James Ward Movies
- 1966
The usally elegant and classy Francesca Annis is the fickle heroine of the British Run With the Wind. The girlfriend of boxer Sean Caffrey, Annis summarily dumps her beau in favor of the usual charming guy with guitar (Shawn Phillips). By the time Annis learns she's made a mistake, Caffrey has vowed never to take her back...and he doesn't. This slight piece was evidently designed as a vehicle for balladeer Shawn Phillips. Surprisingly, the character he plays is none too appealing-but then, neither is the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Legendary director Howard Hawks revs up and hits the track in this drama about race car drivers and the women who love them. Pat Kazarian (Norman Alden) is a racing driver who also oversees a team of racers, among them Jim Loomis (Anthony Rogers) and Mike Marsh (James Caan). Jim is engaged to marry Holly McGregor (Gail Hire), but after she arrives in Daytona to be with her man, Holly learns Jim died in a crash. With no where else to do, a shattered Holly takes a job at a restaurant owned by her friend Lindy (Charlene Holt). Ned Arp (John Robert Crawford) is tapped to replace Jim, who quickly makes a reputation for moving fast on the track. He also becomes known for moving fast with the ladies, which doesn't please Pat when he learns Ned has his eyes on Julie Kazarian (Laura Devon), his younger sister. After a few early successes, Ned breaks off from Pat's team, and Dan McCall (James Ward) steps in in his place. Dan arrives with his girlfriend, French beauty Gabrielle (Marianna Hill), but soon finds himself infatuated with Holly. Mike begins to fall for Gabrielle, and becomes angry with the shabby way Dan has treated her, going so far as to take his anger out on his teammate on the track. Red Line 7000 includes plenty of superb racing footage and some unusual rock and roll interpretations of classic folk songs; keep an eye peeled for George Takei (Mr. Sulu on Star Trek) in a minor role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Caan, Laura Devon, (more)
The Catholic League of Decency gave Billy Wilder's Kiss Me, Stupid! a "condemned" rating. The Moral Majority charged the picture with debauchery and movie theaters across the nation discontinued its run. The bed-trick comedy had America's panties tied in a knot; one could not imagine a story so distasteful. Dean Martin is Dino, a Las Vegas crooner, alcoholic, and celebrity playboy. Dino requires women like oxygen -- a companionless night leaves him with a headache. Ray Walston is Orville, a provincial piano teacher, aspiring songwriter, and jealous husband. Orville violently obsesses over his wife Zelda's (Felicia Farr) fidelity -- any man she encounters becomes his sworn enemy. When a chance detour brings Dino to Orville's hometown of Climax, NV, it is the perfect opportunity for the piano teacher and his songwriting partner, Barney (Cliff Osmond), to pitch their tunes. Yet, Orville predictably fears the possible combination of Dino's libido with Zelda's childhood crush on the singer. Before the two can meet, Orville deceitfully bullies Zelda out of their house and Barney hires local roadhouse prostitute Polly the Pistol (Kim Novak) to pose as Orville's wife. Zelda turns to drink for solace, ending up at the exact bar where Polly plies her trade and, eventually, in the call girl's empty trailer. By the next morning, Orville is with Polly and Dino (looking for a prostitute) finds his way to Zelda -- and husband, wife, hooker, and Barney will all reap the benefits of infidelity. This tale may be tasteless, but Kiss Me, Stupid! is now a cable favorite. Its modern rating? PG. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dean Martin, Kim Novak, (more)
- 1964
An aspiring senator finds himself in deep trouble when he tangles with a sultry teenage girl gone bad in this campy drama. Ann-Margret stars as Jody, a tough customer who escapes from reform school by stabbing a matron and attempting to burn down the building and then takes refuge in a house owned by ambitious politician David Patton (John Forsythe). Despite the hellcat's ample charms, the would-be officeholder wants nothing to do with her and tries to drive her away. She responds by practically taking him hostage, with the help of a gang of delinquent friends. An unexpected act of violence causes more trouble, leading Jody to hijack David and force him to a drive a getaway car to Mexico. The stilted dialogue, over-the-top situations, and rampant sexual innuendo will prove particularly attractive to camp aficionados, who should be delighted by the presence of such recognizable figures as Ann-Margret and Forsythe in the central roles. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann-Margret, John Forsythe, (more)
Filmed on location in Mexico by John Huston, Night of the Iguana stars Richard Burton as Rev. Shannon, an alcoholic defrocked minister, who scratches out a living as a south-of-the-border tour guide. His latest customers are several American schoolteachers, and he guides their bus to a rundown hotel owned by flamboyant widow Maxine Faulk (Ava Gardner). Attempting to dally with Charlotte Goodall (Sue Lyon), one of the schoolteachers, Shannon is caught in the act by the group's "den mother" Judith Fellowes (Grayson Hall), who threatens to have him fired. While he and Maxine connive to keep Judith from calling his superiors, artist Hanna Jelkes (Deborah Kerr) arrives at the hotel with her ailing, elderly poet grandfather (Cyril Delevanti, in a part reportedly offered to poet Carl Sandburg). The midsection of the film charts the vacillating sexual tensions among the besotted Shannon, the earthy Maxine, and the repressed Hanna. The perversions and demons plaguing the principal characters, merely hinted at in the original stage production of by Tennessee Williams, are expanded by Huston, who co-adapted the screenplay with Anthony Veiller. The film won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design for Dorothy Jeakins. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Burton, Ava Gardner, (more)
