Alan Hale, Jr. Movies
One look at Alan Hale Jr. and no one could ever assume he was adopted; Hale Jr. so closely resembled his father, veteran character actor Alan Hale Sr., that at times it appeared that the older fellow had returned to the land of the living. In films from 1933, Alan Jr. was originally cast in beefy, athletic good-guy roles (at 6'3", he could hardly play hen-pecked husbands). After the death of his father in 1950, Alan dropped the "Junior" from his professional name. He starred in a brace of TV action series, Biff Baker USA (1953) and Casey Jones (1957), before his he-man image melted into comedy parts. From 1964 through 1967, Hale played The Skipper (aka Jonas Grumby) on the low-brow but high-rated Gilligan's Island. Though he worked steadily after Gilligan's cancellation, he found that the blustery, slow-burning Skipper had typed him to the extent that he lost more roles than he won. In his last two decades, Alan Hale supplemented his acting income as the owner of a successful West Hollywood restaurant, the Lobster Barrel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1960
While escorting four prisoners through the desert, Capt. Jim Pattisall (Alan Hale Jr.) is wounded in an Apache attack. Bart Maverick (Jack Kelly) takes over from Pattisall, making certain that the foursome is safely delivered to prison--a task that proves problematic when the prettiest of the prisoners, Daphne Tolliver (Joanna Barnes) tries to charm her way to freedom. Adding to Bart's burden are a pair of pursuing bank robbers, to say nothing of scalp-happy Apache brave Red Feather (Gary Murray). Featured as the Indian chief is silent-film veteran Charles Stevens, the grandson of legendary Apache warrior Geronimo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1960
Hard Drivin' is a lively precursor to all those "on the road" flicks of the 1970s. Rory Calhoun, John Gentry and Alan Hale Jr. star as three hellraising Southern stock car drivers. The racing scenes themselves are well photographed, with the stars apparently doing a lot of their own stunts. These sequences are intercut with footage from the real-life Southern 500 competition. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Alan Hale, Jr., (more)
- 1959
In the concluding episode of Walt Disney's two-part miniseries Moochie of the Little League, the Bobcats baseball team has successful prevented their ball field from being sold, and young Moochie Morgan (Kevin Corcoran) and several of his fellow Bobcats have been selected to play in an all-star game. Moochie's sister, Marian (Donna Corcoran), is none too happy over this, since if Moochie stays in town to play, the Morgan's annual vacation is off. Be that as it may, the day of the Big Game approaches, whereupon Moochie takes to wearing his "lucky socks" day and night. As indicated by the title of this episode, however, things don't go quite the way our hero had hoped. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology, "Wrong Way Moochie" and the previous episode "A Diamond Is a Boy's Best Friend" were later edited together and released theatrically in Europe as Little League Moochie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
In the first episode of Walt Disney's two-part miniseries Moochie of the Little League, young Montgomery "Moochie" Morgan (Kevin Corcoran) spends his summer mornings delivering papers and his afternoons as a member of the Bobcats Little League team. Because of his diminutive size, he has spent most of the season on the bench but has been getting valuable pointers after each game from his dad (Russ Conway). Finally, Moochie gets his big chance to play in a crucial game -- just as word comes down that the Bobcats' baseball field is up for sale. Originally telecast as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology, "A Diamond Is a Boy's Best Friend" and the next episode "Wrong Way Moochie" were later edited together and released theatrically in Europe as Little League Moochie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1959
Ida Lupino is cast as the titular Annie O'Toole, who along with her father (John Patrick) arrives in Washoe Diggings with a gold claim filed by her fiancé Swede Lumberg (Alan Hale Jr.). When Annie's father dies, Adam Cartwright helps her establish a restaurant to keep her solvent. Annie is going to need every penny she can get: an old acquaintance, Gregory Spain (Henry Lascoe), insists that he is the rightful owner of Swede's claim. The case is taken to Miner's Court, where Annie's fate rests in the hands of Adam's father Ben. First telecast October 24, 1959, "The Saga of Annie O'Toole" was written by Thomas Thompson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lorne Greene, Pernell Roberts, (more)
Lt. (jg) Ken Braden (James Garner) is a US Navy frogman and underwater demolitions expert who is assigned to a vital mission, and to a submarine captained by Commander Stevenson Edmond O'Brien. But Stevenson is a CO who may have seen too many men die -- the two immediately come into conflict over Braden's presence on the boat and his mission, a top secret foray into Japanese waters that jeopardizes the boat. The captain, in his strict adherence to regulations, makes it as difficult as possible for Braden to carry out his assignment, and Braden doesn't make matters easier between them by speaking his mind. And the crew's low morale only makes matters worse as the voyage progresses and the dangers around them mount. ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Edmond O'Brien, (more)
- 1958
According to Universal-International publicity, The Lady Takes a Flyer is partially based on fact. The "lady" is Maggie Colby (Lana Turner) and the "flyer" is former Air Force colonel Mike Dandridge (Jeff Chandler). The two form a partnership when Mike decides to inaugurate an air-ferry service with Maggie as his chief pilot. Mike's wartime buddy Al Reynolds (Richard Denning) also signs on with the new service, though Al's hopes for a romance with Maggie are dashed when she marries Mike. Trouble arises when Maggie becomes pregnant and Mike insists that she give up her perilous lifestyle and become just another housewife. All conflicts are resolved during an exciting finale, wherein a fogbound Maggie is guided across the Atlantic via the radioed instructions of her loving husband. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lana Turner, Jeff Chandler, (more)
- 1957
A "Shock Theater" perennial since it was first released to television in the early 1960s (stretch-framed to pad out its running time), The Amazing Colossal Man is firmly in the "So Bad It's Good" category. While overseeing the atomic tests in the Nevada desert, Army colonel Glenn Langan is exposed to extensive amounts of radiation. As a result, Langan grows, and grows, and grows, at the rate of ten feet per day. This sudden height gain adversely affects the poor man's mind, and soon he's as mad as a hatter. Looking for all the world like Mr. Clean in a diaper, the Colossal Man goes on a murderous rampage, laying waste to several Las Vegas landmarks before he is killed by army bullets while standing atop the Boulder Dam. The special effects are adequate, but the dialogue is ridiculous-in fact, if we didn't know better, we'd say that the film was intended to be funny. Our favorite bit: the huge hypodermic needle. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Langan, Cathy Downs, (more)
- 1957
Affair in Reno is an uneven Republic adventure from the later phases of the studio's history. Doris Singleton, usually cast as the heroine's next door neighbor or best friend (she's Caroline Appleby in the "Harpo Marx" episode on I Love Lucy), is here seen as a smart-lipped private eye. She comes to Reno on a case, and falls in love with publicity agent John Lund. But nothing dissuades her from her mission to get the goods on suspected crook John Archer. Affair in Reno doesn't have much in the way of production values, but compensates for this with an emphasis on comedy, especially whenever Doris Singleton has to pose as someone she's not. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lund, Doris Singleton, (more)
- 1957
This hour-long tape consists of an episode from the syndicated Golden Age of Television series. The first half-hour consists of a 1957 episode of the TV adventure weekly Casey Jones. Alan Hale Jr. stars as the legendary railroad engineer in this "eastern western." The second half-hour is devoted to an episode from the classic NBC Saturday morning series Fury: "The Story of a Horse and the Boy Who Loved Him." Young Bobby Diamond, older Peter Graves and still older William Fawcett are the human stars in this episode, which was released on the non-network market in 1959 under the alternate title Brave Stallion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Actually, this retelling of the life of outlaw Jesse James is only as true as its predecessor, the highly fanciful 1939 Tyrone Power-Henry Fonda starrer Jesse James. Generous chunks of stock footage from the earlier film are reused here, albeit reframed to accommodate the CinemaScope process. Robert Wagner makes an interesting James, though he is upstaged throughout by Jeffrey Hunter as his brother Frank. Adhering to the Canon, the film insists that the James boys were forced into a life of crime by greedy railroad men -- hence, their ongoing vendetta against trains. Director Nicholas Ray adds a few psychological nuances not found in the more prosaic 1939 film. John Carradine, who played "dirty little coward" Bob Ford in the original Jesse James, appears in the remake as Rev. Jethro Bailey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Wagner, Jeffrey Hunter, (more)
- 1956
Canyon River stars George Montgomery as trail boss Steve Patrick. Reversing the procedure usually depicted in westerns of this nature, Patrick is assigned to guide a cattle drive from the west-coast state of Oregon to the wilds of Wyoming. En route, our hero must fend off attacks from both rustlers and Indians. He is also being undermined from within by foreman Bob Andrews (Peter Graves), who dearly covets Patrick's job. The romantic interest is provided by widowed camp cook Janet Hale (Marcia Henderson). Canyon River was produced by Richard Heermance, who, for the record, was (a) the brother of announcer Bud Collyer and actress June Collyer and (b) the brother-in-law of comedian Stu Erwin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Marcia Henderson, (more)
- 1956
In this thriller, "Foggy" (Wendell Corey) is a bank teller who got his nickname for the thick spectacles he must wear. Foggy is also an inside man for a gang of thieves planning to rob his bank. Unfortunately, their plan goes awry and he is arrested. During the ensuing scuffle, his wife is accidentally killed and the crook blames the arresting officer (Joseph Cotten). While he stands trial, Foggy lets on that he plans on getting revenge by killing the officer's wife. Later he is transferred to a prison farm. The fearsome former clerk busts out of prison and kills a few people on his way to the policeman's home. The panicked policeman attempts to secure protection for his wife, but the cops decide to use the woman as a decoy to draw the criminal to them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Cotten, Rhonda Fleming, (more)
- 1956
In this western, three gringos deposit their loot in a Mexican bank and set up homes in a tiny village where they hope to live long, peaceful lives. Unfortunately other banditos rob their bank, forcing them to ride out after them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Battle Hymn was inspired by the true story of American minister Dean Hess, played here with rare sensitivity by Rock Hudson. A bomber pilot during World War II, Hess inadvertently releases a bomb which destroys a German orphanage. Tortured by guilt, Hess relocates in Korea after the war to offer his services as a missionary. Combining the best elements of Christianity and Eastern spiritualism, Hess establishes a large home for orphans. The preacher's efforts are threatened when the Korean "police action" breaks out in 1950. Battle Hymn was one of several collaborations between Rock Hudson and director Douglas Sirk--though Sirk felt that Robert Stack would have been better suited to the role of Rev. Hess. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rock Hudson, Anna Kashfi, (more)
Glynis Johns and Cameron Mitchell are top-billed in All Mine to Give, but they're out of the picture halfway through. Johns and Mitchell play a Scottish couple, Mamie and Robert, living in the American wilderness of the mid-19th century. Robert dies, whereupon Mamie takes on the responsibility of raising their six children. And when she succumbs to illness, it is the oldest child, Robbie (Rex Thompson, who'd previously played Louis Leonowens in The King And I), who takes on the challenge of finding homes for his siblings on Christmas Day. Based on a true story, All Mine to Give has heart-tugging potential, but the script isn't up to the performances. One year before its American release, the film was distributed in Great Britain under the title The Day They Gave Babies Away. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glynis Johns, Cameron Mitchell, (more)
- 1956
The Cruel Tower is a dog-and-pony variation of a well-worn triangle plot. John Ericson is a handsome young steeplejack, working side-by-side on a dizzying new structure with brooding partner Charles McGraw. Mari Blanchard is McGraw's beautiful young wife, whose history of illicit romances immediately arouses McGraw's suspicions vis-a-vis Ericson. The problem with all of these "dangerous profession" mellers is that the villain invariably hatches a scheme to make a murder look like an accident--and nearly always ends up the victim of his own scheme. For a while in The Cruel Tower, however, it appears as though John Ericson is really going to fall for Mari Blanchard. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Ericson, Mari Blanchard, (more)
John Wayne plays anti-Nazi Prussian sea captain Karl Erlich in Sea Chase, one of the many film commentaries released post WWII. Though staunchly opposed to the Nazi regime, Karl (Wayne) feels it would nevertheless be unpatriotic should he refuse to save his ship from destruction. His ship--an old, rusty 5,000 ton freighter named the Ergenstrasse--is being pursued by a British warship on his journey from Australia back to Germany. Captain Erlich does everything he can to save his ship and his crew, but the process is long and dangerous, particularly without a plentiful supply of fuel and provisions. Erlich must face obstacles ranging from horrendous sea storms and shark attacks to false murder accusations, and it seems his only devotee is Elsa (Lana Turner), a beautiful German spy. Despite nearly falling to the determined English ship and a mutiny attempt by his own crew, Captain Erlich manages to survive what was anything but a routine trip back to his home country. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Wayne, Lana Turner, (more)
Packaged and sold as an outdoor actioner, Many Rivers to Cross is as much a comedy as anything else. Robert Taylor stars as 18th century trapper Bushrod Gentry, who is himself entrapped into marriage by the spunky Mary Stuart Cherne (Eleanor Parker). Escaping his marital responsibilities (which were impressed upon him on threat of death), Gentry heads into the North Country, with Mary in hot pursuit. Hero and heroine spend the rest of the picture taking turns rescuing each other from hostile Indians. Some of the humor is predicated upon the wholesale slaughter of the "redskins", and as such is a bit hard to take when seen today. Supporting Taylor and Parker are Victor McLaglen as the heroine's burly father, and TV-stars-to be James Arness (Gunsmoke) and Russell Johnson and Alan Hale Jr. (Gilligan's Island). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Taylor, Eleanor Parker, (more)
The Indian Fighter is trail guide Kirk Douglas, who agrees to shepherd a wagon train through Sioux territory. Douglas tries to convince the Sioux to leave his charges alone, but such hotheads as drunken white trader Walter Matthau and embittered Indian brave Harry Landers escalate the tensions. Douglas is forced to go "mano y mano" with Landers; Douglas wins, but refuses to kill Landers, having lost his taste for killing. But when Matthau and his partner Lon Chaney Jr. contrive to rob the Indians of their gold, Sioux chief Eduard Franz prepares to wipe out the settlers. Only when Douglas risks life and limb to bring Matthau and Chaney Jr. to justice does Franz relent. Somehow, Kirk Douglas manages to link up with two leading ladies in The Indian Fighter: his Italian "discovery" Elsa Martinelli and his own ex-wife Diana Douglas (wouldn't you liked to have been a fly on the wall at that casting call?) The first film assembled by Douglas' own Bryna Productions, The Indian Fighter is a particular treat when seen in color; incredibly, its first network telecast in 1962 was in black and white. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Elsa Martinelli, (more)
- 1955
Ray Milland made his directorial debut with the Republic western A Man Alone. Milland also starred in the film, playing fugitive gunslinger Wes Steele. While escaping a lynch mob, Steele stumbles onto an Arizona ranch that has been quarantined due to Yellow Fever. During his enforced stay, he falls in love with sheriff's daughter Nadine Corrigan (Mary Murphy), who is as much a "lost soul" as Steele. The only hope the lovers have for a happy future is Steele's exoneration, but this won't happen so long as crooked town banker Stanley (Raymond Burr) holds all the cards. A Man Alone did well enough to encourage future directorial efforts by Ray Milland, which included the well-paced espionager Lisbon and the above average sci-fi exercise Panic in the Year Zero! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ray Milland, Mary Murphy, (more)
- 1954
The third and (as of 1998) final film version of Max Brand's Destry Rides Again, this 1954 Audie Murphy vehicle owes more to the 1939 Jimmy Stewart version than it does to the Brand original. Murphy plays Tom Destry, the peace-loving son of a notorious gunslinger. Destry is summoned to a wide-open western town in hopes that he can stem the villainies of saloon owner Decker (Lyle Bettger) and crooked mayor Sellers (Edgar Buchanan). Though he prefers to talk rather than slap leather, Destry manages to keep the bad guys at bay. But when his best friend, town-drunk-turned-sheriff Rags Barnaby (Thomas Mitchell), is killed by Decker's minions, Destry straps on the shootin' irons and goes to work. Mari Blanchard essays the Marlene Dietrich role as vacillating saloon-hall chirp Brandy, while Lori Nelson is the "good"girl with whom Destry ultimately settles down. Though most of the highlights of Destry -- including the all-girl saloon brawl -- are lifted bodily from 1939's Destry Rides Again, the 1954 film lacks the light touch of the earlier picture, despite the fact that comedy craftsman George Marshall directed both pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audie Murphy, Mari Blanchard, (more)
- 1954
Anthony Dexter, who had essayed the title role in the 1951 biopic Valentino, plays a beardless Captain Kidd. Eva Gabor, who would later costar with Arnold the Pig on TV's Green Acres, is the slave girl. Gabor has been dispatched by the villains to seduce Kidd and determine the whereabouts of the pirate's legendary buried treasure. She falls in love with him instead, standing by his side as he fights his way through reels and reels of stock footage from old Hollywood swashbucklers. Captain Kidd and the Slave Girl was produced by Edward Small--and is "small" in every sense of the word. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Young at Heart is a soft-pedaled, musicalized remake of 1938's Four Daughters. Robert Keith takes over the Claude Rains role as paterfamilias to a family of musical prodigies, all girls: Doris Day, Dorothy Malone, Elizabeth Fraser (the fourth daughter was written out of proceedings, no great loss). Keith's new boarder Gig Young, a musical-comedy composer, becomes the three daughters' heart balm, whether he wants to our not. When he gets stuck creatively, Young invites his tempestuous pal Frank Sinatra to help him finish his score. Sinatra essays the old John Garfield role, retaining a generous supply of Garfield's chip-on-shoulder edginess. But whereas Garfield's character dies in Four Daughters, Sinatra survives for a happily-ever-after clinch with Doris Day. Most of the songs heard in Young at Heart were already standards in 1954--with the notable exception of the Johnny Richards-Carolyn Leigh title number, which of course became a part of Frank Sinatra's standard repertoire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Doris Day, Frank Sinatra, (more)
