Jack Parker Movies
- 1956
Though the film's title may suggest otherwise, Seventh Cavalry takes place after Custer's Last Stand. Randolph Scott stars as Cavalry officer Tom Benson, who is branded a coward after supposedly deserting at the Little Big Horn. Benson hopes to redeem himself by personally leading a burial detail to the battlefield, despite the fact that the Indians haven't exactly left the premises. The excitement level in the closing reels more than justifies the slow, steady buildup to the finale. Innovative direction by the reliable Joseph H. Lewis enlivens this verbose western. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Barbara Hale, (more)
- 1953
Paramount's Pine-Thomas production unit takes the plunge into the 3-D craze in Those Redheads from Seattle. The titular carrot-tops are played by Rhonda Fleming, Teresa Brewer and Cynthia and Kay Bell, as members of a singing-sister act. Arriving in the Yukon during the Gold Rush days in the company of their mother (Agnes Moorehead), the four heroines get work at the saloon owned by Johnny Kisco (Gene Barry). What plot there is concerns Kathy Edmond's (Fleming) search for her father's murderer, who may or may not be Kisco. Despite all the heady competition, the film is stolen by the diminutive Teresa Brewer, who sings practically everything except "Music Music Music." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rhonda Fleming, Gene Barry, (more)
- 1952
Man Behind the Gun is a standard-issue Randolph Scott western elevated by good performances and exciting action sequences. Scott plays Callicut, newly arrived in the bustling mid-19th century metropolis of Los Angeles. Outwardly just another soldier of fortune, Callicut is actually an undercover agent for the government, sent to LA to investigate a covert organization that hopes to make Southern California a separate state. When he finds the time, he romances schoolteacher Lora Roberts (Patrice Wymore), whose life he'd previously saved during a stagecoach holdup. Callicut's rival for Lora's attentions is Roy Giles (Philip Carey), a hotheaded Army captain who may be in on the secessionist movement. Once Callicut finds out who's behind the movement, all hell breaks loose. Robert Cabal makes a brief appearance in Man Behind the Gun as a supposedly harmless Latino who turns out to be firebrand desperado Joaquin Murietta. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randolph Scott, Patrice Wymore, (more)
- 1949
Stampede is a choice example of the Lesley Selander B-plus westerns of the late 1940s/early 1950s. Rod Cameron and Don Castle star as feuding brothers who own separate cattle ranches. The siblings find themselves on opposite sides of a water-rights battle, in which settlers are being deprived water by a gang of clever criminals. The war turns ugly before the film is over, resulting in the destructive stampede promised by the title. Despite poor reviews from big-city critics, this stacks up favorably against the more costly big-studio westerns of the era. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Cameron, Gale Storm, (more)
- 1947
The Captive Heart is set in a German POW camp for British soldiers. Michael Redgrave plays a Czech patriot, who has assumed the identity of a deceased British officer to avoid being executed by the Nazis. When captured and placed in the camp, the British prisoners suspect the still-incognito Redgrave of being a spy. Only his conspicuous courage during an escape sequence vindicates the secretive Redgrave. The film's tinderbox tension is relieved with a joyous finale, which utilizes a fireworks display as adroitly as Hitchcock did in To Catch a Thief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Redgrave, Rachel Kempson, (more)
Without Reservations has to be the least typical John Wayne picture of the postwar era. Top billing is bestowed upon Claudette Colbert as Kit, a best-selling novelist heading westward to oversee the film version of her latest novel. Taking it upon herself to select the man who should portray the hero of her novel, Kit chooses war hero Rusty (John Wayne), whom she meets during her train trip to Hollywood. Unaware of Kit's true identity, Rusty and his pal Dink (Don DeFore) rail against the factual errors in her book. One thing leads to another, and before long Kit, Rusty and Dink have all been thrown off the train for annoying the other passengers. After a hectic stopover at a New Mexico farm, Kit reveals who she really is to Rusty and Dink, who are understandably put out. All is forgiven in the end, of course, with Kit and Rusty altar-bound at fadeout time. The Hollywood scenes feature such guest celebrities as Cary Grant, Louella Parsons and Jack Benny; and yes, that is an unbilled Raymond Burr as Claudette Colbert's dancing partner. Without Reservations was based on Jane Allen and May Livingston's novel Thanks, God, I'll Take it From Here (too bad they couldn't use that title!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claudette Colbert, John Wayne, (more)
- 1946
- NR
Sometimes dismissed as a derivation of Samuel Goldwyn's The Best Years of Our Lives, RKO Radio's superb Till the End of Time was actually based on Niven Busch's novel They Dream of Home, and was completed and released several months before the Goldwyn film. The story concentrates on three ex-marines: Cliff Harper (Guy Madison), Bill Tabeshaw (Robert Mitchum) and Perry Kincheloe (Bill Williams). Harper falls in love with emotionally distraught war widow Pat Ruscomb (Dorothy McGuire); Tabeshaw endures one disappointment after another as he tries to buy his own ranch; and Kincheloe, rendered legless by the war, intends to spend the rest of his life wallowing in self-pity. All three men find a new lease on life when they engage in a cathartic barroom brawl against a bigoted group of self-styled patriots led by hate-spouting Ray Teal (forever typecast as rabid racists during the postwar years). It was this climactic scene, which remains the most memorable aspect of Till the End of Time (outside of its Chopin-inspired theme song) that caused a lot of headaches for producer Dore Schary, screenwriter Allen Rivkin and director Edward Dmytryk during the House Unamerican Activities hearings a few years later: what was accepted as pro-American in 1946 would soon be labelled "Pinko" by the anti-Red zealots. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dorothy McGuire, Guy Madison, (more)
- 1945
Considered the greatest horror anthology film, the classic British chiller Dead of Night features five stories of supernatural terror from four different directors, yet it ultimately feels like a unified whole. The framing device is simple but unsettling, as a group of strangers find themselves inexplicably gathered at an isolated country estate, uncertain why they have come. The topic of conversation soon turns to the world of dreams and nightmares, and each guest shares a frightening event from his/her own past. Many of these tales have become famous, including Basil Dearden's opening vignette about a ghostly driver with "room for one more" in the back of his hearse. Equally eerie are Robert Hamer's look at a haunted antique mirror that gradually begins to possess its owner's soul, and Alberto Cavalcanti's ghost story about a mysterious young girl during a Christmas party. Legendary Ealing comedy director Charles Crichton lightens the mood with an amusing interlude about the spirit of a deceased golfer haunting his former partner, leaving viewers vulnerable to Cavalcanti's superb and much-imitated closing segment, about a ventriloquist (Michael Redgrave) slowly driven mad when his dummy appears to come to life. Deservedly acclaimed and highly influential, Dead of Night's episodic structure inspired an entire genre of lesser imitators. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mervyn Johns, Michael Redgrave, (more)
- 1942
In this drama, an Irish singer heads for the US to make it big. He leaves his wife and child in Britain. In the States he earns plenty of money, but upon his return home, he finds that his family has disappeared because of the newly erupted WWII. The singer then joins the Royal Air Force; eventually he and his family are reunited. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
Top British radio stores perform in this musical revue. The many acts are hosted by the popular team of Clamphan & Dwyer and are designed to offer competition for the commercial broadcasts that come in from mainland Europe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1937
In this comedy, a mild-mannered shipping clerk and his wife get into deep trouble after they are mistaken for jewel thieves by gangsters who want them to steal some valuable jewels. Despite the couple's protest, the crooks force them into pulling off the job during a ritzy party. While there, they realize that the real jewel thieves are also in attendance. The two ingeniously engineer the capture of the crooks and bring them to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- ZaSu Pitts, Claude Dampier, (more)
- 1937
This is the first entry in what became a long-running British comedy series. It is the story of a wealthy match maker who leaves his vast fortune to his family when he dies. But to get the money, they must follow one condition: they must take in the first person they see selling matches. Soon the family find themselves housing a rambunctious, opinionated Irish washerwoman, Old Mother Riley and her daughter. Mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Aspiring actress Cicely Tyler (Margaret Sullavan) puts her career on hold when she marries ambitious newsman Christopher Tyler (James Stewart). Meanwhile, Tommy Abbott (Ray Milland), who secretly loves Cicely, arranges a big Broadway break for her. This causes a rift in her marriage when Christopher is assigned to his newspaper's Rome bureau, but he soon deserts his post and promises never to leave her again when he discovers that she's pregnant. This rash act loses Christopher his job, forcing him to start right at the bottom again? And so goes the rest of the story, as Cicely and Christopher struggle to balance their romance and their careers. James Stewart's first significant leading-man role turned out to be at Universal, rather than his home studio of MGM; the loan-out was arranged by his old University Players friend and co-worker Margaret Sullavan, who was briefly married to Stewart's best pal Henry Fonda. Among the uncredited contributors to the screenplay of Next Time We Love was Preston Sturges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, (more)
- 1936
The time is WWI. A mysterious Italian secret agent known only as "Spy 77" has been responsible for the undermining of Austrian battle plans. Captain von Hombergck (Carl Diehl) makes it his mission in life to reveal the identity of the elusive Spy 77. Along the way, he falls in love with beautiful Italian marchesa Marcella Galdi (Greta Nissen) -- so guess who she really is? Choosing love over duty, Marcella willingly sacrifices her own life to save Von Hombergk's. A little comedy relief -- or even a song or two -- wouldn't have hurt this picture at all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greta Nissen, Don Alvarado, (more)
- 1936
Annie Laurie bears little resemblance to the old Scottish ballad, but does serve as a suitable vehicle for Scots character actor Will Fyffe. Burr-accented Fyffe plays Will Laurie, a humble merchant who is the adoptive father of attractive Annie (Annie Laurie). She wants to escape her near-poverty environs and find success on the stage. Annie becomes a star dancer in London musical reviews, but fame means nothing without dead old Dad by her side. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Two waiters hit the road after they are mistaken for jewel thieves in this comedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Legendary Scots entertainer Harry Lauder makes one of his rare screen appearances in End of the Road. Lauder plays John Macgregor, a travelling song-and-dance man who manages to remain chipper and upbeat despite the worst that life has to offer. Among the woes and travails facing Macgregor in the course of the film is the death of his beloved daughter and stage partner Jean (Ethel Glendinning). Some of the characters in the film are afforded a happy ending through Macgregor's intervention, but he himself must walk off into the horizon alone, a la Chaplin. Patchily produced, End of the Road at least affords an opportunity to watch one of the world's most beloved entertainers in action. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Lauder, Ruth Haven, (more)
- 1935
Dandy Dick stars the magnificent Will Hay as supercilious village vicar Rev. Richard Jedd, presently anxious to raise enough money for a new church steeple. Though Jedd draws the line at gambling, he is coerced into risking every penny on a race horse called Dandy Dick. Romance enters the picture when the vicar's daughter Pamela (Nancy Burne) falls in love with wealthy Tony Mardon (Esmond Knight), the horse's part-owner. Based on a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, Dandy Dick incorporates a number of comic highlights that Pinero never dreamed of, including the timorous vicar's first airplane trip. The film was one of several Will Hay vehicles directed by Hollywood's William ("One-Take") Beaudine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Hay, Esmond Knight, (more)
- 1934
Ship's cooks Fuller and Gordon accidentally get involved in the Foreign Legion where their adventures lead them to rescue 2 maidens from an Arab's harem. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1934
Based on the character created by "Sapper" (Herman Cyril McNeile), Return of Bulldog Drummond was a British production starring Ralph Richardson in the title role. The film is closer to the jingoistic, near-fascist spirit of the original stories than were the Hollywood "Drummond" B-pictures of the mid-1930s. In fact, Richardson's Drummond organizes the "Black Clan," then goes on a crusade to rid England of all foreigners, on the theory that every "outsider" is a criminal or at the very least an undesirable. And according to the script, he's right: The villains are European armament merchants hoping to increase profits by sparking a new world war. Return of Bulldog Drummond is about as politically incorrect as it's possible to get, with Ralph Richardson coming across more as a heavy than a hero; two years later, he was more effectively cast as a criminal mastermind in the "Drummond" parody Bulldog Jack. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann Todd, Ralph Richardson, (more)
- 1933
This by-the-numbers quota quickie at least has the advantage of brevity. Clifford Mollison stars as Lord Victor Wilby, whose lofty title belies his present penniless state. Hoping to make a lot of money in a hurry, Lord Victor plans to marry wealthy American heiress Helen Sowersby (Frances Dean). This requires our hero to end his relationship with his longtime mistress Joan Lynton (Constance Shotter). Now if only his Lordship can convince Joan to pose as his sister. Meet My Sister is stolen by veteran music hall entertainer Fred Duprez, the father of 1940s leading lady June Duprez. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clifford Mollison, Constance Shotter, (more)
- 1933
Romance and espionage intermingle in this WW I drama that centers on an Austrian officer who falls in love with an Italian woman and later discovers that she is an enemy agent. Soon he becomes a double agent and joins her. Unfortunately, he does not seem to be very good at espionage as she saves him from capture several times. In the sorrowful end, the woman ends up sacrificing her own life to preserve his. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
