Jeanne Tatum Movies

Bill Dermott (Ron Randell) is delighted when he receives a new pocket watch as a present from his wife Mary (Catherine McLeod). But "pleased" is not the operative word when, shortly afterward, Bill has a dream in which he sees a man planning to murder a woman. The dream occurs again and again until the pocket watch is broken, whereupon Bill, his curiosity aroused, has the timepiece repaired so he can find out who precisely is the killer--and who precisely is going to be killed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Ronnie Ashcroft, an editor-turned-producer, made his directorial debut with The Astounding She-Monster, a shoestring-budgeted sci-fi film that was shot in a total of about eight days. Kenne Duncan, Ewing Miles Brown, and Jeanne Tatum play a trio of hoods who kidnap an heiress (Marilyn Harvey) and try to elude the police by hiding out in a lonely mountain cabin, holding geologist Robert Clarke hostage. They arrive just as a mysterious alien visitor (Shirley Kilpatrick) lands in the nearby countryside; totally mute, clad in a shimmering silver suit, and possessing a lethal radioactive touch, she wanders around the woods, and the kidnappers and their victims are now trapped, Key Largo-style, in the cabin. The film isn't terribly good but it is diverting and moves at a reasonably brisk pace, and it has a certain appeal unique to its low budget. Shirley Kilpatrick -- who some sources claim later changed her name and became a more substantial actress as Shirley Stoler -- was a well-endowed performer (a real-life stripper, in fact) who split the back of her skin-tight costume on the first day's shooting, which is why her character only backs out of scenes, her front to the camera, for the entire movie. The budget was so low that a break-away window intended for an important stunt got broken prematurely and couldn't be replaced, and was used in already broken form. The script was being written as the movie was being shot, according to Robert Clarke in his autobiography, the writer delivering the pages as they worked. And Ashcroft was so new to directing, and his skills were at such a low level, that he reportedly asked Edward D. Wood Jr., of Plan 9 From Outer Space fame, to serve as a consultant -- and, strangely enough, the plot does have a pacifist angle to its science-fiction element that is also reflected in some of Wood's work. Shot for a total of $18,000, the movie's distribution rights were purchased by American International Pictures for $50,000. Robert Clarke, who got a percentage of the profits for his work acting in the movie, was inspired by this experience to produce and direct his own science-fiction thriller, The Hideous Sun Demon, which is actually a much better movie. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

Erstwhile bookie Harry Lawrence (Paul Bryar) contacts Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) to inform them that a "bad cop" may be in their midst. A man identifying himself as police officer Ray Williams has been shaking down Harry and other bookies for hush money, and this story is confirmed by another of Williams' victims, hairdresser Myra Thomas (Jeanne Tatum). It turns out that most of the story is true--except for the actual identity of the elusive Ray Williams. The Andy Griffith Show's future "Aunt Bee" Frances Bavier delivers a surprisingly vitriolic peformance as Lawrence's wife in this episode, which was based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of May 22, 1952. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With only a book of matches as evidence, Joe Friday ($Jack Webb) and Frank Smith (Ben Alexander) hope to capture a pair of vicious holdup men who specialize in beating their victims. After the elusive criminals have committed 24 crimes, the detectives finally get a viable lead, courtesy of cocktail-lounge singer Lorene Stanley (Jeanne Tatum). The best sequence has absolutely nothing to do with the plot, as Frank cooks Joe a Spanish omelette for breakfast! This final episode of Dragnet's second TV season is based on the Dragnet radio broadcast of January 18, 1951. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide