John Sutherland Movies
- 1948
Strange Mrs. Crane stars Marjorie Lord, later famous as the TV wife of Danny Thomas (and the real-life mother of actress Anne Archer) in the atypical role of female crook Gina Crane. Hoping to bury her criminal past, Gina settles into a comfortable existence as the wife of politician Clinton Crane (Pierre Watkin). When her former associate Floyd Durant (Robert Shayne) shows up to blackmail Gina, she has no choice but to murder the man. Things take a bizarre turn when Barbara Arnold (Ruthe Brady) is charged with Durant's murder-and Gina Crane is selected to serve on the jury! Director Sherman Scott was actually the prolific Sam Newfield, taking a brief respite from his multitude of B-western series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marjorie Lord, Robert Shayne, (more)
- 1948
The direction of Lady at Midnight is credited to Sherman Scott, who was really our old friend Sam Newfield, aka Peter Stewart, possibly the most prolific director in "B"-picture history. Radio newscaster Peter Wiggins (Richard Denning) and his wife Ellen Wiggins (Frances Rafferty) hope to adopt little Tina (Lora Lee Michel), the foster child who's lived with them for seven years. The Wiggins' efforts are blocked by a mysterious party who claims to be the child's parent. What starts as a standard legal maneuver quickly degenerates into murder, as private eye Al Garrity (Ralph Dunn) tries to discern the motives behind the unknown killer's behavior. Though no cliché is left unturned, Lady at Midnight is acceptable non-think entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Denning, Frances Rafferty, (more)
- 1947
PRC's "Michael Shayne" series came to an unsatisfying end with Too Many Winners. This time, flippant private eye Mike Shayne (Hugh Beaumont) hopes to leave crime-solving behind while taking a vacation. His quietude is short-lived when a woman who has information on a gang of racetrack-ticket counterfeiters is murdered. With the help of his secretary Phyllis Hamilton (Trudy Marshall), Shayne ascertains the identity of the killer -- which will come as absolutely no surprise whatsoever to dyed-in-the-wool movie mystery fans. Unlike the four earlier entries in PRC's Shayne series, Too Many Winners lays no claim to being based on an original story by Brett Halliday. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Beaumont, Trudy Marshall, (more)
- 1940
MGM had a tendency to overglamorize the sort of rough-hewn film fare that Warner Bros. offered to its public without adornments. Such was the case of Flight Command. Instead of Warners' streetwise James Cagney, the MGM film stars pretty-boy Robert Taylor as the obligatory hotshot cadet who chafes at the authority and discipline of a naval flight squadron. While Warners might have done without a romantic subplot, MGM contrives to have Taylor fall for the wife (Ruth Hussey) of squad commander Walter Pidgeon. And whereas Warners would have told this story compactly in 90 minutes, MGM lolls around for nearly two hours before Taylor's anticipated redemption and "make good" scene. MGM newcomer Red Skelton shows up in Flight Command for comedy relief, which turns out to be neither. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Ruth Hussey, (more)
