Richard Crenna Movies
American actor Richard Crenna started out as a radio performer at age 11, demonstrating an astonishing range for one so young. The momentum of his career was unaffected by an army hitch and time spent earning an English degree at the University of Southern California. But even though he was by then in his twenties, Crenna found himself still playing adolescents, notably squeaky-voiced high schooler Walter Denton on the radio comedy Our Miss Brooks. That he was able to play characters of virtually any age was overlooked by movie and TV casting directors, who could see Crenna only in callow-juvenile roles. After making an excellent impression as ballplayer Daffy Dean in the 1953 film Pride of St. Louis, for example, Crenna wasn't cast in another film until the 1955 movie version of Our Miss Brooks--in which, at 29, he was Walter Denton once more. The following year, Crenna decided "to sorta let Walter Denton die," and took a decidedly mature role in the sleazy exploitation film Over-Exposed (1956). It was a fully grown Crenna who took on the role of Luke McCoy on the Walter Brennan TV series The Real McCoys, which ran from 1957 through 1963 and which gave Crenna his first opportunities as a director. After McCoys, Crenna found himself facing potential career standstill again, since it seemed that now he was typed as the rubeish Luke McCoy. This time, however, the actor had impressed enough producers with his dogged work ethic and the range displayed in guest-star appearances. In 1964, Crenna was cast in a prestigious TV drama For the People as assistant DA David Koster, and though the program lasted only one season, Crenna was firmly established as a compelling dramatic actor. Still, and despite solid Richard Crenna film performances in The Sand Pebbles (1966), Body Heat (1981) and The Flamingo Kid (1985), the actor has never completely escaped the spectre of Walter Denton. Crenna was able to conjure up the old adenoidal Denton voice on talk shows of the 1980s and 1990s, and in the action-film spoof Hot Shots: Part Deux, the actor, with an absolute straight face, portrayed Colonel Denton Walters! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1952
Richard Widmark plays a firefighter for the US Forestry Service, a brave man who nevertheless does not believe in taking foolish risks. Widmark is branded a coward by a rookie fireman (Jeffrey Hunter) who holds Widmark responsible for the forest-fire death of the rookie's father. All passions are swept aside when a particularly brutal fire strands Widmark and his men in the middle of unprotected forest. Widmark then realizes that he must attempt to lead the others to well-being. Red Skies of Montana represents the film debut (in an unbilled role) of future TV and film star Richard Crenna. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Widmark, Constance Smith, (more)
- 1952
Pride of St. Louis is the story of one of baseball's most colorful characters, Jerome Herman "Dizzy" Dean. While playing amateur ball in 1928, Dizzy (Dan Dailey) is hired by the St. Louis Cardinals. He spends a year or so playing with the Cards' Texas farm team, during which time he woos and wins department-store clerk Pat Nash (Joanne Dru, who ironically was the real-life aunt of pro baseball player Pete LaCock!) Once in the majors as a pitcher, Dean is joined on the Cards lineup by his younger brother Paul (Richard Crenna), whom the press nicknames "Daffy." Through a combination of spectacular ballplaying and zany publicity stunts, Dizzy and Daffy become nationwide favorites. Their popularity really soars after they help the Cardinals win the 1934 World Series. After this triumph, things begin to go downhill for Dizzy, who endures several injuries and finally "loses" his pitching arm. Dean is rescued from a binge of self-pity by his old friend Johnny Kendall (Richard Hylton), whose dad is a brewery executive. Johnny convinces his dad to sponsor a series of St. Louis Browns radio broadcasts, and to hire Dizzy as a play-by-play announcer. Ol' Diz gets in a lot of trouble with local schoolteachers because of his eccentric grammar ("he slud into third base," etc.) but things eventually turn out A-OK. Pride of St. Louis takes any number of liberties with the facts, but the real Dizzy Dean didn't care so long as 20th Century-Fox ponied up a huge sum of money for the rights to his life story: "Jeez," he said at the time, "they're gonna give me 50,000 smackers just fer livin'!" Future NBC news commentator Chet Huntley shows up in one of the closing scenes as sportscaster Tom Weaver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Dailey, Joanne Dru, (more)
- 1952
Irene Dunne made her final film appearance in the frothy fantasy It Grows on Trees. Looking at least two decades younger than her 52 years, Dunne plays Polly Baxter, the ebullient wife of Phil Baxter (Dean Jagger). Miracle of miracles, two of the trees in Polly's backyard garden begin sprouting paper currency! Assuming that it's genuine mazumah, Polly goes on a spending spree, and also pays off the long-standing mortgage on the house. The money-yielding trees soon become a nationwide sensation, drawing thousands of interested parties to the Baxters' tiny backyard. A major setback is inevitable, but the manner in which the dilemma is solved is both clever and logical. When it isn't concentrating on the plot proper, It Grows on Trees offers some amusing jibes at the U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, and small-town pretentiousness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Irene Dunne, Dean Jagger, (more)
- 1952
A decidedly pre-Rambo Richard Crenna guests in this episode as Arthur Morton, a squeaky-voiced teenager who is the boyfriend of impressionable high schooler Peggy Dawson (Janet Waldo, later the voice of Judy on The Jetsons). Unfortunately, Peggy has dropped Arthur in favor of her new heartthrob -- none other than Ricky Ricardo (Desi Arnaz)! Lucy (Lucille Ball) takes it upon herself to deflect Peggy and help Arthur win back the girl's love, but the plan backfires. Finally, Lucy and Ricky conspire to scare Peggy back into Arthur's arms by posing as the oldest married couple in the world -- and we mean the oldest. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Waldo, Richard Crenna, (more)
- 1956
This forgettable piece of 1950s sleaze stars Cleo Moore as a voluptuous blonde who becomes a successful commercial photographer. Richard Crenna, making a major break from his TV image as Our Miss Brooks' Walter Denton, plays a reporter who takes a special interest in Moore's career. The beauteous picture taker becomes involved in a blackmail plot when she goes to work for a Confidential-type magazine, nearly losing her life to mobsters. It was the opinion of many contemporary reviewers that the title Over-Exposed referred not to the photographs taken by Moore but to the generous amounts of cleavage displayed by the actress' low cut gowns. Though Cleo Moore has become a "cult" favorite thanks to her appearances in the turgid melodramas directed by Hugo Haas, Over-Exposed demonstrates that her minimal acting talent vanished altogether without Haas' guiding hand. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cleo Moore, Richard Crenna, (more)
- 1956
Our Miss Brooks had been a radio and TV sitcom hit thanks to the considerable input of star Eve Arden. The film version of Our Miss Brooks was not quite as successful (why pay for something that you can get at home every week for free?), but it admirably captures the spirit of the original audio and video versions. As ever, high school teacher Connie Brooks (Arden) carries a torch for handsome but clueless biology professor Phillip Boynton (Robert Rockwell, taking over a role created for radio by Jeff Chandler). Connie is finally able to arouse Boynton's attention when she is courted by the father (Don Porter) of a student (Nick Adams) she is tutoring. A subplot involving petty crime can easily be ignored, but there's no avoiding the hilarious fingernails-on-the-blackboard rendition of It's Magic sung by the adenoidal Walter Denton (Richard Crenna). And of course, there's principal Osgood Conklin (Gale Gordon), blowing his top at the slightest provocation. Our Miss Brooks was directed by Al Lewis, who was the chief writer for the radio and TV editions of the property. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eve Arden, Gale Gordon, (more)
- 1963
One of the most heart-warming episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, "Opie the Birdman" begins on a startling note, as Opie accidentally kills a mother bird with his slingshot. After being appropriately chastized by his father Andy, Opie dutifully assumes the responsibility of raising the three orphaned baby birds himself. A further crisis develops when Opie must allow "Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod" to leave the nest for good. Beautifully scripted by Harvey Bullock and sensitively directed by actor Richard Crenna, "Opie the Birdman" was filmed as the fourth episode of the series' 1963-64 season, but was wisely chosen as the season opener on September 30, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
To impress his erstwhile sweetheart Romenia, who simply adores a man in uniform, village idiot Ernest T. Bass tries to join the army, only to be turned down flat. Outraged, Ernest T. goes on another of his rock-throwing frenzies, threatening to break every window in North Carolina. Attempting to mollify Ernest, Andy and Barney discover that, so far as Romenia is concerned, any uniform will do-even one of Barney's hand-me-downs. Written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, "Ernest T. Bass Joins the Army" first aired on October 14, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Morris
- 1963
Helen refuses to accompany Andy to the Chamber of Commerce dance unless he finds a date for her cousin Mary Grace Gossage (Mary Grace Canfield). Gomer Pyle is elected to be Mary Grace's escort-only to apparently jilt the girl right in the middle of the dance! Originally scheduled to air on November 25, 1963, "A Date for Gomer" was bumped to December 9 by CBS' ongoing coverage of the JFK assassination. The episode was written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Encouraged by an enterprising hobo (Douglas Fowley), Opie and his friends begin playing "Robin Hood." Before long, the boys are blithely stealing from the rich and giving to the poor-namely, their pal the hobo. Richard Keith, formerly "Little Ricky" on I Love Lucy, is here seen as Johnny. First broadcast on December 30, 1963, "Opie and His Merry Men" was one of several fourth-season Andy Griffith Show installments written by John Whedon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Gomer is outraged when Barney, dressed in civilian clothes, gives him a ticket for making a U-turn. Barney imperiously declares that he is within his rights to make a citizen's arrest. When Barney makes the same illegal traffic maneuver, it is Gomer's turn to shout "Citizen's array-est! Citizen's array-est!"-thereby starting the ball rolling for a clash of egos which culminates in Barney's resignation. Written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum, "Citizen's Arrest" was originally slated to air on December 9, 1963, but was moved to December 16 to accommodate "A Date for Gomer", which itself had been rescheduled from its original November 25 airdate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
William Keene is cast as the Rev. Hobart M. Tucker, a New York minister visiting Mayberry. Invited to deliver the Sunday sermon, Tucker advises the local citizens to "slow down" and start enjoying life. Taking heart, the locals prepare for a relaxing band concert-and in the process, end up working twice as hard as before! Written by John Whedon, "Sermon for Today" originally aired on October 21, 1963; though filmed as the 100th episode of The Andy Griffith Show, it was the 99th to be shown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Opie invites his new friend Trey Bowden (David A. Bailey) for dinner at the Taylor house. Trey immediately bonds with Andy-so much so that Opie becomes extremely jealous. To teach Opie a lesson about sharing, Andy is obliged to exploit the fragile ego of his own pal Barney. This episode was written by Harvey Bullock and directed by actor Richard Crenna, who'd just finished his own starring TV series The Real McCoys. "Andy and Opie's Pal" first aired on January 13, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Once again, Barney arrests the wrong person (this time it's the bank president!), and once again he finds himself the laughingstock of Mayberry. Andy encourages Barney to forget his troubles and go along on a picnic-during which Andy and Helen briefly get lost in cave. Though the two picnickers manage to find their way back to town, a nervous Barney has already organized a search party-and it is up to Andy to save Barney from yet another humiliation. This is the episode which imparts the vital information that bats lay eggs in your hair and make you go crazy. First telecast on January 6, 1964, "Barney and the Cave Rescue" was written by Harvey Bullock. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
Politics and sports clash in this occasionally funny spoof centered around a downed U2 pilot and an extravagant oil sheik. John Goldfarb (Richard Crenna), a former football player, now pilot, sent on a reconnaissance mission over the Soviet Union, is lost and crash-lands in the Middle Eastern kingdom of Fawzia. King Fawz (Peter Ustinov) is constructing a football team to defeat Notre Dame and demands that Goldfarb coach his team or be handed over as a spy. In the interests of international relations, the U.S. State Department not only complies with King Fawz's request to bring the Notre Dame team to his country but in true diplomatic form insists that they throw the game. The romantic interest appears in the form of Jenny Ericson (Shirley MacLaine), an American reporter on an undercover assignment in the king's harem. A pleasant view in scanty harem garb, she lends mild amusement to the story with attempts to avoid the king's amourous advances. Although the humor falls short of its potential, the film was fortuitously saved from obscurity due to publicity generated by an unsuccessful lawsuit brought agianst the studio by the University of Notre Dame, which objected to a scene involving Notre Dame players fraternizing with harem girls. The screenplay for John Goldfarb, Please Come Home was written by William Peter Blatty who was later known for his award winning novel and screenplay The Exorcist. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shirley MacLaine, Richard Crenna, (more)
- 1966
An American girl finds love and laughter in the City of Lights in this romantic comedy. Maggie Scott (Ann-Margret) works as an assistant to Irene Chase (Edie Adams), a fashion purchaser for a large clothing store. Irene sends Maggie to Paris as her representative for the annual fashion shows of the major European designers; Irene has an ulterior motive, as her son Ted Barclay (Chad Everett) is infatuated with Maggie and she wants to keep him away from her. While in Paris, Maggie strikes up a romance with Marc Fontaine (Louis Jourdan), a handsome Frenchman who was once Irene's boyfriend. However, Maggie is also being pursued by American reporter Herb Stone (Richard Crenna). To add to the confusion, Ted decides to fly to Paris in an effort to win Maggie's heart once and for all. Jazz fans will want to keep an ear open for performances by Count Basie and Mongo Santamaria. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann-Margret, Louis Jourdan, (more)
Steve McQueen received his only Academy Award nomination for his performance in this epic-scale war drama, based on the novel by Richard McKenna. In 1926, as China teeters on the edge of political revolution in the midst of a civil war, the USS San Pablo, is ordered to patrol the Yangtze River to represent and protect American interests. While the San Pablo may be an American ship, much of the labor is actually performed by Chinese locals willing to work for American money, while stern but inexperienced commanding officer Captain Collins (Richard Crenna) frequently drills his charges, unsure what else to do. A machinist's mate with just under a decade of navy service behind him, Jake Holman (Steve McQueen) is assigned to the San Pablo and immediately makes enemies among the crew -- he prefers to do his own work rather than farm it out to others, and the one Chinese man who works by his side, Po Han (Mako), is treated as an apprentice rather than a servant. Holman also falls in love with an idealistic American missionary (Candice Bergen), while his shipmate Frenchy (Richard Attenborough) falls for a Chinese girl and - with marriage plans in mind - kidnaps her to prevent her from being auctioned off. As Holman's methods and attitudes continue to anger his comrades, they find themselves increasingly at odds with the Chinese, especially after Frenchy's girlfriend becomes pregnant and Po Han is captured by revolutionary forces and branded a traitor. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve McQueen, Richard Attenborough, (more)
- 1966
This 60-minute psychological drama stars Richard Crenna in the title role. Wielding a gun, Edward Smalley invades the office of attorney J. Marvin Bean (James Whitmore). The attorney has no idea what this is all about until forced to remember an incident in World War II when Smalley had been accused of treason, and Bean was his court-appointed military attorney. The trial was cancelled before Smalley was given a chance to exonerate himself; the charges were dropped, but the accused man feels that he has never truly been cleared. Cowritten by director Robert Altman (the same), The Long, Lost Life of Edward Smalley was originally telecast in the fall of 1963 on NBC's Kraft Suspense Theatre. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Wait Until Dark is an innovative, highly entertaining and suspenseful thriller about a blind housewife, Susy Hendrix (Audrey Hepburn). Independent and resourceful, Susy is learning to cope with her blindness, which resulted from a recent accident. She is aided by her difficult, slightly unreliable young neighbor Gloria (Julie Herrod) with whom she has an exasperated but lovingly maternal relationship. Susy's life is changed as she is terrorized by a group of criminals who believe she has hidden a baby doll used by them to smuggle heroin into the country. Unknown to Susy, her photographer husband Sam (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) took the doll as a favor for a woman he met on an international plane flight and unwittingly brought the doll to the couple's New York apartment when the woman became afraid of the customs officials. Alone in her apartment and cut-off from the outside world, Susy must fight for her life against a gang of ruthless criminals, led by the violent, psychotic Roat (Alan Arkin). The tension builds as Roat, aided by his gang, impersonates police officers and friends of her husband in order to win Susy's confidence, gaining access to her apartment to look for the doll. The climax of the film, a violent physical confrontation between Susie and Roat in her dark kitchen, is one of the most memorable and frightening scenes in screen history. All performances are outstanding, particularly those of Audrey Hepburn who plays a vulnerable, but self-reliant woman, and Alan Arkin, in perhaps his best role, as the ruthless, manipulative Roat. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, (more)
Touted by 20th Century-Fox as a follow-up to their enormously successful The Sound of Music, Star! reteams that earlier film's leading lady Julie Andrews and director Robert Wise. Andrews plays legendary musical comedy star Gertrude Lawrence, while Daniel Massey appears as Lawrence's friend, co-worker and severest critic Noel Coward (Massey's real-life godfather). The film jumps back and forth in continuity at times, its transitions bridged by fabricated newsreel footage; essentially, however, William Fairchild's script traces Lawrence's progress from ambitious bit actress to the toast of London and Broadway. Her success is offset by a stormy private life, which is given some ballast when she falls in love with an American financier (Richard Crenna). The film is way too long for its own good, though the musical set pieces -- especially the Andrews-Massey duets -- are superb. Julie Andrews welcomed the chance of playing a character as far removed from her goody-two-shoes heroine in Sound of Music as possible; Gertrude Lawrence was temperamental, sarcastic, profane and at times self-destructive, and Andrews makes a meal of the role. Unfortunately, Andrews' fans, conditioned by the Fox publicity machine to expect a continuation of Sound of Music, rejected her outright in this "new" characterization. Star! was a huge box-office bomb, so much so that Fox desperately attempted a shortened re-release under a misleading new title, Those Were The Happy Times. They weren't: it remained a financial disaster, though it has developed a loyal cult following in recent years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna, (more)
- 1969
Get hooked on one of America's favorite outdoor activities. From the American Sportsman video series, Fresh Water Fishing takes you angling in all types of climate and terrain, from Iceland to Africa. The film is hosted by former radio voice of the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, and host of The American Sportsman, Curt Gowdy. Joining Gowdy on the fishing expedition is Richard Crenna, best known as Luke McCoy in the popular 1950s and 1960s television series The Real McCoys, and Peter O'Toole, the leading English actor of the 1960s and 1970s. Crenna and O'Toole try their luck, skill, and patience in hooking tiger fish and the mighty fighting salmon. The film offers celebrity flair and style as the team casts their lines in some of the greatest freshwater fishing spots in the world. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide
