Michael Whalen Movies
A former manager for Woolworths, Michael Whalen performed as a radio and vaudeville singer before entering films in 1935. For many years, Whalen was an all-purpose leading man at 20th Century Fox; perhaps his best assignment during this period was Coppy, the nominal romantic lead in John Ford's Wee Willie Winkie (1937). By the 1940s, Whalen had settled into character parts, mostly at Columbia. He was last seen onscreen in an uncredited role as a minister in Elmer Gantry (1960). Michael Whalen was the brother of New York's official "greeter" Grover Whalen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1951
Byington, a retired teacher, sells her apartment complex to ex-gangsters who begin kicking out the tenants. Byington tries to help the reformed mobsters, headed by Caruso, to undergo a change of heart. But one of the group, Karnes, still is out to cheat the system. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spring Byington, Anthony Caruso, (more)
- 1949
Following up on the popular 1943 film serial The Batman, this 15-part serial is about a nefarious masked figure called the Wizard, who swipes a diamond-powered remote control device that renders all of Gotham City's machines immobile. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery
The film career of actress Leslie Brooks lasted long enough for her to contribute several mesmerizingly bitchy performances. In Blonde Ice, Brooks is cast as Claire, a society reporter who'll do literally anything for a story. She manages to keep herself in the headlines by marrying and romancing a series of wealthy men, all of whom die under mysterious circumstances. To deflect suspicion from herself, Claire frames her erstwhile boyfriend, sportswriter Les Burns (Robert Paige). Because the police department is incredibly obtuse throughout the film, it's up to a criminal psychologist (David Leonard) to expose Claire as a homicidal sociopath. Blonde Ice might make a fascinating double feature with Nicole Kidman's 1994 starrer To Die For. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Brooks, Robert Paige, (more)
- 1936
Admidst a sea of melodramatic and unbelievable courtroom dramas, Career Woman is distinguished by its comparative realism. Law school graduate Carroll Aiken (Claire Trevor) is idealistic; her colleague Barry Conant (Michael Whalen) is cynical and mercenary. Despite their ethical differences, they team up to defend downtrodden Gracie Clay (Isabel Jewell) on a charge of murdering her sadistic father. The grandstanding Conant reprimands the jury for their prejudices against the poor, but this strategy fails miserably. Carroll is forced to apologize to the court, then goes on to win the case through the simple expedient of sticking to the facts. Career Woman well be the best "lady lawyer" film of the 1930s, with characters acting like human beings instead of Hollywood stereotypes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Trevor, Michael Whalen, (more)
- 1938
Gloria Stuart plays Carol Murdock, a champion golfer whose businessman husband Anthony (Michael Whalen) cares nothing for the game. Only when Carol teams up with handsome golf pro Philip Reeves (Lyle Talbot) does Anthony experience the "change of heart" of the title. As Carol and Philip win tournament after tournament, Anthony, partly out of jealous and partly out of self-preservation, takes to the golf links himself. Soon he's as adept at the game as Carol, who has her own change of heart and returns to her husband. A typical 20th Century-Fox programmer, Change of Heart has the advantages of slickness and professionalism, not to mention the amusing performance of 12-year-old Delmar Watson as a wise-cracking caddy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Stuart, Michael Whalen, (more)
- 1940
Ralph Bellamy made the first of four appearances as fictional sleuth Ellery Queen in Columbia's Ellery Queen, Master Detective. For reasons that defy logic, the studio elected to transform the brilliant, analytical Queen into a hopeless bumbler, who seems incapable of tying his own shoes, much less solving a murder. Set at a posh health resort, the story gets under way when wealthy physical culturalist John Braun (played by former director Fred Niblo) is killed after threatening to cut all his heirs out of his will. Investigating the killing is crime novelist Ellery Queen, his police-inspector father (Charles Grapewin), and another mystery writer, Nikki Porter (Margaret Lindsay). In short order, the body disappears, along with the will, a set of X-rays, and an ambulance! Somehow, Ellery Queen manages to put the pieces together and solve the crime, whereupon Nikki Porter offers to become Ellery's secretary-even though it's clear she's got more brains in her left toe than he has in his whole carcass. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Bellamy, Margaret Lindsay, (more)
Elmer Gantry (Burt Lancaster), a drunken, dishonest street preacher allegedly patterned on Billy Sunday, wrangles a job with the travelling tent ministry conducted by Sister Sharon Falconer (Jean Simmons). Thanks to Gantry's enthusiastic hellfire-and-brimstone sermons, Sister Sharon's operation rises to fame and fortune, enough so that Sharon realizes her dream of building her own enormous tabernacle. These ambitions are put in jeopardy when a prostitute (Oscar-winning Shirley Jones), a former minister's daughter who'd been deflowered by Gantry years earlier, lures Gantry into a compromising situation and has photographs taken. It took several years for any Hollywood studio to take a chance with Sinclair Lewis' novel, and when it finally did arrive on the screen, producer/director Richard Brooks was compelled to downplay some of the more "sacrilegious" passages in the original. Also appearing in Elmer Gantry are Arthur Kennedy as an H.L. Mencken-style atheistic journalist, and Edward Andrews as George Babbitt, a character borrowed from another Sinclair Lewis novel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, (more)
- 1950
By the standards of low-budget Lippert Productions, Everybody's Dancin' is an "A" picture. Country-western favorite Spade Cooley (who also co-produced and co-scripted) heads the enormous cast of this innocuous musical comedy. Setting the plot in motion is fast-talking Dick Lane, playing a phony entrepreneur who hopes to rescue a bankrupt ballroom called "Waltzland." The climax is the standard-issue Big Show, staged at the studios of Los Angeles television station KTLA (where Dick Lane was gainfully employed as a sportscaster). Featured acts include The Sons of the Pioneers, the Chuy Reyes Orchestra, The Flying Taylors, the Great Velardi and the Medians. Also thrown into the stew are a bunch of guest stars, including Roddy McDowall, western stars Jimmy Ellison , and Russell Hayden, and UPI columnist Virginia McPherson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spade Cooley, Richard Lane, (more)
- 1951
Lippert's Fingerprints Don't Lie stars Richard Travis as fingerprint expert James Stover. At the moment, Stover is attempting to solve the murder of a small-town mayor. When the most likely suspect has been collared, Stover determines that the fingerprints found at the scene of the crime have been forged. Thus it is that the actual murderer is still around and about. In fact, he's much closer to Our Hero than anyone might have suspected. Fingerprints Don't Lie co-stars Sheila Ryan (in one of her last film appearances before becoming Mrs. Pat Buttram) and Lippert's resident utility player Sid Melton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Travis, Sheila Ryan, (more)
- 1951
The 62-minute GI Jane may well be the best of Lippert Studios' "pocket" musicals. TV producer Tim (Tom Neal) is in the midst of staging a special featuring WACS when he receives his induction notice. The shock of the news causes Tim to faint, whereupon he imagines he has been promoted to sergeant and shipped to an all-male desert radar command. Our hero then schemes to transfer the WAC officers to his post. In so doing, he falls in love with the titular "GI Jane" (Jean Porter) and runs afoul of tough-talking WAC lieutenant Adrian (Iris Adrian). Featured in the cast is future Mickey Mouse Club star Jimmy Dodd, performing two of his own compositions. Also on hand is famed Hitler imitator Robert (Bobby) Watson, here cast as a flustered Army colonel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Porter, Tom Neal, (more)
- 1947
The Gas House Kids, the very poor man's Bowery Boys, head for Hollywood. While en route to their destination, they accept the invitation of scientist Milton Parsons to spend the night at his home. Head "Gas Housers" Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer and Tommy Bond investigate strange nocturnal noises and discover a houseful of apparent ghosts and goblins. Actually, the noisemakers are a bunch of gangsters, searching for stolen money. Gas House Kids in Hollywood was the last of PRC's three-film "Gas House Kids" series, none of them exactly box office worldbeaters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1948
There's a thrill a minute in the economical actioner Highway 13. Robert Lowery plays Hank Wilson, an honest truck driver who suspects foul play after a series of trucking "accidents". Offering his services to undercover detective George Montgomery (Gaylord Pendleton), Wilson finds himself at the mercy of the villains-who hope to put a major transportation firm out of business-when Montgomery is murdered in an unusually grotesque fashion. It wouldn't be fair to reveal the true identities of the criminal masterminds, except to say that the actors playing those roles had seldom appeared as villains in any previous film. It can be said that the usually underhanded Dan Seymour shows up as one of the good guys, one of the many surprises in this lightning-paced little film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Pamela Blake, (more)
When a young man is in trouble, his sister puts herself in danger to save him. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1939
In this heartwarming drama, a good-hearted reporter attempts to find the loneliest woman in New York so he can give her an old-fashioned Christmas on a farm. He meets a woman whom he thinks is a stenographer. In reality she is a hard-bitten nightclub owner with no Christmas spirit at all. By surrounding her with the warmth of a big family Yule, the reporter begins to wear down her crusty walls and get her into the spirit. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Whalen, Jean Rogers, (more)
- 1938
In this drama, a woman is betrothed to a district attorney. When a man is falsely convicted of murder and condemned to death, the woman postpones her wedding to prove him innocent. She enlists the help of a former gangster and eventually succeeds in saving the innocent man's life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Stuart, Michael Whalen, (more)
- 1951
From the opening credits onward, bombastic comedian Jerry Colonna dominates the proceedings in Kentucky Jubilee. Colonna plays second-rate entertainer Jerry Harris, who links up with aspiring singer Sally Shannon (Jean Porter) and hotshot reporter Jeff Benson (James Ellison). The trio heads to the small town of Hickory, Kentucky to participate in an annual fundraising musical show. Things get hectic when a gang of crooks steal the receipts and kidnap Colonna (worse luck for the crooks!) The scene-stealing supporting cast includes Fritz Feld, Raymond Hatton, Vince Barnett, Chester Clute, Si Jenks, George Cheseboro and George Sanders (no, not that George Sanders). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Colonna, Jean Porter, (more)
- 1950
The title King of the Bullwhip could only refer to one of two western-movie favorites: Lash LaRue or Whip Wilson. Since LaRue was under contract to Ron Ormond productions, it was LaRue who starred herein. Usually associated with the lowest of low-budget productions, LaRue is here surrounded with decent production values and an above-average cast, including Jack Holt, Anne Gwynne, Tom Neal, Michael Whalen, Dennis Moore and George Lewis. And, as always, LaRue is aided and abetted by trusty comical sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John. Likewise praiseworthy is the plot, a solid mystery yarn concerning an unknown bank robber. The finale finds LaRue subduing the villain with a startling exhibition of expert whip-cracking. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Jack Holt, (more)
- 1951
Lippert's Mask of the Dragon was filmed simultaneously with Fingerprints Don't Lie, utilizing the same director and cast. Richard Travis plays Phil Ramsey, a private eye, headquartered in San Francisco. He is obliged to investigate the murder of an old friend, a Korean war vet who had recently delivered a jade dragon to a Chinatown merchant. Aided by heroine Ginny O'Donnell (Sheila Ryan), Ramsey follows the trail of clues to a deserted TV studio (actually Los Angeles' KTLA). Sid Melton provides comedy relief as the head villain's dopey henchman. Though cheaply produced, Mask of the Dragon doesn't stint entertainment-wise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Travis, Sheila Ryan, (more)
Green cheese? Men in the Moon? Nah, everyone knows that the moon is really populated by beautiful women wearing silk underwear and spiked heels. They are ruled by an evil temptress and share the moon with giant rock men and an enormous spider. Honest. Just watch this campy remake of Cat Women of the Moon and see for yourself. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Omoo-Omoo (The Shark God) is based on a novel by Herman Melville. Within its attenuated budget, the film does a nice job visualizing Melville's concept. A sea captain (Trevor Bardette) courts disaster when he removes a pair of black pearls from a native shrine. According to native legend, bad luck will befall the captain and everyone else who comes in contact with those pearls. By the time the film's 57 minutes have run their course, practically everyone has come to grief except top-billed Ron Randell. Cast as Trevor Bardette's luckless daughter is Devera Burton, of whom little was heard after Omoo-Omoo ended its theatrical run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Randell, Devera Burton, (more)
- 1955
Self-style western star John Carpenter is the "auteur" of the low-budget hayburner Outlaw Treasure. Carpenter not only stars in the film (billed as "John Forbes"), but also produced and wrote the picture as well; surprisingly, however, he handed over the directorial reins to Oliver Drake. The story concerns an Army scout (Forbes) who is assigned to get to the bottom of a series of gold-shipment hijackings. To make a long story short, he does. The Jesse James gang figures briefly in the proceedings, but they, like the heroine (Adele Jergens), are summarily dropped after serving their plot purpose. Modern viewers may be impressed at how closely John Carpenter resembles Montgomery Clift--at least, until he opens his mouth to speak. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank "Red" Carpenter, Adele Jergens, (more)
- 1939
In this drama, a the journalist and editor of a prison newspaper is good enough, that he even contributes to outside publications, but still encounters difficulty after he is released. With the help of a prison loan, he buys his own little printing press and begins attacking the crooked politicians who have been dictating what the major dailies can and cannot print. His heated essays result in the firing of the prison warden. Fortunately, the ex-con successfully helps the ousted warden become the next state governor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Whalen, Virginia Weidler, (more)
- 1939
A sequel of sorts to 1938's Meet the Girls, Pardon Our Nerve stars as Lynn Bari and June Gale (replacing June Lang) as intrepid chorus girls Terry Wilson and Judy Davis. Unable to find any showbiz work, our heroines take jobs with a dating service. Before getting fired as usual, Terry and Judy overhear a telephone conversation wherein society matron requests the services of a prizefighter for a novelty party. The girls talk a dimwitted waiter named Samson Smith (Guinn Williams) into posing as a pugilist, leading to a successful career in the boxing ring-at least until the authorities find out that they've been flummoxed by Terry and Judy. Chester Clute has a good comedy part as a hapless bill-collector who invests his life savings in Samson's ill-fated career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Government agent Richard Hendricks (Michael O'Shea) goes undercover to get goods on a gang responsible for dispensing illegal paroles. Posing as a prisoner, Hendricks links up with the gang's inside man, Barney Rodescu (Turhan Bey). As often happens in real life, several pillars of society are getting rich by manipulating the lives of others. The plot is not always logical, but audience involvement is sustained every step of the way. Parole Inc was one of the "in-between" pictures -- not quite a "B", not expensive enough for "A" -- produced by young-and-hungry Eagle Lion studios in the late 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael O'Shea, Turhan Bey, (more)
