Eddie Davis Movies

Apparently Carl Betz had no immediate offers after wrapping up the TV series Judd for the Defense. Thus it was that Betz scurried off to the Mysterious East to film the modestly budgeted actioner That Lady From Peking. The "maguffin" in this one is a potentially explosive tell-all diary. Betz isn't the only one looking for this item; leading lady Nancy Kwan and a few less attractive, more disreputable types are also on the trail. Featured in the cast are onetime teen singing idol Bobby Rydell and perennial comic foil Sid Melton. That Lady From Peking was directed by Eddie Davis, who cut his teeth on such low-cost 1950s TV series as Highway Patrol and Sea Hunt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a sailor is blackmailed into stealing a valuable panel of stained glass. The trouble begins when the sailor gets into a fight with another and jumps ship in Sydney, Australia. Upon the docks he is knocked out. When he wakes up, he finds himself in a woman's apartment. She is the secretary of a shipping company, and she informs him that the other sailor died during the fight and that he is wanted by the police. A detective calls and confirms this. The shady secretary then offers to make him a deal: if he helps her steal a silver chalice from a museum, she will hide him from the cops. He agrees, but later he learns that what she really wants is a stained glass window from the museum. When she takes off to meet with a corrupt art dealer, the sailor pursues them, enlisting the aid of an attractive insurance investigator. Together, they bring back the priceless window, and the secretary meets her demise when she is smothered in a shower of wheat in a granary. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Monogram's Whip Wilson western series occasionally produced a better-than-average entry. In Range Land, Wilson and saddle pal Andy Clyde try to get the goods on a gang of stagecoach bandits. The robberies are being staged by a "solid citizen" who hopes to accumulate a fortune in gold bars. Whip goes undercover, joins the gang, has a few close shaves, and collars the crooks. And, in keeping with his screen nickname, Wilson wields a mean bullwhip whenever the occasion arises. One of the villains is played by Leonard Penn, the father of actors Sean and Christopher Penn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Haunted Trails is another of the long series of Whip Wilson westerns churned out by Monogram in the late 1940s. As before, Wilson is aided and abetted by grizzled sidekick Andy Clyde, who acts the leading man right off the screen. This is no accident: Adele Buffington's screenplay makes certain that the talented Clyde has the lion's share of the footage, and he makes the most of it. The plot concerns a group of bandits who exploit local rumors about a ghost for their own purposes. The combination of Clyde's buffoonery, Buffington's script and Lambert Hillyer's direction results in one of Whip Wilson's best vehicles (it might even have been better without the stiff and uncomfortable Mr. Wilson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While younger, handsomer actors were off fighting WW2, pudgy, middle-aged James Dunn suddenly found himself playing leading roles again. In Leave It to the Irish, Dunn is cast as private investigator Terry Moran, with Wanda McKay as his peppery assistant Nora O'Brien. The Hibernian hero and heroine join forces to solve the murder of a wealthy furrier. Alas, the trail of evidence leads to Terry as the most likely suspect, compelling Nora to simultaneously solve the case and clear her boss. Practically the only character in Leave It to the Irish who isn't Irish is principal villain Maletti, played by Jack LaRue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a common man pretends to be wealthy, hordes of desperate gold-diggers flock to win his affections. Before long, the deceiver is engaged to three women and must struggle to keep his fiancée from finding out about the ruse. Of course it doesn't take long for the truth to get out, and the scheming lothario to get his due. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide