Chet Baker Movies

Stolen Hours is the overlong, overglamorized 1963 remake of the 1939 Bette Davis vehicle Dark Victory. Susan Hayward plays a rich, neurotic socialite who discovers that she only has a year to live. Acting resentfully at first--especially towards handsome doctor Michael Craig, who withheld this information from her "for her own good"--Hayward eventually adopts a philosophical attitude towards her fate. By the time she begins slipping into "that undiscovered uncountry," Hayward is practically a candidate for sainthood. A plot device not utilized in the original involves Hayward's virtual adoption of a young boy (Robert Bacon), who is neglected by his own mother. Novelist Jessamyn West and playwright Joseph Hayes did their best to "contemporize" the outdated elements of the original Dark Victory, even unto having Susan Hayward learn to dance the Twist! Stolen Hours was filmed in England, affording us lovely Technicolor glimpses of the Cornish coast. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this French thriller, two rival mobsters fight for control of the local drug traffic. The film also includes a lesbian nightclub act. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Set in 1952, at a point when the United States was bogged down in the "police action," Hell's Horizon focuses on one crew of a B-29, given the unenviable assignment of knocking out a bridge vital to the enemy over the Yalu River. To do this, and avoid violating Chinese airspace, they must make their run from a predetermined direction and, if forced down or unable to drop their bomb-load, must see to it that they don't do it over China. John Ireland is excellent as Merrill, the pilot of the plane and a born cynic, who must lead a crew that -- if truth were to be told to his C.O. -- is coming apart at the seams. First there's Trask (Hugh Beaumont), the sergeant and the non-com veteran of the group, who can't get his mind off of troubles at home; then there's Lewis (Larry Pennell), who's young enough to let his emotions get the better of him, especially where Sami (Marla English), a local Korean girl who does the unit's laundry and has been a regular companion for Merrill, is concerned; and Jockey (Chet Baker), who relaxes by playing a trumpet that drives half the other members of the crew to distraction. Add to that one new crewman, Morgan (William Schallert), an instructor who's never been in combat, and a plane that was state-of-the-art in the last war but barely able to deal with the MIGs that the North Koreans are flying now, and you've got a recipe for disaster, which nearly comes to fruition when two members of the crew fold up in different ways at two critical moments along the mission, jeopardizing the lives of the entire crew. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

A gay couple living in Berlin has a fairly bourgeois lifestyle: one is a high school teacher who defends the "squatters" in districts like Chamissoplatz, the other is a bookseller who admires Klaus Mann's novel Mephisto, a story about an actor who sold his soul to the Nazis and suffered the consequences. Through all their conversations; the death of the bookseller's father and subsequent inheritance (used to buy a better apartment rather than his own bookstore); and through the emotional upheavals of neighbors such as Christa, who cannot seem to find the right relationship; life seems to veer between the comic and the tragic -- without much forewarning. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This performance by legendary jazz horn player Chet Baker was recorded in Tokyo, Japan on June 14, 1987 and features such classics as "Stella by Starlight," "My Funny Valentine," and "I'm a Fool to Want You." Accompanying Baker in the performance are Harold Danko on piano, Hein van de Gein on bass, and John Engels on drums. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

This musical release from jazz legend Chet Baker captures a live performance recorded in 1985, with appearances by Jean-Louis Rassinfosse and Red Mitchell. Some of the songs featured include "Love for Sale," "Bye Bye Blackbird," "My Romance," and many more. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

This documentary follows former Golden Gloves boxing champion Andy Minsker as he trains hopeful pugilists at the Mount Scott boxing club in Portland, Oregon. Those hoping to master the gentle art receive guidance and philosophical insight from the colorful Minsker. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi