John Zaremba Movies

Curt Siodmak's The Magnetic Monster (1953) is a truly novel science fiction film, in terms of its rather cerebral plot and low-key, quietly intense execution. As much a mystery and, in its first half, a manhunt, as it is a sci-fi-thriller, the movie pushed lots of suspense buttons for viewers in 1953 and still holds up more than a half century later. Richard Carlson (who also co-produced) plays Dr. Jeff Stewart, an agent for the Office of Scientific Investigation. Stewart and his colleague, Dr. Dan Forbes (King Donovan), begin searching for a dangerously radioactive element, which they have good reason to believe is somewhere in the Los Angeles area. They soon learn that this is no ordinary investigation -- among its other attributes, the unknown element generates enough radiation to kill, and also manifests a powerful magnetic field. The trail leads them to Dr. Howard Denker (Leonard Mudie), a rogue scientist who, working on his own, has created a new isotope of an element called serranium, which proves to be not only highly radioactive, but dangerously unstable in ways that science has never seen before. Every 11 hours, the serranium mass enters a growth cycle requiring massive amounts of energy, which it obtains by absorbing the energy from the atomic structure of any matter around it, releasing huge amounts of radiation in the process. The serranium mass doubles in size with each cycle, doubling its energy needs in the process, as well as the potential destructiveness of the next cycle. The danger lies not only in the potential for destruction in the serranium's rapidly increasing energy absorbtion, but its ever-increasing mass, which, at some point, will threaten to unbalance the Earth itself, in its rotation and orbit. Long before that, however, the resulting radiation is going to start killing large numbers of people, and the destructive force accompanying it will threaten to split the Earth's surface apart. Stewart and Forbes soon recognize that the only hope they have of stopping the process is to get ahead of it, by bombarding the serranium with enough energy to force it to divide into two relatively stable elements. The only possible source of sufficient energy is the world's largest cyclotron, which has been built by the Canadian government in Nove Scotia -- but is even it powerful enough to do the job, and can they get the deadly isotope there in time? ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Tight Spot is based on Leonard Kantor's novel Dead Pigeon, which in turn was obviously inspired by Virginia Hill's appearance before the Kefauver Committee. Ginger Rogers plays hard-boiled model Sherry Conley, who is serving a prison term for a crime she didn't commit. Sherry is offered her freedom -- and immunity -- by U.S. attorney Lloyd Hallett (Edward G. Robinson) if she'll agree to appear as a material witness in the trial of mobster Benjamin Costain (Lorne Greene). Unfortunately, Costain has a long reach, and is able to coerce Vince Striker (Brian Keith), the detective assigned to guard Sherry, to allow Costain's hired guns to invade the hotel room where Sherry is being hidden. The star witness is surly and uncooperative, but she finally decides to testify when her escort, policewoman Willoughby (Katherine Anderson), is murdered by Costain's goons. But Striker is still around and about, still determined to do Costain's bidding. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this film noir, five college students laughingly devise a perfect plan for robbing a casino in Reno. At first they do it just to pass the time, but one of them is deeply in debt and becoming increasingly distraught about it. He successfully cajoles his peers into carrying through with their plans. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In this western, the tables are turned and the Indians get revenge on the whites. The story centers around a man, who is part Indian, as he buys a cattle ranch in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, the local whites hate all Indians, especially his neighbors, three brothers who recently were tried and found innocent of killing two Indians who had wandered on their land. Meanwhile a woman, falls in love with him while he takes on the racist trio. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Anyone who's seen the 1996 science-fiction lampoon Mars Attacks may have trouble watching Earth vs. the Flying Saucers with a straight face. Hugh Marlowe plays scientist Russell Marvin, who is on-hand when an alien spacecraft lands on earth. The saucermen at first insist that they've come in peace, but Marvin suspects otherwise. Sure enough, the visitors eventually declare their intention to take over the earth within the next 60 days, adding that the military's weapons are useless against them. The two-month window gives Marvin and his cohorts plenty of time to build-up superweapon, and thus stave off the seven-saucer invasion force. Special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen does a nice job laying waste to Washington DC in the film's memorable finale. The supporting cast of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers includes those two sci-fi flick stalwarts of the 1950s, Morris Ankrum and Thomas Browne Henry. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of special-effects wizard Ray Harryhausen's pre-Seventh Voyage of Sinbad efforts, 20 Million Miles to Earth borrows a few pages from King Kong. An American spaceship crashlands off the coast of Sicily. The rescue party discovers that the astronauts have inadvertently brought back a curious gelatinous mass from the planet Venus. This lump of goo rapidly evolves into be a living reptilian creature, which scientists label an "Ymir". While being subjected to laboratory experimentation, the Ymir begins growing by leaps and bounds, and before long the gigantic monstrosity has escaped and is wreaking havoc in Rome. After battling a zoo elephant and taking a swim in the Tiber, the gargantuan creature holes up in the Colosseum, where the film's pyrotechnic finale occurs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Three juvenile-delinquents launch a reign of terror upon those who witnessed a deadly auto accident in this exploitation drama. The kids got into trouble while joy-riding down a California road in a stolen car. For malicious fun, they deliberately sideswipe a car and then accidentally hit another car, causing all the passengers therein to die. The first couple they hit survives, and now, to keep the two from testifying, the punks begin terrorizing them. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

A low-budget, tawdry police yarn with the world of prostitution and gangsters thrown in, Vice Raid features Mamie Van Doren as Carol Hudson, a Motor City hooker. The bosses of the prostitution racket have Hudson go to New York City to entrap a police officer and get him thrown off the force. She does as she is told and then the gangsters make a mistake -- they abuse her younger sister. Angered to the core, Hudson decides to team up with the cop she helped frame and put the mobsters behind bars. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Hotel waitress Thelma Tompkins (Olive Deering) is surprised to learn that wealthy Mrs. Mannerheim (Celia Lovsky) has named Thelma in her will. Relating this news to her lazy musician boyfriend, Arthur (Rick Jason), in hopes that he will propose to her, Thelma is disappointed when Arthur replies that marriage is out of the question until Mrs. Mannerheim dies. Giving this set of circumstances, Thelma and Arthur have no alternative than to "help" Mrs. Mannerheim shuffle off her mortal coil -- a scheme ultimately foiled by the usual ironic twist. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

After a fight with his wife (Gena Rowlands) in which he tells her that he wishes he was single again, Ralph Jones (Dick York) is miraculously transported back to his bachelorhood, two years earlier. At least, that's the story Ralph tells his psychiatrist (John Zaremba), who has trouble believing such a far-fetched tale. The truth of Ralph's claim may well be confirmed by something as simple as a waterlogged baseball card! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the 15th episode of Walt Disney's 17-part miniseries Tales of Texas John Slaughter, John (Tom Tryon) has vowed to permanently hang up his guns and live a peaceful life as a cattle rancher and family man. But upon learning that his old enemy Billy Soto (R.G. Armstrong) is rustling his cattle, John prepares to settle matters with hot lead. Persuaded by his wife, Viola (Betty Lynn), to seek a more peaceful solution, John agrees to file a complaint against Soto with Tombstone's Sheriff Hatch. As usual, however, one thing leads to another, and before long, Slaughter himself has pinned on the sheriff's badge. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents antholgy, "A Holster Full of Law" was released as a theatrical feature in 1966, its running time padded with footage from the subsequent episodes "A Trip to Tucson" and "Frank Clell's in Town." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Poised to receive a huge inheritance on her 21st birthday, mixed-up Merle Telford (Jana Taylor) plans to free herself from her domineering Aunt Olivia (Jorja Curtwright) and elope with boyfriend Danny Pierce (Jack Ging). Correctly sizing up Danny as a fortune hunter--indeed, he intends to swipe the inheritance and run off with his real sweetheart Gina Gilbert (Joan Staley)--Olivia hires detective Paul Drake (William Hopper) to prevent Merle from ruining her life. But it appears as if Drake will be too late when Merle is accused of murdering Olivia during a party. Lucky for Merle that Drake is a close friend of defense attorney Perry Mason (Raymond Burr). This is the final episode of Perry Mason's fifth season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This routine crime drama about a mysterious, abandoned yacht is directed by Robert Gottschalk who also wrote the original story. The action begins when three impoverished fishermen working along the California coast come across a yacht with no crew. The only thing they do find on the boat is a corpse, someone who had died of the mumps. The fishermen contact the right authorities and actually end up using the yacht themselves as a charter vessel. The American Coast Guard figures that if they let the men put the yacht to their own use, the real owners will show up sooner or later. They were right. The owners turn out to be some shady characters who carry guns, deal in drugs, and make the fishermen an offer they had better not refuse. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi