Milton Rosen Movies

Lloyd Bridges' gloriously unconvincing German accent is but one of the guilty pleasures of Death Race. Set during the African campaign of World War 2, this made-for-TV nailbiter pits Nazi general Bridges against wounded American pilot Roy Thinnes. Manning the controls of a tank, Herr Bridges intends to blast Thinnes into eternity-but it ain't gonna be that easy. Billed third as "Stoeffer" is Eric Braden, who under his given name of Hans Gudegast was one of the stars of a previous desert-war TV series, The Rat Patrol (1966-68). Death Race first plotted its course on November 10, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Summer Love is a sequel to 1957's Rock Pretty Baby, with John Saxon repeating his role as aspiring musician Jim Daley. When his band is hired to perform at a summer resort, Jim falls in love with two girls: sweet Joan Wright (Judy Meredith) and not-so-sweet Erica Landis (Jill St. John). Meanwhile, Jim's buddy Mike (John Wilder) woos the band's pert vocalist Alice (Molly Bee). Also returning from Rock Pretty Baby are Edward C. Platt and Fay Wray as Jim's bewildered parents, Shelley Fabares as the appropriately yclept Twinkie Daley, and the inimitable Rod McKuen as funky band member Ox Bentley. Oh, and Troy Donahue also shows up, just in case there was any doubt as to when this film was made. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This very lightweight comedy focuses on young orphan Willie Taylor (Tim Hovey). Upset with the prevarications of the adult world, Willie launches a truth-telling campaign at school, with the blessings of his pretty teacher Joan Madison (Maureen O'Hara). Things begin to get dicey when Willie publicly reveals a slightly dishonest real-estate deal mastermined by his Uncle Arthur (Barry Atwater). Crusading reporter Ernie Miller (John Forsythe) transforms little Willie into a big celebrity, and in so doing wins the love of Joan. A good supporting cast helps smooth over the lumpier passages of Everything but the Truth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Audie Murphy plays wagon train scout Jim Harvey in Universal-International's Tumbleweed. Through a series of unfortunate circumstances, Harvey is wrongly accused of saving himself while allowing the people under his protection to be slaughtered by Indians. With the help of sheriff Murchoree (Chill Wills) and his Native American friend Tigre (Ernesto Iglesias), Harvey breaks out of jail to prove his innocence. Figuring largely in the proceedings are horse-rancher Nick Buckley (Roy Roberts) and his wife Louella Buckley (K.T. Stevens), who provide Harvey with a "loser" horse that turns out to be a winner when the hero needs it most. The revelation of the film's true villain should be amusing for fans of TV's Gilligan's Island. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The motivating factor behind City Beneath the Sea is an underwater treasure hunt. In 1692, an underwater earthquake sends the Jamaica city of Port Royal to the bottom of the Caribbean. Three-hundred-fifty years later, deep-sea divers Brad Carlton (Robert Ryan) and Tony Bartlett (Anthony Quinn) take the plunge near Port Royal, in hopes of recovering a million dollars in gold bullion that was lost in a modern-day quake. What Brad and Tony don't know is that their employer, steamship magnate Dwight Trevor (Karel Stepanek), doesn't really want the divers to find the gold. Trevor hopes to pull off a major insurance fraud, and has no qualms about killing his divers to get what he wants. Mala Powers and Suzan Ball provide the love interest, while plump Hawaiian entertainer Hilo Hattie offers some welcome comedy relief. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Francis Goes to West Point is the third entry in Universal's money-spinning series about a talking mule. Donald O'Connor once again stars as Peter Sterling, who with the garrulous Francis' helps prevent the destruction of an atomic energy plant. As a reward, Peter is given a scholarship to West Point, where he quickly distinguishes himself as the military academy's biggest foul-up. Peter's future as an officer and a gentleman is saved by the timely arrival of Francis, who functions as the West Point football team's mascot. This time around, O'Connor is allotted two lovely leading ladies, played by Lori Nelson and Alice Kelly. Two of the West Point cadets are played by future TV favorites David Janssen and James Best. And as always, Francis' Southern-fried voice is supplied by Chill Wills. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this swashbuckling adventure-satire, Kashma Baba's famous father Ali, sends the reluctant youth to military school to prepare him for the troubles ahead. Meanwhile, an evil Caliph kidnaps and enslaves an Arabian princess as part of his plan to steal Ali Baba's fabulous treasure. He then sends his new "slave' to Kashma's home. The Caliph tells the Shah, to whom the princess is betrothed, that Kashma has stolen her and that he will get her back. While staying with Kashma, the princess finds herself falling in love. When Kashma learns of the plot he and his buddies pick up their swords and begin trying to save her and retrieve his father's stolen treasure. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

When Universal went briefly out of the "B" horror film business in 1946, the studio sold two of its productions to other studios. The Brute Man went to PRC, while The Creeper was shipped off to 20th Century-Fox, where it lay on the shelf for nearly two years before its release. Dr. Morgan (Onslow Stevens) and Dr. Cavigny (Ralph Morgan) star as a brace of scientists who return from the West Indies with a potent, phosphorescent serum that allegedly changes human beings into cats. Though the medical value of this serum is rather doubtful, that doesn't stop Morgan from experimenting on human guinea pigs-nor from killing Cavigney when the latter disapproves. All sorts of mayhem transpires before the clawed, meowing "Creeper" is halted in his paw-tracks. Though billed first, Eduardo Ciannelli has little to do in his red-herring role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A minor Bulldog Drummond story featuring Conway in his search for a set of lead toy soldiers. The little fighting men were crafted by the Norman King Harold almost a thousand years before. Conway races against time and two other groups searching for the toy soldiers, because they are the key to the whereabouts of a secret treasure trove of the Norman king. Conway must take care in his search, others after the money are wanted by the police. ~ All Movie Guide

Pirates of Monterey is set during the early 19th century, at a time when California was asserting its independence from Mexico. Rod Cameron plays Phillip Kent, a devil-may-care mercenary hired to transport a shipment of rifles to the American army detachment at Monterey. Along the way, he is forced to do battle with Mexicans, Indians and various and assorted thieves. Somehow, he finds time to pitch woo with the tempestuous Marguerita (Maria Montez), whose fiery Mexican dance routines are something to behold. Less exciting to watch than it is to read about, Pirates of Monterey at least has the advantage of Technicolor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Gale Sondergaard more or less recreates her role as the homicidal "Spider Woman" that she first essayed in the 1943 Sherlock Holmes film of the same name. This time Ms. Sondergaard plays a wealthy rancher who advertises for a young woman to serve as her secretary/companion. Several girls have gone to her ranch to apply for the job; none have returned. When Brenda Joyce arrives to take the job, she uncovers Sondergaard's secret. The crafty villainess has been draining the blood of young women, using the blood to feed her huge carnivorous plants, cultivating a poison from those plants, then using the poison to kill the cattle on all neighboring ranches. All this so that she can bankrupt her rivals and claim their land, which she thinks is rightfully hers! The film is as loopy as it sounds, but Spider Woman Strikes Back was one of Gale Sondergaard's most popular films; when asked years later what she thought of it, she replied airily "It didn't kill me." Spider Woman Strikes Back costars another Universal horror-film icon, the tragically deformed Rondo Hatton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This Universal B-musical casts Desi Arnaz as himself: a Cuban bandleader making it big in the United States. Shawnee (Joan Fulton) schemes to draw Arnaz from his homeland and transform the Havana musician into a star in New York City by having him perform on a successful radio show. Adding urgency to her efforts is the show's sponsor, who threatens to pull out if Arnaz doesn't play. Her efforts prove ineffective until she gets support from Arnaz's beloved niece, who persuades him that the gig is worth taking. Songs include "El Cumbanchero" and "Rhumba Matumba". ~ Nicole Gagne, All Movie Guide

The penultimate entry in Universal's Sherlock Holmes series, Terror by Night takes place almost exclusively on a speeding train, en route from London to Edinburgh. Holmes (Basil Rathbone) is on board to protect a valuable diamond from the clutches of master criminal Colonel Sebastian Moran. The trouble is, Moran is a master of disguise, and could be just about any one of the other passengers. Murder and mayhem plague the train excursion before Holmes can successfully complete his mention. Poor old Dr. Watson (Nigel Bruce) is a bit denser than usual here, though his ingenuousness is cleverly woven into the script. Alan Mowbray, who played Inspector Lestrade in the 1932 Clive Brook adaptation of Sherlock Holmes, is seen in a pivotal supporting role. One of three Holmes entries currently in the public domain, Terror by Night is also available in a computer-colorized version (but stick with the original black-and-white). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide