Fay Spain Movies
Few actresses of the 1950s could play shanty tramps and "trailer trash" with more gusto than Fay Spain. The actress' signature role was Darlin' Jill, the inbred temptress in Erskine Caldwell's God's Little Acre (1958). Spain also worked for quickie-movie king Albert Zugsmith, playing the Earthly emissary of the demonic Mickey Rooney in Private Lives of Adam and Eve (1960). Spain also played a relatively sympathetic character in 1960's Al Capone. Periodically retiring in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Fay Spain's last important film role was Marcia Roth, wife of mobster Hyman Roth (Lee Strasberg), in The Godfather, Part II (1972). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1974
It is hardly a fond reunion when Ironside (Raymond Burr) is summoned to his home town by a letter from his former high school classmate Alice Schmidt (Fay Spain). Upon his arrival, the Chief learns that Alice never wrote the letter--and that her husband John has been murdered. When another member of the Class of 1940, Dick Gillis (William Bryant), likewise turns up dead, Ironside follows a trail of clues leading to an accidental killing that occurred 34 years earlier...thereby setting himself up as the murderer's next victim! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1969
Amazingly, Sgt. Schultz actually knows the location of an atomic bomb plant. Unable to wheedle the information out of Schultz using the standard methods (including bribing the corpulent sergeant with LeBeau's gourmet food), Hogan relies on a vial of truth serum, courtesy of the Underground. Dave Morick, Hogan's Heroes' all-purpose supporting player during the series' final two seasons, is again cast as an officer. Written by Laurence Marks, "At Last -- Schultz Knows Something" first aired on December 26, 1969. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1968
During a standard Underground mission, Newkirk is led into a German trap by double agent Myra (Fay Spain). The next step in the Germans' plan is to lure Hogan -- code name "Papa Bear" -- into coming out in the open. Frequent Hogan's Heroes guest star Alan Oppenheimer is cast as Wilhelm. Written by series stalwart Laurence Marks, "How to Catch a Papa Bear" made its first network appearance on October 12, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1967
Long before he scored with the epic Ragtime, novelist E.L. Doctorow wrote a minor novel upon which this stark 1967 film is based. It was adapted for the screen by veteran western director Burt Kennedy. In a forlorn town called Hard Times in the Old West, a cowardly mayor, Will Blue (Henry Fonda), does little to protect the citizens from the rampages of a ruthless criminal known as The Man from Bodie (Aldo Ray). The cold-blooded killer gets away with murder -- and then he burns down the town as he leaves. The citizens rebuild, and a newcomer named Zar (Keenan Wynn) injects some life into the desolate place by opening a saloon that attracts a bevy of interesting women, including Molly Riordan (Janice Rule) and Adah (Janice Paige). However, things again look bleak when The Man from Bodie returns to town. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Janice Rule, (more)
- 1966
This adventure is set in the Philippines and chronicles the exploits of two men who survive a plane crash in the jungle. One of the men is an avaricious killer who has come to the islands to search for a fortune in diamonds. The other is an international adventurer. Now they must somehow overcome their vast personal differences and desires to survive in the steamy wilderness ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In this drama, a troubled 17-year old socialite runs away from her home in New York to Rio. There she falls for a troubled architect. The architect, devastated since his girlfriend was killed, is unable, or unwilling to speak. The girl tries to help him by suggesting he see a psychiatrist, but he, believing that she only wants him to rejoin the fast life, refuses. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher George, Lynda Day, (more)
- 1965
Under the alias "Tom Nash", fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen) goes to work as a bodyguard for self-made millionaire George Forster (Richard Anderson), who has returned to his home town after an absence of several years. Despite the adulation heaped upon him, Forster has many enemies in town; indeed, one person hates him enough enough to mail a death threat. To prevent Forster's assassination, Kimble is supplied with a gun--and is forced to submit to a background check in order to get a permit for the weapon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
A group of wildcatting oil drillers battle an Oklahoma oil baron for the rights of a potentially high yield field. The roughnecks fight on the job and in the saloons while hoping for the big gusher that will make them all rich. A catastrophic accident threatens to wipe out the hard work of the speculators. Their progress is monitored by the local oil magnate who waits for the right time to step in and take credit for the potentially big discovery. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Carey, Diane McBain, (more)
- 1963
In this drama, a hit man is hired by a group of South American nationalists to kill their exiled ruler in his new Caribbean home. To get there, he hijacks a boat and its two frightened occupants. He keeps the boat-owner's wife as his hostage. When he gets to the island, the assassin misses his mark and suddenly finds himself targeted for death by the deposed dictator's henchmen and by the boat owner. It is the latter who finally kills the hit man and rescues his terrified wife. The story is filmed on location in Puerto Rico. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Nelson, Fay Spain, (more)
- 1961
Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) would love to nail mobster Brian O'Malley (David Brian) on tax-evasion and interstate-smuggling charges; unfortunately, O'Malley has an irksome habit of murdering anyone who can testify against him. Worse still, O'Malley obviously has a number of corrupt officials in his pocket, as proven when Federal witness George Davas (Johnny Seven) "accidentally" falls from a heavily guarded hotel room to his death (a tragedy inspired by the similar demise of real-life hoodlum Abe Reles). Understandably, the only surviving witness, Stan Wolinski (Jack Elam) goes into hiding--from both the bad guys and the good guys. Michael Parks (Then Came Bronson) appears unbilled as an elevator operater. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Bart (Jack Kelly) feels particularly euphoric after he wins an enormous amount of money in a poker game. Returning to his hotel room to celebrate his good fortune, Bart is sidetracked by the woman down the hallway, Lana Cane (Fay Spain)--who appears to be on the verge of committing suicide. Needless to say, our hero is in for quite a few surprises, most of them dispensed by double-dyed villain Red Daniels (Edgar Buchanan). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Hercules (Reg Park) and King Androcles (Ettore Manni) are on an ocean expedition when Androcles is washed overboard during a storm near a mysterious island. Making landfall, Hercules finds that the island is the kingdom of Atlantis, ruled by a beautiful, cruel, and ambitious queen, Antinea (Fay Spain), who controls a mysterious source of power. She has transformed her personal guard into super-strong warriors -- each nearly a match for Hercules, put Androcles under her spell, and inflicted terrible wounds on her people, all in preparation for her plan to conquer the world. Hercules finds that her power stems from a source older than the gods on Olympus, one over which he has virtually no power. He must save his friend, release Antinea's people, and prevent her from carrying out her plans. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reg Park
- 1961
This parody of Genesis caused an uproar before and during its release (the final version was reworked and cut) though its routine or worse cinematic level would not encourage large audiences. The story begins with a busload of men and women with hang-ups in the romance department, all heading for Reno. A sudden rainstorm brings on flooding, and the passengers have to hole up in a church. That setting, apparently, suggests the skewed "dream" of Genesis that follows. The Catholic Legion of Decency gave this film a Condemned rating. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rooney, Mamie van Doren, (more)
- 1960
This episode marks an early directorial effort by Robert Altman, who also wrote the script. After befriending prospector Eben Bolt (Tim Graham), Beau (Roger Moore) is accused of being a horse thief and sentenced to hang. It turns out that Beau has been mistaken for Eben's partner Benson January (Owen Bush), who's been "dehorsing the countryside". Handling Beau's courtroom defense is a hick lawyer who acts a lot like another Warner Bros. western hero, Tom "Sugarfoot" Brewster--as well he may, since the character is played by Sugarfoot leading man Will Hutchins. Unfortunately, the lawyer's courtroom tactics prove distressingly clumsy, and Beau stands a good chance of being guest of honor at a "necktie party". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Widow Ida Blythe (Beatrice Straight) insists upon spending the weekend alone in her remote cabin, despite news that an escaped lunatic is somewhere in vicinity. Ida's tranquility is shattered by a visit from a strange young woman named Madeleine (Fay Spain), who not only appears to be obsessed with violence, but is also a compulsive liar. Suspecting that Madeleine is the fugitive lunatic, Ida knocks her down and makes her escape -- seeking assistance from another stranger, a soft-spoken gentleman (Donald Buka) with a few problems of his own. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Set within the popular bohemian coffee houses of the late '50s where beatniks gathered to recite poetry and perform, this sensationalistic detective drama centers upon the attempts of an insensitive police detective to catch an arrogant serial rapist, a rich young man who believes himself mentally superior and therefore beyond the law. His favorite victims are married women. When he learns that the detective is after him, the rapist targets the cop's wife. Later the poor wife discovers she's pregnant and cannot be sure who fathered her child. The film is alternatively titled This Rebel Age. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Cochran, Mamie van Doren, (more)
- 1959
Sue Ellen Terry is shot and killed while disembarking from a stagecoach. The town drunk claims that the shot was fired by Adam Cartwright, who'd been paying court to Sue Ellen despite her questionable reputation. Though Adam protests his innocence, the men of Virginia City -- many of whom had enjoyed the favors of the dead woman -- turn against him. Fay Spain and Buddy Ebsen are featured in this episode, which was first broadcast on December 12, 1959. "The Sisters" was written by Carey Wilbur. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
- 1959
Caught in a "goose-drownder" (a heavy rainstorm, that is), Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) and his friend Gentleman Jack Darby (Richard Long in his last Maverick appearance) seek shelter in a strange town occupied by only one man. Then the stagecoach arrives, carrying four passengers--one of them Bart's former lover Stella Legendre (Fay Spain). As the rain continues to fall, the little party finds itself held captive by the Arapaho Kid (H.M. Wynant), a notorious outlaw. Can this be a western variation of the classic Humphrey Bogart film Key Largo--and what is the significance of supporting actor Robert Nichols' character name "Red Herring?" ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Robert Horton took time off from his Wagon Train schedule to appear in this episode. Horton is cast as Brad Taylor, a man torn between two women. Brad would like to marry wealthy Janice Wright (Joyce Meadows), but his other girlfriend, Leslie Lenox (Fay Spain), refuses to break off their relationship. In desperation, Brad kills Leslie -- then is astonished by how quickly the police show up at his apartment to charge him with murder, especially since they couldn't possibly have found Leslie's body in so short a time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Rod Steiger is the screen's first "method mobster" in the title role of Al Capone. The film traces Big Al's progress from a torpedo in the hire of Chicago gangster Johnny Torrio (Nehemiah Persoff) to Capone's takeover of the Windy City's bootlegging operations, and his ultimate downfall at the hands of the IRS. Rod Steiger delivers every line with maniacal gusto, as though it will be his last; sometimes he sounds like Frank Gorshin doing a Rod Steiger impression, but for the most part it is a dynamite performance. Featured in the cast are Murvyn Vye as Bugs Moran, Joe De Santis as Big Jim Colosimo, Lewis Charles as Hymie Weiss, Robert Gist as O'Banion, and James Gregory and Martin Balsam as composite characters, respectively based on honest Chicago cop John Siege and duplicitous newspaper reporter Jake Lingle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Steiger, Fay Spain, (more)
- 1958
A former fighter's younger brother decides that he too wants to enter the squared circle and so leaves his native Maine to try his luck in New York. Things go well until he finds himself entangled with mobsters who try to convince him to throw his fights. Meanwhile, his big brother, who simply vanished a few years after stubbornly refusing to take a dive during a major fight, hears about his younger sibling's dilemma and shows up to stop him. He succeeds, but the gangsters go for brutal revenge. Fortunately, a sportswriter hears about the mess and calls in the cops. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A sweet but scatterbrained old lady named Nora Mae Quincy (Lenore Shanewise) comes to Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) with the slightly garbled story that her employer George Gordon (Edward Norris is a murderer--and will soon murder again. Nora is the nurse of Gordon's second wife Louise (Susan Dorn), whom Nora suspects is being poisoned by Gordon, offering as evidence the fact that man's first wife also died from an "accidental" poisoning. As it turns out, however, it is Nora who is accused of the second Mrs. Gordon's murder--but that doesn't necessarily mean that she's been framed by her boss. Based on a 1951 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, this episode would be refilmed in 1964 as "The Case of the Woeful Widower". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Erskine Caldwell's steamy novel God's Little Acre was given a film adaptation in 1958. A heavily grayed-up Robert Ryan plays Ty Ty Walden, the patriarch of a slovenly backwoods family. As Ty Ty digs around his farm in search of gold (which he has yet to find), his son in law Bill Thompson (Aldo Ray) carries on an adulterous affair with the sluttish Griselda (Tina Louise). Comedy relief is provided by the dimwitted Pluto (Buddy Hackett). Others in the cast include future TV stars Jack Lord as Buck Walden and Michael Landon as Ty Ty's albino farmhand. A flop when first released, God's Little Acre made back its cost on the TV rental circuit; today, it is in the public domain, available to everyone, even the "under 18s" who were prohibited from seeing it back in 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Ryan, Aldo Ray, (more)
- 1957
Andrew V. McLaglen directs his actor father Victor McLaglen in The Abductors. The elder McLaglen plays a 19th century ex-convict, who hopes to spring a master counterfeiter from jail. To this end, McLaglen and his partner George MacReady kidnap the daughter (Fay Spain) of the prison warden, but this schemes comes acropper. Ultimately, the crooks abduct the body of Abraham Lincoln from its tomb in Springfield, holding it for ransom until their confederate is freed. It says here that The Abductors is based on a true story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Ubiquitous western villain (and future Oscar winner) Strother Martin is seen in an uncharacteristically sympathetic role as Dooley Delaware, a former circus acrobat fallen upon hard times. In need of booze money, Dooley wagers that he can cross a tightrope stretched across the roof of a salloon. Noticing that the man with whom Dooley placed the bet is willing to cheat to win his money, Paladin (Richard Boone) places a counter-wager, betting $3000 that Dooley will be able to cross a huge canyon by tightrope--an act designed not only to thwart the villain, but restore the acrobat's tattered self-respect. John Dehner, soon to be cast as Paladin in the CBS radio version of Have Gun--Will Travel, is cast as duplicitous gambler Ben Marquette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
