Fred Sears Movies
After attending Boston College, Fred F. Sears entered the regional-theatre talent pool as an actor, director and producer. Sears created the famed Little Theatre of Memphis and taught dramatic arts at Southwestern University before being hired by Columbia Pictures as a dialogue coach in 1947. He played supporting parts in several Columbia features before being promoted to director on the studio's Charles Starrett "B" western series. Sears remained at Columbia for the rest of his career, generally working with the ultra-economical Sam Katzman unit. His output consisted of westerns, crime dramas, low-budget musicals (Rock Around the Clock, Cha-Cha-Cha Boom!) and science-fiction flicks. Most observers consider Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) as Sears' finest effort, though credit for most of that film's success must go to special- effects wizard Ray Harryhausen. Fred F. Sears also directed several half-hour playlets for Columbia's TV subsidiary Screen Gems, sometimes lensing as many as three episodes of three different series simultaneously! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1958
A veritable honor roll of famed western heroes and villains appears in the fanciful oater Badman's Country. It all begins when Sheriff Pat Garrett (George Montgomery) draws up plans to lure the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, headed by Butch Cassidy (Neville Brand) and the Sundance Kid (Russell Johnson) into a trap. To do this, he enlists the aid of fellow peacekeepers Wyatt Earp (Buster Crabbe), Bat Masterson (Gregory Walcott) and Buffalo Bill Cody (Malcolm Atterbury). By the time everyone is introduced, the film is half over. No matter: Badman's Country is redeemed by a truly impressive climactic gun duel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Montgomery, Neville Brand, (more)
- 1958
Before there was Airport and its offspring, there was this aerial disaster film that stars Nancy Davis (later Nancy Reagan) as the devoted wife of an iron-willed sky pilot in charge of the doomed passenger plane. The trouble begins when the pilot realizes he must make an emergency landing in the Atlantic. Each of the diverse passengers has his or her own reaction to the impending disaster and many confessions are heard all around. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on what each person confessed) the water landing goes without a hitch and a US Naval ship is right there to save them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Merrill, Nancy Davis, (more)
- 1958
In this drama, a sea captain is accused of negligence when his ship sinks and 162 passengers drown. A zealous defense attorney, proud of his perfect track record, is assigned to defend the sailor. Though the captain is clearly guilty, the DA gets him acquitted. Afterward, the lawyer's wife and friends are utterly disgusted and end up leaving him. In the end, the lawyer vindicates himself by proving that the captain is indeed innocent. He then brings the guilty ship's mate to justice. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edmond O'Brien, Mona Freeman, (more)
- 1958
In this actioner, set during WW II, the hard-bitten, cynical captain of the USS "Frankenstein" must escape a Japanese invasion. Unfortunately, the ill-fated cruiser is low on food, water, and fuel. When the foundering crew spies a ship (which they believe to be a Dutch cruiser) upon the horizon, they decide to jump ship and light it on fire in the hopes that they will be spotted and saved. Unfortunately, the ship is Japanese. Fortunately, that ship is sunk by a British ship before it can get them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Brian, Lynn Bernay, (more)
- 1958
Singer Molly Bee once commented ruefully that her films were shown only to captive audiences in jails and reformatories. One suspects that Ms. Bee's Going Steady had a few paying customers, since no Sam Katzman production of the 1950s ever lost money. In this one, Molly plays high schooler Julie Ann, who secretly marries boyfriend Calvin (Alan Reed Jr.) so that she can accompany his basketball team to an out-of-town game. The fun really begins when Julie Ann finds out that she's pregnant--depending, of course, upon one's interpretation of the word "fun". Going Steady was shipped out on a Columbia double bill with another Sam Katzman epic, Crash Landing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Molly Bee, Bill Goodwin, (more)
- 1957
Rory Calhoun is Utah Blaine in this pinch-penny Sam Katzman-produced western. Adapted from a novel by Louis L'Amour, the story concerns the efforts of gunslinger Blaine to save a group of ranchers from an outlaw gang. When one the ranchers is killed, Utah finds himself half-owner of a valuable spread, placing him directly in the line of fire along with his attractive "business partner" Angie Kinyon (Susan Cummings). Ray Teal is all snarls as the outlaw leader, while former boxer Max Baer Sr. does a brief turn as a slow-witted hooligan. Like most Sam Katzman efforts, Utah Blaine turned a tidy profit for Katzman's home base of Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Cummings, Angela Stevens, (more)
- 1957
This Sam Katzman-produced sci-fier was originally released on a double bill with Katzman's Giant Claw. The plot is motivated by a newly discovered element called E-112, which festers at the Earth's core. Rising to the surface in the form of liquefied stone, E-112 becomes extremely dangerous when it is mixed with nitrogen. Before long, the entire world is threatened with the explosive power of the volatile element. To save Mankind from being blown to smithereens, seismologist David Conway (William Leslie) tries to neutralize E-112 with a combination of volcanic gases and silver iodide. Despite all the scientific doublespeak, The Night the World Exploded is doggedly nonintellecutal in its execution and appeal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathryn Grant, William Leslie, (more)
- 1957
Scientist Mitch McAfee (Jeff Morrow) cannot convince anyone that an enormous bird, evidently here from outer space, has arrived on Earth and is grabbing planes from the sky, gobbling up the passengers and crew. However, the bird (The Claw) eventually makes its presence more that adequately known, as it begins to attack people more openly. But the giant bird is surrounded by a kind of force field, making all weapons useless on it. Mitch finds its nest and blows holes in its colossal egg, infuriating The Claw, which heads south, destroying the United Nations building on its way. Mitch struggles to find a way to penetrate the anti-matter shield around The Claw. This would have been an ordinarily bad movie of its type, with a good performance by Jeff Morrow, if the special effects had been industry standard for the time. That, however, is not what happened. The Claw is not just badly rendered, it is hilariously rendered, resembling nothing so much as Warner Bros. cartoon-character Beaky Buzzard. Once seen, you will never forget this awesomely silly creation. ~ Bill Warren, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Morrow, Mara Corday, (more)
- 1957
This lively musical was made to capitalize on the popularity of calypso music and features some excellent production numbers. It all begins when a jukebox magnate tries to force his way into a record company. They succeed and this angers the labels biggest star, who doesn't want to change his style. He disappears and so does all of the company's profits. Musical chaos reigns for awhile, but eventually everything is set to rights and happiness ensues. Look for distinguished poet Maya Angelou singing "Run Joe" and actor Alan Arkin's performance with the folk group the Tarriers. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Desmond, Merry Anders, (more)
- 1957
If it worked for Frank Sinatra... Singing star Johnny Desmond goes dramatic in the low-budget Escape From San Quentin. Desmond plays escaped convict Mike Gilbert, who goes on the lam with fellow prisoners Gruber (Richard Devon) and Graham (Roy Engel). While hiding from the law, Gilbert comes to realize that he's fallen in love with Robbie (Merry Anders), the sister of his ex-wife (Peggy Maley). Through Robbie's influence, Gilbert decides to go straight, but his cohorts aren't quite so willing to reform. Like most Sam Katzman quickies of the era, Escape from San Quentin was loosely based on a true story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Desmond, Merry Anders, (more)
- 1956
Coming off of a hit New York gig, successful rock & roll crooner Arnie Haines (Alan Dale) realizes he and his bandmates are weary from the grind of two years of steady gigs. They tell their manager (DJ Alan Freed, playing himself) they're taking a break and return to the small town where they started, Mellonville (state unspecified, but it looks like central Pennsylvania). Upon arriving, however, Haines finds himself denounced by the mayor (Pierre Watkin) as a bad influence on the teenagers and banned from any public performances. That would suit him fine -- he and the boys wanted the summer off -- but their local teenage fans can't abide the repressive atmosphere, and then nationally syndicated columnist Arlene MacLaine (Fay Baker), visiting Mellonville, attacks Haines and rock & roll in her column, threatening the whole music business. Arlene's comely daughter, Francine (Patricia Hardy), urges Arnie to fight back and convince her mother that rock & roll is harmless fun. Toward that end, with help from the sympathetic mayor (George Cisar) of the next town, Arnie and Freed organize an all-star show that includes Little Richard, the Treniers, and Bill Haley & His Comets. Everything goes according to plan until one petty, jealous girl (Jana Lund) nearly starts a riot when Arnie rejects her advances. Then it's up to Francine and her acting troupe friends to help Arnie and Alan Freed make one last pitch for rock & roll. Though Don't Knock the Rock has more plot and characters than most movies of this type, and it did reflect an actual serious controversy that was growing at the time (and not just in the South), it is really just lighthearted fun. Its real appeal lay in the singing and dancing, not only by some top rock & roll talent of the day (Bill Haley is great, Little Richard and his band are amazing, and the Treniers are dazzling), but also by the dancers portraying ordinary teenagers having fun. Photographer Ben Kline gets all of his camera angles spot on, so that the movie, though no classic, is a visual and musical delight a half century later. And just to show where the film's heart really lies, producer Sam Katzman and director Fred Sears (who were old enough to be "squares") replace "The End" at the final frame with a more nonchalant (and topical) "Dig You Later." ~ Bruce Eder, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Haley, Alan Dale, (more)
- 1956
Columbia's The Werewolf is not nearly as generic as its title would suggest: in fact, it is one of the better films of its kind. Steven Ritch plays Duncan Marsh, who after being seriously injured in a car wreck is used as a guinea pig by a pair of none too scrupulous scientists (S. John Launer and George M. Lynn). Seeking a cure for radiation poisoning, the scientists inject Marsh with wolf serum (what this has to do with radiation poisioning is never fully explained). Before long, Marsh is a full-fledged lycanthrope, wreaking havoc in the Big Bear Lake region. Some truly startling vignettes--including one lulu of a sequence in a jail cell--lift this Sam Katzman production well above the norm. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Ritch, Don Megowan, (more)
- 1956
This tense tale of waterfront corruption was clearly inspired by the success of On the Waterfront; there's even a character named Joe Brindo, played by Michael Granger. Newcomer James Darren plays Jimmy Smigelski, a budding juvenile delinquent who is hired as a "muscle man" for corrupt union leader Brindo. Kicked out of his house by his father, who despises all forms of gangsterism, Smigelski begins regarding Brindo as a surrogate dad. Thus, it takes a lot out of him when Jimmy discovers that his father-figure is a no-good louse. Agreeing to testify before an investigating committee, Jimmy is marked for death by his former benefactor. Once again, producer Sam Katzman uses a timely topic and lurid title to turn a quick profit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Darren, Laurie Carroll, (more)
- 1956
Two musicians whose dance band is going nowhere happen across a roadhouse in the sticks, where a pack of fun-loving youngsters are dancing to a new and different beat -- the kids call it rock 'n' roll! The band, Bill Haley and his Comets, leaves the two musicians mighty impressed, and they agree to manage Haley and his crew. They soon meet disc jockey Alan Freed, who immediately secures Haley and the boys a nightclub stand in the Big Apple, where the Comets become the hottest ticket in town. As stories go, Rock Around the Clock was not stunningly original, but at least director Fred F. Sears and producer Sam Katzman had the good sense to stay out of the way and let Bill Haley and his Comets do what they do best -- mix cowboy swing with rhythm and blues, make with the boogie, and have a fine old time doing it. Haley and Co. perform most of their best-known tunes here, including "See You Later, Alligator", "Razzle Dazzle", "Rudy's Rock" and (of course) the title tune, and if they look and sound a bit staid compared to what Elvis Presley, Little Richard and Gene Vincent would be serving only a few years later, their music is good, clean fun and swings a lot harder than most folks give it credit for. Rock Around the Clock also features performances from The Platters ("The Great Pretender" and "Only You") and Freddy Bell and His Bellboys. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Haley & His Comets, The Platters, (more)
Anyone who's seen the 1996 science-fiction lampoon Mars Attacks may have trouble watching Earth vs. the Flying Saucers with a straight face. Hugh Marlowe plays scientist Russell Marvin, who is on-hand when an alien spacecraft lands on earth. The saucermen at first insist that they've come in peace, but Marvin suspects otherwise. Sure enough, the visitors eventually declare their intention to take over the earth within the next 60 days, adding that the military's weapons are useless against them. The two-month window gives Marvin and his cohorts plenty of time to build-up superweapon, and thus stave off the seven-saucer invasion force. Special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen does a nice job laying waste to Washington DC in the film's memorable finale. The supporting cast of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers includes those two sci-fi flick stalwarts of the 1950s, Morris Ankrum and Thomas Browne Henry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, (more)
- 1956
Fury at Gunsight Pass is a brief, to-the-point "budget" western, well cast and excitingly staged. David Brian stars as bank robber Whitey Turner, whose outlaw gang takes over a small town. Beating gang leader Dirk Hogan (Neville Brand) to the punch by robbing the town bank ahead of schedule, Turner winds up empty-handed when crooked undertaker Boggs (Percy Helton) swipes the loot. Boggs is killed, whereupon his widow (Katherine Warren) gathers together the money and makes plans to skip town while the Law pursues Turner and Hogan. This is one of those stories in which no one emerges smelling like a rose; the suspense lies not in who will "get it", but how long will it be before someone halfway honest appears on screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Brian, Neville Brand, (more)
- 1956
Like most Sam Katzman efforts of the late 1950s, Miami Expose laid claim to being "torn from today's headlines." Lensed on location, the film stars Lee J. Cobb as dedicated police lieutenant Bart Scott. Though he'd like nothing better than to smash Miami's gambling racketeers, Scott is forever stymied by legal loopholes. It becomes personal when an old friend of Scott's is killed during a turf war between ageing gambling czar Raymond Sheridan (Alan Napier) and hot-headed upstart Louie Ascot (Michael Granger). Patricia Medina plays Lila Hodges, sole witness to the murder, who is placed in protective custody by Scott all part of a master plan to bring the syndicate bosses out in the open. Also appearing as a "bought" politician is Edward Arnold, who died during production. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee J. Cobb, Patricia Medina, (more)
- 1956
The ineluctable Sam Katzman pounced upon the "cha-cha" craze with the musical quickie Cha-Cha-Cha-Boom! Recording stars Perez Prado, Helen Grayco, Luis Arcaraz, Manny Lopez and the Mary Kaye Trio play themselves in this hurriedly assembled melange. The wafer-thin plot concerns the efforts of talent scout Bill Haven (Steve Dunne) to scare up some genuine Latino talent for his own recording company. To make a long story short, he coerces bandleader Perez Prado out of his native Cuba, whereupon Prado rallies his cha-cha'ing cohorts to assemble en masse in Haven's studio. The film is stolen by lissome dancer Sylvia Lewis, who later appeared on such TVers as The Dick Van Dyke Show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dámaso Pérez Prado
- 1955
Phil Carey is his usual rough-and-tumble self in the Columbia western programmer Wyoming Renegade. Carey plays Brady Sutton, a former outlaw who wants to go straight. Trouble is, everyone is convinced that Sutton is still a no-good -- everyone, that is, except heroine Nancy Warren (Martha Hyer). When it appears as though Sutton has joined the "Hole in the Wall" gang headed by Butch Cassidy (Gene Evans), it looks like Nancy was wrong and everyone else was right. Ah, but Sutton's motives are honorable, though it takes him half the movie to prove it. William Bishop is fourth-billed as Butch Cassidy's cohort Sundance, while desperado Blackjack Ketchum makes a cameo appearance in the form of bit player A. Guy Teague. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Carey, Gene Evans, (more)
- 1955
Not long after starring in Las Vegas Shakedown, Dennis O'Keefe headed eastward to appear in Chicago Syndicate. This time, O'Keefe is cast as honest accountant Barry Amsterdam, determined to get the goods on Windy City gangster boss Arnie Valent (Paul Stewart). Insinuating himself into Valent's confidence, Amsterdam quietly begins gathering evidence. For a while it looks as though Amsterdam will go the way of his predecessor in Valent's operation, who ended up sleeping with the fishes, but in films of this nature justice usually prevails. Allison Hayes, who later played the title role in Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, is quite effective in the normal-sized part of the daughter of a slain accountant, while Abbe Lane plays the obligatory mob mistress (Lane's then-husband , bandleader Xavier Cugat, is also in the cast). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis O'Keefe, Abbe Lane, (more)
- 1955
Cell 2455 Death Row is based on the autobiography of condemned prisoner and "jailhouse lawyer" Caryl Chessman. William Campbell plays the Chessman counterpart, here renamed Whit. A seriously disturbed misfit, Whit begins a life of crime, culminating in sexual assault as the "Lover's Lane Bandit." Condemned to the gas chamber at San Quentin, Whit spends six years fighting his sentence, gradually winning the support and sometimes the respect of various legal experts. The film ends in 1955 (the year of its production), some five years before Caryl Chessman's ultimate execution; accordingly, the film's "open-ended" finale has been removed from many TV prints. A more thorough and incisive study of the Chessman case was offered in the made-for-TV movie Kill Me If You Can, which starred Alan Alda. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Campbell, Marian Carr, (more)
- 1955
The "juvenile delinquent" film cycle of the 1950s, sparked by The Blackboard Jungle, resulted in such hastily assembled B-flicks as Columbia's Teenage Crime Wave. The "crime wave" of the title consists of the criminal activities of teenager Mike Denton (Tommy Cook). After escaping from reform school, Mike goes on a statewide shooting spree, accompanied by his girlfriend Terry Marsh (Mollie McCart) and victim-of-circumstance Jane Koberly (Sue England). Most of the film takes place in the farmhouse of middle-aged Tom Grant (James Bell), as Mike, Terry and Sue hold the Grant family hostage. Since Sue is really a nice kid at heart, the audience can rest assured that she will foil Mike's perfidy before fade-out time. One noted film critic has bestowed a "BOMB" rating upon Teenage Crime Wave, though it's certainly no worse than the others of its ilk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tommy Cook, Mollie McCart, (more)
- 1955
This probing drama offers an inside look into corruption within the United Auto Workers and is loosely adapted from the true tale of the Reuther brothers. The story begins when someone bombs the union headquarters. Blair Vickers (Dennis O'Keefe), the head of the union, is an honest man whose brother is killed during the crime. The man behind the bombing, Gus Linden (Pat O'Brien), a gangster who has just finished serving time for labor racketeering, is determined to gain control of the UAW. Linden's children do not believe their father is capable of such a terrible crime, and accuse Vickers of having framed him. However, Vickers gradually turns them against their father by having them see for themselves that he is a corrupt, murderous thug who is unfaithful to their mother to boot. Eventually, with the reluctant help of Linden's mistress, Joni Calvin (Tina Carver), Vickers defeats the mob, and restores decency to the union. ~ Steve Press, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis O'Keefe, Pat O'Brien, (more)
- 1955
Longtime B-western favorites Tex Ritter and Ray "Crash" Corrigan are among the supporting players of the Columbia oater Apache Ambush. Star of the proceedings is Bill Williams, cast as Indian scout James Kingston. In the last days of the Civil War, President Lincoln (James Griffith) selects Kingston and two other men -- cattle driver O'Roarke (Ray Teal) and "reconstructed" Confederate major McGuire (Don C. Harvey) -- to help speed along a major cattle shipment from Texas to the Northern states. One of the obstacles facing the three men is Mexican fanatic Joaquin Jironza (Alex Montoya), who wants to get his hands on the Henry Repeating Rifles which Kingston and his confreres carry with them. Undermining the good guys is embittered ex-rebel Lee Parker (Richard Jaeckel), who is in cahoots with Jironza. So much happens in the first five reels that the titular Indian ambush is almost anticlimactic (a warning to more sensitive viewers: neither the Apaches nor the Mexicans are shown in a particularly sympathetic light). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Williams, Richard Jaeckel, (more)
- 1954
Filmed on location in Utah, The Outlaw Stallion top-bills Phil Carey and Dorothy Patrick, but the star of the proceedings is young Billy Gray. Living on a ranch with his widowed mother (Patrick), Billy makes friends with the white stallion who leads the herd of wild horses living under the ranch's protection. Villain Roy Roberts intends to flout the law by corralling the stallion's herd, then shipping the horses across the border. To accomplish this, Roberts uses a fierce black stallion to lead the herd astray. After a hoof-to-hoof fight between the "good" and "bad" stallions, Roberts resorts to kidnapping Gray and his mother to bring the white horse out in the open--and that's where hero Carey justifies his presence in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Philip Carey, Dorothy Patrick, (more)
