Budd Boetticher Movies

Imagine a group of soldiers trained in search and rescue, desert survival, and deployment into hostile areas, only instead of carrying weapons, they carry cameras. Combat Camera -- The Pacific uncovers the unique operation in which photographers documented armed forces activities. Shooting everything from combat to war games, the ComCam personnel were everywhere. Their duty was to capture peaceful images such as humanitarian efforts and scientific research, as well as the harsher reality of battle. The release comprises original Movietone News, Universal Newsreel, and U.S. Navy footage as seen in theaters across the world. These unlikely heroes traveled from Midway to Iwo Jima, leaving behind a film legacy that remembers the glory and defeat of war. ~ Sarah Ing, All Movie Guide

The lives of bullfighters, whether in Mexico or in Spain or elsewhere in Latin America, carry a weight of romance and tragedy not found in other lives, even when they die of old age in their beds. All too often, they are maimed or killed in the ring. As dealers with death, matadors offer the bullfight-aficionado a raw, powerful ritual of death. For those who despise bullfighting, all the art and ritual involved are some sort of revolting noise. This film is a documentary for aficionados, and concerns the life of the great Mexican matador, Arruza. He fought in the ring with great flair until 1953, retired to raise the very same breed of bulls he killed in the ring, and died in 1966. The film, narrated by his countryman Anthony Quinn, shows many breathtaking moments from the "corrida", the bullring, including numerous shots of Arruza himself in action. Great bullfighters are often known by only one name; this is a tribute usually given only to kings, movie stars and notorious criminals. That Arruza is known this way is an indication of his importance in the bullfighting world. Indeed, a large statue of him is now outside Mexico City's premier bullring, the Plaza Mexico. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The lives of bullfighters, whether in Mexico or in Spain or elsewhere in Latin America, carry a weight of romance and tragedy not found in other lives, even when they die of old age in their beds. All too often, they are maimed or killed in the ring. As dealers with death, matadors offer the bullfight-aficionado a raw, powerful ritual of death. For those who despise bullfighting, all the art and ritual involved are some sort of revolting noise. This film is a documentary for aficionados, and concerns the life of the great Mexican matador, Arruza. He fought in the ring with great flair until 1953, retired to raise the very same breed of bulls he killed in the ring, and died in 1966. The film, narrated by his countryman Anthony Quinn, shows many breathtaking moments from the "corrida", the bullring, including numerous shots of Arruza himself in action. Great bullfighters are often known by only one name; this is a tribute usually given only to kings, movie stars and notorious criminals. That Arruza is known this way is an indication of his importance in the bullfighting world. Indeed, a large statue of him is now outside Mexico City's premier bullring, the Plaza Mexico. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The last of the Randolph Scott/ Budd Boetticher collaborations, Comanche Station stars Scott as another "lone rider" who takes on a highly dangerous job. Scott must rescue Nancy Gates from her Comanche captors and return the woman to her husband. He is assisted by a trio of criminals, who are out for the reward money and who plan to divide the spoils with as few partners as possible. As his ranks diminish in the face of Indian resistance, Scott must finish his mission alone. Comanche Station was scripted by Burt Kennedy, later a top western director is his own right. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A fast-paced western with a romantic twist, this was one of the last films pairing director Budd Boetticher and popular cowboy hero Randolph Scott before Scott's retirement. John Hayes (Scott) left the Civil War behind him when he took on the job of managing the Overland Stage Lines out of a small Colorado town. Clay Putnam has not forgotten that the Confederacy lost and he plans on robbing Hayes' Overland Stage of one of its gold shipments from California to the North. He wants the gold to stay in the South to revive the Confederate cause. Meanwhile, his wife Norma (Virginia Mayo) complicates matters since she was Hayes' old flame, and Putnam's cronies want the gold for themselves. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Diane Brewster makes her first appearance as Samantha Crawford, a larcenous lass who proves to be quite a handful for Bret Maverick (James Garner). Claiming to be the daughter of George Cross (Tol Avery), who once lost a great deal of money to Bret, Samantha charms our hero into player poker with her--and handily beats him at his own game. Hoping to recoup his losses, Bret goes into partnership with Samantha as the owners of a gambling hall, ostensibly for the purpose of driving crooked gambler Joe Riggs (Ted DeCorsia) out of business. Little does Bret realize that he's been set up for yet another double-cross. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Perhaps the grittiest and grimmest of the Randolph Scott-Budd Boetticher collaborations, The Tall T was adapted by Burt Kennedy from the Elmore Leonard short story The Captive. Scott plays a former ranch foreman who, along with newlyweds Maureen O'Sullivan and John Hubbard, is held hostage at a deserted stagecoach station by ruthless bandit Richard Boone and his henchmen Henry Silva and Skip Homeier. Since we already know that Boone has no qualms about killing a freckle-faced 10 year old boy, we shudder to think of what's in store for Scott and his fellow captives once Boone carries out his plan to rob the next stagecoach. In Boetticher's time-honored Mexican Standoff fashion, Scott bargains with Boone for the life of O'Sullivan, but his efforts are undercut by Hubbard's cowardly treachery. The film's sparse, carefully controlled tension level bursts into full-out bloodshed only minutes before the final fade-out. Curiously, the title The Tall T is never explained at any time; certainly the "T" doesn't refer to Randolph Scott, whose character name is Pat Brennan. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Bret (James Garner) befriends a charming young couple, Molly Gleason (Karen Steele) and Ralph Jordan (a pre-Mannix Michael Connors). Alas, what Molly and Ralph currently have in mind is not so charming. The two lovebirds intend to use the trusting Bret as the fall guy for a bank robbery --and the plan requires Bret to be killed and Molly to tearfully identify him as Ralph. Though filmed as the pilot episode of Maverick, "Point Blank" was originally shown as the series' second telecast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this thriller, "Foggy" (Wendell Corey) is a bank teller who got his nickname for the thick spectacles he must wear. Foggy is also an inside man for a gang of thieves planning to rob his bank. Unfortunately, their plan goes awry and he is arrested. During the ensuing scuffle, his wife is accidentally killed and the crook blames the arresting officer (Joseph Cotten). While he stands trial, Foggy lets on that he plans on getting revenge by killing the officer's wife. Later he is transferred to a prison farm. The fearsome former clerk busts out of prison and kills a few people on his way to the policeman's home. The panicked policeman attempts to secure protection for his wife, but the cops decide to use the woman as a decoy to draw the criminal to them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

The exciting, metaphorical world of bull-fighting provides the setting for this dramatic tale of an aging toreador faced with a difficult decision after his illustrious reputation is nearly destroyed when he introduces his young rival and protege and suddenly runs from the ring. The distraught old matador finds comfort in the tender arms of an American fan. Unfortunately, her old boyfriend gets jealous and proclaims the fighter a coward. In time, the matador and his student enter the ring together for a final battle. It is here in the unforgiving arena that the true nature of their relationship is revealed. The film's director Budd Boetticher, gives the film added realism as he, a former matador, also worked as the technical advisor. Originally, the bull-fighting scenes were more graphic, but squeamish censors intervened and the scenes were heavily edited. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a novel by Gerald Drayon Adams, Wings of the Hawk stars Van Heflin as Irish Gallegher, an American mining engineer working in Mexico. When his gold mine is confiscated by the local government, Gallegher aligns himself with a renegade group of insurrectionists, led by Arturo (Rodolfo Acosta). What follows is one perilous situation after another, usually involving explosions and chunks of debris flying at the camera, the better to show off the film's 3D camerawork. In addition, Gallegher finds time for a romance with firebrand lady outlaw Raquel (Julia Adams) and local senorita Elena (Abbe Lane). Lifting Wings of the Hawk above the norm is the always-inventive direction of Budd Boetticher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The motivating factor behind City Beneath the Sea is an underwater treasure hunt. In 1692, an underwater earthquake sends the Jamaica city of Port Royal to the bottom of the Caribbean. Three-hundred-fifty years later, deep-sea divers Brad Carlton (Robert Ryan) and Tony Bartlett (Anthony Quinn) take the plunge near Port Royal, in hopes of recovering a million dollars in gold bullion that was lost in a modern-day quake. What Brad and Tony don't know is that their employer, steamship magnate Dwight Trevor (Karel Stepanek), doesn't really want the divers to find the gold. Trevor hopes to pull off a major insurance fraud, and has no qualms about killing his divers to get what he wants. Mala Powers and Suzan Ball provide the love interest, while plump Hawaiian entertainer Hilo Hattie offers some welcome comedy relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Dumas-inspired Blades of the Musketeers began life as an hour-long TV show, produced by Hal Roach Jr. as a possible series pilot. Robert Clarke, who'd previous headlined a pilot for a never-sold "Robin Hood" series, plays D'Artagnan, while the rest of the Musketeers are portrayed by John Hubbard (Athos), Mel Archer (Porthos) and Keith Richards (Aramis). The plot follows the traditional "Queen's Necklace" portion of Dumas' The Three Musketeers, with D'Artagnan and his brothers in arms defending Queen Anne (Marjorie Lord) against the machinations of Cardinal Richelieu (Paul Cavanaugh) and Rochefort (Peter Mamakos). Rounding out the cast are Don Beddoe as a comic-relief King Louis, Lyn Thomas as the courageous Constance, and Kristine Miller as the scheming Milady De Winter. Within the limitations of its tiny budget and 54-minute time span, Blades of the Musketeers is a not-bad rendition of a familiar adventure yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide