Glenn Vernon Movies
Character actor Glenn Vernon had a long and varied career in television, film, and on the stage until his death in late 1999. Immediately after graduating from high school, the young Vernon left his hometown in Massachusetts for New York City, to try his hand at acting. He gained recognition in the early '40s for his efforts in a number of Broadway productions that led RKO Studios to offer him a film contract. He was a contract player with the studio only until the end of that decade, but his involvement in all things acting would continue for the rest of his life. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
Comic actor and former Saturday Night Live stock player Mike Myers attempted to transform himself from the goofy title character in Wayne's World (1992) (and its sequel) into a romantic leading man with this box office disappointment. Myers stars as Charlie Mackenzie, a San Francisco poet who meets the girl of his dreams, Harriet Michaels (Nancy Travis) when he stops to pick up some haggis for his parents at Meats of the World, a butcher shop where Harriet works. Although he's been neurotically commitment-phobic in the past (dumping one girlfriend because she "smelled like soup"), Charlie thinks Harriet could be the one. That is, until his mother May (Brenda Fricker) and cop best friend Tony (Anthony LaPaglia) begin to suspect that Harriet could be an axe-wielding serial killer who has butchered several husbands. Harriet's wacky sister Rose (Amanda Plummer) and her connection to several of the slayings make Charlie nervous, but he nevertheless pops the question, leading to an eventful honeymoon where all is revealed. Although So I Married an Axe Murderer (1993) earned less than $12 million at the U.S. box office, Myers hit upon the Peter Sellers-inspired formula of playing various supporting characters with this film, portraying Charlie's amusingly paranoid father Stuart. The actor repeated the trick with greater success in Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) and its sequel. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, (more)
- 1986
Mark Lindsay Chapman (no relation to the murderer of John Lennon) stars in the made-for-TV The Annihilator. If the title sounds faintly reminiscent of The Terminator, it might just be more than a coincidence. The plot involves an army of mindless automatons, programmed to kill, kill, kill. Chapman plays a reporter whose efforts to halt the robot army are flummoxed by the fact that he himself is a fugitive from the law. The Annihilator premiered on April 7, 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1966
So far as the authorities are concerned, Dr. Stacey Fielding (George Wallace) died in a plane crash while flying to Salt Lake City--and the cause of death was not the crash but a heavy dose of poison. As the last person to see Dr. Fielding alive, his wife Miriam (Jeanne Cooper) is the most likely murder suspect, but she is cleared thanks to attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). End of story? No way! After Miriam's day in court, Perry finds out that the man who died in Dr. Fielding's plane was actually mechanic Al Dolby (John Goddard)--and that Fielding may have faked his death in order to run off with his sexy nurse! This episode is based on Erle Stanley Gardner's "Perry Mason" novel The Case of the Fugitive Nurse, which was previously filmed under that title in 1958. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Scheming Harvey Scott (Tom Tully) has managed to regain control of his mining company while his nephew Rick (Henry Brandt) was in Acapulco, recuperating from an accident. To make certain that Rick doesn't return to the States to restake his claim on the company, Harvey orders his nephew's lovelorn niece Joanna (Anne Whitfield) to keep him occupied in Mexico. Eventually Rick tumbles to this scheme and heads to LA for a showdown. But when Harvey is killed, Rick is nowhere to be found--and Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) finds himself defending poor Joanna on a murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Working at a store under the alias "Dan Crowley", Kimble (David Janssen) is on hand when two-bit thief Herbie Grant (Warren Oates) is shot while holding up the place. Hiding out from the authorities, Herbie begs fellow fugitive Kimble to help clear him of other crimes of which he has been wrongfully accused. But Herbie's sister Lorna (Virginia Vincent) coldbloodedly demands that Herbie be turned over the police--and threatens to reveal Kimble's true identity if he refuses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Unjustly ignored by many books on the horror film, I Bury the Living is a bone-chilling little mood piece, almost completed dominated by Richard Boone. Expertly avoiding the obvious throughout the film, Boone gives a thoroughly credible performance of a troubled man who labors under the misapprehension that he is God. Boone plays the new chairman of a large cemetery; in his office is a map of the grounds, with black pins representing the occupied plots, and white pins representing plots that have been purchased but not yet filled. When Boone inadvertently mixes up the black and white pins, several of the plot owners suffer untimely deaths. Inevitably, Boone becomes convinced that he has the power of life and death--a conviction that doesn't completely dissipate once the secret behind the sudden deaths is revealed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Boone, Theodore Bikel, (more)
- 1951
Allan Dwan's assured direction is the principal selling card of Republic's Belle le Grand. Based on a story by Peter B. Kyne, the film stars Vera Ralston as the title character, an ex-jailbird who becomes the gambling queen of old San Francisco. Upon meeting miner John Kilton (John Carroll), Belle increases her riches by selling shares of Kilton's silver lode. Despite Belle's anger over Kilton's dalliance with her younger sister Nan (Muriel Lawrence), she manages to save him from the evil machinations of all-purpose villain Montgomery Crane (Stephen Chase). Never much of an actress, Vera Ralston nonetheless delivers one of her better performances in Belle le Grand, though she is upstaged by such veteran barnstormers as Hope Emerson, John Qualen and Grant Withers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Carroll, Vera Ralston, (more)
- 1951
Wendell Corey and Forrest Tucker, the Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy of Republic, star as a pair of World War II Army Air Corps officers. In between their battles over the affections of beautiful nurse Vera Hruba Ralston, Corey and Tucker prepare to fly a bombing mission in the South Pacific. Before boarding their B29 Superfortress, Tucker appears to be chickening out, but he's steadfastly at his cockpit post at takeoff time. For a big-budget war picture, Wild Blue Yonder contains a surprising amount of chorus boy-style singing. The best musical vignette is supporting player Phil Harris' rendition of his hit song "The Thing" ("Get outta here with that [thump! thump! thump!] /Before I call a cop" etc.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Ralston, Forrest Tucker, (more)
- 1950
Watch the antics of the comedy and musical flicks from the 1950s. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1950
Lucky Losers is an uncharacteristically dramatic entry in Monogram's "Bowery Boys" comedy series. Incredibly enough, Slip Mahoney (Leo Gorcey) and Sach Jones (Huntz Hall) have gotten jobs in the office of Wall Street broker David J. Thurston (Selmer Jackson). Soon afterward, Thurston apparently commits suicide (not because of the boys' ineptitude, as one might suspect). Slip and Sach's TV-reporter pal Gabe Moreno (Gabriel Dell) suspects that Thurston was murdered, prompting the boys to search for clues in the dead man's office. The evidence trail leads to a gambling house, where Slip and Sach secure work as croupiers. Learning that their new boss, Bruce McDermott (Lyle Talbot), was somehow connected to Thurston, the boys report this to Gabe, who makes the information public--and gets beaten up for his troubles. Now it's up to Slip, Sach and the rest of the Bowery Boys to expose the protection racket in which McDermott is involved. There's too much plot and not enough laughs in this "Bowery Boys" entry; Fortunately, Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall are in top form, making the most of their very few comic opportunities. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
Though he doesn't know it at first, industrialist Walter Williams (Brian Donlevy) shouldn't trust his wife Irene (Helen Walker) any farther than he can throw her. Irene schemes with her lover Jim Torrance (Tony Barrett) to kill Walter in an "accidental" car crash. The plan fails, and it is Jim who is killed. When it develops that he is assumed to have also died in the accident, Walter changes his name and heads to a small town where no one knows him. Here he starts life all over again as a humble garage mechanic, falling in love with his boss Marsha Peters (Ella Raines) in the process. Disaster looms when detective Quincy (Charles Coburn) comes sniffing around; it seems that Lt. Quincy suspects the incognito Williams of murdering Torrance. To reveal any more would be giving the game away. Impact co-stars longtime favorite Anna May Wong, making her first screen appearance since 1942. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, (more)
- 1948
Republic's heartwarming Heart of Virginia has the homey charm of a 1930s "regional" picture. In one of his rare late-1940s leading roles, Frankie Darro plays a reckless jockey who'll stop at nothing to win. His fierce competitiveness results in the death of another rider. With the help of understanding Janet Martin, the daughter of his former boss, Darro redeems himself. The film benefits from its location footage and thrill-packed racing sequences. Originally released at 60 minutes, Heart of Virginia is generally available in the slightly abridged TV version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Martin, Robert Lowery, (more)
- 1947
A WWII Coast Guard veteran, Lt. Scott Burnett (Robert Ryan), is plagued by nightmares of his combat days. One day, he meets a woman, Peggy Butler (Joan Bennett), walking on a beach, picking up pieces of wood. Butler is married to a grumpy, blind painter, Ted Butler (Charles Bickford). Despite his affections for his fiancée Eve (Nan Leslie), whose father is a boat builder, Scott falls in love with Peggy and soon breaks off the engagement. Peggy reveals that she blinded her husband years earlier by throwing a glass at him during an ugly spat, ruining his career and her own ambitions to be an upper-class socialite. Scott fears that Ted is suspicious that he is having an affair with Peggy and becomes so paranoid that he begins to believe that Ted is faking his blindness -- and sets out to prove it. This was the fifth and final American film by the great French writer-director Jean Renoir. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan, (more)
- 1947
Not by any means a great film, The Devil Thumbs a Ride nonetheless has an indefinable audience allure that sucks the viewer into its labyrinthine storyline and doesn't let go until the fade-out. Lawrence Tierney plays Steve Morgan, a charming but utterly sociopathic criminal who has just robbed and killed a movie theater cashier. Morgan hitches a ride with inebriated conventioneer Jimmy Furguson (Ted North). Later on, Furguson picks up two more hitchhikers: virginal Beulah Zorn (Nan Leslie) and good-time girl Agnes Smith (Betty Lawford). When circumstances lead Jimmy to believe that Steve is the fugitive whom the cops are looking for, Morgan sweet-talks his way into everyone's confidence. Before he knows what's happening, Jimmy is holed up in a beach house while Steve parties with Beulah and Agnes. Not even the most fervent of film noir fans will be able to predict the outcome of this one. Long ignored by movie buffs, The Devil Thumbs a Ride gained a large following through repeated TV showings in the 1960s and '70s. It is now considered so representative of its genre that one film historian used the film's title for a collection of his essays on B-melodramas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lawrence Tierney, Ted North, (more)
- 1946
A moody but extremely talented clarinet playing band-leader is contracted to write a symphonic, bluesy soundtrack for an upcoming film. Unfortunately, he can neither read nor write music. Instead he simply plays whatever he feels. The comedy in this musical begins when two professional arrangers are hired to transcribe his playing. Unfortunately, every time the musician's mood changes so does his style, so they must figure out some way to get him in a blue mood and keep him there till the project is completed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Vernon, Marcy McGuire, (more)
- 1946
Set upon the mighty Mississippi, this comedy chronicles the travails of a showboat captain trying to keep his operation financially afloat. He barely has enough money to do so and with no license, operates illegally. He finds more trouble when he moors at a posh hotel, pretends that he is a fine Southern colonel and gets himself embroiled in a huge feud. Things get worse when the town sheriff enters the mix. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leon Errol, Glenn Vernon, (more)
- 1946
In this WW II romance, a small-time nightclub singer who works in a little Manhattan nightclub has a one-night stand with a handsome fly-boy. The next day, the B-29 pilot is sent to the Pacific and once there, his crew mischievously paints the picture of the singer upon his plane with the words "The Bamboo Blonde" beneath it. The pilot takes off to become one of the most fearsome fighters of the war, earning himself considerable renown back home. Ever the entrepreneur, the nightclub owner sees a chance to make big bucks off of the singer. He succeeds and she becomes famous. Later the pilot returns, but though he wants to be with his Bamboo Blonde he cannot for he is engaged to another -- at least for the moment. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frances Langford, Ralph Edwards, (more)
- 1945
Robert Young stars as a WW2 pilot named Hank, who accompanies his pal Jerry (Bill Williams, in his film debut) on a furlough. Jerry introduces his girlfriend Helen (Laraine Day) to Hank, a notorious and unrepentent womanizer. In a twinkling, Hank tries to steal Helen away from Jerry-but succeeds only after proving that he's a nice guy after all. Ann Harding, one of RKO Radio's leading star of the early 1930s, returns to her old studio to play Helen's all-knowing mother. Those Endearing Young Charms is based on a Broadway play by Edward Chodorov, originally purchased for the screen by independent producer Sam Goldwyn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Young, Laraine Day, (more)
- 1945
In this musical comedy, an arrogant war journalist is sailing back to the Big Apple after the end of WW II. En route, he has been assigned to watch over a band of teenagers who were trapped in Europe four years ago while entertaining the troops. Their entrapment has done nothing to dim their enthusiasm for performing and while waiting for passage the crews entertain everyone at every opportunity. Songs include: "I'll Buy That Dream" (sung by Anne Jeffreys), "Heaven Is a Place Called Home," "Seven O'Clock in the Morning (Waking up Boogie)," "Somebody Stole My Poor Little Heart" (Herb Magidson, Allie Wrubel), and "The Lord's Prayer" (arranged by Albert Hay Malotte). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Haley, Marcy McGuire, (more)
- 1945
Bedlam is one of the costlier psychological-horror efforts from RKO producer Val (Curse of the Cat People) Lewton. Boris Karloff stars as the supervisor of the notorious 18th century British insane asylum St. Mary's of Bethlehem, better known as "Bedlam." Anna Lee, who co-stars as the feisty mistress of a fatuous government official, is appalled by the miserable treatment afforded the Bedlam inmates and insists that reforms be initiated. The crafty, politically connected Karloff responds by having Lee herself incarcerated in the institution: she is a "willful woman", and therefore must be insane. With the help of a few of the more rational patients, Lee stages a mutiny, capturing Karloff and giving him a mock trial. Though they don't truly intend to harm Karloff, he is seriously injured by one of his tormented patients. Assuming that Karloff is dead, the other inmates wall up his body in the cellar--and as the last brick is put in place, we see Karloff's eyes suddenly open! Though it has it moments of genuine terror, Bedlam is as historically accurate as possible, right down to the archaic dialogue passages. For the most part, the film is an indictment against political corruption, with Karloff (in a terrific, multi-faceted performance) alternately bullying and wheedling to save his own behind. Val Lewton (writing under the pseudonym Carlos Keith) based his film on one of the illustrations in Hogarth's "The Rake's Progress," glimpses of which are seen throughout the film as transitional devices. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Boris Karloff, Anna Lee, (more)
- 1944
Like Song of Russia and Mission to Moscow before it, Days of Glory is a paean to the courage and resourcefulness of the Soviet Union during WW2 (this was long before the Russians became the stock villains in Hollywood films!) Producer Casey Robinson took a gamble with the project, casting the leading roles with movie newcomers. Heading the cast is Broadway actor Gregory Peck as Vladimir, the leader of a band of Soviet guerilla fighters. Tamara Toumanova, former premier ballerina of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, costars as Nina, whose love for Vladimir is surpassed by her love for Mother Russia (Toumanova was at the time the wife of producer Robinson). The actors speak in long, lyrical monologues about freedom, sacrifice and the indomitability of the human spirit: fascinating at first, the excess verbiage begins to wear on the viewer after three or four reels. In traditional underground-movie fashion, hero and heroine are obliged to give up their own lives for the sake of their countrymen, in a reasonably spectacular climactic battle sequence. Budgeted at nearly a million dollars, Days of Glory lost heavily at the box-office, though critics and audiences alike were in agreement that Gregory Peck had some potential as a screen presence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tamara Toumanova, Gregory Peck, (more)
- 1944
In this WW II-era drama set in a small town, most of the adults are so busy fighting the war or working in the local defense plant that they have little time to supervise their children. A sort of juvenile anarchy ensues with the children and teens doing whatever they please. Soon the town is falling into ruin as a boy is run down by a car thief, a runaway girl begins associating with thugs and other mayhem ensues. Fortunately, a returning soldier decides to open up a youth center to give the kids a place to go. He also helps the boys get some useful job training. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonita Granville, Kent Smith, (more)
