George Trevino Movies
- 1960
Hubert Cornfield wrote, directed, and co-produced this standard suspense story about two people who commit both murder and fraud -- out of revenge on the one hand and materialistic gain on the other. Marian Forbes (Laraine Day) has been having an affair with her boss and when he drops her for another woman she sees green -- jealousy and greed take over. She convinces an acquaintance (Edmond O'Brien) to murder her former lover and then impersonate him just long enough to get their hands on a large sum of money. Everything comes off as she plans, but then as the two cover up their crime, the danger of being discovered looms larger at every turn. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmond O'Brien, Julie London, (more)
- 1958
When a millionaire discovers that he is going to lose half of his business if his missing brother isn't found to keep it out of the ruthless hands that want it, he sends the "last of the fast guns" out in search of him. Finding him won't be the hard thing for our gunfighter, however. Keeping him alive long enough to get back to the claim his share of the family business is going to be the tough part. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jock Mahoney, Gilbert Roland, (more)
- 1958
This historical adventure recounts the many exploits of the notorious Mexican bandit Pancho Villa as he evolves from a womanizing thief to a passionate leader of the Mexican revolution. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Keith, Cesar Romero, (more)
Produced by former radio star William Conrad, this taut psychological Western features Conrad as Chris Hamish, a lawman assigned to bring back from Mexico accused murderer Robert Kallen (Anthony Quinn). Locating Kallen in a small Mexican pueblo proves easy enough, but bringing him to justice becomes a major task, as Hamish and his prisoner must traverse a seemingly endless desert alive with hostile Apaches. Hamish has promised his girlfriend, Elena (Lita Milan), to return safe and sound, and Kallen plays on both Hamish's innate decency and the lawman's increasing paranoia, with the trek quickly turning into a game of cat and mouse. Until, that is, the duo comes across a young child (Ellen Hope Monroe) orphaned by the Apaches, whose presence helps bring out the last embers of decency in both hunter and hunted. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, William Conrad, (more)
George Montgomery both produced and starred in the psychological western Black Patch. Written by character actor Leo Gordon (who also appears on screen), the story revolves around one-eyed marshal Clay "Black Patch" Morgan (Montgomery). The marshal is delighted to find out that his old buddy Hank Danner (Leo Gordon) is riding into town, but less than thrilled to learn that Danner is now a wanted outlaw. Reluctantly throwing his friend into jail, Morgan sets off a chain reaction of terror, beginning with a jailbreak engineered by crooked saloonkeeper Frenchy De Vere (a particularly vicious performance by Sebastian Cabot) and culminating in a showdown between the marshal and Danner's young protégé Flytrap (Tom Pittman). This is the sort of film in which a rape is represented by the symbolic opening and closing of a screen door. Black Patch seems pretentious when seen today, but in 1957 a western never lost money at the box-office. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Diane Brewster, (more)
- 1957
Roger Bristol (James Craig) is the star of a popular TV adventure series. To further boost his ratings, Bristol promises his viewers that he will locate a sunken treasure off the coasts of South America. True to his word, Bristol, his secretary Anne Stevens (Audrey Totter) and his skindiver son Bob (Lowell Brown) embark on his dangerous quest, using the cryptic messages carved on an ancient idol as his guide to the treasure. Their mission is threatened by a covetous local diver (Nico Minardos), who will stop at nothing to get his hands on the treasure. Not everything goes as planned, but Roger does discover that true love is worth all the gold in the sea. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Craig, Audrey Totter, (more)
- 1956
In 1956, it was still possible for Americans to take a working vacation in Cuba, and the Ricardos and the Mertzes are no exception. Upon setting foot on his native soil, Ricky (Desi Arnaz) makes a beeline to the home of his mother (Mary Emery), hoping to introduce Lucy (Lucille Ball) and Little Ricky (Richard Keith) to his Cuban relatives -- especially the highly regarded head of the Ricardo clan, Uncle Alberto (George Trevino). Naturally, Lucy makes a shambles of the reunion, but all ends happily in a lavish nightclub performance at Havana's Casino Parisien, where Desi Arnaz sings "I'm a Lucky Guy" and duets with Richard Keith in a con brio presentation of his signature number "Baba Lu." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Emery, George Trevino, (more)
- 1956
The Brave One is a bull named Gitano (or Gypsy). Mexican lad Michael Ray "adopts" Gitano after saving the animal's life during a storm. The friendship between bull and boy is threatened when Gitano's legal owners claim the animal and ship it off to the bullring. Moved by the boy's plight, the President of Mexico signs a "pardon" for Gitano-but not soon enough to prevent the bull's appearance at the Plaze de Mexico at Mexico City, where he faces top matador Fermin Rivera. The Brave One was helmed by Irving Rapper, a man best known for his Bette Davis vehicles at Warner Bros. Based on a true incident, the film earned a "best story" Academy Award for one Robert Rich-who, much to the embarrassment of the Academy (and the delight of civil libertarians) turned out to be blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Long available only in its "flat", black and white TV version, The Brave One was recently restored to its Technicolor and CinemaScope glory by the American Movie Classics cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Ray, Rodolfo Hoyos, (more)
- 1955
Third-billed Lee Marvin dominates the proceedings in A Life in the Balance. Marvin plays a psycho killer, whose trail is dogged by inquistive young Jose Perez. Jose's father, musician Ricardo Montalban, has been accused of a series of murders. The boy is convinced (correctly, it turns out) that Marvin is the guilty party, and trails the man in hopes of bringing him to justice. No dummy he, Perez leaves a trail for the authorities to follow--a series of smashed-up police call boxes (a similar plot device was deployed for comic purposes by Harold Lloyd in Professor Beware). A Life in the Balance was filmed on location in Mexico City, with a great deal of screen time devoted to a colorful carnival. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ricardo Montalban, Anne Bancroft, (more)
This romantic adventure takes place in the jungles of Southern Mexico and centers upon an archaeologist and a photographer who have come to find a lost Toltec civilization. Their handsome guide takes them deeper and deeper into the jungle. As they progress, both the archaeologist and the guide become rivals for the photographer's affections. In the end, they are confronted by a great danger. To save his clients, the guide sacrifices his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Lundigan, Peggie Castle, (more)
- 1953
This tuneful romantic melodrama is set in a tiny Mexican village and is comprised of three storylines. One tale concerns a pair of young lovers from rival villages who will not be able to marry until a long time feud is ended. In another tale, an heir to a large fortune falls in love with an impoverished girl. His family is dead set against the match. When he is diagnosed with a fatal tumor, the man begs the girl to marry him, but she refuses and instead arranges for him to marry another. In the third story, a matador's comely sister falls in love with a street vendor. Unfortunately, the matador hates her beloved and to break them up permanently, slyly convinces the peddler to enter the dangerous bullring. Fortunately for the sister, her brother's scheme fails spectacularly. She then marries the peddler and makes an ironic discovery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Maria Pier Angeli, Ricardo Montalban, (more)
Richard Greene stars in the medium-budget swashbuckler Captain Scarlet. Greene plays the title character, a Gallic Robin Hood, who seeks to reclaim his birthright from the usurping Duke of Corlaine (Manolo Fabregas). Forming a group of sort-of-merry men, Captain Scarlet rallies the countryside to take up arms against the despotic duke. In addition, he saves Princess Maria (Leonora Amar) from various fates worse than death at the hands of lecherous Count Villiers (Eduardo Norriega). The preponderance of Latino names in the cast of Captain Scarlet is a tip-off that the film was lensed in Mexico rather than France. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Greene, Leonora Amar, (more)
- 1950
Fifth-generation Californian Leo Carrillo returns to the homeland of his ancestors in the Mexican Pancho Villa Returns. Though pushing 70, Carrillo is convincing as the relatively youthful rebel chieftain Pancho Villa. Made a general in the Mexican army by Presidente Madera, Villa is forced into a life of banditry when Madera is assassinated in 1913. Flying in the face of historical facts, Pancho Villa is depicted as a paragon of virtue, albeit one who has no qualms about executing those who've betrayed his cause. Pancho Villa Returns was written and directed by Miguel Contrera Torres, one of Mexico's most successful (and longest-lasting) filmmakers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Carrillo, Esther Fernandez, (more)
