Greta Thyssen Movies
Buxom (reportedly 39-24-35), blonde, and statuesque, Greta Thyssen (born Thygesen) is perhaps best remembered for her leg art -- nude and otherwise -- than for any film roles. Miss Denmark of 1952, Thyssen arrived in Hollywood in 1955 as one of several blondes to appear in the wake of Marilyn Monroe's increasing popularity. Thyssen actually doubled Monroe in Bus Stop before signing a stock contract with Columbia Pictures. However, she didn't become another Monroe -- or even a Jayne Mansfield -- for Harry Cohn but instead supported the Three Stooges in their final, and sadly inferior, two-reel comedies, in effect functioning as sort of a bustier, more flamboyant version of Christine McIntyre. Thyssen's association with the team proved longer lasting than anyone would have thought, the last of their shorts did not find a release until June 4, 1959. Elsewhere, Thyssen replaced June Wilkinson in the hit Broadway show Pajama Shorts and earned additional recognition for her, at the time, red-hot romance with Cary Grant. Onscreen, however, "Enticin' Thyssen" toiled in low-budget affairs such as the European-helmed "red scare" thriller The Beast of Budapest and the atrocious sci-fi melodrama Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962), the latter of which was partially filmed in the actress' hometown of Copenhagen, Denmark. She also appeared briefly as a bar girl in John Cassavetes' experimental Shadows (1960) and remained proud of the association, but the high-brow exposure led nowhere. Although Thyssen is still fondly remembered by connoisseurs of pin-up art, her screen career eventually fizzled out with such alarming titles as The Double-Barrelled Detective Story (1965) and Cottonpickin' Cotton Pickers (1967). ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide- 1956
Nightclub singer Ilona Vance (Vera Ralston) is Accused of Murder in this Republic programmer. And from the looks of things, Ilona is guilty; she was, after all, the last person to see crooked lawyer Hobart (Sidney Blackmer) alive. But Lt. Roy Hargis (David Brian) is convinced that Ilona is innocent, and he intends to prove it. Except for the mildly surprising denoument, there is little in Accused of Murder that is not thoroughly predictable. Star Vera Ralston, the wife of Republic chieftan Herbert J. Yates, is her usual expressionless self. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Brian, Vera Ralston, (more)
In this cinemadaptation of William Inge's Broadway comedy Bus Stop, Marilyn Monroe is cast as Cherie, a fifth-rate nightclub chanteuse who captures the heart of Montana rodeo champ Bo (Don Murray). He, in turn, kidnaps Cherie and bundles her off to the roadside bus stop of the title. Gradually, the headstrong Bo learns that you can't rope a gal the same way you lasso a steer, but before this happens his face is rearranged by gallant bus driver Carl (Robert Bray). By this time, however, Cherie has fallen in love with her impulsive but basically good-hearted abductor. Others in the cast include Arthur O'Connell as Bo's level-headed travelling companion and "protector" Virgil, Betty Field as down-to-earth bus stop proprietress Grace, and Eileen Heckart as Cherie's confidante Vera. The film later inspired a 1961 TV series. A few TV prints of Bus Stop still exist bearing the alternate title Wrong Kind of Girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, (more)
- 1967
Hayseeds abound in this musical comedy, two star-struck hoboes hop what they think is a west-bound train that will land them in Hollywood. Well, it's going to Hollywood all right, but unfortunately its destination is Hollywood, Florida. The two become so hungry along the way that they are forced to ditch the train. They end up somewhere in the deep South and eventually try to swipe a hen. Unfortunately, they get caught by the Zickafoose family who chase them all about. Soon white lightning runners are also after them and all sorts of chaos ensues. Songs: "Cottonpickin' Chickenpickers," "This Must Be the Bottom," "Comin' On Strong," "Dirty Ole Egg Suckin' Dog," "Not Me," and ""Messed Up."" ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Friday (Jack Webb) and Smith (Ben Alexander) are summoned to a bakery where two of the owners have been shot during a holdup. Shortly afterward, the detectives receive a taunting letter from the elusive assailant, who promises to repeat his crime in the near future. Can the bragging perp be stopped before more blood is shed? Featured as the sister of one of the crime victims is statuesque 1950s starlet Greta Thyssen, better known for her appearances in such Three Stooges comedies as Quiz Whizz and Sappy Bullfighters. This final episode of Dragnet's sixth TV season is based on a radio play first heard on September 14, 1950. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1962
Travelling by spaceship to the planet Uranus in year 2010, a group of astronauts are confronted with a mysterious being who resembles a brain but is "thousands of times more powerful," a bevy of pretty girls whom they may or may not have loved in a previous life, and, of course, the inevitable monster, a gargantuan rat. Made by the same people who gave the world Reptilicus (1961), screenwriter Ib Melchior and American scholck-producer Sidney Pink, this endearingly silly sci-fi movie was filmed in Denmark with a largely Danish cast. Hollywood actor John Agar and Greta Thyssen -- a former Miss Denmark who had doubled for Marilyn Monroe and appeared opposite The Three Stooges -- added a bit of box-office value to the otherwise mundane proceedings. Apparently filmed in English, the Danish actors speak their lines with utmost care and deliberation, presumably to make it easier for dubbing purposes. Carl Ottosen, who was hilariously inept in Reptilicus, hams it up with abandonment this time around as well. Rushing onto the cardboard set with dire news to report, Ottosen stops dead in his tracks, takes a deep breath, and delivers his dialogue ve-ry slow-ly and with much care. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Agar, Greta Thyssen, (more)
- 1957
In order to get rid of her husband Bruce's mistress Roxy Howard (Greta Thyssen), Sybil Granger hires Perry (Raymond Burr) to secretly help her gain a majority financial interest in Bruce's oil company. But someone else is apparently aware of what Sybil is up to, and that someone is old George Lutz (Richard Hale). After catching Sybil spying on Roxy, George is shot to death. Inasmuch as Sybil is already his client, Perry assumes the task of clearing her of a murder charge. This episode is based on a 1955 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
A professor (Gene Roth) wages that he can turn the Three Stooges into refined gentlemen in this remake, with stock footage of Hoi Polloi (1935) and Half Wits Holiday (1947). Symona Boniface, who had died in 1950, and Helen Dickson appeared courtesy of the stock footage while new scenes were filmed in 1957 featuring Greta Thyssen, Miss Denmark of 1952, Milton Frome, Harriette Tarler, Johnny Kascier, and, as a butler, Emil Sitka. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In their first two-reel comedy of 1958 (although filmed in 1957), the Three Stooges welcome blonde Greta Thyssen, Miss Denmark of 1952, and the last in a long line of pretty starlets to grace the team's little comedy shorts. The long-legged former double for Marilyn Monroe (Bus Stop), Miss Thyssen plays the niece of a fake millionaire out to bilk Joe Besser of his game show winnings. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Released on June 4, 1959, Sappy Bull Fighters ended the Three Stooges' 20-year-plus association with the Columbia short subject department. Consisting mainly of stock footage from the earlier What's the Matador? (1942), the two-reeler incorporated footage, filmed in 1957, featuring Joe Besser and the statuesque Greta Thyssen. Sappy Bull Fighters actually competed with the enormously successful television re-release of the earlier Stooges comedies. The surprising TV following gave new life to the team and the Stooges would go on to a fairly successful feature-film career. But not with Joe Besser, who left the partnership in 1958. He was replaced by veteran vaudeville and short subject comic Joe DeRita (nicknamed "Curly Joe"), who joined the team for their feature comedies: Have Rocket Will Travel (1959), Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961), Three Stooges Meet Hercules (1962), The Three Stooges in Orbit (1962), The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze (1963), It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and The Outlaws Is Coming (1965). Although several later prospects were discussed (with veteran Stooges foil Emil Sitka replacing Larry Fine, who had suffered a stroke), none came to fruition. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
Shadows was John Cassavetes' first directorial effort. Like his later critically acclaimed films Faces and Husbands, Cassavetes fills the screen with probing, unflattering closeups. Unlike his other films, however, Shadows zips along at 87 minutes, avoiding the pitfall of putting the director's nonfans to sleep. The film is a straightforward account of a biracial romance (a far less common film subject in 1960 than today). Light-skinned African-American Lelia Goldoni falls in love with a white man Anthony Ray, who spurns her when he meets the rest of her family. Far from subtle, Shadows benefits from the undisciplined energy of its direction and the excellence of its individual performances. Costing a scant $40,000 (less than the average half hour TV episode of the era), Shadows won the Critic's Award at the Cannes Film Festival and led to more expensive studio assignments for John Cassavetes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lelia Goldoni, Ben Carruthers, (more)
A man who was the lone survivor of a shipwreck is rescued, only to discover that he's in greater danger than ever before in this horror story inspired by H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau. After his ship sinks in the midst of an ocean crossing, William Fitzgerald (Richard Derr) is near death when he finds his way to a remote island off the shore of Peru. Fitzgerald is discovered and given shelter by Dr. Girard (Francis Lederer), a scientist who has set up a lab on the island with his wife Frances (Greta Thyssen). It seems that most of the natives have fled the island in fear of what Girard is doing, and Fitzgerald soon discovers why -- the doctor has unusual theories about the links between humans and animals, and he has performed bizarre experiments on a panther that has transformed the feline into a man. The creature has gotten loose from Girard and now prowls the island with a thirst for blood; Fitzgerald's danger is only increased when he discovers that Frances has fallen in love with him. Terror Is a Man was also distributed under the titles Blood Creature, Creature from Blood Island, and The Gory Creatures. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Francis Lederer, Greta Thyssen, (more)
- 1958
This gripping drama uses archival footage combined with new footage to re-create the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. It is also the love story between a devout communist woman and the liberal son of a prominent professor. Because of their political differences, the two can never be together. Central to the story is the conflict between the father and the son. It is only after his father dies, that the son sees the ugly reality of communism. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerald Milton, John Hoyt, (more)
- 1965
This comedy is adapted from a short story by Mark Twain. An abusive carpetbagger marries a plantation owner's daughter to humiliate him. He is cruel to his wife, but she will not complain to her father. The beastly carpetbagger ties the stoic woman to a tree and sets the bloodhounds upon her. They tear off her clothes. This causes the girl's father to die of embarrassment. Meanwhile the girl bears a son. The son grows up and goes West in search of his wretched father. He desires to avenge his mother's honor. Someone else kills his father first. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Siggins, Greta Thyssen, (more)
- 1961
Another low-budget, clichéd detective yarn, Three Blondes in his Life features Jock Mahoney as a private eye who is intent on figuring out the reasons for the death of one of his acquaintances, an insurance investigator. As the detective gets to work on the case, he uncovers the investigator's sordid past that indicates there may be several people who would not mourn his passing. The blondes are mainly there to look comely, and the private eye gets to show off some good stunt work in one fight scene as the mystery of the death of the investigator starts to be resolved. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jock Mahoney, Greta Thyssen, (more)
