Lyle Talbot Movies
Born into a family of travelling show folk, Lyle Talbot toured the hinterlands as a teen-aged magician. Talbot went on to work as a regional stock-company actor, pausing long enough in Memphis to form his own troupe, the Talbot Players. Like many other barnstorming performers of the 1920s, Talbot headed to Hollywood during the early-talkie era. Blessed with slick, lounge-lizard good looks, he started out as a utility lead at Warner Bros. Talbot worked steadily throughout the 1930s, playing heroes in B pictures and supporting parts in A pictures. During a loanout to Monogram Pictures in 1932, he was afforded an opportunity to co-star with Ginger Rogers in a brace of entertaining mysteries, The 13th Guest and The Shriek and the Night, which were still making the double-feature rounds into the 1940s. In 1935, Talbot and 23 other film players organized the Screen Actors Guild; to the end of his days, he could be counted upon to proudly display his SAG Card #4 at the drop of a hat. As his hairline receded and his girth widened, Talbot became one of Hollywood's busiest villains. He worked extensively in serials, playing characters on both sides of the law; in 1949 alone, he could be seen as above-suspicion Commissioner Gordon in Batman and Robin and as duplicitous Lex Luthor in Atom Man Vs. Superman. He remained in harness in the 1950s, appearing on Broadway and television. Two of his better-known assignments from this period were Joe Randolph on TV's The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet and as Bob Cummings' lascivious Air Force buddy Paul Fonda on Love That Bob. Seemingly willing to work for anyone who met his price, Talbot had no qualms about appearing in the dregs of cheapo horror films of the fifties. He was prominently cast in two of the estimable Edward D. Wood's "classics," Glen or Glenda (1953) and Plan Nine From Outer Space (1955). When asked what it was like to work for the gloriously untalented Wood, Talbot would recall with amusement that the director never failed to pay him up front for each day's work with a handful of stained, crinkly ten-dollar bills. Though he made his last film in 1960, Lyle Talbot continued touring in theatrical productions well into the late 1970s, regaling local talk-show hosts with his bottomless reserve of anecdotes from his three decades in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1949
Film historian Leonard Maltin has labelled this final entry in Monogram's "Charlie Chan" series as "embarrassing," but it's not quite as bad as its reputation would indicate. True, star Roland Winters steadfastly refuses to take his characterization of Charlie Chan seriously, but that's part of the fun. Much of the action takes place on an airliner, where someone has drugged the passengers and crew and killed a courier who was carrying a quarter of a million dollars. The suspect list is a dream-come-true for movie buffs, populated with such reliable supporting players as Iris Adrian, Eleana Verdugo, Tim Ryan, Milburn Stone, Lyle Talbot, Paul Maxey and John Eldredge. Noel Neill, everyone's favorite Lois Lane, is also on hand as a stewardess. And of course, Charlie Chan is aided and abetted by Number One Son Lee Chan (Keye Luke) and pop-eyed chauffeur Birmingham Brown (Mantan Moreland). Though out of favor with dyed-in-the-wool Charlie Chan fans, Sky Dragon opened to good business and better-than-average reviews. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roland Winters, Keye Luke, (more)
- 1948
The positive public response to such productions as Crossfire and Gentleman's Agreement led to a mini-cycle of postwar anti-prejudice films. One of these was The Vicious Circle, based on a true incident which had previously been dramatized in G. W. Pabst's The Trial. In the late-19th century, an anti-Semitic Hungarian baron (Reinhold Schunzel) foments a pogrom against his country's Jews when a 14-year-old servant girl commits suicide. Falsely accused of subjecting the girl to a ritualistic murder, five Jewish farmers are put on trial for murder. Defying the slings and arrows of public condemnation, defense attorney Karl Nemensch (Conrad Nagel) intends to prove the farmers' innocence -- and to expose anti-Semitism for the poisonous scourge that it truly is. The Vicious Circle was based on The Burning Bush, a play by Herald and Geza Herczeg. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Alexander, Sam Bernard, (more)
- 1948
Ham Fisher's comic-strip pugilist Joe Palooka is once more visualized on-screen in Monogram's Winner Take All. In this one, soft-hearted boxer Joe (Joe Kirkwood) is approached by a trio of gamblers, who want him to throw an upcoming bout. Naturally he refuses, but has cause to regret this decision when the crooks claim to have kidnapped Joe's young ward Tommy (Stanley Clements). When he discovers that the abduction is a hoax, Joe wins the fight and settles accounts with the bad guys. William Frawley costars as Joe's trainer Knobby Walsh (a role played in subsequent "Joe Palooka" entries by Leon Errol), while Elyse Knox, real-life wife of athlete Tom Harmon, plays Palooka's ever-loving fiancee Ann Howe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Kirkwood, Jr., Elyse Knox, (more)
- 1948
Dropped by RKO Radio in 1946, the "Falcon" mystery series was briefly revived by low-budget Film Classics productions in 1948. In Devil's Cargo, professional magician-turned-actor John Calvert takes over from Tom Conway in the role of amateur sleuth Michael Waring, aka The Falcon. The story gets under way when Raymond Delgado (Paul Marion), accused of murder, comes to Waring for help. Soon afterward, Delgado is poisoned to death in his jail cell. Among the suspects are Delgado's girlfriend Margo (Rochelle Hudson) and shady criminal lawyer Tom Mallon (Theodore von Eltz), while Lt. Hardy (Roscoe Karns) represents the Law. A pedestrian affair, The Devil's Cargo comes to life whenever John Calvert is given a chance to show off his magician's skills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Calvert, Rochelle Hudson, (more)
- 1948
There's a thrill a minute in the economical actioner Highway 13. Robert Lowery plays Hank Wilson, an honest truck driver who suspects foul play after a series of trucking "accidents". Offering his services to undercover detective George Montgomery (Gaylord Pendleton), Wilson finds himself at the mercy of the villains-who hope to put a major transportation firm out of business-when Montgomery is murdered in an unusually grotesque fashion. It wouldn't be fair to reveal the true identities of the criminal masterminds, except to say that the actors playing those roles had seldom appeared as villains in any previous film. It can be said that the usually underhanded Dan Seymour shows up as one of the good guys, one of the many surprises in this lightning-paced little film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1948
Appointment with Murder is the second of three "Falcon" mysteries produced by bargain-basement Film Classics Productions in the late 1940s. Professional magician John Calvert assumes the leading role of private eye Michael Lanyard, aka The Falcon. Working for an insurance company, Lanyard travels from Hollywood to Italy in search of a pair of stolen paintings. This brings him in close contact with pretty art curator Lorraine (Catherine Craig), who may be involved in the thefts, and erudite international criminal Norton (Jack Reitzen). The only complaint one can level against Appointment with Murder is that it's a bit too ambitious for its tiny budget. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Calvert, Catherine Craig, (more)
- 1947
Based on an adventure feature in Action Comics, this 15 chapter serial starred the erstwhile Dick Tracy, Ralph Byrd, as the title character, a Western movie star going undercover to investigate the disappearance of a string of pearls known as the "100 Tears of Blood." As it turns out, the pearls have been concealed in the hooves of five horses belonging to the secret gang leader X-1 (Lyle Talbot), aka ranch owner George Pierce. With the help of lovely Betty Winslow (Ramsay Ames) and visiting potentate Prince Amil (Robert Barron), "The Vigilante" manages to defeat the evil X-1 in the serial's final chapter, "The Secret of the Skyroom." The Vigilante was produced with his eyes firmly on every dollar spent by legendary cheapskate Sam Katzman. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1947
Having just come into a $375,000 trust fund on her 21st birthday, former child star Jane Withers certainly didn't need to star in the Pine-Thomas melodrama Danger Street, but she was determined to prove her worth as an adult dramatic actress. Withers and Robert Lowery costar as Pat Marvin and Larry Burke, photojournalists for an employee-owned magazine. Hoping to keep their publication's coffers replenished, Pat and Larry plan to sell a compromising candid-camera photo to another magazine. Unfortunately the purchaser of the photo is murdered, plunging hero and heroine into a complicated mystery. Playing detective, Pat manages to trick a confession out of the killer-but will she live long enough to tell the cops? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Withers, Robert Lowery, (more)
- 1946
In this western, the leader of an outlaw band tries to take over the reins of a stagecoach line. The outlaw's gal is a singer and saloon keeper who does all she can to assist her man. It looks as if they will succeed in stealing the stage company when a good-guy intervenes. Not only does he save the stage, he also steals the girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirby Grant, Fuzzy Knight, (more)
- 1946
Roy Rogers could do no wrong at the box office in 1946, so it's safe to assume that Song of Arizona would have been a hit even if it hadn't been as good as it is. The plot is slightly reminiscent of Boys Town, with Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) running an Arizona ranch for homeless boys. One of Gabby's charges, young Chip (Tommy Cook), is the son of notorious bank robber King Blaine (Lyle Talbot). When Blaine is killed, Chip secretly digs up his dad's stolen money, intending to use it to pay off Gabby's mortgage. It is up to Roy Rogers to rescue Chip's from his Blaine's gang and to convince the boy that ill-gotten gains never did anyone any good (not in the movies, anyway). The film's musical highlight is a nightclub sequence, spotlighting a Roy Rogers-Dale Evans duet. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Calkins, Michael Chapin, (more)
- 1946
Russell Hayden, formerly of the Hopalong Cassidy Westerns, stars in this mini-Western as "Utah" Nyes, a young rancher searching for his partner, Bill Lawton, in the Canadian Northwest. When Bill's body turns up, nasty "Nails" Nelson (Douglas Fowley), whom the murder victim had accused of stealing valuable pelts, frames Utah for the deed. When another victim of Nails' reign of terror (Guy Beach) bites the dust, Utah is again the most obvious suspect but he eventually manages to clear his name with the help of newfound ally Ivy Jenkins (I. Stanford Jolley). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Hayden, Inez Cooper, (more)
Nora Goodrich (Brenda Marshall) is a dedicated research scientist who is very close to a breakthrough in her field of anesthetics. She allows herself to be used as the subject of an experiment, and becomes the victim of sabotage by her jealous assistant (Hillary Brooke), who is her rival for the affections of the same man (William Gargan). Nora is scarred by the accident, but fate takes a hand when a vicious blackmailer (Ruth Ford), part of an extortion scam that was being worked on her, breaks in to her apartment. In the ensuing struggle, the lady grifter is killed and then mistaken for Nora, while the real Nora goes into hiding. Taking the identity of the dead woman, she realizes how she has been betrayed and maimed and plots an elaborate revenge, undergoing reconstructive surgery that changes her whole appearance. She then reintroduces herself into the lives of her former associates, in her new guise, and begins her revenge. Before her plans can be concluded, however, her masquerade backfires on her, when she finds herself accused by the police -- of the murder of Nora Goodrich. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- 1946
Several years after the "Michael Shayne" B-movie series ran its course at 20th Century-Fox, PRC Pictures revived the property with Murder is My Business. Hugh Beaumont-yes, Ward Cleaver!--replaces Fox's Lloyd Nolan as Brett Halliday's red-headed gumshoe Michael Shayne. This time around, Shayne is hired by a wealthy woman to protect her from blackmailers. When his client is murdered, Shayne takes it upon himself to track down the killer. Murder is My Business was adapted from the Brett Halliday novel The Uncomplaining Corpse. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Beaumont, Cheryl Walker, (more)
- 1946
That dependable sleuth of pulp fiction fame, Nick Carter, apparently had an equally stalwart son. Chick Carter, Boy Detective did his sleuthing on radio before Columbia producer Sam Katzman brought him to the screen in Chick Carter, Detective. The juvenile hero of the radio waves had underwent certain changes in order for grown-up actor Lyle Talbot to portray him. Talbot's Chick Carter, however, remained strangely inactive in his own serial, allowing crusading reporter Rusty Farrell (Douglas V. Fowley) to perform most of the necessary derring-do. As plainly told as the title would suggest, Chick Carter, Detective was more or less a straightforward crime melodrama that eschewed the usual ray guns, invisibility inventions, and other paraphernalia of the genre. Former MGM starlet Pamela Blake did some snooping of her own as a rival detective, and a gangster bearing the unfortunate name of Nick Polio (George Meeker) indulged in a bit of insurance fraud on behalf of Charles King. With only two bona fide cliffhanger endings, Chick Carter, Detective found little favor with the small fry, its target audience. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1945
In this crime drama, a naive, honest young woman falls for a louse who takes her to illicit gambling houses. When one of them is raided and she is there, her angry father throws her out of the house. After that her life takes a real dive until she is able to talk her way into joining a chorus-line at the night club frequented by the creepy boyfriend. Even a job doesn't stop her downward spiral and soon her boyfriend jilts her for her best friend. In the end she shoots them both. More tragedy ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Doris Merrick, (more)
- 1944
Originally titled simply Sensations, this musical comedy was the final starring film for dancer Eleanor Powell and the final film, period, for comedian W.C. Fields. Powell is the prize client of flamboyant press agent Eugene Pallette. Dennis O'Keefe, Pallette's stiff-necked son, disapproves of his dad's razzle-dazzle promotional techniques, but finds himself just as shameless as his father when he takes over the business. Powell's particular highlight is a dance staged in a huge pinball machine (yes, critics in 1945 did say "Tilt!") W.C. Fields' contribution, based on one of his old Ziegfeld Follies sketches, is astonishingly unfunny; this protracted shaggy-dog story about a man who refuses to vacate his train compartment comes to life only during the byplay between a visibly ailing Fields and his sprightly female companion Louise Currie. Other guest stars in Sensations include Sophie Tucker, Cab Calloway, Woody Herman and a pre-Mary Ford Les Paul. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eleanor Powell, Dennis O'Keefe, (more)
- 1944
The murder of a wealthy, much-married rancher (Lyle Talbot) in a posh Manhattan nightclub is the catalyst for The Falcon Out West. Amateur sleuth Tom Lawrence (Tom Conway), aka The Falcon, deduces that the victim was killed with rattlesnake venom. He follows the trail of evidence to a dude ranch in a frontier town. The suspects include pretty Marion (Barbara Hale) and Vanessa (Carol Gallegher) and not-so-pretty Bates (Minor Watson) and Hayde (Don Douglas). Though Tom Conway seems bored and distracted throughout The Falcon Out West, the film itself is an above-average "Falcon" series entry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Conway, Carol Gallagher, (more)
- 1944
Ever so slightly, the quality of PRC Pictures' film output improved as the 1940s rolled on. In PRC's Dixie Jamboree, Frances Langford plays Susan Jackson, the daughter of a showboat skipper (Guy Kibbee). Captain Jackson's vessel, the Ellabelle, is the last of the Mississippi showboats, and as such has become a refuge for such social outcasts as con artists Tony (Lyle Talbot) and Curly (Frank Jenks), itinerant musician Jeff Calhoun (Eddie Quillan), and ham actors Yvette (Fifi D'Orsay) and the Professor (Charles Butterworth). When Jackson inadvertently picks up a shipment of whiskey, Tony and Curly, assuming that the captain is a wealthy distiller, plan to hijack the boat and its cargo. All of this is set to the music of Cajun ditties, black spirituals, and lively cakewalks, performed con brio by Frances Langford and company. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Langford, Guy Kibbee, (more)
- 1944
This 1940s drama implies that children do indeed learn what they live as it tells the story of a teenage girl who runs away from her posh boarding school to be with her ne'er-do-well, blue-collar boy friend because she believes her wealthy parents do not care about her. Soon the idle kids are getting into minor trouble that turns major when they find themselves accused of murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Vinson, Lyle Talbot, (more)
- 1944
Another of Jack Haley's comedy vehicles for Pine-Thomas productions, One Body Too Many casts Haley as timid insurance salesman Albert Tuttle. Much against his better judgment, Tuttle makes a business call at a sinister old mansion, intending to sell life insurance to the owner. He proves a bit late, inasmuch as the owner has just kicked the bucket. The mansion is full of avaricious relatives, who are obliged by the dictates of the decedent's will to remain in the house until the authorities claim the body. Realizing that dead man's niece Carol (Jean Parker) is a damsel in all kinds of distress, Albert decides to stick around to keep Carol from meeting her uncle's fate. Though there's a murder-mystery angle in One Body too Many, the audience knows who didn't do it the moment Bela Lugosi shows up as a butler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Parker, Bela Lugosi, (more)
- 1944
This mystery is set upon the mighty Mississippi and within the dark bayous of Louisiana. Originally it was a 13- episode serial. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Paramount's Pine-Thomas production unit continued its unbroken string of box-office successes with Gambler's Choice. Pine-Thomas perennial Chester Morris plays turn-of-the-century gambler Ross Hadley, owner of a posh gaming establishment in the heart of New York. Hadley's chief antagonist is his boyhood chum Mike McGlennon (Russell Hayden), now a police lieutenant determined to put the gambler out of business. Adding to the rivalry is the fact that both Hadley and McGlennon are in love with cabaret singer Vi Parker (Nancy Kelly). The whole thing sounds a lot like the 1936 MGM film San Francisco, though not enough to spark a lawsuit, of course. Despite its tiny budget, Gambler's Choice is successful in recreating a bygone period and its color characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chester Morris, Nancy Kelly, (more)
- 1944
In this western, an innocent saddletramp is blamed for killing a man. Fortunately he finds the real culprit before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1944
It is said that producer Sam Goldwyn had a habit of addressing his new star of the 1940s, Danny Kaye, as "Eddie", confusing Kaye with Eddie Cantor. If true, it may be because Kaye's first starring film for Goldwyn, Up in Arms, was a remake of Cantor's Whoopee--which in turn was a musical version of that old theatrical chestnut The Nervous Wreck. Kaye plays Danny Weems, a hopeless hypochondriac who finds himself drafted into the army. While a passenger on an overseas transport ship, Danny is obliged to hide his girl friend Mary Morgan (Constance Dowling), who has stowed away on board, from the authorities. The plot (what there is of it) contrives to have Danny and Mary, together with Virginia (Dinah Shore), who's in love with Danny, and Joe (Dana Andrews), who's in love with Mary, arrive simultaneously on the same South Sea island. After numerous comic and romantic complications, Danny emerges as the hero of the hour by capturing a whole bunch of Japanese soldiers. The film shows signs of post-production tampering-an offscreen narration, an abrupt ending-indicating that, as yet, Sam Goldwyn wasn't quite sure how to package Danny Kaye for the screen. Despite its erratic editing and uneven scenario, Up in Arms contains some priceless moments, including Kaye's rapid-patter songs "The Lobby Number" and "Melody in 4F", both written by Sylvia Fine (Mrs. Kaye) and Max Liebman. There are also a few cute "inside" jokes referring to the illogical nature of the plotline and such esoterica as the out-of-nowhere appearances of the Goldwyn Girls (one of whom was Kaye's future leading lady Virginia Mayo). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Kaye, Dinah Shore, (more)
- 1943
Barton MacLane dominates the proceedings in the PRC quickie Man of Courage. Taking a break from his usual gangster and convict roles, MacLane plays a crusading district attorney. His number one target is mob boss Lyle Talbot, who enjoys the protection of several crooked politicos. With perserverance, MacLane collars his quarry and brings him to trial. MacLane also cowrote the script, so he has only himself to blame for lines like "I remember when I used to plow on the farm...BOY! Did I love ta PLOW!" Newpaper columnist Erskine Johnson appears as "himself" in Man of Courage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barton MacLane, Charlotte Wynters, (more)
