Dick York Movies
Actor Dick York started out as a child performer on radio, playing important roles in such airwaves favorites as Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy. In the early '50s, York began showing up in New York-based instructional films, including a now-infamous reel about proper dating etiquette. Establishing himself as one of Broadway's most versatile young character actors, he was seen in such major productions as Tea and Sympathy, Bus Stop, and Night of the Auk. In films from 1955, York's most famous movie role was schoolteacher Bertram Cates in Inherit the Wind, the 1960 dramatization of the Scopes Monkey Trial. Though a prolific TV guest star, he didn't settle down on a weekly series until 1962, when he co-starred with Gene Kelly and Leo G. Carroll in a short-lived video adaptation of Going My Way. Two years later, he landed his signature role: Darren Stephens, the eternally flustered husband of glamorous witch Samantha Stephens (Elizabeth Montgomery), in Bewitched. He remained with the series until 1969, when a recurring back ailment (the legacy of an on-set injury suffered while filming the 1959 feature They Came to Cordura) forced York to relinquish the role of Darren to Dick Sargent. Though he was for all intents and purposes retired from acting, York remained active on behalf of several pro-social causes. He was the founder of Acting for Life, an organization designed to help the homeless help themselves. Living a spartan existence in Grand Rapids, MI, an increasingly infirm Dick York tirelessly continued giving of himself for the benefit of others until his death from emphysema in 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1957
In this frantic service comedy, a group of bored-to-tears American GI's stationed at a medical facility in France would like nothing more than to have a big party to let off steam -- except for the possibility of having a big party with some of the nurses they work with. However, it seems that the nurses are officers and the GI's are enlisted men, which means the Army forbids them to socialize, and Capt. Locke (Ernie Kovacs), the camp's Commanding Officer, is not a man to bend the rules. But Private Hogan (Jack Lemmon) is not the sort of guy to let the rules get in the way of a good time, and with the help of Yancy Skibo (Mickey Rooney), a sergeant with a talent for scaring up needed supplies, and Mme. LaFour (Jeanne Manet), a local hotel manager with a soft spot for making money off American servicemen, Hogan hatches a plan to make his dream a reality. Hogan's lady friend, Lt. Betty Bixby (Kathryn Grant), isn't quite as convinced as her beau on the potential success of this scheme. Operation Mad Ball was the first directorial effort from former actor Richard Quine, and afforded Jack Lemmon his first starring role; Blake Edwards also contributed to the screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, Kathryn Grant, (more)
- 1955
Three Stripes in the Sun was based on The Gentle Wolfhound, a New Yorker article written by E. J. Kahn Jr. Set in postwar Japan, the film concerns the activities of three U.S.-occupation soldiers: Sergeant Hugh O'Reilly ( Aldo Ray), the Colonel (Phil Carey) and Corporal Neeby Muhlendorf (Dick York). Though he hates the Japanese with a passion, Sergeant O'Reilly softens as he gets to know the local citizenry. Soon, the hard-bitten sergeant is sneaking food provisions to Japanese children and donating his GI pay towards the building of an orphanage; he also falls in love with lovely interpreter Yuko (Mitsuko Kimura). Meanwhile, the Colonel handles his responsibilities with slick, military precision, while Corporal Muhlendorf spends his time looking for "action." Serving as technical advisor on Three Stripes in the Sun is Master Sergeant Hugh O'Reilly, the real-life model for the Aldo Ray character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aldo Ray, Philip Carey, (more)
My Sister Eileen is a Technicolor, musicalized remake of the 1942 comedy of the same name. It is not, however, the film version of the 1949 Broadway musical Wonderful Town, which was also based on the 1942 film. Adapted from the short stories of Ruth McKinney, the film stars Betty Garrett as aspiring writer Ruth Sherwood, and Janet Leigh as her gorgeous sister Eileen. Moving from Ohio to New York, the girls take up residence in a basement apartment, which seems to be a gathering place for every eccentric character in the Big Apple. Ruth tries to get her stories published, but handsome editor Bob Baker (Jack Lemmon) doesn't buy anything until Ruth stops trafficking in fiction and begins writing about her own experiences. Most of those experiences are predicated on the misadventures of would-be actress Eileen, who has an uncanny knack for attracting strange men--not to mention a whole heap of trouble. Dancer/choreographers Bob Fosse and Tommy Rall costar as a timid soda jerk and wise-guy reporter, respectively, but their "roles" are merely excuses for a steady stream of flashy musical numbers, penned by Jule Styne and Leo Robin. Even Jack Lemmon gets to sing in this sprightly film, which compares quite favorably to all the My Sister Eileen adaptations which went before and were still to come. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Leigh, Jack Lemmon, (more)
