Ben Kline Movies

When Santa Claus decides to retire, he appoints a washed-up kiddie show host (Douglas Seale) to take his place. Along the way, the real Santa ends up in the slammer on Christmas Eve, and it's up to goonish, glad-handing Ernest P. Worrall (Jim Varney) to bust him out. Varney plays a handful of supporting characters, including a slick-talking attorney. This film was followed by Ernest Goes to Jail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Herman Munster and his ghoulish clan leave the confines of their 1960s television series The Munsters to try their luck on the big screen in this feature length comedy that chronicles their adventures in merry England where Herman has inherited a large estate. Unfortunately, the Munsters do not realize that their new home is already inhabited by a ring of counterfeiters determined to frighten the family back to the United States. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this Western, a good-hearted gunfighter helps a young cowboy find the cruel cattle baron who killed his daddy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Largely filmed in Canada, The Littlest Hobo was the result of a brainstorming session between Dorrell and Stuart McGowan, the same sibling production team responsible for TV's Death Valley Days. Hobo is a homeless German shepherd, whose adventures begin when he hops off a freight train in a strange town. Naturally drawn to down-and-outers, Hobo rescues a lamb that is slated for the slaughterhouse. The rest of the film concerns the dog and lamb's many trials and tribulations as they elude the authorities. Ideal for kiddie-matinee showings, Littlest Hobo also has much to offer for adult moviegoers. The film spawned a 1963 TV series, also assembled by the McGowan brothers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A veritable honor roll of famed western heroes and villains appears in the fanciful oater Badman's Country. It all begins when Sheriff Pat Garrett (George Montgomery) draws up plans to lure the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, headed by Butch Cassidy (Neville Brand) and the Sundance Kid (Russell Johnson) into a trap. To do this, he enlists the aid of fellow peacekeepers Wyatt Earp (Buster Crabbe), Bat Masterson (Gregory Walcott) and Buffalo Bill Cody (Malcolm Atterbury). By the time everyone is introduced, the film is half over. No matter: Badman's Country is redeemed by a truly impressive climactic gun duel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Scientist Mitch McAfee (Jeff Morrow) cannot convince anyone that an enormous bird, evidently here from outer space, has arrived on Earth and is grabbing planes from the sky, gobbling up the passengers and crew. However, the bird (The Claw) eventually makes its presence more that adequately known, as it begins to attack people more openly. But the giant bird is surrounded by a kind of force field, making all weapons useless on it. Mitch finds its nest and blows holes in its colossal egg, infuriating The Claw, which heads south, destroying the United Nations building on its way. Mitch struggles to find a way to penetrate the anti-matter shield around The Claw. This would have been an ordinarily bad movie of its type, with a good performance by Jeff Morrow, if the special effects had been industry standard for the time. That, however, is not what happened. The Claw is not just badly rendered, it is hilariously rendered, resembling nothing so much as Warner Bros. cartoon-character Beaky Buzzard. Once seen, you will never forget this awesomely silly creation. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide

Quickie king Sam Katzman's Zombies of Mora Tau is a game attempt to imitate what Roger Corman was doing so well over at American-International. The story takes place on the coast of Africa, where a race of white zombies jealously guards an ancient, jewel-encrusted African Idol. The treasure rests somewhere under the sea, and adventurers Jeff Clark (Gregg Palmer) and George Harrison (Joel Ashley) intend to get their hands on it. Before long, Jeff and George are in danger of being zombified themselves. Jeff's solution to this dilemma is surprisingly bland, bringing this otherwise rousing melodrama to a flat conclusion. Allison Hayes, of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman fame, is decorative as George's wife, who has the misfortunate to fall under the spell of the "living dead". Zombies of Mora Tau was originally released on a double bill with Katzman's The Man Who Turned to Stone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rory Calhoun is Utah Blaine in this pinch-penny Sam Katzman-produced western. Adapted from a novel by Louis L'Amour, the story concerns the efforts of gunslinger Blaine to save a group of ranchers from an outlaw gang. When one the ranchers is killed, Utah finds himself half-owner of a valuable spread, placing him directly in the line of fire along with his attractive "business partner" Angie Kinyon (Susan Cummings). Ray Teal is all snarls as the outlaw leader, while former boxer Max Baer Sr. does a brief turn as a slow-witted hooligan. Like most Sam Katzman efforts, Utah Blaine turned a tidy profit for Katzman's home base of Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Sam Katzman-produced sci-fier was originally released on a double bill with Katzman's Giant Claw. The plot is motivated by a newly discovered element called E-112, which festers at the Earth's core. Rising to the surface in the form of liquefied stone, E-112 becomes extremely dangerous when it is mixed with nitrogen. Before long, the entire world is threatened with the explosive power of the volatile element. To save Mankind from being blown to smithereens, seismologist David Conway (William Leslie) tries to neutralize E-112 with a combination of volcanic gases and silver iodide. Despite all the scientific doublespeak, The Night the World Exploded is doggedly nonintellecutal in its execution and appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Extensive stock footage from 1949's Lust for Gold is used to flesh out the Columbia potboiler Secret of Treasure Mountain. The producers went so far as to hire one of the actors of the earlier film, William Prince, in order to match the old footage with the new. The plot is set in motion some 200 years ago, when a Spanish soldier buries a fortune in gold somewhere in Apache country. Angered at this invasion of their sacred land, the Indians place a curse upon the gold -- and, by extension, upon all those who will come into contact with the precious mineral in the future. The story proper begins in The Present, as a group of adventurers, many of them on the shady side (none shadier than villain Raymond Burr), embark upon a search for the gold. Sure enough, these modern-day prospectors fall victim to the curse one by one, usually as a result of their own greed or lust -- yes, lust, since shapely Valerie French and Susan Cummings are among the gold-seekers. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Like most Sam Katzman efforts of the late 1950s, Miami Expose laid claim to being "torn from today's headlines." Lensed on location, the film stars Lee J. Cobb as dedicated police lieutenant Bart Scott. Though he'd like nothing better than to smash Miami's gambling racketeers, Scott is forever stymied by legal loopholes. It becomes personal when an old friend of Scott's is killed during a turf war between ageing gambling czar Raymond Sheridan (Alan Napier) and hot-headed upstart Louie Ascot (Michael Granger). Patricia Medina plays Lila Hodges, sole witness to the murder, who is placed in protective custody by Scott all part of a master plan to bring the syndicate bosses out in the open. Also appearing as a "bought" politician is Edward Arnold, who died during production. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Coming off of a hit New York gig, successful rock & roll crooner Arnie Haines (Alan Dale) realizes he and his bandmates are weary from the grind of two years of steady gigs. They tell their manager (DJ Alan Freed, playing himself) they're taking a break and return to the small town where they started, Mellonville (state unspecified, but it looks like central Pennsylvania). Upon arriving, however, Haines finds himself denounced by the mayor (Pierre Watkin) as a bad influence on the teenagers and banned from any public performances. That would suit him fine -- he and the boys wanted the summer off -- but their local teenage fans can't abide the repressive atmosphere, and then nationally syndicated columnist Arlene MacLaine (Fay Baker), visiting Mellonville, attacks Haines and rock & roll in her column, threatening the whole music business. Arlene's comely daughter, Francine (Patricia Hardy), urges Arnie to fight back and convince her mother that rock & roll is harmless fun. Toward that end, with help from the sympathetic mayor (George Cisar) of the next town, Arnie and Freed organize an all-star show that includes Little Richard, the Treniers, and Bill Haley & His Comets. Everything goes according to plan until one petty, jealous girl (Jana Lund) nearly starts a riot when Arnie rejects her advances. Then it's up to Francine and her acting troupe friends to help Arnie and Alan Freed make one last pitch for rock & roll. Though Don't Knock the Rock has more plot and characters than most movies of this type, and it did reflect an actual serious controversy that was growing at the time (and not just in the South), it is really just lighthearted fun. Its real appeal lay in the singing and dancing, not only by some top rock & roll talent of the day (Bill Haley is great, Little Richard and his band are amazing, and the Treniers are dazzling), but also by the dancers portraying ordinary teenagers having fun. Photographer Ben Kline gets all of his camera angles spot on, so that the movie, though no classic, is a visual and musical delight a half century later. And just to show where the film's heart really lies, producer Sam Katzman and director Fred Sears (who were old enough to be "squares") replace "The End" at the final frame with a more nonchalant (and topical) "Dig You Later." ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

The Dumas-inspired Blades of the Musketeers began life as an hour-long TV show, produced by Hal Roach Jr. as a possible series pilot. Robert Clarke, who'd previous headlined a pilot for a never-sold "Robin Hood" series, plays D'Artagnan, while the rest of the Musketeers are portrayed by John Hubbard (Athos), Mel Archer (Porthos) and Keith Richards (Aramis). The plot follows the traditional "Queen's Necklace" portion of Dumas' The Three Musketeers, with D'Artagnan and his brothers in arms defending Queen Anne (Marjorie Lord) against the machinations of Cardinal Richelieu (Paul Cavanaugh) and Rochefort (Peter Mamakos). Rounding out the cast are Don Beddoe as a comic-relief King Louis, Lyn Thomas as the courageous Constance, and Kristine Miller as the scheming Milady De Winter. Within the limitations of its tiny budget and 54-minute time span, Blades of the Musketeers is a not-bad rendition of a familiar adventure yarn. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide