Rory Calhoun Movies
Handsome leading man Rory Calhoun's successful film and television career spanned well over 50 years. In the mid-1940s,after a difficult childhood and adolescence, Calhoun found work as a lumberjack in Santa Cruz, California. It was while there employed that Calhoun was discovered by actor Alan Ladd, who suggested that the rugged young man give movies a try. Billed as "Frank McCown," Calhoun was signed to a brief contract at 20th Century-Fox, but most of his earliest movie scenes (including a sizeable supporting role in the Laurel and Hardy vehicle The Bullfighters) ended up on the cutting room floor. Free-lancing in the late 1940s, Calhoun first attracted a fan-following with his supporting role as a high-school lothario in 1948's The Red House. He returned to Fox in 1950, enjoying major roles in such films as How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and River of No Return (1955). Established as a western player by the late 1950s, Calhoun starred on the popular TV western The Texan from 1958 through 1960. He spent his spare time writing, publishing at least one novel, The Man From Padeira. From 1949 through 1970, Calhoun was married to actress Lita Baron. Perpetuating his career into the 1980s and '90s, a more weather-beaten Rory Calhoun was seen in the lead of the satirical horror film Motel Hell (1980), was quite funny as a washed-up macho movie star in Avenging Angel (1985), and stole the show from ostensible leading-man George Strait in Pure Country (1992). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1957
Obviously inspired by such films as The Asphalt Jungle and The Killing, The Big Caper takes place in a small town with a large bank. James Gregory plays the leader of a gang of thieves who intends to knock over the bank--but not without meticulous pre-planning. In the months prior to the holdup, gang members Rory Calhoun and Mary Costa (a popular opera star making her dramatic film debut) gain the confidence of the townspeople by posing as the husband-and-wife owners of a local gas station. When Gregory makes it clear that he plans to blow up a school to create a diversion, Calhoun and Costa decide to go straight in a hurry. The Big Caper was directed by Robert Stevens, best known for his work on such TV anthologies as Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Mary Costa, (more)
- 1957
Rory Calhoun both starred in and put up the money for the Columbia oater The Domino Kid. As the title character, Calhoun's mission in life is to rid the earth of the five outlaws who destroyed his ranch and killed his father. Before the film is ten minutes old, the Domino Kid has killed four of the five miscreants. Before he can mete out retribution to the fifth man, however, Domino must contend with cattle baron Wade Harrington (Andrew Duggan)--not to mention a few romantic entanglements with winsome Barbara Ellison (Kristine Miller) and tempestuous Rosita (Yvette Dugay). Had not Rory Calhoun committed himself to the TV western The Texan, The Domino Kid would have presaged a series of economical western vehicles for Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Kristine Miller, (more)
- 1956
Raw Edge is a modest Universal western from the peak of the double-feature era. Rory Calhoun plays a rancher whose "equal opportunity" hiring policies backfire. Calhoun learns that several of his ranch hands plan to kill him and take over the property. The treacherous employees further intend claim Calhoun's widow-to-be (Yvonne de Carlo) along with the ranch. Mara Corday plays the other woman in Calhoun's life: Can she, or anyone else in this picture, be trusted? While the plotline of Raw Edge has its esoteric moments, the film is brought down to earth by the perfunctory direction of John Sherwood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Yvonne De Carlo, (more)
- 1956
Strong acting and direction overcomes the more cliched aspects of Red Sundown. It all begins when gunslinger Alec Longmire (Rory Calhoun), weary of living up to his reputation, decides to hang up his firearms and start life anew as a cowpuncher. Before long, however, Alec is obliged to strap on his shooting irons as the deputy of sheriff Jade Murphy (Dean Jagger). It's for a good cause, of course: Murphy hopes to avoid a violent range war with a nonviolent show of force. Will Longmire be able to keep the peace without resorting to his six-guns, or will his hand be forced by crooked land baron Rufus Henshaw (Robert Middleton) and Henshaw's menacing hired gun Chet Swann (Robert Middleton)? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Martha Hyer, (more)
- 1956
Tony Dumont (Rory Calhoun) is none too trustworthy at the beginning of Flight to Hong Kong. A dealer in contraband goods, Dumont is the bane of his girlfriend Jean Blake's (Dolores Donlon) existence. She wants him to go straight, but the other woman in his life, novelist Pamela Vincent (Barbara Rush), wants him to remain a crook--the better to provide material for a book she's writing. Dumont has a belated change of heart when he steps on the toes of the Mob once too often. Flight to Hong Kong also includes brief stopovers in San Francisco, Honolulu, Tangiers and Macao. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Barbara Rush, (more)
- 1955
Filmed on location, Treasure of Pancho Villa stars Rory Calhoun as a mercenary at large during Mexico's civil war. Though he'll sell his services to the highest bidder, Calhoun is eventually won over to Pancho Villa's cause by patriot Gilbert Roland and former aristocrat Shelley Winters. Before this happens, however, our hero (who doesn't behave like one) wheels and deals to get his hands on a cache of gold. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that the film borrows liberally from Treasure of Sierra Madre. While the dialogue passages in Treasure of Pancho Villa can be tiresome, the film is saved by its literally explosive action highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Shelley Winters, (more)
- 1955
While John Ford and Howard Hawks received all the critical plaudits, Lesley Selander quietly went about his business directing some of the best westerns of the 1950s. In Selander's Shotgun, deputy sheriff Clay (Sterling Hayden) embarks upon a long, vengeful journey to track down Thompson (Guy Prescott), the man responsible for his boss' murder. Packing a sawed-off, double-barrelled shotgun for this purpose, Clay also carries a rifle and sixgun for such "lesser" threats as marauding Indians. Rescuing half-breed Abby (Yvonne de Carlo) from certain death, Clay takes her along on his manhunt, and later the two travellers are joined by bounty hunter Reb (Zachary Scott), who intends to get to Thompson first to collect the reward on the fugitive's head. Naturally, a bitter romantic triangle arises involving Clay, Abby and Reb, but this is briefly set aside when Thompson is finally cornered. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sterling Hayden, Zachary Scott, (more)
- 1955
Actor Abner Biberman specialized in unpleasant characters; when he turned director in the mid-1950s, he specialized in unpleasant subjects. The Looters is a marked-down variation of the Spencer Tracy film The Mountain. When a plane crashes on Pike's Peak, a group of mercenaries agree to search for survivors. The real motivation of some members of the rescue party is to strip the plane of all valuables, and to dispose of awkward witnesses. But a handful of the crash survivors also have looting on their minds, leading to a bloody clash in the snowy crags. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Julie Adams, (more)
- 1955
In this lively musical a chorine hooks a successful businessman and becomes the snob she thinks he expects her to be. This is a problem, because he fell in love with her because she was so earthy and fun. Now that she has become refined and aloof, he is bored. Fortunately, just as he is leaving, the plucky girl sees the error of her ways and marital bliss ensues. Songs include: "Ain't Misbehavin'", "The Dixie Mambo", "I Love That Rickey, Tickey, Tickey", and "A Little Love Can Go a Long Way". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Piper Laurie, (more)
- 1955
The Spoilers is the fourth and (very likely) last film version of Rex Beach's rugged Alaskan adventure yarn. Set during the Gold Rush of '98, the film stars Jeff Chandler as mine owner Roy Glennister, cheated out of his claim by gold commissioner Alex McNamara (Rory Calhoun). Though Glennister protests, the crooked McNamara has the law on his side. Saloonkeeper Cherry Malotte (Ann Baxter) constantly shifts her allegiance between Glennister and McNamara, though eventually she chooses the "right" side. Like all previous versions of The Spoilers, this one ends with a knock-down, drag-out fight between Glennister and McNamara--not as realistic, perhaps, as the famous bout between William Farnum and Tom Santschi in the original 1914 adaptation of The Spoilers, but a heck of a lot more exciting. Raymond Walburn makes his final film appearance as town inebriate Mr. Skinner. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Baxter, Jeff Chandler, (more)
- 1954
Actor Richard Carlson learned how to direct while starring in his popular TV series I Led Three Lives, then extended his directorial expertise to such theatrical second features as Four Guns to the Border. Rory Calhoun, George Nader, and Jay "Tonto" Silverheels play three desperate bank robbers who are halted in their escape by the plight of Colleen Miller and Walter Brennan. Miller and Brennan will be at the mercy of marauding Apaches unless the three desperadoes offer their services. Miller shows her gratitude to Calhoun with a steamy love scene that must have given the censors of 1954 conniptions. Four Guns to the Border ends on a sorrowful note, indicating that Richard Carlson wasn't preoccupied by cliches when occupying the director's chair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Colleen Miller, (more)
- 1954
The Yellow Tomahawk stars Rory Calhoun as a Wyoming Indian scout who forms a strong friendship with Cheyenne warrior Lee Van Cleef. Their relationship is sorely tested when martinet army major Warner Anderson inaugurates a vicious anti-Indian policy, targetted at the Cheyenne women and children. Despite valiant efforts to stem the carnage, Calhoun is eventually forced into a fight to the finish with the understandably vengeful Van Cleef. Much-needed comedy relief is provided by Noah Beery Jr. as a Mexican (!) and Rita Moreno as Beery's Indian bride. Peggie Castle costars as Calhoun's white love interest. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Peggie Castle, (more)
- 1954
A young woman (Jean Simmons) manages a remote California sheep ranch with her father (Brian Aherne). A plane carrying a sheriff (Stephen McNally) and a man indicted for manslaughter (Rory Calhoun) crashes nearby. Both men are cared for by the girl, who doesn't know at first which is the cop and which is the criminal. She falls in love with the convicted man and believes protestations of innocence, but the vindictive sheriff tries to dissuade her of these feelings. Given several chances to finish each other off, both sheriff and convict relent. Under the influence of the girl, they agree to return to Utah together, where (it is implied) the criminal will be given a bias-free trial. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jean Simmons, Rory Calhoun, (more)
Director Otto Preminger's only western, River of No Return is set in Canada during the 19th century Gold Rush. Farmer Matt Calder (Robert Mitchum) is released from prison after serving a sentence for shooting a man in the back to protect a friend. He arrives in a small town to retrieve his young son, Mark (Tommy Rettig), who has befriended a sultry saloon singer, Kay (Marilyn Monroe). Matt is also friendly with Kay, and thanks her profusely for looking after Mark, but distrusts her paramour, Harry Weston (Rory Calhoun)- a gambler with the morals of an alley cat. Matt and Mark return to their rural homestead, but soon glimpse Kay and Harry on a sinking raft, apparently en route to make good on a gold claim; Matt rescues the two of them, but doesn't count on Harry doing an about face, beating him up, and stealing his horse and gun; Kay stays behind to look after Matt. Meanwhile, the Indians go on the warpath, and the defenseless trio decides to seek refuge by fleeing the farm and sailing down the river on a raft. En route, the son - thanks to Kay's doing - is unexpectedly disillusioned about the father's original crime. Moreover, as Matt approaches town, he begins to plot a decisive revenge against Harry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Marilyn Monroe, (more)
- 1954
Rory Calhoun stars as veteran gunfighter Brett Wade in Dawn at Socorro. In a lengthy flashback, the audience learns why Wade has hung up his guns and turned to gambling. Upon meeting dance-hall girl Rannah Hayes (Piper Laurie), he vows to take her out of the shady saloon run by Dick Braden (David Brian). He engages Braden in a card game, winner take all, with Rannah as the stakes--only to lose everything. Sorely tempted to strap on his guns again to claim Rannah, Wade is saved from this fateful decision by the timely arrival of another notorious fast gun, Jimmy Rapp (Alex Nicol). Less of a traditional western than a character study, Dawn at Socorro received better-than-usual reviews when it first came out in July of 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Piper Laurie, (more)
- 1953
A climactic donnybrook between hero Allan Lane and ace Republic villain Roy Barcroft is the highlight of this otherwise routine B-Western effort directed by John Ford's nephew Philip Ford. The railroad is coming to El Dorado on the Powder River and a phony agent, Devereaux (Douglas Evans), persuades the citizens that they must come up with $50,000 within three days or the building project may be in trouble. "Rocky" Lane, who is a genuine railroad man, knows that Devereaux is only an actor hired to swindle the good folks of El Dorado and that the real representative, Bob Manning (Bruce Edwards), may be in danger. The plot thickens when Manning's wife, Louise (Gerry Gantzer), arrives in El Dorado and immediately becomes a target of the swindlers. Using a phony telegram, Lane manages to flush out the leader of the gang, local tailor Shears Williams (Francis McDonald), but is then falsely accused of pocketing the $50,000 himself. Managing to prove his innocence, "Rocky" tracks down the villains in the tailor shop where a furious fight between good and evil ensues. Although stabbed in the shoulder, Lane succeeds in disarming his opponents. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Corinne Calvet, (more)
A remake of 1933's The Greeks Had a Word for Them, as well as a retread of 20th Century-Fox's favorite plotline, How to Marry a Millionaire was the first Hollywood comedy to be lensed in Cinemascope. Lauren Bacall, Betty Grable and Marilyn Monroe play three models of modest means who rent an expensive Manhattan penthouse apartment and pose as women of wealth. It's all part of a scheme hatched by Bacall to snare rich husbands for herself and her roommates. The near-sighted Monroe is wooed by an international playboy, but ends up settling for the tax-dodging fugitive (David Wayne) who owns the girls' apartment. The knuckle-headed Grable goes off on an illicit weekend in the mountains with a grouchy married executive (Fred Clark), but falls instead for a comparatively poor--but very handsome--forest ranger (Rory Calhoun). And Bacall very nearly lands an aging millionaire (William Powell), but has a sudden attack of conscience and opts instead for the supposedly poverty-stricken chap (Cameron Mitchell) who has been pursuing her since reel one. It turns out that she has actually landed one of the richest men in New York--and upon learning this, our three luscious heroines faint dead away. Before the opening credits roll in How to Marry a Millionaire, we are treated to a "live" orchestral rendition of Alfred Newman's "Street Scene" overture, conducted by Newman himself. In addition to its being the first wide-screen comedy, Millionaire was also the first-ever presentation of the weekly NBC series Saturday Night at the Movies, premiering on the small screen on September 23, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, (more)
- 1953
The Silver Whip stars Dale Robertson as Race Crim, the guard on a stage coach driven by his best friend, young Jess Harker (Robert Wagner). Wounded during a holdup, Crim vows to get even with bandit Slater (John Kellogg). Meanwhile, Harker, fired from his job as driver, manages to become the deputy for Sheriff Tom Davisson (Rory Calhoun). When the sheriff captures Slater and throws him in jail, a lynch mob, headed by Crim, converges upon the jailhouse. Harker is placed in a delicate dilemma: should he protect Slater and uphold justice, or should he allow his old friend Crim to satisfy his thirst for vengeance? The Silver Whip was based on a novel by Jack Schaefer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dale Robertson, Rory Calhoun, (more)
- 1952
Producer/writer Philip Dunne adapted the screenplay of Way of a Gaucho from the novel by Herbert Childs. Largely filmed on location in Argentina, this is the story of Martin (Rory Calhoun), a freewheeling gaucho of the 1870s. Resenting the incursions of civilization, Martin accidentally kills a man while asserting his independence. To avoid a prison sentence, he signs up with the army, but soon deserts to form an outlaw band. Salinas (Richard Boone), Martin's former commanding officer, makes it his mission in life to bring Martin to justice. Gene Tierney co-stars as socialite Teresa, who stands by Martin through thick and thin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Gene Tierney, (more)
With a Song in My Heart is the story of popular 1930s songstress Jane Froman, here portrayed by Susan Hayward. We first see Ms. Froman as a humble staff singer at a Cincinnati radio stations, but it doesn't take her long to rise to the uppermost rungs of network radio fame. Jane gratefully marries her agent (David Wayne), but soon both realize they're not truly in love. While touring with the USO during World War II, Jane is in a plane crash, which severely injures her. She nonetheless valiantly makes a professional comeback, and begins a relationship with the pilot (Rory Calhoun) who rescued her. Jane Froman herself provided the vocals for With a Song in My Heart, with Susan Hayward doing a topnotch miming job. Watch for Robert Wagner in his starmaking cameo as a shell-shocked GI. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, (more)
- 1951
In this inspiring drama, William Thompson (William Lundigan) is a minister from the deep South who has recently married Mary Elizabeth (Susan Hayward), a woman from the city. William is assigned a new parish and moves with Mary Elizabeth to a small town in Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains, where he tends to the spiritual and emotional needs of his small flock. William's faith and inner strength helps guide the town through a major epidemic, while he must also deal with the troubles of Jenny (Barbara Bates), a woman who loves roughneck Jack (Rory Calhoun) against the will of her father; and Mr. Salter (Alexander Knox), a bitter atheist who resists William's attempts to teach him and his children the message of God's love. I'd Climb the Highest Mountain was adapted from the popular novel by Cora Harris. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Hayward, William Lundigan, (more)
- 1951
Rogue River stars Rory Calhoun as Ownie Rodgers, the nephew of crooked Oregon police chief Joe Dandridge (Frank Fenton). A $70,000 windfall, bequeathed to Dandridge by a man he'd once framed on a bank robbery charge, unleashes innumerable family skeletons. Ownie is obliged to solve the long-ago bank job himself, and in so doing he discovers that his "faithful" girl friend Judy (Ellye Marshall) was in on the scheme. The last-minute return of Dandridge's estranged son Pete (Peter Graves) leads to an ending that cannot truly be described as happy. More talky than most westerns of the era, Rogue River still contains much to please the eye, especially when one is lucky enough to see an original Cinecolor print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Peter Graves, (more)
- 1951
Delilah and Jeff (Betty Grable and MacDonald Carey) are a successful show-business team, but less successful as husband and wife. Finding that her producer hubby is unfaithful, musical-comedy star Delilah walks out on him, heading for Miami, where she got her start. In the process, Delilah feigns amnesia, then inaugurates a romance with a Miami playboy (Rory Calhoun). His jealousy aroused, Jeff heads to Miami to reclaim his wife, but she leads him on quite a merry chase until she finally allows herself to get caught. One of several 20th Century-Fox musicals produced by comedian George Jessel, Meet Me After the Show is a standard-issue Betty Grable vehicle, highlighted by several sprightly musical numbers, including a captivating routine with Grable and an uncredited Jack Cole and Gwen Verdon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Betty Grable, MacDonald Carey, (more)
- 1950
A Ticket to Tomahawk has sometimes been described as a musical western satire, but in fact is more "straight" western than anything else--not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. Dan Dailey plays a travelling medicine show entrepreneur who comes to the aid of fast-shootin' Anne Baxter, daughter of a railroad man. Stagecoach line representative Rory Calhoun is doing everything he can to prevent a new train service from winning a Colorado territory franchise. The whole affair boils down to a race between the train and Calhoun's coaches. The film's never-take-a-breath action scenes are played out against some of the most gorgeous Colorado scenery ever captured on Technicolor. A Ticket to Tomahawk has achieved latter-day fame due to the unbilled presence of Marilyn Monroe as one of Dan Dailey's chorus gals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Dailey, Anne Baxter, (more)
- 1950
With Return of the Frontiersman, Warner Bros. continued to test the acting abilities of their singing star Gordon MacRae. While he does get to warble two songs, MacRae plays it straight for the most part in his role as Logan Barrett, the son of hard-bitten sheriff Sam Barrett (Jack Holt). Villain Larrabee (Rory Calhoun) frames Logan for a series of robberies, forcing the sheriff to lead a posse after his own son. Our Hero is aided and abetted by the daughter (Julie London, who surprisingly doesn't get to sing) of the town sawbones. With the exceptions of Jack Holt and Rory Calhoun, most of the supporting cast -- Fred Clark, Matt McHugh et. al. -- seem slightly out of place in western garb. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon MacRae, Julie London, (more)
