Jack Weston Movies

This remake of Zoe Akins' Morning Glory stars Susan Strasberg as Eva Lovelace, the role that won Katharine Hepburn her first Oscar back in 1933. Fresh from the midwest, the starry-eyed Eva arrives in New York, convinced that she has what it takes to be Broadway's greatest actress. Armed with more chutzpah than talent, Eva proves fascinating to big-time producer Lewis Easton (Henry Fonda) and playwright Joe Sheridan (Christopher Plummer, in his film debut). But the realization of her girl remains just outside of Eva's reach until she replaces temperamental star Rita Vernon (Joan Greenwood) on the opening night of Sheridan's newest play. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While enmeshed in a vicious proxy war with business rival Warner Griffith (played by former western star Johnny Mack Brown), Daniel Conway (H.M.Wynant) is charged with murdering Griffith's secretary Rose Calvert (Pamela Duncan), who'd been spying on him. Agreeing to defend Conway, Perry (Raymond Burr) first tries to prove that Griffith is the guilty party, only to find out that the man has an airtight alibi. When all is said and done, Conway's fate may rest with a curious witness who is able to identify people by memorizing their shoes! This episode is based on a 1957 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jack Weston guest stars as Ciro Terranova, a neurotic gangster who takes over New York's wholesale produce business. Any wholesaler who refuses to purchase Terranova's artichokes at twice their value is roughed up or worse, and of course Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) is unable to persuade any of the victims to testify against the mob. Meanwhile, the tight-fisted Terranova has troubles of his own whe such rival thugs as Frankie Yale (Al Ruscio) and Felix Burke (Robert Ellenstein) muscle into his territory. Ultimately, Ness sends fellow Untouchable Enrico Rossi (Nick Georgiade) undercover in an effort to play one side against the other, culminating in a near-surrealistic showdown at a Halloween party. This episode was originally listed in TV Guide as "Murder by Contract". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A neighborhood full of friendly people degenerates into a mob when Maple Street is suddenly plagued by strange and seemingly pre-planned power outages. Steve Brand (Claude Akins) tries to act as the voice of reason, but he is shouted down by his hotheaded neighbor Charlie (Jack Weston). Meanwhile, suspicion is cast upon young Tommy (Jan Handzlik), a science-fiction fanatic who apparently knows more than he should about the recurring power failures. Even after the passage of four decades, this Rod Serling-scripted Twilight Zone episode has lost none of its impact, and it is justifiably one of the series' best-remembered installments. Keep an eye out for future M*A*S*H producer-director Burt Metcalfe in a featured role. "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" originally aired March 4, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

It has been ten years since the wife of Munro Dean (George Mitchell) was murdered, and during this period Munro has hired 39 detectives in a futile effort to track down and destroy his wife's killer, an elusive gent named Otto (Jack Weston). The 40th detective turns out to be a young man named William Tyre (James Franciscus), who in his own way is as embittered and frustrated as Dean. The question is whether Tyre will accept the assignment, which will also oblige him to kill Otto once he has found him? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Tony Ryder (Dean Martin) thinks that Katie Robbins (Shirley MacLaine) was the mistress of a recently deceased millionaire. On this fragile plot peg hangs the rest of All in a Night's Work. The millionaire died with a smile on his face, and Tony, who stands to inherit the dead man's publishing business, suspects that Katie, who has been left a fortune, administered the "favors" that pushed the old coot into the great beyond. Katie, wholly innocent, resents Tony's implications and gives him the brush-off. All turns out for the good when Tony realizes that he loves Katie for herself and not for her legacy. It took three writers (five, if you count the authors of the play upon which this film is based) to cook up the tickle-and-tease souffle that we've come to know as All in a Night's Work. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jerry Lewis stars in this broad slapstick comedy as Lester March, a TV repairman who dreams of some day being a private detective like his friend and role model Mr. Flint (Jesse White). One night, Lester sees a report on television about Cecilia Albright (Mae Questel), the elderly owner of a successful electronics empire. Cecilia is looking for her missing nephew, who will be the heir to her estate, and Lester decides that this is a case he should try to crack. However, when Lester pays a visit to Cecilia's estate, more than one person remarks that he looks an awful lot like the missing person in question -- including Gregory DeWitt (Zachary Scott), Cecilia's money-hungry attorney who would just as soon the nephew not be found so he could have the fortune to himself. Gregory attempts to kill Lester, but he turns out to be much harder to get rid of than anyone expected. It's Only Money was directed by Frank Tashlin, who after directing a number of classic animated shorts for Warner Bros. moved on to live-action films and made several classic Jerry Lewis vehicles, including two features with onetime partner Dean Martin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Former streetcar conductor Julius Moomer (Jack Weston) aspires to be a highly paid TV writer, but he is handicapped by a severe talent deficiency. Julius' fortunes take a sudden upswing when, practicing a bit of black magic in his tiny apartment, he conjures up the ghost of William Shakespeare (John Williams). Unfortunately, not even Shakespeare's brilliance is any match for the formidability of bullheaded TV sponsors and network censors. A young Burt Reynolds steals the show as Brandoesque actor Rocky Rhodes, while star Jack Weston's wife Marge Redmond appears in a supporting role. Written by Rod Serling, "The Bard" was the last of the hour-long Twilight Zone episodes to be telecast; it first aired May 23, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this amusing fantasy, a combination of live-action and animated effects, Don Knotts plays scrawny bookkeeper Henry Limpet, who longs to help the U.S. after the outbreak of World War II. He becomes depressed after being turned down by the Navy, particularly after his pal George (Jack Weston) is accepted. When Henry takes a walk on the Coney Island pier with his wife Bessie (Carole Cook), he falls into the water and is transformed into a fish, complete with his reading spectacles. Henry finally gets to help the war effort by helping to track down Nazi U boats for the Navy. Andrew Duggan and Larry Keating play the admirals who spearhead the secret mission involving the transformed Henry. Longtime Disney production associate John Rose was the producer of this film, and the influence of the animation is evident. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A dazed man, David Stillwell (Gregory Peck), wanders down the stairs of a New York skyscraper during a power blackout, only vaguely aware of who he is, where he's been, and why he has this nagging feeling that danger lurks all about him. Stillwell does know that many of the people in the building are acquainted with him -- and that he is somehow linked with the death of wealthy philanthropist Charles Calvin (Walter Abel), who has fallen 27 floors to his death (a special effect that was remarkable for its time). From this point onward, everyone Stillwell meets is connected with Calvin's death, or is in some way threatening Stillwell's well-being. When he seeks the help of Dr. Pepper-imbibing private eye Ted Caselle (Walter Matthau), he is told that "you don't want to remember" -- shortly before Caselle is murdered by persons unknown. Only the enigmatic Sheila (Diane Baker) evinces any real sympathy, and she too is part of the conspiracy aimed at silencing and/or neutralizing the dumbfounded Stillwell. Mirage has far too many twists of plot to go into here, but if you stay with it, everything is satisfactorily explained. Less than three years after its initial release, the black-and-white Mirage was remade in color as Jigsaw. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Jack Weston guest stars as Gladys Kravitz's brother, Louis. A former musical prodigy, Louis gave up the violin after an embarrassing Carnegie Hall debut 30 years earlier. Samantha takes it upon herself to restore Louis' self-confidence. This episode marked the final appearance of Alice Pearce as Gladys Kravitz; Pearce died on March 3, 1966, "Prodigy" aired three months later, on June 9, as the last episode of Bewitched's second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Wait Until Dark is an innovative, highly entertaining and suspenseful thriller about a blind housewife, Susy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn). Independent and resourceful, Susy is learning to cope with her blindness, which resulted from a recent accident. She is aided by her difficult, slightly unreliable young neighbor Gloria (Julie Herrod) with whom she has an exasperated but lovingly maternal relationship. Susy's life is changed as she is terrorized by a group of criminals who believe she has hidden a baby doll used by them to smuggle heroin into the country. Unknown to Susy, her photographer husband Sam (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) took the doll as a favor for a woman he met on an international plane flight and unwittingly brought the doll to the couple's New York apartment when the woman became afraid of the customs officials. Alone in her apartment and cut-off from the outside world, Susy must fight for her life against a gang of ruthless criminals, led by the violent, psychotic Roat (Alan Arkin). The tension builds as Roat, aided by his gang, impersonates police officers and friends of her husband in order to win Susy's confidence, gaining access to her apartment to look for the doll. The climax of the film, a violent physical confrontation between Susie and Roat in her dark kitchen, is one of the most memorable and frightening scenes in screen history. All performances are outstanding, particularly those of Audrey Hepburn who plays a vulnerable, but self-reliant woman, and Alan Arkin, in perhaps his best role, as the ruthless, manipulative Roat. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide

Thomas Crown (Steve McQueen) is a self-made Boston millionaire who masterminds a bank heist in hopes of leaving it all behind. Tired of being part of the Establishment, he has hopes of pulling off the caper and flying to Rio. Erwin Weaver (Jack Weston) leads the cast of crooks who never actually meet Crown but manage to pull off the robbery without a hitch. Crown deposits 3 million in a Swiss bank account, pays off the crooks, and waits for the insurance company to repay the bank for the loss. Eddy Malone (Paul Burke) is the savvy detective who helps insurance investigator Vicky Anderson (Faye Dunaway) find the mastermind behind the heist. Thomas Crown Affair became one of the first films to employ many split-screen images throughout its running time, as devised by editor Hal Ashby. Michel Legrand's score was nominated for an Academy Award, and the song The Windmills Of Your Mind, written by Legrand with Alan and Marilyn Bergman took home the coveted Oscar. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide