Barry Brooks Movies
- 1969
Among the civilians encountered by Officers Jim Reed (Kent McCord) and Pete Malloy (Martin Milner) in this episode is elderly Mr. Saulsberry (Richard Hale) who is determined to leave Los Angeles and walk back to his home town--Deadwood, South Dakota. Elsewhere, the two patrolmen investigate a holdup at a service station, and shoot it out with three desperate criminals. Future Emergency! regular Marco Lopez appears unbilled. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1968
Cissy (Kathy Garver) has been assigned to babysit the twins while Uncle Bill (Brian Keith) is in Hong Kong on business and Mr. French (Sebastian Cabot) is likewise occupied elsewhere. But when Cissy has a chance to go to a concert, she prevails upon her friend Sharon (Sherry Alberoni) to look after the kids. This sets off a chain reaction of hilarious havoc: Sharon comes down with the measles, Sharon's mother (Doris Singleton) assumes the babysitting duties before she too must leave, and the twins end up in the care of Sharon's father (Walter Sande). and his poker-playing buddies. Somehow this messes straightens itself out in a roundabout fashion that also solves Bill's problems with a nagging toothache! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Claiming to have seen the One-Armed Man on the night of Helen Kimble's murder, Army captain James Eckhardt sends a letter to Donna Taft (Jacqueline Scott), the sister of fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen). When asked why he hasn't previously come forth with this valuable information, Eckhardt explains that he was stationed in Europe at the time of Kimble's trial. Accepting this story, Kimble is prepared to turn himself over to Lt. Gerard (Barry Morse) so that he can appear at a court hearing...until he learns a terrible secret about the troubled Captain Eckhardt. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1965
Starlet Reggie Lansfield (Jean Hale) is hired as a stand-in for Victoria Dawn (Patrice Wymore), a once-popular actress and swimming star who plans to revitalize her career by staging a spectacular publicity stunt. Posing as Victoria, Reggie is to swim the entire length of the Catalina Channel--but the stunt is spoiled when the girl is rescued by boat captain Charlie Shaw (played by Bill Williams, the husband of Perry Mason costar Barbara Hale. Nor is this the end of Reggie's troubles: Victoria turns up murdered, and the hapless "double" is charged with the crime. Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) dives into the case to prevent Reggie from going belly-up at San Quentin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1964
The senatorial campaign between Jason Foster (Richard Anderson) and Randolph Cartwell (Stewart Moss) gets down and dirty when political boss Harry Margis (Patrick McVey) tries to set up Foster's sister as a pawn in a fabricated scandal, using her romance with Cardwell's stepson David (Stewart Moss) as a means to an end. When David is murdered, suspicion falls upon Jason's wife Margaret (Jan Shepard), who thinks that Jason is the killer--and as such, refuses to cooperate with Perry Mason as he tries to defend her in court. Appearing as the ingenue Susan Foster is future Hollywood producer and studio executive Lynn Loring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
Not long after divorcing his wife Valerie (Julie Adams), Roy Comstock (John Conte) apparently commits suicide. In truth, both the divorce and the phony suicide are part of an elaborate scheme to swindle Comstock's partner Peter Brent (Carleton Carpenter). When Comstock turns up dead for real, it is Brent who is charged with murder--whereupon Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) sets about to untangle the web of deceit that has already enmeshed this sordid affair. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1961
The second season of Twilight Zone came to a powerful conclusion with this Rod Serling-scripted "message" drama. In a futuristic society where books and religion have been outlawed, librarian Romney Wordsworth stands on trial for his life. Adjudged "obsolete" by the imperious Chancellor (Fritz Weaver), Wordsworth is sentenced to death, whereupon he makes one last, unusual request: He wants to have his execution televised, and he wants the Chancellor to be in attendance. The episode's Kafkaesque ending might have packed even more of a punch had director Eliot Silverstein's original concept been carried out to the fullest. "The Obsolete Man" was originally telecast June 2, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burgess Meredith, Fritz Weaver, (more)
- 1960
Widow Carol Taylor (Rebecca Welles) hires Perry (Raymond Burr) to prove that her late husband didn't steal $130,000 before his death in a plane crash. As it turns out, Carol will need Perry more than she imagined: when Howard Walters (Simon Oakland) turns up murdered, Carol is arrested for the crime. While mounting Carol's defense, Perry unearths a hotbed of intrigue involving (among other things) a double murder and some VERY creative bookkeeping. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Wealthy Morgan Gibbs (Robert F. Simon) hires Paladin (Richard Boone) to locate Gibbs' son David (Bud Slater), a fugitive from justice, and bring him back alive. Shortly thereafter, Paladin returns with David's dead body in tow. Accused of murdering the boy in order to collect a $500 body, Paladin is himself put on trial--and the jury has been hand-picked by the vengeful Morgan Gibbs. One of the best episodes of the series' third season, this one is a real treat for movie buffs, filled to overflowing with an abundance of familiar faces in the supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Sarah Werner (Osa Massen) begs Perry to locate her husband Hugo (Kurt Krueger), who ran off with all her money, leaving her alone and destitute. Perry's secretary Della suspects that Sarah isn't being entirely truthful, especially since the woman is wearing a very expensive perfume. As for Hugo--or as he is now calling himself, Hans Breel--he is currently involved in an elaborate scam involving a priceless gem called the Pundit Stone. When Hugo turns up murdered, Sarah is accused of the crime, whereupon Perry does some diligent digging into the facts (some of which are actually fallacies) to clear his client. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Botany teacher Norman Logan (Dick York) is surprised to find that his bank account is short 200 dollars. Reporting this loss as an error, Norman confronts officious clerk Mr. Tritt (Philip Coolidge), who insists that the bank never, but never, makes a mistake. To prove Tritt wrong, and to extract a personal vengeance, Norman decides to get his money back by way of a nocturnal robbery -- with the "dusty drawer" of the title figuring prominently in the outcome of the story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Wealthy widow Matilda Benson (Kathryn Givney) rules over her children like a dowager empress, threatening to cut them out of her will for the slightest infraction. Even so, the children can't help but get involved with crooked gambler Danny Barker (Robert Strauss), who ends up murdered after threatening to bring scandal upon the Benson family. It is Sylvia Benson (Patricia Cutts) whom the police arrest for the crime, and it is Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) who rushes to Sylvia's defense. This episode is based on a 1937 novel by Perry Mason creator Erle Stanley Gardner, which was previously adapted as the 1940 theatrical film Granny Get Your Gun--with Perry Mason written out of the story! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1958
Bing Russell, the father of film star Kurt Russell, is here cast as Andy Dawes, a mentally retarded man who is accused of murder. Hoping to save Andy from a lynching, the town's sheriff (Kurt Swenson) turns to Paladin (Richard Boone) from help. It soon develops that Andy has little idea why he has been jailed--but the sheriff's lady friend Julia Grayson (Barrie Chase) knows more than she is letting on. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
Bret and Bart Maverick (James Garner, Jack Kelly) bid on the salvage rights to a derelict cargo ship, the Apolonia. It turns out that someone is willing to commit murder to steal those rights away--which naturally arouses the curiosity of the Mavericks. In their efforts to determine why the sunken cargo is so valuable, our heroes find themselves up against a gang of drug smugglers. This episode is adapted from The Wrecker, a novel by Robert Louis Stevenson and Lloyd Osbourne. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1957
If it worked for Frank Sinatra... Singing star Johnny Desmond goes dramatic in the low-budget Escape From San Quentin. Desmond plays escaped convict Mike Gilbert, who goes on the lam with fellow prisoners Gruber (Richard Devon) and Graham (Roy Engel). While hiding from the law, Gilbert comes to realize that he's fallen in love with Robbie (Merry Anders), the sister of his ex-wife (Peggy Maley). Through Robbie's influence, Gilbert decides to go straight, but his cohorts aren't quite so willing to reform. Like most Sam Katzman quickies of the era, Escape from San Quentin was loosely based on a true story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Desmond, Merry Anders, (more)
Up until its surisingly mundane finale, A Lawless Street is one of the best of the Randolph Scott westerns of the 1950s. Scott plays famed marshal Calem Ware, whose strenous activities on behalf of law and order have exacted a toll on his personal life. Keeping the peace in the town of Medicine Bend, Ware hopes to someday be reconciled with his ex-wife Tally Dickinson (Angela Lansbury), now a touring musical comedy star. Just as Tally arrives in Medicine Bend, Ware is forced to deal with big-time criminals Thorne (Warner Anderson) and Clark (John Emery), not to mention their hired gun Baskam (Michael Pate). Will he do his duty and rid the town of his outlaw element, or will he hang up his guns as Tally wants him to? One of the highlights of A Lawless Street is a lively saloon-hall number performed by Angela Lansbury, who is quite a dish in her revealing stage wardrobe. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Angela Lansbury, (more)
- 1953
"Her Salome Will Steal Your Breath Away" was the classic advertising slogan attached to this opulent Rita Hayworth epic -- a slogan which became laughable whenever a radio announcer would mispronounce Salome as "salami." Using the very sketchy Biblical story of the death of John the Baptist as its springboard, Salome depicts its title character, the stepdaughter of King Herod, as a victim of circumstance rather than a wanton temptress. Banished from Rome because of an unfortunate romance with the nephew of Caesar, Salome (Rita Hayworth) declares that all men are her enemies, but her resolve weakens when she falls in love with Claudius (Stewart Granger), the military commander of Galilee. Meanwhile, Salome's wicked mother, Herodias (Judith Anderson), plots the demise of John the Baptist (Alan Badel), who currently enjoys the protection of the superstitious Herod (Charles Laughton). At this point, the story departs radically from Scripture. Salome is no longer coerced by Herodias to demand the head of John the Baptist; instead, Herodias, on her own, promises Herod that Salome will perform the "Dance of the Seven Veils" for him -- but only if he beheads John first (Salome has been misinformed that the dance will save John from the headsman's sword). Somehow, scriptwriter Jesse Lasky Jr. even manages to concoct a happy ending for poor Salome, which is a lot more than Oscar Wilde or Richard Strauss were able to do. Considered an artistic flop in 1953, Salome seems somewhat better today, if only because of that powerhouse cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rita Hayworth, Stewart Granger, (more)
Randolph Scott makes his 3-D debut in the stereoscopic western Stranger Wore a Gun. This time, Scott plays Jeff Travis, a former spy for Quantrill's Raiders. When he heads to Arizona to start life anew, Travis finds that his reputation has preceded him: crooked Jules Mourret (George Macready) hires him to monitor a series of gold shipments, in preparation for a major robbery. Eventually, Travis falls in love with Shelby Conroy (Joan Weldon), daughter of freight-line operator Jason Conroy (Pierre Watkin), and decides to turn honest. That won't be easy: in addition to the surly Mourret, Travis must deal with such formidable movie heavies as Alfonso Bedoya, Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine. Also on hand is Claire Trevor, in a soft-pedalled variation of her role in John Ford's Stagecoach. Stranger Wore a Gun was directed by Andre DeToth, whose previous foray into 3D had been the box-office smash House of Wax. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Claire Trevor, (more)
- 1952
In this lively adventure, an American ambassador arrives in India as it prepares to fight a civil war. He soon learns that it is his old friend who has been insighting the conflict. Unfortunately, the troublemaker is killed, but before he expires, he tells the diplomat that a trainload of explosives is set to blow up another train carrying an important Indian prince. The assassins know the diplomat knows of the plot and he becomes their next target. At the same time, he is also accused of his pal's murder. The brave ambassador then goes on to risk his own life to save that of the prince. He does, his name is cleared, and the war is stopped. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Hall, Christine Larson, (more)
- 1952
The "regeneration" of blacklisted director Edward Dmytryk was expedited when he was hired by producer Stanley Kramer to helm the location-filmed melodrama The Sniper. In the interests of political expediency, Dmytrk was required to direct Adolphe Menjou, one of the most virulent Red-baiters of the HUAC hearings. Shorn of his trademarked mustache, and with his famous expensive wardrobe replaced by a humdrum business suit, Menjou turns in one of his best performances as a world-weary San Francisco detective assigned to track down a mad sniper. From the beginning, the audience knows that the criminal is psycho Eddie Miller (Arthur Franz), who is possessed of the notion that he must kill every beautiful brunette woman who crosses his path. Some audience sympathy is elicited by Miller's pathetic attempts to rid himself of his obsession, but this never gets in the way of the film's suspense. The excellent supporting cast includes Richard Kiley as a police psychiatrist, Marie Windsor as Miller's first victim, and Mabel Paige as the sniper's snoopy landlady. An unbilled Wally Cox shows up briefly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adolphe Menjou, Arthur Franz, (more)
Kansas City Confidential, Phil Karlson's low (low) budget, B-grade film noir, opens on a Kansas City armored-car robbery perpetrated by cynical, corrupt ex-policeman Timothy Foster (Preston S. Foster). Foster devises an outrageous scheme: he will recruit three of the most vicious and unrelenting criminals he can find (screen heavies Lee Van Cleef, Jack Elam and Neville Brand) to undertake a robbery, blackmailing them into the heist with incriminating evidence from other "jobs." As an eccentric and clever conceit, Foster forces each of the perpetrators to wear masks, thus concealing their identities from one another and preventing the old pitfall of the men squealing and backstabbing. The heist comes off without a scratch, but a complication arises when the ignorant cops pick up an unrelated fellow, Joe Rolfe (John Payne) for his ownership of a van similar to the one used in the caper. In time, Rolfe is cleared, but he grows irate over the accusations and sets off to find Foster and co. and teach them a lesson. He finally happens upon one of the perpetrators in Mexico, beats him nearly to death, and assumes the victim's identity - and that's when things really get complicated. Though produced under the Hays Code censorship regulations, Kansas City Confidential constituted one of the most brutal and violent crime pictures made up through that time; as such, it retains historical significance. It also claims a strong cult following. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Payne, Coleen Gray, (more)
- 1952
Lloyd Bacon wrapped up his lengthy directorial career with the innocuous comedy She Couldn't Say No. "She" is a young heiress named Corby (Jean Simmons), who visits the small town of Progress, Arkansas, hoping to repay a good deed. It seems that, when Corby was a child, the villagers had all donated money to pay for her life-saving operation. Now she intends to reward the villagers by anonymously donating all sorts of financial boons and civic improvements. This serves only to stir up resentment against our well-intentioned heroine. Particularly offended is local doctor Robert Mitchum, who rightly sees Corby's beneficence as an invitation for every hustler and con-artist on earth to descend upon Progress. What Doc Mitchum can't foresee (though the audience can) is that he'll fall head over heels in love with Corby before fadeout time. With She Couldn't Say No, Jean Simmons fulfilled her contractual obligations to RKO, freeing her for more prestigious assignments like Desiree and Guys and Dolls. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Jean Simmons, (more)
- 1951
An insurance investigator, a dame with a yen for the finer things in life and a mail robbery gone horribly wrong are the ingredients in this low-budget but highly engrossing film noir. Charles McGraw and Louis Jean Heydt are tough insurance agents but their partnership comes in for some rough sailing when he former falls head over heels for Joan Dixon, a lady apparently not averse to letting herself be wined and dined by an obvious gang leader (Lowell Gilmore). In an attempt to win the lady's favors, McGraw concocts a plan to rob a mail train insured by his own company. Too late does he discover that the girl is perfectly willing to accept him as he is. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles McGraw, Joan Dixon, (more)
- 1951
The aggressively Irish Maureen O'Hara and the staunchly American Jeff Chandler are cast as Arabian Nights types in Flame of Araby. Chandler plays Tamerlaine, a Bedouin chief who is engaged in a hunt for a legendary black stallion. Also coveting the prize steed is Tunisian princess Tanya (O'Hara), who wants to capture the horse to race in competition against her hated brothers Borka (Lon Chaney) and Hakim (Buddy Baer). After reels and reels of deadly rivalry, Tamerlaine decides to join forces with Tanya to trap the stallion--and in the process, the two fall in love. Listed as associate producer of Flame of Araby is Ross Hunter, whose later cinematic efforts would eschew desert-sands escapism in favor of lush soap operas and frothy sex comedies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Hara, Jeff Chandler, (more)
- 1951
This period melodrama stars Ava Gardner as Barbara Beaurevel, a woman who inherits a substantial fortune from her grandmother. The source of the Beaurevel estate is a subject much whispered about among polite company, but Barbara hopes to wipe away its stigma by using her money to help others through good works. Barbara is in love with Dr. Mark Lucas (Robert Mitchum), but since the good doctor is married, there is little she can do to win his affection. Barbara persuades Paul (Melvyn Douglas) to try to seduce Dr. Lucas' wife Corinne (Janis Carter) in hopes of driving him away from her. Not long after this plan fails, Barbara finds a way to truly prove her love to Dr. Lucas. Corrine is murdered, Dr. Lucas is accused of the crime, and Barbara realizes that the testimony that could save his life would mean having to reveal the truth about her grandmother's shameful past. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Mitchum, Ava Gardner, (more)
