Olan Soule Movies
Before making his film debut in 1949, character actor Olan Soule was well-known for starring on two radio shows. The first, the soap opera Bachelor's Children, ran for over a decade. The second, First Nighter, ran from 1943 to 1949, and again from 1952 to 1953. Soule appeared in a wide variety of films through the mid-'70s. He was even busier on television, doing everything from guest-starring roles to semi-regular stints in comedies, dramas, and even children's animated series. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1959
The body of a woman who has been savagely beaten to death is found in a parked car. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) focus their investigation on the most likely suspect, the woman's husband (Kevin Hagen). But the man protests his innocence, insisting that his wife was out with a girlfriend on the night of the murder--an alibi that proves to have more than its share of holes. Watch for Stafford Repp, aka "Chief O'Hara" on the original Batman TV series, in a small role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
On a ship sailing through the China Seas, First Mate Walter Blake (Don Dubbins) follows directions written on the captain's blackboard and changes course. Angrily, the captain (Robert Ellenstein) confronts Blake, insisting that he had never written such instructions. It turns out that the course was changed at the behest of a mysterious stowaway (Olan Soule)--who is completely unable to explain his actions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Never one to turn down a beautiful woman--especially one with a lofty title--Bart (Jack Kelly) lends $10,000 to Countess Michelle de Barot (Roxane Berard), accepting her pearl necklace as security. Unfortunately, the necklace turns out to be just as phony as the Countess. Teaming with his brother Bret (James Garner), Bret concocts a counter-swindle to get even with Countess Michelle and her equally larcenous uncle, Baron de Montaigne (played by the brilliant Marcel Dalio, some distance removed from his starring roles in the Jean Renoir classics La Grande Illusion and Rules of the Game). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A perennial victim of bullying, shy young Kurt Sprague (Peter Breck) hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to teach him how to use a gun. Paladin proceeds according to plan, but when it becomes obvious that Kurt enjoys the prospect of shooting down other men, he is told to "take that gun off and forget it." But it's already too late: The next time Paladin sees Kurt, the boy has transformed into a sadistic gunslinger who kills for the love of killing. This episode was written by Frank D. Gilroy, future author of the prize-winning Broadway play "The Subject Was Roses." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Paladin (Richard Boone) forsakes his usual fee to do a personal favor for San Francisco bellhop Hey Boy (Kam Tong). It seems that the bellhop's brother (Philip Ahn), hired as a railroad laborer in Utah, was mysteriously killed while protesting the brutal working conditions of his fellow Chinese. Arriving at the worksite, Paladin must battle local prejudice and hostility to bring the obvious murderer (played by a pre-Bonanza Pernell Roberts) to justice. Acclaimed by TV Guide as one of the 100 best series episodes in television history, the classic Hey Boy's Revenge also makes video history by revealing that the title character's real name is Kim Chan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Paladin (Richard Boone) generously allows homeless newlyweds Hank and Janie Bosworth (Paul Jasmin and Jacqueline Mayo) to use his hotel suite for their honeymoon. Upon learning that Hank's half-brothers intend to do harm to the groom's elderly father Rupe Bosworth (played by Parker Fennelly, best known for his portrayal of dry-witted Titus Moody on radio's Fred Allen Show), Paladin rides off to warn the elder Bosworth of the danger. Ultimately, Paladin must help the aphasiatic Rufe prove that he is mentally competent to retain ownership of his land. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Perry (Raymond Burr) would rather not get involved when he finds out that his childhood friend Eileen Harrison (Anne Sargent) plans to divorce her overworked husband Danny (Arthur Franz), a schoolteacher who moonlights as a restaurant worker to pay for his baby daughter's operation. But Perry is more than willing to handle Danny's defense when the poor man is charged with murdering his old acquaintance Frank Curran (Stacy Harris), after a rather unpleasant disturbance at the greasy spoon where Danny works. "Maytag repairman" Jesse White is appropriately abrasive as Danny's nighttime boss. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
The greedy relatives of wealthy Daniel Reed (Edgar Stehli) want to have him committed to a mental institution, using as evidence the fact that he has been issuing $20,000 checks to strangers. Perry is hired by Reed's girlfriend Millie Foster (Kitty Kelly) to prevent the old man from being put away. Before long, however, Perry is defending Reed on a murder charge--and the victim is the recipient of all those checks, a slimy blackmailer named Maury Lewis (King Calder). In the course of events, Perry is amazed that each and every one of his legal moves has been anticipated by DA Hamilton Burger (William Talman); can it be that Burger has ordered Mason's office to be bugged? This final episode of Perry Mason's first season is based on a 1939 novel by series creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are on the lookout for a hit-and-run driver. Their detective work includes a thorough inspection of the fenders of the suspects' cars. In the end, however, the case is solved with a small print--not a fingerprint, but a lip print! Like most Dragnet episodes of this era, "The Big Lip" proves to be a good workout for several members of the Jack Webb Stock Company, including Vic Perrin and Olan Soule. Also on hand is former "Dead End Kid"Bobby Jordan, here billed more formally as "Robert." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A thief who adheres slavishly to the same M.O. during each of his crimes is the quarry of police detectives Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander). The most perplexing aspect of the case is that the thief doesn't seem inclined to dispose of his ill-gotten gains. The two detectives finally get a break in their investigation when a stray fingerprint leads them to the wife of the most likely suspect. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A series of jewel robberies leads Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) to begin surveillance of the city's pawnshops. Sure enough, the two detectives manage to nab a suspect--but the robberies continue unabated. A break in the case occurs when the suspect's brother offers to cooperate with the police...but can he be trusted? Featured in the cast is Bill Brauer, who as Harold "Tiny" Brauer was a familiar "heavy" in the Three Stooges comedies of the 1940s and 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Familiar Korean character actor Philip Ahn is cast as Chinese merchant Gerald Quon, the victim of a robbery. In their effort to recover two valuable jade thumb rings stolen from Quon, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) interview a six-year-old boy named Norman (Rickey Kelman) who claims to have witnessed the crime--but whose version of the events is, to say the least, rather difficult to believe. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of December 8, 1949. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) must forsake their Christmas vacation when the body of a murdered woman is found in a church courtyard. The woman is subsequently identified as Maria Carselle, whom several witnesses had seen drinking heavily in the company of a variety of companions just before her murder. A newly-shined boot and a discarded key are the clues that lead the detectives to the most likely suspect--who turns out to be too drug to put up any resistance. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of May 25, 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Lt. Friday (Jack Webb) and Sgt. Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate the disappearance of a Mrs. Muller. It seems that just before the woman vanished, paroled murderess Annie Joplyn (Jeanette Nolan) was released in Mrs. Muller's custody. Contrary to her reputation, Annie is eager to help the detectives in their investigation--a bit too eager, as far as Friday is concerned! This episode is based on "The Big Thank You", the Dragnet radio broadcast of March 9, 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
The story you are about to see would probably be more at home on a contemporary "procedural" series like CSI or Bones. While playing in the hills just outside LA, two kids stumble upon a human skeleton. When it turns out the bones or those of a man who was killed 25 years earlier, Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) try to determine what happened to the poor fellow. Evidently, however, there are only two people in town who care about the outcome of the case: the dead man's former sweetheart--and the person who murdered him. This is one of a handful of black and white Dragnet episodes written especially for television, with no prior radio version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate when a young man reports that his wife is missing. The two detectives are certain the woman was murdered--and indeed, her dead body turns up shortly afterward. A discarded button from a Navy pea jacket is the vital clue that leads Friday and Smith to the murderer. This is one of several late-1950s Dragnet episodes featuring Brett King, who after a brief bid for stardom at Columbia Pictures settled into a long and fruitful career as a character actor, specializing in villainy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 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
Night watchman Clyde Matik has been stabbed to death in an appliance store warehouse. One of the dead man's fellow employees is convinced that the guilty party is Matik's girlfriend Bessie Rowan (Ann Doran), but Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are sent off on a different path thanks to evidence dug up by the crime lab. The guilty party turns out to be a huge surprise for all concerned--especially Bessie Rowan. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of August 16, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
The owner of a liquor store is killed during a holdup--in which, curiously, no money was stolen. Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are puzzled by this fact, and by presence of a .38 bullet casing, but no corresponding slug. Soon afterward, a doctor reports that he removed the missing slug from a young patient. Though the detectives think they have their man, there are still a few twists and turns in store for them. This episode is a remake of the Dragnet radio broadcast of February 22, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
In this vintage black-and-white Dragnet episode, Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) is given a guided tour through the LAPD's new Police Adminstration Building by his longtime partner, detective Frank Smith (Ben Alexander). Throughut the tour, Frank points out that the new headquarters have been designed as much for comfort as efficiency, with such "perks" as piped-in Musak and heat-operated elevators. And in time-honored Dragnet tradition, there are glimpses aplenty of the forensic labs, the interrogation rooms, the business office, etc. Filmed on location in what would one day be renamed the Parker Center (in honor of former police chief Frank Parker), this all-but-plotless episode serves to introduce Marjie Millar in the role of Joe Friday's off-and-on girlfriend Sharon Maxwell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) investigate when a woman reports that her two-year-old niece Melissa has died of a seizure. It looks like a case of epilepsy--to say nothing of depraved child neglect on the part of Melissa's alcoholic mother. The situation changes dramatically when forensics expert Ray Pinker (Olan Soule) reports that the little girl was poisoned. This episode is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of April 26, 1955. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Having remarried since the mysterious disappearance of his first wife Jocelyn four years ago, Mark Halliday (Philip Abbott) is understandably astonished when he sees a painting of a woman who is the spitting image of his missing wife. Halliday locates the artist, Arthur Clymer (John Baragrey), who insists that Jocelyn has been posing for him during the past several months. But Halliday declares that this is impossible -- and if anyone should know beyond doubt that this is impossible, it is Halliday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Queen Bee offers a stinging portrait of a mad, manipulative woman and chronicles her downfall and that of those around her in this dark drama. On first meeting, Eva Phillips (portrayed with delicious viciousness by Joan Crawford) is the epitome of Southern graciousness and charm. She and her husband, a textile magnate live together in a splendiferous Georgian plantation. Unfortunately, while others are easily beguiled by Mrs. Phillips, her husband knows what a ruthless she-devil she really is and loathes her. To cope with the pain of living with her, he has taken to drinking heavily. Trouble follows when the horrible Eva learns that her husband's sister is engaged to marry the manager of the estate, a man she once loved. Like the proverbial dog in the manger, Eva does all she can to destroy the relationship so she can have the manager back for herself. Unfortunately, she goes too far. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Crawford, Barry Sullivan, (more)
For reasons that defy logic, the excellent This Island Earth was held up for ridicule as an allegedly bad movie in the film version of TV's Mystery Science Theater. If not the best science-fiction film of the 1950s, Earth is certainly one of the most intelligent and elaborate. The story begins when the image of Exeter (Jeff Morrow), a huge-domed scientific genius from the planet Metaluna, appears on an experimental 3D television screen. Exeter invites several noted scientists from around the world to work on a top-secret project at Exeter's earthly mansion. Among those accepting the invitation are Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) and his ex-fiancee Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue). Soon, Cal and Ruth learn Exeter's true motives; to use the Earth's atomic knowhow in building a defense shield to protect Metaluna against the enemy planet Zahgon. Eventually, Exeter boards his high-tech flying saucer and whisks Cal and Ruth off to his dying planet, where, among other perils, they are menaced by a hideous mutant. Based on a novel by Raymond F. Jones, This Island Earth is one of those rare 1950s speculative films that holds up as well today as it did when first released, despite the comparative quaintness of the special effects and high-tech paraphernalia. Incidentally, the climactic Metalunan scenes were directed by Universal's resident sci-fi specialist, Jack Arnold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue, (more)
- 1955
This last remake (thus far) of the Jean Webster novel Daddy Long Legs was extensively revised to accommodate the talents of Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron. Fragments of the basic plot remain: American millionaire Astaire is the unknown benefactor of French orphan girl Caron, financing the girl's education on the proviso that his identity never be revealed to her. Moved by Caron's letters of thanks, Astaire's secretary Thelma Ritter advises Astaire to go to France to visit the "child". When he arrives, he finds that his ward has grown up rather nicely, and the two fall in love--though Caron never knows until the very end who Astaire really is. The old story has been updated to allow for an elaborate "cowboy" number and a couple of Eisenhower jokes. Highlights include a solo ballet by Caron and a wonderful Astaire routine involving a set of drums. The score for Daddy Long Legs is unremarkable save for Johnny Mercer's hit "Something's Gotta Give". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, (more)
