Bert Glennon Movies
American cinematographer Bert Glennon was still an undergraduate at Stanford University when he broke into the movie business. He was elevated to the position of director of photography for the 1916 version of the oft-filmed Ramona. After working with several top directors of the silent era, Glennon decided to give directing a whirl himself in 1928, resulting in such long-forgotten efforts as Paradise Island (1930) and South of Santa Fe (1932); it must also be noted that it was Glennon who directed Syncopation (1929), the first film ever released by RKO Radio Pictures. From 1936 through 1939, Glennon was most closely associated with 20th Century-Fox, a job which (according to fellow cinematographer Lucien Ballard) he received on the strength of his ability to slavishly follow director Joseph Von Sternberg's photographic instructions on 1935's The Devil is a Woman. Bert Glennon is best remembered for his John Ford films (Young Mr. Lincoln, Stagecoach, Wagonmaster et. al.) and his lensing of the pioneering 3-D film House of Wax (1953). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1963
This western served as the pilot film for Warner Bros.' Temple Houston television series. It is the tale of a young, brash attorney (Jeffrey Hunter) in the Texas circuit court system. His old flame (Joanna Moore) is accused of murder. The case is resolved when Hunter reveals the real killer in contrived courtroom melodrama. A rather skimpy plot, but uncomplicatedly colorful and entertaining. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Preston S. Foster, (more)
- 1962
This sentimental children's film is based on the true adventures of author Albert Payson Terhune's collie dog, as immortalized in Terhune's early 1920's novel. The story about the dog Lad's saving graces is very much directed toward the youngest moppets whose love of animals has yet to be jaded by ruined carpets, chewed-up books, or all-night barking. Lad comes to the rescue again and again, implying in more than one instance that dogs can be smarter than at least a few people. The canine saves his little mistress Angela (a nine-year-old Angela Cartwright just before her role in TV's Lost in Space) from a poisonous snake bite and is mistakenly ill-treated as a consequence, his actions help cure her need for a wheelchair, and furthermore, the dog prevents a local troublemaker from torching the family's barn. A younger Carroll O'Connor of redneck Archie Bunker TV fame, plays a crotchety neighbor. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Breck, Peggy McCay, (more)
The first big budget Western to feature a black hero, this military courtroom drama from director John Ford starred his long-time stock player Woody Strode. When a cavalry commander and his daughter are discovered murdered, racism amidst the 9th Cavalry immediately leads to suspicions that Sergeant Braxton Rutledge (Strode), a black man, is responsible for the crime. Arrested by Lieutenant Tom Cantrell (Jeffrey Hunter), Rutledge escapes from captivity during an Indian raid but voluntarily returns to warn his fellow cavalrymen that they are about to face an ambush by hostiles, saving the detachment from certain doom. At first among those who accept Rutledge's probable guilt, Cantrell and his love interest Mary Beecher (Constance Towers) become two of the accused man's scarce defenders as he is put on trial and faces testimony from prejudiced "witnesses." ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Hunter, Constance Towers, (more)
- 1956
Like its predecessor Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier, Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and the River Pirates was cobbled together from two episodes of the weekly TV anthology Disneyland. Though it wasn't so labelled at the time, River Pirates is actually a "prequel" to the earlier film, detailing events that allegedly occured in Crockett's life before his rendezvous with destiny at the Alamo. Set in 1810, the first half of the story deals with a river race to New Orleans between Davy (Fess Parker) and his friendly enemy Mike Fink (Jeff York). Once this plot strand has run its course, the film segues into Davy and Mike's attempts to prevent an Indian war which is being fomented by a renegade white man. Linking these two episodes are the spirited ballads of Davy's pal George Russel (Buddy Ebsen). Like the first "Davy Crockett" venture, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates cleaned up at the box-office and increased department-store sales of those coonskin caps (remember?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fess Parker, Buddy Ebsen, (more)
- 1956
In this Disneyland episode, Walt Disney turns over the hosting duties to the Slave of the Mirror, an eerie animated character first introduced in the 1937 cartoon feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. His voice supplied by Hans Conried, the Slave explains that, while heroes are always given their due, villains are frequently ignored and maligned--hence this one-hour "tribute", comprised of excerpts from past Disney animated productions. Highlights include a battle between Captain Hook and the title character of Peter Pan (1953); the moronic connivances of Br'er Bear and Br'er Fox to make a lunch of the crafty Bre'er Rabbit in Song of the South (1947); that celebrated leviathan Monstro the Whale in Pinocchio (1940); and of course the Slave's own "boss", The Evil Queen (aka the Wicked Witch) in Snow White. First shown in 1956, Our Unsung Villains was curiously rebroadcast only once, in June of 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1956
In answer to viewer requests, Disneyland host Walt Disney explains how his story men come up with the ideas for their various cartoon shorts and features. In the first example, a Donald Duck-Chip 'N' Dale cartoon is inspired by the song "Crazy Over Daisy". Next, some "reality" footage from a "True-Life Adventure" short forms the basis of a cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse as a hunter. Then, one of the animators' army exam during WW2 leads to a similarly-themed Donald Duck cartoon. And finally, Walt Disney's own favorite hobby, model railroading, is incorporated in another Donald Duck-Chip 'N' Dale vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
One of the cleverest of Walt Disney's TV "clip shows", "The Goofy Success Story" originally aired as an episode of the weekly Disneyland anthology. Narrated by Jack Bailey of Queen for a Day fame, the program begins as a cheerful, chuckling vagrant named Dippy Dawg meets a Hollywood talent scout. Tested out as a bit player in a 1931 Mickey Mouse cartoon, Dippy is signed to an exclusive contract with Disney studios--but first, his name is changed to Goofy. Thanks to a high-pressure studio buildup, Goofy gains popularity as a supporting player, then is awarded his own starring series. Alas, a professional reversal sends Goofy right back to the bottom, whereupon he briefly considers ending it all. But in 1950, the Goof enjoys a spectacular comeback as star of the Oscar-winning cartoon Motor Mania. "The Goofy Success Story" was later released theatrically overseas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
Wisely cashing in on the enormous (and largely unexpected) success of his 1954 Davy Crockett TV miniseries, Walt Disney whipped up a spinoff for the 1955-56 season of his weekly Disneyland anthology. Since frontiersman Davy Crockett (Fess Parker) and his pal George Russel (Buddy Ebsen) were killed off at the Alamo at the end of the first miniseries, the second Davy Crockett opus, the two-part "The Legends of Davy Crockett" was a "prequel", set in 1810 or thereabouts. In Episode One, "Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race", Davy and George want to travel down the Ohio River towards New Orleans, but they bristle when self-styled "King of the River" Mike Fink (Jeff York) charges them $1000 for a ride on his keelboat. Our heroes hire another boat captained by an old salt named Cobb (Clem Bevans), thereby sparking a race between Crockett and Fink, with a valuable shipment of furs as the prize. Naturally, Mike pulls all sorts of underhanded tricks to keep Davy's boat from finishing the race, but good sportsmanship wins out, and Davy and Mike become good pals. A hint of what is to come in the next episode, "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates", occurs when a band of white outlaws disguised as Indians have a brief set-to with Davy early in the proceedings. The series' hit theme song, not to mention those coonskin caps, are very much in evidence, with the added filip of a new song, "King of the River", sung con brio by Jeff York. Both episodes of The Legends of Davy Crockett were later edited together and released theatrically in 1956 as Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1955
In the second episode of Walt Disney's two-part miniseries The Legends of Davy Crockett, frontiersman Davy Crockett (Fess Parker) and his pals Georgie Russell (Buddy Ebsen) and Mike Fink (Jeff York) try to clear the names of Davy's Indian friends, who have been accused of piracy on the Ohio River. It turns out that the real culprits are the members of the Harpe gang, who disguise themselves as Indians whenever plundering a boat. Carrying a valuable cargo downstream as bait for the outlaws, Davy, George and Mike hope to provoke an attack and then surprise the scoundrels--but the bad guys have planted a spy on our heroes' keelboat, namely a wily old guitar-picker named Colonel Plug (Walter Catlett). In addition to the expected theme song "The Ballad of Davy Crockett", this episode features a new tune, "Yaller, Yaller Gold". Originally telecast as part of the Disneyland anthology, "Davy Crockett and the River Pirates" and the earlier episode "Davy Crockett and the Keelboat Race" were later edited together and released as a 1956 theatrical feature, also titled Davy Crockett and the River Pirates. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1954
A car with two men visible in it pulls up to a Los Angeles service station at night, with a single attendant (Dub Taylor) working. As he starts to pump the gas, he doesn't see the third man come around the side until it's too late and he's knocked cold. The trio carries out their robbery but before they can finish, a motorcycle cop rolls up. A gun battle ensues, and one of the robbers is shot, as is the police officer. Now a manhunt is on for the trio, all escapees from San Quentin who were making their way south; the other two give the wounded man enough money to get to the apartment of a former cellmate of one of them, Steve Lacey (Gene Nelson). But Lacey is genuinely trying to go straight and live a clean, honest life with his wife, Ellen (Phyllis Kirk), and wants nothing to do with anyone he knew in prison, or with harboring an escaped prisoner. He's even more unhappy when Dr. Otto Hessler (Jay Novello), another ex-con and a veterinarian, arrives to treat the gunshot victim. But when the hood dies, matters get even more complicated -- Lacey's life becomes a nightmare as the police arrive, led by the hardboiled Det. Sgt. Sims (Sterling Hayden), who doesn't believe that any hood ever goes straight. Sims doesn't believe that Lacey's claim of knowing nothing of the escapees, and is ready to send him back to prison on a parole violation -- even though his parole officer (James Bell) believes him -- when he won't cooperate. And worse still, the other two escapees, Doc Penny (Ted de Corsia) and Ben Hastings (Charles Buchinsky, aka Charles Bronson), force their way into Lacey's home, insisting on hiding out there and threatening Ellen. And as they're now a man short, they want Steve's help on a major heist they're planning -- and will kill Ellen if he doesn't cooperate. Soon Lacey is up to his neck in a daylight bank robbery, timed to the minute, and his wife is at the mercy of a mentally deficient, sexually deviant confederate (Timothy Carey), while the police still seem to be following every trail but the right one. Steve realizes that he is the only one who is going to be able to save himself or his wife from this nightmare, and isn't convinced that he'll get out of it alive -- but by then, between being put on him by Sims and his unwanted companions, he's prepared to die in order to save Ellen. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sterling Hayden, Gene Nelson, (more)
- 1954
In this western, a shotgun rider on a stagecoach must clear his reputation after some outlaws accuse him of being a crook. Gunplay ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Wayne Morris, (more)
- 1954
Vincent Price turns on his usual terrifying charm in the role of a homicidal magician in The Mad Magician, a satisfying thriller that was originally shown in 3-D. The actor best known for the luster he brought to many horror films stars as Gallico the Great, an inventor of magic acts who yearns to be the star of his own show. On the night of his first performance, he is shut down by his cruel manager Ormond (Donald Randolph) -- who wants to use Gallico's ingenious buzzsaw act for the famed magician Rinaldi (John Emery). Added to the knowledge that the wealthy Ormond had already stolen his wife Claire (Eva Gabor), Gallico goes mad and decapitates his tormentor with the buzzsaw. After a great sequence in which Ormond's head takes a mistaken trip with Gallico's assistant Karen (Mary Murphy) and her detective boyfriend Bruce (Patrick O'Neal), Gallico disguises himself as Ormond and rents an apartment with a mystery author (Lenita Lane). He manages to dispose of the body in another amusing scene, but he must kill again when Claire confronts him in his Ormond disguise. The author identifies Ormond as her killer and Gallico appears to be off the hook -- until Rinaldi appears with designs on stealing Gallico's latest trick: a crematorium illusion. Naturally, the illusion becomes reality and Rinaldi is burned to a crisp. Disguising himself as Rinaldi and taking over the magician's successful show, Gallico continues to fool the law until Bruce matches fingerprints from Rinaldi (who is really Gallico) to those of Ormond. Meanwhile, the author, realizing that the Ormond who stayed in her house was really Gallico, gathers Karen and the detective for a fiery confrontation. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Mary Murphy, (more)
- 1953
Disreputable wanderer Wes Anderson (Fred MacMurray) has been thrown in a frontier town calaboose, accused of being a "moonlighter" -- a cowpuncher who herds cattle by day and steals them by night. When Anderson escapes from jail, another man is falsely accused of Wes' crimes and is promptly lynched. Driven by guilt and revenge, Wes is determined to punish those responsible for the hanging, and to pay for a decent funeral for the innocent victim. In doing this, however, Wes turns from moonlighting to bank robbing, and it is up to his erstwhile sweetheart, Rela (Barbara Stanwyck) to bring him to justice. Along the way, Wes' criminal tendencies have tragic consequences for his hero-worshipping brother, Tom (William Ching). Originally released in 3-D, The Moonlighter is currently available only in 2-D, its only novelty value being the re-teaming of Double Indemnity stars Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck (who would again work together three years later in the low-key domestic drama There's Always Tomorrow). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, (more)
- 1953
Randolph Scott is as strong and silent as ever in Thunder Over the Plains. The scene is Texas, in the years just following the Civil War. Carpetbaggers have taken hold of the Texas government and imposed a near-dictatorship, hiding behind the legal protection of the Union Army of Occupation. Though his heart belongs to Dixie, Captain David Porter (Scott) is honor-bound to uphold the law of the land, even though it protects criminals and persecutes the innocent. Eventually, Porter reveals his true feelings as he tries to clear Texas patriot Ben Westman (Charles McGraw) from a murder charge framed by villains Standish (Elisha Cook Jr.) and Balfour (Hugh Sanders). Meanwhile, caddish Captain Bill Hodges (Lex Barker) tries to make time with Porter's long-suffering wife Norah (Phyllis Kirk). Perhaps a bit too complicated storywise for western fans, Thunder Over the Plains is right to the point when it comes to the action highlights. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Lex Barker, (more)
This simplified (but lavish) remake of the 1933 melodrama The Mystery of the Wax Museum was the most financially successful 3-D production of the 1950s. In his first full-fledged "horror" role, Vincent Price plays Prof. Henry Jarrod, the owner of a wax museum, whose partner, Matthew Burke (Roy Roberts), intends to burn the place down for the insurance money. When Jarrod tries to prevent Burke from torching the museum, he himself is trapped in the conflagration. Years pass: though now confined to a wheelchair, Jarrod manages to open up a new museum in New York, boasting the most incredibly lifelike wax statues ever seen. At the same time, a masked prowler has been stalking the city, murdering people and then stealing their bodies from the mortuary. One of the victims is Jarrod's old nemesis Burke; another is Cathy Gray (Carolyn Jones), the roommate of art student Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk). On a visit to the wax museum, Sue can't help but notice that the wax likeness of Joan of Arc is a dead ringer for her deceased friend Cathy -- while the courtly Jarrod declares joyously that Sue is the living image of Marie Antoinette. Guess where this is going to wind up? Frank Lovejoy and Paul Picerni co-star as the nominal heroes, while Charles Bronson -- still billed as Charles Buchinsky -- is a menacing presence as Jarrod's deaf-mute chief sculptor (appropriately named "Igor"). No opportunity to show off the 3-D process is wasted during House of Wax; the most memorable stereoscopic moments are provided by garrulous "paddle-ball man" Reggie Rymal. Ironically, Andre De Toth, the film's director, had only one good eye, and had to constantly ask his cast and crew if the various 3-D effects had come off properly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vincent Price, Frank Lovejoy, (more)
Ever since slipping into Public Domain, The Big Trees has become one of the most accessible and oft-televised of Kirk Douglas' pictures. Douglas plays an unscrupulous lumberjack who covets the land owned by a religious sect. All that's saving him from being the film's main villain is the fact that there's an even nastier contingent out to claim the sect's territory. His greed tempered by the love of pious Eve Miller, Douglas turns out to be a good guy after all in the film's climax. Watch for Alan Hale Jr. as "Tiny," doubling for his own father, who appears in long-shot in the stock footage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eve Miller, Patrice Wymore, (more)
- 1952
Man Behind the Gun is a standard-issue Randolph Scott western elevated by good performances and exciting action sequences. Scott plays Callicut, newly arrived in the bustling mid-19th century metropolis of Los Angeles. Outwardly just another soldier of fortune, Callicut is actually an undercover agent for the government, sent to LA to investigate a covert organization that hopes to make Southern California a separate state. When he finds the time, he romances schoolteacher Lora Roberts (Patrice Wymore), whose life he'd previously saved during a stagecoach holdup. Callicut's rival for Lora's attentions is Roy Giles (Philip Carey), a hotheaded Army captain who may be in on the secessionist movement. Once Callicut finds out who's behind the movement, all hell breaks loose. Robert Cabal makes a brief appearance in Man Behind the Gun as a supposedly harmless Latino who turns out to be firebrand desperado Joaquin Murietta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Patrice Wymore, (more)
- 1952
About Face is a musicalized remake of the old stage and film comedy Brother Rat. The basic story remains the same, as military-school cadet Boff Roberts (Eddie Bracken) tries to keep his forbidden marriage to Alice Wheatley (Phyllis Kirk) a secret. Meanwhile, Boff's roommates Tony Williams (Gordon MacRae) and Dave Crouse (Dick Wesson) do their best to woo and win lovely Betty Long (Virginia Gibson) and Lorna Carter (Ailene Stanley Jr.). Cliff Ferre co-stars as the much-hated Lt. Jones, who turns out to be an accomplished tap-dancer in the film's closing sequence (but that's only after he's been "humanized" when his hair is dyed blue!) Future Cabaret star Joel Grey has a few funny moments as a put-upon "plebe." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gordon MacRae, Eddie Bracken, (more)
If one is a subscriber to cable TV's American Movie Classics, it is virtually impossible to avoid seeing the John Wayne starrer Operation Pacific; judging by the frequency of its showings, the film must be someone's very special favorite down at AMC. Set during WW II, the film casts Wayne as Duke Gifford, two-fisted submarine commander. Patricia Neal co-stars as Mary Stuart, Duke's former wife. Duke's hopes of staging a reconciliation are constantly interrupted by a series of life-threatening circumstances, capped by the rescue of a group of orphans from a Japanese-held island. Featured in the cast are old John Wayne cronies Ward Bond and Jack Pennick, as well as TV's future Jim Bowie, Scott Forbes. Operation Pacific might prove a fascinating companion feature to 1964's In Harm's Way, which reteamed John Wayne and Patricia Neal in another WW II Navy yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Patricia Neal, (more)
- 1951
This Republic "special" stars Rod Cameron as deep-sea diver Gunner McNeil. When his partner (James Brown) drowns under mysterious circumstances, McNeil investigates, all the while carrying out a salvage assignment for the lovely Suntan Radford (Adele Mara). The titular Sea Hornet is a vessel which was sunk during wartime while carrying a fortune in gold. Someone is willing to commit murder to claim the treasure for his (or her) own: is it Suntan, or second lead Ginger (Adrian Booth), or the disreputable-looking Johnny Radford (Richard Jaeckel), or even Gunner's first made Swede (Chill Wills)? Sea Hornet is capped by a thrill-packed action finale, in the fine tradition of Republic studios. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Cameron, Adele Mara, (more)
John Wayne stars as Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke, whose devotion to duty has cost him his marriage to his beloved Kathleen (Maureen O'Hara). Yorke gets word that his son, Jeff (Claude Jarman Jr.) -- whom he hasn't seen in 15 years -- has been dropped as a cadet from West Point, and that he lied about his age to enlist in the cavalry, in an effort to redeem himself. By chance, the boy is then assigned to his father's post. Once more, as a function of his duty as a cavalry officer, Yorke must sacrifice his love of family -- he cannot show any preferential treatment to the boy, or exhibit any sign of love and affection. But Jeff is too strong to be injured by his father's actions, and already enough of a man that he is befriended by two older recruits, troopers Tyree (Ben Johnson) and Boone (Harry Carey Jr.), who watch out for him while taking him in as a virtual equal. Yorke's resolve is further tested when his estranged wife, Kathleen, arrives at the post, the better to look after her son -- and possibly to buy back the boy's enlistment, which Yorke, as commanding officer in a remote post with a critical shortage of men, can't and won't permit. After an attack by the Apaches, Yorke orders the post's women and children to be moved to safety, and Jeff is assigned as part of the troop conducting the caravan, despite his wish to participate in the planned action against the Apaches. The caravan is attacked, and the wagon with the children is taken by the Apaches to their encampment in a deserted village across the Rio Grande in Mexico. Yorke has been given permission by General Sheridan (J. Carrol Naish) to take his men into Mexico in pursuit of the Apaches, but the punitive expedition is now a rescue mission, as the Indians' night-time vengeance dance is the prelude to certain slaughter of the children at daybreak. As part of the mission, it's up to Tyree, the slyest man in the troop, to infiltrate the enemy camp, and he chooses Jeff and Boone as the two men he wants with him on this dangerous mission. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, (more)
Wagon Master, splendidly directed by John Ford, is a superlative western. The film is the outwardly simple tale of a Mormon wagon train headed for Utah. Along the way, the group, led by Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) hook up with two horse traders Travis Blue (Ben Johnson) and Sandy Owens (Harry Carey Jr), the members of a traveling medicine show and a tribe of Navajo Indians. The group is threatened by a gang, known as the Clegg family, who have robbed an express office and murdered the clerk. This wonderful film emphasizes the virtues of solidarity, sacrifice and tolerance, and shows John Ford at his most masterful, in total control of the production from the casting to the bit players to the grandeur and scope of the visual compositions. The film, with its breathtaking scenery, brilliant performances by a cast of character actors, and an engaging sense of humor, is a superlative example of the American western. Wagonmaster inspired the television series Wagon Train and was also shown in a computer-colorized version ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr., (more)
- 1949
Infused with religious themes, this crime drama is considered a minor example of film noir. Set in Los Angeles, it tells the grim story of vengeful embezzler Nick Cherney, who plots murderous revenge after he is fired from Johnny Torno's freight company. He gets it by killing Johnny's brother Jess, a chaplain who has just returned from the war. Johnny arrives at the hotel room of his brother Jess and finds him dying. Just before Jess expires he tells Johnny that the identity of his killer can be found in his Bible. Though every hotel room has a Bible, the one belonging in his brother's is missing. Though his girl friend, the priest and the police warn against a private investigation, Johnny ignores their advice and goes looking for that Good Book. His girl friend goes along with him. Before they go, they leave Warni Hazard in charge of the freight company. Nick Cherney shows up and takes off after Hazard who flees until finding safety beneath the tires of an enormous trailer. Nick sees him cowering there and in the film's most shocking sequence, coolly kicks one of the jacks holding up the trailer and while Hazard is crushed, Nick calmly takes a drag on his cigarette. Meanwhile, Johnny and his gal finally find the Bible and see that Jess had underlined a couple of verses that seem to suggest that Johnny leave the matter of revenge in God's hands. Johnny pays no heed to the message until the story's grim climax. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Raft, Virginia Mayo, (more)
Sharkishly handsome Zachary Scott is right in his element in the Eagle-Lion melodrama Ruthless. Told in flashback, this is the story of the rise and fall of unscrupulous financier Horace Vendig (Scott). Hiding behind a veneer of respectability, Vendig steps on and rolls over anyone who stands in his way, including his lifelong friend Vic Lambdin (Louis Hayward), utilities executive Buck Mansfield (Sydney Greenstreet) and various and sundry women, among them Susan Duane (Martha Vickers) and Christine Mansfield (Lucille Bremer). Poor Diana Lynn is subjected to Vendig's cruelties twice, in the dual role of Martha Burnside and Mallory Flagg. It is a tribute to the acting skills of Zachary Scott that he makes his despicable character somehow likeable and, in the end, rather pathetic. Based on a novel by Dayton Stoddart, Ruthless, like many Eagle-Lion films of its period, was topheavy with loaned-out Warner Bros. contract players. It was also one of the few big-budgeted projects helmed by "cult" director Edgar G. Ulmer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zachary Scott, Joyce Arling, (more)
Delmer Daves directs the noirish thriller The Red House, based on the novel by George Agnew Chamberlain. Edward G. Robinson plays Pete Morgan, a farmer who harbors dark secrets and refuses to let anyone near the red house in the woods behind the house. In order to fend off trespassers, he hires Teller (Rory Calhoun) to stand guard. He lives with his sister, Ellen (Judith Anderson), and his adopted daughter, Meg (Allene Roberts). When they hire Meg's friend, Nath Storm (Lon McCallister), to help out on the farm, the two kids start to wonder about the mysterious red house. The film features an eerie original score by Miklós Rózsa. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward G. Robinson, Lon McCallister, (more)
