Tom Neal Movies
Hollywood's quintessential low-budget film noir hero Tom Neal earned some notoriety at an early age when his banker father persuaded him to drop the idea of eloping with Inez Martin, a buxom former Follies girl and the mistress of slain mobster Arnold Rothstein. A former college athlete, the handsome, mustachioed Neal entered the theatrical profession playing summer stock at West Falmouth, MA, and went on to make his Broadway debut in the short-lived anti-war melodrama If This Be Treason (1935). He later performed opposite Maria Ouspenskaya in Daughters of Artreus, but although critically acclaimed, the play was yet another box-office failure and Neal hightailed it to Sunny California. Contracted by MGM, who obviously saw him as another Clark Gable, Neal bided his time in secondary assignments and loan-outs to other studios for such fare as the 1941 serial Jungle Girl. In 1943, a now freelancing Tom earned some recognition for playing a U.S.-educated Japanese in the propaganda film Behind the Rising Sun, but lasting fame had to wait until Detour, Edgar G. Ulmer's cult classic. Although dismissed when the cheaply made drama was released in 1945, Neal and Ann Savage's fiery chemistry did much to earn Detour a lasting place as the quintessential low-budget film noir and remains one of the few memorable films to emerge from PRC, the now infamous Poverty Row company that otherwise more than lived up to its nickname of "Pretty Rotten Crud."Along with another well-remembered but poverty-stricken Ulmer production, Club Havana (1945), Detour marked a definite decline in the actor's cinematic fortunes and by the early '50s he had become better known for his offscreen escapades. A very public brawl with actor Franchot Tone over the dubious charms of starlet Barbara Payton left Tone hospitalized with a fractured cheekbone, a broken nose, and brain concussion, and made Neal all but unemployable. He later worked as night manager of a restaurant in Palm Springs, CA, and for a while operated a landscaping business, but in 1965 he was arrested and charged with second degree murder in the shooting death of his second wife. A jury returned a verdict of involuntary manslaughter and Neal served a six-year prison term. Sadly, the former actor suffered a fatal heart attack a little more than eight months after being paroled in late 1971. His son, Tom Neal Jr. (born 1957), starred in a 1992 remake of Detour. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
Spencer Tracy stars in John Ford's sentimental adaptation of Edwin O'Connor's novel about the final campaign of a big city mayor, loosely based upon the life of Boston politician James Curley. Tracy is Frank Skeffington, the political boss of an Eastern city dominated by Irish-Americans. Skeffington tries to assist the people of the city and avoids cutting political deals with the power elite. But despite his concern for the people, Skeffington has no friends, just flunkies. The Mayor is greatly admired by his idealistic nephew Adam Caulfield (Jeffrey Hunter), who writes for an opposition newspaper run by Amos Force (John Carradine). When Skeffington needs money for a loan, he asks the powerful banker Norman Cass (Basil Rathbone), but Cass steadfastly refuses. In retaliation, Skeffington appoints Cass's retarded son as an interim fire commissioner. To prevent his son from disgracing the family, Cass agrees to the bank loan. But Cass uses his deep pockets to finance the opposition's candidate for mayor. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Spencer Tracy, Jeffrey Hunter, (more)
- 1953
Within its own modest limits, The Great Jesse James Raid is a well-crafted western. Willard Parker plays Jesse James, who when the film opens is seen comfortably settled into respectable retirement. At the instigation of the unscrupulous Bob Ford (Jim Bannon), Jesse leaves hearth and home behind to commit one last robbery. Somewhere in the deep recesses of a mine is $300,000 in hidden loot, and Jesse aims to get his mitts on it. Featured in the cast of The Great Jesse James Raid are Barbara Payton and Tom Neal, whose turbulent real-life romance resulted in a great deal of negative publicity. The film is stolen by Wallace Ford as a Scripture-quoting dynamiter; perhaps it is true, as one historian observed, that Ford was in more movies than anyone else in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Willard Parker, Barbara Payton, (more)
- 1952
This vintage collection includes a cavalcade of vaudeville acts and is hosted by Jackie Coogan. ~ Rovi
- 1951
Through an incredible series of circumstances, the Bowery Boys sign up for a hitch in the Navy. While clumsily going about the shipboard duties, Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the gang search high and low for a couple of crooks disguised in sailor suits who've stolen a large sum of money intended for charity. They don't find the bad guys right away, but dimwitted Sach manages to replace the money through a lucky gambling streak. Finally collaring the villains, the Bowery Boys head to Navy headquarters for a reward--only to end up accidentally signing for another hitch at sea. Silly though it sounds, Let's Go Navy is one of the most believable Bowery Boys comedies, as well as one of the funniest. Contributing to the general hilarity is prune-faced Allen Jenkins as the Boys' chief petty officer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, (more)
- 1951
Lippert's Fingerprints Don't Lie stars Richard Travis as fingerprint expert James Stover. At the moment, Stover is attempting to solve the murder of a small-town mayor. When the most likely suspect has been collared, Stover determines that the fingerprints found at the scene of the crime have been forged. Thus it is that the actual murderer is still around and about. In fact, he's much closer to Our Hero than anyone might have suspected. Fingerprints Don't Lie co-stars Sheila Ryan (in one of her last film appearances before becoming Mrs. Pat Buttram) and Lippert's resident utility player Sid Melton. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Richard Travis, Sheila Ryan, (more)
- 1951
In this action comedy, a bunch of bungling jewel thieves are in such a hurry to flee the site of their latest caper that they leave their loot on the back seat of the cab they used for the getaway. Later they return and torment the driver into revealing where he stashed the stones. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1951
The 62-minute GI Jane may well be the best of Lippert Studios' "pocket" musicals. TV producer Tim (Tom Neal) is in the midst of staging a special featuring WACS when he receives his induction notice. The shock of the news causes Tim to faint, whereupon he imagines he has been promoted to sergeant and shipped to an all-male desert radar command. Our hero then schemes to transfer the WAC officers to his post. In so doing, he falls in love with the titular "GI Jane" (Jean Porter) and runs afoul of tough-talking WAC lieutenant Adrian (Iris Adrian). Featured in the cast is future Mickey Mouse Club star Jimmy Dodd, performing two of his own compositions. Also on hand is famed Hitler imitator Robert (Bobby) Watson, here cast as a flustered Army colonel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jean Porter, Tom Neal, (more)
- 1951
This film features two mystery stories featuring Hugh "the Beaver's TV Dad" Beaumont. First, he is hired to go to an auction and buy a particular saxophone. Unfortunately, soon after he obtains it he is knocked unconscious and loses the instrument to the bidder he beat. Later he discovers that the horn is filled with valuable stolen jewels. He also learns that a murder is involved and so launches an investigation to solve it all. In the second tale, Beaumont is paid to escort a beautiful woman to a yacht party. Once he gets there, he discovers that he is the only guest and she is out to seduce him. During their lovemaking, a sleazy detective is busy photographing their every move. The gumshoe was working for the woman's jealous husband who is later found slain, causing the hapless Beaumont to stand accused. Fortunately, he is able to prove his innocence and solve the crime. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hugh Beaumont, Edward S. Brophy, (more)
- 1951
Tuna fisherman Joe Morelli (Tom Neal) is Navy Bound in this Monogram programmer. While on board ship, Morelli becomes the fleet's boxing champion. He gives up pugilistic glory to return home, where he tries to help his family out of a financial dilemma. When things prove harder to handle than he'd thought, Morelli endangers his amateur status by signing up for a lucrative professional bout. Veteran stuntman Harvey Parry (who'd performed many of Harold Lloyd's building-climbing antics in Safety Last) has a rare speaking role as Joe's ring opponent. Navy Bound was based on a short story by Talbert Josselyn. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Neal, Wendy Waldron, (more)
- 1950
The title King of the Bullwhip could only refer to one of two western-movie favorites: Lash LaRue or Whip Wilson. Since LaRue was under contract to Ron Ormond productions, it was LaRue who starred herein. Usually associated with the lowest of low-budget productions, LaRue is here surrounded with decent production values and an above-average cast, including Jack Holt, Anne Gwynne, Tom Neal, Michael Whalen, Dennis Moore and George Lewis. And, as always, LaRue is aided and abetted by trusty comical sidekick Al "Fuzzy" St. John. Likewise praiseworthy is the plot, a solid mystery yarn concerning an unknown bank robber. The finale finds LaRue subduing the villain with a startling exhibition of expert whip-cracking. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Lash LaRue, Jack Holt, (more)
- 1950
The plot for this Western involves the wives and girlfriends of the Dalton gang, who decide to carry on the gang's criminal activities after the menfolk were either gunned down or locked up. Old-time B-Western star Lash LaRue shows up to take care of them. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1950
From Lippert Studios, the same company responsible for I Shot Jesse James, comes I Shot Billy the Kid. Those who know their western history will recall that Billy the kid was gunned down by his friendly enemy Pat Garrett. This time around, Garrett is played by Robert Lowery, while the larger part of Billy is essayed by Don Barry (a bit too old for the part, though physically perfect). The film recounts Garrett and Billy's volatile relationship, and the events leading up to their final, fatal confrontation. Brooklynese supporting actor Sid Melton seems a bit out of place as the film's nominal comedy relief. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Wally Vernon, (more)
- 1950
Partially filmed in the San Bernardino Mountains, Call of the Klondike was perhaps the best of producer Lindsley Parson's seven "Northwest Mounted" films starring Kirby Grant and the white malamute Chinook. Written by actor Charles Lang, who had played the villain in the earlier The Wolf Hunters, Call of the Klondike had Northwest Mounted Police Officer Rod West (Grant) and his faithful dog charged with investigating the disappearance of a couple of prospectors. Accompanied by Nancy (Anne Gwynne), the pretty daughter of one of the missing miners, Grant and Chinook discover that the men had been murdered by fellow miner Paul Mallory (Tom Neal) and his sister Emily (Lynne Roberts), who have been stealing their gold through a tunnel leading from their own, dry, mine. But before they can be apprehended, Paul and Emily take Nancy hostage and it is up to Chinook, Rod, and fellow miner Menchek (Marc Krah) to recover her. Like the 1926 silent film of the same name, Call of the Klondike was ostensibly based on a story by pulp writer James Oliver Curwood, but apart from the Northwest setting and the involvement of a clever dog, the two films had nothing in common. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirby Grant, Anne Gwynne, (more)
- 1950
Don Barry stars as the Pecos Kid in Red Desert. The Kid is a federal agent, assigned by President Ulysses S. Grant to locate an outlaw wanted by the government. The outlaw is something of a frontier fuehrer, hoping to use his ill-gotten gains to set up a nation of his own. The Kid thinks he's gotten his man at the film's halfway point, but he and the audience are in for surprise. President Grant is played by Joseph Crehan, who made a comfortable living imitating our 18th Chief Executive in the movies. Red Desert was Lippert's final release for 1949, but was hardly Don Barry's last effort for the studio. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1950
Written and produced by its star, Donald Barry, Train to Tombstone was a low-budget version of the classic Stagecoach (1939). Once again a group of passengers fight among themselves as their mode of transportation -- a train en route from Albuquerque, NM, to Tombstone, AZ, this time -- is attacked by warring Indians. Author Barry was rather more fanciful than his predecessor, Dudley Nichols, however, and in addition to the inevitable saloon girl (Nan Leslie), the train also carries other characters: a pretty paraplegic (Barbara Stanley), whose illness may be psychological in nature; her indomitable aunt (Minna Phillips); a handsome doctor (Tom Neal); a comic relief women's undergarment salesman (Wally Vernon); a jittery conductor (Edward Cassidy); a marshal (Claude Stroud) guarding a shipment of gold; and, of course, Barry himself in the John Wayne role of the wanted but goodhearted outlaw. In due course, the train is attacked by what appears to be Indians, but what in reality is a gang of outlaws determined to get their greedy hands on the loot. Neither the marshal nor Barry are what they appear to be, the latter actually an undercover agent assigned to protect the shipment. The beautiful paraplegic is on her way to meet the fiancé she has never even seen and who, it is revealed, is in cahoots with the gang. Does the trauma of witnessing the boy killed right before her eyes cure the girl? Why, of course it does. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Lowery, Wally Vernon, (more)
- 1950
By the standards of low-budget Lippert Productions, Everybody's Dancin' is an "A" picture. Country-western favorite Spade Cooley (who also co-produced and co-scripted) heads the enormous cast of this innocuous musical comedy. Setting the plot in motion is fast-talking Dick Lane, playing a phony entrepreneur who hopes to rescue a bankrupt ballroom called "Waltzland." The climax is the standard-issue Big Show, staged at the studios of Los Angeles television station KTLA (where Dick Lane was gainfully employed as a sportscaster). Featured acts include The Sons of the Pioneers, the Chuy Reyes Orchestra, The Flying Taylors, the Great Velardi and the Medians. Also thrown into the stew are a bunch of guest stars, including Roddy McDowall, western stars Jimmy Ellison , and Russell Hayden, and UPI columnist Virginia McPherson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Spade Cooley, Richard Lane, (more)
- 1950
Filmed under the title Radar Patrol, Lippert's Rader Secret Service wastes no time getting down to business. Indeed, with a 59-minute running time, no waste would have been tolerated. John Howard and Ralph "Dick Tracy" Byrd star as Bill and Static, a pair of secret service operatives, in search of stolen uranium ore. Per the film's title, Our Heroes use radar to track down the atomic bandits. This was hardly necessary: any dyed-in-the-wool movie fan could have told Bill and Static from the get-go that the villains are Moran (Tom Neal) and Michael (Tris Coffin). Lippert's resident comic relief Sid Melton provides some amusing moments, while the feminine angle is handled by Adele Jergens and Myrna Dell, two of the best "bad girls" in "B"-pictures. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Howard, Adele Jergens, (more)
- 1950
This "Joe Palooka" entry concentrates on Joe's porcine pal Humphrey Pennyworth (played by Robert Coogan, the brother of former child star Jackie Coogan). When soft-hearted pugilist Joe Palooka (Joe Kirkwood Jr.) arrives for a bout in Humphrey's home town, everyone gets sucked into a crooked scheme concocted by duplicitous town mayor Phiffeney (Jack Kirkwood). Nothing is meant to be taken seriously in this one, as indicated by the film's climax, which degenerates into an old-fashioned pie fight. As usual, top billing in Humphrey Takes a Chance is bestowed upon Leon Errol as Joe Palooka's dyspeptic manager Knobby Walsh. Joe's girlfriend Anne Howe is played by Lois Collier, the latest in a long line of actresses to essay this role. Also released as Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance, the film was inspired by the "Joe Palooka" comic strip by Ham Fisher. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Leon Errol, Joe Kirkwood, Jr., (more)
- 1949
Apache Chief was the second film to be lensed with the Garutso Balanced Lens, which gave the illusion of a three-dimensional effect (the first was Deputy Marshal). Alan Curtis plays the title character, a pacifistic Native American named Young Eagle. When his tribesmen begin killing off white settlers, Young Eagle is opposed to the carnage. In order to assure a lasting peace, however, the chief must deal with renegade Apache Black Wolf (Russell Hayden). The white soldier gives Young Eagle six days to bring Black Wolf to justice before they strike back. Produced under the Screen Guild banner, Apache Chief was released by that company's successor, Lippert Films. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Alan Curtis, Tom Neal, (more)
- 1949
Trail of the Mounties was the last of four "streamlined" actioners released by Screen Guild in the late 1940s. Each of these films was set in Canada, each starred Russell Hayden as a Mountie named "Lucky," and each ran approximately 45 minutes. This time, Lucky is on the trail of the fur thief who killed another Mountie. When our hero gets his man, it is with a sense of deep regret, since the villain is Lucky's twin brother (also played by Hayden). Jennifer Holt, daughter of Jack and sister of Tim, is the heroine. Trail of the Mounties was, like its predecessors, an early arrival on TV. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Russell Hayden, Jennifer Holt, (more)
- 1949
Yards and yards of stock footage from the old German jungle actioner Green Hell were used to pad out the 1949 programmer Amazon Quest. Tom Neal stars as a Dutchman who journeys into the wilds of Brazil to find his father. Neal hopes to clear the name of his dad, who has been accused of deserting his family and friends for a native girl but who was actually on a secret mission on behalf of a major rubber-manufacturing concern. As he ventures deeper into a studio-built forest, Neal finds romance in the shape of Amazonian Carole Mathews. The stock footage is rather clumsily matched with the newly-shot scenes, but director S.K. Seeley manages to keep things moving fast enough to deflect the audience's attention from the film's flaws. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Neal, Carole Donne, (more)
- 1948
An older soldier enters West Point but remains haunted by nagging guilt. It all began in Tunisia during a tremendous battle. The soldier passed out during the fight, and when he awoke he discovered his commanding officer was dead. He blames himself for the death and after being released from the army, he goes to see the officer's wife. Love blossoms, and with her help he enrolls in West Point where he becomes a model cadet until a jealous plebe begins making trouble that eventually sends the soldier to a court-martial hearing. There the truth of the incident is finally revealed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- George Coulouris, Vincent J. Donahue, (more)
- 1947
The baby sitter is none other than veteran Hollywood tough guy Tom Neal. A private detective, Neal is hired to keep an eye on the child of married couple George Meeker and Rebel Randall. Actually, Meeker and Randall are jewel thieves, and their "baby" is their stolen loot. Neal eventually catches on when he realizes that this is the quietest child on earth. Running a scant 41 minutes, Case of the Baby Sitter was designed to be shown in tandem with another Screen Guild Productions "briefie," The Hat Box Mystery: the films were shot back to back, with Tom Neal and Pamela Blake starring in both. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Neal, Allen Jenkins, (more)
- 1947
In early 1947, Screen Guild Productions experimented with a new format: a 90-minute double feature package, consisting of two simultaneously-filmed 45-minute mysteries. As it turned out, The Hat Box Mystery and The Case of the Baby Sitter were released separately, within two weeks of one another. Both films starred Tom Neal as a private detective named Russ and Pamela Blake as his secretary Susan, both were cowritten by Carl K. Hittelman, and both were directed by the prolific Lambert Hillyer. In Hat Box Mystery, Russ comes to Susan's rescue when she's accused of murdering one of their clients. Per the title, the main clue is a sawed-off shotgun, hidden in a hatbox-a gimmick reportedly inspired by a real-life murder case. Allen Jenkins provides some laughs as a near-illiterate goofball inappropriately named Harvard. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Neal, Pamela Blake, (more)
- 1946
An unwanted orphan decides to run away with his dog, but later becomes the goal of an urgent quest when his relatives discover that he has inherited a fortune. ~ John Bush, Rovi
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