Ivan Triesault Movies
Hollywood character actor Ivan Triesault was born in Estonia where he began a theatrical career at age 14. Four years later, he moved to the U.S. where he began formal training in acting and dance in New York and later, in London. Back in New York, he frequently appeared as a mime and dancer on the Radio City Music Hall stage. Following more theatrical acting experience, including a brief stint on Broadway, Triesault broke into films where he usually played foreign villains from the mid-'40s through the early '60s. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi- 1969
So far as the authorities are concerned, Ironside's artist friend Danny Fielder (William Burns) died just after confessing to the murder of his wife's chauffeur. Why, then, is a San Francisco gift shop prominently displaying a brand-new painting that was obviously created by the "late" Mr. Fielder? In order to get to the truth, Ironside (Raymond Burr) must reopen an old murder case--and in so doing, sets himself up as a candidate for a quick and painful death! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1968
Joe Cartwright is grief-stricken when his friend Steve Regan, leader of a miners' strike, is accidentally killed. Because the Cartwrights are major stockholders in the mining company, Joe feels partially responsible for Steve's death, and does what he can to help the man's widow Stephanie (Marj Dusay). Meanwhile, the corrupt mine officials, intending to break the back of the strike movement, hire a group of troublemakers to encourage further violence. First shown on April 7, 1968, "Commitment at Angelus" was written by Peter Germano. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Michael Landon, (more)
- 1967
As part of the Allies' plans to invade Normandy Beach on June 6, 1944, Hogan is ordered to place the German generals encamped at Stalag 13 out of commission. To accomplish this, Hogan miraculously pulls enough strings to get Col. Klink promoted to German chief of staff -- or at least, to convince the generals that this promotion has taken place. The supporting cast includes several frequent Hogan's Heroes guest performers: Harold Gould as Von Scheiber, J. Pat O'Malley as the British general, and John Hoyt as Bruner. Written by Richard M. Powell, "D-Day at Stalag 13" first aired on September 23, 1967. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bob Crane, Werner Klemperer, (more)
- 1967
Though filmed as the twelfth episode of Mission: Impossible, "The Trial" was the seventeenth to be telecast, on January 28, 1967. While visiting an Eastern European nation, Briggs is mistaken for an American tourist and arrested by public prosecutor Josef Varsh (Carroll O'Connor). It is Varsh's intention to stage a propagandastic show trial and condemn Briggs to death, hoping to spark an international incident that will discredit the détente plans of deputy premier Kudnov (David Opatoshu). Though Briggs had deliberately placed himself in jeopardy in order to destroy Varsh, he may not be able to escape his present dilemma--not even with Rollin posing as his defense counsel. "The Trial" was written by Laurence Heath. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Steven Hill, Barbara Bain, (more)
- 1966
While on a test of new equipment -- for which only Nelson (Richard Basehart), Crane (David Hedison), and eight scientist-observers are aboard -- the Seaview loses all power nearly a mile below the surface. The 10 people aboard are trapped, unable to launch the Flying Sub and too deep to escape using diving gear or the mini-subs, and then they start getting killed off one by one, in what initially look like accidents. It's clear that one of them is stalking the others, but which one, and to what purpose? Nelson and Crane must find the identity of the murderer and the reason for the sabotage of the ship before it's too late. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
Bernhard Wicki directed this hard-hitting World War II espionage drama. Marlon Brando plays Robert Crain, a German deserter who is coerced by British Intelligence officer Colonel Statter (Trevor Howard) to impersonate a Gestapo officer in order to get aboard a German blockade runner that is conveying a valuable rubber cargo from the Orient. Crain's assignment is to save the rubber by finding a way to deactivate the explosives that the ship's captain would use to destroy the ship if captured by the enemy. Crain finds his way aboard the ship, but the ship's commander Captain Mueller (Yul Brynner), skeptical of the Nazis, refuses to let Crain out of his sight. When survivors of a sunken vessel board the ship, and Crain realizes that his identity may be exposed by two rescued German submarine officers, he incites Mueller's officers and the new arrivals to mutiny before his true identity is revealed. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Yul Brynner, (more)
Von Ryan's Express is a fast-paced, well-acted World War II drama, featuring a squadron of Allied soldiers trying to escape a prison camp in Italy. While most of the prisoners at the camp are British, a determined, resourceful American Air Force colonel (Frank Sinatra) takes charge and leads the escape, which requires that the prisoners wrest control of a German train and propel it through Italy to Switzerland. The subsequent ride, featuring good special effects and outstanding stunt work, is great fun and very suspenseful. Frank Sinatra makes an effective action hero aided by veteran actor Trevor Howard as a British officer. The CinemaScope photography is outstanding and director Mark Robson directs the exciting action sequences with skill. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Frank Sinatra, Trevor Howard, (more)
- 1965
Wounded in combat, Saunders (Vic Morrow) awakens to find himself dressed in a German uniform. In order not to give himself away to the Germans surrounding him, Saunders pretends to have been rendered speechless by shell-shock. In his laborious efforts to make his way back to the American lines, Saunders has some memorable encounters with the "enemy", among them a big-hearted German sergeant (Bert Freed) and an embittered German doctor (Ivan Triesault). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Viva Las Vegas, one of Elvis Presley's most popular vehicles, adheres as rigidly to formula as a Kabuki dance. Elvis plays a race-car driver competing in the Las Vegas Grand Prix opposite his principal rival, Cesare Danova. To finance his entry, Elvis takes a job as a casino waiter. Naturally, he is occasionally prevailed upon to sing, making one wonder why he didn't choose this talent as a means of making some quick cash. As always, Elvis chases all the wrong girls, only to ignore the "right" one, portrayed by Ann-Margret in her considerable youthful prime (We're supposed to believe that A-M is the daughter of irascible William Demarest. So much for the reliability of gene pools). With a pre-fat Presley, an indescribably gorgeous Ann-Margret, and no fewer than 12 songs on the soundtrack, how could Viva Las Vegas help but reap a fortune at the box office? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret, (more)
- 1964
In a depature from the usual Perry Mason format, Perry (Raymond Burr) flies to Europe as a personal favor to his old friend Frederic Ralston II. Arriving in Switzerland, Perry is asked to check up on Greta Konig (Susanne Cramer), the German nightclub singer who wants to marry Ralston's son Freddy (Fred Vincent), a lieutenant in the Army Engineer Corps. Instead, the lawyer ends up investigating two mysterious deaths, both linked to a treasure hidden by Nazis at the bottom of a Swiss lake during WW2. Future Hogan's Heroes costar Werner Klemperer appears as the local detective on the case, while Jim Davis, aka "Jock Ewing" on Dallas, is one of the victims. Inasmuch as Perry is literally "flying solo" in this episode, neither Della Street (Barbara Hale) nor Paul Drake (William Hopper) appear. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1963
Based on the novel by Irving Wallace, The Prize takes place in Stockholm, where several laureates gather to accept their Nobel Prizes. At first, the film concentrates on iconoclastic novelist Paul Newman, but he is temporarily shunted to the background when physics expert Edward G. Robinson is kidnaped and replaced by his wicked twin brother. The real Robinson is to be spirited behind the Iron Curtain, while the "fake" Robinson is to disrupt the awards ceremony with an anti-American tirade. Newman gets wind of the plot, and with the help of Swedish foreign office functionary Elke Sommer, he endeavors to rescue the real Robinson and expose the phony-who has yet another trick up his sleeve before the film is over. We'll go along with the fantastic plot convolutions of The Prize, provided we don't have to swallow the premise of another man's voice emanating from that familiar Eddie Robinson mug. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Edward G. Robinson, (more)
- 1962
This drama, based on a true story, chronicles the exploits of a gorgeous Greek actress who decrees that she will marry the winner of the 26-mile marathon at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens. It will be the first time the race has been run in 2,672 years. The actress does this because she is sure that her true-love will win. The real winner is a poor shepherd. Fortunately, the shepherd would rather marry another. The film contains actual Olympic Games footage. Much of the story was shot on location. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jayne Mansfield, Trax Colton, (more)
This 1962 Biblical epic was adapted by Christopher Fry from the novel by Pär Lagerkvist. Anthony Quinn stars as Barabbas, the thief who was pardoned in place of Jesus. For the rest of his life, the guilt-ridden criminal tries to justify his existence and to determine his place in the scheme of things. Along the way he encounters the self-righteous pomposity of Pontius Pilate (Arthur Kennedy), the stoning of Sara (Katy Jurado), the gladiatorial sadism of Torvald (Jack Palance), and the burning of Rome. The film's unbilled Christ is played by Roy Magnano, the brother of Quinn's second-billed costar Silvia Mangano. Watch for the genuine solar eclipse during the Crucifixion sequence, an effect that director Richard Fleischer spent several days preparing for. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Anthony Quinn, Silvana Mangano, (more)
A colorful action film about the Battle Of Thermopylae in 480 B.C. in which the Spartans defend themselves for a Persian invasion against overwhelming odds. King Leodinas (Richard Egan) rallies the locals to stop the attack of thousands of plundering Persian invaders led by evil King Xerxes (David Farrar). Sir Ralph Richardson as Themistocles of Athens leads the international cast this the spectacular cinematic conflict that has more emphasis on action rather than historical accuracy. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Egan, Ralph Richardson, (more)
This appallingly bad sci-fi film about an invisible bank-robber (Douglas Kennedy) was shot back-to-back with Beyond the Time Barrier on the grounds of the Texas State Fair in Dallas. The usual cackling and crime is included, most of which was done better in The Invisible Man. Marguerite Chapman is the film's one bright spot as Kennedy's lowlife girlfriend, but the rest of the characters are annoying and unsympathetic. Unpleasant, downbeat, and badly produced, it is hard to see the appeal of this one, even for genre completists. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi
The Oklahoma land rush of 1889 provides the starting point for this western drama, based on a novel by Edna Ferber. Yancey Cravat (Glenn Ford) is an impulsive, short-fused cowboy who has married an immigrant woman, Sabra (Maria Schell). Together, Yancey and Sabra claim a homestead, and Yancey starts a newspaper. While he doesn't have much of a head for business, Sabra does, and when she takes greater control of the paper, it grows into a profitable and influential journal. Eventually, Yancey becomes a well-recognized figure, and it's suggested that he run for public office. However, Yancey finds himself unable to support legislation that would steal more land and mineral rights away from the Native Americans who first settled the land. Cimarron was previously filmed in 1931; this version reduced the role of stereotyped black characters and has Native American actors playing the "Indians," including Eddie and Dawn Little Sky. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Maria Schell, (more)
- 1959
Sarah Werner (Osa Massen) begs Perry to locate her husband Hugo (Kurt Krueger), who ran off with all her money, leaving her alone and destitute. Perry's secretary Della suspects that Sarah isn't being entirely truthful, especially since the woman is wearing a very expensive perfume. As for Hugo--or as he is now calling himself, Hans Breel--he is currently involved in an elaborate scam involving a priceless gem called the Pundit Stone. When Hugo turns up murdered, Sarah is accused of the crime, whereupon Perry does some diligent digging into the facts (some of which are actually fallacies) to clear his client. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1959
- G
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There was neither a heroine nor a villain in Jules Verne's 1864 novel Journey to the Center of the Earth, but scenarist Charles Brackett evidently knew what he was doing by adding both to the 1959 film version. The picture proved to be a significant success in an otherwise disappointing year for 20th Century Fox. James Mason stars as amusingly absent-minded professor Oliver Lindenbrook, whose first step on a fabulous journey is prompted by a lump of lava brought to him by his student Alec McEwen (Pat Boone -- and, yes, he gets to sing). Melting down the curiously composed lump, Lindenbrook discovers a hastily scrawled message from long-lost explorer Arne Saknussem, with directions for reaching the earth's core. Accompanied by Carla (Arlene Dahl), widow of a famed geologist, and Icelandic guide Hans (Peter Ronson), Lindenbrook and Alec head down, down below. They are closely followed by the villainous Count Saknussem (Thayer David), descendant of the lost explorer who wrote the directions; the count hopes to use Lindenbrook's discoveries for his own personal and political gain (we know he's really bad when he eats Han's lovable pet goose). What follows is a festival of superb special effects, fabulous subterranean sets, and gigantized reptiles posing as dinosaurs, all brilliantly accompanied by Bernard Herrmann's ominous musical score. Journey to the Center of the Earth would later be adapted into a Saturday-morning cartoon series, again produced by 20th Century Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pat Boone, James Mason, (more)
- 1959
In one of the series' eeriest episodes, American photographer Rita Wallace (Cloris Leachman) sets up shop in Paris, hoping to capture the "soul of France" in her pictures. Advertising for a model, Rita ends up using a strange, reclusive little man (Marcel Dalio) with a haunted look in his eyes. Not long afterward, A few nights later, Rita is attacked and nearly strangled to death by a mysterious intruder--and only after she carefully scrutinizes her recent photographs does she even begin to grasp the significance of this inexplicable assault. If "The Dark Room" seems to have a Hitchcock flavor, it may be because the episode was written by "Hitch"'s frequent collaborator Francis Cockrell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cloris Leachman, Ann Codee, (more)
Though several concessions to the censors and the box-office were made in adapting Irwin Shaw's bestseller The Young Lions to the screen, the end result is generally effective and satisfying. Set during World War 2, the film concentrates on three individuals, one German, two American. Marlon Brando plays an idealistic German whose early fascination with Nazism leads to doubt and disillusionment. American entertainer Dean Martin, on the verge of the Big Time, does his best to dodge the draft but ends up in uniform all the same. And American Jew Montgomery Clift, so sensitive that he's practically breakable, must come to grips with anti-Semitism, not only from the Germans but also from his fellow soldiers. Romance enters the picture in the form of Hope Lange as Clift's gentile girlfrind, Barbara Rush as the socialite who shames Martin into joining up, and May Britt as Brando's vis-a-vis. Screenwriter Edward Anhalt was obliged to shoehorn in a boot-camp sequence indicating that the Brass disapproved of the bigoted behavior of Clift's topkick Lee van Cleef (as if racism was a mere aberration during the 1940s), and to "slightly" alter the ending of the book, in which the embittered but still patriotic Brando character, shouting "Welcome to Germany!," machine-guns the Martin and Clift characters (in the film, it is Brando who bites the dust, symbolically dying for Hitler's sins). Maximillian Schell offers a starmaking turn as Brando's cynical comrade, while an uncredited John Banner, "Sergeant Schultz" on Hogan's Heroes, shows up as a pompous burgomeister who feigns ignorance of the hellish concentration camp in his community. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, (more)
- 1958
About the only perils that heroine Dana Wynter avoids in Fraulein are being tied to the buzzsaw and chased across the ice by bloodhouds. Wynter plays a German girl of genteel upbringing who is forced to wake up and smell the coffee when her family is killed in a WW2 air raid. She helps American officer Mel Ferrer escapes the Gestapo, then must figure out a way to elude her Russian Army captors, headed by Theodore Bikel (who later ruefully commented that more people remembered him for this film than for anything else). Escaping to the American sector of Berlin, Wynter naively registers herself as a prostitute, leading to a daunting series of tribulations. The upshot of all this is that German officer Helmut Dantine lusts after Dana because of what he thinks she is, while American officer Ferrer loves her because he knows deep down that she's not what she's supposed to be. Filmed on location, Fraulein was based on a novel by James McGowan. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Dana Wynter, Mel Ferrer, (more)
- 1957
The Buster Keaton Story is the sublimely inaccurate life story of immortal film comedian Buster Keaton, played by Donald O'Connor. The film begins with young Buster appearing in his parents' circus acrobatic act (the real Keatons never appeared in a circus, but were vaudevillians instead). After Buster's dad dies (an event that actually occurred when Keaton was in his 30s and already a star), the boy strikes out on his own. He makes it into silent films as a top slapstick comic (this much is accurate), but his private life is complicated by two loves, a "sweet" girl (Ann Blyth) and a wealthy temptress (Rhonda Fleming) (Buster was married three times, but not to either one of the ladies depicted in this film). When talkies come in, Buster is browbeaten by autocratic director Peter Lorre (all of Keaton's talkies were directed by Eddie Sedgwick, one of his best friends) and finds himself unable to handle dialogue (no comment). He turns to drink (true) and destroys himself in Hollywood (partly true). But through the love of good girl Ann Blyth, Buster makes a comeback in vaudeville, and finally decides to get married and settle down for the first time in his life (Buster did tour in vaudeville with wife Eleanor Norris, who was wife number three and whom he met nine years after the advent of talkies). The nicest thing about The Buster Keaton Story was that the amount Paramount paid Keaton for permission to film his "life story" ($50,000) was large enough for Buster to remain financially solvent for the rest of his life. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald O'Connor, Ann Blyth, (more)
Silk Stockings, a musical version of the 1939 Greta Garbo film Ninotchka, was adapted for the stage by George S. Kaufman, Leueen McGrath (the then-Mrs. Kaufman) and Abe Burrows, with music and lyrics by Cole Porter. The Broadway production, starring Hildegarde Neff and Don Ameche, ran 478 performances. The 1957 film version cast Fred Astaire as a movie producer and Cyd Charisse as dedicated communist functionary Ninotchka. In the original 1939 film, Ninotchka was sent from Mother Russia to Paris to check up on three commissars, who in turn had been ordered to retrieve a fortune in Czarist jewels. This time the commissar trio, played by Peter Lorre, Jules Munshin and Joseph Buloff, have been dispatched to Paris to reclaim defecting Soviet composer Wim Sonneveld. Since Astaire wants the composer to write the songs for his newest musical, he plies the commissars with wine, women and song, dissuading them from their mission. When Ninotchka shows up to retrieve the errant Russians, Astaire turns on the old charm with her as well. She gradually succumbs to the combined lures of romance and capitalism, but returns to Russia when she believes that Astaire has thrown her over for film-star Janis Paige (delivering a hilarious take-off of swimming star Esther Williams). But Astaire convinces her that he truly loves her, and all is well. Most of the Cold-War comedy in the Broadway production of Silk Stockings remains intact in the movie version (Soviet official George Tobias, seeking information on his predecessor, looks up the man's record in "Who's Still Who"). Also surviving virtually untouched is the Cole Porter score, including "All Of You," "A Chemical Reaction," "Without Love," "Satin and Silk," "The Red Blues," "Stereophonic Sound," and the rollicking "Siberia" (which offers the spectacle of a singing, dancing Peter Lorre!) Watch for Fred Astaire's future TV-special partner Barrie Chase as one of the dancers. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, (more)
- 1957
If Jet Pilot seems hopelessly out of date today, imagine how filmgoers in 1957 reacted when this relic from 1949 was taken off the shelf. Many, many years in the making due to the maniacal tinkering by producer Howard Hughes (who reportedly lost $4 million on it - a massive sum back then), the film was deemed unreleasable upon completion; only when Universal-International took over distribution of a handful of RKO Radio productions did it finally see the light of day. John Wayne stars as an air force colonel stationed in an Alaskan outpost only 40 miles or so from the Soviet Union. Wayne is put in charge of Russian jet pilot Janet Leigh, who claims that she wants to defect. Actually, Leigh is a Communist spy, but thanks to Wayne's affectionate attentions she is won over to the side of Democracy. Thus it is that Leigh rescues the Duke when he is kidnapped and nearly brainwashed by her Commie comrades. Jet Pilot was eventually bought back from U-I by Hughes for his personal collection; not only did he buy into the propagandistic plotline, but he was also enthralled by the aerial scenes, some of which were staged by legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager. The 1949 production date for a number of sequences explains not only why so many of the actors look young for 1957, but the existence of several supporting cast members who had died in the interim (such as Jack Overman and Richard Rober). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Janet Leigh, (more)
- 1957
When an Army general is appointed to the sensitive diplomatic post that the powerful publisher of a prominent news magazine had hoped would go to a particularly qualified civilian, she launches a vitriolic campaign to discredit the general. First the publisher orders one of her cameraman to snap a few incriminating photographs of the general. In order to get them, she invites the general out for a night on the town. No matter how hard she tries to get him drunk, the general remains sober. Unfortunately, she ends up quiet tipsy and falls in a pool where she nearly drowns until the general rescues her. The sodden but grateful publisher kisses him and it is at that point that they realize that animosity is rapidly turning to love, at least for her. When she discovers that her newborn love is fated to remain unrequited because of things from the general's past, the jealous publisher pens a poisonous article about him. This creates all kinds comical obstacles and further misunderstandings. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Kirk Douglas, (more)
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