William A. Bacher Movies
- 1955
Clark Gable and Jane Russell star in this rugged widescreen western, exquisitely photographed by Leo Tover and directed by veteran action expert Raoul A. Walsh. Gable plays Ben Allison, who with his brother Clint (Cameron Mitchell) journeys to Montana in search of gold. They come upon wealthy businessman Nathan Stark (Robert Ryan), whom they try to rob of $20,000. Instead, Stark talks Ben and Clint into becoming partners with him on a cattle drive to Montana. As the group travels to Texas, they come upon a party of settlers being attacked by Indians. They save the saucy Nella Turner (Jane Russell) and she joins with Ben, who has been made trail boss, and Clint on the cattle drive. Ben and Nella are attracted to each other but after an initial fling, Nella rejects him -- Ben just wants enough money to buy a small ranch and Nella won't settle for slim pickings. Arriving in Fort Worth, Nella takes up with Stark, whose desire to make as much money as possible coincides with Nella's money-hungry ambitions. But when, at Stark's insistence, she accompanies him on the final trek to Montana, the seething friction between Ben and Stark erupts as the drive heads into dangerous Indian country. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clark Gable, Jane Russell, (more)
- 1955
Tyrone Power is a Dutchman, and Susan Hayward is an Irish lass. If you believe that, then the rest of Untamed will go down a lot easier. Power is a Boer calvary commander attempting to bring peace to his South African homeland. He has an affair with Hayward, a married woman whose husband is killed during a Zulu attack. While rescuing the survivors, Power runs afoul of Dutch farmer Richard Egan, who insists that Hayward is his property. Egan turns bandit, targeting the diamond mines. Power is bound and determined to stop Egan--and, it is hoped, to clear the path towards lasting happiness with Hayward. The Untamed is a CinemaScope adaptation of a novel by Helga Moray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyrone Power, Susan Hayward, (more)
- 1947
Frank Yerby's Foxes of Harrow was one of those long historical novels so popular in the 1940s. 20th Century-Fox boiled the novel down into 118 minutes' worth of essentials for this film version. In antebellum New Orleans, roguish Irish gambler Rex Harrison buys his way into society--something he couldn't do in his homeland because he is illegitimate. Sequestering himself in a mansion won in a card game, Harrison courts Southern belle Maureen O'Hara, but their subsequent marriage is befouled by Rex's incessant womanizing. Though tempted to walk out for good, O'Hara stays by her husband's side after he loses his fortune, hoping that the impoverished Harrison will now behave more responsibly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renee Beard, Rex Harrison, (more)
- 1947
This musical romance is set in the beautiful South American country and chronicles the love affair between a betrothed couple who secretly have fallen in love with other people. The young man loves a nightclub chanteuse, while the woman wants a handsome coffee-buyer. Now they must somehow let their constantly bickering parents know. Songs include: "Qui Pi Pia," "I'll Know It's Love," "Another Night Like This," "Mi Vida, Costa Rica," and "Rhumba Bomba." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dick Haymes, Vera-Ellen, (more)
Gene Tierney portrays a beautiful but unstable woman who marries successful novelist Cornel Wilde. Tierney wants to spend all her time with her new husband, but finds it impossible to do so thanks to his work and the frequent visits of family and friends. When Wilde's crippled younger brother (Darryl Hickman) comes to the couple's summer house to stay, Ms. Tierney indirectly causes the boy to drown. Later, upon discovering that she's pregnant, Tierney deliberately falls down the stairs, choosing to miscarry rather than share her husband's affections with an infant. When it becomes clear that family friend Jeanne Crain is attracted to her husband, Ms. Tierney commits suicide, making her death appear to be murder and framing Crain for the "crime." In court, Ms. Crain is mercilessly grilled by prosecuting attorney Vincent Price, who happens to be Tierney's ex-lover! Filmed in lush Technicolor, Leave Her to Heaven is based on the best-selling novel by Ben Ames Williams. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, (more)
Former president Ronald Reagan may have genuinely believed that he was referring to a real-life act of selfless wartime bravery whenever repeating his "We'll bring this one down together" anecdote. In fact, he was merely quoting a scene from the above-average World War 2 drama A Wing and a Prayer. The setting is an American aircraft carrier, overseen by tough, unserving flight officer Don Ameche. When casualties begin piling up, the pilots blame Ameche, accusing him of being an indiscriminate butcher. Only when the tide of battle turns in favor of the Allies do the pilots realize that Ameche has been right all along. Director Henry Hathaway spent several weeks aboard an actual aircraft carrier, filming genuine combat scenes. Many of these authentic sequences appear as background footage in A Wing and a Prayer; sometimes the process work is convincing, sometimes it isn't, but please remember that this film was made long, long before the advent of computer technology. Dana Andrews, William Eythe, Richard Jaeckel, Harry Morgan (billed as 'Henry Morgan' here), Richard Crane, Glenn Langan, Reed Hadley and Bob Bailey are among the ready, willing and able Fox contractees appearing in A Wing and a Prayer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Ameche, Dana Andrews, (more)
