David Ross Lederman Movies

Lex Barker plays the Lord of the Jungle in Tarzan's Savage Fury. Against his better judgment, Tarzan agrees to guide British government agents Edwards (Patric Knowles) and Rokov (Charles Korvin) into the land of the Wazuri Tribe, ostensibly to harvest uncut diamonds for national-defense purposes. In reality, Edwards and Rokov are a pair of criminals who intend to use the gems for their own nefarious purposes. Dorothy Hart co-stars as Jane, while Tommy Carlton plays a substitute for Tarzan's adopted son "Boy." The film's best scene takes place just after the opening credits, as Tarzan rescues Carlton from a deadly tribal ritual. Tarzan's Savage Fury was co-written by Cyril Hume, who'd contributed mightily to the "Tarzan" series back in its big-budget MGM days. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Columbia Pictures attempted to duplicate the success of Monogram's "Bowery Boys" pictures with its 1950 programmer Military Academy with That Tenth Avenue Gang. Four tough-but-lovable juvenile delinquents are sent to military school but a tough-but-kindly judge. It is hoped that the school's regimen will straighten out the boys and send them down the right path in life. It does, but there are plenty of twists on that path along the way. Topping the cast in Military Academy is Stanley Clements, who in 1956 would replace "Bowery Boys" star Leo Gorcey. Among the supporting players is Buddy Swan, who in 1941 played young Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this entry in the enduring series, the suave jewel thief finds himself helping the police break up a ring of diamond smugglers. Along the way, he winds up accused of both robbery and murder. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Boston Blackie is back and in hot pursuit of a jewel thief and killer in this mystery. The reformed thief soon tracks the thief to the domicile of a suspicious spiritualist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this musical, a struggling songwriter endeavors to make it big in Tin Pan Alley. She is befriended by the widow of a famous composer. The budding lyricist manages to convince the widow to allow her to make some small changes in her husband's music. She does, and it becomes a tremendous success. Songs include "Oh What a Lovely Dream" (Milton Drake, Ben Oakland), "It's a Blue World" (Bob Wright, Chet Forrest), and "I Don't Know How You Did It" (Doris Fisher, Allan Roberts). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Told in flashback, Out of the Depths strives to explain why its four male protagonists are bobbing around the Pacific in a lifeboat. The story proper begins as Captain Faversham (Jim Bannon) and his crew embark upon a secret mission which takes them into Japanese waters. The plan is to prevent a kamikaze attack against the American invading forces. Compelling in itself, the plotline isn't improved by arbitrary doses of misfire pathos and comedy relief. One of the sailors is played by Ken Curtis, later to gain TV fame as Festus on Gunsmoke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Shemp Howard and Billy Gilbert are a pair of lovable vaudeville clowns who spend most of their free time looking after the young son (Robert "Buzzy" Henry) of their boss (Paul Phillips), a nice guy who is trying desperately to hold together his second marriage. When his wife (Helen Gilbert) walks out, and he dies in an accident, Billy and Shemp are left to take care of the boy. In the course of looking for work, they meet impoverished restaurateur Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom and manage to achieve success as entertainers when their antics prove more alluring to patrons than the food they cook up. But then their late boss' widow and the man she's taken up with turn up, trying to claim custody of the boy so that they can steal the insurance payment for his father's death. Suddenly, everything they have worked for is in jeopardy, unless Billy can get married and adopt the boy legally. But marrying off Billy Gilbert is a task easier said than done, and leads to a comical search worthy of a good Three Stooges movie (only slightly more sophisticated). The two grifters manage to fool Billy into thinking the boy would be better off with the former stepmother -- he lets the boy go, which breaks up his partnership with Shemp. Can Maxie Rosenbloom's fists and the legal system put these three back together where they belong? ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide

An ex-racketeer becomes an undercover for the military in this drama. He keeps his work so secret that his friends become convinced that he is dabbling in illegal activities again. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

After years of faithful supporting-player service to Warner Bros., Jerome Cowan was rewarded with two starring vehicles, the first of which was Find the Blackmailer. Cowan is cast as private eyes D. L. Trees, who is hired by mayoral candidate John M. Rhodes (Gene Lockhart) to prevent any sort of adverse publicity. It seems that, somewhere in town, there's this talking blackbird (!) who insists upon saying that Rhodes will commit a murder. When the killing occurs, Rhodes is implicated, and Trees is off on a hectic pursuit of the incriminating crow-and the actual murderer. Faye Emerson is decorative as the leading lady, while the supporting cast is festooned with such "usual suspects" as John Harmon, Bradley Page and Lou Lubin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this espionage drama, a battle-fatigued British commando is diagnosed as clinically insane by doctors who are in reality, Nazi spies. They do this to keep him from divulging the secret info he has gathered about them. To prove their diagnosis, they murder several woman and blame him for the deaths. The RAF pilot comes out of his shell-shock in time to stop the Nazis. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Although Warner Bros. "officially" disbanded its B-picture unit in 1941, the studio continued to grind out lower-berth features for the next three years. One of these was Bullet Scars, which had the look of a 1930s gangster meller which somehow escaped filming at the time of its inception. Decked out with a lavish toupee, Regis Toomey stars as country doctor Steven Bishop, who is strongarmed into operating on wounded bank robber Joe Madison (Michael Ames) without reporting the wound to the cops. Coerced into assisting Bishop is trained nurse Nora (Adele Longmir), who happens to be Madison's sister. Falling in love with Dr. Bishop, Nora helps him sneak a message to the cops, and the result is a noisy climactic shootout (pieced together with a handful of new shots and stock footage from earlier Warners epics). Variety was understating the case when it described Bullet Scars as "a very unpleasant film." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The taciturn William Elliott stars in this above-average entry in Columbia's "Wild Bill Hickock" B-Western series. Returning to town with Larry Armstrong (Richard Fiske), an old friend he has just saved from a lynch mob, Hickock learns that Mitch Carew (Dick Curtis), a prison parolee, has killed Dan Woodworth (John Dilson), and is now attempting to buy Woodworth's store as a front for his nefarious schemes. Larry, who is embittered about the low wages being paid by the area's ranchers, opts to join Carew's gang of thugs. Wild Bill, meanwhile, is courting Woodworth's Eastern-bred niece Ann (Luana Walters), but the girl scoffs at his old-fashioned western ways. Alarmed that Larry has been involved in a stage robbery, Bill arranges to meet his old friend. Their rendezvous turns hostile and as Wild Bill is about to leave, Stringer (Leroy Mason), one of Mitch's stooges, takes a shot at him. Returning fire, Bill accidentally shoots and kills Larry. Blaming himself for the death of his friend, Bill vows to bring Mitch to justice. But when Ann once again denounces her suitor's western code of ethics, Bill offers to give up his guns and become "a peaceful man." When he learns that Mitch is waiting for him, our hero straps on his guns once again and goes to meet his destiny. A shootout in the street finally ends Mitch's reign of terror. Realizing that he will never be able to forsake the code of the west, Bill bids Ann a fond farewell and leaves town. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

Shadows on the Stairs is a slimmed-down adaptation of Frank Vosper's stage play Murder on the 2nd Floor. There's dirty work afoot at the London boarding house managed by Mr. and Mrs. Armitage (Miles Mander, Frieda Inescourt): several mysterious murders have occured, and everyone is under suspicion. One of the tenants is Mr. Bromilow (Bruce Lester), who weaves in and out of the proceedings with the all-knowing air of one who's already figured out the solution to the murders. Indeed, Bromilow has done just that, as demonstrated by a twist ending that would have done Alfred Hitchcock or Rod Serling proud. Otherwise, Shadows on the Stairs is standard stuff, standardly produced. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide