Kay Stewart Movies
Kay Stewart is best remembered for playing Mary Aldrich, the pragmatic, wise elder sister in the Henry Aldrich film series of the early 1940s. Later in her career, Stewart appeared on television and in commercials. She was typically cast as a wife or a mother. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1975
A desperate young mother wants to reclaim the baby she sold into adoption. The woman approaches undercover cop Tony Baretta (Robert Blake), begging for his help. Baretta takes on the case, and in so doing exposes a "black market baby" racket. This episode was first telecast on November 19, 1975, in place of the scheduled Baretta installment "The Big Hand's on Trouble," which was moved to December of the same year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Blake, Edward Grover, (more)
- 1968
A larcenous stray dog, appropriately named Raffles, wreaks havoc at Convent San Tanco. The pooch's habit of picking pockets gets the convent children in trouble-and by extension, also places the nuns in jeopardy. To save the day, Sr. Bertrille again takes to the skies. Written by Ted Sherdeman and Jane Klove, "Love Me, Love My Dog" first aired on April 4, 1968. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1967
The directorial reins of 40 Guns to Apache Pass are in the expert hands of actionmeister William Witney, who helmed many of Audie Murphy's latter-day vehicles. Here Murphy plays a Cavalry captain who takes on the entire Apache nation virtually single-handedly. He is undermined by villainous Corporal Bodine (Kenneth Tobey), who runs a thriving business selling guns to the Indians. Michael Keep plays Apache leader Cochise, bringing a touch of humanity and dignity to his two-dimensional role. After wrapping up 40 Guns to Apache Pass, William Witney went into retirement, emerging every so often for "guest of honor" chores at the various western-movie conventions of the 1970s and 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
In the conclusion of a two-part story, Rob (Dick Van Dyke) has thrown his hat in the ring for the local city-councilman election. As part of his campaign, Rob is slated for a TV debate with his opponent, the deceptively nerdy Lincoln Goodheart (Wally Cox). As the telecast progresses, Goodheart proves that he is by far the better candidate -- so much so that Rob is all but prepared to vote for Goodheart himself! The ending of this episode indicates that the producers of The Dick Van Dyke Show were contemplating story possibilities for the series' next season -- even though star Van Dyke had already decided that there would be no next season! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wally Cox, Ann Morgan Guilbert, (more)
- 1966
John Wayne, who'd made two unforgettable guest appearances on I Love Lucy, is back in the saddle for this hilarious Lucy Show installment. Much against his better judgment, Mr. Mooney (Gale Gordon) assigns the starstruck Lucy (Lucille Ball) to deliver some important financial papers to Wayne's movie set. Despite strict orders that she is not to pester "The Duke", Lucy not only manages to splatter ketchup all over the nonplussed Mr. Wayne, but also makes a shambles of an important action scene in Wayne's latest movie. Milton Berle also shows up in a cameo appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Mary Jane Croft, (more)
- 1963
Rafe Hollister (Jack Prince), the taciturn farmer introduced in the second-season episode "The County Nurse", returns in the February 11, 1963 installment "Rafe Hollister Sings." Impressed by Rafe's glorious tenor voice, choir director John Masters (Olan Soule) chooses Rafe to solo in the annual Mayberry concert. Unforunately, the other choir members object on the grounds that Hollister hasn't a decent suit of clothes to his name. Once again, Andy intervenes. Written by Harvey Bullock, "Rafe Hollister Sings" first aired on February 11, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Declared legally dead, Trevor Harris (David McLean) suddenly appears out of nowhere to be at the bedside of his dying wife. Harris hopes to prevent her last wish--that her Uncle Edgar (Philip Bourneuf) be named legal guardian of her three children and act as executor for the family forutne--from being carried out, despite stiff opposition from the rest of the Harris clan. Since it already assumed that Harris is nothing but a heartless fortune hunter, it is only logical that he be charged with the subsequent murder of Uncle Edgar. But Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) senses that there is more to this "open and shut" case than meets the eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Four terrifying stories from The Veil television series are introduced by Boris Karloff with titles "Summer Heat," "Vision of Crime," "Food on the Table" and "Jack the Ripper." ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff
- 1957
En route to prison by train, convicted robber Steve Fontaine (William Redfield) is manacled to his captor, Sgt. Rockwell (Gary Merrill). Hoping to escape his fate, the fast-talking Fontaine attempts to bribe the stalwart Rockwell -- and when this fails, more drastic measures are required. The key to the outcome of the story is literally a key, the one which opens the complicated "Oregon Boot" which holds Fontaine prisoner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
Previously dramatized several times on the radio anthology Suspense, Lillian De La Torre's "The Older Sister" is based upon the infamous case of Lizzie Borden, who in the late 19th century was suspected -- but never convicted -- of brutally murdering her parents with an axe. The episode takes place one year after the killings, with intrepid reporter Margaret (Patricia Hitchcock) bluffing her way into the home of Lizzie Borden (Carmen Mathews) and her sister Emma (Joan Lorring). Hoping to get all the facts about the grisly murder, Margaret does not entirely succeed in this endeavor -- but the viewers at home get quite an earful. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
"I waited there with a dead head sitting on a dead spine waiting for the crack of doom." This is how young businessman Mason Bridges (Robert Horton) describes his predicament when he is forced to participate in a high-stakes poker game with wealthy client Sam Klinker (Robert Middleton). Though Bridges had intended to play only a few hands, Klinker bullies him into staying in the game, raising the stakes all along the way. Ultimately, the fate of Bridges' business -- and indeed, his future career -- rests in a single poker hand. "Crack of Doom" is based on a story by journalist Don Marquis, best known for his whimsical "Archy and Mehitabel" pieces. ~ 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
- 1955
A too-tough Army major gets himself sent to run an ROTC program at a Santa Barbara military school after he calls unwanted attention to the military by mouthing off to a prominent news magazine. When he arrives to his new post, the major is shocked to find it run by nuns and that his new troops are school children. His assignment is to make "men" out of the rambunctious recruits so that the school can keep from losing its ROTC certification. At first the hard-as-nails major treats his young charges with all the tenderness of a old army boot and the boys, tired of his constant barrage of insults and demands, come to hate him. Further complicating matters is the major's disconcerting romantic feelings for the school's lovely doctor. Unfortunately, she isn't about to put up with his ultra-macho guff anymore than the children are and before this romantic comedy is through, the major learns important lessons about the value of humanity in dealing with others. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charlton Heston, Julie Adams, (more)
- 1955
Previously presented on Broadway with Tallulah Bankhead and filmed in 1939 with Bette Davis, the classic stage tearjerker Dark Victory was whittled down to an hour's running time for this live presentation on the CBS anthology Front Row Center. Margaret Field (the mother of Oscar winner Sally Field), stars as madcap socialite Judith Traherne, whose footloose lifestyle comes to a sudden and tragic halt when she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. At first outraged with the doctor (Kent Smith) who withheld the bad news because he'd fallen in love with her, Judith slowly undergoes a profound change of personality, metamorphosing from a selfish debutante to a warm and generous woman. The climax, in which Judith faces her oncoming blindness and death with courage and dignity, played as well for the lesser-known Margaret Field as it had for her more famous predecessors. This version of Dark Victory was staged by the prolific Fletcher Markle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Wealthy Walter Pelham (Tom Ewell) finds out that someone is going around impersonating him. Hoping to foil his "double," Pelham goes to great and strenuous lengths, changing his own appearance, his personal habits and quirks, and even his handwriting. Unfortunately, the impostor always seems to be one step ahead of Mr. Pelham -- and it looks as the though the phony will be successful in completely taking over the life of the genuine article. "The Case of Mr. Pelham" is one of a handful of Alfred Hitchcock Presents installments directed by Hitchcock himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
The splendid physique of Tony Curtis is given generous screen exposure in the boxing melodrama The Square Jungle. Curtis plays Eddie Quaid, who turns to pugilism to bail his wino father (Jim Backus) out of jail. Gaining fame as "Packy Glennon," Quaid inevitably forgets the things in life that are truly important, including his faithful girlfriend Julie Walsh (Pat Crowley). Only after he nearly kills a longtime rival in the ring does Quaid get his act together. The most compelling performance is delivered by Ernest Borgnine as Quaid's trainer; Borgnine plays the character as a shy, studious type, adding a highly original touch to this otherwise predictable production. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tony Curtis, Ernest Borgnine, (more)
- 1953
Robert Jordan is a television star. Robert Jordan likes things orderly, on time and properly executed. In his world children are to be seen, not heard. So why would Mr. Jordan want to become the master of a rambunctious band of Boy Scouts? Ratings. His staff figures that if learns how to interact with the youth, they will be more inclined to watch his show. Of course watching Jordan cope comprises most of the fun. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clifton Webb, Edmund Gwenn, (more)
- 1941
The box-office success of Paramount's What a Life (1939), coupled with the popularity of the spinoff Henry Aldrich radio series, inspired the studio to launch an "Aldrich" series of its own. The inagural entry was Life with Henry, with Jackie Cooper repeating his role as befuddled teenager Henry Aldrich. This time around, Henry and his pal Dizzy (Eddie Bracken) conspire to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Alaska. The boys' bumbling efforts have unfortunate long-range repercussions, culminating in the decision by a group of investors not to build a factory in town, as originally planned. How will Henry get himself out of this one? For the record, in all subsequent "Henry Aldrich" endeavors, Henry would be played by Jimmy Lydon, while Dizzy would be enacted by Charles Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Leila Ernst, (more)
Paramount followed up its successful Bob Hope/Paulette Goddard co-starrer The Cat and the Canary (1939) by warming up another venerable "old dark house" stage play, Paul Dickey and Charles Goddard's The Ghost Breaker, pluralizing the title to accommodate both stars. This time Hope plays radio personality Lawrence L. Lawrence (the middle initial stands for Lawrence: "My folks had no imagination") who has to flee New York to avoid being mistakenly arrested for murder. He and his manservant Alex (Willie Best) book passage on a Cuba-bound liner, where they meet lovely heiress Mary Carter (Paulette Goddard). She is heading to Cuba to take charge of her ancestral mansion, despite warnings from several sinister characters that to enter this "haunted" house will mean certain death. Appointing himself Mary's protector, Lawrence investigates the mansion on his own, thereby crossing the path of a zombie (Noble Johnson) and an apparently genuine ghost. He also meets the twin brother of the man he's accused of killing (Anthony Quinn), who seems the most likely suspect when Mary nearly comes to harm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Hope, Paulette Goddard, (more)
- 1940
William Holden and Bonita Granville, heavily if not convincingly decked out in "old age" makeup, recall on their 35th wedding anniversary how they first met in 1904. Holden was a brash college freshman, while Bonita was the daughter of a local judge (Vaughn Glaser). Since Holden couldn't stay out of trouble, the judge prohibited him from visiting his daughter, but the boy opposed the edict and ended up being arrested--with Bonita managing to have herself thrown in jail as well. The anecdotal storyline comes to a comically ironic conclusion when the ageing Holden complains that he can't control his own headstrong son. Based on the "Siwash" stories by George Fitch, Those Were the Days gets by on its nostalgic appeal, but cannot be considered one of William Holden's more significant pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Holden, Bonita Granville, (more)
- 1940
This modest Preston Sturges comedy stars Dick Powell as an office clerk dreaming of better things and Ellen Drew as his more pragmatic girlfriend. Powell convinces himself that his fortune will be made if he can win a slogan contest sponsored by a coffee company. Powell's contribution: "If you can't sleep at night, it isn't the coffee, it's the bunk!" Three of Powell's fellow workers decide to have some fun with him; they fake a telegram which announces that he's won the contest. The deception snowballs to the point that even the head of the coffee firm (Raymond Walburn) labors under the misapprehension that Powell has won. When the painful truth is revealed, Powell finds himself broke (because of all the creature comforts he's bought) and jobless, but at least he's retained the love of his wife. A cute deus ex machina to the story appears in the person of William Demarest, the foreman of the "jury" that is judging the slogan contest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Powell, Ellen Drew, (more)
- 1939
In this comedy drama, young high school student Henry Aldrich tries to tone down his natural mischievousness and shuck the reputation of being the worst student in school. It isn't easy and his father, who was an excellent student at Princeton, doesn't help. Fortunately, by the story's end, the young man is able to overcome all obstacles and prove himself. Following this film, the character of Henry Aldrich became popular and so several subsequent films were made around him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Cooper, Betty Field, (more)
- 1938
In this lively campus-set musical comedy, a budding entrepreneur nearly loses everything after his get-rich quick scheme to earn money selling "flunk" insurance his fellow students goes terribly awry. The plan was to sell the insurance for fifty cents a shot. In exchange, any policy-holder who flunks a test will get a ten dollar settlement. At first the young fresh fellow makes a mint, but then a particularly strict professor sees fit to flunk an entire class, all of whom are insured. Keep a sharp eye peeled for a young Alan Ladd in a bit part. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dixie Dunbar, William Lundigan, (more)
- 1938
Viennese-born Luise Rainer plays a young Parisian girl who attends an exclusive drama school, working nights at a factory to pay the tuition. Despite the jealousies of her fellow students, Luise allows nothing to discourage her from her goal to become as great an actress as her idol (Gale Sondergaard). The girl wins the coveted role of Joan of Arc in an upcoming play, but the victory has a bitter taste when she realizes she's beaten out her idol for the part. At the end, Luise manages to have both a happy career and a successful marriage, even though her friends (and enemies) insist that such a combination is impossible. Dramatic School is a film buff's banquet; virtually every bit player in the cast (Ann Rutherford, Lana Turner, Dick Haymes, Hans Conried, etc.) later graduated to show-biz prominence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luise Rainer, Paulette Goddard, (more)
