B.J. Lang Presents aka The Manipulator / 1971
This cheapo melodrama was filmed in 1971, long before Mickey Rooney's celebrated comeback via The Black Stallion. Rooney plays a looney film director who acts out his fantasies before an audience of one: an ingenue whom he has kidnapped and spirited away to a deserted movie warehouse. "B"-film perennial Luana Anders also appears in this R-rated thriller. Evidently never released theatrically, B.J. Lang Presents found a home on cable television in the mid-1980s.
$
8.00
A Thousand Clowns / 1965
Jason Robards Jr. superbly re-creates his Broadway role in this 1965 film version of Herb Gardner's play. Robards plays Murray Burns, head writer of TV's popular Chuckles the Chipmunk show. Fed up with the rat race, Murray quits his job and retreats to his cluttered Manhattan apartment, where he carries on a nonconformist, laissez-faire existence with his 12-year-old nephew Nick (Barry Gordon). Though they're as close as father and son, Robards has never gotten around to legally adopting Nick, which brings him to the attention of social workers Sandra (Barbara Harris) and Albert (William Daniels). While Albert is disgusted by Murray's irreverence, Sandra falls in love with the free-spirited writer. Teaming up with Nick, Sandra tries to convince Murray to get another job. Arnold Burns (Oscar-winner Martin Balsam), Murray's agent-brother, is amused by his sibling's independence, but can find no work for him. Desperate not to lose Nick to the authorities, Murray offers to go back to Chuckles the Chipmunk -- aka Leo (Gene Saks), a neurotic bug who bullies his staff and hates kids. Young Nick is disillusioned by Murray's willingness to conform, and he throws an uncharacteristic temper tantrum. But the boy comes around to Murray's sudden realization that compromise is sometimes necessary if it's for the sake of someone you love. While the central message of A Thousand Clowns may grate on some viewers, the film is saved by the exuberance of the cast.
$
8.00
Step Down To Terror - 1958
Stars: Charles Drake, Colleen Miller, Rod Taylor, Josephine Hutchinson
Though the fact was played down by the Universal-International publicity department, Step Down to Terror (aka The Silent Stranger) is a remake of the 1943 Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece Shadow of a Doubt. Charles Drake plays Johnny Williams, a psychotic serial killer who returns to his hometown to visit his mother (Josephine Hutchinson) and widowed sister-in-law Helen (Colleen Miller), both of whom are ignorant of his criminal past. Johnny hopes to settle down and start life anew, but Helen, her suspicions aroused by visiting detective Mike Randall (Rod Taylor), discovers the truth about her beloved brother-in-law. Failing to talk Helen out of turning him in, Johnny methodically plots her murder. Will Randall show up in the proverbial nick of time? Shadow of a Doubt was remade again, under its original title, as a 1991 TV movie.
Though the fact was played down by the Universal-International publicity department, Step Down to Terror (aka The Silent Stranger) is a remake of the 1943 Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece Shadow of a Doubt. Charles Drake plays Johnny Williams, a psychotic serial killer who returns to his hometown to visit his mother (Josephine Hutchinson) and widowed sister-in-law Helen (Colleen Miller), both of whom are ignorant of his criminal past. Johnny hopes to settle down and start life anew, but Helen, her suspicions aroused by visiting detective Mike Randall (Rod Taylor), discovers the truth about her beloved brother-in-law. Failing to talk Helen out of turning him in, Johnny methodically plots her murder. Will Randall show up in the proverbial nick of time? Shadow of a Doubt was remade again, under its original title, as a 1991 TV movie.
$
8.00
The Unguarded Moment - 1956
Stars: Esther Williams, John Saxon, George Nader, Edward Andrews
Esther Williams essays her first dramatic, nonswimming role in The Unguarded Moment. Written by actress Rosalind Russell, the film is a remarkably prescient tale of sexual harassment at the workplace. Williams plays high-school music-teacher Lois Conway, who inadvertently arouses the libido of problem student Leonard Bennett (John Saxon). Conditioned by his misogynistic father (Edward Andrews) to hate and distrust all women, the seriously disturbed teenager experiences mixed emotions when Lois takes an interest in his well-being. Before long, the teacher is being stalked by Leonard day and night. Ultimately, the boy forces himself upon Lois -- whereupon the all-male school board, holding Lois responsible for Leonard's behavior, promptly suspends her. With the help of understanding police lieutenant Harry Graham (George Nader), Lois does her best to fend off future attacks, to seek professional help for the maladjusted Leonard, and to keep from suffering a nervous breakdown herself!
Esther Williams essays her first dramatic, nonswimming role in The Unguarded Moment. Written by actress Rosalind Russell, the film is a remarkably prescient tale of sexual harassment at the workplace. Williams plays high-school music-teacher Lois Conway, who inadvertently arouses the libido of problem student Leonard Bennett (John Saxon). Conditioned by his misogynistic father (Edward Andrews) to hate and distrust all women, the seriously disturbed teenager experiences mixed emotions when Lois takes an interest in his well-being. Before long, the teacher is being stalked by Leonard day and night. Ultimately, the boy forces himself upon Lois -- whereupon the all-male school board, holding Lois responsible for Leonard's behavior, promptly suspends her. With the help of understanding police lieutenant Harry Graham (George Nader), Lois does her best to fend off future attacks, to seek professional help for the maladjusted Leonard, and to keep from suffering a nervous breakdown herself!
$
8.00
Last of The Fast Guns
Stars: Jock Mahoney, Gilbert Rolan, Linda Cristal, Lorne Greene, Eduard Franz, Edward Platt
A rich, dying Easterner hires gunfighter Brad Ellison to find his brother and heir in Mexico. En route, it becomes clear to Ellison that his is a dying profession. At a remote rancho, Ellison enlists ranch foreman Miles Lang to help him search the hills where the missing man is rumored to have lived. They find nothing ...except that someone wants to kill them; and Ellison becomes wrapped in a maze of double crosses.
A rich, dying Easterner hires gunfighter Brad Ellison to find his brother and heir in Mexico. En route, it becomes clear to Ellison that his is a dying profession. At a remote rancho, Ellison enlists ranch foreman Miles Lang to help him search the hills where the missing man is rumored to have lived. They find nothing ...except that someone wants to kill them; and Ellison becomes wrapped in a maze of double crosses.
$
8.00
The Lady Takes A Flyer
Stars: Lana Turner, Jeff Chandler, Richard Denning, Chuck Connors, Reta Shaw, Alan Hale, Jr.
According to Universal-International publicity, The Lady Takes a Flyer is partially based on fact. The "lady" is Maggie Colby (Lana Turner) and the "flyer" is former Air Force colonel Mike Dandridge (Jeff Chandler). The two form a partnership when Mike decides to inaugurate an air-ferry service with Maggie as his chief pilot. Mike's wartime buddy Al Reynolds (Richard Denning) also signs on with the new service, though Al's hopes for a romance with Maggie are dashed when she marries Mike. Trouble arises when Maggie becomes pregnant and Mike insists that she give up her perilous lifestyle and become just another housewife. All conflicts are resolved during an exciting finale, wherein a fogbound Maggie is guided across the Atlantic via the radioed instructions of her loving husband.
According to Universal-International publicity, The Lady Takes a Flyer is partially based on fact. The "lady" is Maggie Colby (Lana Turner) and the "flyer" is former Air Force colonel Mike Dandridge (Jeff Chandler). The two form a partnership when Mike decides to inaugurate an air-ferry service with Maggie as his chief pilot. Mike's wartime buddy Al Reynolds (Richard Denning) also signs on with the new service, though Al's hopes for a romance with Maggie are dashed when she marries Mike. Trouble arises when Maggie becomes pregnant and Mike insists that she give up her perilous lifestyle and become just another housewife. All conflicts are resolved during an exciting finale, wherein a fogbound Maggie is guided across the Atlantic via the radioed instructions of her loving husband.
$
8.00
Mister Cory
Stars: Tony Curtis, Martha Hyer, William Reynolds, Kathryn Grant, Charles Bickford
Cory, an ambitious Chicago slum kid with a knack for gambling, gets a busboy job at a posh Wisconsin resort...where his real purpose is to gamble with the staff and guests and romance rich young ladies. Setbacks follow, but Cory eventually rises to a high position in the world of professional gambling. But he just can't forget the glamorous Vollard sisters. And now he has even farther to fall...
Cory, an ambitious Chicago slum kid with a knack for gambling, gets a busboy job at a posh Wisconsin resort...where his real purpose is to gamble with the staff and guests and romance rich young ladies. Setbacks follow, but Cory eventually rises to a high position in the world of professional gambling. But he just can't forget the glamorous Vollard sisters. And now he has even farther to fall...
$
8.00
Kelly and Me
Stars: Van Johnson, Piper Laurie,Martha Hyer, Herbert Anderson
Flop vaudeville performer Len Carmody is adopted by Kelly, a trained dog abandoned by Malo's dog act. When Kelly joins Len's ho-hum song and dance, a popular comedy act is born. On the train, Len meets young Mina Van Runkel, daughter of a movie producer in desperate need of new talent (it's 1930). Successful in making "dog pictures," can Len stand being second banana to Kelly? Complications: a pallid romantic triangle...and the reappearance of Kelly's original owner.
Flop vaudeville performer Len Carmody is adopted by Kelly, a trained dog abandoned by Malo's dog act. When Kelly joins Len's ho-hum song and dance, a popular comedy act is born. On the train, Len meets young Mina Van Runkel, daughter of a movie producer in desperate need of new talent (it's 1930). Successful in making "dog pictures," can Len stand being second banana to Kelly? Complications: a pallid romantic triangle...and the reappearance of Kelly's original owner.
$
8.00
The Great Imposter
Stars: Tony Curtis, Karl Malden, Edmond O’Brien, Joan Blackman, Frank Gorshin
Based on a true story, a bright young man who hasn't the patience for the normal way of advancement finds that people rarely question you if your papers are in order. He becomes a marine, a monk, a surgeon onboard a Canadian Warship, and a prison warden.
Based on a true story, a bright young man who hasn't the patience for the normal way of advancement finds that people rarely question you if your papers are in order. He becomes a marine, a monk, a surgeon onboard a Canadian Warship, and a prison warden.
$
8.00
The Looters
Stars: Rory Calhoun, Julie Adams, Ray Danton, Thomas Gomez
Actor Abner Biberman specialized in unpleasant characters; when he turned director in the mid-1950s, he specialized in unpleasant subjects. The Looters is a marked-down variation of the Spencer Tracy film The Mountain. When a plane crashes on Pike's Peak, a group of mercenaries agree to search for survivors. The real motivation of some members of the rescue party is to strip the plane of all valuables, and to dispose of awkward witnesses. But a handful of the crash survivors also have looting on their minds, leading to a bloody clash in the snowy crags.
Actor Abner Biberman specialized in unpleasant characters; when he turned director in the mid-1950s, he specialized in unpleasant subjects. The Looters is a marked-down variation of the Spencer Tracy film The Mountain. When a plane crashes on Pike's Peak, a group of mercenaries agree to search for survivors. The real motivation of some members of the rescue party is to strip the plane of all valuables, and to dispose of awkward witnesses. But a handful of the crash survivors also have looting on their minds, leading to a bloody clash in the snowy crags.
$
8.00
Coney Island - 1943
Stars: Betty Grable, George Montgomery, Cesar Romero, Phil Silvers
Everything clicks in this tuneful, colorful and profitable Betty Grable musical. The star plays Katie Farley, a gyrating saloon entertainer in turn-of-the-century New York. Convinced that Katie is destined for Bigger Things, Coney Island impresario Eddie Johnson (George Montgomery) tries to turn the raucous song-and-dance girl into a refined entertainer, at one point handcuffing her wrists and ankles so she'll be forced to rely on her voice rather than her undulations. Sure enough, Katie becomes a high-class Broadway star under the aegis of showman Willie Hammerstein (Matt Briggs) -- and equally sure enough, she and Eddie grow apart. After a desultory romance with Eddie's rival, slick saloon owner Joe Rocco (Cesar Romero), Katie eventually returns to the arms of the man she truly loves, as comedy relief Frankie (Phil Silvers) looks on in myopic glee. Among the musical highlights of Coney Island is Betty's delightful rendition of the old chestnut "Cuddle Up a Little Closer". The film was remade, again with Grable, as Wabash Avenue (1950).
Everything clicks in this tuneful, colorful and profitable Betty Grable musical. The star plays Katie Farley, a gyrating saloon entertainer in turn-of-the-century New York. Convinced that Katie is destined for Bigger Things, Coney Island impresario Eddie Johnson (George Montgomery) tries to turn the raucous song-and-dance girl into a refined entertainer, at one point handcuffing her wrists and ankles so she'll be forced to rely on her voice rather than her undulations. Sure enough, Katie becomes a high-class Broadway star under the aegis of showman Willie Hammerstein (Matt Briggs) -- and equally sure enough, she and Eddie grow apart. After a desultory romance with Eddie's rival, slick saloon owner Joe Rocco (Cesar Romero), Katie eventually returns to the arms of the man she truly loves, as comedy relief Frankie (Phil Silvers) looks on in myopic glee. Among the musical highlights of Coney Island is Betty's delightful rendition of the old chestnut "Cuddle Up a Little Closer". The film was remade, again with Grable, as Wabash Avenue (1950).
$
8.00
Captain Carey, U.S.A. - 1950
Stars: Alan Ladd, Wanda Hendrix
Alan Ladd plays the title role in Captain Carey USA. A former OSS operative, Captain Carey returns to Italy after the war to avenge the death of resistance worker Giulia (Wanda Hendrix). Much to his surprise, Carey finds that his "deceased" lover is not only still alive, but also the wife of a powerful Italian nobleman (Francis Lederer). He also discovers to his sorrow that the far-from-grateful Italian villagers hold the Americans responsible for their current financial travails. Still, Carey sticks around, hoping to flush out the traitor who'd caused the wartime deaths of several of his OSS colleagues. The box-office success of Captain Carey USA was enhanced by the incidental musical number "Mona Lisa," which subsequently won an Academy Award.
Alan Ladd plays the title role in Captain Carey USA. A former OSS operative, Captain Carey returns to Italy after the war to avenge the death of resistance worker Giulia (Wanda Hendrix). Much to his surprise, Carey finds that his "deceased" lover is not only still alive, but also the wife of a powerful Italian nobleman (Francis Lederer). He also discovers to his sorrow that the far-from-grateful Italian villagers hold the Americans responsible for their current financial travails. Still, Carey sticks around, hoping to flush out the traitor who'd caused the wartime deaths of several of his OSS colleagues. The box-office success of Captain Carey USA was enhanced by the incidental musical number "Mona Lisa," which subsequently won an Academy Award.
$
8.00
Fluffy
Stars: Tony Randall, Shirley Jones, Edward Andrews, Howard Morris, Jim Backus
Fluffy the lion is featured in this comedy. He plays the subject of an ambitious experiment done by Daniel Potter (Tony Randall) -- a scientist trying to prove that even a wild animal like a lion can be made into a pet with proper training. Wherever he goes, Potter's ponderous pet incites mayhem amongst the region's fearful residents. To escape his panicky neighbors, Potter and Fluffy hide out in a hotel. There the owner's plucky daughter (Shirley Jones) falls for the unlikely duo.
Fluffy the lion is featured in this comedy. He plays the subject of an ambitious experiment done by Daniel Potter (Tony Randall) -- a scientist trying to prove that even a wild animal like a lion can be made into a pet with proper training. Wherever he goes, Potter's ponderous pet incites mayhem amongst the region's fearful residents. To escape his panicky neighbors, Potter and Fluffy hide out in a hotel. There the owner's plucky daughter (Shirley Jones) falls for the unlikely duo.
$
8.00
The Macomber Affair - 1955
Stars: Gregory Peck, Robert Preston, Joan Bennett
When a man dies under suspicious circumstances, the law must decide if it was murder or an accident. Francis Macomber (Robert Preston) is a wealthy, carefree gentleman who hires Robert Wilson (Gregory Peck), an expert hunter, as his guide when he sets off on a safari in Kenya. Francis' wife Margaret (Joan Bennett) regards her husband as a fool and a coward, and before long, she develops a strong attraction to Robert -- which she does not bother to keep secret. However, Robert informs her that as a matter of personal ethics, he would not consider becoming involved with her. After several weeks on the African savannah, Francis feels himself changing; he's developed a new bravery and sense of confidence, and as a test of himself, he one day stands in the path of a charging buffalo as he prepares to shoot. However, shots ring out from behind him, and Francis falls dead. Margaret insists that she was trying to kill the animal before it could trample Francis and missed, but given her well-documented contempt for her husband, the widow finds herself on trial for murder. The Macomber Affair was based on the short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Ernest Hemingway, though director Zoltan Korda found it necessary to rework the material (with the input of the featured cast) in order to appease the industry censors of the day.
When a man dies under suspicious circumstances, the law must decide if it was murder or an accident. Francis Macomber (Robert Preston) is a wealthy, carefree gentleman who hires Robert Wilson (Gregory Peck), an expert hunter, as his guide when he sets off on a safari in Kenya. Francis' wife Margaret (Joan Bennett) regards her husband as a fool and a coward, and before long, she develops a strong attraction to Robert -- which she does not bother to keep secret. However, Robert informs her that as a matter of personal ethics, he would not consider becoming involved with her. After several weeks on the African savannah, Francis feels himself changing; he's developed a new bravery and sense of confidence, and as a test of himself, he one day stands in the path of a charging buffalo as he prepares to shoot. However, shots ring out from behind him, and Francis falls dead. Margaret insists that she was trying to kill the animal before it could trample Francis and missed, but given her well-documented contempt for her husband, the widow finds herself on trial for murder. The Macomber Affair was based on the short story "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" by Ernest Hemingway, though director Zoltan Korda found it necessary to rework the material (with the input of the featured cast) in order to appease the industry censors of the day.
$
8.00
The Grave - 1996
Stars: Craig Scheffer,Gabrielle Anwar, Josh Charles, Keith David,Eric Roberts
This little chiller unfolds like a late-night campfire ghost story as it tells the strange tale of treasure hunters and a prison break from a North Carolina prison farm. It begins when a man approaches two inmates at the prison farm and tells them about a fabulous treasure buried in the coffin of a wealthy but miserly merchant. The convicts, King and Tyn, want the treasure and so bribe a guard into letting them escape. They leave the man who told them about the cache back in the pen. While on the lam, Tyn gets shot trying to steal clothing from a laundry line and the two end up forced to bring in King's ex-lover and some old gang mates to help them find the grave. The guard then shows up and demands a share of the take and this creates all sorts of problems.
This little chiller unfolds like a late-night campfire ghost story as it tells the strange tale of treasure hunters and a prison break from a North Carolina prison farm. It begins when a man approaches two inmates at the prison farm and tells them about a fabulous treasure buried in the coffin of a wealthy but miserly merchant. The convicts, King and Tyn, want the treasure and so bribe a guard into letting them escape. They leave the man who told them about the cache back in the pen. While on the lam, Tyn gets shot trying to steal clothing from a laundry line and the two end up forced to bring in King's ex-lover and some old gang mates to help them find the grave. The guard then shows up and demands a share of the take and this creates all sorts of problems.
$
8.00
Deadly Game - 1991
Stars: Michael Beck, Jenny Seagrove,Roddy McDowall, Marc Singer
A group of seven strangers, including a dancer, a doctor, a teacher, and a disgraced former football player, are brought together on an island owned by the mysterious Osirus. There they are told that at some point in their lives, they crossed Osirus and now must face his revenge. The seven must reach a boat on the opposite side of the island before Osirus and his hunters track them down and kill them.
A group of seven strangers, including a dancer, a doctor, a teacher, and a disgraced former football player, are brought together on an island owned by the mysterious Osirus. There they are told that at some point in their lives, they crossed Osirus and now must face his revenge. The seven must reach a boat on the opposite side of the island before Osirus and his hunters track them down and kill them.
$
8.00