Maris Wrixon Movies
In films from 1938, statuesque brunette American actress Maris Wrixon fluctuated from full leads to supporting parts. In many of her films, Wrixon was bumped off in the first or second reel, but in just as many she was permitted to survive to the fadeout. She was starred in several Warner Bros. B-pictures of the 1940s, usually in remakes of earlier Warner A's. Horror fans remember her best as Boris Karloff's daughter in Monogram's The Ape (1941). Maris Wrixon retired in the late '40s following her marriage to film editor Rudi Fehr. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi- 1963
The final episode of The Untouchables revolves around Roy Dahlgren (Jeremy Slate), a crazed WW1 veteran. Elliot Ness (Robert Stack) would like to know why all of the top gangsters in Chicago are leaving town in droves. The reason? The crooks want to establish an alibi when Ness is rubbed out. Mob boss Danny Mundt has offered $10,000 to anyone willing to kill Ness. The deranged Dahlgren accepts the assignment, preparing to finish the Fed off with his weapon of choice--a hand grenade. The climax finds a temporarily blinded Elliot Ness approaching a showdown with Dahlgren, who may or may not have one grenade left. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1951
In the early 1940s, producer Hal Roach turned out several entertaining and profitable "streamliners" (each running approximately 45 minutes) about an army recruit with a photographic memory and his long-suffering sergeant. William Tracy portrayed Private (and later Sergeant) Doubleday, while Joe Sawyer was his topkick Sgt. Ames. In 1951, Hal Roach Jr. decided to revive the series, but only two 6-reel films resulted. The first, As You Were, finds Doubleday re-enlisting, much to the consternation of the bombastic Ames. This time both men find themselves at odds with their new "fellow" sergeant, lovely WAC Joan Vohs. Like its sequel Mr. Walkie Talkie, As You Were was released by Lippert Films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1948
In this drama, an egomaniacal producer freely treads upon those around him without regard to the harm he does. The devoted wife of a novelist sees this after the producer foists himself on her during a party; she tries to warn her novelist husband who wants the man to produce his play, but he does not listen. Later the producer tries to destroy his own girl friend's career by spreading vicious rumors; he succeeds and she loses her contract. Meanwhile the writer and his wife, thanks to the producer's manipulation, have separated. The writer is then forced to revise the play. The result is so bad that he cannot attract the actor he wanted to play his leading man. The novelist's wife gets her revenge on the producer by showing an original draft of the play to the actor her husband wanted. He is impressed and helps her find another producer. When the husband hears about his wife's actions he immediately returns, but not before punching the egotistical producer in the eye. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Montgomery, Susan Hayward, (more)
- 1946
In this drama, a reporter marries a socialite with a bad ticker. The gold-digging reporter is well aware of her delicate condition, and he and his girlfriend conspire to kill her. He shoots her, but does not realize that she was dead from a heart attack before the bullet entered her body. He is later captured and convicted. The detective who caught him was well aware that the woman died of heart failure, but he decided to say nothing. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Kelly, Douglas Fowley, (more)
- 1946
Director William "One Take" Beaudine handles Face of Marble with his usual hasty professionalism. John Carradine stars as Professor Randolph, a brilliant brain surgeon. At the moment, Randolph and his assistant David Cochran (Robert Shayne) are experimenting with restoring the dead to life. But there's an unfortunate side-effect: the deceased sailor upon whom Randolph conducts his first human experiment promptly turns to marble when he's revived from the dead. All of this is eventually tied in with the clandestine romance between Cochran and Randolph's faithless wife Elaine (Claudia Drake), and with the sinister incantations of voodoo practitioner Marika (Rosa Rey). John Carradine is quite good, considering the circumstances. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Carradine, Claudia Drake, (more)
- 1946
The title tells all in the Monogram "expose" Black Market Babies. Alcoholic physician Dr. Jordan (Ralph Morgan) joins forces with gangster Eddie Condon (Kane Richmond) and shyster lawyer Anthony Marco (George Meeker) in a crooked adoption racket. Coercing unwed mothers to give up their babies for adoption, the unholy trio operates a supposedly philanthropic baby farm which caters to childless couples who have been frustrated by the legal adoption system. The villains rake in oodles and oodles of cash before the authorities close in. But once the jig is up, the crooks fall out, resulting in murder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ralph Morgan, Kane Richmond, (more)
African explorers hit the Congo in search of a rare white gorilla in this campy jungle adventure filled with deliciously goofy special effects. The British biologists believe the white ape will prove to be the missing link. A British undercover cop accompanies the explorers because he believes the guide to be a killer. The cop's theory proves to be right and the guide soon causes the native bearers to revolt. He abandons the scientists to face the jungle alone. Before leaving, the guide kidnaps the expedition leader's lovely daughter. He then sets off to find some legendary gold. He ends up stumbling into the ancient home of the blonde ape. The primate doesn't like visitors and so strangles the killer and takes the hapless girl, her terrified bosom heaving seductively through her tattered blouse, to his lair. There the blonde ape must fight a regular gorilla. While the two muscle-bound hairballs fight it out, the undercover bobby and the scientists arrive. The white gorilla tosses his rival off a cliff and returns for some booty. Unfortunately, the explorers wound him and put him in a cage. They then return to England with their prize. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Fraser, Maris Wrixon, (more)
- 1945
Doctor Charles Korvin walks out on his musician wife Merle Oberon when he suspects her of infidelity. Twelve years later their paths cross again; Oberon is now saddled with an abusive husband. Possessed of a protective instinct that he hadn't evinced in the first part of the film, Korvin rescues his ex-wife from her miserable marriage, and the two fall in love all over again. Based on a play by Luigi Pirandello (no, it wasn't called Two Characters in Search of a Movie, This Love is Ours is worth watching only when supporting player Claude Rains is on the scene. The 1956 remake Never Say Goodbye was no improvement, not even with Rock Hudson taking over from the stolid Charles Korvin. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Merle Oberon, Charles Korvin, (more)
With such charismatic villains as John Carradine and J. Carroll Naish on hand in PRC's Waterfront, who cares about nominal leading man Terry Frost. The story is set in the docks of San Francisco, where Nazi spy Carl Decker (Naish) poses as a harmless optometrist. Decker is aided and abetted by fellow goose-stepper Victor Marlowe (Carradine), who keeps the local German-Americans in line by threatening them with reprisals against their families. The film's "Maguffin" is a code book, which briefly falls into the hands of hapless hero Jerry Donovan (Frost) and helpless heroine Freda Hauser (Maris Wrixon). Evidently the only thing that can save Democracy is a falling out between Decker and Marlowe, and that's just what happens in the final reel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, (more)
- 1944
In this western, an innocent saddletramp is blamed for killing a man. Fortunately he finds the real culprit before it is too late. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1943
The luridly titled Women in Bondage was Monogram's "answer" to RKO Radio's wartime melodrama Hitler's Children. The plot concerns the nationalization and subjugation of Germany's women during the Third Reich. Expected to devote their every waking moment to the cause of Nazism -- and this includes bearing strong Aryan children for Der Fatherland -- several women, notably Margot Bracken (Gail Patrick), begin to rebel. When she finally determines that Hitler has gone to far in his regimentation of the populace, Margot casts her lot with the Allies, becoming a martyr to the cause of freedom. Unusually well-acted for a Monogram film, Women in Bondage boasts an especially strong cast, including Nancy Kelly, Gertrude Michael, Anne Nagel, Tala Birell and H.B. Warner. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gail Patrick, Nancy Kelly, (more)
Sons of the Pioneers is a showcase for?the Sons of the Pioneers, who are reteamed with ex-"Son" Roy Rogers in this budget western. The plot is contingent upon a deposit of rare minerals, vital to the American war effort. The villains want to get their hands on these minerals, and to do so organize themselves into a gang of masked terrorists, bent on chasing everyone else out of the territory. Unable to handle the villains alone, sheriff Gabby Whittaker (Gabby Hayes) sends for Roy Rogers, whose father was a legendary guns-slingin' peacekeeper. Alas, Roy is a shy entymologist who's never handled a gun in his life-but he soon learns how, thereby routing the heavies and striking a blow for Democracy. Pat Brady, a member in good standing of the Sons of the Pioneers, makes the first of many screen appearances as Roy Rogers' comical sidekick. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Roy Rogers, George "Gabby" Hayes, (more)
- 1942
It takes a while for the viewer to catch on, but the 1942 quickie Spy Ship is a remake of the 1934 crime melodrama Fog Over Frisco. The main difference is that the film's principal murder victim, the sister of the heroine, is transformed from a dizzy socialite to an out-and-out villainess. The story is re-set during the months before America's entry into WW2. Famed aviatrix Pamela Mitchell (Irene Manning), a devout and outspoken isolationist, is secretly in the employ of the German government. Her younger sister Sue (Maris Wrixon) worries about the company Pamela keeps, and expresses these concerns to hotshot reporter Ward Prescott (Craig Stevens). When Pamela is killed by her Nazi confreres to keep her from revealing all to the world, Sue finds herself among the suspects. It all comes to an end on the spy ship of the title, where a kidnapped Sue is rescued in the nick of time by Ward and practically every cop in New York. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Craig Stevens, Irene Manning, (more)
- 1942
In this entry in the "Weaver Family" series, the town of Farmington is being plagued by a crime wave. The angry citizens are ready to impeach the mayor, June Weaver, and the police chief, Leon Weaver. To end the crime and preserve her career, June feigns corruption and hires a real gangster to get rid of the local mobs. Unfortunately, a bona fide crooked councilman intervenes and makes real mob connections causing an earnest journalist to launch a front page attack. Things look bleak until the police chief rallies to the rescue and arrests all the guilty parties. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leon Weaver, Frank Weaver, (more)
- 1941
Footsteps in the Dark is a comedy/mystery, starring Errol Flynn as a wealthy investment counselor who secretly doubles as a dilettante detective, the better to write mystery novels. Brenda Marshall plays his wife, who can't understand why he is never home and begins to suspect hanky-panky. In fact, Flynn is investigating the murders of a jewelry smuggler and an exotic dancer. The trail of evidence leads to the Least Likely Suspect -- portrayed, as is often the case, by an actor who's always the one who "did it" in murder mysteries. Not nearly as funny a film as the producers seem to think it is, Footsteps in the Dark is an obvious attempt by Warner Bros. to create a "Nick and Nora Charles" team, in emulation of MGM's popular Thin Man series. Footsteps ends with wife Marshall vowing to join hubby Flynn in his next murder mystery, leaving the door wide open for a sequel...which was never filmed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, (more)
- 1941
This thriller, set aboard a transatlantic ship heading for America during WW II, chronicles the endeavors of a cagey reporter looking for the notorious international criminal, the Black Parrot. The reporter begins his search after a major theft occurs during a bogus submarine alert. Before the intrepid journalist captures his quarry, the evil Parrot commits two murders, and presents many confusing false clues. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Lundigan, Maris Wrixon, (more)
The first of director Frank Capra's independent productions (in partnership with Robert Riskin), Meet John Doe begins with the end of reporter Ann Mitchell's (Barbara Stanwyck) job. Fired as part of a downsizing move, she ends her last column with an imaginary letter written by "John Doe." Angered at the ill treatment of America's little people, the fabricated Doe announces that he's going to jump off City Hall on Christmas Eve. When the phony letter goes to press, it causes a public sensation. Seeking to secure her job, Mitchell talks her managing editor (James Gleason) into playing up the John Doe letter for all it's worth; but to ward off accusations from rival papers that the letter was bogus, they decide to hire someone to pose as John Doe: a ballplayer-turned-hobo (Gary Cooper), who'll do anything for three squares and a place to sleep. "John Doe" and his traveling companion The Colonel (Walter Brennan) are ensconced in a luxury hotel while Mitchell continues churning out chunks of John Doe philosophy. When newspaper publisher D.B. Norton (Edward Arnold), a fascistic type with presidential aspirations, decides to use Doe as his ticket to the White House, he puts Doe on the radio to deliver inspirational speeches to the masses -- ghost-written by Mitchell, who, it is implied, has become the publisher's mistress. The central message of the Doe speeches is "Love Thy Neighbor," though, conceived in cynicism, the speeches strike so responsive a chord with the public that John Doe clubs pop up all over the country. Believing he is working for the good of America, Cooper agrees to front the National John Doe Movement -- until he discovers that Norton plans to exploit Doe in order to create a third political party and impose a virtual dictatorship on the country. The last of Capra's "social statement" films, Meet John Doe posted a profit, although Capra and Riskin were forced to dissolve their corporation due to excessive taxes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck, (more)
In a manner of speaking, Humphrey Bogart had George Raft to thank for his ascendancy to stardom: after all, if Raft hadn't turned down both High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon, Bogart might have continued playing second-billed gangsters to the end of his days. Adapted from W. R. Burnett's novel by Burnett and John Huston, High Sierra opens with gangster Roy Earle (Bogart) being paroled after a lengthy prison term. Though he enjoys the fresh air and sunshine of the outside world, Earle has no intention of giving up his criminal ways. In fact, his parole has been arranged by Big Mac (Donald MacBride), so that Earle can mastermind a big-time heist at a fancy California resort hotel. After a few unkind words with a crooked cop, Kranmer (Barton MacLane), in Big Mac's employ, Earle heads toward a fishing resort, where he is to commiserate with his inexperienced, hot-headed cohorts Babe (Alan Curtis) and Red (Arthur Kennedy). En route, he befriends a farm family, heading to LA in search of work. He falls in love with the family's club-footed daughter Velma (Joan Leslie)--though she never really gives him any encouragement--and makes a silent promise to finance an operation on her foot once he's gotten his share of the loot. At the mountain cabin rendezvous, Earle meets Marie (Ida Lupino), Babe's tough-but-vulnerable girlfriend. He angrily orders her to scram, but she stubbornly remains. Earle also finds himself the owner of a "jinxed" dog, whose previous masters have all met with early demises (a none-too-subtle foretaste of things to come). Marie is strongly attracted to Earle, but he refuses to have anything to do with her, reserving his affections for Velma. He arranges an operation for the girl with mob doctor Banton (Henry Hull), never suspecting that the self-serving Velma is planning all along to marry someone else. The robbery goes off without a hitch, save for the fact that "inside man" Mendoza (Cornel Wilde) panics and nearly gives the game away. While escaping, Babe and Red are killed in a car accident, but Earle and Marie escape. Having been disillusioned by Velma's indifference and by the fact that the untrustworthy Kranmer has taken over the late Big Mac's operation, Earle at last realizes that the only person he can truly depend upon is the faithful Marie. With the police hot on his trail, Earle tells Marie to look after herself, then heads alone into the High Sierras--where, in Greek Tragedy fashion, he "busts out" of life. As in Petrified Forest, Humphrey Bogart plays a burnt-out anachronism from an earlier era in crime in High Sierra; in the latter film, however, Bogart has an innate nobility that allows the audience to empathize with him throughout. It is nothing short of amazing that, despite his superb performance in this 1940 film, he still had to wait until The Maltese Falcon for top billing in an "A picture." High Sierra was remade in 1949 as Colorado Territory and in 1955 as I Died a Thousand Times. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Humphrey Bogart, Ida Lupino, (more)
- 1941
The oft-used title A Shot in the Dark was affixed in 1941 to this Warner Bros. B-picture. Much of the film takes place in the big-city nightclub owned by shady Phil Richards (Ricardo Cortez). When the prospective buyer of Richards' establishment is murdered, there's no shortage of suspects, but the cops have their money on Richards' jealous sweetheart Clare Winters (Lucia Carroll)-until she's murdered as well. Police reporter Peter Kennedy (William Lundigan) and detective Bill Ryder (Regis Toomey) put their heads together to solve the mystery, with the help (and sometimes hindrance) of pert nightclub singer Dixie Waye (Nan Wynn). A Shot in the Dark is based on a story by Frederick Nebel, creator of the "Torchy Blaine" series. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Lundigan, Nan Wynn, (more)
- 1941
The 1940 peacetime draft spawned a whole slew of military and naval comedies, the most successful of which was Abbott and Costello's Buck Privates. In this vein, Warners' Navy Blues features several studio contractees (including Ann Sheridan and Jack Carson), a few borrowed comedians (Jack Oakie, Jack Haley, Martha Raye) and a plethora of forgettable musical numbers. The plot: A ship's crew goes on leave in Honolulu, has a high old time, meets a few pretty girls, and heads back to sea. That's all. Modern viewers will get a kick out of spotting Navy Blues supporting actor Jackie Gleason, who must have relished the opportunity of working with his idol Jack Oakie. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ann Sheridan, Jack Oakie, (more)
- 1941
In this upbeat drama, a lovely European heiress is disturbed to discover from her lawyer that her father made his fortune by cheating his own partner. This precipitates her hasty return to the US where she meets the partner's granddaughter. The heiress then moves into the girl's boarding house and gives her a million dollars. Unfortunately, her newfound wealth causes the girl, untold trouble as her lover, a proud musician, refuses to marry a woman with more money than he. The girl solves the problem by donating her fortune to charity. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Priscilla Lane, Jeffrey Lynn, (more)
Not to be confused with his later Home in Wyomin', Gene Autry's Sunset in Wyoming is essentially a musical with western interludes. This time, Autry champions the cause of a group of ranchers who are being victimized by the apparent megalomania of lumber baron George Cleveland. Upon palavering with Cleveland, Autry discovers that the lumberman himself is not to blame for the despoiling of the territory: the real villain is Easterner Robert Kent, who is presently engaged to Cleveland's daughter Maris Wrixon. Forced to enter the rarefied world of High Society, Autry settles Kent's hash and ultimately claims Ms. Wrixon for himself. The best scene finds comical sidekick Smiley Burnette duded up as a butler, which is far more enjoyable than the climactic flood scenes, most of which were obviously culled from previously Republic productions. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, (more)
- 1941
A good wife's innocence is shattered when she learns that her wealthy husband is actually an amoral big-shot jewel thief. She learns this when he brazenly robs some of their vacationing friends. Naturally she wants to leave him, but he won't let her and makes her return to Chicago and stay quiet. He doesn't realize that a detective is in hot pursuit. Once in Chi-town, the thief abandons the wife and she gets a divorce. Unfortunately, she ends up accused of the latest heist. After good friends help to clear her, she meets the detective. Together they plot an ingenious revenge that culminates in the capture of the crook and a new chance at happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, (more)
- 1940
This slightly laundered remake of the 1932 courtroom classic The Mouthpiece stars George Brent as brilliant but unprincipled DA Steve Forbes, a character based on legendary lawyer William Fallon. After railroading an innocent boy into the electric chair, Forbes goes on a bender, then cynically builds up a new practice as a criminal attorney. His underhanded legal tactics cause a rift between Forbes and his idealistic younger brother Johnny (William Lundigan), despite the fact that it was Steve's income that enabled Johnny to finish law school. Angered that his brother has enabled big-time gangster J.B. Roscoe (Richard Barthelmess) to continually elude the law, Johnny turns in damning evidence to the FBI. On Roscoe's orders, Steve frames Johnny on a murder charge, but reforms his ways in the nick of time. Based on a play by Frank J. Collins, The Man Who Talked too Much was remade in 1955 as Illegal, with Edward G. Robinson in the lead. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Brent, Virginia Bruce, (more)
Rating Systems
Blockbuster
BLOCKBUSTER name, design and related marks are trademarks of Blockbuster L.L.C.
2013 Blockbuster L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Portions of Content Provided by Rovi Corporation. 2013 Rovi Corporation.