Harmon Jones Movies

Unfortunately, the comedy in this film is just about as crummy as its title. On the bright side, it does feature a number of veterans from popular TV sitcoms. It is set in a run-down diner where a bumbling short-order cook and a klutzy waitress work. They are so terrible at their jobs that they soon lose them. Next the two go to help a pal run her recently inherited bookstore. There they found trouble when a Russian spy mistakenly identifies the former cook as a defecting cosmonaut. Meanwhile, two would-be bank robbers are secretly sneaking 'round the bookstore trying to tunnel into the bank vault next door. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This episode is a virtual dry-run for the 1970s series Dallas, except that the question posed is not "Who Shot J.R.?" but instead "Who Killed J.K.?" There is no shortage of suspects when nasty oil tycoon Jerome Klee (Wendell Corey) is murdered, but the police finally settle upon Klee's foreman Allen Winford (James Best), who had been trying to prevent Klee from cheating an impoverished farmer named Jason Rohan (Paul Brinegar). Of course, Winford is innocent--else why would Perry Mason (Raymond Burr agree to take his case? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A young lady calling herself Eva Griffin (Patricia Barry) calls upon Perry Mason (Raymond Burr) hoping that he will save her from a nasty scandal. Eva is really a married woman named Eva Belter, and she was photographed leaving a local gambling joint with prominent politician Harrison Burke (James Philbrook). If the photo is published in the lurid scandal sheet "Spicy Bits", Burke will be ruined and Eva will face a violent reprisal from her husband George (Richard Webb). Having an old score to settle with "Spicy Bits", Perry agrees to take Eva's case--only to find himself a murder suspect when Eva's husband George is shot dead! This episode is based on the very first "Perry Mason" novel written by Erle Stanley Gardner, which was previously adapted as a theatrical film in 1935 with Warren William as Mason (in the original film, the events took place while Perry was on his honeymoon with his new bride--Della Street!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Legend of the Sea Wolf is the alternate title of two separate film versions of Jack London's allegorical The Sea Wolf. The first of the two, released in 1958, was originally titled Wolf Larsen. Barry Sullivan stars as the brutal captain of a scavenger ship, who rides his men mercilessly and bristles at the slightest hint of weakness. Despite his cruelties, Sullivan fancies himself an intellectual, and welcomes the opportunity to spar both mentally and physically with bookish shipwreck victim Peter Graves. Ultimately, the ship's crew stages a mutiny. Having gone suddenly blind, Sullivan forces Graves to maintain the illusion that Sullivan is still sighted, and still all-powerful. The ruse fails, and both Sullivan and Graves sink to the bottom of the sea. Very well made (especially for an Allied Artists production) and possessed of a thrilling musical score, Wolf Larsen withal runs a distant second to the definitive Sea Wolf of 1941, which starred Edward G. Robinson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

Apparently as a reward for his excellent performance in the 1954 western Drum Beat, Charles Bronson was given a leading role in this Warner Bros. programmer. The action takes place during the Korean War: a melting-pot unit of American soldiers, together with three British troopers, find themselves trapped behind enemy lines. Making their way to a hilltop that is under United Nations control, these squabbling stragglers discover that the defending soldiers have been wiped out by the Enemy. Ordered to hold the hill under reinforcements arrive, the soldiers, under the command of Lt. Flagler (Richard Conte) and Sgt. Gaspari (Charles Bronson), endeavor to do their duty without getting picked off themselves. As tension mounts, the Americans and the Brits get on each other's nerves, but it's "all for one, one for all" when it really counts. Future TV producer Aaron Spelling shows up in a bit part. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Whenever Mel Brooks wanted to get a rise out of wife Anne Bancroft during their joint talk-show appearances of the 1970s, Brooks would bring up the subject of Gorilla at Large. Easily the low point of Ms. Bancroft's movie career, the film is good for a few chuckles if one's in the proper mood. The story is set in an amusement park, where the star attractions include trapeze artist Cameron Mitchell and a huge, vicious gorilla. When a series of murders take place, Mitchell is one of the prime suspects; another is Bancroft's husband Raymond Burr, who owns the big ape. The revelation of the actual killer is mildly surprising, not to mention thoroughly unbelievable. Gorilla at Large was filmed in 3D, resulting in a reasonably exciting "thrill" sequence atop a roller coaster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Silver Whip stars Dale Robertson as Race Crim, the guard on a stage coach driven by his best friend, young Jess Harker (Robert Wagner). Wounded during a holdup, Crim vows to get even with bandit Slater (John Kellogg). Meanwhile, Harker, fired from his job as driver, manages to become the deputy for Sheriff Tom Davisson (Rory Calhoun). When the sheriff captures Slater and throws him in jail, a lynch mob, headed by Crim, converges upon the jailhouse. Harker is placed in a delicate dilemma: should he protect Slater and uphold justice, or should he allow his old friend Crim to satisfy his thirst for vengeance? The Silver Whip was based on a novel by Jack Schaefer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Pride of St. Louis is the story of one of baseball's most colorful characters, Jerome Herman "Dizzy" Dean. While playing amateur ball in 1928, Dizzy (Dan Dailey) is hired by the St. Louis Cardinals. He spends a year or so playing with the Cards' Texas farm team, during which time he woos and wins department-store clerk Pat Nash (Joanne Dru, who ironically was the real-life aunt of pro baseball player Pete LaCock!) Once in the majors as a pitcher, Dean is joined on the Cards lineup by his younger brother Paul (Richard Crenna), whom the press nicknames "Daffy." Through a combination of spectacular ballplaying and zany publicity stunts, Dizzy and Daffy become nationwide favorites. Their popularity really soars after they help the Cardinals win the 1934 World Series. After this triumph, things begin to go downhill for Dizzy, who endures several injuries and finally "loses" his pitching arm. Dean is rescued from a binge of self-pity by his old friend Johnny Kendall (Richard Hylton), whose dad is a brewery executive. Johnny convinces his dad to sponsor a series of St. Louis Browns radio broadcasts, and to hire Dizzy as a play-by-play announcer. Ol' Diz gets in a lot of trouble with local schoolteachers because of his eccentric grammar ("he slud into third base," etc.) but things eventually turn out A-OK. Pride of St. Louis takes any number of liberties with the facts, but the real Dizzy Dean didn't care so long as 20th Century-Fox ponied up a huge sum of money for the rights to his life story: "Jeez," he said at the time, "they're gonna give me 50,000 smackers just fer livin'!" Future NBC news commentator Chet Huntley shows up in one of the closing scenes as sportscaster Tom Weaver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a story by Paddy Chayefsky, this is the tale of a man who is being forced to retire from his job, at the age of 65, and decides to fight back. Impersonating the head of the company, he sets out to convince them to get rid of their outmoded retirement policy and gives a creditable speech on the dignity of man, gaining national attention. This movie features good performances, but it will probably be remembered more for the bit part played by a young Marilyn Monroe as the boss' secretary. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide

A Ticket to Tomahawk has sometimes been described as a musical western satire, but in fact is more "straight" western than anything else--not that there's anything wrong with that, of course. Dan Dailey plays a travelling medicine show entrepreneur who comes to the aid of fast-shootin' Anne Baxter, daughter of a railroad man. Stagecoach line representative Rory Calhoun is doing everything he can to prevent a new train service from winning a Colorado territory franchise. The whole affair boils down to a race between the train and Calhoun's coaches. The film's never-take-a-breath action scenes are played out against some of the most gorgeous Colorado scenery ever captured on Technicolor. A Ticket to Tomahawk has achieved latter-day fame due to the unbilled presence of Marilyn Monroe as one of Dan Dailey's chorus gals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Stella is an out-of-left-field black comedy in which star Anne Sheridan is upstaged by an uproarious supporting cast. At a family picnic, a none too likeable uncle dies from accidentally eating poisoned mushrooms. The other family members don't want to be accused of murder, so they leave it to the stupidest branch of the clan, personified by David Wayne and Frank Fontaine, to dispose of the body. When it is learned that Uncle had a hefty insurance policy, the family tries to palm off various corpses as the genuine article. The final image is of Wayne and Fontaine digging hundreds of holes in the field where uncle is resting; it seems they can't remember where they buried him! Stella is based on a somewhat more serious novel by mystery specialist Doris Miles Disney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide