Tom Steele Movies
Ace stuntman Tom Steele (born Skeoch) was as handsome as any of the leading men he doubled in scores of serials and action melodramas, and almost always better paid. In fact, Republic Pictures used to cast their serial heroes for their resemblance to Steele, the only stuntman ever actually under term contract to the studio (the equally legendary Dale Van Sickel, Dave Sharpe, and Ted Mapes were hired per project). Steele, who often portrayed three or sometimes even four different characters in a serial, continued his career well into the television era, retiring in the mid-'80s. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
Expanding on their Saturday Night Live characters, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd star as Jake and Elwood Blues, two white boys with black soul. Sporting cool shades and look-alike suits, Jake and Elwood are dispatched on a "mission from God" by their former teacher, Sister Mary Stigmata (Kathleen Freeman). Said mission is to raise $5000 to save an orphanage. In the course of their zany adventures, the Blues Brothers run afoul of neo-Nazi Henry Gibson, perform the theme from Rawhide before the most unruly bar crowd in written history, and lay waste to hundreds of cars on the streets and freeways of Chicago. In case you aren't swept up in the infectuous nuttiness of the brothers Blue, you might have fun spotting film's legion of guest stars, including James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, John Candy, Carrie Fisher, Steve Lawrence, Twiggy, Paul Reubens (aka Pee-Wee Herman), Frank Oz, and Steven Spielberg. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
After George Lazenby portrayed James Bond in On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Sean Connery returned to the tux, gimmicks, and catchphrases of Secret Agent 007 in his penultimate Bond outing, Diamonds Are Forever. Fragments of Ian Fleming's original 1954 novel remain, including the characters of the alluring Tiffany Case (Jill St. John) and fey hitmen Wint (Bruce Glover) and Mr. Kidd (Putter Smith). The remainder of Richard Maibaum and Tom Mankiewicz's script diverges dramatically from the novel, involving Bond in a scheme by the insidious Ernst Blofeld (Charles Gray) to force the world powers to disarm so that he can take over the globe. Folksinger Jimmy Dean shows up briefly as a Howard Hughes-like reclusive billionaire, while Lana Wood (Natalie's sister) participates in one of the film's edgiest cliffhangers. Agreeing to make Diamonds Are Forever only because of the money offered him, Sean Connery parted company with the role for 12 years after this film; he returned to the role once more in 1983, for Irvin Kershner's Thunderball remake Never Say Never Again. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Sean Connery, Jill St. John, (more)
- 1966
Sombra, the Spider Woman is the feature-film abridgement of the 1947 Republic serial The Black Widow (which explains why a number of the listed actors had died by this film's listed year of release). The formidable Carol Forman stars as Sombra, whose fortune-telling establishment serves as a front for a vast criminal empire. Making things trickier for hero Steve Colt (Bruce Edwards) is the fact that Sombra is a master (or mistress) of disguise. Colt and plucky girl reporter Joyce Winters (Virginia Lindley) try to prevent Sombra from stealing the plans for a revolutionary atomic rocket engine. This is one serial in which the male actors are thoroughly overshadowed by the female leads. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Screenwriter William Goldman has claimed that Paul Newman agreed to do Harper, the film that established the grateful writer's career, only because he was working unhappily on Lady L. (1965) in Europe, and was looking for something as unlike that film as possible. He stars as Lew Harper, a hip L.A. private dick whose business has gotten so bad that he's re-using his coffee grounds. At the suggestion of his friend, attorney Albert Graves (Arthur Hill), the detective takes on the investigation of the disappearance of the wealthy husband of waspish cripple Elaine Sampson (Lauren Bacall). After finding a photograph of former actress Fay Estabrook (Shelley Winters), Harper locates the alcoholic actress in a bar, plies her with booze, and takes her home to search her apartment while she's unconscious. There he takes a call which leads him to another bar to meet Betty Fraley (Julie Harris), a singer with a heroin problem. To curtail his inquisitive behavior, some large and unpleasant gentleman beat him up outside the saloon. Hoping for sympathy from his soon to be ex-wife (Janet Leigh), who has just filed divorce papers, the weary detective is much more successful than he has any right to expect. ~ Michael Costello, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, (more)
Columbia Pictures tried to create a tongue-in-cheek American James Bond with this, the first of five motion pictures based on the character of Matt Helm, a spy created in a series of novels by Donald Hamilton. Dean Martin stars as Helm, a boozing, womanizing cad of a spy coaxed out of retirement by ex-girlfriend Tina Batori (Daliah Lavi). His mission: stop the evil Big O organization, whose leader, Tung-Tze (Victor Buono), schemes to sabotage an atomic missile and thus spark World War III. Producer Irving Allen had once been partners with Albert R. Broccoli in the British film production company Warwick Films, their alliance ironically disintegrating over the merits of creating a Bond series. When Broccoli's instincts proved correct, Allen attempted to create his own spy franchise with the Helm character. The sequels to The Silencers (1966) were Murderers' Row (1966), The Ambushers (1967), and The Wrecking Crew (1968). Allen unsuccessfully tried to resurrect the character as a TV movie, Matt Helm (1975). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Stella Stevens, (more)
- 1965
When the ladies of Mayberrry complain about the hootchie-kootchie dancers at a travelling carnival, Andy is forced to close the show down. As a result, the carnival's "one man band", Jerry Miller (Jerry Van Dyke) is thrown out of work. Feeling sorry for Jerry, Andy hires the man as a potential replacement for departing deputy Barney-and lives to regret it. Written by Bob Ross, "Banjo-Playing Deputy" originally aired May 3, 1965, as the final episode of The Andy Griffith Show's fifth season; it was also the series' last black-and-white episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1962
Since it was released in the same year as his masterpiece, To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), it is ironic that this drama was probably the least liked of director Robert Mulligan's films. A stiff adaptation of a novel by Dutch author Jan DeHartog, the film stars Rock Hudson as Dr. Anton Drager, an opportunistic atheist who travels with his wife Els (Gena Rowlands) to the jungles of Java in 1936. Drager is to become the new right-hand man of famed Dr. Brits Jansen (Burl Ives), a legendary humanist who works with lepers and is rumored to have done groundbreaking work that Drager believes could make him famous and wealthy. Trouble with a native witch doctor practicing black magic leads to a crisis of conscience for Drager, however, forcing him to reevaluate his self-centered philosophy. A former divinity student at New York's Fordham University, Mulligan may have been intrigued by the material's spiritual bent, but his direction is uninspired, and The Spiral Road (1962) was not considered a success. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Burl Ives, (more)
One critic has noted that The Prodigal was aptly titled, inasmuch as it was all too prodigal with the funds of the then-flagging MGM studios. In its retelling of the 22-verse Biblical story of the Prodigal Son, the film helpfully fills in the story details inconsiderately left out of the Old Testament. Edmond Purdon plays Micah, the wastrel son of Eli (Walter Hampden) who takes his share of his father's fortune and blows it all in wicked old Damascus. Micah's one redeeming feature is his unserving faithful in the Lord God Jehovah. Pagan princess Samarra (Lana Turner at her most giddily exotic) intends to seduce Micah into renouncing his faith, only to get stoned to death for her troubles. Nearly two hours pass before Micah returns home and the fatted calf is killed in his honor. If for nothing else, The Prodigal would be memorable for Lana Turner's pagan-ritual costume, which is little more than a glorified bikini. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lana Turner, Edmund Purdom, (more)
- 1955
The Feds investigate a counterfeit ring operating out of a traveling circus in this 12-part Republic crime serial. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- 1954
Masked crimefighter El Latigo fights the baddies and works for justice in this wild western. Man with a Steel Whip was a popular 1950s Republic studio serial. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- 1954
A feature version of a twelve chapter Republic Pictures, this drama starred Harry Lauter as Tom Rogers, an enterprising South Seas island trader who gets involved with Nazi thugs, a native revolution and smugglers, ably assisted by a lovely emissary from the United Nations, Aline Towne. One of the studio's final chapterplays, the original Trader Tom of the China Seas had adhered to the venerable serial tradition of promoting a supporting actor to hero status. A somewhat nondescript presence, Harry Lauter also starred in the studio's final serial King of the Carnival. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
Filmed on location at Montana's Glacier National Park, Cattle Queen of Montana makes excellent use of the diverse talents of Barbara Stanwyck and Ronald Reagan. Stanwyck is cast as Sierra Nevada Jones, who hopes to stake her claim in the cattle business despite opposition from hostile land barons. She is helped along by government agent Farrell, even though he's officially on hand to find out who's been inciting the local Indian tribes into attacking the whites. Lance Fuller delivers a well-balanced performance as Colorados, a college-educated Indian chief who hopes to bring peace to the land. Long a fixture of TV's Late Late Shows, Cattle Queen of Montana was briefly reissued theatrically when Ronald Reagan was elected president in 1980. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagan, (more)
- 1953
This pedestrian chapterplay added William Henry -- renamed Bill Henry for the occasion -- to the long list of lesser known journeymen actors elevated for economy purposes to stardom during the last years of American movie serials. As the title suggests, Canadian Mounties vs. Atomic Invaders combined two cherished genres: Northwest melodrama and Science Fiction. Not that the two necessarily mixed well, and the drawn out story of a Canadian mountie teaming up with a female undercover agent (Susan Morrow broke no new ground, to put it mildly. The 12 chapter serial was edited down and released as a feature film entitled Missile Base at Taniak. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1953
In this adventure, an intrepid explorer and a missionary's daughter embark upon a perilous journey through Africa in order to get the rights to a uranium mine. En route they encounter spies, angry natives, lion attacks, and a brush with voodoo. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1952
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In the second of Republic Pictures' three "Rocket Man" serials, the government assigns Commando Cody (George Wallace) to look into a series of strange atomic explosions threatening the United States' defense systems. As Cody discovers, the threat comes from the Moon, whose ruler, Retik (Roy Barcroft), is planning an invasion of Mother Earth due to a severe lack of atmosphere on his own planet. Retik works through Krog (Peter Brocco), an inter-planetary henchman who does all the financing and hiring on Earth. Unfortunately, the hooded lunar visitor fails miserably on both fronts: the preparations for the invasion are severely under funded and the hired guns, such as former prison inmate Graber (Clayton Moore), less than competent. But despite these caveats, Commando Cody and his fellow space travelers, Joan Gilbert (Aline Towne) and Ted Richards (William Bakewell), have to suffer through 12 chapters before finally destroying the threat from the planet Moon. Radar Men From the Moon was filmed between October 17, 1951, and November 6, 1951, on a budget of $172,840. Most location filming, not excluding plenty of stock footage from earlier Republic serials, was done at the Iverson Ranch in Chatsworth, California. The serial was followed by a brief television series, Commando Cody: Sky Marshal, which retained Aline Towne as Joan Gilbert but replaced George Wallace and William Bakewell with Judd Holdren and William Schallert. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Wallace, Aline Towne, (more)
- 1952
- NR
An Inter-Planetary cop flies out in his specially designed space suit to stop humanoid zombies from obeying the commands of a psycho research scientist who wants to blow the world out of its natural orbit in this obviously low-budget early 1950s sci-fi serial. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1951
Re-edited from the serial King of the Rocket Men, this adventure is an account of a scientist who dons a jet-pack in order to pursue a madman. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
The scene is a distant Arctic research station, where a UFO has crashed. The investigating scientists discover that the circular craft has melted its way into the ice, which has frozen up again. While attempting to recover the ship, Captain Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey) accidentally explodes the vessel, but the pilot -- at least, what seems to be the pilot -- remains frozen in a block of ice. The body is taken to base headquarters, where it is inadvertently thawed out by an electric blanket. The alien attacks the soldier guarding him and escapes into the snowy wastes. An attack dog rips off the alien's arm, whereupon Dr. Carrington (Robert Cornthwaite) discerns that "The Thing" (played by future Gunsmoke star James Arness!) is not animal but a member of the carrot family, subsisting on blood. While the misguided Carrington attempts to spawn baby "Things" with the severed arm, the parent creature wreaks murderous havoc all over the base. Female scientist Nikki (Margaret Sheridan) suggests that the best way to destroy a vegetable is to cook it. Over the protests of Carrington, who wants to reason with the "visitor" (a very foolhardy notion, as it turns out), the soldiers devise a devious method for stopping The Thing once and for all. This oversimplification of The Thing does not do full justice to the overall mood and tension of the piece, nor does it convey the lifelike "business as usual" approach taken by the residents of the military base in dealing with something beyond their understanding. A superior blend of science fiction, horror, naturalistic dialogue, and flesh-and-blood characterizations, The Thing is a model of its kind. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Margaret Sheridan, Kenneth Tobey, (more)
- 1950
The Milkman is a low-key variation of a theme explored in such slapstick festivals as The Fuller Brush Man and The Yellow Cab Man. Donald O'Connor plays Roger Bradley, who hopes to become a top-flight milkman to please his father (Henry O'Neill), the owner of the milk company. Jimmy Durante co-stars as Breezy Albright, the older milkman who teaches Roger the ropes. After several comic set pieces, the plot rears its ugly head in the form of John Carter (Jess Barker), the nephew of rival milk-company proprietress Mrs. Carter (Elizabeth Risdon). Carter has gotten mixed up with a nasty bunch of gamblers, led by Mike Morrel (William Conrad). This leads to an exciting, albeit chucklesome finale wherein Roger, Breezy and ingenue Chris Abbott (Piper Laurie) combine forces to rout the bad guys. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Jimmy Durante, (more)
- 1949
An above-average entry in Republic Pictures' fine Monte Hale series, this Western was directed by John Ford's nephew, Philip Ford. Hale stars as legendary lawman Pat Garrett, here winning the Fourth of July buckboard race in a small Nevada town against the unscrupulous Fred Smith (Ted Mapes) and pretty Lavinia White (Jeff Donnell). Lavinia blames Garrett for sending her pa, Ivory White (John Gallaudet), to jail for robbing 100,000 dollars. White, who has stashed the loot away someplace, is about to be released and plans to return the money to the express office for the sake of his children, Lavinia and Chad (Tommy Ivo). Nasty Jim Judd (Roy Barcroft), however, forces Lavinia to help him rob the coach carrying Ivory and the money, counting on the fact that White will keep quiet for his daughter's sake. Garrett's sudden appearance ruins the plan and Ivory is able to make good on his promise. Not about to say goodbye to a windfall, Judd breaks into the express office safe and takes off with the loot, kidnapping little Chad White along the way. The villain chooses a wagon loaded with explosive for his getaway vehicle, but the pursuing Garret manages to rescue the boy just as the wagon explodes. Hale, whose hero has absolutely nothing to do with the historical Garrett, is fine and even makes his crooning of "I Wish I Was a Boy Again" seem less out of place than could be expected. But the studio's public enemy number one, Roy Barcroft, at his despicable best, easily steals the show, going as far as using spunky little Tommy Ivo to get what he wants. Close behind him is Hollywood's perennial undertaker, the cadaverous Milton Parsons, here playing a crooked express office clerk with a phony British accent. The comedy relief is provided by yet another veteran Bad Guy, Paul Hurst, as an absent-minded barber-dentist. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Monte Hale, Paul Hurst, (more)
- 1949
To stop a madman from blowing up New York City, a researcher dons a flying suit and prepares for battle in this serial, later re-editing into the feature Lost Planet Airmen. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tristram Coffin, I. Stanford Jolley, (more)
- 1949
Kirk Alyn, erstwhile Superman of the serials, plays government man Dave Worth in the Republic serial Federal Agents Vs. Underworld Inc. Worth is put on the trail of a famous archaeologist who has disappeared. He learns that the far-reaching criminal organization Underworld Inc. wants to get its mitts on the Golden Hands of Kurigal, the key to a huge fortune hidden away in an unknown foreign country. The brains of the bad-guy operation is bad-girl Neela (Carol Forman), a master-or mistress-of disguise. Former Miss America Rosemary LaPlanche portrays Dave Worth's ever-imperiled girl Friday. Federal Agents vs. Underworld Inc managed to sustain audience interest for a full 12 chapters. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirk Alyn, Rosemary La Planche, (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, Rovi
- 1948
The popular G-Men of the 1930s made a comeback in this action serial produced by Republic Pictures, starring television's future Lone Ranger, Clayton Moore. The serial, however, was not so much a showcase for the pleasant if lightweight Moore, but rather a welcome opportunity for the studio's most effective villain, the near-legendary Roy Barcroft, to strut his considerable stuff. Barcroft plays a notorious gangster who escapes from prison, and via plastic surgery, assumes the identity of the local police commissioner (also Barcroft), who he has kidnapped. The masquerade is so effective that government agents Moore and Ramsay Ames fail to catch on until the 12th and final chapter, logically entitled "Exposed." The serial was re-edited into a feature version entitled Code 645. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- 1948
Allan Lane goes in search of his dead friend's brother in this fast-paced Western from Republic Pictures. Instead of finding his brother Tim as he had been promised, Fletcher Roberts (Bruce Edwards) is confronted by Jason Fox (Rory Mallinson), a criminal who needs Fletcher's horses to equip a gang of army deserters. After killing Fletcher, Fox escapes into Cemetery Ridge, an outlaw haven across the border. Claiming to be a fugitive from the law, "Rocky" Lane (Allan Lane), a border patrol officer and Fletcher's friend, crosses over into the Cemetery Ridge where he hooks up with Nugget Clark (Eddy Waller), the lawless town's pharmacist and only law-abiding citizen. Managing to infiltrate the murderer's gang, Rocky locates Fletcher's brother Tim (William Henry), who idolizes Fox. When learning about his brother's death, Tim changes his mind, however, and helps Rocky and Nugget track down not only Fox but also the town's crooked sheriff (George H. Lloyd). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Allan Lane, Eddy Waller, (more)
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