Walter Shenson Movies

This bittersweet comedy looks at the denizens of Echo Park, a decaying section of Los Angeles popular with struggling actors and musicians, largely because of its (relatively) low rents. May Greer (Susan Dey) is a single mother and aspiring actress who makes ends meet by tending bar (the most lucrative job she's been offered in show biz is as a combination stripper and singing telegram girl). Her neighbor August (Michael Bowen) is a body-builder from Austria who dreams of becoming a movie star like Arnold Schwarzenegger, though these days he's supporting himself by doing low-budget TV commercials for deodorant. May and August have an on-again, off-again relationship, which has more to do with sex and loneliness than love. Hoping to stretch her budget a bit, May rents out a room to Jonathan, a wannabe singer/songwriter who makes his money delivering pizzas. May takes a liking to Jonathan, and her son Henry (Christopher Walker) sees Jonathan as the benevolent father figure that's been missing from his life. The supporting cast includes cult figure Timothy Carey and Cassandra Peterson, best known as princess of the dark Elvira. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Set in the 1960s, the film concerns a high-school senior (Steve Guttenberg, in his first film role) who works at a restaurant while trying to capture the attention of an attractive girl (Lisa Reeves). ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide

This dubious comedy is set in Hiroshima, 1945 and chronicles the attempts of a Quaker morale officer to see that African-American soldiers get more equal treatment. He tries to have a black singing group booked into the officer's club, but he can't. As the bigotry increases, there is little the officer can do. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In his first starring role minus his longtime partner Peter Cook, Dudley Moore plays a 29-year-old who goes through an identity crisis when approaching the "three-oh" mark. He wants to be a successful Broadway composer before reaching 30 and also wants to be happily married. Unfortunately, he's so busy as a night-club musician that he hasn't any time to realize his goals. Enter sexy Suzy Kendall (Mrs. Moore at the time), who inspires Dudley to reinvigorate his quest for success and connubial bliss. 30 Is a Dangerous Age, Cynthia delivers a satisfactory quota of laughs; its only drawback is its heavy reliance upon "mod" '60s camera trickery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

During the first worldwide flush of Beatlemania in 1964, United Artists wanted to ship out a movie with The Beatles before their vogue was over. Working within a tight $500,000 budget, director Richard Lester turned out A Hard Day's Night in a fast 6 1/2 weeks; the picture was in the theatres three months after shooting commenced. Using a variety of techniques cribbed from Hollywood slapstick comedies, the French "new wave" movement, and his own experiences as a TV-commercial director, Lester, with screenwriter Alun Owen, fashioned an exhilarating study of a "typical" 36 hours in the lives of the Fab Four. Onto a plot about getting to the Big Show on time are hung a series of instant-reaction gags, character vignettes, and musical setpieces. Much of the humor arises from Paul McCartney's efforts to keep his grandfather (Wilfred Brambell), a "clean old man," from getting into mischief. Also good for several laughs is the hookey-playing Ringo Starr, whose mistimed declaration of independence lands him in jail. We are also treated to a war of nerves between the unflappable John Lennon and an uptight TV director (Victor Spinelli), who worries that, should the Beatles not show up at broadcast time, he'll be demoted to "News In Welsh." George Harrison stars in a sequence in which he is mistaken for an auditionee by the producer (Kenneth Haigh) of a superficially trendy, teen-oriented TV weekly. Then there's Norman Rossington and John Junkin as The Beatles' managers, who carry on a battle royale simply because one man is taller than the other. The supporting cast includes comedienne Anna Quayle, cartoonist Bob Godfrey, TV host Robin Ray, dancer Lionel Blair, Harrison's future wife Patti Boyd, and director Lester himself. The songs include "I Should Have Known Better," "And I Love Her," "Tell Me Why," "If I Fell," "Can't Buy Me Love," and the title song. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The "WHO" in A Matter of Who isn't a "who" but a "what". The word is an anagram for the World Health Organization, a curious subject for a British comedy--especially one which utilizes a communicable disease as a plot device! WHO operatives Terry-Thomas and Alex Nicol trace the outbreak of a smallpox epidemic to ruthless oil millionaire Guy Deghy. Offsetting the (literal) unhealthiness of the plotline is Terry-Thomas' romance with Sonja Ziemann, the widow of a smallpox victim. A Matter of WHO was picked up for U.S. distribution by MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

With no stars or production values, Korea Patrol has the rough-edged look of a war documentary. Though billed third, veteran Asian-American actor Benson Fong is the star of the proceedings, playing a South Korean scout guiding a group of UN soldiers through hostile territory. Ordered to destroy a vital enemy bridge, the small troop is made smaller as the film progresses, and soon only three men are left to carry out orders. One of these men is played by Al Eben, who later gained a measure of prominence for his many supporting appearances on TV's Hawaii 5-0. Director Max Nosseck adds a veneer of verisimilitude by inserting newsreel footage of the actual Korean conflict. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide