John Ashley Movies
John Ashley should be a familiar name and face to anyone who attended a drive-in double feature in the 1950s. Ashley starred or co-starred in such passion-pit fodder as Hot Rod Gang (1958), How to Make a Monster (1958), Frankenstein's Daughter (1959) and High School Caesar (1960). In 1961, Ashley co-starred with future Flipper leading man Brian Kelly in the short-lived TV action series Straightaway. Ashley switched his base of operations to the Philippines in the 1960s and 1970s, frequently wearing several hats as actor, producer, director and scriptwriter. Films like Mad Doctor of Blood Island (1969) may not have been cited at the annual Oscar ceremonies, but they paid the bills many times over for the peripatetic Ashley. In the 1980s, Ashley hooked up with television producer Stephen J. Cannell to work on such series as The A-Team. He later teamed with Frank Lupo to executive or co-executive produce such series as Walker, Texas Ranger (1983), Werewolf (1987) and Something is Out There (1988). In the mid-'90s, Ashley began working as an in-house producer for Tri-Star Television. On October 4, 1997, John Ashley was working on the film Scarred City in New York, when he suffered a fatal heart attack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1965
This exploitation crime drama offers a fictionalized account of John Dillinger just before he became known as one of the most ruthless mobsters of the 1930s. The tale begins as Dillinger and his girlfriend try to rob her daddy's safe and get caught red-handed. Dillinger takes the fall and goes to the joint where he encounters some of America's most infamous gangsters including Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson. Dillinger helps them all escape and together they become some of the most fearsome criminals ever. Because he is considered Public Enemy No. 1, Dillinger decides to undergo a total face transformation. Following the operation, he kills the surgeon, who was trying to force himself on Dillinger's moll. Later, he wrongs her and this ultimately leads to tragedy for him and for her. Keep an eye out for background people dressed in 1960s clothing, quite an anomaly for a film set in the '30s. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Adams, Robert Conrad, (more)
- 1965
The Eye Creatures don't really attack anybody, but are attacked by a band of hostile teenagers. It all begins when the creatures, acting out of self-preservation, try to pin the blame for an accidental killing on an innocent Earthling. Star John Ashley sagaciously retreated to the Philippines shortly after appearing in this one. The Eye Creatures was one of a group of cheap color remakes of earlier American-International productions; all were made to pad out AIP's TV package, and all were produced and directed by Larry Buchanan. This one was a remake of 1957's Invasion of the Saucer Men, minus the earlier film's clever monster designs by the resourceful Paul Blaisdell. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini is considered to be the strangest of the "Beach Party" movies. Frankie (Frankie Avalon) is off in the navy, serving in the South Pacific, and nervous about all of the guys that will be hitting on Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) back at the beach. He makes a deal with an eccentric white witch doctor (Buster Keaton), who conjures up a woman named Cassandra (Beverly Adam) who is irresistible to all men, and she attracts all of the guys on the beach. But complications ensue when lunatic advertising man Mickey Rooney decides to try and make Cassandra a new national sex symbol, and she gets noticed by nutsy bike gang leader Erik Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck), who vows to have her. With enough plot complications to rival A Midsummer Night's Dream, Wild Bikini is laced with satire and some surprisingly good music. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, (more)
- 1964
The Beach Party Gang meets a coterie of muscle-men who try to take over their spot on the beach in Muscle Beach Party. Surfing sensations Frankie (Frankie Avalon) and Dee Dee (Annette Funicello) have their security threatened when Flex Martian (Rock Stevens) and a collection of well-oiled weight-lifters invade their turf. While tensions heat up on the beach, wealthy contessa Julie (Luciana Paluzzi) arranges for her business manager S.Z. Matts (Buddy Hackett) to entice Flex into becoming the latest in her long line of boyfriends. Julie's feelings change when she meets Frankie, who, honored by Julie's amorous attentions, returns her affections, causing a rift not only between Dee Dee and himself, but a further collapse in relations between the surfers and the body-builders, which is assuaged only by the music of Dick Dale and the Del Tones and Little Stevie Wonder. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, (more)
- 1964
The Beach Party gang is back in this third episode. This time out, the gang is visited by the handsome British pop star Potato Bug (Frankie Avalon in a dual role) who has come to CA for a little r&r. When Potato Bug sees the perky Dee Dee (Annette Funicello), he falls head over heels. This doesn't set well with her boyfriend, Frankie. Later the kids all join forces to keep aged developer Harvey Huntington Honeywagon from buying their beach and using it to build a senior citizen's resort. Honeywagon is assisted by Brandoesque biker Eric Von Zipper while the kids are helped out by the adolescent supporter Big Drag. Songs include: "Bikini Drag", "Love's a Secret Weapon", and "Because You're You". Special guest artists include Little Stevie Wonder, the Exciters and the Pyramids. Boris Karloff has an un-credited cameo. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, (more)
Having been burned by compromises to censors on his earlier films Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Sweet Bird of Youth, Paul Newman decided to star in as uncompromising a property as he could find. That property was Hud, inspired by a portion of Larry McMurtry's novel, Horseman Pass By. Hud Bannon (Newman) is a young Texas rancher who lives with his cattleman father Homer (Melvyn Douglas) and his hero-worshipping nephew Lon (Brandon DeWilde). Hud is an amoral, cold-hearted creature; his father, who holds Hud responsible for the death of his other son, tries to imbue Lon with a sense of decency and responsibility to others, but Lon is devoted to Hud and isn't inclined to listen. When hoof and mouth disease shows up in one of the elder Bannon's cows, Hud is all for selling the herd before the government inspectors find out. But Homer orders the cattle destroyed (the film's most harrowing sequence), driving an even deeper wedge between himself and Hud. Finally, Hud steps over the line by attempting to rape Alma (Patricia Neal), the earthy but warm-hearted housekeeper. Paul Newman was so repellantly brilliant as an unregenerate heel that his Oscar nomination for Hud was a foregone conclusion. Although Newman lost the Oscar to Sidney Poitier in Lilies of the Field, Oscars did go to Neal for Best Actress, Douglas for Best Supporting Actor, and cinematographer James Wong Howe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, (more)
- 1963
Professor Bob Cummings is an anthropologist who uses a telescope to study the mating habits of teenagers, namely Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. However, Cummings' secretary Dorothy Malone wishes that his boss would get his mind off bikinis and surfers. Meanwhile trouble brews when Eric Von Zipper (Harvey Lembeck) tries to abduct Annette. Watch for cameo appearances by Vincent Price and Elizabeth Montgomery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Cummings, Dorothy Malone, (more)
- 1963
The first episode of Petticoat Junction (NOT the pilot film, since no pilot was ever made!) finds C & F.W Railroad president Norman Curtis (Roy Roberts) dispatching his vice-president Homer Bedloe (Charles Lane) to the tiny community of Hooterville, there to find out why one of the railroad's branch lines doesn't connect with the Main Line. Upon arrival, Bedloe shows up at the Shady Rest, a little hotel run by widow Kate Bradley (Bea Benadaret) with the help of her lazy Uncle Joe (Edgar Buchanan) and her three toothsome daughters Billie Jo (Jeannine Riley), Bobbie Jo (Pat Woodell) and Betty Jo (Linda Kaye). After encountering numerous frustrations at the Shady Rest--beginning with an ornate elevator that had never worked!--Bedloe is shocked to find that the C&FW is represented by the Hooterville Cannonball, an 1890s-vintage steam engine than runs whenever its engineers feel like it. The outraged Bedloe vows to fire the engineers and put the Cannonball out of business--but crafty Kate isn't about to let that happen! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
When Jane Hathaway calls in sick, the Clampetts drop in at the Commerce Bank to help out Mr. Drysdale. The thing is -- their visit coincides with Drysdale's efforts to win the Banker of the Year award. You guessed it: The judges mistake Jed for Drysdale, and then -- weeeee-doggies!!!! Cult-film favorite John Ashley appears as Bob Billington. "Elly Becomes a Secretary" made its network broadcast bow on May 22, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Like many American International films of its era, How to Make a Monster was sold to distributors on the basis of its title alone: only after theatrical play dates had been established did anyone get around to writing a script! Robert H. Harris plays Pete Drummond, who according to the script has been chief makeup man at American-International for 25 years, or approximately 20 years before the studio was actually established. When the studio is sold, Pete is brusquely informed that neither he nor his monster creations -- notably the Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein -- will be required any longer, inasmuch as American International is going to concentrate on musicals from now on. Angered and humiliated, Pete takes revenge on the callous studio heads by hypnotizing a couple of actors (Gary Clarke and Gary Conway) into believing that they're genuine monsters. Under Pete's control, the two thespians begin committing murders left and right, wreaking havoc throughout the American International lot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert H. Harris, Gary Conway, (more)
- 1958
American-International's Suicide Battalion was filmed virtually simultaneously with the studio's Jet Attack; both films were originally released on a double bill. Michael Connors plays Lt. Matt McCormick, who leads the eponymous battalion on a suicide mission in the Philippines during WW II. Their objective: to destroy valuable American documents, left behind when the area was evacuated just before the Japanese takeover. Before long, only two of the volunteers are left alive to complete the mission -- and they're none too fond of each other. Hawaiian entertainer Hilo Hattie unexpectedly shows up as the proprietress of a native saloon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Connors, John Ashley, (more)
- 1958
This video offers a double dose of war dramas. The first Suicide Battalion chronicles the courage of two GIs who risk everything to cross enemy lines and bring back secret documents from an outpost overrun by the enemy. The second Hell Squad follows the exploits of five Yankee soldiers who must make their way through the vast North African desert and survive constant attacks from the Nazis, desert raiders, and other foes. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Frankenstein's Daughter, a low-budget American horror movie badly directed by Richard E. Cunha, is another in a series of poorly made adaptations of Mary Shelley's classic horror novel. Here, the original Dr. Frankenstein's grandson, Oliver Frankenstein (Donald Murphy), now living in Los Angeles, creates a female version of the Monster from sweet teenage girl, Trudy (Sandra Knight) who then goes on a killing rampage. This thriller, with poor production values and bad sets, has some intentional humor, but little real horror. Also released as She Monster of the Night, Frankenstein's Daughter was featured in It Came from Hollywood, an amusing and loving tribute to horror films and their makers. Also, lovers of trivia should note that Sandra Knight, who plays Trudy, would later become the wife of actor Jack Nicholson. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- 1958
In this youthful drama, a young nephew is forced to live a highly restricted lifestyle by his two spinster aunts who will only bequeath him their fortune if he behaves like a proper gentleman. His aunts would have apoplexy if they new that their "perfect gentleman" had created a hot-rod club behind their backs. To make matters worse, he bankrolls his hobby by singing (in disguise) in Vincent's rock'n'roll band. He takes the money he earns to enter his car in a national race. Songs include: "Dance in the Street," "Dance to the Bop," "Baby Blue," and "Lovely Loretta." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ashley, Jody Fair, (more)
- 1957
Originally double-billed with Rock All Night, Dragstrip Girl is a typical J.D. potboiler from American-International. The title character, played by Fay Spain, is insatiable in her search for new thrills. Fay derives great pleasure in playing her two boyfriends, garage mechanic Steve Terrell and wealthy, arrogant drag-racer John Ashley, against each other. The story comes to a lively conclusion during a winner-take-all race, but not before the viewer is treated to a rip-off of the "Chickie Run" in Rebel Without a Cause. The 1994 entry in Showtime Cable's "Rebel Highway" series titled Dragstrip Girl bears little relationship to the original. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fay Spain, Steve Terrell, (more)
This suspenseful air-borne adventure can rightfully lay claim to being the Mother of All subsequent in-flight disaster films of the '70s. The trouble begins when the pilot and crew of a Canadian passenger plane suddenly find themselves doubled over from accidental ptomaine poisoning and unable to continue flying the plane. The only other person on board who can save the terrified crew is a former WW II flying ace who is petrified of flying again. Fortunately, a courageous steel-nerved ground controller is there to offer full-radio support. Later the film became the basis of a TV movie Terror in the Sky and the hilarious parody Airplane (1980). Arthur Hailey, who wrote the teleplay on which this was based, went on to write the novel and the screenplay for 1970's Airport. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, (more)
- 1957
The title tells practically all in the American-International exploitationer Motorcycle Gang. The film's main conflict arises from the rivalry between "good" cyclist Randy (Steve Tyrrell) and his "bad" counterpart Nick (John Ashley). Recently released from a jail term, Nick forces Randy (who received probation for the hit-and-run accident which landed Nick in the slammer) into a clandestine race. Despite the fact that he's a "clean" cycle-hog who likes to keep on the right side of the law, Randy agrees to the race, with near-disastrous results. One of the featured cycle punks is played by Carl Switzer, who despite his raffish appearance still closely resembles the "Alfalfa" character he'd essayed in the Our Gang comedies. Motorcycle Gang was released on a double bill with Sorority Girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Neyland, Steve Terrell, (more)
When insecure rich-type Stevens (John Ashley) decides to impress his fellow students, he does so by establishing a crime empire to take command of his high school. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ashley, Gary Vinson, (more)
