Milton Feldman Movies
Gary Cooper stars in one of his final roles in They Came To Cordura, Robert Rossen's moody study of the thin dividing line between heroism and cowardice. Cooper plays Major Thomas Thorn, a U.S. Army officer in the expedition into Mexico against Pancho Villa. Because he hesitated during a moment of decision in a battle, he has been labeled a coward. His commanding officer, Colonel Rogers (Robert Keith), orders Thorn to recommend five men for nomination for the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery in the battle against Villa. Angered that Thorn did not nominate him for the Medal of Honor, Rogers charges Thorn with transporting the men through a broiling and dangerous desert to the rear area of Cordura. They begin the trek accompanied by Adelaide Geary (Rita Hayworth), the daughter of a dishonored U.S. Senator, who is accused of treason since she owned the hacienda where Villa's men stayed. As they travel across the desert expanse, Thorn ponders why these men are considered heroes while he is labeled a coward. As their journey continues, the heroes turn into a mutinous rabble, with Thorn reduced to holding the group at bay with a loaded gun. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, (more)
- 1955
Tight Spot is based on Leonard Kantor's novel Dead Pigeon, which in turn was obviously inspired by Virginia Hill's appearance before the Kefauver Committee. Ginger Rogers plays hard-boiled model Sherry Conley, who is serving a prison term for a crime she didn't commit. Sherry is offered her freedom -- and immunity -- by U.S. attorney Lloyd Hallett (Edward G. Robinson) if she'll agree to appear as a material witness in the trial of mobster Benjamin Costain (Lorne Greene). Unfortunately, Costain has a long reach, and is able to coerce Vince Striker (Brian Keith), the detective assigned to guard Sherry, to allow Costain's hired guns to invade the hotel room where Sherry is being hidden. The star witness is surly and uncooperative, but she finally decides to testify when her escort, policewoman Willoughby (Katherine Anderson), is murdered by Costain's goons. But Striker is still around and about, still determined to do Costain's bidding. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ginger Rogers, Edward G. Robinson, (more)
- 1954
Carl Buckley (Broderick Crawford) needs the intervention of his beautiful wife Vicki (Gloria Grahame) to keep his job, so Vicki meets with Carl's boss Owens (Grandon Rhodes), and Carl's job is secure. Insanely jealous, Carl finds Vicki with Owens on board a train and kills Owens. Jeff Warren (Glenn Ford), an off-duty train engineer protects Vicki and they begin an affair. Still obsessively jealous, Carl becomes an alcoholic and blackmails Vicki into staying with him. Vicki persuades Jeff to kill Carl, but at the last minute Jeff relents, taking on the letter which Carl has used to blackmail Vicki with. Vicki leaves town on the train with Carl -- all the while taunting him with her infidelity. Carl is overcome with a jealous rage that ultimately leads to tragedy. Directed by Fritz Lang), Human Desire an updated remake of Jean Renoir's adaptation of Emile Zola's novel, La Bete Humaine, is a grim sordid story in which desperate people try to relieve their desolate lives with cheap pleasures. Gloria Grahame is perversely alluring as the sexually driven Vicki and Broderick Crawford evokes some empathy as the obsessed Carl. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Ford, Gloria Grahame, (more)
- 1951
Gasoline Alley was based on Frank King's popular comic strip of the same name. The strip's central characters, service station owner Walt Wallet (Don Beddoe) and his adopted son Skeezix (James Lydon), take a back seat to newlyweds Corky (Scotty Beckett) and Hope (Susan Morrow). Hoping to establish his independence from his family, Corky opens up his own restaurant, which results in nothing but headaches. The film tries as best it can within 76 minutes to recreate the 30-year continuity of the original comic strip. Director Edward Bernds, a graduate of Columbia's short-subject department, relies upon a couple of his 2-reeler colleagues, Dick Wessel and Gus Schilling, to provide a soupcon of slapstick. Because of legal entanglements, neither Gasoline Alley nor its sequel Corky of Gasoline Alley are available for TV showings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scotty Beckett, Jimmy Lydon, (more)
- 1951
Having signed up with Columbia to re-create his stage role in Death of a Salesman, Cameron Mitchell was obliged to earn his keep in such potboilers as Smuggler's Gold. Mitchell plays Mike Sloan, the fiancé of Susan Clarke (played by future Gunsmoke regular Amanda Blake). Susan's uncle is supposedly respectable skipper Pop Hodges (Carl Benton Reid). In truth, lovable old Pop is a ruthless smuggler, who strong-arms Mike into retrieving a sunken cache of stolen gold. Filmgoers with long memories were able to discern resemblances between Smuggler's Gold and the 1933 melodrama I Cover the Waterfront. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cameron Mitchell, Amanda Blake, (more)
- 1951
Mickey Rooney made his directorial debut with My True Story. Per its title, the film is based on an article which first appeared in the pages of True Story magazine. Jewel thief Ann Martin (Helen Walker) is paroled thanks to some string-pulling by criminal boss George Trent (Wilton Graff). Ann soon learns that she is expected to participate in a major gem heist. With the help of policeman Bill Phillips (Willard Parker) -- who also happens to be a former member of U.S. military intelligence -- Ann hopes to turn the tables on the smooth-but-deadly Trent. Featured in the cast as "Mark Foster" is Aldo DaRe, who would matriculate to stardom under the nom de film of Aldo Ray. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Walker, Willard Parker, (more)
- 1950
After 12 years and 28 films, Columbia's Blondie series came to a close with 1950's Beware of Blondie. The plot is "business as usual," with Mr. Dithers leaving Dagwood (Arthur Lake) in charge of the office for a short period. Poor old Dag manages to gum things up when he falls for a confidence scam engineered by the duplicitous Toby Clifton (Adele Jergens). He even finds himself in a compromising position that seriously endangers his future connubial happiness with wife Blondie (Penny Singleton). Once again, it's up to Blondie to straighten out the mess. Mr. Dithers is played by an uncredited Edward Earle, who is seen only from the back; Earle's voice is dubbed over with an old recording of Jonathan Hale, the series' original Dithers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, (more)
- 1950
No sooner had Columbia called it quits with the "Blondie" series than the studio launched a new group of "B"-pictures, based on the popular radio series David Harding, Counterspy. Third-billed Howard St. John plays Harding, with actor/director Fred Sears co-starring as Harding's assistant Peters. Most of the film is carried by Willard Parker as Jerry Baldwin, a navy commander assigned to root out saboteurs in a torpedo factory. Falling in love with Betty Iverson (Audrey Long), the widow of his murdered predecessor, Baldwin is aghast to learn that Betty may be an enemy agent. There's action aplenty as the film rushes to its pyrotechnic conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Willard Parker, Audrey Long, (more)
- 1950
Former sailor Joe Blake (Bill Williams) is the Rookie Fireman in this Columbia quickie. Though fiercely independent, Blake learns how to be a team player as he goes through the firefighters' training process. Occasionally, he has second thoughts about returning to the sea, and his on-the-job performance suffers. But with the love of waitress Margie Williams (Margorie Reynolds) as an incentive, Blake becomes a first-class "smoke eater." Barton MacLaine makes a meal of his scenes as an irascible but golden-hearted fire chief. Most of the action highlights in Rookie Fireman were culled from previous Columbia productions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Williams, Barton MacLane, (more)
