Arthur V. Jones Movies

Mara Corday stars in Undersea Girl as skin-diving journalist Val Hudson. While swimming in Yokohama Bay, Val comes across the body of a murdered fisherman, who carries nearly $2000 on his person. The money is part of a $2 million cache which was being transported by a naval vessel during WW II; the ship was sunk by the Japanese and considered irretrievably lost -- at least until now. Joining Val in her search for the rest of the money are her boyfriend, Navy lieutenant Brad Chase (Pat Conway); police lieutenant Mike Travis (Dan Seymour); and mystery man Sam Marvin (Ralph Clanton). A hint to the outcome: one of the treasure-seekers is a low-down, dirty crook. Originally produced by Nacirema Productions, Undersea Girl was distributed by Allied Artists on a double bill with the low-budget western The Persuader. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this low-budget espionage adventure, an ex-FBI agent is convinced by an active agent to help him find a stolen map showing the location of invaluable uranium deposits located on a remote South Pacific island. Later the two, and a few others, end up in a hotel in Death Valley with the maps. Murder ensues as different people vie to get their hands on the valuable documents. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Back in the 1940s, it was not uncommon for recording artists to cut records exclusively for the jukebox trade, and sometimes to perform musical numbers "live" to jukeboxes via telephone hookup. Perhaps it is necessary for one to know these things before viewing Jukebox Jenny, very much a product of its time. Vaudevillian Ken Murray stars as Malcolm Hammond, sales manager for the record-company owner by Roger Wadsworth (Don Douglas). Engaged to Genevieve Horton (Harriet Hilliard), daughter of his financial backer (Marjorie Gateson), Wadsworth is strong-armed into a marriage with brash Jinx Corey (Iris Adrian). Hammond tries to rescue Wadsworth from this contentious union, but in the process he falls in love with Genevieve himself, and endeavors to turn her into a top recording star, utilizing his know-how of the mechanics of the "juke" business. With eight musical numbers, it's a wonder that there's time in Jukebox Jenny for any plot at all! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Universal contractee Irene Hervey, generally required to stand by the sidelines while the leading men did all the acting, was given a vehicle of her very own with Frisco Lil. Irene plays a law student whose father is framed for a crime he didn't commit. Going undercover as a gambling-joint croupier, Harvey tries to sniff out the genuine crooks. She does, but it's fortunate that Kent Taylor is on hand to keep her from winding up in a cement kimono. Irene Hervey would continue to act into middle age, retiring periodically to devote herself to her family (she was married to singer Allan Jones, and was the mother of another vocalist, Jack Jones); in 1965, she popped up in a colorful recurring role on the TV series Honey West. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this musical comedy, a pregnant disc jockey misses her husband who is fighting overseas. Stressed out by the situation and her job, she decides to take some time off and convinces her twin sister to trade places with her. The switcheroo causes the soldier her husband appointed as her unofficial guardian no end of confusion. Songs include: "Annie Laurie," "Rug Cuttin' Romeo" (sung by Susan Miller), "My Melancholy Baby" (Ernie Burnett, George A. Norton, sung by Frances Langford), "I'm Gonna Swing My Way to Heaven" (Eddie Cherkose, Jacques Press, sung by Langford), "Got Love" (sung by Langford). ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Tim Holt is mistaken for a notorious gunslinger in this average Western, which RKO filmed at Kanab, UT, in tandem with the star's previous effort, the much better Wagon Train. Believed by everyone to be Deuce Mallory, a gunman hired to kill local prospector Caleb Winters (Paul Scardon), The Fargo Kid (Holt) decides to play out the charade in order to trap Nick Kane (Cy Kendall), the corrupt businessman who had ordered the hit in the first place. Things get a bit dicey when the real Deuce Mallory (Paul Fix) rides into town but aided by sidekicks Johnny (Ray Whitley) and Whopper (Emmett Lynn), The Kid manages to prevent the murder, and, in return, earns the love and respect from everyone, including the prospector's pretty daughter, Jennie (Jane Drummond). Ray Whitley performs his own and Fred Rose's "Crazy Ole Trails Ahead" and "Twilight on the Prairie" in this remake of the 1932 Tom Keene oater The Cheyenne Kid, which itself was a talkie version of a 1928 Bob Steele silent, Man in the Rough. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

A wedding ceremony is rudely interrupted by a bank robbery next door, the bridegroom is shot and the best man is accused of being the culprit. All this takes place during the first five minutes of Triple Justice, George O'Brien's final western for RKO. Brad Henderson (O'Brien) is innocent, of course, but is forced to clear his good name and reputation by tracking down not only the three real bank robbers but also their secret boss, Deputy Sheriff Harry Woods). Along the way, Brad falls in love with lovely (Virginia Vale), the sister of neophyte outlaw Bud McTaggart), and finds himself the center of attention of three equally charming senoritas, (The Lindemann Sisters, who perform a couple of standard Mexican ballads. Miss Vale) also takes time out for a song, Fred Ross and Ray Whitley's "Lonely Rio. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi

Film collectors take note: Hal Roach's Pick a Star is not a Laurel and Hardy picture, though the popular comic duo does make a brace of amusing cameo appearances halfway through the film. A remake of Buster Keaton's Free and Easy, this is the story of how small-town gas-station owner Joe Jenkins (Jack Haley) tries to help his sweetheart Cecilia Moore (Rosina Lawrence) realize her ambition to become a movie star. At the behest of travelling entrepreneur Stone (Russell Hicks), Jenkins organizes a talent contest, the first prize being a trip to Hollywood and a screen test. When Stone turns out to be a crook and skips town with the proceeds of the contest, Cecilia is heartbroken, but Joe promises to go to Hollywood himself and make the right connections to assure her rise to stardom. Alas, the best Joe can manage in Tinseltown is a busboy job at the Colonial Club, a fact he tries to conceal from Cecilia and her wisecracking sister Nellie (Patsy Kelly) when they unexpectedly arrive in California as guests of movie-matinee idol Rinaldo Lopez (Mischa Auer). In desperation, Joe pretends to be a nightclub entertainer, but when this ruse is revealed, Cecilia angrily walks out on him, accompanying Rinaldo first to his movie studio and then to his apartment. Naturally Rinaldo has seduction on his mind, but innocent Cecilia doesn't realize this until Joe storms into the apartment with blood in his eye. Ashamed for his lascivious behavior, Rinaldo arranges for Cecilia to have a screen test for producer Klawheimer (Charles Halton). At the last moment, Cecilia suffers an attack of "camera fright," but Joe gently coaches her through her test, and there's a happy ending for all concerned -- even for sister Nellie, who's been relentlessly cynical about the storyline from first scene to last. Cast as "movie stars," Laurel and Hardy show up briefly in the movie-studio scenes to participate in a reciprocal-destruction sequence with their old screen nemesis Walter Long, and to perform an amusing musical routine with "dueling" harmonicas. Pick a Star has been reissued as Movie Struck, while the Laurel & Hardy scenes were released separately to TV as the ersatz two-reeler A Day at the Studio. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Produced by Hal Roach, Kelly the Second is one of the few feature films to capture the comic spirit of Roach's wonderful two-reelers. Patsy Kelly stars as Molly Kelly, who as the result of an unexpected street brawl becomes the trainer of truck-driver-turned-prizefighter Cecil Callahan (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams). It seems that Cecil is a gentle soul who turns into a fighting fool whenever he hears the strains of "The Irish Washerwoman." Molly talks her boss, druggist Doc Klum (Charley Chase), into financing Cecil's ring career, which gets Doc in dutch with gangsters Ike (Ed Brophy) and Spike (Harold Huber). When Cecil's head is briefly turned by Ike's moll Gloria (Pert Kelton), Molly walks out on him but returns in time to cheer him to victory in the inevitable Big Fight. Despite some formidable comic competition, the film is stolen by the great Charley Chase, in one of his few feature-film appearances. Kelly the Second also features unbilled cameos by such Hal Roach favorites as Max Davidson and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer (Billy Gilbert, alas, was cut from the final release print); best of all, the musical score includes several familiar "background" themes by the inimitable LeRoy Shield. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi