Frank Melford Movies
Filmed in Mexico, The Black Scorpion was the last theatrical feature to bear the imprimatur of special-effects maven Willis O'Brien. Allegedly an outgrowth of a ten-minute "test" film, the story is set in motion by a volcanic eruption which releases dozens of giant scorpions from a cave. American geologist Richard Denning and his cohorts try to drive the scorpions back into their lair, but the huge arachnids are soon at large in civilization, munching on innocent bystanders as they go their merry way. The authorities are able to destroy all but one scorpion, who unfortunately is the nastiest of the bunch. The climax takes place in a Mexico City bullring, where the scorpion does battle with a fleet of military helicopters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Denning, Mara Corday, (more)
- 1953
Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl were still husband and wife at the time The Diamond Queen was filmed (the result of that union, of course, was little Lorenzo Lamas). Lamas plays Frenchman Jean Tavernier, who in the company of Baron de Cabannes (Gilbert Roland) journeys to India, there to search for a fabulous diamond on behalf of King Louis XIV. They not only find the gem, but also Maya (Arlene Dahl), Queen of Nepal, in the bargain. Now it is up to Tavernier, the Baron and Maya to escape the clutches of the Great Mogul (Sheldon Leonard), the film's all-purpose villain. One suspects that no one took this thing too seriously while it was being made, which only adds to the film's enjoyment. Produced independently, Diamond Queen was distributed by Warner Bros. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fernando Lamas, Arlene Dahl, (more)
- 1951
Fort Defiance stars Dane Clark as Civil War deserter Johnny Tallon. Despite his checkered past, Johnny is idolized by his blind brother Ned (Peter Graves). All this changes when Ben Shelby (Ben Johnson), whose brother's death was caused by Johnny, comes to town in seeking revenge. Though it hardly seems possible at this juncture, Johnny sets about to redeem himself by defending the denizens of Fort Defiance against a Navajo attack. The wholly dispensable heroine is played by Tracey Roberts. Fort Defiance was lensed in Cinecolor, which was more eye-pleasing during the exterior scenes than during the interior dialogue passages. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dane Clark, Ben Johnson, (more)
- 1951
Rogue River stars Rory Calhoun as Ownie Rodgers, the nephew of crooked Oregon police chief Joe Dandridge (Frank Fenton). A $70,000 windfall, bequeathed to Dandridge by a man he'd once framed on a bank robbery charge, unleashes innumerable family skeletons. Ownie is obliged to solve the long-ago bank job himself, and in so doing he discovers that his "faithful" girl friend Judy (Ellye Marshall) was in on the scheme. The last-minute return of Dandridge's estranged son Pete (Peter Graves) leads to an ending that cannot truly be described as happy. More talky than most westerns of the era, Rogue River still contains much to please the eye, especially when one is lucky enough to see an original Cinecolor print. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Calhoun, Peter Graves, (more)
- 1950
Lon McCallister is the Boy From Indiana in this pleasant horse-racing yarn. Lon Decker (McCallister) comes to the rescue of Texas Dandy, a champion quarter-mile racehorse who is being abused by his avaricious owner (George Cleveland). After various and sundry adventures--including a hair-raising episode with a wild bull--Decker rides Texas Dandy in a crucial, plot-solving Big Race. Lois Butler co-stars as the girl in Lon's life, while Billie Burke goes through her dithery repertoire as a high-society horse fancier. As can be expected, Boy From Indiana is at its best during the racetrack scenes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lon McCallister, Lois Butler, (more)
- 1949
Guy Madison and Rory Calhoun, both of whom went on to star in their own TV western series, head the cast of the Monogram sagebrusher Massacre River. Madison and Calhoun play Larry Knight and Phil Acton, fellow Army officers and rivals for the attentions of colonel's daughter Kitty Reid (Cathy Downs). Losing the romantic battle, Knight loses himself in the arms of no-good gambling-hall proprietress Laura Jordan (Carole Mathews). All amorous intrigues are forgotten when Knight and Acton fight shoulder to shoulder against marauding Indians. To ensure better bookings, Monogram released Massacre River through its "prestige" subsidiary Allied Artists. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Guy Madison, Rory Calhoun, (more)
- 1949
In this three-hanky movie, an orphaned newsboy decides to care for a crippled young girl after her alcoholic mother is injured. With a doctor's assistance, he helps the girl understand that her paralysis is hysterical, caused by her reactions to her mother's behavior. Trouble ensues when the boy is arrested for helping her. The girl helps him, by walking; thereby causing the astounded authorities to release him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Arnt, Florence Auer, (more)
In his first film in two years, James Cagney stars as Nick Condon, the American editor of a pre-WW2 Tokyo newspaper. When two of his best friends are horribly murdered, Condon suspects that the "peaceful" Japanese military government is up to no good. He dedicates himself to getting his hands on the "Tanka Plan," a Japanese blueprint for conquering the world, and bringing this document to the attention of the Free World. As a result, he is targeted for persecution by the corrupt Tokyo police and betrayed by a traitorous fellow journalist. On a pleasanter note, Condon makes the acquaintance of half-Chinese Iris Hilliard (Sylvia Sidney), who agrees to help him foil the Japanese High Command. As was customary in wartime films, virtually all the Japanese characters in Blood on the Sun are played by Chinese, Korean, and Caucasian actors; for example, Robert Armstrong is cast as Colonel Tojo, while Premiere Tenaka is enacted by John Emery. Having lapsed into the public domain, Blood on the Sun is available from several distributors and also exists in a computer-colorized version. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Cagney, Sylvia Sidney, (more)
- 1936
Columbia Pictures' newest cowboy hero, Charles Starrett, played just that in this fanciful Western which teamed him for the first time with blonde leading lady Iris Meredith. They would go on to make 19 additional Westerns together, one of the longest runs in B-Western history. Starrett played Spencer Yorke, a cowboy turned movie star who declines to sign a new contract with Hollywood producer Jack Kingswell (Landers Stevens). "Retiring" instead to Arizona under the assumed name of George Weston, Yorke arrives in the ghost town of Taylorsville just in time to save real estate proprietress Mary Baker (Meredith) and her kid brother Jimmy (Wally Albright) from a runaway team. Kidnapped by three outlaws on the lam, Jimmy is rescued by Yorke who arrives armed with a machine gun. After killing the villains in a hail of bullets, Yorke reveals his identity to an excited Jimmy and, now a real-life hero, is awarded a new and much more advantageous contract by producer Kingswell. One of the most talented actresses to grace B-Westerns, Iris Meredith appeared opposite William "Wild Bill" Elliott in four oaters and one Western serial (Overland With Kit Carson, 1939) in addition to her 20 with Starrett. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Starrett, Si Jenks, (more)
