Ricardo Montalban

  • Anthony Mann – Border Incident (1949)

    1941-1950250 Quintessential Film NoirsAnthony MannCrimeFilm NoirUSA

    PLOT: Mexican and American federal agents tackle a vicious gang exploiting illegal farm workers in southern California.Read More »

  • Roberto Gavaldón – Sombra verde AKA Untouched (1954)

    1951-1960AdventureDramaItalyRoberto Gavaldón

    Synopsis:
    With the purpose of using barbasco roots in the production of cortisone, a pharmaceutical company sends a scientist to investigate the possibilities of exploitation in Veracruz, but the man gets lost in the jungle and lives a strange romantic adventure in a remote location called Paradise.Read More »

  • Hugo Fregonese – Mark of the Renegade (1951)

    1951-1960ActionAdventureHugo FregoneseUSA

    AMG Overview:
    by Hal Erickson
    MGM’s Ricardo Montalban and Cyd Charisse were loaned to Universal for the Technicolor period piece Mark of the Renegade. Set in 19th-century California, the film stars Montalban as Marcos, in league with a band of pirates. Marcos falls into the hands of Don Pedro Garcia (Gilbert Roland), a despot who hopes to become dictator of California. Planning to force the cooperation of benevolent politico Jose De Vasquez (Antonio Moreno), Garcia orders Marcos to court De Vasquez’ comely daughter Anita (Cyd Charisse). It soon develops that Marcos is not the criminal he appears to be, and that he is dedicated to the vanquishing of the evil Garcia. Somehow, Mark of the Renegade finds an excuse for Cyd Charisse to perform a bewitching dance number.Read More »

  • Harry Horner & Rafael Portillo – A Life in the Balance (1955)

    1951-1960CrimeHarry HornerRafael PortilloThrillerUSA

    Third-billed Lee Marvin dominates the proceedings in A Life in the Balance. Marvin plays a psycho killer, whose trail is dogged by inquistive young Jose Perez. Jose’s father, musician Ricardo Montalban, has been accused of a series of murders. The boy is convinced that Marvin is the guilty party, and trails the man in hopes of bringing him to justice. No dummy he, Perez leaves a trail for the authorities to follow–a series of smashed-up police call boxes (a similar plot device was deployed for comic purposes by Harold Lloyd in Professor Beware). A Life in the Balance was filmed on location in Mexico City, with a great deal of screen time devoted to a colorful carnival.
    Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideRead More »

  • John Sturges – Right Cross (1950)

    Drama1941-1950John SturgesMarilyn MonroeUSA

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    Plot Synopsis by Hal Erickson
    Right Cross stars Dick Powell as cynical sportswriter Rick Gavery and Powell’s wife June Allyson as boxing manager Pat O’Malley. Subbing for her incapacitated father (Lionel Barrymore), Pat grooms prizefighter Johnny Monterez (Ricardo Montalban) for the championship. Johnny holds a grudge against the world because he feels that his Mexican heritage has made him an outcast, though curiously the audience never sees any prejudice levelled against him. Gradually, Pat falls in love with the tempestuous Monterez, while Gavery, who’s always carried a torch for Pat, observes from the sidelines. The film wisely avoids the usual boxing-flick cliches, most commendably during the climactic Big Bout. Marilyn Monroe appears unbilled in the opening scene as Dick Powell’s dinner companion.Read More »

  • William A. Wellman – My Man and I (1952)

    1951-1960ClassicsDramaUSAWilliam A. Wellman

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    Plot: Chu Chu Ramirez is a Mexican farm laborer in California, with lofty ideals, who is very proud of his new American citizenship. During his time off, he tries to befriend the alcoholic bar girl Nancy. After working for a month for the subsistence farmer Mr. Ames and his frustrated wife, Chu Chu discovers that his paycheck bounces and Ames stalls in paying him. Just after a confrontation between Ames and Chu Chu, Ames is accidentally wounded by his own shotgun and he and his wife blame it on Chu Chu. Despite the support of his friends and sympathetic sheriff, Chu Chu is given a year’s sentence. Written by Will GilbertRead More »

  • J. Lee Thompson – Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972)

    1971-1980ActionJ. Lee ThompsonSci-FiUSA

    Synopsis:
    In this third sequel to “Planet of the Apes,” the apes turn the tables on the human Earth population when they lead a revolt against their cruel masters in the distant year of 1990. By doing this it creates the time loop that leads to the first film. “Conquest of the Planet of the Apes” is cinematically etched in broad, brash strokes slashing social satire and science fiction suspense with large-scale spectacle.Read More »

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