Ben Parker Movies
- 1964
This drama is set in an Ozark mountain community where a family is frequently assisted by an amiable old mountain man nicknamed "The Shepherd," who is actually the grandfather to the clan. Unfortunately, his son deserted the family after his young wife died in childbirth. The young son survived though and has now grown up and fallen in love with a pretty young woman who has, unfortunately, been betrothed to another. One day the other man hears a young man bragging about a bank robbery. He tells the sheriff who ends up shooting the robber during a scuffle. This tragedy inspires the Shepherd to admit that he is the grandfather to the clan. He then shares his other deep secret: he has a gold mine that has been steadily producing for many years. He ends up bequeathing the mine to his grandson's family. Later he reminds his grandson and his beloved that a betrothal is only a verbal agreement while love creates a binding contract. This frees the two to marry and share their new-found wealth with the whole community. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1961
Originally released by Monogram in 1950, Frigid Wife stars Margaret Field (mother of actress Sally Field) in the title role. Eloping with Robert Clarke, Field leaves her new husband when she realizes her inability to fulfill her wifely duties. Attempting suicide, she is rescued by kindly psychiatrist Reed Hadley, who discovers that the root of Field's problem is her behemoth mother. In 1961, The Frigid Wife was reissued as A Modern Marriage, with a prologue and epilogue tacked on to give the film the veneer of a "case study." Appearing in the newly shot sequences were Jeanne Neher, Sondra Fisher, Sid Noel, Bob Carr, and Ken Elliot, favorites all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Invisible Avenger is an ultra-cheap melodrama set in New Orleans. The hero, Lamont Cranston (Richard Derr), is a student of mysticism and mind control. At crucial points, Cranston is able to hypnotically "cloud men's minds" so that they cannot see him. If this sounds familiar, it's because Invisible Avenger was the unsold pilot film for a TV series based on the famed pulp-novel and radio detective "The Shadow". This hour-long pilot was released theatrically by Republic after the TV series failed to sell. The plot concerns the machinations of a banana-republic dictator who fakes his own death in order to draw his country's true ruler out of exile, the better to kill the man. Cranston and his mentor Jogendra (Mark Daniels) set things right by pulling their invisibility act. Filmed on location using "natural light" by legendary photographer James Wong Howe, Invisible Avenger is dramatically uninvolving, but holds marginal interest for modern viewers due to the curiously "close" relationship between Lamont Cranston and his instructor Jogendra (who at one point exhibits jealousy when Cranston eyes a pretty girl!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
In this political drama set during WW II, a Greek officer abandons his fiancee and his duties when the German's take-over Athens. During his flight, he has a passionate war-time affair with a beautiful gypsy. Following the war, he returns. Time passes and he becomes an official until Communist revolutionaries take over and place him on an execution list. The gypsy girl has since joined the revolutionary movement. She sees her ex-lover's name on the secret list and heads off to warn him. Unfortunately, they are caught and shot for treason. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helmut Dantine, Irene Champlin, (more)
- 1950
The sexual dysfunction of a married couple provides the basis of this thought-provoking drama that was originally released in 1950 and was then re-released 11 years later with a prologue tacked on. In the prologue, the couple begin attending a group therapy session helmed by a prominent doctor. Neither the husband and wife are able to enjoy sex. The doctor then tells them a story and this story is the original 1950 film of a sexually repressed and unresponsive bride who ends up trying to kill herself. Fortunately, a psychiatrist helps her to see that her overbearing mother is the cause of her difficulty. This story inspires the first couple to keep working on their problem. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reed Hadley, Margaret Field, (more)
- 1940
In this bio-pic, the great scientist plays himself as an adult. In flashback the film begins with his orphaned childhood. Throughout his life the intelligent, curious scientist had a fascination with the many potential uses for the peanut, including his most famous invention: peanut butter. After he created that, Carver became the head of the Tuskegee Institute Agricultural Department. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Edwards
