Ralph Rosenblum Movies

Amy's angel is her guardian angel who, seeing her in a despondent state (from her parents' recent divorce and a painful lack of friends) shows Amy the bright side of her life, helping Amy understand the wonder that's waiting in this world, just for her. ~ Rovi

The Greatest Man in the World is based on a genteelly vitriolic short story by James Thurber. Brad Davis stars as a '30s-era aviator who becomes a national hero when he flies solo nonstop around the world. The problem: Davis is an illiterate boor. It's up to the journalists who've elevated Davis to idol status to exercise the "damage control" that will make the aviator public-friendly. Howard Da Silva and Carol Kane co-star in this February 18, 1980, presentation of PBS' "American Short Story." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Many observers consider the 60-minute Bernice Bobs Her Hair to be the best-ever filmed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Bernice (Shelley Duvall), a shy retiring girl of the Roaring 20s, yearns to be popular. On the advice of her flapper cousin Marjorie (Veronica Cartwright), Bernice cuts her unfashionable long hair into a short bob, begins dressing more stylishly, and learns the Most Valuable Rule: "When you're with a man, there are only three topics of conversation: you, me and us." Bernice Bobs Her Hair first aired on PBS' American Playhouse on April 5, 1977. It was telecast in tandem with a dramatization of Sherwood Anderson's oft-adapted I'm a Fool. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Bye Bye Braverman is a bittersweet adaptation of Wallace Markfield's coldly cynical novel To an Early Grave. Braverman, an idealistic minor author, dies; his four best friends, writers who in one way or another have all sold out, decide to attend his funeral. The foursome includes a disenchanted magazine writer (George Segal), a poet (Jack Warden), a book reviewer (Sorrell Booke), and an embittered bellyacher (Joseph Wiseman). Taking a picaresque journey from Greenwich Village to Brooklyn, the quartet never quite gets to the funeral, but their odyssey unearths many a self-revelation and previously unspoken truth. Like its four leading characters, Bye Bye Braverman loses its way towards the end, bringing this otherwise insightful comedy/drama to a muddied conclusion. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on the novel by Mary McCarthy, The Group was one of the slickest, and most highly publicized, cinematic soap operas of the 1960s. Filmed largely in New York, the story charts the exploits of eight young women, all of whom graduate from an exclusive Vassar-ish college in the middle of the Depression. Among the talented young actresses making their screen debuts herein are Candice Bergen as Lakey, the group's resident Lesbian; Joan Hackett as Dottie, a repressed socialite who takes up with bohemian artist Dick Brown (Richard Mulligan); Joanna Pettet as Kay, who marries philandering playwright Harald Peterson (Larry Hagman); and Kathleen Widdoes as Helena, the wealthiest of the girls who insists upon proving her value in the workplace. The other girls are Pokey (Marin-Robin Redd), who seems happiest when pregnant; Jessica Walter as Libby, the group's viper-tongued gossip and the darling of the Manhattan literary set (some have suggested that McCarthy based this character on herself); Elizabeth Hartman as Priss, the requisite heart-on-sleeve liberal; and Shirley Knight as Polly, whose bumpy love life culminates in a very colorful engagement party. Hal Holbrook, likewise making his first screen appearance, plays Gus LeRoy. Sumptuously produced, The Group is a bit empty dramatically, though the sheer volume of continuing characters manages to sustain audience interest. (Incidentally, here's a note for "blooper" spotters: wasn't the Pan Am building constructed in the 1950s? ) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Released in some areas as Violent Journey, The Fool Killer is a bloody melodrama, combining various aspects of the western and horror genres. In one of his last screen appearances, Henry Hull plays Dirty Jim Jelliman, who relates the spine-chilling story of "the fool killer" to wide-eyed orphan George Mellish (Edward Albert). Said killer is an axe-wielding psycho whose mission in life is to purge the world of people whom he considers to be mental midgets. Shortly afterwards, the impressionable George crosses the path of an intense young man named Milo Bogardus (Anthony Perkins). Is it only coincidental that a rash of axe murders coincides with Milo's arrival in a small community? Based on a novel by Helen Eustis, The Fool Killer was not given a general release until four years after its completion, thanks to tangled legal problems. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this modern parable of middle-American values, a nine-year-old boy leaves behind the family farm for a few very instructive days in New York. A disagreement with his father sends Brill (Richard Bray) hitching to New York City to seek his fortune. After arriving in Manhattan, he falls in with a young gang of shoe-shine boys and paper carriers who are "managed" by Rick (Jaime Charlamagne), a teenage punk who "protects" them in exchange for half their earnings. With the help of his new friend Paco (Roberto Marsach), a Puerto Rican boy about his own age, Brill gets a job selling papers. The next day Brill wins most of Rick's money in a crap game and he takes Paco out for a night on the town. When Rick's gang beats up Brill for winning the money, Suzy (Lee Grant), a prostitute, takes him home to care for him. The next morning, Suzy buys Brill new clothes and takes him on a tour of the city. He sees Suzy picked up by the police and decides to return home, purchasing a bicycle for the trip. Rick's gang spots him and gives chase, but Paco intercepts them, allowing Brill to escape. On the highway home, a truck wrecks the bike, and Brill stays the night at an elderly African-American couple's house. Upon returning home the next day, he presents his father with the remainder of his "fortune."

Pie in the Sky was Allen Baron's second attempt at directing and screenwriting. His 1961 Blast of Silence received good reviews, but never gained popularity in the United States. Pie in the Sky is a better film, painting a realistic yet heartwarming picture of a young boy's adventures. Richard Bray gives a commendable performance as the wayward youth, despite his non-professional status as an actor. The film was criticized for choppy narration in 1964, giving a "too European" feel, although modern audiences would likely be more accepting. Donald Malkame's cinematography is one of the film's strongest points. It is clear, crisp, and shot entirely on location -- including 42nd Avenue through hidden camera, and the exciting bicycle chase through upper Manhattan. ~ Lucinda Ramsey, Rovi

In this drama, a young circus performer begins looking for his long-lost mother after his father dies. He finds the eccentric woman living alone in a big house in a small town. Her only companion is a dwarf who acts as her valet. The trouble begins when a wealthy citizen in town begins wanting the old house to give to his spoiled son. Just before the place is to be auctioned off to pay back taxes, the young son arrives and pays the debt. This angers the locals. They sic the town thug upon him and mayhem ensues. The poor hermitess is then assaulted by a drunken group of youths who suddenly show up at her house. The old woman is so frightened that she has a fatal heart attack. After she dies, the son loads her corpse into his circus truck and begins slowly driving to the town cemetery. The remorseful townsfolk follow behind. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Two love-struck American teens embark upon a transatlantic cruise so that they might married and end up having a variety of tuneful misadventures in this romantic musical comedy that features "Twist" sensations Joey Dee and the Starlighters. The lover's travails begin when each is tempted by the fruit of others. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

This gangland crime story about the life and death of mobster Vincent "Mad Dog" Coll (John Chandler) is most notable for the array of relatively unknown actors in bit parts who later became famous. Otherwise, there is a lot of bloodshed, surface characterization, and a great deal of fiction in the violent tale. Coll is first shown suffering extreme abuse from his father, and then he segues into the development of a neighborhood gang at the age of seventeen. From there, he gets on the wrong side of gangster Dutch Schultz which ultimately is a big mistake. Director Burt Balaban depicts Coll as increasingly insane, before his last killing leads to his violent death. Among those "new" faces are Telly Savalas as Lt. Dawson, Jerry Orbach as Joe, Coll's Judas, Gene Hackman in his first screen role as a cop, and Vincent Gardenia as Dutch Schultz. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This true crime story was hardly "ripped from today's headlines," since the events took place some 20 to 30 years before the movie was released. Still, Murder, Inc. is not afraid to name names, notably those of syndicate boss Louis "Lepke" Buchalter (David J. Stewart) and killer Abe Reles (Peter Falk), who squeals on the Mob to earn immunity. The activities of Buchalter's murder-for-hire operation are played against a fictional story about a nightclub singer (Stuart Whitman) and a dancer (May Britt). Murder, Inc. has a queasy, unsettling quality, due in part to some offbeat casting: TV comedian Henry Morgan co-stars as a dead-serious federal agent, while "human joke machine" Morey Amsterdam shows up as a cabaret entertainer who is stabbed by the Mob. The film was a major boost for the career of Peter Falk, who very nearly managed to parlay his Murder, Inc. supporting role into an Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though produced on a shoestring, Country Music Holiday has a lot more going for it than most popular-music melanges of the 1950s. Ferlin Husky stars as Verne Brand, a talented hillbilly warbler who is discovered by fast-talking Sonny Moon (Jesse White). Verne's rise to the top of country-western fame is compromised by the machinations of a predatory Hungarian lass (Zsa Zsa Gabor) who owns 50 percent of the boy's contract. The film boasts some of the strangest casting of any film of its era: Rocky Graziano, for example, costars as a savvy record-company executive, while Patty Duke is seen as Ferlin Husky's kid sister! In addition to Husky, Country Music Holiday offers such rural favorites as June Carter, The Jordanaires, Drifting Johnny Miller, Lonzo & Oscar, the La Dell Sisters and Bernie Nee. In comparison, the strip-joint comedy team of Al Fisher and Lou Marks seems as sophisticated and urbane as Noel Coward. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi