Judith Allen Movies

This adaptation of "The Bacchae" by Euripides seems to be a collection of black and white home movies using hand held cameras. The filming and editing was done by Brian De Palma, but nothing distinguishes the film from being a filmed stage performance of writhing and groaning amateur actors and actresses. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Written and produced by its star, Donald Barry, Train to Tombstone was a low-budget version of the classic Stagecoach (1939). Once again a group of passengers fight among themselves as their mode of transportation -- a train en route from Albuquerque, NM, to Tombstone, AZ, this time -- is attacked by warring Indians. Author Barry was rather more fanciful than his predecessor, Dudley Nichols, however, and in addition to the inevitable saloon girl (Nan Leslie), the train also carries other characters: a pretty paraplegic (Barbara Stanley), whose illness may be psychological in nature; her indomitable aunt (Minna Phillips); a handsome doctor (Tom Neal); a comic relief women's undergarment salesman (Wally Vernon); a jittery conductor (Edward Cassidy); a marshal (Claude Stroud) guarding a shipment of gold; and, of course, Barry himself in the John Wayne role of the wanted but goodhearted outlaw. In due course, the train is attacked by what appears to be Indians, but what in reality is a gang of outlaws determined to get their greedy hands on the loot. Neither the marshal nor Barry are what they appear to be, the latter actually an undercover agent assigned to protect the shipment. The beautiful paraplegic is on her way to meet the fiancé she has never even seen and who, it is revealed, is in cahoots with the gang. Does the trauma of witnessing the boy killed right before her eyes cure the girl? Why, of course it does. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The last of MGM's "Nick Carter" trilogy, Sky Murder is a tad too cute and clever for its own good, but its mystery angle holds up pretty well. Returning from a weekend party, amateur sleuth Nick Carter (Walter Pidgeon) boards a private plane, where urbane Fifth Columnist Andrew Hendon (Tom Conway) is murdered in a locked compartment. Suspicion immediately falls upon refugee Pat Evans (Kaaren Verne), who was being blackmailed into helping Hendon smuggle secrets to the Nazis. Dividing his time between the land and the air, Carter is eventually able to expose the real murderer, and to smash the Nazi spy ring for good and all (or at least until the next spy movie). The film is hampered by the excessive comedy relief of Carter's self-appointed assistant Bartholomew the Bee Man (Donald Meek), who once upon a time was an amusing character. Far better attuned to the film's framework is perennial dumb blonde Joyce Compton, here cast as deceptively scatterbrained female detective Chris Cross. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on the Clare Booth Luce play of the same name, this MGM comedy is justly famous for its all-female cast and deft direction by George Cukor. The plot centers on a group of gossipy high-society women who spend their days at the beauty salon and haunting fashion shows. The sweet, happily wedded Mary Haines (Norma Shearer) finds her marriage in trouble when shopgirl Crystal Allen (Joan Crawford) gets her hooks into Mary's man. Naturally, this situation becomes the hot talk amongst Mary's catty friends, especially the scandalmonger Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell), who has little room to talk -- she finds herself on a train to Reno and headed for divorce right after Mary. But with a bit of guts and daring, Mary snatches her man right back from Crystal's clutches. Snappy, witty dialogue, much of it courtesy of veteran screenwriter Anita Loos, helps send this film's humor over the top. So do the characterizations -- Crawford is as venomous as they come, and this was Russell's first chance to show what she could do as a comedienne. And don't discount Shearer -- her portrayal of good-girl Mary is never overpowered by these two far-flashier roles. The only part of The Women that misses is the fashion-show sequence. It was shot in color -- an innovative idea in its day -- but now both the concept and clothes are dreary and archaic. Do keep an eye on the supporting players, though, especially Mary Boland as the Countess DeLage. The role was based on a cafe society dame of that era, the Countess DiFrasso, who had a wild affair with Gary Cooper; that romance is satirized here. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide

Judith Allen stars as Telephone Operator Helen in this Monogram actioner. Most of the story is built around newsreel footage of the recent Ohio and Tennessee Valley floods. As telephone linemen Red (Grant Withers) and Shorty (Warren Hymer) race against time to hook up phone wires to a huge dam, the storm clouds gather and the weather gets really rough. Even so, Red and Shorty pause every so often to romance local telephone gals Helen and Dottie (Alice White). When the inevitable flood arrives, Helen's courage and stamina during the crisis leaves a lasting impression on Red, who gives up his minor flirtations and proposes marriage. Telephone Operator was one of several comeback attempts for onetime silent-screen favorite Alice White, who was still trying to recapture her former glory as late as 1948's Flamingo Road. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A superior Gene Autry Western in every way, Boots and Saddles features child prodigy Ra Hould (aka Ronald Sinclair) as Edward, Earl of Granville, a young Briton arriving in the West to claim his inheritance: a sprawling ranch. Foreman Gene Autry and sidekick, Frog Millhouse (Smiley Burnette), who had promised Master Edward's late father that they would turn the boy into a true Westerner, are shocked by the young nobleman's haughty demeanor and his plan to sell the indebted property to the highest bidder. Gene, however, manages to change the boy's mind in the last minute, much to the dismay of the potential buyer, Jim Neale (William Elliott), a wealthy neighbor to whom Edward's father was indebted. Planning to sell ponies to the army, Gene, Frog, and young Edward quickly alienate the local commander, Colonel Allen (Guy Usher) , whose daughter, Bernice (Judith Allen), Gene mistakes for a servant wench. Allen, however, changes his mind about purchasing Gene's horses after observing the wonder horse Champion in action, proposing instead a race between Gene, Neale, and their crews for the profitable contract. Not about to lose out to Gene, his rival for Bernice's attentions, Neale decides to play dirty but Gene still manages to win the race. At the finishing line, Frog reveals Neale's treachery, and Bernice and Gene make up. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide

The "Hopalong Cassidy" series closed out 1937 with its 14th entry, Texas Trail. No surprises in the cast: William Boyd is Hoppy,George "Gabby" Hayes is Windy, and Russell Hayden is Lucky. This time the story takes place during the time of the Spanish American war, when the U.S. army was rounding up as many horses as possible. Hoppy and his pals are hired to deliver an equestrian shipment to the government, a task made difficult by a vicious gang of horse thieves. When things get too hot for our heroes, the Cavalry comes riding to the rescue (a particularly well-photographed sequence, courtesy of the talented Russell Harlan). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The very urban Paul Kelly is the unlikely hero of It Happened Out West. Sent to Arizona to persuade ranch owner Anne Martin (Judith Allen) to sell her property, banker Dick Howe (Kelly) begins to wonder if this transaction is a good idea. His doubts are fueled by the behavior of Anne's foreman Burt Travis (Leroy Mason), whose eagerness to sell the girl's ranch is downright sinister. Sure enough, Travis and Dick's boss Middleton (Reginald Barlow) are in cahoots to get their hands on the ranch's hidden silver deposits. Our hero foils the villains, enabling Anne to keep her land -- an excellent wedding present, as it turns out. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this drama, an oil driller learns about true love and the important things in life the hard way after he suddenly strikes oil and gets rich. Elated and sure that his wealth is permanent he marries a local woman, spends too much money at the town club, empties his bank account, and then leaves his new wife. Soon after, his well catches fire and all is lost. His loyal wife, does return and the chastened man finds true happiness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Produced by parsimonious Majestic Pictures, Reckless Roads stars Regis Toomey as perennial wise-guy Speed Demming. To gain access to haughty heroine Edith Adams (Judith Allen), Speed poses as a reporter and for a long while gets away with it. He also manages to dissuade young Wade Adams (Ben Alexander) from frittering away his life. Somehow this all ends at the racetrack, with Wade winning a huge sum of money on a long-shot, neatly negating Speed's warning that nothing comes easy in life. Typical of the film's patchwork construction is a cabaret scene in which the film's least likeable character suddenly bursts into song. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this newspaper drama, a reporter known for criticizing the top city official has his column taken over by the man's daughter. As a farewell, he writes a huge attack on the man, causing friction between him and the daughter. But he rescues her when she is trapped in a fire at her father's paper factory. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide

Versatile character players Minna Gombell and Lucien Littlefield are afforded leading roles in the interesting Poverty-Row effort Marrying Widows. Littlefield plays a wealthy man who is targeted by a conniving gold-digger (Judith Allen). To lure the old duffer into her trap, the sly woman relies upon the wiles of her best friend (Gombell). It all winds up with the "bad" characters going straight, allowing a happy -- if somewhat rushed -- finale. Nominal leading man Johnny Mack Brown, who looks as if he's wandered in from a different movie, is handily out-acted by the supporting cast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Despite stiff competition like Poor Little Rich Girl and Heidi, Bright Eyes is arguably the best of Shirley Temple's 1930s vehicles. The little curly-top is cast as Shirley Blake, daughter of Mary Blake (Lois Wilson), the widowed housemaid of snooty J. Wellington and Anita Smythe (Theodore Von Eltz and Dorothy Christy). Though continually terrorized by the Smythe's obnoxious, doll-destroying daughter Joy (Jane Withers), Shirley finds comfort in the fact that she is the darling of the airplane-pilot buddies of her late father. Especially fond of our heroine is flyboy Loop Merritt, who arranges a birthday party for the girl. Alas, even as Shirley sings "On the Good Ship Lollipop" to a gathering of beaming airmen, her mother Mary is run over by a car while shopping for her daughter's birthday cake. It thus becomes Loop's painful duty to tell Shirley that her mother "cracked up," just like her father did (if this scene doesn't move the viewer to tears, the viewer is made of granite). Fortunately, the Smythe's irascible Uncle Ned takes a liking to Shirley, securing her financial future at the expense of his repulsive relatives. But before this happy ending can come about, Shirley must be rescued from an imperiled passenger plane by the resourceful Loop. Though Shirley Temple is inarguably the main drawing card in Bright Eyes, 9-year-old Jane Withers is equally terrific as the pint-sized "villainess"; indeed, some critics felt that Withers stole the show, and it was this as much as anything else that earned Withers her own starring series at 20th Century-Fox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide