Ruth Roman

  • Ken Hughes – Joe MacBeth (1955)

    1951-1960CrimeDramaKen HughesUSA

    Plot: Shakespeare (more-or-less) in modern gangster setting. Lily MacBeth pushes her husband Joe to rub out the reigning crime boss and become the new “kingpin” himself. Success is short- lived, however, as he confronts Lennie, a mobster whose father and wife are Joe’s murder victims.Read More »

  • John Korty – Go Ask Alice (1973)

    1971-1980DramaJohn KortyUSA

    70s account of a girl’s descent into drug abuse.
    The book it is based on, (which may or may not be a true story) was standard reading at school for a generation.

    Stars William Shatner.Read More »

  • Jacques Tourneur – Great Day in the Morning (1956)

    1951-1960Jacques TourneurUSAWestern

    Film Society of Lincoln Center Writes:
    Tourneur’s moral and aesthetic complexity elevates this dark, anti-heroic western. Set on the brink of the Civil War, the deceptively titled Great Day in the Morning stars Robert Stack as a smooth-talking, opportunistic Southerner who drifts into Denver, his presence inflaming the already heated tensions between the Yankees and Confederates—and between two women he caddishly pursues, played by Virginia Mayo and Ruth Roman. As the film circles around themes of greed, jealousy, and violence, its increasingly sinister tone is mirrored by Tourneur’s intricate mise en scène, which begins in soft pastel hues and ends in noir shadows.Read More »

  • Anthony Mann – The Far Country [Widescreen] (1954)

    1951-1960Anthony MannUSAWestern

    Plot:
    In 1896, Jeff Webster sees the start of the Klondike gold rush as a golden opportunity to make a fortune in beef…and woe betide anyone standing in his way! He drives a cattle herd from Wyoming to Seattle, by ship to Skagway, and (after a delay caused by larcenous town boss Gannon) through the mountains to Dawson. There, he and his partner Ben Tatum get into the gold business themselves. Two lovely women fall for misanthropic Jeff, but he believes in every-man-for-himself, turning his back on growing lawlessness…until it finally strikes home.
    Written by Rod CrawfordRead More »

  • Nicholas Ray – Bitter Victory (1957)

    USA1951-1960ClassicsNicholas RayWar

    Synopsis:
    In North Africa during World War II, Major David Brand is assigned to lead a British commando raid into German-held Benghazi to retrieve whatever documents they can lay their hands on at the German headquarters. His number two will be Capt. Jimmy Leith who speaks Arabic fluently and knows Benghazi well. Brand also learns that his beautiful wife Jane and Leith were lovers before the war, creating tension between the two. Brand is untested in battle and freezes at a critical moment, losing the respect of his men. After the raid, the trek back is arduous and takes its toll on the men. It also results in only one of the two senior officers surviving.Read More »

  • Frank Lloyd – The Shanghai Story (1954)

    1951-1960DramaFrank LloydThrillerUSA

    Gary Tooze writes:
    Produced and directed by the prestigious Frank Lloyd, The Shanghai Story was promoted as a “class” production by the bread-and-butter firm of Republic Pictures. The film takes place in the eponymous far-eastern metropolis (courtesy of the Republic backlot), where Communist police chief Colonel Zorek (Marvin Miller) hopes to trap an American spy. Zorek rounds up the usual suspects and sequesters them in a seedy hotel. Could the spy be Dan Maynard (Edmond O’Brien), a cynical doctor? Is it munitions profiteer Ricki Dolmine (Barry Kelley)? Perhaps it’s two-fisted mercenary seaman Knuckles Greer (Richard Jaeckel). Orrrrrrr, maybe it’s the mysterious Rita King (Ruth Roman), who is inexplicably given permission to come and go as she pleases by the otherwise intractable Zorek. True to form, this Republic A-picture resolves its problems with a final reel of good old B-flick action and violence.Read More »

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