Ellsworth Fredericks Movies

This offbeat potboiler from Psycho scripter Joseph Stefano involves a plot hatched by mod couple Wylie (Michael Sarrazin) and Kassia (Gayle Hunnicutt) to murder Wylie's wealthy, cat-loving aunt Danny (Eleanor Parker). There's only one hitch in their scheme, but it's a doozy: Wylie suffers from a severe case of ailurophobia -- an irrational fear of all cats. In order for their plot to succeed, the pair must first eliminate Aunt Danny's legions of feline companions...which turns out to be much more difficult than expected, thanks to a sly, deadly counter-plot. Despite some bizarre cues hinting at some sort of evil intelligence on the part of the cats, the suggested horror elements are downplayed in favor of a substandard psycho-thriller. Sadly, Stefano's script is the film's greatest failure, littered with silly dialogue and plot holes a mile wide. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide

A young widow with three children and a sheepdog marries a widowed man with a young daughter and a French poodle in this amusing comedy. Abby (Doris Day) is the owner of a lumberyard who falls for Jake (Brian Keith) when her sister Maxine (Pat Carroll) introduce the two at a party. The couple is initially reluctant and somewhat embarrassed over the blatant matchmaking attempt but meet later at an all-night store. The two marry and deal with constant canine and sassy sibling rivalries. Jake falls out of the family trailer on vacation, leading Abby to recruit a group of hippies to find her lost husband. Jamie Farr is the far out hippie, Barbara Hershey is Jake's daughter Stacey, comedian George Carlin plays Herbie Fleck, owner of a local hamburger stand, and Alice Ghostley is the harried housekeeper in this engaging romp. The Grass Roots provide some of the music in this feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

A team of research scientists believe they have discovered a superior intelligence. Jim Tanner (George Hamilton) and his pretty partner Margery Lansing (Susan Pleshette) have discovered the entity through their work on human endurance. The Power is able to control the minds of others, but Jim can't substantiate his suspicions that the force comes from one of the members of the scientific staff. A series of murders has Jim under suspicion by the police, as he tries to uncover the identity of the killer. Yvonne De Carlo, Earl Holliman, and Miss Beverly Hills also star in this sci-fi mystery. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

In this western, a town sheriff contends with his reputation as the "fastest gun in the West." When a young gunslinger calls him out for a showdown, the sheriff is struck by the fellows resemblance to himself when he was young. He therefore, attempts to talk him out of his foolish career choice, but the young man refuses to listen. The saloon hostess attempts to talk the sheriff out of the duel, but the old fellow does not listen. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

James Garner plays a man who awakens in Central Park with no memories at all. This drama chronicles his search for his identity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

A young girl is deeply traumatized after she sees her mother burned to death in a house fire and spends the rest of her youth locked in a mental hospital. By the time she is released, her father has married a nasty woman who only wants his money. Knowing that the recently returned daughter is mentally unstable, the stepmom does all she can to drive the fragile girl over the edge. Unfortunately for the conniving bride, things don't quite turn out as planned. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Producer Samuel Goldwyn Jr. took a stab at directing with this '60s-era melodrama about college students dealing with the realities of love, sex, and war. Peter Fonda and Sharon Hugueny star as Eddie and Pam, the titular young lovers. An art student and teacher's assistant, the two meet in college and proceed to fall into a passionate affair. Emotional tumult later follows though, when Pam announces she is pregnant with Eddie's child. Also starring Nick Adams' and Deborah Walley, The Young Lovers was the final big-screen appearance by Hugueny whose career spiraled into disarray after her short marriage to producer Robert Evans. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

This routine tale of an aspiring actress on the verge of a sharp decline is directed by Franklin J. Schaffner and features Joanne Woodward in a skillful and engaging portrayal of Lila, the would-be thespian. The setting is a small town in the plains state of Kansas where Lila finds herself stranded when her job falls apart. Thanks to her friend Helen (Clair Trevor) she is not left out in the cold. Helen's household includes only one other person, her adult son Kenny (Richard Beymer) who is captivated by Lila, and the two have a brief, one-night stand. Kenny gets cold feet when it comes to commitment, spurring Lila to go out looking for any work at all. Her sleazy boyfriend-manager Ricky suggests stripping for the conventions that come and go, and Lila finds herself on the brink of a downhill slide. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Combining elements from William Faulkner's novel Sanctuary, its sequel Requiem for a Nun, and a stage adaptation of Requiem for a Nun by Ruth Ford, director Tony Richardson's film is set in 1920s Mississippi and recounts the story of Temple Drake (Lee Remick), a young, lustful white woman who falls for a man who rapes her, only to marry another when she is told that her lover has died. The story is told as a flashback in an attempt to explain what led to the film's present, in which a black maid is on trial for the murder of Temple's baby. This was Richardson's first film made for a studio; he agreed to make Sanctuary to fund his next film, A Taste of Honey. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

In this romantic comedy, a young basketball star proposes to a tall and intelligent coed while attending Custer College. She accepts, and he begins to worry about how they will get the money they need to survive. He then finds himself tempted to take a gambler's bribe and throw the game during an upcoming match with a Russian team. The weight of his decision affects his studies, causing him to fail a major test. As a result, he nearly misses the big game. Jane Fonda made her debut in this film. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Maracaibo was actor Cornel Wilde's second directorial effort. Wilde casts himself as troubleshooting oil man Vic Scott, who has arrived in Venezuela to help put out a fire at an offshore well. It's a ticklish situation: if Scott fails, not only will he die in the blaze, but all of Maracaibo will likely be destroyed. When he isn't risking his life, Scott romantically pursues ice-princess journalist Laura Kingsley (played by Jean Wallace, at the time Mrs. Cornel Wilde). Joe E. Ross of Car 54 Where are You fame provides a few welcome laughs as a Brooklynese oil rigger. Filmed partially on location, Maracaibo was based on a novel by Stirling Silliphant. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sayonara takes its own sweet time to unfold; in so doing, it permits us to make intimate acquaintance with its characters, so as to better understand their multitextured motivations. The film is set in Japan during the Korean War. While on leave, pugnacious American soldier Red Buttons falls in love with Japanese maiden Miyoshi Umeki. Given the army's official policy against interracial marriage, Buttons is courting a court-martial. His best friend, major Marlon Brando, tries to talk Buttons out of "ruining" his life. Brando himself is about to marry Patricia Owens, the daughter of general Kent Smith. Fighting back his own prejudices, Brando agrees to be Buttons' best man at the latter's wedding to Umeki. Later, Brando himself falls for Miiko Taka, a beautiful Kabuki dancer. This sparks an all-out onslaught of racial bigotry from the Army brass, and an official edict sending American soldiers back to the states without their Japanese wives. Buttons cannot bear being parted with Umeki; as a result, the two commit suicide. The tragedy compels the army to soften its attitudes towards miscegenation. Brando is reunited with Taka, who in a parallel situation has had to ward off the inbred prejudices of her people. Nominated for ten Academy Awards, Sayonara won five, including "Best Supporting Actor" (Red Buttons, whose moribund career was revitalized herein) and "Best Supporting Actress" (Miyoshi Umeki). And yes, that is Ricardo Montalban in Japanese makeup as a Kabuki actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Last of the Badmen gets started in 1880 Chicago, as detective Dan Barton (George Montgomery) prepares to head westward. Barton intends to round up a gang of stagecoach bandits, whose modus operandi is to spring criminals from jail in return for their services. In order to infiltrate the gang, Barton poses as an incarcerated crook with a huge price on his head. What he doesn't know is that gang leader Hawkins (Douglas Kennedy) invariably kills the bad guys that he's freed from jail in order to collect the reward money. For the most part an ordinary western, Last of the Badmen is elevated by its novel premise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide