ladd and played the minor, but rather showy, role of Annie in This Gun for Hire (1942), Ladd's breakthrough movie. As it turned out, the classic film noir proved a breakthrough of sorts for Pearce as well. At her request, Paramount had renamed her Pamela Blake and, as such, she signed a contract with industry leader MGM. Although the studio never really offered her the opportunity for true stardom, Blake turned up in several popular programmers, including Maisie Gets Her Man (1942) with Ann Sothern and Red Skelton and the Western The Omaha Trail (1942) with James Craig. According to Blake herself, however, MGM canceled her contract when she failed to notify the studio that she was leaving town. Despite the loss of a major studio contract, Pamela Blake rebounded on poverty row and is today best remembered for her roles in such action serials as Chick Carter, Detective (1946) and The Ghost of Zorro (1948), the latter made by Republic Pictures, Blake's favorite studio. "Everybody out there was wonderful; it seemed like a small town," she would later recall. The early '50s brought several guest stints on such television shows as The Cisco Kid and The Range Rider, but Blake's acting career was waning when, in 1953, she decided to retire and raise her family with television producer Mike Stokey (Pantomime Quiz). She had previously been married to actor/stuntman Malcolm "Bud" McTaggart. (Both marriages ended in divorce.) The mother of Michael W. Stokey, a military advisor on such major motion pictures as The Thin Red Line (1998) and Hart's War (2002), Blake surprisingly claims the 1943 Monogram thriller The Unknown Guest as her favorite among almost 50 films and a dozen or so television appearances. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1954
Stunt man Hugh Hooker starred in the title role of this late Grade-Z Western, written and directed by the redoubtable Robert Emmett Tansey. When crooked lawyer Monte Blue attempts to take over the ranch belonging to Pamela Blake and her elderly father, James Kirkwood, the Texas Kid and his sidekick (John Laurenz) come to their rescue. That is about all there is to this ramshackle affair, which, in reality, was composed of a couple of unsold television pilots. Silent stars Blue and Kirkwood were nearing the end of their long careers, while the supporting cast consisted of such relative newcomers as Terry Frost, John Compton, and Tansey regular Johnny Carpenter. Very little data exists on this film. Though completed in 1951 (just prior to Tansey's death), the picture's absolutely wretched quality reputedly caused it to go unreleased for three years. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Monte Blue, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1950
Don Barry stars as Texas Ranger Bob Standish, sworn to avenge his brother's death in Border Rangers. To achieve his goal, Standish goes undercover, joining the bandit gang. In this guise, he hopes to trap outlaw Mugo (Robert Lowery), his brother's murderer, unawares. Most Lippert Studio productions include Sid Melton as comedy relief. But Melton must have been out of town, since the comic sequences in Border Rangers are handled by veteran vaudevillian Wally Vernon. As an added fillip, child actor Paul Jordan provides a few heart-tugging moments. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Wally Vernon, (more)
- 1945
This tale of two tugboats focuses upon the rivalries between two operators competing to win a major shipping contract. Meanwhile a tugboat office secretary and an ex-con who wants to go straight, fall in love. Tugboat Annie is put in charge of a child violinist. When a waterfront fire breaks out, the two warring captains join forces to put it out. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Darwell, Edgar Kennedy, (more)
- 1947
The baby sitter is none other than veteran Hollywood tough guy Tom Neal. A private detective, Neal is hired to keep an eye on the child of married couple George Meeker and Rebel Randall. Actually, Meeker and Randall are jewel thieves, and their "baby" is their stolen loot. Neal eventually catches on when he realizes that this is the quietest child on earth. Running a scant 41 minutes, Case of the Baby Sitter was designed to be shown in tandem with another Screen Guild Productions "briefie," The Hat Box Mystery: the films were shot back to back, with Tom Neal and Pamela Blake starring in both. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Neal, Allen Jenkins, (more)
- 1946
That dependable sleuth of pulp fiction fame, Nick Carter, apparently had an equally stalwart son. Chick Carter, Boy Detective did his sleuthing on radio before Columbia producer Sam Katzman brought him to the screen in Chick Carter, Detective. The juvenile hero of the radio waves had underwent certain changes in order for grown-up actor Lyle Talbot to portray him. Talbot's Chick Carter, however, remained strangely inactive in his own serial, allowing crusading reporter Rusty Farrell (Douglas V. Fowley) to perform most of the necessary derring-do. As plainly told as the title would suggest, Chick Carter, Detective was more or less a straightforward crime melodrama that eschewed the usual ray guns, invisibility inventions, and other paraphernalia of the genre. Former MGM starlet Pamela Blake did some snooping of her own as a rival detective, and a gangster bearing the unfortunate name of Nick Polio (George Meeker) indulged in a bit of insurance fraud on behalf of Charles King. With only two bona fide cliffhanger endings, Chick Carter, Detective found little favor with the small fry, its target audience. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1951
This film features two mystery stories featuring Hugh "the Beaver's TV Dad" Beaumont. First, he is hired to go to an auction and buy a particular saxophone. Unfortunately, soon after he obtains it he is knocked unconscious and loses the instrument to the bidder he beat. Later he discovers that the horn is filled with valuable stolen jewels. He also learns that a murder is involved and so launches an investigation to solve it all. In the second tale, Beaumont is paid to escort a beautiful woman to a yacht party. Once he gets there, he discovers that he is the only guest and she is out to seduce him. During their lovemaking, a sleazy detective is busy photographing their every move. The gumshoe was working for the woman's jealous husband who is later found slain, causing the hapless Beaumont to stand accused. Fortunately, he is able to prove his innocence and solve the crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Beaumont, Edward S. Brophy, (more)
- 1942
On the verge of a nervous breakdown, Dr. Leonard Gillespie (Lionel Barrymore) realizes that it's time to appoint a new assistant to replace young Dr. Kildare. Gillespie is obliged to choose from three highly qualified candidates: Dr. Randall "Red" Adams (Van Johnson), Dr. Lee Wong How (Keye Luke), and Dr. Dennis Lindsay (played by future director Richard Quine). To test their mettle, he gives all three interns a chance to diagnose a separate delicate case. Though the results aren't quite to Gillespie's liking, the ending is "open" enough to suggest that at least two of the three candidates will be around for the next series entry, Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case. Side note: Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant co-stars Richard Quine and Susan Peters were married in 1943. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lionel Barrymore, Van Johnson, (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)
- 1939
In this thriller, a man is brutally murdered and an innocent man takes the rap. The real murderer later confesses his crime to his priest. The priest strongly urges the killer to tell the police, but he steadfastly refuses. At the end, the killer attacks and mortally wounds the priest. The murderer feels guilty for his deed and gives the priest a lifesaving blood transfusion. He then admits his crime and saves the innocent man from execution. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Victor McLaglen, Sally Eilers, (more)
- 1949
Although ostensibly the grand-son of the legendary hero, Clayton Moore's Ken Mason is little more than a cowboy in a black mask in this 12 chapter Republic serial. Mason, the head of the telegraph line work crew, assumes his ancestor's trade-mark mask (but not whip) in order to prevent a local czar (Roy Barcroft) from sabotaging the burgeoning telegraph line. Pamela Blake, a brunette starlet formerly known as Adele Pearce, played Mason's imperiled girlfriend, and the serial also benefitted from the usual competent work of Republic's great stunt-performers, including Dale van Sickel, Tom Steele, Eddie Parker, and Joe Yrigoyen. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1950
Gunfire stars bantam-weight western favorite Don Barry as legendary outlaw Frank James. Actually, Frank is an ex-outlaw when the film begins; in fact, he's sworn never to use his guns again. But when somebody begins posing as Frank and pulling off a series of robberies....well, what's a man to do? Helping Frank prove his innocence is sympathetic marshal Kelly (Robert Lowery), who gives James plenty of leeway to capture the genuine miscreants. Though produced and directed on a shoestring budget, Gunfire delivers the action goods to everyone's satisfaction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Wally Vernon, (more)
- 1948
There's a thrill a minute in the economical actioner Highway 13. Robert Lowery plays Hank Wilson, an honest truck driver who suspects foul play after a series of trucking "accidents". Offering his services to undercover detective George Montgomery (Gaylord Pendleton), Wilson finds himself at the mercy of the villains-who hope to put a major transportation firm out of business-when Montgomery is murdered in an unusually grotesque fashion. It wouldn't be fair to reveal the true identities of the criminal masterminds, except to say that the actors playing those roles had seldom appeared as villains in any previous film. It can be said that the usually underhanded Dan Seymour shows up as one of the good guys, one of the many surprises in this lightning-paced little film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1950
In Ham Fisher's original Joe Palooka comic strip, Joe's pal Humphrey Pennyworth was a blimp of a man. In Joe Palooka Meets Humphrey, Mr. Pennyworth is played by Robert Coogan, a slim, athletic chap who was then starring as TV's Captain Video. At least Joe Kirkwood Jr. was closer to Fisher's visual concept of soft-hearted pugilist Joe Palooka. The plot finds Joe pitted against Humphrey in a charity bout. Eschewing the gangster and murder-mystery subplots of Monogram's previous "Joe Palooka" entries, this one is played strictly for laughs, even unto having Leon Errol (cast as Joe's manager Knobby Walsh) going through his "Mexican Spitfire" paces in a dual role. Also good for a few chuckles is Joe Besser (who physically was better suited for the part of Humphrey) as a nervous hotel desk clerk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Errol, Joe Kirkwood, Jr., (more)
Amateur fighter and all-around bully Muggs McGinniss (Leo Gorcey) tries to cheat in a pool game with hustler Harry Wycoff (Gabriel Dell). He is thwarted by his own friend Danny Lyons (Bobby Jordan), who has some strong ideas about right and wrong and wants to keep his friend honest. Muggs has to knock Wycoff down with his fists to avoid paying off, and promises to get even with Danny and criticizing him as a coward, without the "killer instinct" it takes to win, in boxing or anything else, as far as Muggs is concerned. In revenge for his pummeling, Wycoff, who works for a local bookmaker, arranges to have Muggs kidnapped ahead of the amateur boxing match in which he's supposed to fight. Danny goes into the ring in his place and wins, but Muggs is convinced that Danny arranged the kidnapping. They clash over and over throughout the movie, in an amateur dance contest and as rivals for a job at a local garage, and over Danny's wish to marry Muggs' sister, and then Muggs finds out that he was all wrong -- that Danny had nothing to do with thekidnapping. But by then he's jealous of Danny, and continues riding him mercilessly, and Danny can't fight back because he's promised his mother never to fight in the street like a common hooligan. Muggs gets even more fierce in his resentment when Danny joins the army showing himself to be more of a man than Muggs and becoming a hero to the neighborhood in the bargain. Finally, Danny realizes that if Muggs is ever to grow up, someone is going to have to stand up to him. The two agree to settle their differences with their fists. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
- 1946
This initial entry in Monogram's Bowery Boys series is also the second remake of the 1933 film He Couldn't Take It (the original script was by no less than Dore Schary, billed for reasons best known to himself as Jeb Schary). Leo Gorcey stars as Slip Mahoney, a pugnacious type whose volatile temper loses him one job after another. Slip's sister Mary (Pamela Blake), secretary to construction executive Sayers (John Eldredge), persuades her boss to use his influence to get Slip a job as a process server. After successfully repossessing a car belonging to nightclub thrush Jeannette (Claudia Drake), Slip and his fellow "skip tracer" Sach Jones (Huntz Hall) endeavor to serve a subpoena to homicidal gangster Patsy Clark (Mike Mazurki). Though the boys get quite a going over from the "playful" Patsy, they not only successfully complete their mission, but also prove that the supposedly respectable Sayers is a criminal mastermind. Essentially a vehicle for Leo Gorcey, Live Wires pushes the rest of the Bowery Boys (Bobby Jordan, Billy Benedict et. al.) into the background; it wasn't until the second series entry In Fast Company that the former "East Side Kids" truly became a team again. Bernard Gorcey, who later played sweet-shop owner Louie Dumbrowski, is seen herein as a small-time gambler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
- 1942
The combination of Ann Sothern and Red Skelton pays off in giggles, chortles and guffaws in Maisie Gets Her Man. Broke and stranded once more, showgirl Maisie Revere briefly works as the wrong end of a knife-throwing act, then dedicates herself to helping would-be comedian Hap Hixby (Skelton) overcome his debilitating stage fright. The plot then goes off on an entirely new tangent, as the hapless Hap gets mixed up with cherubic con artist Denningham (Lloyd Corrigan). Things end happily for both Maisie and Hap, but not quite in the way that either one of them would have predicted. It's a tribute to the comedy genius of Red Skelton that he can raise laughs while playing a character who can't raise laughs! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Sothern, Red Skelton, (more)
- 1940
Richard Dix is his usual strong, silent self in RKO Radio's Men Against the Sky. Dix plays a washed-up pilot who designs a revolutionary new plane. Realizing that he is persona non grata in the aviation industry due to his irresponsibility and alcoholism, Dix allows his sister Wendy Barrie to take credit for the "wonder" plane. Preliminary tests of the aircraft prove disastrous, but Dix establishes the viablity of his design by flying the plane himself, a spectacular act of self-sacrifice that has the salutary effect of restoring his tattered reputation. Among the aircraft seen in Men Against the Sky is the plane used by Howard Huges to establish a new transcontinental record when he flew from California to New Jersey in less than 7 1/2 hours. The film was scripted by Nathaniel West, better known for his trenchant Hollywood novel Day of the Locust. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Wendy Barrie, (more)
- 1940
A hapless young socialite attempts to overcome an embarrassing romantic problem in this silly crime comedy. It seems every time the handsome youth kisses a gal, he gets a horrible case of hiccups. Anxious to cure him, his father spends a small fortune to take his son to a special headshrinker who in turn sends the lad to a beautiful spa filled with gorgeous young women. The crime part comes in when the son learns that his father has been using shady means to procure the resort so he can build a dam there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Penner, Linda Hayes, (more)
In Hitchcock's rare foray into comedy (courtesy of a wittily risque script by Norman Krasna), Mr. Smith (Robert Montgomery) makes the mistake of telling Mrs. Smith (Carole Lombard) that if he had it to do all over again, he might not have married her. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Smith discovers that his marriage is invalid. Rather than say goodbye, the newly aroused Mr. Smith attempts to entice Mrs. Smith into the bedroom, thrilled at the prospect of an "illicit" romance. But Mrs. Smith has also been apprised that her marriage is no more--and, remembering Mr. Smith's "second thoughts", she kicks him out of the house. This comedy of misunderstanding rolls merrily along from this point onward, accommodating an uproarious scene at a fancy restaurant, a near-liaison between Mrs. Smith and new beau Gene Raymond on the World's Fair parachute jump, and a farcical denouement at a ski lodge, with Mrs. Smith's conjugally crossed skis symbolizing the carnal pleasures ahead for both Mr. and Mrs. Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carole Lombard, Robert Montgomery, (more)
- 1946
Mysterious Intruder was the fifth entry in Columbia's B-picture series based on the radio anthology "The Whistler". Richard Dix, the leading man in all but one of the "Whistler" films, stars as duplicitous private eye Don Gale. Motivating the storyline are a pair of priceless Jenny Lind wax recordings, which are coveted by a Swedish millionaire. Someone is willing to kill to get his or her hands on the records, prompting Gale and the cops to conduct a citywide search for the killer. The film's resolution is surprising only to those who hadn't seen the previous "Whistler" films, but it still works. Predominant in the supporting cast is Mike Mazurki, offering a virtual reprise of his "Moose Malloy" characterization from Murder My Sweet (1945). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dix, Barton MacLane, (more)
- 1941
The dangers of the dread venereal disease syphilis are depicted in this earnest drama from the 1940s. The story centers upon an intrepid health commissioner who is out to get rid of the tawdry hookers responsible for spreading the disease. He is assisted by a reporter. In a different subplot a young philanderer contracts the disease and gives it to his pregnant wife. Later a rotten doctor claims that he is cured, but it is not so and the young man returns, picks a fight, and accidentally kills the doctor. Later the young fellow is persuaded into giving his reasons for the killing; he does, and his name is cleared. At the same time, the reporter and health commissioner have fallen in love, and the town council finally gives the go ahead for the commissioner to clean up the streets. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Ames, Luana Walters, (more)
- 1940
The One Crowded Night of the title takes place at a tourist camp on the outskirts of the Mojave Desert. In true "Grand Hotel" fashion, the film manages to keep several subplots going at once, all of them resolved in one fell swoop by fadeout time. Former gun moll Gladys (Billie Seward) hopes to find happiness with honest truckdriver Joe (William Haade), but her past catches up with her in the form of escaped convict Jim (Paul Guilfoyle). Lunch-counter waitress Annie (Gale Storm) allows gas station attendant Vince (Dick Hogan) to flirt with her. Young mother-to-be Ruth (Adele Pearce), on the verge of giving birth, is unexpectedly reunited with her AWOL sailor husband Mat (Gaylord Pendleton). Quack doctor Joseph (J. M. Kerrigan) tries to peddle his miracle elixir. A pair of gunmen show up to knock off Jim, a couple of MPs arrive to pick up Mat, and so it goes?.. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gale Storm, Billie Seward, (more)
- 1946
Based on the popular "Lum 'n' Abner" radio show, this comedy tells the funny tale of how the two teamed up to save Pine Ridge, Arkansas from a pair of shysters. They also tell how they met, became friends, found love, and saved the town from burning down. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chester Lauck, Norris Goff, (more)
- 1940
In addition to his yearly manifest of six 2-reel comedies, Leon Errol always managed to squeeze a few feature-film appearances into his RKO Radio contractual duties. In Pop Always Pays, Henry Brewster (Errol) disapproves of the romance between his daughter Edna (Adele Pearce, aka Pamela Blake) and local spendthrift Jeff Thompson (Dennis O'Keefe). He finally agrees to give his blessing to the union if Jeff is able to save $1000, whereupon Brewster will match Jeff's thousand with the same amount as a wedding present. Confident that Jeff will never be able to raise that kind of cash, Brewster is decidedly nonplussed when the boy does come up with the necessary funds-especially since Brewster doesn't have his thousand, and isn't likely to ever have it. The film really comes to life wheneve Leon Errol shares the screen with his old Ziegfeld Follies cohort Walter Catlett. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis O'Keefe, Leon Errol, (more)
In this western, an ol' cowhand and his grandson enter a nice, but lame horse in a trotting race in hopes of raising enough money to save the little town church. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
