John Vivyan Movies
- 1970
Don Grady of My Three Sons fame guest stars as John McElroy, the irresponsible son of business executive Douglas McElroy (Murray Hamilton). After John inadvertently commits a crime on a government reservation, a mobster who witnessed the incident strongarms the boy's father into allowing his company to be taken over by the Mafia. Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) must not only bring John to justice for his crime, but also save the boy from becoming yet another Mob casualty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
John Vivyan, that dashing Cary Grant lookalike who starred in Blake Edwards' 1959 TV series Mr. Lucky, shows up in this episode as famous movie star Lane Haggard. Hoping to escape the pressures of Hollywood and the attentions of his many fans, Haggard books himself into the Shady Rest Hotel--where he finds himself at the mercy of the enterprising Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan). Haggard's secretary Lucy is played by Joan Marshall, who as "Jean Arless" had previously portrayed the androgynous serial killer in William Castle's Homicidal (1961)! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Ever in need of extra money, Lucy (Lucille Ball bluffs herself into a job as society columnist for the local newspaper. After several typically Lucy-like misadventures, the erstwhile newshound is on the verge of being fired. To save her job, Lucy tries to arrange an interview with a prominent millionaire--but to do this, she'll have to disguise herself as her roommate Viv (Vivian Vance). Veteran comic actor Roscoe Karns, fresh from a three-year stint on the classic sitcom Hennessey, makes a guest appearance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Vivyan, Roscoe Karns, (more)
- 1962
In this western a trio of prospectors bury their booty to keep the Apaches away. As one of the three rides away, another of them shoots him in the back. The killer allows only the hero to live as he is the only one who really knows where the gold is located. Later the Apaches attack and force the men to leave their horses. When the dead man's horse gallops by, the killer shoots the hero and rides away on his horse. Unbeknownst to him, he did not kill this man, who is later found and healed by a Chinese woman who hopes that when he is healed, he will take her to San Francisco. Meanwhile the killer has conned a bounty hunter into believing the hero killed the second partner. These two agree to split the reward and take off after the third man. The bounty hunter finds him with the girl while the killer rides off to get the gold. The hero man then gets locked in jail and the young woman must take the other to the burial site. Fortunately, the hero escapes and takes off to save her. At the burial site, the bounty hunter accidentally detonates some dynamite and blows the gold to smithereens causing the killer to truly lose his mind and attack the girl. Fortunately he is shot down by the hero who arrives at the crucial moment and then rides away with the girl. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
In this comedy, a young man stands to inherit a vast fortune, but first he must spend a small fortune in two months. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Watling, Carole Lesley, (more)
Peter Sellers stars as an inmate in a "model prison" run by Maurice Denham. Though Sellers is disinclined to escape (he's never been as comfortable in his life), he is convinced to do so by phony vicar Wilfred Hyde-White, who breaks into jail to outline a robbery scheme. Hyde-White's plan is to have Sellers and his cellmates David Lodge and Bernard Cribbins take a brief "vacation" from jail, pull off a big-time robbery, then return undetected to prison, thereby establishing a perfect alibi. Within its 87-minute time span, Two-Way Stretch takes satirical potshots at political bleeding hearts, obese Middle Eastern potentates, and regulation-bound British police officials. One cannot be faulted for wishing that Peter Sellers had stuck to engaging small-scale British farces such as this and had never ventured into such unamusing big-budgeters as The Bobo and There's a Girl in My Soup. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Sellers, Wilfrid Hyde-White, (more)
- 1959
This is the celebrated Maverick spoof of Jack Webb's Dragnet, complete with deadpan narration by protagonist Bret Maverick (James Garner). Travelling by stagecoach to the town of Apocalypse, Bret is in the middle of a blackjack game with a tinhorn gambler (John Vivyan) when the coach is held up an effusively friendly masked bandit, who wears distinctively colorful bandana. Subsequently endeavoring to recover his stolen money, Bret follows the trail of clues to a whiskey-loving cowpoke named Johnny Rain (William Reynolds), who honestly can't remember if he has been robbing stagecoaches while drunk. Dance hall gal Millie Reid (Dolores Donlon) is a key player in the "Just the facts, ma'am" intrigue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This glamorized remake of the 1934 film Imitation of Life bears only a passing resemblance to its source, the best-selling novel by Fannie Hurst. Originally, the heroine was a widowed mother who kept the wolf from the door by setting up a successful pancake business with her black housemaid. In the remake, Lana Turner stars as a would-be actress who is raising her daughter on her own. She chances to meet another single mother at the beach: African-American Juanita Moore. Moore goes to work as Turner's housekeeper, bringing her light-skinned daughter along. As Turner's stage career goes into high gear, Moore is saddled with the responsibility of raising both Turner's daughter and her own. Exposed to the advantages of the white world, Moore's grown-up daughter (Susan Kohner) passes for white, causing her mother a great deal of heartache. Meanwhile, Turner's grown daughter (Sandra Dee), neglected by her mother, seeks comfort in the arms of handsome photographer John Gavin. When Moore dies, her daughter realizes how selfish she's been; simultaneously, Turner awakens to the fact that she hasn't been much of a mother for her own daughter, whose romance has gone down the tubes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lana Turner, John Gavin, (more)
- 1959
In the eighth episode of Walt Disney's 17-part miniseries Tales of Texas John Slaughter, John (Tom Tryon) and his new friend, Kentucky horse breeder Ashley Carstairs (Darryl Hickman), have managed to survive the ordeal of being stranded in the New Mexico desert. This experience has only strengthened John's resolve to capture the stallion leader of a valuable wild-horse herd -- provided that Ashley does not blunder in releasing the stallion as he did before. Meanwhile, crooked rancher Jason Hemp (John Vivyan) continues his efforts to rid the territory of Slaughter and his friend so that he can control the local horse business himself. The conclusion of a two-part story which began with the previous week's "The Robber Stallion," "Wild Horse Revenge" originally aired as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In the seventh episode of Walt Disney's 17-part miniseries Tales of Texas John Slaughter, the recently widowed Slaughter (Tom Tryon) arrives in New Mexico to purchase a herd of cattle and bring it back to Tombstone, where hungry silver miners will pay top dollar. Upon his arrival, he is talked into participating in a wild-horse roundup by Easterner Ashley Carstairs (Darryl Hickman), who hopes to breed Thoroughbreds for steeplechase racing in Kentucky. Ultimately, however, John and Ashley are stranded in the desert without horses or water, thanks to machinations of an outlaw and the capriciousness of an unbridled stallion. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology, "The Robber Stallion" was the first of a two-part story, culminating with the subsequent week's episode, "Wild Horse Revenge." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Having invented a "forget gas" in the previous episode, eccentric scientist Professor Pepperwinkle (Phillips Tead) is back with a new creation, a robot named Mr. MacTavish. Unfortunately, the main power source for the robot is Kryptonite, which of course is lethal to the otherwise invulnerable Superman (George Reeves). A clever crook named Duke (John Vivyan) decides to capitalize on Superman's weakness by kidnapping Lois Lane (Noel Neill) and luring the Man of Steel into a sealed room where the likewise "abducted" Mr. McTavish is waiting to wreak his unwitting havoc. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
On the verge of starting a business with Walter Osbourne (John Vivyan) in Mexico, Bart (Jack Kelly) discovers that all his money has been stolen by can-can dancer Karen Gustavson (Anna-Lisa). Tracking the girl down, Bart is not entirely convinced when Karen insists that the grabbed the cash in order to save his life. But when two sinister strangers express an interest in the money as well, Bart begins to believe Karen's story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Flamboyant character actor Hans Conried delivers a surprisingly low-key performance as Homer Eakins, the black sheep of a prominent family. Hoping to claim his share of his clan's estate, Homer asks Bret to impersonate him and pay a visit to wealthy General Eakins (Will Wright). Thoroughly convinced that Bret is Homer, the Colonel takes a liking to him, much to the dismay of Eakins' greedy relatives. Before long, the heirs to the Eakins fortune are being bumped off one by one, and Bret finds himself a murder suspect...and the most likely next victim. This episode is narrated by Bret's brother Bart (Jack Kelly), who otherwise does not appear. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
When Bret (James Garner) is accused of robbery, he seeks out John Stacey (John Vivyan), the only man who can clear him. Alas, John may not live long enough to provide testimony for Bret's defense: he is slated for a showdown with notorious gunslinger Doc Holliday (Gerald Mohr), who isn't inclined to Bret talk him out of adding another notch to his handle. Film noir icon Marie Windsor has a plum role in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Director Alfred Hitchcock lets us know from the outset that The Wrong Man is a painfully true story and not one of his customary fabricated suspense yarns, through the simple expedient of walking before the camera and telling us as much (this introductory appearance replaced his planned cameo role as a nightclub patron). The real-life protagonist, musican Christopher Emmanuel Balestrero, is played by Henry Fonda. Happily married and gainfully employed at the Stork Club, Balestrero's life takes a disastrous turn when he goes to an insurance office, hoping to borrow on his wife's (Vera Miles) life insurance policy in order to pay her dental bills. One of the girls in the office spots Balestrero, identifying him as the man who robbed the office a day or so earlier. This, and a few scattered bits of circumstantial evidence, lead to Balestrero's arrest. Though he's absolutely innocent, he can offer no proof of his whereabouts the day of the crime. Lawyer Frank O'Connor (Anthony Quayle) does his best to help his client, but he's up against an indifferent judicial system that isn't set up to benefit the "little man". Meanwhile, Balestrero's wife becomes emotionally unhinged, leading to a complete nervous breakdown. As Balestrero prays in his cell, his image is juxtaposed onto the face of the actual criminal-who looks nothing like the accused man! Utilizing one of his favorite themes-the helplessness of the innocent individual when confronted by the faceless bureaucracy of the Law-Hitchcock weaves a nightmarish tale, all the more frightening because it really happened (the film's best moment: Fonda looking around the nearly empty courtroom during his arraignment, realizing that the rest of the world cares precisely nothing about his inner torment). Hitch enhances the film's versimilitude by shooting in the actual locations where the real story occured. His only concession to Hollywood formula was the half-hearted coda, assuring us that Mrs. Balestrero eventually recovered from her mental collapse (she sure doesn't look any too healthy the last time we see her!) Watch for uncredited appearances by Harry Dean Stanton, Bonnie Franklin, Tuesday Weld and Charles Aidman. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, (more)
