Malcolm Stuart Boylan Movies

William Eythe is the Customs Agent in this brisk Columbia programmer. The plot finds Bert Stewart (Eythe) stationed in China, where he goes undercover to join a gang of dope smugglers. His plan is to stop the wholesale stealing of valuable streptomycin, which the crooks are peddling to drug addicts. Marjorie Reynolds will surprise fans of her work in TV's The Life of Riley with her portrayal of the gang-leader's moll. Another TV favorite, Jim Backus, co-stars as one of the good guys. Customs Agent makes no demands upon the intellect but does succeed as slam-bang entertainment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When a priceless diamond is stolen from a museum exhibition all suspicion falls upon the notorious Lone Wolf, a former jewel thief who became a reporter. It doesn't help that he was in the museum to write a story on the gem at the time of its theft. Now he and his gal pal must play amateur detectives in order to ring the real crooks to justice. This was the final entry in the "Lone Wolf" series. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

For the Love of Rusty is an easy-to-take entry in Columbia's brief "Rusty" series of the late 1940s. Danny Mitchell (Ted Donaldson) can't seem to get along with his father Hugh (Tom Powers). An especially sore spot is Danny's affection for his dog Rusty; Hugh Mitchell can't stand Rusty, and demands that the boy lose the mutt immediately. Everything is straightened out with the help of another dog named Flash, and by lovable old veterinarian Aubrey Mather. For the Love of Rusty represented one of the earliest directorial assignments for John Sturges, who graduated to such high-priced fare as Bad Day at Black Rock, The Magnificent Seven and The Great Escape. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The oft-used title The Man Who Dared was applied to an oft-filmed movie plotline in 1946. George Macready, in a respite from his usual villainous roles, plays a crusading newspaperman who questions the efficacy of "circumstantial evidence." He wants to prove that it's quite possible to railroad an innocent man to the death house, thus force the courts to reassess their procedures. To do this, he allows himself to be arrested as the prime suspect in a murder case--a bold move which backfires on the well-meaning Macready. The Man Who Dared was an impressive first solo effort for director John Sturges (The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Ice Station Zebra et. al.) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This '40s film (based upon a Jack London story) is set in Alaska's gold rush days and revolves around the dilemma faced by a man wrongfully accused of murder whose future depends upon his ability to solve the crime. ~ Rovi

No sooner had the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 than Republic Pictures managed to register the title Remember Pearl Harbor for copyright, beating out all the "major" studios in the process. The title was far more dramatic than the film attached to it, which has something to do with pugnacious American GI Lucky Smith (a rare non-western appearance by Don "Red" Barry). Our hero spends the first few reels being tossed in the stockade, often accompanied by his buddies Bruce Gordon (Alan Curtis) and Portly Potter (Maynard Holmes). Shortly after the demolition of Pearl Harbor, Lucky and Bruce uncover a gang of Fifth Columnists, operating in the Philippines. Shaping up in a hurry, Lucky volunteers to lead a suicidal air mission against a Japanese troop ship, thereby redeeming himself for inadvertently causing the death of his pal Portly in an earlier scene. Under closer scrutiny, Remember Pearl Harbor turns out to be a remake of 1940's Girl from Havana, itself a remake of the 1939 Roy Rogers western Rough Riders' Roundup, which was a remake of another 1939 effort, Forged Passport, which was first filmed in 1936 as The Leathernecks Have Landed! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Sailors on Leave stars William Lundigan as sailor Chuck Stephens, who has borrowed so much money from his fellow gobs that he's in debt up to his eyelids. Chuck's shipmates decide to get even with him by arranging a "fake" marriage with cafe songstress Shirley Ross that turns out to be genuine. Naturally, the two despise each other, at least until fadeout time. Staving off the inevitable final clinch is a silly subplot involving stolen jewels. Shirley Ross, who three years before this Republic programmer was filmed had introduced "Thanks For the Memory" with Bob Hope in Big Broadcast of 1938 (38), is here paired with the ever-popular Bill Shirley in four forgettable musical interludes. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this entertaining western, Roy Rogers rides to the rescue of ranchers threatened by a drought. With his rousing songs, he rallies the reluctant fellows together to donate a large sum of money to build a new reservoir. Things go well until a gambler gets involved and winds up stealing the $182,000 fund. This angers Rogers who rides out after him and brings him to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

No relation to the 1929 Fox talkie of the same name, Republic's The Girl From Havana offers blonde-bombshell Claire Carleton (normally relegated to supporting roles) as the title character. The film charts the exploits of two oil-drilling buddies, Woody Davis (Dennis O'Keefe) and Tex Moore (Victor Jory) as they ply their trade in sunny Cuba. Woody and Tex come to blows over the affections of the gorgeous Havana (Claire Carleton), but eventually set aside their differences when the plot takes a melodramatic turn. The climax finds Woody posing as a gun-runner in order to expose a Nazi spy ring operating in the Carribean. Steffi Duna, wife of star Dennis O'Keefe, shows up to warble the "authentic" Cubano number "Querido, Take Me Tonight." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The "Lady" of the title is horse-farm owner Penelope Hollis (Ellen Drew), but during the first half of this film, bookie Marty Black (George Raft) only has eyes for Penelope's prize two-year-old. After losing his gambling joint, Marty finds himself with half ownership of the horse as his sole asset. He tries to persuade Penelope to continue racing the horse, but she will have none of this and packs the nag back to her Kentucky farm. Through Marty's persistence, the horse is entered in an important stake race, but in the process is "ridden out" and rendered useless. The enraged Penelope refuses to have anything to do with Marty again unless he changes his reckless ways-which of course he does. The best moment in The Lady's From Kentucky comes at the end, when supporting players Hugh Herbert ("Woo woo!") and ZaSu Pitts ("Oh, dear, oh, my") imitate each other's catch-phrases, a gag repeated the following year by Mae West and W.C. Fields in My Little Chickadee. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A Yank at Oxford was filmed in England at MGM's "sister studio", Elstree. Robert Taylor plays Lee Sheridan, an arrogant young American scholar/athlete who intends to show the "Brits" a thing or two while attending Oxford University. His abrasive attitude grates against the Oxonian students, who retaliate by subjecting Sheridan to a rather humiliating hazing. Romance enters the picture in the form of Molly Beaumont (Maureen O'Sullivan), the sister of Sheridan's chief academic rival Paul Beaumont (Griffith Jones). When Paul faces disgrace over a breach of student ethics, Sheridan nobly shoulders the blame, simultaneously endangering his own future at Oxford and proving that he's really a "right guy" underneath. All is forgiven during the annual rowing competition against Cambridge, with Sheridan coming through in jolly good fashion. Cast as campus vamp Elsa Craddock is the stunningly beautiful Vivien Leigh, still two years away from Gone With the Wind. A Yank at Oxford was remade in 1984 as Oxford Blues, and mercilessly lampooned by Laurel & Hardy in 1940's A Chump at Oxford. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this melodrama the captain of a decrepit boat must get it to port but finds that racketeers are trying to prevent him from making it by sneaking their thugs on board. The henchman are told to sink the barge and the collect upon a substantial insurance policy. They blow a large hole in the hold. The brave captain goes down amidst the rushing water and tries to block it. Meanwhile his philandering wife makes a pass at the second mate, the captain's best friend. The captain successfully saves the ship and comes back on deck. He soon discovers his best friend and his wife ensconced in a passionate clinch. She says that the mate had attacked her and the captain decks him. It is not long before he learns the truth. He and the second mate resume their friendship and the boat is safely sailed to London. There he receives $10,000 from Lloyd's of London for his good work. He also is given a new boat to helm. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi